Brock’s 2 Cents September 2021

Hell Yes, everything went smoothly as the Covid-19/the Delta Variant didn’t stop the JUDAS PRIEST tour! What a night! 50th Anniversary tour JUDAS PRIEST was  amazing and Rob Halford is an f’n god! Halford didn’t miss a beat and hit every high note like a champ! Dude is 70 years old and just crushed it! The set-list was solid and their performance was phenomenal. That show is exactly what I needed after all this Covid/year of no concerts bullsh*t. I haven’t smiled and head-banged that hard in a long time. Here are my reviews of recently released albums that I think you should know about. Forget about these in-depth reviews, I’m bringing you quick reviews on multiple releases to help you guide your way through the METAL world today!
BASICALLY THIS IS JUST MY OPINION, LIKE IT OR NOT…
Ratings: [0(sucks) to 5(awesome)]
{Format: Band – album title = rating |label |style of metal. review}

JUDAS PRIEST 50th Anniversary Tour, VA Beach 9/9/21

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IRON MAIDENSenjutsu = 2.5/5 |Parlophone |Heavy Metal
Six years after Book of Souls we finally get new Maiden! Simply put, Diehards are going to love this, the average fan will think its OK and the fare weather fan will not like it. Honestly, it’s nothing new, it’s everything you’ve heard since the Brave New World album. I mean, they’re in their mid-60s, be happy we at least got another new album from them! Yes, there is a bit of ‘their showing their age’ with the pace of the songs. There’s also an old school NWOBHM feel to some of the songs. Only thing I hate about it is both CDs are started by the most boring tracks on the whole album. I do enjoy this album but it’s kind of like the Book of Souls album that 2 or 3 songs could’ve been left off. I’d personally rank Senjutsu in the middle of the pack when ranking all their albums. Let me state this again, I’m just glad we got another new album, time doesn’t stop and all our idols are dying off too fast! 10 tracks, 3 are killer and 4 are good.
ffo: JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON, HELLOWEEN, DIAMOND HEAD, GRIM REAPER

ABORTED Maniacult = 3/5 |Century Media |Death Metal
Serious respect to Sven for keeping ABORTED going this long! About every 5 years dude has a whole new band and to maintain this level of top notch DM is truly spectacular! I was lucky enough to discover this band about a year after the debut album came out and been a fan ever since. Since the last album Mendel bij de Leij has left the band, leaving Ian Jekelis the only guitarist and it seems he did a good job of mixing the vibe of the albums that came out in mid 00’s with their modern feel of the last few albums. My only gripe is that there is too strong of a CATTLE DECAPITATION feel on some of the songs and that’s partially on the vocals too. Maniacult has more of a straight forward bludgeoning compared to the last album, Terrorvision which was brutal but had a darker vibe. The ABORTED death machine still rolls on as most fans will be very pleased with this album. 11 tracks, 1 instrumental, 5 are killer and 3 are good.
ffo: CATTLE DECAPITATION, MISERY INDEX, BENIGHTED, CRYPTOPSY

CARCASS Torn Arteries = 2/5 |Nuclear Blast |Death’n’Roll/Groove Death Metal
Ever since CARCASS reformed and put out a new album back in 2013, everyone picked a side and either loved it or hated it. Well, 8 years later, another new album and its time for everyone to pick a side again. To put it bluntly, the new album Torn Arteries sounds like Surgical Steel mixed with Swansong. There’s too much of a death’n’roll vibe than flat out DM. It’s an OK album but I expected more. Torn Arteries is an easy album because it’s very accessible and kind of plays its safe, a type of vibe that might of been created to win over some new fans. The start and the ending of the album is not what I want to hear but the middle songs track 4 to 7 is what I expected and didn’t get enough of. IMO, CARCASS delivered a half-ass album. I’ll listen to the tracks I like and see them live if they tour in my area. Basically, there’s too much Swansong in my Surgical Steel/Heartwork. 10 tracks, 4 are killer and 3 are so-so.
ffo: ENTOMBED, CONVULSE, HYPOCRISY, GOREFEST, CANCER

BRAINSTORMWall of Skulls = 3.75/5 |AFM |Power Metal
One of my favorite PM bands, I received the album Ambiguity when I hosted a college metal radio show and been a fan ever since. BRAINSTORM has been consistent with their discography, a kick ass album, an OK album, then a kick ass album, flows throughout their career. Their last album Midnight Ghost was killer so will this continues and have another kick ass album? YOU DAMN RIGHT! BRAINSTORM did it again, Wall of Skulls is amazing! Now, it’s another not recreating the wheel type album but it’ll have you head-banging through out! If you like PM that’s a bit on the heavier side will more of an up tempo pace, than BRAINSTORM is for you! Wall of Skulls might be in my top albums of 2021! Definitely one of the better PM bands out there in the last decade period! 11 tracks, 5 are killer and 3 are good.
ffo: NOCTURNAL RITES, ANGEL DUST, SYMPHORCE, MYSTIC PROPHECY, ICED EARTH

BRODEQUINThe Perpetuation of Suffering = 4/5 |Unmatched Brutality |Brutal Death Metal
WOW! 17 years later, we finally get new material from BRODEQUIN! I will always love this band having lived in TN when BRODEQUIN was created and hanging out with founding member Mike Bailey at the college metal radio show I used to do. I rocked my Instruments of Torture shirt around campus like a champ and got the religious whack jobs always handing me church flyers to try to save my soul. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this new EP but DAMN, this is BRODEQUIN! Both tracks are incredible and have the feel of the first two albums. The major thing I love about this EP is the production! Top notch production provides a killer sound so you can hear everything and no muddy down anything! This is prime example that BRODEQUIN is back to prove they are the one of the kings of ultra brutal DM! A must for all brutal DM fans! 2 tracks on this EP and both are killer!
ffo: DISGORGE, LITURGY, ORCHIDECTOMY, DEFEATED SANITY, PUTRIDITY

INSOMNIUMArgent Moon = 2.5/5 |Century Media |Melodic Death Metal
A new EP from this Finnish melodic DM icons as they’ve been kicking our asses for about 20 years now. With most melodic DM bands the trend is they start off heavy and then they lighten up their sound about a decade or two in and the Argent Moon EP shows a bit of that. More clean singing, more lighter sounds, more acoustic, more of a gothic vibe and less of what the band started as seems to the direction INSOMNIUM is headed down. The first 2 tracks mostly keep the vibe of what INSOMNIUM has done lately while the last two tracks are more in the rock direction. Fans will definitely enjoy this but I’d like to see them maintain more of a dominate DM side of their music. 4 tracks, 2 are killer and 1 is OK.
ffo: OMNIUM GATHERUM, WOLFHEART, AMORPHIS, KALMAH, BEFORE THE DAWN

TOMBSTONER Victims of Vile Torture = 2.25/5 |Redefining Darkness |Death Metal/Crossover
With their debut EP I stated that this band has the potential to be the next big band in the scene depending on what they do with their debut album. Well, the debut album Victims of Vile Torture is solid but I’m not 100% sold that its what’s needed to skyrocket this band, now I could be wrong, time will tell. TOMBSTONER is definitely a DM band that mixes in other genres, so safe to say it’s crossover with thrash, hardcore, etc… This debut is decent but I have a strong gut feeling that the band missed their opportunity to knock out a homer run with this album. This album maybe a bit to familiar with what newer bands are doing and doesn’t do enough to stand alone from the pack. We’ll see if the scene eat this up or it just passes along with many other albums, but definitely worth checking out a few tracks! 10 tracks, 4 are killer and 4 are OK.
ffo: CANNIBAL CORPSE, ALL OUT WAR, POWER TRIP, DEMENTED TED, BENEDICTION, EXHORDER

CEREBRAL EFFUSION Ominous Flesh Discipline = 3.25/5 |New Standard Elite |Brutal Death Metal
CEREBRAL EFFUSION are back, 7 years later with a new album that’s raw and uncompromising in its brutality! Ominous Flesh Discipline definitely doesn’t stray from what you could say is traditional ultra brutal DM with a very strong LIVIDITY vibe. The whole seems to cover from left to right on this one with speed, brutality, grooves and even slower punching/pounding parts. This is definitely a step up from all their previous albums. A solid head-banging brutal DM experience that will have all fans of the genre pleased! It’s straight forward and punches you in the face! Not much else to say but check it out! 7 tracks, 3 are killer and 3 are good.
ffo: LIVIDITY, DISGORGE (USA), DEADEN, PUTRIDITY, GORGASM, WACO JESUS

ACT OF DENIALNegative = 2.5/5 |Crusader |Melodic Death Metal
Two guitarists out of Croatia has enlisted major league help to make their melodic DM vision come true with their debut album Negative. Featuring Steve Di Giorgio, Speed Strid and Krimh, this debut is definitely top notch sounding. If you like what SOILWORK and IN FLAMES was doing in their hey day, then this is right up your alley. I really enjoy this but it’s nothing new. This could easily be mistaken as SOILWORK songs, but the song writing is very good and catchy. If you take that factor out, everything about Negative is top notch, well-written, and catchy as hell but I would love to see some progression and growth out of Luger and Voi to push this band more into their own sound. If you really love the Gothenburg sound then this is a must. I could see this band creating something that rivals what the masters have done in the Gothenburg sound! Worth checking out and definitely looking forward to new material from them! 10 tracks, 3 are killer and 5 are good.
ffo: SOILWORK, IN FLAMES, ETERNAL STORM, DARK TRANQUILLITY, THE HAUNTED

DEAD SUNNight Terrors = 3.5/5 |Xtreem Music |Melodic Death Metal
If you’ve been reading these reviews or read last months review (which featured 3 of his albums), I’m a big fan of Rogga Johansson. Dude has definitely taken full advantage of the quarantine last year by writing as much DM as he could. In this year 2021, he’s released like 10 albums so far. Rogga is a master of OSDM and every sub-genre within and DEAD SUN is his offering of melodic death’n’roll/DM. With a strong mid-era EDGE OF SANITY vibe that also blends in Swedish melodic DM with elements of death’n’roll in the vein of ENTOMBED is what you can expect from this. I jammed to the first few albums from DEAD SUN but then forgot about them till this new album came out. I immediately back tracked and listened to the 3 albums I missed. Night Terrors is continuing what DEAD SUN does best with melodic DM and continues to carry the torch of old school Euro/Swedish melodic DM! Yet another album that doesn’t recreate the wheel but offers a solid listening experience! This is an album that itches that scratch of what you loved to hear from back in the day! 8 tracks, 4 are killer and 3 are good.
ffo: EDGE OF SANITY, VIOLATION, IN MOURNING, HYPOCRISY, GODGORY, ENTOMBED

DEAD SUNThe End of Eternity = 2.75/5 |Metal Bastard Enterprises |Melodic Death Metal
What? Another album already? Like I said Rogga Johansson is one of the busiest dudes in DM! This is sorta a compilation album, with 3 brand new tracks and 6 re-recorded tracks off the debut album The Clockwise Charade. The 3 brand new tracks feel like their off the cutting room floor of the last album, they’re OK but nothing special. The re-recorded tracks are incredible though, since I really loved the debut album and getting to hear these tracks with a better production is f’n awesome! This is for diehard fans. 9 tracks, 4 are killer and 3 are OK.
ffo: EDGE OF SANITY, VIOLATION, GODGORY, HYPOCRISY, IN MOURNING, ENTOMBED

SUNBOMB Evil and Divine = 2/5 |Frontiers |Heavy Metal
I saw an article that said Tracii Guns released a black metal album, so naturally I had to check this disaster out. The article was completely wrong. Tracii Guns from the hair/glam band L.A. Guns got inspired by his Scandanivan girlfriend listening to black metal to create something sinister and heavy. SUNBOMB is his offering, not black metal at all but actually some decent heavy metal. Enlisting Michael Sweet from STRYPER on vocals, which makes this even more hilarious, inspired by BM to only bring the utmost Christian band member ever into the fold. Evil and Divine is not that bad it’s heavy metal through out the album with some doomy parts. There is definitely, in my opinion, some room for improvement and maybe go a touch heavier. It’s worth checking out if you’re really into heavy metal, NWOBHM, or traditional doom metal. 11 tracks, 2 are killer and 5 are OK.
ffo: DIO, JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, METAL CHURCH, CANDLEMASS

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