"Rebirth" Reach For The Sky album review

 

     Reach For The Sky is an American band out of South Florida that formed in 2012, their new album "Rebirth" is out now. Its always exciting to listen to these bands because you never know what to expect. In my opinion these underground bands hold the torch for what metal and rock should be, they have no record labels or managers to please they make music for themselves and their fans and couldn't care less what anyone else thinks. I was once again pleasantly surprised by the submissions for a relatively new underground band Reach For The Sky has quite a bit of talent and skill that we normally dont see within the relatively young stages of a band.

The first song I listened to was "Casualties " and the intro is wonderful, coming in hard and strong with the drums and guitar keeping a steady harsh beat that sets the tone for the rest of the track. The vocals break into the song about twenty or so seconds in and when they come in they hit hard. The deep growl and throaty yell come together really well giving the song a death metal vibe with a touch of black metal influences. Especially near the end of the song the pig shrieks that ring in your ear are a definitive black metal touch that gives the song an extra sprinkle of evil.

Another song that caught my attention was "Self Reflection" the opening riff is a bit slower compared to "Casualties" but the song does not lack the hardcore element that "Casualties" had. With the song once again kicking off with a raspy growl that continues throughout the verses of the song. In "Self Reflection" the chorus of the song isn't the shrieks or growls that I was expecting but clean vocals that sang a verse that warmed out hearts for a few moments before delving back into the rage and anger of the verse. The song had a great contrast of emotions within it as if you could feel the bands thoughts at the time of writing.

Quite possibly the heaviest of all the songs was "Demons" this song also happened to be my favourite, the track has a quick but effective intro and then jumps right into the angry loops and aggressive vocals that really make the track. Honestly I wish I could tell you what "Demons" is about or what message I thought the band was trying to get across but I honestly have no idea. I was to busy looking at yelp listings for chiropractors after throwing my neck out head banging to pay attention to the lyrics. One thing I can tell you is this breakdown is amazing, and it lasts for a good portion of the song making the build up to the song again grow astronomically as the drums and guitar scream out together. All in all one great track on the record.

Reach For The Sky released a great record especially when factoring in how long the band has actually been together. This band is definitely hard core and may not be for the faint at  heart but those of you who love your metal with a side of darkness will like this record. Check them out of Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

Facebook ------>www.facebook.com/reachfortheskyfl

Youtube ------- >www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsAqiqEIPUjQcuVExN-aroXUTCfvAsS

Instagram -------> @reachfortheskyfl

Headbangers Heaven Productions.
2016 All Rights Reserved.
Eric Snelling.

Whitechapel "Mark Of The Blade" album review

            Whitechapel is an american death metal band from Tennessee that had its debut in 2006. They have just released their most recent studio album "Mark Of The Blade" and I am here to tell you that this violent masterpiece will literally melt your face off with its brutal riffs and disturbing growls that make the hair on your arm stand up.

Its near impossible to find a flaw in this record with amazing drum fills, guitar riffs that make your jaw drop and sinister vocals that are sure to haunt your dreams "Mark Of The Blade" is easily the best and most evil album Whitechapel has dropped to date. Thats saying something to after the 2014 smash hit "Our Endless War " which was easily one of the best death metal records of the year if not decade. But it seems that instead of coasting on their previous success the southern hell raisers are back and angrier than ever.

Each record Whitechapel diversifies a bit in terms of sound always keeping their fans and audience intrigued, never knowing which way the record is going to go. "Mark Of The Blade" keeps some of the groove metal influences that we first saw on "Our Endless War," the record also revitalizes some of the elements that we heard in Whitechapel's 2012 debut album "Buzzsaw." Specifically the extreme death core elements and simple but brutally savage guitar loops that made everyone fall in love with Whitechapel in the first place.

The singlehanded biggest change on this record from all other Whitechapel records is the introduction of lead vocalist Phil Bozeman singing clean verses. Completely changing the vibe of the band and giving it more of a death core feel. Now Phil Bozeman quite possibly has the most recognizable voice in the death metal community so many fans were stand offish when they first heard that Whitechapel was introducing clean vocals. However not only does it work but it makes the record even better, for a man who growls like something from beyond this dimension it came as a shock at how amazing of a singer Phil is. The man can scream like a demon and sing like an an angel giving the album an extra layer of emotion and depth that we haven't seen on any of the other records to date.

Now if your sitting at home loosing your mind because you dont like your metal to be contaminated with clean vocals, fear not because only two tracks on the new album actually have clean vocals. "Decennium" and "Bring Me Home are the only two songs that have any clean vocals on them, the track out of the two that Im going to focus on is "Bring Me Home." The reason Im homing in on this song in particular is because it is by far the deepest and most meaningful song on the record and most likely in Whitechapel's discography. "Bring Me Home" deals with the death of Phil's late father and the clean vocals as well as the growls carry a lot of depth with them. You can hear the pain in Phil's voice as he sings about his father and in this song the clean vocals really serve an important purpose in getting the message of the song across.

The next song that I loved was the title track "Mark Of The Blade," this song is classic Whitechapel vicious, violent and a metal masterpiece. The track is extremely well done between the speed metal like guitar riffs and relentless drumming it is a musical masterpiece in itself, now add in the quick evil vocals that add the extra element of hate that this song needs to really get the adrenaline coursing through your veins.  Like some of Whitechapel's best songs I have no idea what the song is about or what the "Mark Of The Blade" is but while this song is thundering on and the blood is rushing to my head I really dont care. This song is so harsh that I dont even think Ghandi could resist head banging to it. This is by far my favourite song on the record possibly even by Whitechapel and seems to be almost like a sequel to "The Saw Is The Law."

"The Void" is another incredibly well done song,  which again made me head bang almost instantaneously. The song starts out hard with an intro that immediately caused my heart to skip a beat and may have left me partially deaf in one ear , but I really didn't mind it was well worth it just to hear this incredibly evil track. "The Void" only builds until it climaxes at a relentless power metal solo with a tuned up guitar that is expertly combined with the tuned down guitars that carry on their onslaught throughout the solo. "The Void" possibly has the best breakdown on the album as well as Phil yells out his last rage filled words before the band jumps into a face melting breakdown that rocks you to your core.

As you can probably tell from this review I absolutely love Whitechapel and for good reason, with so many metal bands succumbing to the pressures of the masses and releasing commercialized toned down albums. Its nice to see Whitechapel flying the death metal flag high and representing the metal community in the angriest and most offensive way possible. We metal heads salute your service. Whitechapel is currently on the warped tour and for some unknown reason you haven't bought their new album "Mark Of The Blade" then do it now because I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Headbangers Heaven Productions.
2016 All Rights Reserved.
Eric Snelling.

Exxocet "Rock & Roll Under Attack" Album review

    Exxocet is a hard rock band from Chile who formed at the end of 2013, they have just released their album "Rock & Roll Under Attack" which is a modern take on the classic hard rock and glam metal sounds of the eighties. With a sound that will take you back to the early days of hair metal with tunes that will strike a chord with any fan of the glam rock movement in the eighties. With riffs and vocals that will remind you of storied bands like Motley Crue and Twisted Sister its hard not to like Exxocet. .

The first track I listened to was "Heavy Metal Angels" and I absolutely loved the song, as soon as the song started I thought of the early days of Motley Crue between the ear piercing guitar solo to open the song up and high pitched hair metal vocals that seem to have abandoned the modern hard rock community. Exxocet made a bold intro to an exceptional track, taking this classic and favoured style of metal and putting their own spin on it. With the drums especially taking influence of modern thrash keeping the song fast and powerful, the drums are then complimented by the opening scream of the lead singer. The song is nearly impossible not to head bang to as "Heavy Metal Angels" sets the tone for what to expect off of the rest of the record.

The next song I really enjoyed was "Shooting Star" which is a slower song compared to "Heavy Metal Angels" but the perfectly timed drumming and quick power ballad guitar riffs will keep you just as invested in the track as some of their heavy counterparts. The reason I liked "Shooting Star" so much was because all good bands need that one song that has a guitar solo that just melts your face and Exxocet delivers ten fold with this song, about three quarters of the way into the song the guitar takes off with a tuned up power riff that will make your jaw drop. Utilizing the capabilities of a the classic power metal riffs while adding in a touch of speed metal that really gets the guitar howling. Exxocet made sure that many of the notes were power chords so as not to loose the eighties vibe but before you get to comfortable with the familiar riffs Exxocet smash into an inhuman riff that could be right out of the early days of Slayer putting anyone listening into a gleeful state of confusion as Exxocet displays an extremely well done mending of two completely different styles of metal.

"Party Tonight" seems to be a song that would be great for live performances with an amazing chord progression and easy to sing chorus, I could literally see fans going crazy as I closed my eyes and let the song carry me away. It starts out with a riff that you'd expect to hear in a Van Halen song. The track then opens up into Exxocet's signature style as the drums and vocals make their appearance giving the song an extra kick. Just when you think the song is winding down another unreal guitar solo carves its way through the song, once again leaving me awe struck at how expertly they can manipulate a song with a solo. Instead of the song closing, now its cracked right back open giving the track the second wind that it needs to keep the rocking vibe of the song going.

"When The Roses Die" is by far my favourite ballad on the record just like any hair metal band it seems that every album needs that one emotional song to tie the record together. What better topic then the classic theme of a girl. Just like all those songs of the eighties that have infested every romantic movie and television show, this song is a staple for romance. With a chorus that depresses us just enough to get us into the mood for the wonderful sappiness that Exxocet is portraying in the song. It is sure to be an instant classic for any and all who listen to it.

Exxocet is an extremely talented hard rock band from Chile who are bringing their own unique sound to a genre of metal that has stood the test of time. If you like the eighties hair metal and hard rock movement be sure to check this band out, and even if your to young to know what Im talking about and think Im just an old soul trapped in an age long ago. Still give Exxocet a listen because I can guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised by such a talented and unique group.

Follow Exxocet on instagram @exxocetofficial and friend them on face book with this link: www.facebook.com/exxocetofficial

For those of you still on the fence heres a link to their song "Heavy Metal Angels"
--->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyC2oPSQaDw

Headbangers Heaven Productions.
2016 All Rights Reserved.
Eric Snelling

HELLYEAH "Undeniable" album review

             


       Hellyeah is some what of a super group that formed in 2006 with former members of many different bands but most notably Mudvayne and Pantera. Since their self titled debut album came out nearly ten years ago Hellyeah has given us a decade of unadulterated metal. This is Hellyeahs fifth studio album which is immensely impressive for this band, since many of the members are juggling multiple projects.

"Undeniable" is the next chapter in the Hellyeah story following their highly acclaimed 2014 album "Blood For Blood." "Undeniable" picks up right where "Blood For Blood" left off, you'd think that these albums were recorded together rather then having almost a two year period in between them. The album is harsh, brutal and fast. Giving listener's the adrenaline spike that many have come to expect when they throw on a Hellyeah record.

I already had a taste of the new album with the track "Human" from Sirius XM Liquid Metal, so I had an idea of what to expect on the new album. What I really like about this song is that it has more of an anthemic rhythm to it without loosing the hardcore elements. In past Hellyeah albums I noticed that the harder tracks seemed to lack an anthemic feel and went straight into a full on onslaught that rattled your skull and left you in a metal induced daze. Not to say I didn't  like those tracks, usually those songs are what really made me fall in love with the records but its nice to see Hellyeah branching out with new styles. "Human" is also a great show case for the vibe of the album, "Undeniable" has a far darker vibe then any of the other albums. Now thats saying something because Hellyeah isn't a happy band in the first place but with this record its as if they found a new level of hate and anger that they delved into.

"Blood Plague" snapped up my attention very quickly, the opening riff is a masterpiece in itself. Only to be followed by Chad Gray tearing into the song like a rabid wolf with his signature raspy growl. This will remind die hard fans of old school Hellyeah, the song is extremely heavy and will have you moving to the violent riffs in no time. They even managed to fit in some clean vocals without compromising the overall heaviness of the song.

The next song that caught my attention was "Start A Riot" you can instantly tell this song was made for playing live. With an easily recognizable intro and simple aggressive lyrics that fans will easily be able to sing along to and an extremely easy chorus to chant. This song will draw people to the pit like moths to a flame, its hard not to feel the anger surge through your veins as you listen to this aggresive masterpiece.

"Love Falls really stuck out to me as well it is by far the darkest track on the record, with constant referrals to deppression and self harm its hard not to get chills while listening to the dark song. "Blood Plague" is the most emotionally moving song on the album by a long shot. Immediately making you sympathize with the cold, harsh lyrics. Anyone that listens will be able to connect with the band and  transport their way back to their darkest moment as the toned down guitars and and quick drum beat lift you away.

In conclussion Hellyeah has released another amazing record that they can add to an already impressive arsenal. "Undeniable" is sure to be another hit for an already storied band that has released continued to raise everyones expectations time and time again. "Undeniable" is available on iTunes and all major retailers.

Headbangers Heaven Productions.
2016 All Rights Reserved.
Eric Snelling.