Metal Church-The Present Wasteland
(SPV USA, 2008)

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that the latest album from Metal Church doesn't sound dated. It sounds like a classic heavy metal album through and through and while that isn't really a problem in itself, it also doesn't make for all that interesting of a listen.

The opening song The Company of Sorrow is built on solid riffs but you've pretty much heard it before. The rest of the album is pretty much in the same boat. It is well written but it has all been done before. The songs are also a bit on the long side. Even the more uptempo songs lose a lot of steam due to being 5 or 6 minutes long. I know there are songs out there that are much longer but when the songs are built around riffs that you have essentially heard before it seems like an eternity.

Maybe this would be the ideal time to mention that I have never really been a Metal Church fan. They've always seemed like just another heavy metal band to me and this album doesn't change that at all. If you however see something in the band that I might just be overlooking, you may want to give this album a chance.

Ross the Boss-New Metal Leader
(Candlelight Records, 2008)

Ok so Ross the Boss was a founding member of Manowar and also played with The Dictators. The past of this man isn't is question, but if you call an album New Metal Leader you better be bringing your A game and thankfully this is an album that doesn't disappoint. As far as pure heavy metal albums go there haven't been many this year of this quality and this is an album that puts recent Manowar albums to shame.

The music is heavy metal through and through. There is no experimentation, just ass kicking riffs, soaring vocals and a solid back beat. It could be a formula that could bore you to tears if the songwriting wasn't so memorable. What could have sounded dated sounds fresh and vital. The main difference between this album and say younger musicians trying the same style is that modern influences always have a tendency to creep in and for the most part it just doesn't fit. This album is possibly one of the truest sounding metal albums to be released in years. There is a slight power metal feel at times, but we are talking early 90's power metal, not the modern speed driven style.

This is basically an album that I wasn't expecting much from and am literaly blown away. The songwriting, the performance and just the overall feel of the album is incredibly exciting and this is an album that not only shows that Ross hasn't missed a step since leaving Manowar but also shows that his songwriting is still much stronger than his former bandmates.

The Acacia Strain-Continent
(Proschetic Records, 2008)

I've been a fan of each record from The Acacia Strain but it would be tough for any fan of the band to not agree with the fact that this is the heaviest and most devastating album yet from the band. Combining the trademark pummeling of the previous albums with a new found accessibility, this album just hits the mark with incredible power. Opener, Skynet, will have you hooked and the rest of the album will continues the momentum.

The production courtesy of Zeuss definitely helps the band bring their sound to a much clearer and powerful sound. This still sounds very much like the band but the muddiness present on the past few albums is completely gone and the added clarity makes a tremendous difference. The clarity is definitely welcome as this album has some of the more memorable riffing yet from the band. Seaward has a ridiculously catchy chorus riff that is still challenging but just really sticks in your head. Dr. Doom kicks up the speed bringing in a slightly thrash like sound with it but still mixed with the rhythmic chunk the band is known for. The rest of the album is just as inspired and the band never falters throughout the album.

This is definitely an album that shows a band finding themselves creatively. In a time when bands and rushing albums out so they can stay on the road it is quite unique to find a band that not only brings out an album that tops their previous albums but also shows the band moving forward creatively. If you were a fan of the previous albums, prepare to be amazed.

Ehnahre-The Man Closing Up
(Sound Devestation Records, 2008)

I could waste time telling you what bands these guys have been involved in previously, but I'd rather tell you that Ehnahre is one of the first bands to bridge the gap between death metal and noisy doom metal with fantastic results. The overall approach reminds me of Converge in the sense that it is chaotic and driving but Ehnahre is definitely creating some surprisingly original noise here.

The songwriting is about as far from being linear as you can get. Noisy bass excursions give way to blast beats and noise freakouts are just as common as mammothly heavy doom riffs. And that is all in the matter of one song. The band definitely has put absolutely no limitations on their music and it makes for one hell on an interesting listen. This is an album that is for the more open minded fan of extreme music. If death metal fans go into this expecting a typical death metal album they won't even know what the hell to think. Basically this does for the death metal genre what Jane Doe did for the hardcore genre. It reinvents it and shakes it to its very foundation.

This is an album that I highly recommend to fans of experimental and destructive music. This could be called controlled chaos with moments when the band lets the control down for minutes of utter madness. It's an ugly style that is almost beautiful in its ugliness, if that makes any sense. Fans of death metal, doom metal, noise or even Converge will find something to dig into here.

Aetherius-All That I Need to Survive
(Self-Released, 2008)

While I am a fan of progressive metal, there are numerous bands in the genre that stand out while many others just seem bland. While the band has a few misfires throughout the album this could definitely fall into the catagory of a progressive album that I enjoy. The album is pretty much Dream Theater worship but it is done quite well and the band does add in a slightly more atmospheric feel at times.

For a progressive album this definitely isn't as flashy as you might expect, There are indeed a number of guitar leads but they are surprisingly memorable and have a more natural approach to shredding. The same can be said for the riffing. Odd time signatures are used occasionally, but the vast majority of the songwriting is rather straightforward which allows the songs to stay accessible while the band still has the opportunity to show off their chops. I'd say that the vocals are a bit of weak point for the band. Not that they are bad, but they just don't really stand out. They could have definitely been pushed a bit louder in the mix as right now they seem a bit more in the background and playing second fiddle to the music.

This is a band that has a lot of potential and if a combination of Dream Theater and Opeth intrigues you this is definitely an album to look into. For a debut album the band is on the right track and I am intrigued to hear what the next album has in store.

Asva-What You Don't Know is Frontier
(Southern Records, 2008)

The enjoyment of an album like this rests in two things. One being your patience and two being how much you enjoy soundscapes. There are moments of pure brilliance to be found on this album but at the songs being between 15 and 23 minutes long sometimes the gaps in between those brilliant moments can be quite long. But the reward when those moments hit is definitely worth it.

The album is definitely dark and vast. The opening two songs are long drawn out soundscapes revolving around ominous tones with stabs of percussion. Christopher Columbus has a slightly more funeral doom feel to it which fully kicks in around the 11 minute mark and is one of the moments of brilliance I mentioned earlier. To call this part creepy would be a vast understatement. The final two songs are similar but very different at the same time. Almost combining the style of the first two songs with a creepy Neil Young or spaghetti western type feel. It's very odd but very intriguing at the same time.

This is an album that will appeal to a very select group of people. It's experimental but very well structured and varied in approach, While listening to the album you'll definitely understand what I mean by moments of brilliance when those sections come around. Fans of soundscapes and to a lesser extent doom, should find this enjoyable.