GRAND MAGUS RETURNS WITH WOLF GOD

Allegaeon – Apoptosis

This is the band’s fifth full-length album, their first since 2016’s Proponent For Sentience. It also marks the first album with new bassist Brandon Michael, after the departure of longtime bassist Corey Archuleta. One thing is certain, Allegaeon always delivers the goods, the album is dripping with everything you’ve come to love from this band, ridiculously technical drumming, well thought out tight guitar, and bass, with the signature guttural vocals the band has had on all of their albums, mixed in with some sparse clean vocals.

The band has always been at the forefront of the technical melodic death metal scene, and this album will further cement their stranglehold at the top.

Grand Magus – Wolf God

The Swedish band has been around for twenty years, forming in 1999, and releasing their first demo a year later. They have never been scared to fly the heavy metal flag, you hear the name Grand Magus, and you can always count on hearing heavy, punishing, and unadulterated metal, whether it’s in the classic metal sense or flat out doom metal, they always seem to deliver.

This is their ninth album and follows the trend of the last few where they’re straying a little more from the doom metal they initially played, and although some butthurt purists may not appreciate it, this album still offers some pretty cool tracks. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s the perfect start to finish, but tracks like “Brothers Of The Storm” and the title track “Wolf God” easily make my Grand Magus playlist.

Jordan Rudess – Wired For Madness

Jordan has done so many things over the years, aside from being part of Dream Theater for the last two decades, joining the band during 1999’s Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory, he’s put out a bunch of solo albums, he has developed his own keyboard apps, instructional books, and online courses.

His latest solo album sees him handle not only the keyboards but some vocals as well.  The album has a few guests, whose names you may recognize, his Dream Theater bandmates James LaBrie and John Petrucci, as well as some other players like Vinnie Moore, Guthrie Govan, and Joe Bonamassa, none of which are slouches.

If you’re looking to get your prog rock/metal fix, this might be the album for you, as it does not stray that far from his day job.  Given Dream Theater’s die-hard audience, it would be no surprise to me that a good majority of the fan base already has picked up this album.

Here are some other new releases, reissues, greatest hits, EPs, etc. that come out today.

The Rolling Stones – Honk

Stevie Nicks – Stand Back: 1981-2017

Ian Gillan & The Javelins – Groovin’ With

Peter Wolff – Breath

Cage The Elephant – Social Cues

Accept – Life’s A Bitch 7″

Sacred Reich / Iron Reagan – Sacred Reich / Iron Reagan Split EP

Heavy As Texas – Heavy as Texas

Sister Shotgun – Fragments

Pristine – Road Back To Ruin

Sabbath Assembly – A Letter Of Red

The Vamps – Missing You EP

Alter Bridge – AB III Vinyl Reissue

Corrosion Of Conformity – Wiseblood Vinyl Reissue

Ministry – Twitch Reissue

Helloween – Gambling With The Devil Reissue

Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys: The Legacy Reissue

Dimmu Borgir – Live At Dynamo Open Air 1998

Samael – Lux Mundi Reissue

Samael – Solar Soul Reissue

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