Drug-addict doom band St.Vitus here released their first album since 1995 and the first since 1990 to feature Wino on vocals. Since drummer Armando Costa's death in 2010 at the age of 58, they have a new drummer (what!) named Henry Vasquez. The album is way too short and the last song which is 7 minutes of nonsense guitar chaos makes me wonder if they didn't have any more ideas or did the drugs take overhand? Very heavy doom and they sound like should and did in the 80's. These guys are pissed off and the music is very very dark.

1)Let them fall (7,0)

2)The bleeding ground (7,5)

3)Vertigo (-)

4)Blessed night (8,0)

5)The waste of time (7,5)

6)Dependence (6,5)

7)Withdrawal (0,5)

Score: 6,17

Scott "Wino" Weinrich-vocals, guitars on 3. (b.1960)

David Chandler-guitars

Mark Adams-bass

Henry Vasquez-drums

This is Portland's Red Fang's second album. They play a superheavy kind of "stoner-rock" and is cleary inspired by Kyuss and other bands in the same category that were popular in the 90's. They mix in a more modern style of modern stoner like many many other american bands do right now. For example Kylesa seems to be an inspiration.

Is it any good? Here and there it grooves and they manage to make some good songs, or part of songs, but overall there's too much of heavy riffing and meaningless chaos with not much more to it. We've heard it all before so many times.

1)Malverde (6,5) Ultraheavy hardcore metal.

2)Wires (7,5) Stoner-like monotone riffing with finesse.

3)Hank is dead (8,0) Good stuff! Great tempochanges.

4)Dirt wizard (5,5) Raw! Too weird and chaotic.

5)Throw up (7,5) Good slow and heavy and a change of tempo after 3.30 Too chaotic ending. Meaningless.

6)Painted paradise (3,5) No no. Meaningless track. Only chaos.

7)Number thirteen (6,0) First good but a terrible part in the middle destroys the song.

8)Into the eye (5,5)

9)The undertow (5,5) Slow psychadelia/mushroom music.

10)Human herd (7,0)

Score: 6,25

Maurice Bryan Giles-vocals and guitars

Aaron Beam-vocals and bass

David Sullivan-guitars

John Sherman-drums

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Anita Robinson-guitars

Chris Funk-slide guitars and percussion

Jenny Conlee-organ

Kevin Robinson-percussion and effects

Second album from Swedish 70's retro-band Graveyard and boy is there some good music here! Graveyard is like a lost band from 1970, the sound is very very much early 70's progressive-style and yes the mushrooms are very much included! Great soulful singing with power and cool riffs from hell. Fantastic cover! "Hisingen" is a part of sweden's 2nd largest city Götborg. Listen and enjoy one of the best albums of 2011!

1)Ain't fit to live here (8,0) Uptempo, intense and great start!

2)No good, Mr. Holdlen (8,0) Groovy and powerful slow hardrock with attitude. Very nice calm part but otherwise a little too messy.

3)Hisingen blues (8,5)

4)Uncomfortably numb (9,0) Very very cool sweet nice melody that bursts into a good refrain filled with groovy guitars. Nice indeed!

5)Buying truth (Tack & förlåt) (9,0) Damn good!

6)Longing (6,5) Swedish melancholy played in a 5-minute instrumental song. Organ as a matress and a sweet guitarmelody. The title describes the song!

7)Ungreatful are the dead (6,5) Too messy.

8)Rss (8,5) Groovy and intense and good!

9)The siren (8,0) Same slow bass riff as in ZZ Top's "Blue Jean Blues". Great song with fantastic feeling.

Score: 8,00

Joakim Nilsson-vocals and guitars

Jonatan Larocca Ramm-guitars

Rikard Edlund-bass

Axel Sjöberg-drums

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Nils Dahl-piano

Peteus Fredestad-organ

This is the Stockholm based band's 2nd album. It's well produced and the songs are played with passion and youthful energy in a very typical 80's american west coast vein but with a touch of Sweden to it. Quality songs and well played and I like this album, even though it sounds a little too alike some other bands like Crash Dïet and H.E.A.T Good live music!

1)Sleeping with the enemy (8,0) Good, heavy and intense rocker with a strong refrain.

2)New sensation (8,0) Sounds very much like Crash Dïet, a good heavy melodic song. Great refrain!

3)The devil's playground (7,5)

4)Hunger for love (8,0) Melodic but intense at the same time. Good song!

5)Get it on (7,5)

6)Knock you down (7,0) Good but too repetitive.

7)Mr. Money (7,5) A little too repetitive but a good energic song.

8)Wild nights (7,0)

9)Brand new day (7,5)

10)Throne of China (8,0) Melodic and heavy, the way I like it!

11)The great delution (7,0) Too chaotic.

Score: 7,55

Nik Molin-vocals

Rob Love Magnusson-guitars

Joel Fox Apelgren-bass

George Egg-drums

This, Finlands symphonic hardrockers Nighwish's 7th album was a great surprise to me. Always feeling that they had more to give and that is was a pity that they could not do more with many of their songs, here it finally is, a fantastic album full of good, interesting and powerful music! Two of the songs leave more to wish for but otherwise there is a LOT of over avearge good songs here. Listen and enjoy!

1)Taikatalvi (-) Very nice "childrens song"-intro.

2)Storytime (8,5) Good pompous hardrock with power and good melody.

3)Ghost river (6,5) Overpompous and messy with a big choir. Too much.

4)Slow love, slow (4,0) Very different jazzy slow song. Far away from rock music. I'm not ready for this yet...

5)I want my tears back (7,5)

6)Scaretale (9,0) Wonderful progressive song with a lot of "fooling around" crazy rhythms and superpowerful keyboards and choruses. Great!

7)Arabesque (-)

8)Turn loose the mermaids (9,0) Absolutely wonderful ballad in medieval style.

9)Rest calm (8,0)

10)The cow, the owl and the dove (8,0)

11)Last ride of the day (8,5)

12)Song of myself (8,5)

13)Imaginaerum (8,0)

Score: 7,77

Anette Olzon-vocals (b.1971)

Marco Hietala-vocals and bass (b.1966)

Emppu Vuorinen-guitars (b.1978)

Jukka Nevalainen-drums (b.1978)

Tuomas Holopainen-keyboards and piano (b.1976)

A wonderful cover that suits the music, heavy and evil doom metal. Bobby Liebling leads he's band well into the 2010's and still creating great music and always with he's unique uncomperable vocals from hell that more talks than sings the lyrics, but oh boy, does he make it superbly! Music rooted in the progressive era of the end of the 60's and beginning of the 70's with modern production make this a album well worth having in the collection!

1)Treat me right (8,5) Superheavy, intense and great singing and guitarsolo!

2)Call the man (8,0) Heavy metal with attitude and that is full of life.

3)Into the ground (8,0)

4)8 (7,0) Interesting and different but a little too "in-here-out-there"-song that I won't remember.

5)Everything turning to night (8,0)

6)Windmills and chimes (8,0) A slow melodic rocker with both electric and acoustic guitar that melts deliciously together. Great long solo!

7)American dream (7,0) Doom heavy.

8)Walk in the blue light (7,5) Superheavy and good.

9)Horseman (6,0) The heavy riffing can be annoying after a while and the riff in this one is...annoying!

10)Death in 1st person (6,5)

11)Nothing left (7,0)

Score: 7,41

Bobby Liebling-vocals

Victor Griffin-guitars

Greg Turley-bass

Tim Tomasell-drums

ISE:s second album and the ex-Hellacopters frontman Nicke Andersson continues to spit out high-quality punky pop-songs just like that and damn it, I like it! Andersson is really a master in this gem and it's a pure pleasure to listen to he's music since he has a tremedous sense for melody combined with catchy guitar riffing. It's not as good as the first album but that is just asking too much. Since the last album the band has played the big festivals and as warm-up acts to Guns'n'Roses and Kiss. The bassist Dolf De Bortsplays inThe Datsuns from New Zeeland, the drummer Tomas Erikssonhas played with Captain Murphy and the guitarrist Tobias Egge plays in The Objects. Listen and enjoy! Great album cover with Nicke sitting on a horse!

1)Uh huh (8,0) Great high-energy, melodic and short start of the album.

2)The narrow line (7,5) A good and simple rock song.

3)Can't seem to shake it off my mind (7,5) A very Beatles-like rock song.

4)Back on main (8,5) Superb driving rhythm and good melody.

5)Waltz for Vincent (6,5)

6)Shelter in the sand (7,0)

7)Empty hands (8,0) Very cool, simple and good song!

8)Monarchy madness (7,5) Short and intense.

9)Deride and conquer (7,5)

10)Enough to break your heart (6,0) Good for 3 minutes but the last 3 minutes are quite meaningless.

Score: 7,40

Nicke Andersson-vocals, guitars, bass and percussion (b.1972)

Tobias Egge-guitars

Dolf de Borst-bass

Inge Johansson-bass

Tomas Eriksson-drums

Johannes Borgström-piano

Lake Of Tears from Borås, Sweden, released their 1st album in 1994 and this is their 8th album and the first I have heard. Appearently they have changed style many times and this album is rather dark, moving towards death metal but I even hear more melodic music like the finnish band Him here and there. The singer has an okey voice but it can get annoying to listen to for an whole album. There are some good songs on the album but nothing I would care to listen to again. It's an album and band that is quickly forgotten after every album they release.

1)Floating in darkness (8,0)

2)Illwill (7,5)

3)The hating (7,0)

4)U.n.s.a.n.e. (6,0)

5)House of the setting sun (6,5)

6)Behin the green door (7,5)

7)Parasites (5,5)

8)Out of control (6,5)

9)Taste of hell (6,0)

10)Midnight madness (6,0)

Score: 6,65

Daniel Brennare-vocals and guitars

Fredrik Jordanius-guitars and bass

Johan Oudhuis-drums

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Mathias Lodmalm-vocals

Johan Örnborg-guitars

Freddy Zielinski-bass