Metal Allegiance, Clutch, Nashville Pussy + More
After weeks of there being little in the way of new releases, this week offers a bunch of new albums that may be of interest:
Metal Allegiance – Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty
The core members of the band are back for their second outing. Megadeth’s David Ellefson, Testament’s Alex Skolnick, a man of a million bands Mike Portnoy and Mark Menghi all return to help lay the foundation for a cavalcade of guest vocalists. Including John Bush, Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth, Mark Tornillo, Max Cavalera, Floor Jansen, and Johan Hegg.
The only two singers that are back are Mark Osegueda and Troy Sanders. The band has kicked things up a notch, while other supergroups would just phone an album like this in, they have taken years to craft these songs, and try and make an album stronger than the debut. A difficult task that they seem to have accomplished.
Clutch – Book Of Bad Decisions
One of the most consistent band of the last thirty years, both live, and in the studio, you kind of either get them or you don’t. But they have always delivered with their brand of hard rock, mixing blues, stoner elements, groove, swagger, Motown, and a little funk when necessary.
Don’t expect Book Of Bad Decisions to reinvent the wheel, but what you will find are different ingredients to give this album its own flavor, and differentiate it from previous releases.
Nashville Pussy – Pleased To Eat You
If you aren’t familiar with the band, this is their seventh studio album, and like a good stiff cocktail, you need to take equal parts with great ingredients to make it memorable. Take the dirty from Motorhead, the blue-collar from AC/DC, and southern comfort from Molly Hatchet and you have the dirtiest hard rock band in the game.
Marking their twentieth-anniversary last year, this album follows down the path the band has laid since day one.
Cauldron – New Gods
While labels have started gobbling up new NWOBHM and 70s hard rock-influenced acts, Cauldron has been doing their thing for years. The Canadian three-piece is among the premier acts to offer newly crafted music that is heavily influenced by bands like Angel Witch, Witchfinder General, and early incarnations of Iron Maiden and Def Leppard.
If you’re a fan of any of these bands or the aforementioned musical stylings, then this band will not disappoint you.
Korpiklaani – Kulkija
A lot of what’s on today’s list is pretty obvious, if you’re a fan of a certain band, you know what to expect, Korpiklaani is no different. They’re the premier Finnish Folk Metal band, they provide the soundscape to what you would expect to hear in the middle of celebration in their native Finland, beer and vodka flowing, people headbanging, and dancing around all while taking in the band’s music.
Satan – Cruel Magic
Wrapping up this week’s list you have a NWOBHM band that came back from the depths of hell in 2011. They are the real deal, they are Satan, returning with their first album since 2015’s Atom By Atom.
Not resting on their past glories, the band has decided to serve you up what they’re known for, but with a modern sound and feel. Let’s not mistaken that for them trying to go after what’s cool today, quite the opposite, you still have the same face-peeling riffs the band is known for, the thundering bass, the pounding drums, and screaming demon vocals you’ve come to know from the band.
While Cruel Magic presents the band in a clear and concise manner that serves them up in perhaps their best sonically sounding album.
Here are some other albums that come out today:
Alter Bridge – Live At The Royal Albert Hall
Saxon – Thunderbolt Tour Edition
Suicidal Tendencies – STill Cyco Punk After All These Years
Krisiun – Scourge Of The Enthroned
Owl – Nights In Distortion
Pig Destroyer – Head Cage
Stoned Jesus – Pilgrims
Article by Victor M. Ruiz of earpeeler, Mars Attacks Radio & Podcast, and Galaxy Of Geeks Podcast. Connect with him on Twitter: @vmr907
