In August of 2004, Lamb of God released their third studio album, Ashes of the Wake. It was greeted with much commercial success, the album debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200, selling 35,000 copies in its first-week and was rated by Guitar World as the 49th greatest Guitar Album of all Time. Ten years after its release, as of 2014, sales have topped 400,000 copies sold and is Lamb of God’s best-selling record. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in February 2016. The title track, Ashes of the Wake, features a voice over from former US Marine Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey who was disillusioned by the war. With a driving guitar riff the song gives a dark background to his words of: “…this is a new type of war, this is an eradication. I honestly feel we're committing genocide over here, I don't believe in killing civilians, and I'm not going to kill civilians for the United States Marine Corp." Along with a few other lines from Jimmy, these are the only words spoken throughout the song, making them even more powerful. The song Omerta begins with the Mafia’s code of silence, “Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without this law is both. For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, ‘if I live, I will kill you, if I die, you are forgiven.’ Such is the rule of honor.” This possibly is a reference to how the US handled the war in Iraq. We were out with blood in our eyes. It was less about saving a country from assholes and more about avenging fallen family which made us act irrationally. The song also turns out to be full of biblical references, speaking of the story of Judas, and how he betrayed Jesus “for 30 pieces of silver. The main meaning of the song is to never betray anyone, never attempt to kill anyone, and never snitch on anyone, because if it gets back to the source or they survive, they’re going to come back and hit you twice as hard.Laid to Rest follows a different tune, being about a murder victim haunting his killer from the grave, it starts with him wishing for more time “If there was a day I could live, I would trade all the others away.” Then he moves onto taunting his killer, saying “Console yourself, you’re better alone. Destroy yourself, see who gives a fuck.” And finally he begins to fuck with the killers head, committing fully to destroying him mentally, saying “I'll chain you to the truth, for the truth shall set you free. I'll turn the screws of vengeance and bury you with honesty. I'll make all your dreams come to life, then slay them as quickly as they came. Smother another failure, lay this to rest.” There’s definite reasons why Laid to Rest is such a prominent song in the metal community. The most obvious is the music itself, there’s a reason Ashes of the Wake was rated the 49th best guitar albums of all time, the lyrics as well, as a metalhead, who doesn’t love a good ole fashion song about murder? Live, it is absolutely fantastic, the whole crowd goes insane and the energy onstage is only magnified in the pit. Lastly though, and possibly the most important reason, is it’s an incredibly well written song - both musically and lyrically. It’s simple but it gets across its message in a way that sets it apart from the rest. Ashes of the Wake was their first commercial success as a band, with its lead single Laid to Rest becoming a staple of 00’s heavy metal and its message of anti-Iraq war, it quickly cemented itself as one of the best metal albums of the decade. Lamb of God is currently out on tour, with upcoming tour dates in the US. Some of those dates happen to be big festivals happening all around the country. Festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, The River's Rockfest, Northern Invasion, Rock N' Derby and Rock On The Range. For all of the tour dates, Lamb Of God has coming up, please head on over to their website. Of course go to the respective festival websites for information involving those. Written by Coby Andrews newest writer for Immortal Music
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Doing another throw back today, to November 2001 when Rob Zombie released his second solo album, The Sinister Urge. The album was released on November 13, 2001, and was actually named after a crime drama movie that came out in 1961. The album did break the top 10 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified as platinum, though we cannot seem to find the exact chart ratings. A handful of tracks really stood out to us, one of them was "Iron Head", mostly because it was a collaboration with Ozzy Osbourne. When he was asked about it, he answered in a somewhat sassy way. "I thought that somehow the song didn't seem special enough. Somehow I thought that the song wasn’t as good as it should be and I had been talking to Ozzy a lot and working on stuff for the tour and someone was like, 'Why don't you just get Ozzy to fucking do it?' It was like, duh. Sometimes you don' think of the obvious ideas." For obvious reasons, he had a brilliant idea for this track. A couple of the other tracks that stood out to us were, "Demon Speeding" and "Never Gonna Stop." "Demon Speeding" most definitely feels like a classic Rob Zombie song. Like if you're trying to describe him to anyone, just play this song, and they will feel like they understand a bit more. If they still don't, there's much more where that came from, obviously. There's not a ton to be said about this song, except that its fast paced and it seems almost like an introduction from Rob Zombie himself, about himself. Then there's "Never Gonna Stop", its over all a fairly simple song, but there's something pretty awesome about just flat out stating what's going on and that nobody's going to stop you. So, just for that fact, we absolutely love it. Its really no shock to say this is an amazing album, because almost all of his work in all fields he's done has become legendary. His work isn't slowing down either! He has a new album coming out April 29, called The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser, and will be going out on tour with Disturbed soon after that. The tour kicks off with Fort Rock, which is on April 30, and then will go on to play Welcome To Rockville,Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, and Rocklahoma. For even more tour dates, and pre-order information, head on over to Rob Zombie's official website. Also, be sure check out the reviews we've done for the rest of the album's in his discography! Hellbilly Deluxe -Educated Horses- Hellbilly Deluxe 2 - Venmous Rat Regeneration Throwback Tuesday to August 2008 when Pop Evil made their debut. Their debut album, Lipstick On The Mirror was released through Pazzo Music, and then again through Universal Republic records in May of the following year. While it did not reach any charts, it still did fairly well. Singles were, "Hero", "Someone Like You" and "100 in a 55" , which helped put the band on the map. "100 in a 55" is actually one of those songs that as soon as you hear it, you remember hearing it in the past, even if you didn't realize you knew it. This was one of the radio singles, and we're guessing it was played a lot around here for a while because we really remember hearing it everywhere. Its all about love, life and music. "I do what I can but I know I can't take anymore. I still believe in this rock' n roll, and I pray the music's gonna save my soul." So, for those reasons, its pretty obvious that this track stands out to us. Other tracks that stand out to us are, "Breathe", and "Shinedown." "Breathe" is one that really stands out, because it very clearly comes from a breaking point, where you're just trying to get out of it. Its very well worded, and the instrumentals are upbeat, making the song slightly deceiving if you're not actively listening to the words. "Shinedown." Originally it was because the name made us think of the very talented band from Jacksonville, Florida. But then the song speaks for itself. Not only is it catchy, but seems to be asking for some extra strength, or a light in your life. Its quite beautiful, and there's just something about it that's a bit hard to explain but still wonderful. The album as a whole is absolutely beautiful, and was a wonderful debut to the world. Many years have passed now and Pop Evil have released several albums since then. Be sure to check out reviews for the rest of their discography and then head over to Pop Evil's website to take a look at all of their tour dates! They are on tour with Red Sun Rising now through April 15, and then will be going out with Smashing Satellites until the festivals kick in. Festival season begins on April 29 at the 98 Rockfest, then they go play Fort Rock Festival, and Welcome To Rockville festival. They then will join Disturbed and Rob Zombie on tour around the US. During their tour, they will also appear at many other festivals such as Carolina Rebellion,Rock N' Derby, and Rock on The Range. For a full list of tour dates, please make sure to take a look at Pop Evil's website! Pop Evil reviews: War of Angels / Onyx / Up Trivium released their third studio album, The Crusade on October 10, 2006. Many people considered this to be a drastic change from their second album, Ascendancy. The first single, "Detonation" came out in June, through the band's Myspace actually. Along with this also came, "Entrance of the Conflagration" and "Anthem (We Are The Fire"m which came out in September and October respectively. The album was received fairly well, peaking at number seven in the UK after selling over 60,000 copies and 100,000 copies in teh US. It also has been given a certified Silver for its success. Right off the bat, you pick up on the over all vibe of the album, which really seems to be inspiring a revolution. It speaks of war, civilization crumbling, a suicide, and more. Its a very hard hitting album that probably would fuel people to stand up and try to make a change in the world around them. A track that really stood out to me was "The Sadness Will Sear." This one was not a single, but definitely should have been. It tells a very interesting story, of a life, a whole world is falling apart. People are close minded, people end up dying, and its all very well worded. So, this one in particularly really just need some attention. Another one is "Becoming The Dragon", which was the last single released for this album, in 2007. This one is full of power and strength. It speaks of being strong, reaching your full potential, and never letting anyone hold you back. Its all around an incredible album, and there's a ton more where that came from. Be sure to check out this album, along with the rest of Trivium's discography. Since the release of The Crusade, Trivium has released four more albums and we've reviewed the latest three. If you would like to check those out, links are below. Also be sure to check out Trivium's website, and take a look at all their upcoming tour dates. Right now they're on tour in the UK, and then will head over to Japan in early April. From Japan, they go to Australia, and then fly all the way across the country to the US. Here they will do another tour, but also will perform at many festivals such as Earth Day Birthday, Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range and Rock N' Derby! They also have many European festivals happening this Summer, so they have a ton going on! Go take a look! Our Trivium reviews! Vengeance Fails - In Waves - Silence In The Snow United Abominations is Megadeth's eleventh album, United Abominations and it was released in May 2007. This album was the first Megadeth album to be released through Roadrunner Records and was the first to feature an almost entirely new lineup. The only remaining member was Dave Mustaine. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200, and was the highest chart rating they had since their 1994 release, Youthanasia. It is not now their highest chart rating though, because their 2013 release, Super Collider came in at number six on the same chart. The first single from the album was actually a remake of one of their songs from 1994. This song is called "À tout le monde" and is French for "To all the world" or "To everyone." The song features Christina Scabbia, singer of Lacuna Coil. The song is quite touching really, and a bit concerning all at once. It sounds like a suicide note, and actually ended up connected to a shooting that happened in 2007. Apparently the guy that did a shooting at Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec, Canada mentioned the song in a blog post on the day of the shooting. This lead to many people actually blaming Megadeth for the shooting for some stupid reason. Its a shame really, because its a beautiful song. Another track, we really feel compelled to mention is "Never Walk Alone." Because it expresses that you're still there for someone, no matter what. Its very clearly speaking of someone who you care about a lot, and had a falling out with. You never gave up, even when they were trying to push you away. Its a bittersweet thing really, but wonderful and heartwarming no less. This album actually stands out a bit to us because its not fully about what's wrong with the government and the world around them. While that is something wonderful in its own right, and classic for Megadeth as far as we have heard, its refreshing to hear something different and heartfelt as well. As said before, this was Megadeth's eleventh album, and there's still more where that came from! There's been four albums since this one came out, and one of them is basically brand new. That one is Super Collider, and we have done a review for it. If you're interested in that, you can click here. We also encourage you to check out our other reviews for Megadeth, which are all linked below. We haven't gotten to do much, but we are hoping to fix that soon, so stay tuned! While you're checking things out, please be sure to include Megadeth's website! Over there you will find all of their upcoming tour dates! In a little over a month, Megadeth will set out to perform at many festivals around the US such asFort Rock, Welcome To Rockville,Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rock'n Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. They also will be doing many European festivals over the summer, but we encourage you to go to their website to see all of those. Our Megadeth reviews: Thirteen - Super Collider -Dystopia -Stay tuned for more! Throwback to summer of 1998 when Anthrax released their eighth studio album, which was appropriately titled, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real. The album debuted at number 118 on the Billboard 200, so it didn't chart very well to begin with, but they did manage to get one of the singles featured in a video game.
The second single, "Crush" was featured in ATV Offroad Fury, which was released in 2001 for the Playstation 2. The album starts off with "Crush", and its got a very fast, semi heavy intro. It starts into the lyrics slowly, but given the music, its a good start to the album for sure. The song is questioning what he has to do to get love from someone, and its a bit unexpected out of a semi heavy band. Unrequited love isn't generally what you expect out of a heavy metal band, but they did it very well, and its an excellent start to the album. A track we really wanted to bring light to is "P&V", which tells the story of stepping up and doing what you had to. Its not easy, but sometimes you've gotta do it and that's exactly what this song portrays, and I just love that. This is just one of many wonderful albums brought to you by Anthrax! Like we said, this one came out in 1998, and since then they have released three other albums and an EP. That includes their newest album For All Kings, which only just came out! You can find out more about that on their official website, and while you're there you can see all of their tour dates. They will soon be performing at several festivals here in the US, such as Fort Myers, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, and the Rock N' Derby. Then they move on to play many European festivals as well! Asking Alexandria's fourth studio album, The Black, is the first album to feature their new front man, Denis Stoff! The album was released on March 25, 2016 and this review was done on the day of its release! The first single, "I Won't Give In" actually came out in May of 2015, just to give fans a taste of what Denis sounded like. The song is incredibly beautiful, and actually speaks of watching someone slowly give up, and you don't want to let that happen. A lot of fans actually didn't like it at first because Denis sounds so different from former singer, Danny Worsnop, but I personally think its a great song, and Denis sounds wonderful. The album starts off however with, "Let It Sleep", which actually starts off the album on a heavy note, which is keeping to the classic Asking Alexandria sound. "My evil thoughts can't hide and I am objected by all my...There's not a thing you can do." As soon as I heart that lyric, I instantly thought they should do a music video for this song. It sets itself up for a very dark and badass video. Honestly, I want to talk about the entire album, but since its brand new, I want to avoid giving the entire thing away. So, I will just talk about some of my favorites, and encourage you to listen to it for yourself. Let me start off by saying this though, Asking Alexandria has not lost their touch. Many people have been quite harsh toward Denis, but frankly, I really like the dynamic he brings to the table. I've followed Asking's work for several years now, and this album is up there with some of the band's best work, in my opinion. Its heavy, but in a beautiful melodic way, and I really like how Denis' voice ties in with it all. A lot of it sounds like it would be badass live, and would definitely inspire a ton of mosh pits. Hands down though, my favorite track is "Here I Am." "Here I Am" is kind of like Denis' introduction to the world. Given the fact that this is his first album with the band, this couldn't be a more perfect track. Its not only perfect timing, its just a beautiful song where he just lays it all out there, and it would work for anyone who just wants to show the world who they are and what they've got. Its full of beautiful lyrics like, "I'm not ashamed of my mistakes. I walk the path I have to take, its made me who I am today." and . "So take this chance, don't back down. Take a stand and never let them bring you down." Its just a beautiful, inspiring song, so it had to be mentioned! A couple other songs I feel compelled to bring up are, "Sometimes It Ends", and "The Lost Souls." "The Lost Souls" is getting an honorable mention because its actually just incredibly badass, and a little creepy at the beginning. The little girl humming in the beginning was a great touch, and this one needs a music video for it. "Sometimes It Ends" on the other hand, actually did something I've never heard of before. They decided to have Ben Bruce speak up at the beginning and end of the song, and he starts off by saying he didn't want this to be about Danny. Danny was in the past, and is onto different things, so he and Denis sat down and re-wrote the entire album. On some level, its a bit concerning they felt compelled to explain themselves, but at the same time, I appreciate the commentary. The song itself is also beautiful by pointing out that things do end sometimes, but that's okay. He also goes on at the end to say he is happy and grateful for everything, but this album wouldn't have happened the way it did had Denis not told him to "Stop being a pussy." Classic Ben there. This is honestly an great album, and you definitely should go check it out. Even if you weren't previously a fan, you may just be impressed by the changes. Its still AA as they've always been, but with a fresh new twist. You can go pick up the album now on iTunes or wherever music is sold! Also keep in mind that starting April 5, they will be touring in Australia with Blessthefall and Buried In Venom. Then they come over to the US to perform at many, many fesitvals, such asWelcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, and the Chicago Open Air Festival. All of these stops happen while on the second leg of the British Invasion tour with Bullet For My Valentine. Further information can be found on the respective festival websites and of course, Asking Alexandria's official website. Avatar's sophomore album, Schlacht was released on October 29, 2007. The album's name means 'battle' in German, and that actually surprised a bit, since they're a Swedish band. But none the less, its a very awesome name none the less. The album starts off with the title track, which honestly is not even remotely close to our cup of tea. The screaming sounds more strained than we've heard out of Avatar before, and its all mixing a little too well together. Even the lyrics throw us off a bit, because they're speaking of cannibalism and whatnot. With a title meaning "Battle", we expected much different. Perhaps something that was going to kick you in gear and make you feel compelled to stand up for what you wanted. This was a disappointment. Now the second track,"Wildflower", while it still has the semi strained screaming, was much better and much closer to what we expected out of "Schlacht." It does encourage people to fight, and take this life for themselves. It actually says, "Child, grow wild. Like the flowers dance, you've only got once chance in this life time to give them a sign. Find your way to where the sinners roam. Just look under the snow and find starlight. Don't give them your prime." That's absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We would actually love to hear a stripped down version of this song, because the meaning would be truly exposed. Honestly, we're not the biggest fans of Avatar. We admit that, completely. The problem is, over all, they have completely beautiful lyrics, or at least well thought out lyrics, but they're completely drowned out. This definitely isn't their best work, in our opinion. If pressed to choose, we would say the album that came just after this, Avatar, is their best work to date so far. We recently did a review of that one as well, if anyone would like to check it out. What do you think of this album? Or just Avatar in general? Please feel free to let us know! If you're interested, you can head on over to Avatar's official website to see everything they have going on. They will be releasing a brand new LP, Feathers & Flesh very soon, and will also be performing at many festivals. Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rocklahoma, and more! Its no joke that Sevendust released their seventh studio album, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow on April Fool's Day 2008. While that may be a day for jokes and pranks, they were not messing around in the slightest with this album. This album did fairly well on many US charts, but only reached as high as number six on the Top Modern Rock/ Alternative Albums chart. We can't entirely understand why, due to the many guest appearances on the album. Through out the album they feature Mark Tremonti of Creed and Alter Bridge, Chris Daughtry, and Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge on different tracks. You would think that would have drawn a lot of attention, but it doesn't appear to have done that. The first single, "Prodigal Son" was released on February 26, and it actually feels like it has a bit of some religious undertones. You feel like you've hit rock bottom, and you're just looking for some relief and rather than begging for help, it seems like its almost a prayer. While its an interesting and well done track, to those non-religious, such as myself, I can see how it was slightly less impressive than some of Sevendust's other work. The second single though, "The Past", on the other hand is absolutely beautiful. This one features Chris Daughtry, and it still comes from a dark place, as does most of the album. It definietly came from a place of despair, and you really feel the emotions. They brought it out beautifully and it really just makes you want to embrace them and remind them that its going to be okay. All and all, we honestly feel like this album was simply an over looked gem. It may not be their best work, but its definitely a good album none the less. You can get this album and all their other albums wherever music is sold, and we highly recommend you do so! We also recommend you go take a look at Sevendust's website's because they are extremely active right now. In just a few weeks they will be going out with Trivium and Like A Storm on a tour, and during that tour they will be performing at many festivals. Such festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Lunatic Luau '16,Carolina Rebellion, 98.9 The Rock's Rockfest, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, Rock N Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. For more festival information, please visit the respective festival websites and of course, you can find exact tour dates on Sevendust's website. Disturbed's third studio album, Ten Thousand Fists was released on September 20, 2005! It was their second of many albums to debut at number one one the Billboard 200 and is certified Platinum here in the US!
The first single from the album, "Guarded" came out on June 28 of the same year, and we may be wrong about this, but it sounds a bit like he's singing about someone's death, possibly suicide. It sounds like they were a very strong but distrusting person, very unwilling to fall involve, eventually leaving them miserable. Its a very interesting, thought provoking song, and a great way to get people interested in an upcoming album. Though it is not how we start out the album. We start off the album with the title track, "10,000 Fists." Because you hear it and know without a doubt in your mind that it's going to be incredible live, and its about bringing people together so of course that's the case! Its just a badass song, and there's nothing else to be said about that really. Its pretty obvious that the album is incredible, Disturbed really hasn't ever released something less than amazing. But we did want to give some honorable mentions to favorite songs on the album. Along with "10,000 fists", we would like to give attention to "Stricken", "Just Stop" and "Land Of Confusion" which is actually a cover by Genesis, a very successful rock band that formed in the late sixties. Disturbed really likes their covers, don't they? They do a great job, so we're not complaining! You can get this album, along with all of Disturbed's work on iTunes and we highly recommend you keep up to date with them by checking out their official website. They have a lot coming up soon, including festival appearances and a tour with Breaking Benjamin, Alter Bridge and Saint Asonia. The tour begins tomorrow in Dallas, TX, and festival appearances include 98Rockfest, Fort Rock,Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rockfest,Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, Rocklahoma,River City Rockfest, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, FortaRock Festival, Rockhal, Komplex 457, Nova Rock Festival, Download fesitval and many many more! A previously stated, checking out their website is encouraged because you can find full tour dates and more festival information by heading over there. |
InformationAll reviews have the date they were written, the album title, and the band's name, with the exception of Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace and Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. Those dates were guessed at, as they were written well before the website began. Archives
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