Emil Bulls-Kill Your Demons   ©2017  AFM Records
​Emil Bulls are a band that may not be quite as known in America, but really should be as their sound caters to what a lot of modern fans like in the metal genre. A combination of clean and aggressive vocals and tempo that varies from some melodic feel to aggressive and in your face. I had sampled this band prior to their previous release 'XX' and found them to be a bit outside of my personal taste. After really getting into 'XX', I wanted to give this band another shot. 'After making my way through this album a couple of times, I like where they are in their songwriting and sound. This record has a decent amount of flash to it and enough crossover appeal to bring in fans from both ends of the spectrum. If you like bands such as In Flames or other modern acts along those lines, you really should check out Emil Bulls. Good record!
Release Date:  October 20, 2017
Tarot Beyond-Tarot Beyond    ©2017  20th Century Music 
​The second album out of the new 20th Century Music label. The label specializes in reissues of harder to find albums as well as some that may not have been issued in the first place. The material from Tarot as they were known as almost 3 decades ago gets to have some new light on it. Tarot Beyond as the band is now known and their self titled release are officially upon us. This record will have appeal to fans of early 80's metal. It does have a dated feel to it, but that is the point. The album should have been out there helping the band make a name for themselves. This kind of work is important in not only getting this music out to those who want and have been searching for it, but also documenting it for musical historical purposes. It will be interesting to follow the work done by bands such as this and the new 20th Century Music label that is getting it to us.
Release Date:  August 18, 2017
Stan Bush-Change the World  ©2017  LA Records
​I really haven't heard much Stan Bush music in a long time. I remember the great debut album, but for me I hadn't followed as much as I probably should have. Fast forward to this latest record 'Change the World'. The music on this album is top notch AOR with an edge.  The album contains 11 tracks of which there is a fairly uniform feel through the album. It's a pretty good bet that if you like his style, you will probably like most if not all of what the album offers. The music carries a pretty heavy retro feel similar to quite a few 80's acts that gave us this style of music. No surprise here as Stan does date back to the great era of 80's melodic hard rock and had his part in it. I have spun this album quite a bit and feel that this record is every bit as good as anything else out there in recent days. If you are looking for a good melodic rock record., try this one!
Release Date:  September 22, 2017
Wait Hell in Pain-Wrong Desire   ©2017  Revalve Records
Wait Hell In Pain is a relatively new female fronted melodic metal bound offering up their debut album 'Wrong Desire'. The album has a very good intensity, but isn't over the top as some modern artists are. In some ways, maybe vocally and other minor areas, this album reminded me of something Unsun would have done. Being a fan of Unsun and with the sound of this record, I find it very easy to get into and enjoy. The band has been around since 2011, finalized their lineup b 2016 and now release their debut album. With the amount of female fronted bands that have popped up in recent years, it gets harder to get noticed. We like to point a few of these bands out that may not be on our readers radar. It's a heavy album with some background growls, but for the most part, this is a pretty decent modern metal record with some good songs to get into!
Release Date:  September 22, 2017
Powerman 5000-New Wave   ©2017  Pavement Entertainment
​I picked up a few albums by Powerman 5000 years ago. I remember liking and even buying some of their music, but with the huge amount of albums we get exposed to, I sometimes lose track of some of these bands. Powerman 5000 has been releasing recently and fans seem to be liking what they have been offering. 'New Wave' to me has the sound I remember from years ago. A more modern feel of vibe oriented rock music. For those who may not know, Spider One is the younger brother of Rob Zombie, but don't compare sounds as I have always felt the two bands have their differences. It's a good bet that fans of either would probably like the other and it is no different with this record.  If you were into this band or even some of the sounds of the late 90's, this will be an easy recommend to you. 
Release Date:  October 27, 2017
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