Korn, Tom Keifer + More

This Friday is filled with some great new releases, here is a list of some of the albums that come out today:

Korn – The Nothing

I’ve been a fan of Korn’s for a long time, and although there are a few releases I don’t care for as a whole, I seem to always find something I like off of their albums. I have to tell you, this to me is one of their strongest releases to date.

The band re-teamed with producer Nick Raskulinecz, and they seemed to have found a balance between all of the elements that have made them great throughout their career. The album offers a ton of great melodies, a splash of guttural vocals where needed, infused with their unique rhythm section, and signature guitars which seem to be what stitches everything together between the vocals and syncopation of the drums and bass.

Definitely, an album that will be on my year-end list, and recommended for anyone that’s a fan of the band.

Tom Keifer – Rise

Cinderella fans waited what seems to be forever to hear Keifer’s first solo album The Way Life Goes, Rise has only taken four years. The album ties together a lot of things that you’ve known Keifer for, hard rock, blues, and even some acoustic music.

While it seemed that he wanted to shun Cinderella, and the music that kind of got him to the dance, this album proves that isn’t entirely true, as he’s cranking out some of his heaviest music, while mixing it in with some of his gentler playing without going full-blown 80s power-ballad cliche.

This album is a must for a fan of Cinderella or anyone that was into that era of hard rock.

The 69 Eyes – West End

Album number 12, by the Finnish group, although I’ve always enjoyed them for the most part, I’ve always felt they were Type O Negative lite per se, and that’s not a knock, because I really liked that band, and really like a lot of what The 69 Eyes have to offer. Nothing off of this album will shock anyone, as it’s kind of a paint by numbers album, hitting all of the right marks a fan of the band would want and expect.

The album features guest appearances from Cradle Of Filth’s Dani Filth, Wednesday 13, and Beastö Blancö’s Calico Cooper.

KXM – Circle Of Dolls

This is the band’s third album, and actually, Ray Luzier’s second release of the day, as the K in the band stands for Korn. The band for me has always been hit or miss, either great or just kind of there, no in-betweens.

There are some tracks that definitely bring together some of the aspects that have made you fall in love each members “day jobs”, and that’s perhaps why I hold this band to higher standards when listening to them. Cause as I alluded to above, when they’re on, they’re really really good, but when it’s not all there it leaves me thinking, oh, why couldn’t this of been more like that other track?

If you like the band’s previous two albums, you’ll check this one out no doubt, hopefully this time around they end up touring.

Ram – The Throne Within

The band marks its second decade in the game, with what some are heralding as one of their best albums to date. If you’re not familiar with the band, this may be the perfect gateway for you, given how solid of an album this is.

They mix all of the elements you’ve come to love from NWOBHM bands, although this album is new, it sounds as if it could have been released sometime in the early 80s. Even the video for the track featured below is a callback to that era.

Block Buster – Losing Gravity

Frontiers Records is known for more of the glam, power, prog metal bands, while it isn’t the only thing they release, it’s really the core of their lineup. So when listening to this release I didn’t expect what I heard, in other words, to find a hard rock band that had more to do with some of the retro garage bands of the 90s than you usually find the label releasing.

The band harkens back to 70s and 80s rock while presenting a modern feel. The band isn’t new, they’ve been around since 2008, but this is only their second album. May be worth your wild if you’re looking for something different.

Puddle Of Mudd – Welcome To Galvania

The long-awaited(?) return of Puddle Of Mudd, the band that in recent years has been know more for the follies of Wes Scantlin, than their actual music. Their first album Come Clean is one of the best rock albums of the early 2000s, but every album since then has left a lot to be desired.

Sure they’re a multi-platinum selling band, but mainly due to Come Clean, and people thinking “is this the one where they return to form?” Based on what I’ve heard, this unfortunately isn’t even as good, and I use that term very, very loosely as any of the albums that came out after Come Clean.

Imagika – Only Dark Hearts Survive

The return of the American band after a ten-year hiatus. Soaring vocals, sick guitar playing, full-on metal, what more is there to say?

Crash Diet – Rust

Looking for an unadulterated fix of glam metal? Well then this is the album for you, the band has never shied away from the fact that they’re unabashed fans of 80s Sunset Strip bands. Check out their lead singer Gabriel Keyes recent interview on Talking Metal.

Blackrain – Dying Breed

Ratt’s “Tell The World” instantly comes to mind when I hear the track “Hellfire”, this French glam metal band also drinks from the same well as Crashdiet, being influenced by various aspects of bands that were big on Sunset Strip, and making them very present on this album.

Blackstar Halo – Siren

Take what In Flames has done with their past few albums, mix it with power metal, electronica, a little bit more melodic, with a more modern feel, and you have Blackstar Halo.

Hammerschmitt – Dr. Evil

Classic German Heavy Metal, right down to the playing, and vocals, if you’re into bands like Accept, Helloween, and some of the heavier aspects of Scorpions, check them out.

Here are some other releases that may interest you:

Sinner – Santa Muerte

Cold – The Things We Can’t Stop

Chelsea Wolfe – Birth Of Violence

Mike Patton And Jean-Claude Vannier – Corpse Flower

Pixies – Beneath The Eyrie

Betraying The Martyrs – Rapture

Sascha Paeth’s Masters Of Ceremony – Signs Of Wings

The Defiants – Zokusho

Starset – Divisions

The Hu – The Gereg

Alice Cooper – Breadcrumbs EP

Beartooth – The Blackbird Sessions EP

Mob Rules – Beast Over Europe

Winterfylleth – The Siege Of Mercia DVD/CD

The Cult – Sonic Temple 30

Stone Temple Pilots – Purple: Super Deluxe Edition

Brant Bjork – Jalamanta Re-Release

Steve Vai – Stillness In Motion Blu-ray/CD Re-Release

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