Hatebreed
THE DIVINITY OF PURPOSE

There are some bands that just get it. Hatebreed is one of those bands. Like clockwork, I know that when I'm presented with a brand new Hatebreed release, I'm going to like it. You know why? Because before I ever hear a single note of it, I'm 100% certain of what I'm going to hear. Without question, their uncompromising approach to hardcore has launched them past almost all of their peers in the genre. While there are definitely bands like Agnostic Front that will always get more love as the creators and innovators of this style of music, there's very little doubt that it was Hatebreed that took it to the widest range of fans. Sure, they don't sell a zillion copies of any album, but who does that makes metal these days? What Hatebreed does doe, with every release, is deliver integrity, big sound, and uncompromising lyrics. THE DIVINITY OF PURPOSE is just what you'd expect from Hatebreed, although it's a touch heavier than even their past work has provided. In short, THE DIVINITY OF PURPOSE kicks ass.

Device 
DEVICE

I know a great many people that hated Disturbed. They considered them to be a poser metal band. They hated vocalist David Draiman and his pompous attitude. They didn't like their hits. They called them formulaic. To be sure, Disturbed has taken every bit of the hatred that most metalheads throw at a band like Nickelback these days. Yet, whatever the case was, they still sold a lot of music. Maybe it was truly "teenagers and girls" that bought their music, but whatever it was, they moved product. Being a Disturbed fan myself, I was excited about the thoughts of this new project from Draiman. He claimed it to be very "Nine Inch Nails". It was claimed to be very heavy. It had all kinds of hype behind it. The result? Well, maybe it's just me, but it's pretty damn close to what you would expect from the next Disturbed release. There are subtle differences to the sound, but overall, there won't be a single Disturbed fan out there that will be put off by this release. In fact, I'd bet most of those that are just casual radio fans won't even know it's a new band.

NorseLaw
MOON HUNTERS

I can't speak for everyone, but I like a little bit of weirdness in my music every once in awhile. Not all the time, but there are definitely times when I need something that just goes far beyond the scope of "traditional" sounding music. My collection is littered with bands like Mr. Bungle, Pygmy Love Circus, Dog Fashion Disco, Mindless Self Indulgence and the like. These bands definitely find their way to my player a lot, specifically when I'm in a bad mood and need something strange to listen to and give me a "what the fuck" moment. Certainly, these kinds of bands are not for everyone. If they are your speed though, you might want to add NorseLaw to your collection. Listening to their release MOON HUNTERS is kind of like if you took a room full of iPods, blew them up, and could listen to the individual pieces all mixed up into some sort of cohesive, strange collection of songs. To my ear, it's a lot of Mr. Bungle, a touch of Borknagar, and a lot of straight up experimentation that doesn't really define definition easily.

Skid Row
UNITED WORLD REBELLION: CHAPTER 1

Let's just be honest here.  Skid Row has done themselves no favors since Johnny Solinger took over as the lead vocalist.  They have put out two really subpar albums; subpar at least to those of us that were fans of their great past.  I'm more giving than most, and even with that, I found both REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE and THICKSKIN to be pretty much unlistenable (even though both did have a couple of tolerable moments).  It's a shame too, because the band clearly can do some good things with Solinger, who doesn't sound like their old singer Sebastian Bach, but has enough of a "real rock" sound to fit well with their music (both the past stuff, and what they can do moving forward).  If nothing else, listening to UNITED WORLD REBELLION: CHAPTER 1 seems to tell a story that the band finally understands what they need to be doing.  By far, this is the best thing Skid Row has done since SUBHUMAN RACE.

Great White
30 YEARS: LIVE FROM THE SUNSET STRIP

There's a very awkward moment on 30 YEARS: LIVE FROM THE SUNSET STRIP wherein current vocalist Terry Ilous claims the night as a special night as the band has been together for 30 years.  Sorry guys, I know the band has been around for all this time, but it REALLY is hard to accept Great White without Jack Russell at the helm.  I really want to.  Mark Kendall has been a friend for years, as has new vocalist Terry Ilous.  But, being honest, their studio album without vocalist Jack Russell was very much outside the feeling one expects from a Great White album.  That's not to say it was terrible, but there was a flair missing that just can't be replaced in the framework of what I consider to be Great White.  Being honest, coming into this live release, I kind of had my doubts.  Thankfully, the band captured a good performance.  While it still doesn't have the bluesy flair that Jack Russell brought to the band, 30 YEARS: LIVE FROM THE SUNSET STRIP is a solid representation of what the band is today.