A Pale Horse Named Death, Flotsam And Jetsam, Altitudes And Attitude + More

Here are some of the albums that come out today:

A Pale Horse Named Death – When The World Becomes Undone

I have posted about this upcoming release quite a bit on Talking Rock.  Having been a huge fan of Life Of Agony since River Runs Red, I was of course going to check out any new release by a former member of the band.  This is Sal Abruscato’s third album with A Pale Horse Named Death, and if you’re a fan of the first two, man, this will definitely not disappoint.  Doomie, sludgy, heavy, and punishing, all around gothic metal greatness.

Flotsam And Jetsam – The End Of Chaos

Back when I was in college radio the band’s album Cuatro was huge, it was pushed like no other album at the time by MCA.  I still have singles from the album, and a VHS copy of their video “Wading Through The Darkness”.  People panned the album because it was their “black album” like that was supposed to be a bad thing, to me, it was one of the strongest releases of that decade.

They never regained the popularity they had at the time, which dare I say rivaled the Jason Newsted years, but fickle fans remember those first two albums best.  It’s a shame because they’ve always managed to offer good material on every album, regardless of where their music takes them on each album.

The End Of Chaos is no different, it is their thirteenth release and the first to feature the renowned Ken Mary on drums.

Altitudes & Attitude – Get It Out

One of the best interviews I ever conducted was with Frank Bello, it was split into two parts, discussing Anthrax’s Sound Of White Noise, and discussing what the band had been doing at the time, which was preparing For All Kings.  At the time I asked him about Altitudes & Attitude and he flat out told me they had the second album ready to go, but their day jobs in Megadeth and Anthrax kept them from being able to commit more time to their side project.

I am happy that the album is about to drop, the first single Late is killer, and hearing Opus talk to Mark Strigl on a recent episode of Talking Metal about being the band’s touring drummer hyped me up even more.

Fever 333 – Strength In Numb333rs

The band received a ton of press after the release of their EP Made An America, both for their material and their bombastic live show.   They have created their own niche by mixing what people miss most about Rage Against The Machine, Hybrid Theory Linkin Park, and added some metalcore/hardcore breakdowns to boot.

They offer thought-provoking angst-filled lyrics while dousing you with melodies that get stuck in your head and help drive the message home.

Raven – Screaming Murder Death From Above: Live In Aalborg

John Gallagher was recently on Talking Metal to discuss this album, the band’s third live album.  The wonders of technology, where someone working the board can just fork over a soundboard recording with a snap of a finger.

And thus you have this little ditty, recorded in Denmark.  As per Gallagher, there were minimal re-records, just a spot where he broke a string.

Here are some other releases you might be into, featuring some live albums, and re-releases.

Arch Enemy – Covered In Blood

Cane Hill – Kill The Sun

Thunder – Please Remain Seated

Papa Roach – Who Do You Trust?

Malevolent Creation – The 13th Beast

Dust Bolt – Trapped In Chaos

Oomph! – Ritual

Magnum – Live At The Symphony Hall

Obituary – Slowly We Rot (Vinyl)

Thursday – Full Collapse (Vinyl)

Within Temptation – Mother Earth (Vinyl)

Article by Victor M. Ruiz of Mars Attacks Radio & Podcast, and Galaxy Of Geeks Podcast.  Connect with him on Twitter:  @vmr907