By Greg Maki After pursuing a slick, hard rock sound on 2018’s “Gravity,” Bullet for My Valentine has brought back the metal in a big way on its seventh, appropriately self-titled record. Focused, razor sharp and monstrously heavy, this is BFMV making almost no concessions to court airplay or chase current trends. Don’t call it... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki Once you reach a certain age, it almost becomes a pastime to complain about the current popular culture, especially music, and insist that the only entertainment worth your time is what you grew up with. I feel sorry for anyone who thinks that way. There’s so much good, even great, entertainment being... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki You’re forgiven if you thought “The Phantom Tomorrow,” the sixth studio album from Black Veil Brides, had been out for quite some time. After all, the lead single “Scarlet Cross” debuted nearly a year ago, and following what feels like about 6 million plays on Octane later, I don’t know if there’s... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki I can’t think of a worse time for a new act to make its debut than the spring of 2020. Swiss symphonic metal band Ad Infinitum released “Chapter I: Monarchy” (review) at the beginning of April, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and of course could do little to promote it.... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki Much of the talk about Plush has focused on the all-female lineup and the fact that all four members are under the age of 21. While those are easy—i.e. lazy—hooks for writers and critics, I’m here for the music. And regardless of their gender or ability to legally drink alcohol in the... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki I don’t know if anything makes me feel more inadequate as a music critic* than trying to review a new work by a band as accomplished as Dream Theater. I know a bit about music, but the things these progressive metal titans do are so intricate and so far beyond my understanding... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki Dating all the way back to Universal Studios’ classic Dracula and Frankenstein pictures, no movie genre has been more synonymous with sequels than horror. It’s fitting then that Ice Nine Kills has delivered a part two to its horror-based, breakthrough album, “The Silver Scream” (2018). Given the band’s steady upward trajectory throughout... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki I don’t know why or how, but somehow Ice Nine Kills had eluded me for years. Certainly, I had heard the name and saw it growing in prominence over time. I took note of the horror influences and thought to myself, “That looks fun. Maybe I should check it out.” Surprisingly, the... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki Emerging in 2017 with its debut album, “Mis-An-Thrope,” DED has been a significant player in the recent nu metal revival, and that looks to continue with album number two, “School of Thought.” However, working with producer Kevin Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed), the band has incorporated more modern, melodic hard rock... Continue Reading →
By Greg Maki While many bands have been reluctant to release records during the pandemic, preferring to put it off until they can tour properly to promote them, Trivium went ahead with the April 2020 release of its ninth album, the superb “What the Dead Men Say” (read Live Metal’s review). And in addition to... Continue Reading →
