Silent Force-Rising From Ashes ©2014 AFM Records
The first album to feature new frontman Michael Bormann on vocals is the subject of this review. We've looked at Silent Force before and been pretty happy with the music. How does the latest effort stack up? In my opinion, pretty good. Music has an edge to it without ever getting overly heavy. It has definite melodic moments which typically make the music instantly memorable. It's pretty consistent as well. If you like the album as it gets going, it's a good bet you will enjoy a total listen. Some have complained it's not heavy enough. It's all a matter of taste I guess. Pretty solid listen.
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Red Dragon Cartel-Red Dragon Cartel ©2014 Frontiers Records
Always looking forward to anything Jake E. Lee is involved with. His latest is Red Dragon Cartel and is a bit of a mixed bag. Not in terms of quality, but more in terms of sound. Some of this album sounds very retro like the opener 'Deceived' which takes you a ways back with it's riffage. Then you have more modern sounding fare like the bands single 'Feeder' which sounds a bit more modern with old school at its core. If you go into this one thinking his band Badlands, you'll be quite surprised. Two different animals for sure. It's a decent outing and I hope Jake releases a bit more frequently.
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Altitudes & Attitude ©2014 MRI
This band features Frank Bello from Anthrax and Dave Ellefson of Megadeth. Two bass players eh? Yeah, and it isn't what you would expect. These guys normally play alot heavier. Altitudes & Attitude is a 3 track teaser of hopefully what is more to come. The tracks are fairly upbeat and at times kind of catchy. There are moments where the band catch fire and play a faster tempo, but overall, the music is a bit more subdued than the bands these guys come from. Joining these 2 on Drums is Jeff Friedl. Guitars are handled by both Bello and Ellefson as well as Bass. Now we need to have more, much more!
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Red Tide Rising-The Rising ©2013 Deathbox Records
Latest offering from Colorado based metal band Red Tide Rising. Musically, the band is more modern in terms of sound and tends to be heavy in the riffing. There is a consistency through the album in terms of songwriting structure and quality. The band seem to be taking off with some early indications that people were liking what they heard from the early release of some of these tracks in the form of 'tastemaker' teasers. I feel the band is progressing very nicely from album to album, and this record shows their growth once again. If modern and heavy is your taste, this one is worth checking out.
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Primal Fear-Delivering The Black ©2014 Frontiers Records
Another solid sounding slab of metal music. I have found Primal Fear to be one of the more solid metal acts through the years. Album after album of quality metal with occasional melodic sensibilities. 'Delivering the Black' offers up more ear friendly and memorable power metal. It's similar to what the band usually offer up with each release. This album ranks up with the best of their catalog in my opinion. The depth displayed here is really good on such tracks as 'One Night in December'. You can tell how much this band has grown throughout their career. Definitely recommended!
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