Death Angel, Duff McKagan, D-A-D, Last Crack + More

Here are some of the new albums that come out today.

Death Angel – Humanicide

This is a band that hardly ever lets you down, even their “weaker” material is stronger than most other thrash bands at their best. They’ve consistently put out quality material over the years, and have either headlined or been part of packages with big-name bands with good reason.

Whether the band is delivering songs that could be classified by some as speed metal, mid-tempo scorchers like “The Pack”, or when they decide to go out of pocket with a classic like “A Room With A View”, regardless of what they do, they always seem to find a way to make it great, and worth your while.

D-A-D – A Prayer For The Loud

Here is a band that I’ve known of for years, thanks to the old “Sleeping My Day Away” video, which I remember seeing debut on Headbangers Ball. But I’ve never really kept track of them, when I received the promo for the album about two weeks ago, I threw it on and figured something to listen to while I work on a few things.

And man did the album blow me away, it’s a great rock album start to finish, with little to no filler at all. This album makes me want to go back and check out their back catalog.

Duff McKagan – Tenderness

Duff has really been a chameleon over the years, yes we know him for GNR, Velvet Revolver, and various other projects, but they’re all more or less hard rock or punk-based. Tenderness is more of a rock-based album, with a lot of acoustic guitar, piano, brushes on the drums, kind of similar to mellower 70s Rolling Stones.

The kind of music you’d probably expect from former Guns N Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin, not Duff. But it is definitely cool to hear him veer off in another direction, which some may say is unexpected, but it’s still one of the many ingredients that make him such a legendary artist.

Last Crack – The Up Rising

Here’s an album I’ve been waiting for, for a long time, three decades to be exact! Last Crack was a band I came across in the early 90s while working in college radio.

If you recall, former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison put together a list of the best albums to ever be released on Roadrunner Records, he listed the band’s second album Burning Time on that list. The band is that good, I’ve had people goof on the name, until they hear the music, and 9 times out of 10 are instantly hooked.

Janet Gardner – Your Place In The Sun

I’ve never been a fan of Vixen, I respect what they’ve done, but they never really grabbed me. So a few years back when Gardner released her first, self-titled solo album I kind of begrudgingly checked it out.

Boy was I surprised, the album was a lot less pop-metal and more Black Label Society. Still hard rock, but way heavier than I expected.

That album saw her team up with her husband, who’s worked with Staind, Collective Soul, and Tyketto in the past. This follow-up album continues the groundwork the couple laid with the first album.

The song “Your Place In The Sun” is a hybrid between a riff reminiscent of “Still Of The Night”, but heavier, and “Crazy Train” for lack of a better comparison, with Janet’s soaring vocals featured over top of an extremely catchy chorus.

Here are some other releases that drop today that may interest you.

Motionless In White – Disguise

Royal Republic – Club Majesty

Texas Hippie Coalition – High In The Saddle

Vader – Thy Messenger EP

Leathürbitch – Into the Night

Jimmy Barnes – My Criminal Record

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – The Traveler

Darkthrone – Old Star

1349 – Dødskamp

Gaahls Wyrd – GastiR – Ghosts Invited

Gloryhammer – Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex

Paul Masvidal – Mythical EP

Testament – Live At Dynamo Open Air 1997

Manowar – Hail To England – Imperial Edition MMXIX

Manowar – Into Glory Ride – Imperial Edition MMXIX

Manowar – The Final Battle I EP

Within Temptation – The Heart Of Everything Vinyl Reissue

Rory Gallagher – Blues

Venom – In Nomine Satanas 40th Anniversary Vinyl Box Set

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – The Anthology 1970-1998

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