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Monday, July 25, 2016

Flaw - Divided We Fall


Flaw - Divided We Fall
Written by Ken Bowden for Bloodrock Media on July 25, 2016

Kentuckians, Flaw, have always been a bit different than most in the rock scene, breaking through at the end of the nu-metal era, they brought chugging riffs and intense vocals with a more positive, uplifting feel.  Then, seemingly as quickly as they exploded on to the scene, they were gone.  Only four years after being signed to Universal Records, they were dropped, and eventually broke up. Struggling for years with membership changes, rumors of internal strife, and new projects, one could say that the last decade or so has been a trying time for the group.  But, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait and the guys in Flaw have waited over a decade, paying their dues, and finally finding their way. Without further ado, Flaw has announced the release of their fourth studio album, Divided We Fall on August 19, 2016 courtesy of Pavement Entertainment.
The first track on Divided We Fall, “Fed Up”, is reminiscent of their nu-metal heyday; bursting with powerful, meaningful lyrics.  While in some ways going backwards is a bit disappointing, “Fed Up” is simply the first course of the Divided We Fall meal, meant to awaken fan’s palates to what is to come in the next 10 tracks.  
Divided We Fall features some of the heaviest material Flaw has ever recorded, with absolutely brutal tracks “Choices” and “Do You Remember” demonstrating the bands growth as musicians. The bands renewed focus, maturity, and energy is especially apparent in tracks “Heal”, “When You Grieve”, and their newest single “Live and Breathe”, which are expressive and brimming with raw human emotion. After an extremely tempestuous decade fans may be a bit hesitant or this may very well be that musical moment they’ve been waiting for, either way, everything about Divided We Fall is tight, the sound much more mature, heavy, even more emotional, and meaningful.  Fans should definitely grab a copy of Divided We Fall in August; it is unquestionably worth a listen.

Silvertung - Out of the Box


Silvertung - Out of the Box
Written by Ken Bowden for Bloodrock Media on July 25, 2016

Silvertung, hailing from Maryland, released their third album and first EP, Out of the Box, on July 8, 2016 courtesy of Pavement Entertainment.  The band’s singles “Face the Music” and “Devil’s Advocate” have been making their way up the national charts, giving some of the top national acts a run for their money.
Out of the Box is not in any way confused by what it is and was meant to be, straight forward, in your face rock from start to finish.  Tracks “Face the Music” and chart making single thumper “Devil’s Advocate” are any stadium anthem, fist pumping, hard rock lover’s dream come true; explosive and hard hitting.  Fans of Theory of a Deadman, Sixx AM, Shinedown, and even Guns N Roses will find Out of the Box quite gratifying.
Silvertung clearly gave this album their all.  Out of the Box’s experimentation with different sounds and styles will surely earn the self-proclaimed underground rockers some new fans and notoriety on mainstream radio.  By the end of Out of the Box fans will know who Silvertung is and with the brevity of the six track EP, fans will be left wanting….demanding more.

Monday, July 18, 2016

(hed) p.e. - Forever!


(hed) p.e. - Forever!
Written by Ken Bowden for Bloodrock Media on July 18, 2016

After a little more than two decades, nine albums, and a some lineup changes, one may think a band may be a bit out of touch or at the very least, running on fumes, but (hed) p.e.’s upcoming, release entitled Forever!, demonstrates that those are quite simply meaningless statistics with no real significance or quite simply put… bullshit.  Forever!, not for the faint of heart, will take listeners by storm; blending musical styles from punk to reggae effortlessly and with the energy fans expect from (hed) p.e.  Forever! delivers scorcher after scorcher and fans won’t be able to get enough.   
“Live” and “Pay Me”, the first and second tracks on Forever!, will evoke pleasant memories of why (hed) p.e. are the bringers of the G-Punk, gangster rap and punk for those less familiar.  After the reintroductions, listeners will have their brains slammed by the albums third track, “Closer”, which brings a sick mix of catchy riffs, dope lyrics, and a medley of genres from reggae to rock. Speaking of genre blending, the transition from raw, dirt punk in “Waste” to “Jahknow’s”, heavy groove, afro beat reggae is FLAWLESS.   
Heavily afro-reggae influenced tracks like “Always” and the closer “Ganja” may seem unusual at first, such a high energy album to close out so laid back, but this isn’t unfamiliar territory for (hed) p.e., they’ve journeyed to the chill in the past with tracks such as “The Meadow” on their album Broke (2000).  Not to mention listeners will  appreciate finally being able to catch their breath after bouncing off the walls for the majority of the album.
Basically, Forever! plays out like an action movie, starting with the exposition (a reminder of who (hed) p.e.), then there is rising action (adding reggae to the rap/rock mix), the climax (transitioning from raw punk to groove afro beats), then falling action (slowing it down a bit), and finally the dĂ©nouement (the conclusion to the story) or in lame man’s terms before listeners know what hit them, they’re balls deep in some banging beats, killer riffs, and sleek, yet vicious lyrics and then the band slows it down a bit so listeners can exhale.
Despite the extreme shifts in musical styles from track to track, Forever! maintains infectious energy from start to finish.  It isn’t until the conclusion of the album that listeners will wrap their minds around just how many genres of music they experienced and it will serve as yet another reminder of why   (hed) p.e. are the preeminent purveyors of the G-Punk.  Fans of (hed) p.e. or music lovers that are interested in discovering unique, quality fist pumping music are going to want to cop Forever! and see exactly how a band’s 10th album should sound.

Citizen Zero - State of Mind


Citizen Zero - State of Mind
Written by Ken Bowden for Bloodrock Media on July 18, 2016

Detroit natives Citizen Zero are set to release their debut studio album, State of Mind, August 12th courtesy of Wind-Up Records.  Founded in 2010 by brothers Greg, John, and Matt Dudley, the band quickly caught the ear of Kid Rock’s sound engineer, Al Sutton, who whisked them into Rustbelt Studios to record their debut EP.   In April 2012, the band was faced with the tragic death of their brother and lead guitarist, Matt Dudley.  The group was faced with the crucial decision to either dissolve or move forward with their dream.  In the face of their painful loss, they decided to carry on their dream and recruited guitarist, Sammy Boller, to fill the void, and used their music as a catalyst for healing.  Needless to say, the release of State of Mind is no small feat a long overdue achievement for a group that has overcome tragedy.  The catchy, yet uniqueness of State of Mind is proof that their dedication and perseverance paid off.
State of Mind will appeal to fans of Sound Garden, Sevendust, and Alter Bridge; not necessarily familiar but inviting.  Their debut single, “Go (Let Me Save You)” is infectious and one that will keep listeners pressing repeat over and over and over again. “Go (Let Me Save You)”  is definitely their breakout hit and a track that will be in heavy rotation on the alternative/rock radio waves, but don’t count the rest of the album out just yet. With jams such as shoulder swaying “What a Feeling” to fist pump worthy “Come Away”, everything about State of Mind is seriously gratifying and pleasing to even the most brutal critics.  For fans that can’t relate to the catchier, or pop, side of rock, there is “Save the Queen”, brimming with emotionally fueled vocals and spot on grooves by the band, “Save the Queen” will definitely be a live crowd pleaser. 
For fans of the golden era of alternative rock, a time when lyrics actually meant something, State of Mind will provide the perfect amount of nostalgia, yet remain modern and relevant.  State of Mind is a perfect combination of lyrical polish and musical grit that made alternative rock great in the 90’s and fresh, modern, technical rock music of today.  The talent of Citizen Zero is undeniable and State of Mind is just the beginning of their rise to the top.

Media Solution - The Prelude



Media Solution - The Prelude
Written by Ken Bowden for Bloodrock Media on July 18, 2016

Italy natives, Media Solution, released their latest EP entitled The Prelude in April 2016 courtesy of Pavement Entertainment.  The Prelude is a seven track musical creation, brimming with anthems of dark fĂȘte that explore the more salacious characteristics of being human or simply put sex, sex, and sex…and more sex.
Perfect for fans of 5 Finger Death Punch and Fear Factor, The Prelude is nothing but pure, unadulterated ‘fuck you, I’m ready to fucking rage’ metal with no bullshit shortcomings.  From beginning to end The Prelude represents itself, just as it is, hard as nails with no apologies.  The fourth track, “Coward”, will let listeners know that Media Solution means business.  This track will hit fans harder than Mike Tyson.  The follow up track, “Turmoil” is just as heavy and will get fans in the pit or at the very least throwing their horns up.  Closing out the EP are strong jams “We Are the Kings” and “Enjoy the Ride”, both display remarkable bass and drum work, not to mention both are extremely head bang worthy.
The Prelude almost challenges fans to not want to throw a chair across the room or run full speed into a wall of death.  The boys in Media Solution weren’t messing around when they set out to bring something new to the metal establishment; The Prelude is hard, unforgiving, chaotic, abrasive, aggressive and awesome metal-punk-rock madness.

Dead Man’s Hand - Til Karma Forgets


Dead Man’s Hand - Til Karma Forgets
Written by Ken Bowden for Bloodrock Media on July 18, 2016

Dead Man’s Hand released their new album Til Karma Forgets in April 2016 courtesy of Pavement Entertainment.  Dead Man’s Hand got its start in the Seattle music scene in 2012, eventually relocating to Kansas City in 2013.  By 2014 the quartet would win Best New Artist in the Midwest Music Awards and 2015 heavy radio rotation and additional nominations.
The opening tracks of Til Karma Forgets are good, listenable, enjoyable, but nothing that will make listeners stop what they are doing to crank up the radio, that is until “Paint a Picture”, this is when Dead Man’s Hand begins to expose what is underneath the covers.  And what is there is really good.  “Paint a Picture” and “So What” show their ferocity and the group’s ability to bring it. The guys are straight up mosh rock, if a fan were to push a neighbor down the stairs while listening to Til Karma Forgets, the jury just may understand.
While Til Karma Forgets is not mind blowing, it will give fans just enough to keep listening.  It also sets the stage for what Dead Man’s Hand is capable of.  Dead Man’s Hand is sure to earn some new fans from Til Karma Forgets, which is well deserved.