Live Show: NEKROMANTIX

Last week I went to go see the Nekromantix at Trees, a little bar in Dallas. I saw them once before when they supported Rob Zombie this past fall. They were good then, but they were AMAZING last week. Seeing them up close in a small venue was great. The sound was surprisingly good and they really knew how to perform. Playing their fast, relatively quick songs, they went through at least twenty songs in their 75 minute performance.

As for their supporting acts, I can't quite say the same. The Howlers definitely had some talent, but you could see why they weren't the headlining act. The Mutilators were a waste of time. They didn't quite have the musical ability of the bands and the singer needed some underwear, to say the least.

The Nekromantix are touring through September, so if they're coming to your city, they're worth checking out. On my long list of bands seen, I think they rank in the top 15, maybe even the top 10.

Album Review: A STAR-CROSSED WASTELAND

Awesome! That sums up this albums completely. In This Moment, one of the best female-fronted bands in metal, has blown metalheads away with their third album release, A Star-crossed Wasteland. In the buildup to its release, the CD was described as being a combination of the band's previous records, A Beautiful Tragedy and The Dream. I think that is an extremely fitting description as beautiful melodies and chugging guitars are combined perfectly in this masterpiece. I also assume that I am not the only person who missed Maria Brink's screaming vocals on The Dream. They're back. All the way. Almost every song is touched with the high pitched cry of the band's lead singer.

My favorite songs on the album are Gunshow, Blazin', and Iron Army, but I will say that it's very hard to choose as each song is amazing, and as is the ITM custom, in very different ways. The songs A Star-Crossed Wasteland and World In Flames bring the tempo down and relax the mood in the middle and end of this barrage of a heavy, but still very musical, album.

If you get the special edition you will be treated to a bonus track Remember which is another one of my favorites along with a live acoustic performance of A Star-Crossed Wasteland. Also in the special edition is a DVD with interviews and the making of the Gunshow video, among other things. I haven't checked out the DVD yet because I have been too enthralled with the album itself for the past week, but I intend to check it out soon.

I give this album a solid A. I think it's better than an A- but doesn't quite deserve a perfect rating, although it's probably as close as you can get. It's available in most music stores and online. Pick it up!

Releases: IN THIS MOMENT, KORN

This week has been a big week for album releases. Probably the most exciting is the release of In This Moment's third album, A Starcrossed Wasteland, which has been talked about as one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year. Also coming out Tuesday was Korn's KornIII: Remember Who You Are. Kerrang! has rated both albums, giving A Starcrossed Wasteland a perfect 5/5 and Remember Who You Are 4/5.

Other releases this week include albums by Norma Jean (Meridional), Canvas Solaris (Irradiance), Hell Within (God Grant Me Vengeance), Hellyeah (Stampede), and Darkseed (Poison Awaits).

Check back for a review of A Starcrossed Wasteland very soon!

Featured Song #5: Prayers

Today's featured song is Prayers by the metalcore band In This Moment. It was the first song ever released by the band back in 2006 and appeared on their debut album Beautiful Tragedy, which catapulted the band to the top of metal charts. Prayers has an awesome melody and mixes well with heavy guitar riffs and the alternating vocals of Maria Brink as she exhibits her beautiful singing voice and unbeatable screaming sound. Check this song out as you prepare for the release of their third studio album A Starcrossed Wasteland which will be released tomorrow!

Top Ten List: Rob Zombie

In honor of our current featured artist, Rob Zombie, here's a list of what I believe to be his top ten songs of all time, including the White Zombie days.

10. DRAGULA – One of Rob Zombie’s biggest hits, Dragula has to make the list of his greatest songs. A song about Herman Munster’s race car, Dragula was Zombie’s first solo single and became an instant hit with a music video featuring footage from that very episode of the Munsters. The song reached number 6 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks (BMSRT) in 1998.

9. SUPERBEAST – Another early Zombie hit, Superbeast is known to be one of Rob’s heavier songs and is high up on my list of favorites. The song peaked at 26 on BMSRT in 1999 when it was released as a single.

8. SICK BUBBLEGUM – Coming off Zombie’s newest album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, Sick Bubble Gum was one of the songs he played on the album’s supporting tour predating the album’s release. This is definitely one of his better performances and has the old school Zombie feel.

7. DEMON SPEEDING – Demon Speeding is still a Zombie staple after being released on Zombie's second solo album, The Sinister Urge. It always gets the crowd riled up and is a must listen for all Zombie fans. Released as a single in 2001 with House of 1000 Corpses on its B-side, Demon Speeding reached 13th on BMSRT.

6. SUPER-CHARGER HEAVEN – This one is really old, going back to the White Zombie days and the album Astro Creep 2000. It’s probably the best song that the now disbanded group produced. Fast-paced and heavy throughout, SCH is a thrill ride of metal about the Japanese Super Hero Devilman. It reached 39th on BMSRT in 1995.

5. DEMONOID PHENOMENON - Coming off the original Hellbilly Deluxe, Demonoid Phenomenon is one of my all-time favorites. It's heavy, fast, and full of action. Though it was never released as a single, it is still a regular song in his live show.

4. LIVING DEAD GIRL - One of Zombie's biggest hits, Living Dead Girl reached number 7 on BMSRT in 1998 and was the second single off Hellbilly Deluxe. The song's video is quite entertaining as it features Rob's wife Sheri Moon as the Living Dead Girl and Rob as the...magician who brings her to life, causing the townspeople to chase him away.

3. THE LORDS OF SALEM - While never being released as a single, Lords of Salem is one of Zombie's most successful songs after being nominated for a Grammy in 2009 for Best Hard Rock Performance. It's slow and brutally heavy, with the story focusing mainly around the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600s.

2. AMERICAN WITCH - Released as Zombie's second single on the album Educated Horses, American Witch reached 12 on BMSRT. One of my favorite songs across all bands, American Witch is one of only a couple songs on its album that really fits the bill of classic Zombie. Its music video features clips of live performances from several shows on the American Witch Tour in 2006.

1. WHAT LURKS ON CHANNEL X? - This is another song not released as a single, but it's my personal favorite Zombie song. Short but heavy, the song has a great drum beat and awesome guitar riff. Check it out on Hellbilly Deluxe!

Honorable Mentions: House of 1000 Corpses, Werewolf Women of the SS, What?

Disturbed: ASYLUM

Disturbed has finally announced the release of their new album Asylum, which will hit stores August 31st. The album cover art was released as well. There is already one single "Another Way To Die", which reached #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. This album is the band's follow up to 2008's Indestructible, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and reached platinum certification.

Upcoming Major Tours

I'm sure some of you have already heard about Uproar Tour, featuring Disturbed, who is planning on releasing their fifth album this fall. Alongside them will be Avenged Sevenfold, who put on a decent live performance, but are very weak compared the headlining act. Also appearing will be Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor's second band, Stone Sour. I've never seen them live, but they have some notable hits and might be worth catching. New band Halestorm will play as well. They have a good sound and I'm excited about their future in the industry. Vinnie Paul's Hellyeah will be performing, something that isn't worth getting too excited about. I saw them live in December of 2008 and was not at all impressed as most of their songs sounded exactly the same, with no real change in sound. Also supporting is Airbourne, Hail the Villain, and New Medicine.

On a more exciting note for all you Industrial fans out there, rumors are floating around that Rammstein is planning a U.S. tour in September. This is great news since they haven't played in out country since way back in 2004. No definite plans have been made, but I'll be sure to let you know when something comes up!

Song of the Day #4 - April Rain

Today's song of the day is April Rain by the Dutch band Delain. Combining heavy metal elements with the smooth, clean vocals of Charlotte Wessels, this song is a favorite. The song was released in 2009 on the album of the same name, an album which reached number one on Dutch Alternative charts. Check it out!

Major Release: KINGDOM OF SORROW

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of posts recently, there was a death in the family and I've been in Illinois for two weeks, I'll be back in Texas tomorrow so posts will become regular again.

Kingdom of Sorrow released their second album on June 8th, and it's a beast! Titled, Behind the Blackest Tears, it packs a pretty solid punch and is definitely worth picking up for all you hardcore and sludge metal fans, especially if you like Jamey Jasta.

This album has some of everything. While it's super-heavy (as expected) it also has some slower rhythms that keep it interesting. I'm not going to name a favorite song though because they're all too badass.

Another major event was the release of Ozzy's newest album Scream. I haven't checked it out, but I'm sure it's good if it's similar to Black Rain. Check it out!

Song of the Day #3 - Black Label

Today's song of the day is Lamb of God's Black Label. With possibly one of the heaviest chugging guitars in the history of metal, this song is sure to get you fired up for some real head banging. Released on Lamb of God's first album as Lamb of God (previously Burn the Priest), Black Label was the album's only single.

While the album New American Gospel went fairly unnoticed, Black Label remains one of the band's most popular songs and is still the closing act of every show. Check it out.