Steve Vai – ‘Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare’ [Review]

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Ask any instrumental guitarist who their key influences are, and you can safely bet that Steve Vai’s name will appear somewhere on that list. A former Joe Satriani student, Frank Zappa stunt guitarist, and alumnus of David Lee Roth’s post-Van Halen solo band as well as Alcatrazz and Whitesnake, Steve Vai’s style merges the virtuosic gymnastics, freaky weirdness, and rock star flamboyance required to survive and thrive during his enviable first-hand musical education. Since the 1980s, Vai has climbed every peak the rock world set before him – a fact that’s earned him the respect of peers and fans alike.

Modern Primitive is a career retrospective, Vai-style. Steve Vai is not known for thinking inside the box or doing anything half-assed, preferring instead to constantly immerse himself in a hands-on approach to every detail of every song, album, and show. The results are consistently one of a kind, and Modern Primitive is no different in that regard Read more…

Posted on 24 June 2016

Levin Minnemann Rudess – ‘From The Law Offices Of Levin Minnemann Rudess’ [Review]

If music were a video game, From The Law Offices Of Levin Minnemann Rudess would be the final boss level. The stage at which you look back at all that came before, shake your head, and laugh at how easy it seems in hindsight.

For prog fans, Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann, and Jordan Rudess likely require little in the way of introductions Read more…

Posted on 21 June 2016

The Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘The Getaway’ [Review]

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Over the past thirty-two years, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have carved a singular swathe through the musical jungle, strutting and preening like one of a kind wildlife. Unlike the majority of musicians so desperate to give off an air of idiosyncrasy, studiously cultivating an image in line with the trends of the times, the Chilis more than look the part. They walk the walk –and that is an undeniable fact Read more…

Posted on 17 June 2016

Nahko And Medicine For The People – ‘HOKA’ [Review]

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According to modern cultural commentators, our society is slowly losing its capacity for empathy. The potential causes range from capitalistic money-chasing to isolating smartphone bubbles – but regardless of the reasons why, the solution is the same. There isn’t one. We’re sick of it all, but we don’t know what else to do but grin and bear it.

As their name makes clear, Nahko and Medicine For The People are well aware that countless individuals worldwide desperately want to get up, get better, and get on with life. Cue HOKA, an album that chronicles a lifelong struggle with trauma and its consequences – and a series of personal victories that fuel one of the most emotive releases you’re going to hear this year Read more…

Posted on 10 June 2016

Fates Warning – ‘Theories Of Flight’ [Review]

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Progressive metal is, by definition, all about forward movement, change, and intensity. With Theories Of Flight, Fates Warning – ranked as prog-metal pioneers alongside the likes of Queensrÿche and Dream Theater and standing tall today as twelve-album veterans – are currently sitting on a release based around those same core themes.

Theories Of Flight is as progressive as it gets Read more…

Posted on 08 June 2016

Hellyeah – ‘Undeniable’ [Review]

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Over the past ten years, Hellyeah have attracted more than their fair share of haters, doubters, and disbelievers. Considering Hellyeah’s supergroup status and the inevitable Pantera, Damageplan, and Mudvayne comparisons that come with the territory, that’s not surprising. It’s a sad but true, set-in-stone music business fact that people generally want more of what they’ve heard before, with just the tiniest smidgeon of new stuff mixed in – but not enough to mark the results out as truly original Read more…

Posted on 03 June 2016

Volbeat – ‘Seal The Deal And Let’s Boogie’ [Review]

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The intertwined histories of rock and metal are littered with countless thousands of bands proclaiming their own uniqueness. Most of them were (and many are) full of shit. Volbeat are not.

Before ex-Anthrax axe maestro Rob Caggiano joined Volbeat’s ranks while producing 2013’s Outlaw Gentlemen And Shady Ladies, Volbeat were already an established and undeniably idiosyncratic act. That now-three-year-old album saw Volbeat reinvigorated, juiced up like never before, ready and willing to play with all the toys they could get their hands on. Now, with Seal The Deal And Let’s Boogie, it’s time to see what Volbeat MkII have hidden up their sleeves Read more…

Posted on 30 May 2016

Sonic Boom Six – ‘The F-Bomb’ [Review]

When most bombs drop, they cause widespread destruction and suffering.

The F-Bomb does the opposite.

Sonic Boom Six’s latest album is creative, liberating, and above all else supportive of those who continue to endure discrimination even in the year 2016. This is made clear from the off through the feminist-friendly No Man No Right and anti-racist tune From The Fire To The Frying Pan, the latter of which shows that while Sonic Boom Six don’t approve of Britain First and co., they still understand how even the most well-meaning people can get sucked into their orbit and seduced by extremist bullshit Read more…

Posted on 27 May 2016

Lazy Habits – ‘The Atrocity Exhibition’ [Review]

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Thoughtful, thought-provoking, and above all else intelligent, The Atrocity Exhibition is a serious and seriously timely album.

The hip-hop world has been sending certain beat-backed messages loud and clear for a long time now. Life can be tough. The way the world works sets the tide and cultural current against individual expression and creativity – even as we’re bombarded by messages broadcasting how important both are for our collective mental health. People of all ages, races, genders, and so forth have found themselves trapped living lives that they don’t enjoy, and feel helpless when it comes to finding a way out.

The Atrocity Exhibition, at its core, is about Read more…

Posted on 26 May 2016

Sonic Boom Six – ‘From The Fire To The Frying Pan’ [Review]

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Sonic Boom Six are a band with ska-toned fingers on the pulse of current politics – and they’ve never been afraid to speak their minds.

Having already taken on sexism in music with No Man No Right, this time around Sonic Boom Six are aiming at Britain’s meme-enamoured racists with a level of accuracy that the anti-EU and anti-immigration brigade consistently lack. If you’re not sure why this song is important, consider yourself Read more…

Posted on 24 May 2016