Birth of Joy - Prisoner

They may sound like Niacin meets The Doors, but Birth of Joy knows how to have fun.Another day, another retro band, amirite? But to dismiss Birth of Joy as just a trio of European hipsters cashing in on the sounds of the 70s would be a big mistake. Forming, portentously it would seem, at the Herman Brood Academy (its namesake, The Netherlands' biggest rock star ever, made it big in the 70s) in 2005, Birth of Joy has impressed many with their great mix of psychedelic 60s/70s era organ rock (a la The Doors) with the killer, bluesy, guitar/bass grooves of stoner rock.

And there's no shortage of jams on their latest effort, Prisoner. I'm all about the extended interludes found on tracks like The Sound, Three Day Road, and Holding On. But for the more White Stripes kind of crowd, there are some classic, good time, boogie cuts like Rock and Roll Show and Keep Your Eyes Shut to keep your party going. The rest of the album is filled out quite satisfyingly with enough great bluesy jams to keep you well entertained for just under an hour. What more could you need?

The Bottom Line: Like I've said before, retro is great when it's written by good musicians who respect the old music rather than just wanting to ride nostalgia to the bank. And Birth of Joy not only clearly loves that era of music, but has the talent to write some truly great, catchy rock and roll jams. And isn't that really what it's all about?

- Genghis may have dug this album, but just can't being himself to listen to the Stripes...

Exmortus - Slave To The Sword

Ancient bad-ass warriors? Check. Heavily stylized band logo? Check. Yup, everything seems to be in order here.I love to hear stories of young people (relatives especially) that jointly pursue their passion for metal music. Like Nick and Cody Souza (Hatriot), or Jasun and Troy Tipton (Zero Hour, Cynthesis). Now add to that exclusive list Conan and Mario Moreno, cousins who formed their band Exmortus when they were only teenagers, the style of which is basic power metal in all of its aggressive, thunderous, neo-classical shredding glory with a touch of death metal and thrash thrown into the mix. They spent many years self-producing their own demos and EPs enough to get signed and release a debut and subsequent follow-up, ultimately garnering a tour with the likes of Dark Tranquillity and Omnium Gatherum. Not too shabby, right?

That said, there's no doubt of the band's chops or motivations (I mean, the have a song called Metal Is King for Pete's sake) as attested by their latest release, Slave To The Sword. And while I like what I'm hearing, I can't honestly say I hear anything new in their sound that I haven't heard on countless other such albums in my youth. So even though it's great music for what it is, I'm not able to tell you this will blow your mind or that you need to drop everything and check them out. But I can say that this is straight ahead power metal that delivers the goods, and that ain't hay.

The Bottom Line: The Moreno boys deliver a power metal album that can stand up against any other out there in a pretty crowded genre, and that's saying something. Don't come looking for innovation or genre-twisting, but do come ready to bang your fucking head. Capische?

Tracks To Make Your Hands Reflexively Go HORNS UP: Slave To The Sword, Foe Hammer, Ancient Violence, and Metal Is King

- Genghis wouldn't even consider wearing a loincloth, no sir...

Tidal Arms (self-titled)

Now these Brooklyn boys know how to rock some heavy, psychedelic shit without devolving into primal scream sessions.Having answered an ad in Craigslist, guitarist Tom Tierney joined vocalist/drummer Francis Mark to tour with his band Warship. After touring, their writing sessions led to adding bassist Patrick Southern to the fold for what would become Tidal Arms, who self-released their critically-acclaimed debut, The Sun Exploding, about 3 years ago. So how is their eponymous follow-up? Pretty damned good.

I can't say I go in for most post-hardcore, especially the primal scream therapy vocals and muddled, distorted bass heavy music that drones on far too long to be enjoyed, unlike the stoner metal jams I like to crank every now and then. But what Tidal Arms does is keep things melodic and change up the tempo enough to remind you they are true musicians even when things get a little more frenetic. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of feedback and moments of punk rock abandon mixed in with this sludge metal stew. But at least you get to enjoy some genuinely interesting dare I say progressive moments like Mirror Box and Jelloshotgum, or the Nirvanaesque intro of Molasses that gives way to some sweet, shimmering chord-strumming before [they start] kicking over tables and chairs.

The Bottom Line: Tidal Arms plays a good hybrid of psychedelic rock and post-hardcore styles that does a far better job of engaging listeners than the narcissistic catharsis that most of the genre claims as its style. Moments of introspection are interwoven with the explosive outbursts in such a deft manner that it makes the music all the more powerful and interesting.

Tracks For When You Want To Rock AND Piss Off The Neighbors: Mirror Box, Molasses, On The Train, Jelloshotgum and I Am The Owl

- Genghis needs a really bad-ass stereo system at home...

One Machine - The Distortion of Lies and the Overdriven Truth

Sadly, One Machine's debut album seems to lack direction, but gives you a glimpse of what may be an awesome sophomore release.You'll often hear me talk about that fine line between the complex musical arrangements of truly gifted musicians operating on another level and what is commonly referred to as wankery. And as much as I can respect the obvious talents of a given group of musicians, it's always a disappointment when their album isn't greater than the sum of its parts. Such is the case with One Machine and their debut album, The Distortion of Lies and the Overdriven Truth.

Having an impressive list of associated acts (Testament, Nevermore, Vicious Rumors, Mnemic, and Mercenary), One Machine sounds like it could be the dream debut of a band that wouldn't be called a supergroup only because of its members' lack of household name status. Sadly, the album seems to suffer from a lack of flow that puts some of the best introduction to One Machine at the last half of the album. tracks like Into Nothing and the fantastic Last Star Alights would've made a graceful beginning to TDOLATOT rather than the frenetic title track, though the most intense track, Evict the Enemy, feels like the proper denouement to the proceedings.

The Bottom Line: This is one of those unfortunate cases where more is less. There's an undeniable surplus of musical talent on display here, but in the metal maelstrom of sound, the thread of melody gets muddled past the point of enjoyment. But there is hope, as slower moments on the album provide a glimpse of what this band is really capable of, for future releases.

Tracks That Make You Wish There Were More Of Them On This Album: Into Nothing and Last Star Alights

- Genghis once again laments the dearth of Stine Brothers material...

Vanden Plas - Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld [Path One]

Vanden Plas does it again with their most ambitious project yet: a full-blown metal opera based on a hugely popular fantasy book series. Nice.I have been a big fan of Vanden Plas for years now, ever since The God Thing (1997), and a big reason why is their ability to create consistently great progressive metal music. Having only released 7 studio albums in their 28 years of existence, it's clear that this German band has ambitions above your average 18 month cycle of recording and touring like other metal outfits. And with the revelation that the best selling author in their homeland counts himself among their fans, it was perhaps natural that they should collaborate for the latest evolution of Vanden Plas' artistic career, Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld [Path One].

Based on Wolfgang Hohlbein's vampire series Die Chronik der Unsterblichen (The Chronicle of the Immortals), the author and the band crafted a modern metal opera that debuted on stage at the Pfalztheater in Kaiserslautern in 2012 to 25 sold out shows and standing ovations galore. An attempt to capture that thrilling experience with a studio recorded companion CD became such a huge undertaking that it had to be split into two separate albums, with the second album ("Path 2") being released next year. In order to fit the album format, lead singer Andy Kuntz took on the roles of most of the cast throughout the recording. In addition, some scenes were completely re-written, either becoming simpler (removing large choral arrangements) or more complex (i.e. more solos, and even added orchestration) as constraints dictated or opportunities allowed.

The long and the short of it is that this sounds like classic Vanden Plas, who've always displayed an artistic sense in their music beyond an otherwise by the numbers progmetal band, so this undertaking with Hohlbein just makes sense - especially considering the band's longstanding themes of mortality, spirituality, good and evil, and so forth. You might want to check out the book series, or even the comic book adaptation, to get an idea of what's going on since those sorts of arcane storylines don't always translate across the medium, surrounded by the sturm und drang of the music. But even without the story, this is some great heavy tuneage, ja wohl.

The Bottom Line: Fans of Vanden Plas already know that this is a kick ass progressive metal band. And Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld [Path One] is another damn fine release in that vein. The story of an immortal swordsman searching for truth throughout time, battling monsters of every stripe is a natural fit. And if you can't follow the story, you can still rock the hell out to some great balls and chunkTM.

- Genghis would love to see the stage production when it comes out on Blu-Ray...