Random Review: Firewind- "Allegiance"

*I recently dug this up from a forum I posted on about 3 years ago. I thought I'd share it with you now and let you know how far I've come with my reviews. This also serves as proof that I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. Enjoy!*

**I didn't give this a score originally, so I'll just insert one now!**

A friend of mine played me Firewind and as soon as I heard them I knew that I had to check them out. These guys are one of several power metal bands from Europe (in this case, Greece ) that take elements from classic ‘80s metal and give them a modern feel. This album begins with the ball-punching title track and continues the adrenaline surge with “Insanity”. Things become simplified with the catchyness of “Falling to Piece” which is followed with my personal favorite on the album, “Ready to Strike”. “Breaking the Silence” is another catchy yet heavy song (despite its corniness) and features the pop singer Tara (don’t ask me who she is cause I have no clue). At this point, the album has reached its peek and continues to be great without the impact the first few songs had. “Till the End of Time” is the last song to really stand out in my opinion with fast driven verses and its heavy chorus. The rest of the tracks on the album are definitely listenable and don’t detract from the overall quality of the package as a whole.

Some of the factors that make this group stand out from other metal bands are the memorable choruses in both the guitar work and lyrics. Singer Apollo Papathanasio does an amazing job in selling the songs with the power of his voice as well of the vocal melody he provides. Guitarist Gus G. (previously of Dream Evil) brings his signature guitar work to his solos that make him instantly recognizable. Overall, Allegiance is a prime example of what the combination of classic and modern metal can produce when done right. Anyone who likes power metal or metal in general needs to check this one out.

Standout Tracks:

Allegiance
Insanity
Falling to Pieces
Ready to Strike
Breaking the Silence
Till the End of Time

New Dragonforce Song Will Probably Give You A Seizure

Could they have been any more lazy with this cover?

Say what you will about Dragonforce, but there is one thing about them that cannot be denied: they are entertaining to listen to. Their new single, "Fallen Worlds", is further proof that while this band is completely ridiculous, a little ridiculousness can be a good thing if done right. You can listen to the song in the conveniently placed web player below.

The song is apparently being described as the band's "fastest song yet". I don't know if I quite buy that. It might seem faster than normal because of how much shorter it is compared to their other opuses. It's still a pretty good tune though, and new singer Marc Hudson sounds way better than ZP Theart.

The Power Within comes out April 17.

Iron Maiden to Tour U.S. and Canada

This poster looks strangely familiar...

Iron Maiden has announced they will embark on a North American tour this summer. For all of you Maiden purists, the setlist will resemble the "Maiden England World Tour" set, so no whining about how they only play new songs! Singer Bruce Dickinson has offered the following statement for your consideration:

"We have great fun playing the history of Maiden tours because it gives us an opportunity between new albums to go out and play songs from our earlier catalogue. It's always fantastic seeing the crowd reaction from a new generation of fans who have never experienced some of these tracks performed live before, and of course we know our longstanding fans will enjoy seeing the original'Seventh Son Tour' revisited — with many other surprises! Our intention is to play about two thirds of the original track list of 'Maiden England', including some songs we have not played live in a very,very long time, plus other favourites we just know the fans are going to want to hear! We always try to give our fans a great show musically, but we have always tried to make it as entertaining and memorable an experience as we can visually. And we all feel this show is going to do that splendidly! We can't wait to get started in Charlotte"

In addition, Alice Cooper will be the special guest for all dates until July 21 when he will be replaced by Coheed and Cambria, unfortunately. Here are the dates for what should be one of the best tours of the year:

Jun. 21 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jun. 23 - Atlanta, GA - Aarons Amphitheatre
Jun. 26 - Boston, MA - Comcast Center
Jun. 27 - Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach
Jun. 29 - Philadelphia, PI - Susquehanna Bank Center
Jun. 30 - Washington, DC - Jiffy Lube Live
Jul. 02 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
Jul. 05 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank
Jul. 08 - Quebec, QC - Colisee Pepsi Arena
Jul. 11 - Montreal, QC - Bell Center
Jul. 13 - Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre
Jul. 14 - Sarnia, ON - Bayfest
Jul. 16 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Jul. 18 - Detroit, MI - DTE Music Theatre
Jul. 19 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Centre
Jul. 24 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Center
Jul. 26 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
Jul. 27 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
Jul. 29 - Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum
Jul. 30 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
Aug. 01 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
Aug. 03 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug. 06 - Phoenix, AZ - Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion
Aug. 09 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 12 - Albuquerque, NM - Hard Rock Pavilion
Aug. 13 - Denver, CO - Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Aug. 15 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
Aug. 17 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
Aug. 18 - Houston, TX - The Woodlands

Who else is as excited at I am!?

Brendon Small Reveals Cover for Galaktikon

I have no idea what's going on here, but it sure looks awesome!

Co-creator of Metalocalypse and all around awesome guy Brendon Small has been working on a solo project for a while and has now revealed the cover for his debut album, titled Brendon Small's Galaktikon. Although it may not be the long awaited Dethablum III, sadly, it should still be a pretty cool record. Also, in true Dethklok/Mortal Kombat fashion, all the C's are appropriately replaced with a K, which I hear the kids are into.

Here's the official description of the project by Mr. Small himself taken from the group's Facebook page:

"This is the official fan page for Brendon Small’s GALAKTIKON: A high stakes intergalactic extreme rock album coming soon!"

Lets hope "soon" is sometime this year. Lets also hope Dethalbum III comes out before the end of Season 4!

Into Eternity Releases "Fukushima" Single

The subject matter of the song deals with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that happened as a result of the Japanese earthquakes back in March of last year.

I'm going to be perfectly honest here. I was not familiar with Into Eternity until it was announced Stu Block would be the new singer of Iced Earth. Go ahead, longtime IE fans (not the Iced Earth IE, the Into Eternity IE...forget it!) and tell me that I'm not a "true fan". After the announcement, however, I was pleased to discover that the band is one of the more unique and innovative groups to come out of the last decade or so. Their new single, "Fukushima", along with the previously released "Sandstorm", makes me super excited for a new full length album. Check out the song at the bottom of the page.

While I'm on the subject, it should be noted that female vocalist Amanda Kiernan will replace Stucifer on Into Eternity's upcoming tour dates while he is busy with the other IE. This leads to the question if Stu will be able to handle double duty with both bands since his main commitment seems to be with Iced Earth at the moment. It would be a shame for him to have to leave the group due to his truly unique voice and vocal range being a big part of their sound. However, if he decides to leave us with one more Into Eternity album, that would not be the worst thing in the world.

Foo Fighters Win Irrelevant Award, Megadeth Screwed Over for 10th Time

We Are Biased!

Last night was the 54th annual "Who Cares Awards", also known as the Grammys. I did not watch the awards, because they're, you know, the Grammys. I did, however, look online to see who the winners were which is what I assume most normal people did anyway.

I won't bore you with who the winners were for each category. Just know that Foo Fighters won a bunch of stuff, including Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. Also, Dave Grohl was rocking a Slayer shirt.

While FF are more than deserving of winning Grammys, the fact that the Hard Rock and Metal award was condensed into one category is yet another reason why these awards are nothing more than a glorified popularity contest. Putting Dream Theater, Mastodon, and Megadeth in the same category as Foo Fighters not only doesn't make sense, it also shows how little this organization actually cares about artists that aren't "mainstream". It's sad when metal bands that have waited forever to be nominated for these stupid awards or even win them talk about how little it really means to them.

I'm pretty much beating over a dead horse, so I'll just leave you with picture of Deadmau5 trolling Skrillex.

Van Halen: "A Different Kind of Truth" Review

No. No way. I refuse to believe this album actually exists. Even after listening to it several times and PHYSICALLY HOLDING IT, I cannot bring myself to acknowledge the existence of this product. Instead, I will pretend that Van Halen's new "album", A Different Kind of Truth, is a decent comeback from one of rock's most iconic acts, while not exactly breaking any new boundaries. 

The reason I put "album" in quotes is in regards to the originality of the songs. While it has not been 100% confirmed, many people have been claiming (particularly one Samuel Hagar) that the songs on the record are all unused material from previous albums in the band's catalog. Whether or not this is actually true has little bearing on the quality of the songs, although it does help explain why the album sounds so familiar to David Lee Roth era VH. For some people, that's probably fine. For others, they'll be disappointed in the lack of creativity. I think I fall somewhere in the middle.

The opening track, "Tattoo", probably doesn't belong right in the beginning, but it's a good song nonetheless. It is also the first example of how every song sounds like it would fit perfectly on one of the band's earlier records. Songs like "She's the Woman", "Blood and Fire", "Big River", and "Tattoo" all sound like they could have been off of Van Halen II, while "China Town", "You and Your Blues", and "As Is" would fit right in with 1984. There's even a song that's essentially "Ice Cream Man" with "Stay Frosty". These comparisons don't make any of the songs bad, they just sound familiar.

That's not to say that there isn't some originality on the album. "Bullethead" and "Outta Space" are more fresh sounding and show what modern Van Halen should sound like. The most original sounding song, "Honeybabysweetiedoll", contains some Middle Eastern influences, although they fail in keeping the song interesting throughout. "Beats Working" also falls into the trap of losing steam about halfway through.

David Lee Roth marks his return after 27 years. While age might have prevented him from hitting the high notes he used to, his voice still fits with the style of the music. Eddie's guitar playing may not be as impressive compared to today's standards, but it is still top-notch. His solo's on "She's the Woman" and "Big River" are reminders of why people were blown away by his playing back in the late '70s. The only missing ingredient to the classic VH sound are the high pitched harmonies delivered by Micheal Anthony. Instead, we're forced to listen to Wolfie on the bass. Some of his bass lines are not bad, despite them not being on a Jack Daniels bass.

The highest amount of praise I can give this album is that they made a Van Halen record. This is already an impressive feat given the amount of controversy surrounding the group over the past 15 years. Musically, the album sounds like what you would expect from the band's early days: nothing more, nothing less. Van Halen fans will most likely enjoy A Different Kind of Truth, even if there isn't anything spectacular to discover.

Good Band (Def Leppard) To Tour With Crappy Band (Poison)

I guess they needed to balance out the awesomeness

Ageing hipsters, rejoice! Poison drummer, Rikki Rocket, has confirmed via Twitter that the band will be touring with Def Leppard this summer. No dates have been announced yet.

Even though I'm not a hater on the hair metal, I freaking hate Poison. In fact, I think they're name has been fitting lately since they have been infecting what would otherwise be awesome tours. When Motley Crüe toured last summer, I lost all interest in going when Poison was included on the bill. Now, I could care less that Def Leppard is going on tour with the inclusion of Bret Michael's backup band. Last December was one of the few times I wished I lived in the U.K. when Def Leppard played with the Crüe and Steel Panther. Instead, we get this. Screw you, England!

In other news, Def Leppard is currently working on a new album which should be released sometime this year.

Bill Ward Is Most Likely Definitely Probably Not Participating In Sabbath Reunion Maybe

Once again, Bill Ward is getting the shaft.

Things don't look especially great for the Black Sabbath reunion. After it was announced earlier that Tony Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma, it seems now that one William of Ward may not be behind the kit of the newly formed Sabbath.

Ward's main reasoning involves a contract dispute that he claims will essentially screw him over. Like that's never happened to him before!? Here's the full statement:

"Dear Sabbath Fans, Fellow Musicians and Interested Parties,

At this time, I would love nothing more than to be able to proceed with the Black Sabbath album and tour. However, I am unable to continue unless a "signable" contract is drawn up; a contract that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band. Last year, I worked diligently in good faith with Tony, Ozzy and Geezer. And on 11/11/11, again in good faith, I participated in the L.A. press conference. Several days ago, after nearly a year of trying to negotiate, another “unsignable” contract was handed to me.

Let me say that although this has put me in some kind of holding pattern, I am packed and ready to leave the U.S. for England. More importantly, I definitely want to play on the album, and I definitely want to tour with Black Sabbath.

Since the news of Tony's illness, and the understanding that the band would move production to the U.K., I've spent everyday getting to or living in a place of readiness to leave. That involves something of a task, and as I've tried to find out what's going on with the U.K. sessions, I've realized that I've been getting "the cold shoulder" (and, I might add, not for the first time). Feeling somewhat ostracized, my guess is as of today, I will know nothing of what'shappening unless I sign "the unsignable contract."

The place I'm in feels lousy and lonely because as much as I want to play and participate, Ialso have to stand for something and not sign on. If I sign as-is, I stand to lose my rights, dignity and respectability as a rock musician. I believe in freedom and freedom of speech. I grew up in a hard rock/metal band. We stood for something then, and we played from the heart with honesty and sincerity. I am in the spirit of integrity, far from the corporate malady, I am real and honest, fair and compassionate.

If I'm replaced, I have to face you, the beloved Sabbath fans. I hope you will not hold me responsible for the failure of an original Black Sabbath lineup as promoted. Without fault finding, I want to assure everyone that my loyalty to Sabbath is intact.

So here I am. I lay my truth down before you. I'm good to go IF I get a “signable” contract. I don't want to let anyone down, especially Black Sabbath and all the Sabbath fans. You know I love you. It would be a sad day in Rock if this current situation fell to the desires of a few.

My position is not greed-driven. I'm not holding out for a "big piece" of the action (money) like some kind of blackmail deal. I’d like something that recognizes and is reflective of my contributions to the band, including the reunions that started fourteen years ago. After the last tour I vowed to never again sign on to an unreasonable contract. I want a contract that shows some respect to me and my family, a contract that will honor all that I've brought to Black Sabbath since its beginning.

That's the story so far.

Stay safe and stay strong.

I love every single one of you."

--Bill Ward

We love you too, buddy.

While this doesn't absolutely rule out the possibility of everything getting worked out and Bill playing with his former band mates, it doesn't seem very likely at this point. Now the question becomes who fills in for him. Vinny Appice would make sense due to his history with the band, although his recent gig with Kill Devil Hill may make him somewhat unavailable. Let's just hope the album can be completed and the tour happens as planned.