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.

Featured Artist of the Week

This week I'm going to introduce a weekly featured artist. It took a lot of consideration to figure out who fit the bill to be the first ever featured artist. After a lot of thought, I decided no one would be better than Rob Zombie, who has accomplished so much in his career, not just in music but in other areas as well.

Zombie began his music career in 1985 with the band White Zombie, named after the film starring Bella Lugosi. White Zombie released four studio albums during their 13 years together, producing two double platinum albums, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1 and Astro Creep 2000. Just before the disbanding of White Zombie, Rob released his first solo album Hellbilly Deluxe, which went triple platinum in the United States. Since then, he has released three more albums: The Sinister Urge, Educated Horses, and Hellbilly Deluxe 2.

On Halloween of 2002, Zombie married long-time girlfriend Sheri Moon who starred in several White Zombie music videos and some of Zombie's solo videos as well. She has played leading roles in all of Rob's films, which include House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, Halloween, Halloween II, and the Haunted World of El Superbeasto, an animated film.

Rob has been nominated for several Grammy Awards as both a solo artist and with White Zombie.

Rob Zombie is one of the greatest musical artists to ever live and if you're not already a fan, he's well worth checking out. This summer he'll be playing on the Main Stage of Mayhem Festival, so go and see him; he puts on the best show you'll ever see. He's got an electricity about him that no artist can achieve, and standing alongside guitar god John 5, bassist Piggy D and new drummer Joey Jordison, his show is a spectacle you won't want to miss.

Album Release Tuesday: May 18th, 2010

Today's Tuesday so that means some new releases. No major releases coming up this week, but we are going to see a lot of non-traditional-day-of-the-week releases.

Today will bring the second album by metalcore band Silent Civilian titled Ghost Stories. Their first album Rebirth of the Temple was pretty good, and I'm hoping their follow-up will be a success. Right now they're on tour with Fear Factory, Prong, and Thy Will Be Done. If you have the chance to see them, go check them out. They put on a pretty good show.

Also coming out today are albums by Five Star Prison Cell and Fleshgod Apocalypse.

Later this week we'll see albums by Loudness and Pain in Salvation on Wednesday and five albums on Friday by Aeon, Exilia, Masterplan, Sabaton and Y&T.

Alubm Review: We Are the Fallen - Tear the World Down

We Are the Fallen's debut album Tear the World Down is a musical masterpiece. Every song is brilliant and it has a good mix of up tempo gothic metal along with a couple slower songs that show the softer side of Carly Stimpson's voice. The band has received some criticism saying they sound very much like Evanescence, which is true, but they do it well. I have no problem with two bands sounding similar as long as the music is good, and in this case, it is.

The tracks Bury Me Alive, Burn, Through Hell, Without You, and St. John are my favorites and show off a classic Gothic sound, but maintain the more mainstream alternative sound that many bands aim for nowadays.

Overall I love this album and give it a solid A-, and recommend it to all you readers. This is one of the best debut albums I've heard, bringing to mind the likes of In This Moment, Disturbed, and Rammstein who all produced near perfect first installments. We Are the Fallen has the ability to thrive in the music industry for several years as long as they have enough promotion, and I for one am really excited to follow their career.

Release Tuesday

Today is Tuesday, so that means it's CD release day and there are a couple good ones out there to check out.

Being a huge gothic metal fan, I'm most looking forward to the debut album by We Are the Fallen titled Tear the World Down. One single has been released so far and it's really good. Consisting of Carly Smithson, a former American Idol contestant and three former Evanescence members, this band has a lot of promise. I know you're thinking they sound lame with an American Idol in their lineup, but she really was one of the best ever and definitely has the gothic voice, very much like Amy Lee. I'm listening to the album as I write this so I'll post a review later on tonight. You can pick up your own copy of the album at BestBuy for just 7.99 for a limited time.

Another exciting release today is the fifth studio album (plus one remix) by Rob Zombie's fantastic guitarist John 5 who never disappoints with his instrumental albums. The Art of Malice is available at BestBuy and on iTunes.

Other releases today include As I Lay Dying's The Powerless Rise, their fifth stuido album. On the more underground side, Brain Drill will be releasing their second album, Howl will be making its debut, Low Twelve will be releasing Splatter Pattern, and Misery Index will release the album Heirs to Thievery.

Song of the Day #2 - Are You Dead Yet?

Today's song of the day is "Are You Dead Yet?" by Finnish black metal band Children of Bodom. "Are You Dead Yet?" was released on the album of the same title back in 2005, an album which reached Gold certification and was number one on Finnish rock charts. This song is a great example of Children of Bodom's shredding guitar riffs and Alexi Laiho's evil rasp. Happy listening!