Star & Dagger, Tomorrowland Blues

Star and Dagger
Tomorrowland Blues
Reviewed by Rob Acocella
Rating: 3/5




Star and Dagger is the latest endeavor of White Zombie bass player Sean Yseult along with her friends Dava She Wolf and Von Hesseling. Their first offering is Tomorrowland Blues, a Blues Rock album with some Rockabilly flavors.

"In My Blood" and "End of Days" have a strong presence to start the album off but things get very slow, and dare I even say, boring, with "Selling My Things." "Side Winding" brings the groove back with a great Grunge inspired opening bass line and the song holds up with mid-tempo rhythm and some great vocal harmonies.  "Your Money" brings them into a little bit of a heavier range and a little bit of a darker vocal delivery before diving into another bass-heavy track with "Used To Me." The album closes with "Your Mama Was A Grifter" which I'm honestly not too crazy about.

I'll admit I'm a tough critic as this gritty style of Blues Rock isn't exactly my favorite genre to begin with. That's not to say I can't recognize talent when it's there, and these three women clearly have it, I just have lukewarm feelings about what they put together this time around. I think the first thing that really threw me was that they are labeled a Blues-Rock/Metal group, and when I listen to this collection of songs, I have to be honest, but I just don't hear the Metal at all. Being a White Zombie fan, I suppose I went into this with certain expectations, and I already know that's wrong of me. All in all, though, it's not a bad album, and I'm sure fans of the genre will like it a lot more than I did. I feel like there is great potential in this group but they just need to bring a little more energy and variety to the table. The Blues vocals and dense guitar and bass layers are really great, it's just missing that bite, or edge, that would really give it a larger presence. In fact, the vocals remind me a lot of Shirley Manson of Garbage.

Overall, I gave Tomorrowland Blues a 3/5, because while I'm not a huge fan, I do know that it's well done and the songs are well written, and I can't take away points just because it's not my personal favorite style of music when there is an obviously large amount of talent and potential.

Chris Bickley, Tapestry of Souls

Chris Bickley

Tapestry of Souls

Reviewed by: Rob Acocella

Tapestry of Souls is the latest solo release from professional guitarist Chris Bickley, released on Shredguy Records. From the start of the album, with the first few notes of “Race Car Guy,” you know this is going to be filled with some serious riffs and leads. Chris Bickley’s songwriting skills are top notch, if not slightly dated. I only say “dated” because it has that late 1980s Yngwie Malmsteen kind of vibe going on. He knows all the right places for hooks that snag your brain and won’t let go.

The only area that I feel the album falls short in is the vocals. There are four songs that feature vocals and, to be perfectly honest, none of the vocal stylings really grabbed me. In fact, most of them turned me off to the songs that they were a part of. It’s a shame that it had that effect on me because the songs themselves were really well written and executed, but something about them each time just didn’t sit well with me. Sometimes it was the sound of the person’s singing voice, other times it was their tone or delivery.

From an instrumental standpoint, this is a really strong recording and I urge fans of guitar-centric Rock to check it out. You can find more information, or buy the CD, at http://chrisbickley.net/

Rating: 3/5

Mitch Trupia "In Your Head"

Mitchell Trupia

Mitch Tru: In Your Head

Reviewed by: Rob Acocella

Mitch Trupia is a solo artist with some stories to tell. The first thing I noticed with this album is the very strong Classic Rock influence. There are flavors of The Who, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and even some acoustic KISS evident on In Your Head.  When I saw that the first track was titled “No One Like You” I thought I was in for a Scorpions cover, but luckily it was an original tune. Mitch has a pretty good following online for a solo independent artist, and the track “Can’t Change The World” is not only my personal favorite from the album, but it also seems to be the one that gets the most attention from his online fans.  Other standout tracks include “Straight Jacket,” “13 Sundays,” and the bonus track “I Would Do Anything.” Every song on here has it’s own unique groove, but they also all feel very connected by Mitch’s overall style and vibe. This is a quality album by a talented songwriter that definitely is deserving of your attention. Check out his Facebook page for more info and some links to his music: http://www.facebook.com/MitchellTrupia - Also, make sure to hit up CDBaby.com to pick up the album!

Rating: 4/5

Halestorm, "The Strange Case Of..."

Halestorm
The Strange Case Of...
Reviewed by Rob Acocella
Rating: 4/5
      Until now I've never had my hands on a full album by Halestorm. I have to be honest here and just say that before now I hadn't been all that interested in them. I've seen them live a handful of times as an opening act or direct support to a few great bands, and I did enjoy their live show, but I never had the motivation to buy their music. That changed when I heard a sample of their lead single "Love Bites (So Do I)" and immediately realized what I had been missing out on.
      Overall, the songwriting on A Strange Case Of... is really good, with a few exceptions where I feel they kind of fell short lyrically. Still, for a band I'm technically new to, the album is impressive. First thing's first: this is fun Hard Rock, so if you're looking to find hidden messages or the Fibonacci Sequence in the songs, you've got the wrong band. However, if you're looking for something to crank on a Friday night on your way to a concert or party, this is the album to grab.
      Lzzy and company mix equal amounts of old school female fronted Rock with some more modern influences. "I Miss The Misery" sounds so much like a Three Days Grace song, I was half expecting Adam Gontier to be doing some guest vocals, while "Freak Like Me" and "Daughters of Darkness" are perfect crowd-rallying songs. My only complaints are right in the middle of the album where the songs go a softer route. In my opinion it derailed the flow of the listening experience, and I have to be the bad guy here and just say that I don't really feel Lzzy's softer, more "girly" vocals are all that good, on top of the lyrics being very weak and cliche at times.
      Despite my minor complaints, I still find myself reaching for this album when I want to listen to some fun and aggressive tunes. I do give the band credit for including some softer tunes despite what some people may think of them, as it shows a maturity and willingness to take risks that so many newer bands these days don't have. Aside from the tracks I already mentioned, some other favorites on here are "Mz. Hyde," "You Call Me A Bitch Like It's A Bad Thing," and "Here's To Us."

Jason Charles Miller, "Uncountry"

Jason Charles Miller

Uncountry

Reviewed by Rob Acocella

Rating: 5/5

When you think of Jason Miller from Godhead, you probably don't think cowboy hats and Civil War memorabilia. However, as he explains in the album title track "Uncountry" there ain't nothin' uncountry about him. 

I'm not exactly the biggest fan of Country music, so the few bands and albums I do like have to really have that something special to make them stand out to me. Jason's version of Country isn't your Garth Brooks or Honkey-Tink this-or-that. Coming from a much heavier style of music, you are guaranteed it's going to have an edge, and an edge it has. I would liken Uncountry to Zakk Wylde's Pride and Glory. Even though Zakk was known as the monstrous young guitar player for Ozzy Osbourne, most fans were pleasantly surprised to hear what his softer, more, um, twangy song writing was like. The same goes for Jason Miller. You can hear shades of Pride and Glory on Uncountry, as well as moments that really reminded me of Vicious Cycle, which was my personal favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd album. You can hear Jason's signature Goth-Industrial vocals peering through at times, which is reassuring when the album goes a little deeper into the Country vibe.

There are a lot of stand out tracks, and my personal favorites are "Uncountry," "The River," "You Must Have Loved Me A Lot" and the stickiest song on the album, "The Devil." I dare you to listen to "The Devil" and not walk around singing or humming it to yourself all day. Hell, I haven't listened to the album in 2 days and this morning I woke up with it in my head out of nowhere. 

Megadeth, "TH1RT3EN"

Megadeth
TH1RT3EN
Reviewed by Rob Acocella
Rating: 5/5




Megadeth are back, and this time it's BIG. Not only is this their thirteenth studio album, but it's also the return of David Ellefson to the band. David has always been such a huge component of Megadeth's sound that the albums without him really fell slightly flat for me. I may be a bit biased, being a a bass player myself, but without David it just wasn't complete.

That said, it's not just enough to have the correct lineup, you have to also have great songs and there is no shortage of them on this album. "Sudden Death" leads it off, and is a familiar track for anyone who has been keeping up with the world of Megadeth, as it was included in a Guitar Hero installment, as well as getting released as a single back in 2010, and is the first studio recording of Ellefson with the band since 2002. It's not the only song that will sound familiar to die-hard fans of the band. "Black Swan", "Millennium of the Blind", and "New World Order" are also a part of the Megadeth legacy and go back different spans of time in each instance.

"Public Enemy No. 1" is one of my favorite tracks right alongside "New World Order" "Deadly Nightshade" and "Fast Lane". Personally, with all the fast, crushing riffs, and especially the reborn older material that has finally received a proper release to the public, this is one of the most perfect Megadeth albums to date. I'm from the school of people that thought Rust In Peace was their masterpiece, and with TH1RT3EN being released right on the heels of the anniversary of Rust, it's only fitting for it to be such a powerhouse of  a record.

Steve Bello Band, "Go Berzerk"

Steve Bello Band
Go Berzerk!
Reviewed by Rob Acocella
Rating: 5/5







Ibanez-endorsed instrumental guitarist Steve Bello is back with his fifth and most anticipated studio album yet, titled Go Berzerk! (yes, the "z" is intentional)

The album starts off with the very popular lead single "Surfing To Venus" which had a video to accompany it while it was still in demo stages. You can see the video below, or by clicking here.
Following "Surfing" is a a track called "To Be Human Again" which gets you tapping your toes and snapping your fingers to the groovy little funk-infused intro before jumping right into a chunky lead riff that will take most by complete surprise. The title track is one of the strongest on here which not only showcases Steve's incredible lead abilities but bass player Joe Demott really shines through with his intricate bass fills.

On "Sometimes Hidden" we get to hear the softer side of Steve Bello with this warm acoustic track. It goes without saying that just about every instrumental guitarist includes an acoustic track here or there, and Steve is no exception, but this track just has such a nice flow and melody that it avoids feeling cliché. "Throwing Away My Skin" is at the top of my list of favorites on this album with it's Slayer-like groove. The guitar really takes on an almost vocal personality on this track. On "Chomp" we again hear Joe's incredible bass abilities. It's gotta be one of the funkiest Funk-Metal tracks I've ever heard.

I can't give Go Berzerk! album any less than a 5/5. Steve's been working at this for about as long as we've been working at Paragon and every album is better than the last. This is truly a work of art, incorporating so many different flavors without ever sounding out-of-place. It's availabe on CDBaby.com or iTunes, and you can get a physical copy if you find him on Facebook and order direct.

Anthrax: Worship Music

Anthrax
Worship Music
Reviewed by Rob Acocella

      Anthrax is back with Worship Music, their first studio album of all original material since 2003’s We’ve Come for You All. It also marks the highly anticipated return of Joey Belladonna to the band. For an album that was originally started back in 2007, it’s safe to say it’s gone through a few revisions over the years, but the end result is one of their strongest albums of their career. It’s probably the album that everyone wishes they’d put out in 2011. It shows everyone that Thrash is still alive and well and that the older generation can still kick ass like they did when they first got started. The first song on the album is “Earth on Hell” which is a sonic assault of blast beats and ripping guitar tone. After that is the one-two punch of “Devil You Know” and “Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t” which are probably 2 of my favorite tracks on the album. “I’m Alive” finds vocals that are very reminiscent of Jeff Scott Soto on Yngwie Malmsteen's Marching Out album. The song that really is going to hit fans hard is “In The End” which was written about the deaths of Dimebag Darrell and Dio. There is also a song on here called “Judas Priest” which is obviously a tribute to the band of the same name.
        The production of the album sounds absolutely awesome, which is impressive considering that the band didn’t really record most of the album together; rather they all recorded near their own homes in different places around the country.  Overall, this is a powerhouse of a record for Anthrax, with amazing playing, signature vocals, and some of their most epic and anthemic songs. If only all bands could put out the kind of quality music that Anthrax did with Worship Music, the music scene and its community of fans and artists would all be better for it. Until that happens, we can rely on bands like Anthrax to reliably put out masterpieces, even if they do take a while in between them.

Rating: 5/5

TesseracT: One

TesseracT

One

Reviewed by Rob Acocella

One is the debut album by TesseracT, released on Century Media records. This album has a great vibe to it, and it combines melody and rage almost seamlessly into one tight little package. The songs have the feel of real music craftsmanship and each one takes you deeper into the groove of the album than the last. Listening closely to the instrumentation you can tell that this wasn't one of those albums that was rushed and put out just for the sake of putting something out. What you have here are carefully plotted rhythms with patterns that seem both simple and intricate all at once. The entire album has its own ambiance and it holds to it even when switching gears from melodic to heavy. That's a refreshing quality in a music scene where artists tend to blow their own albums apart at times by choosing the wrong combo of songs, or the wrong track list sequence, resulting in an interrupted listening experience.

In all honesty, I've been quite bored with the Prog scene for a very long time, but this kind of Prog Metal is exactly what has been lacking for years. TesseracT is a breath of fresh air in a musical atmosphere that was getting very stale recently.

TesseracT is currently on tour promoting One, and I'm going to be honest, if you miss out on their performances, it's your own loss. I have a feeling these guys are going to be making a much bigger name for themselves in the near future, so keep your eyes out for when they come to your town and be sure to get out and see them, and pick up the album.

Rating: 5/5