Diemonds "The Bad Pack"

It’s pretty easy to try and develop a sound based on your influences. The problem a lot of bands run in to when doing this is that they fall in to obscurity for not being anything special, they’re just another band playing gigs in bars. Such is NOT the case for Toronto hard rockers Diemonds. There is an all too obvious sleaze rock influence in the band’s sound, similar to that of Skid Row, but rather than just being a novelty for fans longing for the past, the band has something special in their music that sets them apart from just another bar band. Part of the reason being their front woman, Priya Panda, being able to convince listeners that she is more than just another front woman, she proves that she can do just as good of a job as any male could of carrying the singing duties of a band.

The Offspring "Days Go By"

The Offspring have always made it a point to be trendy. They always release music that seems to be reminiscent of the music that is being released around the time of each new album, but with an uncanny Offspring touch that no one can quite match. This has been the case since their fourth album, 1997’s Ixnay on the Hombre, which was a pop-punk album released in the beginning of the pop-punk movement. The band hasn’t really truly trailed in to their own adventurous territory since then. That is up until last June with the release of their ninth album, 2012’s Days Go By.

Bullet For My Valentine "Temper Temper"

Heavy metal band Bullet For My Valentine have gone through so much scrutiny since they first started recording music. A lot of people love what they are doing and the music that they make, while others are quick to judge for less than justified reasons. In actuality, BFMV are one of few metal bands around that under no circumstance try to follow what everyone else is doing, and for that they are among the best metal bands currently making music. With their latest release, Temper Temper which was released in February of 2013, BFMV further exemplify that they do things by their own rules, and for the first time since their debut they sound completely comfortable with what they are doing.

Art of Dying "Vices and Virtues"

In modern alternative rock music, you have to have something different about your sound to stand out. There was a time in the not so distant past that had a lot of bands sounding similar to each other. It was very easy to say “these guys sound like that band” and so on. Lately we’ve been lucky with our selection of current rock outfits to be doing their own thing. Art of Dying fits in to modern rock perfectly for that very reason. For proof, listen to their second (first major label) album Vices and Virtues, released in March of 2011.

Red "Release the Panic"

Heavy alternative “Christian” rockers Red know their place in the music industry. They know the general sound that their fans love and, with the exception of minor tweaks in sound, know exactly how to keep them satisfied. The bands recently released fourth album Release the Panic (Released February 2013) will certainly leave fans far more than satisfied.

In This Moment "Blood"

 

Female fronted metal band In This Moment has never released the same album twice, which is only one of the many things that makes them unique to most modern metal bands. Their first album, 2007’s Beautiful Tragedy was an aggressive standard metalcore album, but Maria Brink’s voice made the band worth a listen. The album mixed melody with screaming, something not many female vocalists were doing at the time. 2008’s The Dream focused more on the melodic side of her voice. Still an absolute metal album, but with less screaming, and it remains a gem in their catalogue. 2010’s A Star-Crossed Wasteland saw the band go completely balls out (so to speak) with some of the most aggressive songs the band ever released. These albums do all have one thing in common; they all revolve around the concept of pain and anger.

Hell or Highwater "Begin Again"

This next review is of an album by a band called Hell or Highwater. The band’s debut album Begin Again was released a couple of years ago through the bands website and iTunes, but was just re-released this week (February 5, 2013) and can be found in stores.

Billy Talent "Dead Silence"

The best bands/musicians in history are the ones who mature as they continue to make music. The ones who refuse to release the same album over and over again. No matter how popular the previous effort may have been, the band wants to move forward rather than stay in the same spot. Billy Talent are among the top of the bunch when it comes to these bands.