Alright so it’s been even longer since I’ve done a mixed bag review. A mixed bag review is where I review bands that have 1-2 albums. So with that let’s take a look……
Dead By Sunrise: Out Of Ashes- ah yes I figured since I just reviewed Linkin Park it would seem appropriate to review Chester Bennington’s side project Dead By Sunrise. This album I want to say doesn’t sound like Linkin Park but does at the same time. I’m not sure how else to describe this album. It’s a great album and maybe some would say it’s a softer Linkin Park album and that could be true to some degree. I don’t know take a listen. I’ll give it 8/10
Standouts: Fire, Inside Of Me, Into You, Crawl Back In
Jeff Walker Und Die Fluffers: Welcome To Carcass Cuntry- so I’ll bet that some didn’t know that the singer from Carcass made a country album. At first listen, it can come off a little strange that a death metal vocalist is singing country songs but I guess it works. I do remember hearing about this around the 2008 Carcass reunion and I guess he did this a few years before that. Now it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard and it certainly is interesting. For the casual listener, they definitely wouldn’t like this. For the causal Carcass fan (pretty sure most Carcass fans aren’t just casual fans) they may not like it. If you are a huge Jeff Walker fan, you’ll love this. If you are a country fan I also recommend just giving this a spin. Just go into it with an open mind and you know what? I recommend it just for fun. Anyway, I’ll give this one 7/10
Standouts: The Man Comes Around, Mississippi, Rocky Mountain High, Keep Rocking In The Free World
Kerry King: From Hell I Rise- if anyone was seriously thinking that this album wouldn’t sound anything other than Slayer then you’re fooling yourself. But then again I’m pretty sure everyone expected that. Now I should mention the lineup for this is killer. In addition to Kerry King we get Phil Demmel (Machinehead) on the other guitar, Mark Osegueda (Death Angel) on vocals, Kyle Sanders (Bloodsimple) on bass, and Paul Bostaph (Slayer) on drums. Personally, this is the album that should’ve come out after World Painted Blood as I think it’s better than Repentless. Now I did get to see them live recently and they have the energy of Slayer from the 90’s. Yes I miss Slayer but if this is what we have then I’ll definitely take it. Definitely gets a 10/10
Standouts: Toxic, Idle Hands, Where I Reign, From Hell I Rise
Newsted: Metal- to be honest, I had completely forgotten about this. This definitely has some Metallica vibes to it and Jason is a great vocalist. I do know that they did some touring when this first came out and I’m really sorry I missed it. It’s heavy and badass and it gets a 10/10. I really wish Jason would put out a full length and do some more touring.
Standouts: the whole damn thing (seriously listen to this EP)
Mark Morton: Anesthetic- I am thoroughly convinced that Mark Morton is the glue that holds Lamb Of God together. Not that the other guys in that band are bad musicians but Mark is just so damn good. So if you are expecting a Lamb of God sounding record you might get that with like one song and it’s the one with Randy Blythe. Aside from that song, the songs all have guest vocalists such as Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), and Chuck Billy (Testament). A lot of the songs are more on the hard rock side of things which only shows Mark’s range as a guitar player. If you haven’t heard this record I definitely recommend it. I’ll give this one 10/10
Standouts: Cross Off, Sworn Apart, Back From The Dead, Axis
Crypta: Echoes Of The Soul and Shades Of Sorrow- so this is a two album review. Awhile back I reviewed the band Nervosa and the original vocalist/bass player Fernanda Lira along with the drummer (at the time) Luana Dametto left Nervosa to form Crypta. So the first album up is Echoes Of The Soul and I’ve gotta say when it comes to death metal, a lot of it can start to sound the same (which is the reason as to why I haven’t done a Cannibal Corpse or Krisiun review) but with this album, it’s definitely a breath of fresh air. Fernanda’s vocals remind me a little bit of Chuck Schuldiner and the with the band, the songs really don’t sound the same. What I’m saying is that there’s a good amount of groove and hooks to keep you listening and to me that’s what makes death metal great. I’m giving this album an absolute 10/10.
Now for Shades Of Sorrow…… so for this one, they kinda went darker on here. On here, some of the songs are kind of atmospheric in a way. The guitar work is also a little different on here too which is great because good death metal albums are supposed to be different. I do want to point out that on this album, I can hear Fernanda’s bass playing more. Anyway, I’m also giving this one another 10/10.
Now I have been lucky to see them live twice and both times they have been absolutely badass. Then the question comes to which is better Nervosa or Crypta? Now I am a big fan of both bands and Nervosa does have more material but I gotta go Crypta just because musically, they are more diverse and the musicianship is just better overall. But both are badass and I recommend seeing both live if you can. To me if they keep going the way they are they could be the next Sepultura.
Standouts:
Echoes Of The Soul- Kali, Dark Night Of The Soul, Blood Stained Heritage
Shades Of Sorrow- Lullaby For The Forsaken, The Outsider, Dark Clouds
Sinister Reviews 