Rogues Gallery 3

Damn it's been months since I've done a new one of these. So let's get started. As usual click on the band name to go to their myspace page and listen in.

Skeletonwitch : Blackened thrash metal from Ohio is what I can best describe these guys. The vocalist alternates between throaty death metal to screeching Gollum like vocals. Musically these guys rip it up with killer thrash riffs that hearken to the old days of Megadeth with the speed and change ups. Check out their new album "Breathing the Fire when it drops around October 13th.



Dimmu Borgir :I'm normally not a fan of black metal. It's usually muddy,boring,and repetitive. Dimmu Borgir takes the usual black metal and brings it to a whole new level. They're labeled symphonic black metal and I can see why. Big orchestration in the background behind the double bass and blast beats.Add a dash of clean vocals and evil voice overs and it makes for some interesting headbanging.I have yet to find another band like them and don't say Cradle of Filth because it's not even close.



Devildriver : Dez formerly from Coal Chamber fronts this band and I've just recently started listening to them. Damn good thrash though the one criticism I would have is that Dez's vocals get to be repetitive at times. His range is harsh screaming and that's about it these days. It seems most people hated the first album because it sounded to much like Coal Chamber but I found it very interesting and close to my favorite so far.

Five Finger Death Punch : Yeah yeah, these guys would be lumped into the mall core crowd. But I like them for the same reason I liked Scar Symmetry. The vocalist could be heavy as hell on vocals but then when switching to clean be very melodic with excellent phrasing. The lyrics are kind of uninspiring and a bit emo but the songs manage to be interesting and that's all I ask for. If you like Disturbed you might like these guys.

Lazarus A.D. :I've gone over these guys before a bit when I saw them open for Testament. Just straight up no frills thrash. If the vocalist can tighten up his vocals as time goes by and not sound as if he's trying too hard to be brutal these dudes will be a force to reckon with.

So funny how things change in a year. Last year it was all about mostly the Scandinavian bands and this year I'm listening to mostly American bands. And most of these guys are pretty new in terms of album releases. It does make me feel better about the future of metal once the old farts start retiring.

So there ya go, there is some of what I've been listening to over the past few months. \m/