Bon Jovi - Bounce

Bon Jovi
Bounce
Island Records

Just what does Bon Jovi have left to prove? Nothing. And that's what makes every Bon Jovi album released these days so interesting. After sales that run into the tens of millions (and counting), it would seem that the attitude the started off on 2000's Crush is the same that motivates the band with Bounce. The simplicity of writing strong songs, a good balance of ballads and rockers and all with the air of confident seasoned ease of professional musicians.

As with a lot of artists, the events of September 11 seem to have inspired, outraged or prompted the rethinking of game plans. Jon and the rest of his group are no exception. But rather than attempt to make some over the top heavy slab of anger, Bon Jovi have instead decided to make an album of mostly uplifting nature.

The opener 'Undivided' is an unashamed call with the entire hallmark Bon Jovi strong back up vocals and big hooks. The lead off single (And promotional clip) 'Everyday' follows the same lines, while 'The Distance' and the title track 'Bounce' sound like a combination of the Creed/Fuel formula (With a dash of Bon Jovi) arena anthem.

Within Jon, there's still a Bruce Springsteen soul. While songs that involve a storyline are not uncommon with Bon Jovi, the album seems to have a few this time around. 'Joey', 'Right Side Of Wrong' and the touching 'You Had Me From Hello' certainly compliment both The Boss and the Jovi guys. 'Misunderstood' is a cool mid paced number, but there's more than a slight 'Never Say Goodbye' rehash to 'All About Lovin' You'.

Another couple of hard rocker are delivered with 'Hook Me Up' and 'Love Me Back To Life', while the album closer 'Open All Night' is certainly one for the ladies. The two hidden tracks 'No Regret' and 'Postcards From The Wasteland' are obviously demos that weren’t worthy of the album, and that certainly is the case. They’re best left at that.

Luke Ebbin was behind the production (Along with Jon and Richie) on Crush, and has again been used for Bounce. Bounce is a celebration, and fans of Bon Jovi are sure to snap this up and enjoy it whole-heartedly.

For more information on Bon Jovi, check out - https://www.facebook.com/BonJovi.

© Justin Donnelly.

Shadows Fall - The Art Of Balance

Shadows Fall
The Art Of Balance
Century Media Records

I had high hopes that Boston’s Shadows Fall would be able to follow up their last album, Of One Blood, with something special. The fact that the same five musicians that come up with Of One Blood and The Art Of Balance is hard to grasp. The progression between the two is unescapable and obvious!

‘Idle Hands’ simply sheds with more than a slight resemblance to the ‘Master Of Puppets’ era Metallica styled riff. You just don’t know how much you miss that crunch until you hear someone else do it. ‘Thoughts Without Words’ is next, and is also the first promotional video for the album. There’s a slight Soilwork influence here, but is given a different slant with the hardcore styled backing vocals.

Brian Fair’s unique and varied vocal sound is evident in the Testament sounding ‘Destroyer Of Senses’, while the short and delicate instrumental ‘Casting Shade’ showcases Jonathan Donais’s and Matthew Bachand’s guitar prowess. There’s an unbelievable intensity in ‘Stepping Outside The Circle’, but title track ‘The Art of Balance’ does just as it suggest and allows the band a breather. There are some razor sharp licks within ‘Mystery Of One Spirit’ and ‘The Idiot box’, while ‘Prelude To Disaster’ again shows the short instrumental genius of the guitarists. ‘A Fire Burns In Babylon’ has plenty of twists and turns, while final track Pink Floyd’s ‘Welcome To The Machine’ is given a complete metal makeover, yet still retains the spirit of the original.

Producer Zeuss (Hatebreed, God Forbid) has given the Shadows Fall another great sounding album, and the band themselves have given us another great slab of hardcore / metal / thrash. This is one band that will surely be around for some time yet.

For more information on Shadows Fall, check out - https://www.facebook.com/shadowsfall.

© Justin Donnelly.

Spock's Beard - Snow

Spock's Beard

Snow

Inside Out Music

Being an ardent fan of Spock’s Beard for some years makes it quite a challenge to review their sixth studio outing, Snow. There’s also the fact that this is their first attempt at a full-blown double concept album that makes the task at hand even harder.

Suffice to say, Snow is everything you expect from the band. The album is based on an Albino psychic character named John Sikeston (AKA "Snow") who grows up sheltered from normal life until his move to New York in his teenage years. The story features a whole host of characters that flesh out the story.

Now, what about the music? Well, there are plenty of lavish melodic moments (‘Made Alive’, ‘Love Beyond Words’ and ‘Solitary Soul’), hard rock numbers (‘Stranger In A Strange Land’, ‘Welcome To NYC’, ‘Freak Boy’ and ‘Devil’s Got My Throat’) and progressive workouts (‘Overture’, Second Overture’ and ‘Snow’s Night Out’).

Nick D’Virgilio (Drums) deserves special mention for his stunning lead vocals on the tracks ‘Carrie’ and ‘Looking For Answers’. He’s improved ten fold since his solo album Karma.

If I really had to be critical (and its hard, let me tell you!), the real weak moment on the album has to be the keyboard solo ‘Ladies And Gentlemen, Mister Ryo Okumoto On The Keyboards’. It may well be short by seventies standards, but unnecessary nether less. It would be impossible to really go through the album track by track, and I believe that fans would rather discover the album as a whole by themselves. All is made up though with the final piece of the puzzle ‘Made Alive Again/Wind At My Back’. The band turns everything (vocals harmonies and instruments up to ten) in a towering crescendo. Pure magic that words can’t describe!

Between the perfect harmonies and the songs that never outstay their welcome, there’s a sense that the time is perfect for Spock’s Beard to finally arise to the top of the progressive field along side Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater, and lose long forgotten icons of the past like Genesis, Marillion and Ayreon. This is an album that truly defies words, and will live well beyond its shelf life. There’s a lack of bands of this calibre, and that is a real shame. Both progressive and concept are not dirty words to those of my age.

For more information on Spock's Beard, check out - https://www.facebook.com/spocksbeard.

© Justin Donnelly.

Tunnelvision - Tomorrow

Tunnelvision

Tomorrow

Massacre Records

Upon first listen, this Finnish five-piece band didn't really sound like anything special. However, after repeated listens, the music finally started to have an effect.

After forming in 1995, Tunnelvision released their debut While The World Awaits in 1999. The band have gone through numerous line up changes in their time, but things looked fairly solid prior to the recording of their new album, Tomorrow.

There's a militant drum sound opening the album on 'Calling', and Marko Waara's vocals are certainly unique. If you can imagine a cross between Queensryche's Geoff Tate and Nevermore's Warrel Dane, you'll some idea. The keyboard dominated 'Silence' adds a dark sound to the epic, while 'Parasites' simply lumbers along with its heavy riffing. While itís not a definitive ballad, the slow rocking 'Lightning' again highlights Marko's powerful vocals (and Finnish accent). There's an almost power metal feel to 'Time Of The Hunter's Moon', but there's also just enough progressive moments to please fans of the genre. There's also some cool slap bass work from Lauri Porra towards the tail end of the song. 'The Hermit (Wait And See)' has a touch of Dream Theater in its song structure, as does 'Don Juan's Triumph'. As good as that sounds, the chorus in 'Don Juan's Triumph' is really its downfall. It simply lacks that special something.

'Ribbon Of Tears' is another of the albums quieter moments, featuring some tasteful moments from guitarist Vili Ollila, making way for the two epic closing numbers 'Long Voyage Back' and 'While The World Awaits'. Both numbers allow the band to have individual shining moments, and are by far the best tracks on the album (Is that the guitar solo from Alice Cooper's 'Pass The Gun Around' in 'While The World Awaits'?).

Tunnelvision are far from doing anything original in the progressive field. The production as well fails to truly capture the band in full flight. Having said that, Tunnelvision are certainly a band worth keeping an ear on. They may just have a few surprises next time around.

For more information on Tunnelvision, check out - https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope.

© Justin Donnelly.

Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done

Dark Tranquillity

Damage Done

Century Media Records

Sweden’s Dark Tranquillity may have been a half step behind some of the other leaders in the Gothenburg melodic death metal movement (In Flames and The Crown come to mind), but with Damage Done, Dark Tranquillity are not only going to get the praise they deserve, but be a hard act to follow in the process.

Their last release, 2000’s Haven raised a few eyebrows from long-term fans, and while it was a great album from the band, it tended to be a little more on the experimental side of things. Damage Done seems to revert back to the aggressive sounds of previous albums, yet pushes them beyond anything they’ve done before.

‘Final Resistance’ opens with a deceptively melodic riff before turning into a full on assault attack of the senses. Vocalist Mikael Stanne seethes anger and hate, while retaining the essential melody that binds the band as one. ‘Hours Passed In Exile’ has some majestic melodic twin guitar work (Courtesy of Niklas Sundin and Martin Henriksson), while ‘Monochromatic Stains’ (The first promotional video from the album) returns the aggression. Both ‘Single Part Of One’ and ‘The Treason Wall’ lean heavily on the keyboard sounds, but are counter balanced with the heavy guitars, and riffs most bands would envy. One of the catchier tunes is the unusually titled ‘Format C: For Cortex’, and has a passing resemblance to Iron Maiden in parts. The title track ‘Damage Done’ passes with intensity, but ‘Cathode Ray Sunshine’ is certainly highlighted by its experimentation of subtle keyboards and guitar tones. The experimentation is taken one step further with the brilliant ‘The Enemy’. This is defiantly one of the albums many highlights. ‘White Noise/Black Silence’ again pushes the manic fury, only to dilute itself with the sweeping instrumental ‘Ex Nihilo’.

The Gothenburg scene may well be seen as death metals bastard child, but there’s a lot to be said about the movement when something as special as Damage Done is conceived.

For more information on Dark Tranquillity, check out - https://www.facebook.com/dtofficial.

© Justin Donnelly.

Norma Jean – Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child

Norma Jean
Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child
Solid State Records/Tooth & Nail Records

Norma Jean (formerly know as Luti-Kriss) has returned with their second album for Solid State Records. Following hot on the heels of their highly acclaimed Throwing Myself, the band was toured relentlessly, rushed into the studio, and now they're back with Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child.

As time goes, Norma Jean's sound seems more extreme, and the messages more thought provoking (cryptic?). The song titles are certainly some of the strangest I’ve read in some time (‘Pretty Soon, I Don’t Know What, But Something Is Going To Happen’, ‘Sometimes It’s Our Mistakes That Make For The Greatest Ideas’ and ‘I Used To Hate Cell Phones But Now I Hate Car Accidents’), but the songs are pure youthful metal hardcore noise. No one particular track stands out as they all have their moments of inspired twisted guitar sounds and screaming chaotic vocal exercises from Joshua Scogin. One thing worth mentioning is Aaron Jonathan Weiss’s (Mewithoutyou) vocal contribution to the crushing ‘Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste’.

Noted producer Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage) has done the near impossible and allowed plenty of space within the scope of sound utilized by Norma Jean, without turning the album into a wall of noise. If hardcore is your bag, and Hatebreed and Converge get you all excited, then check this band out before they sell heaps of albums and start being labelled sell outs.

For more information on Norma Jean, check out - https://www.facebook.com/normajean.

© Justin Donnelly.

All Boro Kings - Just For The Fun Of It

All Boro Kings

Just For The Hell Of It

Century Media Records

New Century Media signings All Boro Kings is an amalgamation of members from Dog Eat Dog (Sean Kilkenny-guitars and vocals and Dave Neabore-bass and vocals) and Mucky Pup (Dan Nastasi-guitar and vocals, Dave Neabore and Sean Kilkenny). Their old friend John Milnes completes the line up on drums.

So with the line up and background, you pretty know what to expect from this release. Funk / punk / party rock is the call of the day, and All Boro Kings think they have the tunes and the rhymes to keep the party going.

While I’d be hard pressed to pick a stand out cut on the album (Yes, they’re that hard to find), there are some noticeable guest appearances on the album. Dog Eat Dog vocalist John Conner appears on ‘Blowin’ Smoke’, while Murphy’s Law vocalist Jimmy Gestapo does his thing on ’12 Pack’ (A piss take of the classic Black Flag number). Ex-Anthrax guitarist Paul Crook teams up with Dog Eat Dog saxophonist Scott Mueller on ‘Broke, Drunk’.

The album is quite short at just beyond the half an hour mark, but it really fails to deliver anything new throughout proceedings. I would really only suggest putting this on at a party where no one seems to take any notice of what’s playing anyway. After some highly consistent albums being released by Century Media in recent times, I think we can forgive them for this little slip up.

For more information on All Boro Kings, check out - https://www.facebook.com/centurymedia.

© Justin Donnelly.

Nocturnal Rites - Shadowland

Nocturnal Rites

Shadowland

Century Media Records

The genre known as power metal has been around for many a year, but it's really exploded in the last five. Europe is literally a breeding ground for the countless number of bands claiming to be the new leaders in the power metal race for supremacy.

However, there are some that have forsaken that race and instead simply release consistent albums time and time again. One such band is Sweden's Nocturnal Rites. Their origins date back to when the power metal scene was in its infancy, when they were leaning more towards death metal, and have slowly progressed with each successive album. Now with their newly released fifth under their arms, they can once again show some of these new upstarts a thing or two.

Extensive touring has sharpened the band since 2000's Afterlife, and it's evident from the opening anthem 'Eyes Of The Dead'. Producer Daniel Berstrand (Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad, Stuck Mojo) seems to have given the band a punchier sound this time around too. Elsewhere, the title track 'Shadowland' is one of the albums defining moments with its epic build ups, while 'Vengeance' and 'Revelation' are flat out speed work outs. Vocalist Jonny Lindkvist seems to put in a more aggressive effort on tracks like 'Faceless God' and the album closer 'The Watcher'.

In the end, if power metal is your thing, you have quite a few choices out there. For a guaranteed winner, you can't go past Nocturnal Rites to deliver the goods and staying true to their metal roots.

For more information on Nocturnal Rites, check out - https://www.facebook.com/nocturnalritesofficial.

© Justin Donnelly.