Roundhouse Reviews

[roundhousereviews]

Black Sabbath - "13" Review

Everyone knew it would end up happening, and this is it; a Black Sabbath album with Ozzy back on…

View Post

[roundhousereviews]

Black Sabbath - "13" Review

Everyone knew it would end up happening, and this is it; a Black Sabbath album with Ozzy back on vocals. The album, being titled "13", can only be describe with one simple sentence, "It's a classic Sabbath album". This album kicks some major ass.

The album starts off with "End of Beginning" and "God is Dead?" Which both have those signature Tony Iommi guitar riffs, that go from pure heaviness to calm, eerie, riffs. These songs leave you with chills running down your spine.

"Loner" moves away from the eeriness that is of the first two tracks, and has a more upbeat, rock feel to it if anything, whereas "Zeitgeist", is literally Ozzy singing over acoustic guitars and bongos. These transitions provide such vast differences between songs, but all the songs are great to just sit back to and listen to. None of the songs are too heavy or insane to where you feel the need to just go jump in a mosh pits. It really is a great album to just sit back, and have playing in the background.

As we move back to the dark and devilish feel, we have "Age of Reason", which is almost a mix of the eerie feel and the upbeat feeling, this transitions, once again, well into "Live Forever" which is just slow paced metal that transitions back and forth to a rock n' roll groove feeling.

"Damage Soul" is actually a pretty interesting track. Guitar solos, multiple octave guitars at the same time, and Ozzy's voice harmonized with it self, makes this track really stand out,

"Dear Father" has the same upbeat, rock feel to it as "Live Forever", but in some parts has the same vocal patterns and pitch changes as other songs in the album, such as "God is Dead?". This is honestly the only disappointing part of the album, which does end up happening a few times over the course of the 8 songs.

Overall this album is at least worth the listen to. It can't compare to old Black Sabbath, but is a close runner-up. I promise you, you will not be disappointed with this album. Go purchase it at your local CD shop(Or on Amazon, your choice, you hippies)

[roundhousereviews]

The Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City Tour - Review

Thursday night, at White River State Park, the “Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City” Tour came to Indianapolis, Indiana. The show featured, Kid Ink, Ab Soul, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, and Kendrick Lamar. This is Kendrick Lamar’s first headlining tour.

  The show started…

View Post

[roundhousereviews]

Megadeth - "Super Collider" Review

      Megadeth has just released their 14th studio album “Super Collider”, and we have nothing but good things to say about it. As a couple of you are aware of, we did review their album “Th1rt3en” when it was released. This is definitely an improvement to “Th1rt3en”, but doesn’t compare to the intensity of their 12th album, “Endgame”.

     “Super Collider” starts off with “Kingmaker” which has a very fast tempo rhythm that just really lets the album take off. Followed by the title track, “Super Collider” which has a very heavy classic rock feel to it, which I found myself very fond of.

     We continue on through the album with “Burn!”, “Built for War”, “Off the Edge”, “Dance in the Rain”, and “Beginning of Sorrow”, which are just typical, newer Megadeth sounding songs; not much to say here. They are a good listen to.

     Here is where it gets interesting. The song “The Blackest Crow” starts off  with an old western feel with acoustic guitar, banjo, and slide guitar. What makes this song that much better is the fact that the slide guitar is played by none other than country star, Willie Nelson. It continues on with the western acoustics playing in the background, while distorted guitars and your typical Megadeth feel is brought in. Honestly the sound of Willie Nelson tagging up with Megadeth sounds god awful, but this turned out really well.

     The next track is “Forget to Remember”, which has a very heavy metal vibe, instead of thrash, and features David Draiman, of Disturbed.

     The last two songs are “Don’t Turn Your Back…” and “Cold Sweat”, which I feel the latter should come first, and “Don’t Turn Your Back…” should close the album.

     Overall this album has been an improvement from “Th1rt3en”, but in my overall opinion of it, can’t compare to “Endgame” or their early releases. With this said, I still say it would not be a bad choice to pick this up to listen to. Megadeth is still kicking ass, and probably won’t stop, unlike Metallica, who hasn’t released a decent album in 20 years.

Now kiddies, run along and pick up your copy of “Super Collider” Today!

[roundhousereviews]

Of Monsters and Men - Indianapolis, Indiana - May 30th, 2013

Photo Courtesy of Sean Molin Photography

Friday night, I had the honor of seeing Of Monsters and Men at White River State Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Overall, I enjoyed myself due to the atmosphere of an outdoor, summer concert, but Of Monsters and Men could have tightened up their act a bit.

Now, do not get me wrong, their playability is superb. On the other hand, their stage presence is lacking and it is as if they play their recordings and that is it. There was hardly any interaction with the crowd, which is very much needed, especially in a larger venue. The one thing I have always noticed are bands that can take a venue packed with twenty thousand people, and make it feel as if you were in the palm of their hands. A prime example for me is Disturbed, who just makes you feel as if the whole show is set up just for you. With Of Monsters and Men, the lack of stage presence, and audience interactions, really made this a boring set.

Another problem was the very short set. With only having one album out, this is hard to avoid.  I have never once been to a concert to where it was over by nine. This was not a problem in all honesty, it’s just odd leaving a concert with there still sunlight outside.

They were a great listen to, and it really was a good experience to have seen them, and have my own opinion on their live performance, I just really wish they would have made the forty dollar ticket worth paying for.

[roundhousereviews]

Alice in Chains - "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" Review

Today marks the day that Alice in Chains releases their new album, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here". This being the 2nd album after vocalist, Layne Staley's death, and 1st album since ex-bassist Mike Starr's death.

This album, being William DuVall's 2nd album with the group, has a lot to say about the band compared to their last album, "Black Gives Way to Blue".

The album is a lot darker and heavier than the last. This is definitely the album that they have channeled that true "Alice in Chains" feeling to. Unlike "Black Give Way to Blue" there is not a song on, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" That doesn't just scream "ALICE IN CHAINS!"

Starting off is probably my most favored song, just because of how heavy and such a perfect way to start an album off; this song being "Hollow". Going on through the album it just gets better.

As we advance we make our way to the title track, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", Which almost has a "Love, Hate, Love" vibe to it.

There are also a few slowed down/classic rock songs on the album as we venture through.

These songs include "Choke" "Scalpel" and "voices". These are definitely not something you'd want to be jamming out to, but if you're just relaxing they are definitely some good chilling tunes.

There is not really anything negative I can say about this album. For what Alice in Chains is, it is going to probably be the best release they have until the end of their career. There's only one thing that could make this album better, and that would be if Layne was alive, but William is the best replacement as of now.

I Definitely think if you are just an absolute, die-hard Old-School Alice in Chains fan, this album probably wont rub you well. If you're just looking for some new music to listen to, this is definitely something I'd recommend.

Lets give this album a number rating: 7/10

Also! Jerry Cantrell finally cut his golden locks off!

[roundhousereviews]

Thirty Seconds to Mars - "Love Lust Faith + Dreams" Review

As never being a Thirty Seconds to Mars fan, or really even cared to listen to them(Always been a Metallica kind of guy), This album is not too shabby.

For never listening to them I don't really have nothing to say about this album. It reminds me of My Chemical Romance(instruments) mixed with U2(vocals). Even though it can get a little bit un-original, with there being so many mainstream bands today, it is a bit challenging to be completely original.

The album has everything from piano, synths, auto-tuned vocals, and digital drums. For a "Modern day" rock album, it's definitely not a bad listen. I definitely won't be jamming out to it anytime soon, but I will leave it on my iTunes just for that occasional listen.

Definitely think everyone should at least give this one a listen. Even if you don't pay for it(Tisk Tisk!), swing over to YouTube, and give it a listen! (Once again sorry for the short review! Not much to say other than that it's worth the listen to!)

Links:

iTunes

Amazon

[roundhousereviews]

Waka Flocka Flame - "DuFlocka Rant Halftime Show" Review

Waka goes hard in the mother f**king paint(at least for Waka’s standards) once again for the 3rd addition to the “DuFlocka Rant” series: “DuFlocka Rant Halftime Show”

The mix-tape consists of 19 tracks, all are new tracks except for 50k, which is a remix of a track by Waka of the same name, but this time it features T.I. instead of Gucci Mane.

Waka does the same thing he’s done for all his other albums and mix-tapes. The rhymes are there and the same typical Waka style beats are used, Although I feel as if there is an Odd Future influence on some songs, such as “Activist”; Ben G really brings out this opinion, but as soon as Waka comes back in it is back to the usual Waka track

I honestly did not plan on making this review very long. It’s really just like every other Waka Flocka Flame album/mix-tape. So if you are a fan of Waka, you’ll like this mix-tape, and to make it that much better, it’s available for free at Live Mix-tapes!

Being a fan of older Waka Flocka Flame, such as Flockaveli, I’m not a huge fan of this mix-tape, but then again, I did just receive it an hour ago. There’s nothing wrong with it at all and it’s honestly another quality Waka mix-tape.

Definitely think that you should download it if you’ve liked anything that Waka has done in the past; there’s definitely something on this album for every hip-hop/rap fan.

SQUAD.

[roundhousereviews]

Haruspex - "Civilization" Review

Today, I shall bring you the long awaited review of Haruspex's, "Civilization" E.P.

Haruspex consists of:

Guitars: Cody Langley & Dakota Johnson

Bass: Culley Burton

Drums: Tyler Ball

This will most likely be short and to the point, this E.P. kicks major ass.  Everything from their first recording, which happens to be the title track, "Civilization", is about as generic and simple as it gets; which is saying a lot, because the song is heavy as hell.

The album alone only gets better from here, it starts off with their intro, "Fallout" which is a radio, tuning through channels, as white noise is coming in frequently between channels, with WWII style sirens coming into the background. This leads into "Tremors".

"Tremors", and the following track, "Deception of an angel", are both faster paced songs that have heavy classic rock influence from guitarist, Cody Langley, Heavy Anthrax-ish style bass tones, and brutal death metal vocals from ex-vocalist, David Rasnic.

The last track before the title track is, "Terrestrial Gallows", which starts with a slower, arpeggio sweep, and then tight chugs come in on top of the sweep, going into which heads into a faster tempo-ed, typical death-core  hammer on riffs leading to a dropped tempo, typical death-core break down.

After "Civilization", is the outro titled, "White Noise". Instead of ending the E.P. on a heavy note, it's slowed down, clean ambient guitars and a simple 4/4 timed, rock inspired drum patterns from Tyler Ball.

Overall this E.P. is a great push for Indianapolis local bands. Seeing as the scene has been taken over by hardcore bands, it's nice to see a Deathcore band making good music.

I definitely think you should pick this E.P. up, either for digital download, or physical copy, over at Total Deathcore.

Like them on Facebook!

[roundhousereviews]

Deftone's Bassist, Chi Cheng, Dies at 42

After a car accident 4 years ago which had left him paralyzed and in a comatose state, Chi Cheng, from Deftones, has passed away on April 13th, 2013.

Following is a statement from his family:

-"Our dearest Family, This is the hardest thing to write to you. Your love and heart and devotion to Chi was unconditional and amazing. I know that you will always remember him as a giant of a man on stage with a heart for every one of you. He was taken to the emegency room and at 3 am today his heart just suddenly stopped. He left this world with me singing songs he liked in his ear. He fought the good fight.You stood by him sending love daily. He knew that he was very loved and never alone. I will write more later. I will be going through the oneloveforchi and any other information may not be reliable. If you have any stories or messages to share please send them to the onelove site. Please hold Mae and Ming and the siblings and especially Chi’s son, Gabriel in your prayers. It is so hard to let go. With great love and “Much Respect!” Mom J (and Chi)"

RIP Chi!

[roundhousereviews]

Temper Temper - "Bullet for my Valentine" Review

Track List:

1. "Breaking Point"   2. "Truth Hurts"   3. "Temper Temper"   4. "P.O.W."   5. "Dirty Little Secret"   6. "Leech"   7. "Dead to the World"   8. "Riot"   9. "Saints & Sinners"   10. "Tears Don't Fall (Part 2)"   11. "Livin' Life (On the Edge of a Knife)"  

So after a bit of a hiatus we're back! We're also ready to kick off the new year with a not so great album review, and we apologize for this....

This album... I don't even have words to describe it. Fans that enjoyed 'The Poison' and 'Scream Aim Fire' we're disappointed with 'Fever' when it came out due to it not being heavy as the other two, and being more mellowed out. Well 'Temper Temper' is the "Fever to Fever" as I've been referring to it.

'Fever' grew on fans and in the long run ended up not being that bad of an album. Just took some time to get used to

With 'Temper Temper' I doubt this will happen. The Album as a whole is good.... If it wasn't Bullet for my Valentine.

Lets get the good qualities out of the way first shall we? The production quality is superb. Vocals are great as far as Matt Tuck goes. Tonal quality of all the instruments are great.

Now that we have the good out of the way, lets move on to the bad.

This album, three years after their 'Fever' Release, is just not up to par to anything they've done before. They recycled a lot of their riffs from songs they've written on past albums. Go listen to Temper Temper and come back and tell me you didn't hear a single recycled riff. There's no influence behind the album in its entirety. It's just a bunch of love songs that should've stopped 5 years ago when Taylor Swift wrote her 20th love song.

The best songs on this album are 'Not Invincible' and 'Play with Fire', which are both bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition. 'Play with Fire' is up to 'Fever' standards, and I'll go as far to say that 'Not Invincible' is up to 'Scream Aim Fire' standards. The guitar riffs and solos actually sound like they had a bit of thought put into them. As this being said, these are by far my favorite songs on the album. They chose to release their two worst songs for singles, and keep the two best for the Deluxe Edition only!

I feel like I haven't said much on this review, but then again I feel like I've said all that needs to be said. This album is just not Bullet for my Valentine, musically, and with that I end this review. I will not be doing the number rating for this.... Just kidding: 4/10 There you go.

Extra Extra!

Here is a picture of Matt Tuck with his new hair cut just for laughs!

[roundhousereviews]

The Ghost Inside - "Get What You Give" Review

It's been a while since I've done a review, or anyone here at RoundHouse, a little rusty at reviews but here we go.

The Ghost Inside has always been known to have amazing hardcore parts in their songs while combining inspirational lyrics along with their amazing stage presence. Well this album has all of these parts and more. The first 3 songs are perfect examples of this. Quotes like "No hope, no bed, nowhere to hang my head", "If it's a war you came to see, you will never see a waved white flag in front of me." and "All my life, I've been searching for something, that never came."  All hit emotional parts inside of listeners and get right down to what TGI's music is about. Hard hitting breakdowns, amazing sing-a-longs, and amazing inspirational lyrics. If you liked "Returners", you will defiantly like "Get What You Give".

Album Breakdown:

Vocals - 9.5/10

Guitars - 9/10

Bass - 8/10

Drums - 9/10

Overall - 9.5/10

Review by: Michael "Chico" Stevens

[roundhousereviews]

Sunny Side Up! EP review

I’ve had Sunny Side Up’s ep sitting in my inbox for a long time, and I finally got my lazy self to review it. I’m still kicking myself in the arse for waiting so long to listen to this beautiful masterpiece. Ska’s descent into obscurity is slowly reversing itself, and Oklahoma’s Sunny Side Up has joined the war to bring back ska.  And they’re bringing some heavy artillery.  Their debut EP came in at number 1 on the bandcamp charts, and it’s easy to see why.  SSU isn’t a band to keep their mouth shut, aiming disses at the music industry (Corporate Control) and egotistical “snobby assholes” (WTF?).  Along with pointing out the flaws of many people/corporations, they also touch the bittersweet topics of suburban escape (Anthems For an Underdog), which seems to be something they’ll be able to do easily if they stay on their game, and wanting the girl that’s just too cool to look at you.  Their give-no-S**t attitudes and to the point and catchy lyrics are bound to bring on a whole new generation of ska fans, and delight 3’rd wave ska purists who were there at the beginning of the genre. Their perfect blend of ska, punk, and outspokenness creates a brew that not even Samuel Adam’s can match (not even their Summer Ale is as perfectly brewed as this, and we all know how good that is).  Along with Survay Says! , FaceKick, No Such Noise, Knightsbridge Fiasco, and a few other up-and-coming ska bands, I believe Sunny Side Up has the chops to help bring the genre back in full force.  Here’s to ska, here’s to Sunny Side Up, and here’s to great music! Lyrics: 10

Music: 10

Overall: 10

[roundhousereviews]

Show Review- Anacin Oct. 30th at Brighton Bar

Straight out of Sayreville, NJ comes a breath of fresh air known as Anacin. They've been tearing up the state with their gift of making a room of lazy punks keep moving for 30 minutes straight. With blistering sets full of dropped pants, f-bombs, and lovely obscenities, Anacin is a rock n' roll force to be reckoned with. I had the pleasure of going with the band to their Halloween show on October 30th at Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ. At first it seemed like it was going to be just another show, until Anacin got on stage with a blood-drenched frontman JP Mauer wearing only a bra and skirt, and throughout the night the festivities didn't cease. The band opened their set with a cover of Bad Religion's "We're Only Gonna Die," which instantly made them a crowd favorite with at least half of the room moving. They followed it up with a line of songs off of their newest album- Nostalgia, Deprived, Leech, Sanctimony during which guitarist Cherry dropped his pants and proceeded to hump the hell out of his guitar, and Left Alone (better known to the band members as "The cunt song." The band also debuted a currently untitled song, followed by Feel and fan favorite In My, which again kept the heads rolling and bodies moving across the room. The band closed out their steaming set with a cover of The Misfit's "Skulls," which for sure won over anybody in the room who was not digging the band from their performance leading up to that point (which would have been completely absurd, Anacin is one of those band you HAVE to have fun with.) Hands down some of the nicest guys in local music, and some of the best at what they do. Anacin is definitely a band to watch for in the near future. I urge you, if you have an opportunity to go to one of their shows do NOT miss out! -Jimmy Fasulo

Check out Anacin on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anacin/122017074475635

[roundhousereviews]

God Damn Tour - October 31st, 2011 - The Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, Indiana (Part 2)

The third band took the stage around 8:30 PM, and with that, they brought their name with them.. TERROR. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Terror brought their hardcore sound to the table like no other.

Stage diving is never allowed at The Emerson Theater but this show was different. People we're stage diving left and right, many not being caught and landing on heads, then proceeding to get back up, all because of Terror's hardcore influence on them. This later led to people jumping off PA systems and into the crowd.

Terror sounded just like they do on album. Amazing. This being my 3rd hardcore show that I've attended, I was blown away. They did exactly what they came to do, have that crowd moving non stop, and pissing everyone off.

Headlining was none other than "METAL!" band, The Acacia Strain. After Harm's Way, Stray From the Path, and Terror, you'd expect everyone to be tired by now and not moving much at all. Quite the opposite occurred, with non stop hardcore dancing, moshing, and stage diving.

The set was an hour long, and TAS took full advantage of their time, while the audience being their main focus the whole time. TAS instrumentally sounded just like on album, other than the fact that touring they have two guitarists, instead of on album where they have one. Vincent's voice also started to give out towards the end of the set, but that is where the audience comes into play and give's them a hand with pile ons with multiple people reaching and screaming into the mic.

They ended their set with their very popular song, Skynet, which was their encore. The crowed being filled with a bunch of pissed off teens and young adults went crazy. Fans we're stage diving like no other show I've been to, and you could tell TAS was enjoying every moment they had with us fans.

--------------------------------------------------------

Roundhouse Rating:

Terror: 9.5/10

The Acacia Strain: 8/10

Overall show rating: 9/10

-Review by Drew LaRussa

[roundhousereviews]

God Damn Tour - October 31st, 2011 - The Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, Indiana (Part 1)

Opening The God Damn Tour was Harm's Way, a hardcore band from Chicago, Illinois. They started the show fast and kept it that way the whole time. The pits were crazy , and got everyone pumped.

Harm's Way played a lot of great songs and some newer ones from there album Isolation. They started the show off great and set the bar high for the other bands. They were definitely a good band to start the show off and did not disappoint the crowd at all during their set.

                  Next up was Stray From the Path, a hardcore band out of Long island, New York. I was stoked to see them since I reviewed their new album Rising Sun. Their set started off with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song, which faded out and out came Stray From the Path. They came out as the ninja turtles kicking boxes of pizza and shooting silly string at fans in the crowd.

The show started with the title track off their new album Rising Sun. They kept the show going and had everyone wanting more. They're probably the best live band I have ever seen. They sound exactly like they do on the album and they are a must see. The show was amazing and all the bands did great putting on amazing shows. Harm's Way and Stray From the Path are must see bands and didn’t disappoint. Be sure to check out any of the bands that played on The God Damn Tour.

Roundhouse Rating:

Harm's Way: 7/10

Stray From the Path: 9/10

Review by: Aaron LaRussa

[roundhousereviews]

Megadeth- Th1rt3en (2011)

Track Listing-

1. Sudden Death

2. Public Enemy No. 1

3. Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)

4. We the People

5. Guns, Drugs, and Money

6. Never Dead

7. New World Order

8. Fast Lane

9. Black Swan

10. Wrecker

11. Millennium of the Blind

12. Deadly Nightshade

13. 13

Metalheads alike rejoice. Megadeth is back with David Ellefson recording his part for the first time since 2001. Th1rt3en is the new release from the metal powerhouse. Is it up to par? Honestly, no. This album, to me anyways, was not a good follow up from their previous release, Endgame. Musically, was it still good? Of course! Every Megadeth fan alike will still enjoy this album just like they have every other album of theirs. I did, but was it up to expectation at all? No.

How was the music itself? It was just your ordinary Megadeth music. Yet, there are a few things throughout the course of the album that catch my attention. Chris Broderick continues to show off his abilities on the guitar. His solos are phenomenal. Each one blows me away each time. He adds little things throughout each song, adding depth to the sound of the album. Since David Ellefson actually decided to record his part this time, lets take a focus on the bass. I was actually shocked listening to this album and hearing Ellefson actually showing off some capability. He throws in his own little fills and slides, giving it a different sound each time he throws something in. The drumming in the album was nothing special. Just your predictable thrash metal beats. The band composed this album, as usual, very well. That is no surprise, however.

Was I personally happy with this album? Yes, I was. Fans are getting themselves too excited for this album. Honestly, its nothing too special but it still wasn't bad. There wasn't a specific song that really caught my attention. Overall, the album was okay. I recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of Metallica, Anthrax, 3 Inches of Blood, Trivium, or Motorhead.

Breakdown

---------------------

Guitar- 9.5/10

Bass- 7.75/10

Drums- 7/10

Vocals- 7/10

Overall- 7.75/10

Review by: Culley Burton