Before we begin this week’s list, congratulations to Ralph P. from Brooklyn, NY for winning last week’s anniversary contest! Ralph’s story of sharing Slayer on 9/11 is pretty amazing, and just goes to show that above all else, metalheads have plenty of heart! Ralph, we hope you enjoy your copy of the new Morbid Angel album! (no matter what the critics say…)
Looking at today’s list, we are confronted with a phenomenon that we haven’t experienced very much this year – a short list without a huge standout artist to lead things off. There are some veterans and a few impressive young guns, but nobody really jumps off the charts and immediately grabs the spotlight. My best guess is that this week is the respite between last week’s tidal wave of new albums and the high volume anticipated for next week. However, the low number of new releases may help turn one of these albums into a huge success. So be sure to read through this list thoroughly and find something worth checking out!
A Pale Horse Named Death, And Hell Will Follow Me (Steamhammer/SPV)
The side project and brainchild of Life of Agony/ex-Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato, A Pale Horse Named Death is described on their webpage as “Alice in Chains mysteriously sneaking up behind Type O Negative with a butcher knife while being filmed for a future episode of ‘Law & Order’.” If you can understand what that means, great! And if you’re not one of those three people, A Pale Horse Named Death has elements of doom metal, stoner metal, gothic metal, and grunge within their unique sound. The lineup also includes Seventh Void guitarist Matt Brown and Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly, making this band a veritable supergroup. In case you want to hear their sound before you buy the album, check out MetalInsider’s exclusive stream of And Hell Will Follow Me.
Saxon, Call to Arms (EMI)
This is Saxon’s 19th album, and with the exception of a brief period in the late ’80s and early ’90s, they have hardly ever strayed from their pattern of impressive NWOBHM. Both The Inner Sanctum and Into the Labyrinth have been big successes for the band in recent years, and thankfully, Biff Byford and Co. show no signs of slowing down. After being one of the leading bands on the inaugural 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise, it’s safe to say that Saxon will remain on the rise for the foreseeable future.
Alestorm, Back Through Time (Napalm)
Alestorm is less serious than the other folk metal bands that have released new material this year, and that has given them a somewhat goofy reputation in some circles. However, in a world where we have Swashbuckle, Powerglove, and Austrian Death Machine, Alestorm is barely over the line in terms of being humorous and facetious with their music. And clearly, a good number of people seem to enjoy Alestorm’s music, as the band embarked on a full world tour last month to celebrate Back Through Time‘s release. If you enjoy bands within the folk and Viking metal genres that don’t have history or mythology-based lyrics, then Alestorm should be at the top of your list of bands to check out.
Black Veil Brides, Set the World on Fire (Universal Republic)
Having seen this band live twice on a bill with two other bands I love and knowing how off-putting their image is (reference Bram’s description of the band over here), I normally wouldn’t have anything to say about this album. However, in reading the page for this album, I noticed something very interesting and telling about Black Veil Brides. Under the section that shows what items customers bought in addition to Set the World on Fire, the second artist on that list is none other than Lady Gaga. Yes, people that buy music from Black Veil Brides also FREQUENTLY buy music from Lady Gaga, according to this. Some of my friends think this is inflated by the 99 cent sale on Gaga’s new album, but I believe there’s more to it, and that certain things can be inferred from this. I’ll leave that to all of you to speculate on, though. Feel free to hit the comments section with your thoughts.
Also being released this week:
Black Country Communion, 2 (J&R Adventures)
Debauchery, Germany’s Next Death Metal (AFM)
Lake of Tears, Illwill (AFM)
Ironweed, Your World of Tomorrow (Small Stone)
Bloodbound, Unholy Cross (AFM)
Necrodeath, The Age of Fear (Scarlet)
In Legend, Ballads ‘n’ Bullets (SPV)
Rev 16:8, Ashlands (AFM)
V8 Wankers, Iron Crossroads (Steamhammer/SPV)
Scar of the Sun, A Series of Unfortunate Concurrencies (Scarlet)
Next Week: As alluded to in the introduction, we have another full docket coming up next week, and leading the way is one of the greatest musical minds in the entire world with not one, but TWO new albums. There is a lot more coming up as well, so be sure to check back next week for more New & Noteworthy!
