Warpaint-Warpaint album review

Please allow me a moment to publicly renounce all my notions about genre classification.  This is necessary because the new eponymous album by LA's Warpaint blows them all out of the water. 

I am finding a recent trend in music where bands are incorporating aspects from many different styles of music.  In the 80s or 90s, this idea wouldn't have gained any traction.  It probably wouldn't have worked well in the early part of this century, either. 

There are three positive ways to react to an album stream by a band you've never heard of: Interested, maybe I'll look into buying it, great, I think I want this, and Holy Mother of Judas!  My reaction to the brand new album by Warpaint was the third option.

This female foursome knows how to rock.  What we basically have here is poppy vocal melodies played over lush ambient textures with bombastic drumming and many electronic beats.  This band uses human drumming and drum machines in a creative way that I don't believe I've heard much.  The two styles blend together seamlessly. 

All of these different ideas and band traits could have been a cluster of confusion.  Instead, it is one of the most fun listening experiences I have had in years.  I'd heard one song prior to listening to the album.  It was fantastic, so I was eager to start the album stream when it was posted online.  What happened with the rest of the album is beyond words.  The only previous album I can remember where I've had this much fun listening was early last year when I first listened to the latest :papercutz album. 

The moods and energies in this album are unpredictable and exciting.  The textures present in the music are dark and brooding to an extent where one could haphazardly label this as a gothic rock album.  Such simplified genre classifications, as I alluded to above, are becoming less and less accurate.  You could label this album many things, but what it really is, is great music that adheres to no set of stylistic genre rules, whether arbitrary or not. 

Another thing I would mention is that this album is a grower.  The deeper into the album you get, the more you get wrapped up in it.  Listening to a single song hardly does it justice, although the lead single Love is to Die is pretty fair representation of what you will hear on the rest of the album.

Warpaint is scheduled for a Jan. 21 release, but pre-streaming is available.  Just Google Warpaint.  I don't care what kind of music you listen to.  You need to check this album out.  Love is to Die is posted below.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

The top 5 rock albums of 2013

Rock music, contrary to popular belief, is not dead.  The world is changing and that extends to music as well.  Old rock conventions and standards that have been rehashed since the 90s will not be so interesting in this era.  Rock music--especially rock--has to change and adapt with the times. 

That is why mainstream is out, out in my opinion.  Though some mainstream acts have pushed out solid releases this year, it is the underground scene that has really stolen the show.  Our five best albums span between shoegaze (the best being considered nu-gaze), post-rock, and alternative/indie. 

Thankfully, 2013 has given us quite a few good to great albums from those subgenres.  So, without further ado, I present to you our list of the five best rock albums from 2013.

1. The Joy Formidable-Wolf's Law
This Welsh rock group has only released two full-length albums.  Their first was impressive in its own right.  With Wolf's Law, the band takes their sound to new heights and, by so doing, blow the doors off everything they have done in the past.  This is a rock album chock-full of catchy choruses and bridges tinged with deep echoes.  There is literally so much to this album that posting one track can hardly do it justice.  Check out a couple of great tracks below.

2. The History of Colour TV- Emerald Cures Chic Ills
Pure shoegaze is an art that dates back to the early 1990s.  Over time, bands have adapted that concept.  In addition to electronic and guitar loops, this German band incorporates dark, spaced-out melodies and a certain metal-like flair for noise.  This may sound like a lot to handle, but the package is masterfully put together.  This is a great album and every track has its place.  Check out the first single from Emerald Cures Chic Ills here.


3. Sigur Ros-Kveikur
Sigur Ros is one of those post rock bands that can't put out a sub-par release.  They have been doing it a long time and remain one of the best in the genre.  Kveikur represents a somewhat darker approach, which is more akin to what post-rock is believed to be: stretched out, apocalyptic song structures with dreary melodies and no vocals.  Although Sigur Ros does use vocals, the music remains very much post-rock.  This album is being hailed by many publications as one of the best albums of the year and it is no mystery why.  They are perhaps the best band in Iceland. Check out a great track below.

4. Spc-Eco-Sirens and Satellites
Nu-gaze music blended successfully with electronic sounds and crystal-clear vocals is a rare treat.  This British group puts it all together on Sirens and Satellites.  The band's signature sound of looped, reverb-laden guitars melded with electronic grooves is on full display here.  The best element may be the vocals.  Spc-Eco have certainly stepped up their game in that department.  Check out an outstanding track from their latest album here.


5. Monochromie-Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep
Ambient post-rock with crunching waves of static seem to the be the theme on French band Monochromie's new album.  This is a slight departure from their excellent debut.  Everything the debut album presented remains present on this album, while the quality is kicked up yet another notch.  This is outstanding production occasionally disguised as lo-fi buzz rock.  The most important qualifier I can mention is ambient.  Though the album is very much a post-rock release, its ambient grace elevates it above the crowd.  Check out a track below.


The list of great rock releases goes far beyond the top 5.  In no particular order, here are our 2013 honorable mentions:
Apricot Rail-Quarrels
David Bowie-The Next Day
The Cherry Wave-Blush
Edweena-Solar Days and Lunar Nights
Elara-Soundtrack for a Quiet Place
Funeral for a Friend-Conduit
Gargle & Bosques de mi Miente-Absence
Gespenst-The Bloodline
Kigo-So Lost Now, Chance, Closer (Hear My Voice), Guilt, and Some Other Place
Russian Circles-Memorial
SiJ-Daguerose
Sleeping Bear-Sleeping Bear
Sleepstream-A Waltz with the Seventh Crane
Syahmi Rawi-Odyssey
Venera 4-Deaf Hearts
Weekend-Jinx
Whatfunlifewas-Stumbling Towards Purgatory

As always, thanks for listening and Enjoy!

David Bowie-The Next Day review

I admit I am jumping on this one a little late, but I just heard about it.  After a 10-year wait, David Bowie has finally released a brand new album.

I enjoyed "Heathen" a ton, and even though this style of music isn't at the top of my list, I listen to it fairly often.  What impressed me with "Heathen" was how dynamic Bowie sounded.  Having to wait ten years between albums from your favorite artists can feel like torture, but the excitement when the new album does come is genuine.

Whereas "Heathen" offered a more alternative mainstream style of pop sound, "The Next Day" should turn out to be an instant classic in the genre of rock.  As is usual with Bowie, the music is filled with unusual twists and sounds that are both surprising and pleasing.  The new album is a real rocker, leaving nothing to be desired.  What makes Bowie so famous, of course, is his style of singing. 

Needless to say, I took time out to listen to the new Bowie album and it definitely lived up to its billing.  If you are a big Bowie fan, you probably already own this.  If not, you are perhaps wondering what all the fuss is about.  I mean, can't dinosaur rock finally go the way of the dinosaur? 

In a genre filled to the brim with classless rip-offs, and rock musicians simply interested in selling, Bowie is a breath of fresh air.  He has truly stood out as one of the best.  One thing that comes to mind while listening to this album is that it does not include any remixes or covers.  Each of the albums' 13 tracks are original David Bowie material.

"The Next Day" has a big, full sound with impressive range.  The instrumentation is nearly perfect this go-around and contains a steady diet of differing styles, from eerie, grandiose reverb to subtle plucked harmonies to full-on dark ambiance all while keeping its cool rocking.

This is a good album and will be a great addition to nearly any music collection.  Enjoy the full album stream, via YouTube below.  Enjoy!

Funeral for a Friend-Conduit review

Recently I have been working with an electrician who is designing electrical conduit for a food processing facility.  There is a ton of conduit in this building, so finding out where each line is routing is time-consuming and complex.

Funeral for a Friend's latest album, on the other hand, is neither complex nor is it a time-consuming listening experience.  In some ways the band picks up where they left off with on the not-so-overwhelmingly received "Welcome Home Armageddon".  My own opinion of the previous album notwithstanding, "Conduit" is a good FFAF album, just not the best.

We are huge fans of FFAF here.  We own either CD or digital copies of every single full-length album they have released.  "Conduit" is every bit as good as "Welcome Home Armageddon," but not quite up to the standard set with "Hours" and "Memory and Humanity."  We believe this band to be bar-none the best Welsh rock band out there.  Granted, there are not that many heavy-hitters from the Kingdom of Wales, but FFAF is the best.

Whereas the previous albums were harmonic rockers, "Conduit" shows us a different aspect the band has been trying to incorporate more and more through the last two albums.  Listeners of metal, straight-up hardcore, and punk will identify with the subject matter and delivery of this album.  FFAF is still very much a rock band and indeed graces listeners with numerous harmonic hooks, but what "Conduit" truly is, is a post-hardcore release.  This is perhaps most similar to the earlier tracks from "Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation." 

My only problem with this release is indeed a fairly major one, and complex at that.  The structures evident in the 11 tracks are the simplest melodies and riffs FFAF have ever constructed.  These 11 tracks more often than not render themselves so simple that the simplicity detracts from the creativity in the song-writing.  The tracks on this album average under three minutes apiece, with the longest just 3:39.  The shortness of the tracks leaves no room for extended vocal melodies, guitar leads, or solos.  These items have been FFAF staples for years, so having none of these to chew on leaves plenty to be desired.

"Conduit" is still a solid release that should appeal to both true fans and casual listeners.  The album is simply too short in my opinion.  Check out the title track and Spine below.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

Exxasens-Eleven Miles review

This post sort of fits into our occasional randomness bits, where we like to explore new music by tagging a certain band we have been following.  This has evolved into a fun little series as well.  Where this post differs is that I will be offering a full album review of the new release I have discovered.

Exxasens has an interesting band name.  I am often not a fan of gibberish band names, but for some reason the letter 'x' says hard core.  If then, your band name includes back-to-back 'x's, it screams 'fear me' from the top of some place very high.  I actually kind of dig that.  That said, this band's name is probably not complete gibberish and has a very real, easily definable origin.  Though I'm not hept to such an origin, I stand by my comment that I kind of like this band's name.

This band brings a certain sound quality that is similar in some respects to If These Trees Could Talk, but instead of wallowing in screeching guitar leads bent on scrambling the brain of the average listener, Exxasens add a certain flair of mainstream hard rock and even some metal riffing from time to time.  This makes for a very diverse listener that had me wondering a time or two if my iTunes player had suddenly switched to playing Pelican.  Don't get me wrong--indeed Exxasens doesn't sound much like Pelican at all, except for the some proggy moments scattered throughout the album. 

One of the latter tracks even introduces a sludgy, repeating riff and rhythm without so much as hinting at doom.  I'm not much into sludge metal, but I found myself enjoying that track just as much as all the others.

As with most post-rock albums, there are no vocals to speak of, unless you count the understated, barely audible spoken word segment on the final track of this album.  In retrospect, the beginning of the last track seems to qualify as filler material, but the band makes up for it by concluding with a cascading crescendo that is both uplifting and crushing.

I downloaded this release after listening to half of the first song, because I knew I had found something I would enjoy.  In my mind, this is right up there with the wonderful If These Trees Could Talk album, but also showcases something more, something few post-rock bands dare to touch on.  Below is the full album stream, courtesy of the Exxasens bandcamp page.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

The Top 12 albums of 2012 Numbers 3-1

The best three albums of the year.  We have made it, ladies and gentlemen.  The year 2012 in music has been a good one, jammed with great release after great release.  The last thing I want to do by picking favorites is to make some artists we have talked about here feel left out or inadequate.  It has been a difficult task to pick just 12 albums, so after the music, I'm going to write a special 'honorable mention' section to note all the artists who have crafted brilliant music that didn't quite make our top 12 list.  At any rate, these bands should feel honored.  So, without further ado, the top three albums released in 2012 are as follows:

3. Lacuna Coil-Dark Adrenaline.  We have raved about this band more than once here in the past.  This was a strong inclusion due to the impeccable vocal nature of this band.  Switching back and forth from male to female vocals like a duet can be difficult and most bands do not attempt this.  Lacuna Coil not only attempt, but deliver in spades.  The music is dark, but uplifting.  Most term them as a gothic metal group, but this band continuously pumps out high-voltage hard rock tunes that are remarkably well-produced.  Not many music embeds are available for this release, so we have included the band's official music video for Trip the Darkness.  It is incredibly catchy and has excellent riffs and keys that should make many metal fans feel right at home.  Even if you are not a metal lover, you might enjoy "Dark Adrenaline"


2. Hammock-Departure Songs.  Double albums for some reason rarely make end of year lists in general.  Hammock is a delightful exception to this unwritten rule.  This Nashville post-rock band has released several good albums, but "Departure Songs" is their best effort yet.  Stretched out melodies intertwine with atmospheric ambiance and warm textures of dreamy pop.  If you listen to only one post-rock album all year, make it "Departure Songs".  This album delivers tons of amazing melodies and even insert gorgeous pop-like vocals on some songs. Below is one such track.  If you like post-rock, you will certainly enjoy Hammock's best release to date.


1. [Insert drummroll here] Syqem-Reflections of Elephants.  No one saw this coming.  This album came as a surprise.  Progressive Metal may be hit-or-miss with many fans, but for me, this was a huge hit.  A blog I read posted about this amazing album, and from the first couple riffs and vocal lines I was hooked.  Mostly clean vocals are the highlight of this disc, but it includes so much more than good vocals.  Atmospheric harmonies sneak around behind a tapestry of humongous metal riffs and flourishes of electronic sounds that are not based on samples.  This band may be somewhat similar to Deadlock, but without the typical metal screaming.  "Reflections of Elephants" is an exceedingly fun listen and is definitely worthy of its number one ranking.  Check out the track below, which provides just a glimpse of the jaw-dropping music on display.

The year 2012 also marked plenty of other excellent albums and EPs by various artists.  In no particular order, here they are:
Be'lakor, Epica, Tamaryn, The Luna Sequence, I Will Never be the Same, Ulrich Schnauss & Mark Peters, Delain, 2:54, Monochromie, Bloody Knives, Barren Earth, Drowner, The Agonist, Devin Townsend Project, Joy Wants Eternity, Craft Spells, Inner Trip, Airiel, Gojira, Xandria, Abigail, Causemos, Arundel, Asidefromaday, Beliefs, Cloud, Decortica, Dysrhytmia, Endless Melancholy, FPRF, Glass Vaults, Handlingnoise, Hans Zimmer, Hazy Mountains, Helios, Insomnium, Jack Trammell, Kevin Hufnagel, the Mark Lanegan Band, Mile End, Black Marble, Matchbox Twenty, Mist Glider, Moonshine Blues, Nick Efremov, A Place of Owls, Pulsar Wind Nebula, SkyPilot, Spc-Eco, Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, & Reinhold Heil, the Townhouses.

Thank you so much for reading and enjoy these wonderful selections!

Hinder and Heart

So Today's letter is the letter H.  This was actually really hard to find artists that start with the letter H especially females. I was overjoyed while looking through my music that I found Heart.  My other choice was Hillary Duff and not that I don't like it, she wouldn't be on my ipod if I didn't it's just not one of my favorites and this post is about my two favorite artists that start with this letter. 

Heart has been around for a long time.  They started singing in 1973.  They are considered to be one of the few female rock bands.  I enjoy Heart's music.  Even though it's been more than thirty years since they started singing Heart still holds onto it's two lead females.  Ann Wilson is still lead singer and Nancy Wilson continues to rock on the guitar.  Heart released a new album in 2010.  It's pretty good.  This band still rocks.  The first song that I would like to share with you is my all time favorite Heart song entitled Stranded.  This song first appeared on their album Brigade.  In 1990 this song reached number 13 on the billboard chart.  Not to bad for a band that at that time had already been singing for almost 20 years.  This song starts out with quiet guitar and slowly picks up the pace adding the drums and more guitar.  I love Ann's voice; it's so crystal clear.  I also enjoy the lyrics to this song.  I believe what she is singing about.  I don't want her boyfriend to leave her.  Listening to this song takes me back to elementary school and I think that it is just as good listening to it today as I did back then.



My second choice is a song off their newest album entitled Red Velvet.   Closer To The Sun is number 13 off this album.  I must warn you that I am a fan of the older stuff from heart like the stuff that came out in the late 80's and early 90's.  I think that is why this song is so appealing to me.  Other songs off this album rock and if you are into the Heart that was rocking with songs like Barracuda and Crazy On You, you won't be disappointed.  You should give this new album a listen.  The song Closer To The Sun starts out with just some acoustic guitar and the beauty of Ann's voice.  As you continue to listen the drums come in with some tambourine and drums.  I think the chorus of this song is catchy and it's just nice to have some new music by heart to listen to.  I hope you enjoy it. 

 

Hinder is a relatively new rock band that has come out in the last 10 or so years.  They started singing in 2001 and found success with their second single off the Extreme Behavior album Lips Of An Angel which came out in 2005. I have been a fan ever since. First of all I like Austin Winkler's voice.  The first song that I chose is I Got A Thing For You off their Take It To The Limit album.  What I like about this song is it is a naughty little ballad and it still rocks.  I love the drums and the guitar, I think that they make this song addictive and then you add the lyrics and this song is amazing.  Give it a listen below



The second song that I chose from Hinder is What Ya Gonna Do off their All American Nightmare Album.  What I like about this song is the rock element.  I really enjoy the electric guitar in this song.  I also like the lyrics to this song.  I love that someone is actually acknowledging that booze won't solve all your problems.  This song just has great vibes and an amazing guitar solo in the middle.  I really enjoy Hinder's music and I look forward to more rock and metal music from them in the future.  Thank you so much for reading-Kristy

Finch and Fiona Apple

Today's blog is about two of my favorite artists that start with the letter F.  I chose Fiona Apple and Finch.  I feel like both these artists are lesser known than others I could have chosen.  Plus they both sing totally different types of music and so it is fun to play them right after each other.  Let's start today with Fiona Apple.

Fiona Apple gained stardom in 1996 with her album Tidal.  If you have heard of her it is probably because songs off this album became very popular in the late 90's.  As an artist Fiona has exceptional talent with great vocals plus she writes her own music and plays the piano.  Criminal earned Miss Apple a Grammy award and this is one of her songs that I would like to share with you.  This is a great piano rock song.  It is not often that the two can be grouped together in the rock genre which is another reason why I like this song so much.   I also appreciate the bluesy tone in her voice.  This song is about a woman who lures men using her sexuality.  The lyrics do this song justice and so does the music video which has been posted below.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

The second song I have chosen is her rendition of Sally's song off the Nightmare Before Christmas Special Editon Soundtrack.  I think she does a great version of this song.  There is talk about who did this song better justice between Fiona Apple and Amy Lee. They both do a great job it's just that both ladies sing differently and I really like Fionna's version.  It's a little darker and so I think that it fits in with the theme of the movie a lot more.  I also think and this might be weird but Fiona and Sally kind of look a lot a like so it's believable to me.  This music behind this song is very mellow and the vocals are outstanding.  Let me know what you think.

 

Finch is a post rock hardcore band from California.  They started singing in 1999 where they recorded a couple albums together before they took a break in 2006.  The band has reunited and taken another break since then. They are planning a reunion in 2012.  Most of the members of this band have projects on the side and so they have been very busy.  The song that I would like to share with you is the title track of their first album What It Is To Burn.  I like this song.  I actually don't mind the screaming.  I think that the vocals are great I mean Nate Barcalow has a great voice when he's not screaming ;).  I googled what this song is about and Nate claims that her wrote this song from the viewpoint of a man in hell sending his loved one a letter.  Makes sense to me.  You can listen to this song below.



The second song I wanted to share with you is also off this album.  OK I have to tell you that this is actually the only Finch album I like.  I listened to their second album Say Hello To Sunshine and I actually only found one song that I thought I would be able to listen to.  I'm just saying they changed their music to have a more harsher sound and that wasn't for me though lots of their fans liked it more because it made them fit better into the post hardcore genre.  Anyway I would like to share the song Ender with you.  This song is slower than than some of the others on this album.  I like this because as most of you know I like the slower songs better because I can sing along with them.  I'm weird I already know this.  The vocals and the lyrics for this song are great.  I enjoy the soft slow guitar in the beginning of this song.  I like how the music starts out really mellow and then picks up the pace as you get more into the meaning of the song.  As always I really want to thank you for reading and listening and we hope you hear from you-Kristy



P.S. So I checked and for those of you who are interested Finch will be reuniting on Ocotber 12th to start working on a 10 year anniversary editon of the album What It Is To Burn.  You can listen to this performance on Feb 1st 2013.  They will be performing at the Glasshouse in Ponoma, California.  Ticket information has yet to be released.

Deftones and Verses new singles

Today I decided to review a couple of songs from artists that I don't normally listen to.  So the first song is from the band Verses.  I have never heard of them before.  As soon as the song started I was totally into it.  Sadly I have no information on this band. I know that they are a band from the UK and have a few songs available for download from I-Tunes. The website that I heard this song from says this is their debut song from their album Come To Life.  It comes out on the 10th I am really considering purchasing this album if the rest of the tracks sound like this one.  This song has a great guitar intro.  It has the great drum line that your favorite songs have and great intro vocals.  The lyrics of the song are great.  It's all about accepting the things that have happened to you because that is what makes you who you are.  Check out Who We Are from Verses below.  P.S. if you have any information about this band please let me know.  Thanks :)



The next song that I would like to review is Tempest by the Deftones.  The Deftones are an alternative band that came out it 1988.  This band has many different albums and you have heard a lot of their songs on movie soundtracks.  Tempest is a new single off of their upcoming album Koi No Yokan due out on the 13th of November.  This song has a great suspenseful intro.  It kind of beckoned me to listen to listen to it.  I did and I liked it.  This song has great guitar riffs and vocals from their lead singer Chino Moreno.  Check it out. 

Xandria-Neverworld's End

Symphonic Metal is a genre of music that has been toyed with for decades and to varied success.  Bands like Epica and Within Temptation made a big splash and for good reasons.  If you are a fan of Epica, chances are you will like Xandria.

Xandria is a German band who serve up generous heaps of symphonic 'epicness' and weave it with old school, thrashy metal riffs and operatic vocals.  Manuela Kraller does an excellent job providing the vocals, which mostly stay in a lower range.  She doesn't go too high or hold notes for too long, which makes for a rewarding listen.

I would almost consider Xandria to be rock.  They don't use harsh vocals, nor do they present a dark, somber, almost gothic atmosphere like Within Temptation.  What I like about this band is that they are neither over-the-top symphonic nor overwhelmingly metal.  They find the right balance between punchy, chugging metallic guitar riffs and soothing, atmospheric symphonic sweeps. 

When I first heard about Xandria, I was excited to hear an album by them.  I considered purchasing "Salome-The Seventh Veil," but decided to hold on for their new album, which was to come out within a few months.  A few months ago, "Neverworld's End" finally did come out.  I was once again pleasantly surprised, for the band had improved in both execution and production.  It was a good purchase, which may lead me back to purchasing "Salome." 

Take a listen to Soulcrusher below.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

More new music-Stars in Stereo and The Algorithm

It's Saturday, Friends.  Time to treat you with some new music we found on the web.

The first item is from a band called Stars in Stereo.  They have a female lead singer who sounds a lot like Demi Lovato, but less poppy.  The music is sort of a melodic rock/metal hybrid that really works.  The song is really hooky and catchy.  It will appear on the band's self-titled EP due out this fall.  This song came with an official music video, but the embedding was disabled so I had to post one without the video.  The Broken is mostly about domestic violence and how frightening it can make the streets for the victim.  Now, when most bands 'speak out' with their music, it comes across as a 'holier than thou' attitude.  I dislike political lyrics, but let's face it.  Domestic violence isn't cool.  Years ago Adema did a song about domestic violence and it was terrible.  I like The Broken much better.  Here is the non-video version:


The second item is a real trip.  The Algorithm creates electronic music that sounds like rock.  This video appears to be footage of a live show.  The band seems to consist of a dude playing with a switchboard and another banging away at the drums (although some of the drum lines are obviously programmed).  I actually found this track to be pretty cheesy, but addictive in some shameful way.  Watching the guy rocking out with a switchboard is awkward.  You just have to see it.  This track fits very much into the realm of techno.  Check out Polymorphic Code below.

As always, thanks for reading!

Devin Townsend Project-Epicloud

These days, the word 'epic' is tossed around carelessly in both the blogosphere and in every day conversation.  I find this trend of using 'epic' as slang somewhat annoying.  So, seeing that Devin Townsend decided to title his new release "Epicloud," I cringed. 

Townsend is a very popular musician, particularly in the metal genre.  Myself, I have never been able to understand the collective man crush the public seems to have on him.  After all, a metal musician who decides to name his band after himself doesn't scream "purchase me!"  To that end, I have to admit that I've never given him his proper chance.  Townsend seems to release a new album everytime I sneeze as well, and I actually frown on that due to quality concerns.  Townsend is the former vocalist for the Canadian band Strapping Young Lad, which I didn't really like.

Needless to say, I listened to his newest album anyway.  This album is fantastic.  I will say that again: Fantastic!

The album's opener is somewhat of a yawner, but it is nothing more than a 45-second intro.  After that, Townsend blasts your speakers with an eclectic brand of pop, rock, and metal blend that should leave you breathless after the second track closes.  The album keeps up its intensity throughout. 

It may be difficult to imagine, but in some ways this is a very strange album.  Townsend doesn't seem to care what the public thinks, nor about genre classifications.  He writes and performs the music he wants to write and perform.  Each album he has released has been different, and in turn, has produced a different feel.  While still embracing the metal that most likely defines him as a musician, Townsend introduces catchy pop hooks, interesting hard rock beats, metal drum patterns, swirling orchestral and choral undertones, classic riffing, and more.  This is not to mention he is also a gifted vocalist.

To appreciate this album, you have to set aside any preconcieved notions and unfair judgments.  This album is worth purchasing.  It is available for download at soundcloud, but a fair warning:  Do not do it.  Every song is played in the background while Townsend talks about the track.  The good news is that the entire album is currently streaming here.

I'll also embed one track below.  Take a listen and prepare to be impressed.  As always, thanks for reading!