Bring Me the Horizon-Count Your Blessings
(Earache Records, 2007)

Looks can be deceiving as the lads in this band definitely dont look like they would play metal this vicious. Coming across like The Red Chord on speed, Bring Me the Horizon are as fast and vicious as they come with their hybrid of death metal and thrash. Its a volatile mix that leaps from the speakers and beats you senseless.

With little hesitation I would say that this is a band that has a very modern sound. They use the Swedish style of riffing quite frequently and breakdown riffs are also quite common. But what really sets this band apart is just how damn well they do everything that they do. They play with a precision rarely seen in this genre. The riffs just ooze confidence and just seem better then bands playing similar styles.

I really enjoy the fast nature of this album. Instead of just opting to use the thrash metal drum beat and breakdowns almost exclusively, the band utilizes the blast beat to great lengths. It adds a lot of energy to the overall feel of the album, and the fact that the drummer does it so well is commendable. This is one hell of a drum performance, and it makes all the difference in the world. It is actually one area where a lot of bands in this genre tend to stumble, but there are no stumbles here as the drum performance is rock solid.

There is definitely a lot to enjoy with this album. This is a fierce metal album with well written riffs, energy to spare and an excellent drum performance. It isnt very original, but the band more then makes up for it with the amount of conviction they put into the music. Fans of The Red Chord, Darkest Hour, or possibly even Between the Buried and Me should have little trouble getting into this album.

Litmus-Planetfall
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

Well what do we have here, a stoner rock album that is actually original? A surprising as that is to say, Litmus definitely has a unique and strange vibe that leaps forth from the speakers with this album. Part Steppenwolf, part Sabbath and possibly even part Rush, the band has a throbbing psychedelic sound that just reeks of the 70s.

This is an album that is pretty much coated in reverb and delay so the overall sound of the album is quite atmospheric. The guitars manage to be heavy but still airy. The vocals are laced with reverb and sometimes sound like a drum induced hallucination. Its pretty easy to pick out that Pink Floyd was a big influence on this band, although at the end of the day it doesnt end up sounding exactly like Pink Floyd though.

I really like the jam feel of this album. Some of the guitar solos are quite length and sure some of the notes are a bit off, but its nice to hear someone really wringing the neck of the guitar instead of flying all over the place with sweep picking. Also of note is the solid bass playing. There are bass fills all over the place on this album, and the bass player rarely plays exactly what the guitar is playing.

This definitely isnt an album for everyone, but if the words cosmic and psychedelic wet your musical appetite then this one is definitely for you.

Iced Earth-Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1)
(SPV, 2007)

Im not really ashamed to admit that Ive never really been a big fan of Iced Earth. Ive even seen them live and it just never really clicked with me. I just never understood what people thought was special about them. I have to tell you though; this new album changes my entire outlook on the band. This is an interesting heavy metal album with extremely catchy riffs and one hell of a vocal performance from Tim Owens. I think I may just have to invest some time in some of the older albums now and see what I missed out on.

What really works for this album is the fact that the band knows that they play a classic style of heavy metal and dont really try to mess around with the formula. Sure this is a concept album and you have short tracks of sound effects and sci-fi noises, but the style of the band remains consistent throughout. The riffs are extremely catchy and while they arent overly simplistic, they have a straight ahead feel that makes them quite easy to get into.

I think what really sucks me into this album is the vocal performance. This is an incredible exercise in metal vocals like only Tim Owens can do. I cant really even put into words how much I dig these vocals. Put it this way, it might be blasphemy, but Id prefer to see him still in Judas Priest instead of having Rob Halford back. He really is that good. Thankfully Iced Earth is an excellent vehicle for him to show off his vocal skills and this is probably the best he has ever sounded.

I wasnt expecting much from this and Im pretty much blown away. This is a well written concept album with a dynamic vocal performance and enough catchy riffs to fill the Grand Canyon. All metal fans should consider this album an essential purchase.

Weedeater-God Luck and Good Speed
(Southern Lord, 2007)

Weedeater are one of the many bands that bow before the throne of the mighty Sabbath. Just listening to this album you can almost picture the worn out vinyl that must have been collected by the members of this band when they were young.

Somewhat similar to Grief, Weedeater has a classic doom style but combines it with harsh vocals and flairs of punk type speed. I would say Weedeater isnt anywhere near as plodding as Grief though and even the slower moments here are still quite energetic. If you happen to be a St. Vitus fan there are some riffs on this album that will have you giggling with childish delight. They have a meat and potatoes style of doom, but the wall of sound they create is quite intoxicating and very easy to enjoy.

The production is absolutely monstrous and downright dirty. The bass sound alone is enough to shake a house off of its foundation, but when you add in the fuzzed out guitar you have an album that could decimate an entire city block if player loud enough. The drums have a live sound and each hit rings through clearly. The vocals are mixed perfectly allowing the Lemmy if he gargled razor blades vocals come across as viciously as they need to.

To sum up this album bluntly, you have almost 40 minutes of sludge that if played loud enough will send any neighbor into fits. Its loud, noisy and features some of the best and beastly doom riffs these ears have heard in a long time. So grab your favorite mind altering substance and prepare for quite the ride.