THE COMMONERS - FIND A BETTER WAY

Citing The Black Crowes as “a considerable influence,” The Commoners from Toronto, Ontario beautifully meld blues, soul, and good old-fashioned rock ‘n roll into a warm and soothing musical experience. Although the roots-based band is pictured as a four-piece on the album cover – vocalist / rhythm guitarist Chris Medhurst, bassist Ben Spiller, lead guitarist Ross Hayes Citrullo, and drummer Adam Cannon – are joined by their friend, organist / piano player Miles Evans-Branagh on eight of the nine songs on this stunning, Southern rock inspired album.

Opening song and title track “Find A Better Way” features a special guest appearance from The Trews keyboardist Jeff Heisholt, and was mixed by Kevin “Caveman” Shirley (Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Journey). What an inviting way to start an album! Put simply, “Fill My Cup” is irresistible. “More Than Mistakes” is reminiscent of under-rated mid-‘90s Canadian rockers, Buffalo Brothers. “Too Much” hits that sweet spot just right. “Naturally” marks the mid-point, thereby providing a mellow yet impactful interlude.

“I Won’t” is highlighted by pedal steel courtesy of Michael Ekhart, and sees The Commoners veering towards country music. “Deadlines” brings back the euphoric element found at the beginning of this record. Passing the seven-minute mark, “Hangin’ On Again” is by far the longest of the bunch, resonating as it builds. Rather than going out with a bang, The Commoners opt for a tender closer in the form of “Alive”. Whether full-on ripping or acoustic picking, authenticity and sincerity are undoubtedly the name of this alluring game.

AUTOPSY - MORBIDITY TRIUMPHANT Rating: 8.0

 

t's been seven years since gory, grindy DM legends Autopsy dropped the excellent Skull Grinder record (at 28 minutes, I call it a full-length, although “mini-album” works and was always kind of a cool designation in my mind), and, really, I've got to say this: Autopsy's 2011-2015 run of four records totally rules, the band on a near-Napalm Death/Kreator mid-career resurgence.

The momentum was lost but Morbidity Triumphant is here to destroy, and destroy it does through all manner fast (“Stab The Brain”) and sludgey (“Final Frost”), the two speeds we want out of this DM institution. New bassist Greg Wilkinson (of the underrated Brainoil) holds his own alongside terrible twosome Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler and, of course, drum/vocal hero Chris Reifert (who plays in Static Abyss with Wilkinson). Autopsy's strength has always been their incredible grasp of eerie atmosphere, of weird riffs, of horribly ugly punked-out death/doom/sludge and look at this, the opening riffs of “The Voracious One” bring the swamps home, doing all that stuff in one atrocious swoop.

Love how things then get lower and slower for “Born In Blood” before the band picks up to an extremely punk place, Autopsy just sticking to their guns—always—and doing what is right, which is sewage-grade death/doom, punked out with just enough gore-grind in there for good measure. “Tapestry Of Scars”, again with those icy, sideways, horror-movie riffs that quite literally only Autopsy ever manage to pull off so well; “Your Eyes Will Turn To Dust” is a killer atmospheric sludge/death party to close things off, somehow all at once being scary and a party, with a great song title to boot

NAZGHOR: SUECOS LANÇAM SEU NOVO ÁLBUM “SEVENTH SECULAR CRUSADE”

 

A banda sueca Nazghor, lançou nesse último dia 25 de novembro, através do selo The Wild Hunt, o seu 7º álbum de estúdio, intitulado “Seventh Secular Crusade”. Contando com 7 músicas, o trabalho entrega um Black Metal forte, pesado, agressivo, mas que também não abre mão as boas melodias. Uma ótima pedida para fãs de bandas como Watain, Dissection ou Naglfar, mas com uma identidade própria muito forte.


Destacando músicas como a épica “Seventh Secular Crusade”, a intensa e agressiva “Fulminating Fire” e a mais melódica “Beyond the Grave”, o álbum já se encontra disponível para audição nas principais plataformas de streaming

DOKKEN: ANUNCIADO O LANÇAMENTO DE “THE ELEKTRA ALBUMS 1983 – 1987”, EM JANEIRO

 

Os quatro álbuns que fizeram do Dokken uma das principais bandas de rock dos anos 1980 agora estão sendo reunidos como um conjunto de caixas (disponível nos formatos LP ou CD) da BMG, intituladas The Elektra Albums 1983-1987. Previsto para 27 de janeiro de 2023, o conjunto de edição limitada incluirá os primeiros quatro álbuns de estúdio do Dokken, que venderam um milhão de cópias em todo o mundo – Breaking The Chains (1983), Tooth And Nail (1984), Under Lock And Key (1985) e Back For The Attack (1987) – como um conjunto de cinco LP”s ou cinco CD’s.


Todos os álbuns apresentam a formação clássica da banda, com Don Dokken (vocal), George Lynch (guitarra), Jeff Pilson (baixo) e “Wild” Mick Brown (bateria), e todos foram recentemente remasterizados por Andy Pearce (Black Sabbath, Motörhead). Além disso, a caixa LP apresenta vinil preto de 180g.

LAMB OF GOD'S HEADBANGERS BOAT IS SOLD OUT!

 

Lamb Of God and Sixthman, creators of unforgettable festivals on sand and at sea for more than two decades, have announced that the first-ever Headbangers Boat, sailing October 31 - November 4, 2023 from Miami, FL to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the Norwegian Pearl, is now sold out.

Says Lamb Of God: "Y’all are crazy... the first annual Headbangers Boat sold out less than 24 hours after the general on-sale. Join the official waiting list at headbangersboat.com to get first access if any additional cabins are released to the public. See you on Halloween 2023!

IRON KINGDOM - "QUEEN OF THE CRYSTAL THRONE

Canadian metal outfit Iron Kingdom are gearing up for their fifth full-length effort, The Blood Of Creation, out now. Today, these '80s throwbackers meet modern progressive riffs have unveiled the video for their latest single, “Queen Of The Crystal Throne”. Musically, the group is influenced by fantasy mixed with some added darker emotions following the Covid-19 pandemic, making it an interesting take on the band’s continuous evolution.

The band explains: “This powerful mid-tempo banger was written about a dark seductress: cold, aloof, and dangerous, you show interest at your own peril. We wanted a straight rocker tune, and that’s exactly what we did here with ‘Queen Of The Crystal Throne’, with hints of early Queensrÿche or Accept, the riffs have some balls, but they also keep a cool pace, it’s really just a super fun tune.”

NIKKI SIXX ON WHY MÖTLEY CRÜE CHOSE JOHN 5 TO REPLACE GUITARIST MICK MARS - "HE CHECKS ALL THE BOXES...

Last week, Mötley Crüe issued the following statement in regards to the announcement that guitarist Mick Mars will no longer tour with the band, but will continue as a member.

"While change is never easy, we accept Mick's decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health. We have watched Mick manage his Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades and he has always managed it with utmost courage and grace.

To say "enough is enough" is the ultimate act of courage. Mick's sound helped define Mötley Crüe from the minute he plugged in his guitar at our very first rehearsal together. The rest, as they say, is history. We'll continue to honor his musical legacy.