Hellyeah’s fifth studio album is ‘Unden!able’ and it is undeniably fantastic (sorry, had to do it). It is the best album they have done to date. It is heavy, hard and pounding but melodic at the same time.
I have had the album for 2 weeks now and have really spent a lot of time absorbing it’s greatness. It is funny how the older I get, the heavier I tend to like it (there are so many ways you could take that). When I was younger, I wouldn’t have given them a listen, but now I can’t get enough.
The album opens with the intro “!” and slowly builds to the hard-driving song “X”. The song will get your blood flowing with the pounding Vinnie Paul drums and Chad Gray’s vocals. He is in top form with his gravelly, semi-screaming vocals. He sings with such power and intensity throughout this album.
On Friday, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Royal Bliss released an E.P. I was completely unaware and did not have it listed in my new releases. I couldn’t wait to play it and listen to some great rock music.
If you are familiar with Royal Bliss, you know they are a hard rock band. Not too hard, but hard enough. They have had some great songs such as “Save Me”, “Crazy”, “I Love You”, “Welcome” and “Drink My Stupid Away” among others.
When I clicked on the album in Apple Music, I noticed something strange. It said that Royal Bliss was categorized as “Country”. WTF??? I don’t remember them being country. I looked at the album cover and thought, they look a little country in the picture. Maybe someone was lazy at Apple and just classified them as country based on the picture.
I am going to change things up a bit with something not Pop or Rock. I am a fan of Christian music, mostly of the rock nature. I have never been much for worship music. Of course, I have some from artists like Kutless, Chris Tomlin and Jeremy Camp. It was just never my go to choice.
I have the great pleasure of living in Charlotte and not far from Elevation Church’s main campus in Blakeney. It was there I discovered Elevation Worship. Ok, I didn’t discover them, I was introduced to their music. The energy they bring to each church service is amazing and I found them to be extremely talented musicians and singers.
Last year, they sold out Time Warner Arena here in Charlotte and recorded the live album “Here as in Heaven”. I am quite bummed that my family and I were not able to attend, but thankfully there is an album to enjoy. The album came out in February of this year and I have enjoyed every minute of that album.
Candlebox was formed around 1990 and have been together off and on in some fashion for over 25 years. I have to admit have never been a huge fan of them over that time. Of course, I enjoyed their big hit “Far Behind” and I do have their greatest hits album. I never went and listened to any of their albums in full from beginning to end.
That has all changed. When the album came out back in April 2016, I thought what the heck, I will give it a listen. WOW!!! This was not the album I was expecting at all. I had to make sure I was actually listening to the correct band and album. It was such a refreshingly, unexpected and incredible listening experience.
I know I am a little slow in getting a review out, but that is because I couldn’t stop listening long enough to actually write a review (and also because life gets in the way sometimes). I finally feel it is time for me to let the world know that Disappearing in Airports is so worth listening to and a must have for any one remotely interested in Candlebox or any one reading this review.
When I took my daughter to see Tori Kelly (check out review here), the opening act was Thirdstory. I would describe them as 3 guys, who can harmonize, whose voices will surprise (hey – that rhymes!). They have such a smooth sound and are amazing live.
We walked out of after the show commenting on how great they sounded. Listening to a band live tells you how good they really are and these guys can sing. Their harmonies were amazing and the notes they can hit gave me chills. On a side note, their tour drummer was a monster. He added so much to their sound and made it that much more enjoyable for me.
The band consists of Elliott Skinner, Richard Saunders and Ben Lusher and they currently live in New York. Yesterday, they released a 3 song EP called Searching (The Verve Music Group). I only knew about it because my daughter texted me while I was at work telling me that it was out and I should listen to it. She even supplied a link. Well, I did that on the way home.
After four consecutive listens in a row, I knew that these guys might be on to something special. If you just want to listen to good music with great stories and great vocals, then check it out.
Track List
“Searching for a Feeling” – A nice introduction to the band and what to expect from their sound. Just solid, smooth vocals and heartfelt songs.
“G Train” – My favorite of the 3. If I remember from the concert, this one is about their life in New York. This one sounded awesome live. You can tell this song means a lot to the band.
“Grows Old” – This is a slow song and towards the end builds up to a sonic boom of vocal harmonies that take this song over the top (at least it felt that way in the car with the volume turned way up).
Their full album drops in the Fall and is produced by Frank Ocean & Zayn (yes, the former One Direction star). I will be picking the album up when it comes out. Check them out on Facebookand Twitter.
I am finally getting around to reviewing the fourth album from Sixx:A.M. – Prayers for the Damned on Eleven Seven Music. I have to live with an album for a few weeks before I can accurately determine what I like and what I don’t about an album. I can say there is not much I don’t like about this album.
Prayers for the Damned is the best Sixx:A.M. album to date. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I thought Sixx:A.M. was going to be a one-off project for Nikki Sixx and now I see that they are for real. You think I would have caught on after the second album or even the third. I guess it helps that Motley Crue is no more so that makes me feel this is no longer a side project as well.
The band consists of Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba, James Michael, and new drummer Dustin Steinke. I feel they are clicking so well as a band on this album and it shows in the quality of the songs and the tone of the album. The songs are pieced together nicely and the flow of the whole album works with just minor hiccups.
I really didn’t think I would give another 100% on a review so soon after my last one, but here it is. As I mentioned in an earlier piece, I discovered Jordan Feliz by his album cover. Every now and then, I will listen to an artist based on their album cover, band name or even album name. What a pleasant surprise he was.
The album I clicked on was “Beloved” which contained 4 songs that are on “The River”. Immediately in listening to the album, I was already a fan based on those 4 songs. Now, came the moment of truth if I would like the other songs. The verdict is in and I am a fan of the entire album.
Jordan is labeled a Christian singer as his songs are inspirational and deliver a positive & powerful message. However, the talent in his songwriting skills and the production value of the songs both lend to music that could be played on mainstream pop/rock radio.
Jordan Feliz started out in a heavy metal band called A Current Affair but changed gears when he became a worship leader. He eventually moved to Nashville to pursue a solo career and here we are with “The River”.
Paul Laine, Rob Marcello and Bruno Ravel all make up the new band The Defiants. If those names sound familiar to you than you are obviously a fan of Danger Danger as all three were once a part of that great band.
Frontiers Music SRI brought these 3 back together again to bring us a rock masterpiece. Okay, I am being a little overly dramatic. But it is really, really great! If you were a fan of Danger Danger or just a fan of Paul Laine’s vocals, be prepared for some of his best vocal performances. The band has such a cohesive sound and this is the album that Danger Danger should have made years ago.
As much as I enjoyed Ted Poley as the lead singer of Danger Danger, when he left and Paul Laine took over vocals, the band’s dynamic changed and I feel for the better. Years later when Ted Poley reunited with Danger Danger and Paul was no longer a member, I yearned for more music from his version of the band. Now I have it.
Are you ready for a retro ride back to the 70’s with a wonderful classic rock sound and a modern twist? Then put on your bell bottom jeans and your headphones. You better have a joint in one hand and a needle in the other. The needle is of course a turntable needle. Drop it on the vinyl and sit back and enjoy the journey that is the Wild Feathers.
Their first album, the self-titled The Wild Feathers, had a retro classic rock sound but much heavier than this one. The new album is still a classic rock sound but toned down to a softer edge like they have a wonderful buzz going.
The band consists of Joel King on bass/vocals, Ricky Young on guitar/vocals, Taylor Burns on guitar/vocals and Ben Dumas on drums. They were formed back in 2010 in Nashville, TN. They are signed to Warner Brothers Records. With two great albums, I hope they are around for a long time.
A lot of albums have the first half with the strongest songs, but this album is strong the whole way through. I get a nice buzz from just listening to it. Nothing else needed.
The new album, Getaway, was released in February 2016 by The Vegas Syn/The Fuel Music. Adelitas Way is from Las Vegas and formed back in 2006. The band consists of Rick DeJesus on lead vocals, Robert Zakaryan on lead guitar, Andrew Cushing on bass and Trevor Stafford on drums. They have consistently released solid albums and this one is no exception.
Their fourth release is a straight-up rock album with some great guitar riffs and I feel is the backbone of this album. Robert Zakaryan is definitely the standout. His sound goes great with DeJesus vocals.
The first half of this album is exactly what you would expect and rocks out. All the radio hits will probably come from this half. The back half for me, however, starts to feel like a bunch of filler and not enough solid songs. I will give them credit for changing it up a bit. All-in-all, this is a strong album and worth the price.
Tracks:
“Bad Reputation” – Keeper – Great start to this album. The guitar sound is hard and heavy and what you would want for a hard rock song.
“Getaway” – Keeper – They keep the fast driving pace up with this song. Chorus is memorable which is what you want in a song.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 