Head Inc. - Pariah

Head Inc.
Pariah
Faultline Records/Stomp

For more information on Head Inc., check out - https://www.facebook.com/gary.buckley.37.

© Justin Donnelly.

Helloween - Gambling With The Devil

Helloween
Gambling With The Devil
Steamhammer/SPV/Riot!

For more information on Halloween, check out - https://www.facebook.com/helloweenofficial.

© Justin Donnelly.

Seether - Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces

Seether
Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces
Wind-Up Records/Sony BMG Music Enterainment (Australia) Pty Limited

For more information on Seether, check out - https://www.facebook.com/seether.

© Justin Donnelly.

Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Fire & Water

Thrice
The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Fire & Water
Vagrant Records/Shock Records

For more information on Thrice, check out - https://www.facebook.com/officialthrice.

© Justin Donnelly.

Crime In Stereo - Is Dead

Crime In Stereo

Is Dead

Bridge Nine Records/Stomp Records Distribution

Back to life with a new sound.

Sometimes an album title can reveal a lot about a band. And in the case of Long Island (New York) melodic hardcore act Crime In Stereo, “Is Dead” was very much a statement in regards to the status of the band following the completion of their tour commitments off the back of 2006's “The Troubled Stateside” (Which was released through Nitro Records). In their time apart, vocalist Kristian Hallbert took vocal lessons, guitarist/backing vocalist took a job as a political consultant and bassist Mike Musilli spent his time teaching at his former high school, while drummer Scotty Giffin continued to jam with Hallbert. But soon enough, the four piece act decided to get back together and write a new album. The combination of time away from the road, each other and Hallbert's growth as a vocalist had a profound mark on Crime In Stereo's new direction, and it's more than evident throughout their third full length effort/Bridge Nine Records debut “Is Dead”.

The lively opener “XXXX (The First 1000 Years Of Solitude)” is an explosive opening punk rock statement that allows Hallbert to pull off some previously unheard falsetto work, while Giffin's energetic percussion work throughout is nothing short of energetic. A little more of Crime In Stereo's traditional and catchy sound comes in the form of “Third Atlantic”, “…But You Are Vast”, “Choker” and “Nixon”, with all four songs given a little more enhancement with the addition of Hallbert's multilayered vocals.

However, it isn't until you get a third of the way into the album that you get to see just how far Crime In Stereo is willing to experiment. “Animal Pharm”, “Small Skeletal” and “Unfortunate Tourists” see the band pushing further into post hardcore sounds with heavy distortion heard primarily on the guitar front, while the absolutely rocking “Vicious Teeth”, the keyboard enhanced “Almost Ghostless/Above The Gathering Oceans” and the subdued “Orbiter” will totally blow apart most preconceptions about Crime In Stereo's stereotypical sound.

At one point, Crime In Stereo was definitely dead. But with the release of their third album, it's clear that the only thing dead is the band's former sound. What's taken its place is something far more interesting and rewarding in the long run.

For more information on Crime In Stereo, check out - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050481129904.

© Justin Donnelly.

Avenged Sevenfold - All Excess

Avenged Sevenfold
All Excess
Warner Bros. Records

For more information on Avenged Sevenfold, check out - https://www.facebook.com/AvengedSevenfold.

© Justin Donnelly.

Against - Loyalty And Betrayal

Against
Loyalty And Betrayal
Trial And Error/Stomp

For more information on Against, check out - https://www.facebook.com/againsthc/.

© Justin Donnelly. 

Alter Bridge - Blackbird

Alter Bridge
Blackbird
Universal Republic Records

For more information on Alter Bridge, check out - https://www.facebook.com/alterbridge.

© Justin Donnelly.

The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal

The Black Dahlia Murder
Nocturnal
Metal Blade Records/Stomp Entertainment

For more information on The Black Dahlia Murder, check out - https://www.facebook.com/theblackdahliamurderofficial.

© Justin Donnelly.

Drowning Pool - Full Circle

Drowning Pool
Full Circle
Eleven Seven Music/Riot!

For more information on Drowning Pool, check out - https://www.facebook.com/drowningpool.

© Justin Donnelly.

Metalocalypse - Season One

Metalocalypse
Season One
Madman

For more information on "Metalocalypse", check out - https://www.facebook.com/metalocalypseofficial.

© Justin Donnelly.

Sixx:A.M. - The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack

Sixx:A.M.
The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
Eleven Seven Music/Shock

For more information on Sixx:A.M., check out - https://www.facebook.com/sixxammusic.

© Justin Donnelly.

Various Artists – Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock Companion Pack

Various Artists
Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock Campanion Pack
Interscope Records/Universal

For more information on "Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock Companion Pack", check out - https://www.facebook.com/GuitarHero.

© Justin Donnelly.