Who says live albums aren’t as important as other new releases? One band endeavors to prove that trend wrong with their new album today, leading off a host of awesome new music. Check it out!
Soilwork, Live in the Heart of Helsinki (Nuclear Blast)
An ambitious double album deserves an ambitious live touring schedule to match, and that’s just what Soilwork did after releasing The Living Infinite in 2013. Part of that live schedule was a special show at Circus Club in Helsinki on March 21, 2014. Now, just over a year later, that special show, which was filmed specifically for this release, can be seen by the whole world. Featuring a setlist that covers the entire history of the legendary Swedish group, Live in the Heart of Helsinki is a must-buy for any Soilwork fan.
Agnostic Front, The American Dream Died (Nuclear Blast)
How it is that Roger Miret and Vinnie Stigma can release incredible album after incredible album this far into their career blows my mind. Agnostic Front has outlasted nearly all of their contemporaries, and they’re still guiding and influencing mainstream hardcore 35 years into their storied career. The American Dream Died is the latest in a series of amazing records, and although it’s been quite awhile since My Life My Way, we’re still glad just to have another new album from the hardcore standard-bearers.
Byzantine, To Release is to Resolve (Self-released)
If you’re looking for a band that shirks trends and defies popularity in the name of musical purity, then Byzantine is exactly what you’re looking for. The follow-up to their 2013 self-titled album is everything fans are hoping for and more – technical riffs, thick grooves, and just the right blend of melodies to keep things interesting. If this album isn’t on your radar, it absolutely needs to be. Stream the whole album here to find out why, and read an insightful interview with the band’s OJ here.
Royal Thunder, Crooked Doors (Relapse)
If you had asked me in January what I thought of Royal Thunder, I would have said that they were a highly promising stoner metal band. The announcement that they would be a support act for Halestorm and Rival Sons threw me entirely for a loop. Never before has a band on Relapse’s roster taken part in such a mainstream tour package, and it has the likelihood to catapult Royal Thunder to the next level of their career.
Sworn In, The Lovers/The Devil (Razor & Tie)
Sworn In returns with their sophomore album, and they went all out to make this the best album possible. Starting with a wide-spanning concept of unrequited love and failing relationships, the band applies their gripping hardcore edge to the stories being told. The whole package comes together as an open-ended narrative that will speak differently to each listener, but will have a powerful impact regardless of interpretation.
