The Gathering - Disclosure

The Dutch alt rock group finally releases a new album and thanks to the vocals of Silje Wergeland, it sounds great.Look, I know I've said it more times than you care to hear, but I really like female singers in rock bands. Not that I want them to start handling all the singing chores, but it's perhaps their scarcity that makes them so appealing when they come along.

The Gathering started out in The Netherlands as a death/doom metal outfit, but evolved their sound considerably in the mid to late 90s with the addition of vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. Having heard none of the previous stuff, I can only judge their new album Disclosure on its own merits, which is probably a good thing. Coming at this as a doom metal fan, I would've been sorely disappointed. But taken as a moody, gothic, alt band, this is really good stuff. Now to be clear, Anneke is no longer the vocalist for the band, having left since 2007. New vocalist Silje Wergeland fills in ably, giving the engaging alt music a suitably ethereal and melodic layer that fits well with the energetic, trippy rock this outfit produces. At times, you can hear the sounds of The Sugarcubes, The Breeders, Moby(!), and a host of other eclectic but firmly rock and roll-styled bands that's quirky enough to not be boring while resisting the trap of self-indulgence that makes so many other similar bands annoying.

The Bottom Line: Always a sucker for good female vocals, I'm really pleased with this incarnation of the band, as the vocal style of Silje Wergeland blends perfectly with the alt-rock stylings of this Dutch quintet. Looks like this album was worth the wait.

Tracks to Cue Up For Your Next Retro Indie Movie Project: Paper Waves, Meltdown, and Missing Seasons

- Genghis really dug this album in a trippy, old school way...

Coma - Don't Set Your Dogs On Me

No question these guys rock, but the Polish to English lyrics? These guys need to call Neil Peart and STAT!It's not every day you hear a new band come out of Poland, but here is Coma. Having been around since 1998, I'm surprised I haven't heard of them before now. But an English version of their last album has been released which shows an exciting depth of hard rock inspiration. Now, it's easy enough for any modern rock band worth their salt to make heavy riffs and layer on some attitude. But where Coma sets itself apart from the pack is their ability to make very singable tunes that are still ballsy.

Coming off a bit like a cross between King's X and Stone Temple Pilots, these guys know how to rock a tune. The whole album has a really great groove. From the dirty bottom end ably laid down by Rafal Matuszak (surely influenced by Dug Pinnick's meaty bass sound) to the heavy, funk-tinged guitar duo of Marcin Kobza and Dominik Witczak. Meanwhile, I give props to vocalist Piotr Rockucki who has a great voice that sounds like a cross between Scott Wieland and Scott Stapp. 

Now, I fully recognize that English is not these guys' first language, but the only place this band goes wrong for me at all is in the translated English lyrics that hopefully sound much better in their original language. How bad can it be? Check out the opening words of Furious Fate: "Sitting in a coffee shop/sipping a chocolate shake/What are you thinking about?/Where's your smile?" The second verse is no better: "I got a bunch of daisies/I've brought a box of sweets/Now you have to tell me everything." All of which leads in to the chorus "Hey, where do your demons come from, tonight?" 'Nuff said?

The Bottom Line: For a nice departure from the sound of most American metal, check out Polish rockers Coma and their English language debut, Don't Set Your Dogs On Me. Their King's X meets Stone Temple Pilots (with a dash of Sevendust for flavor) heavy sound just may do the trick for you.

Tracks That Might Make You Consider Some Leather Pants Off of eBay: With You, Furious Fate, and Don't Set Your Dogs On Me

- Genghis would *not* get along well with leather pants and frosted hair...

Odd Dimension - The Last Embrace to Humanity

Man, what are they putting in the water over there in Italy? If you dig that 90s era progmetal, this is for you.I don't know how many times I've mentioned it, but it sure seems like every time a new band captures my attention lately, it's a progressive metal group from Italy. Case in point: Odd Dimension, who's debut album Symmetrical was quite well received. True to the recent trend, this quintet is packed with talent and fits quite snugly into the mold of Dream Theater circa the 90s.

What sets Odd Dimension apart from the rest of the "influenced by XX" crowd are its occasional Gothic leanings (along the likes of Opeth, HIM, or even Lacuna Coil) and the lung busting vocals of lead singer, Manuel Candiotto. And don't take my singling out Manuel as any sort of slight to the rest of the band; all of these dudes play their asses off. As the sophomore effort to Symmetrical, Candiotto and company's concept album, The Last Embrace to Humanity, chronicles the alienation of mankind. It's all familiar musings regarding our planet's fascination with innovation and scientific progress at the expense of what makes us human, but I've never listened to progressive music for the philosophy. Odd Dimension's strength is its music, and these guys know how to rock song after song. So, you know...go get it!

The Bottom Line: Italy's just churning out the amazing prog metal bands these days like there's no tomorrow. If you sit around pining for the days of classic progmetal à la Fates Warning or Dream Theater, this is your new jam. Fantastic stuff.

Tracks To Make You Get Out Your Black Pirate Shirt Out From The Back of the Closet: Under My Creed, Fortune and Pain and Far From Desire

- Genghis has the strangest craving for some chicken parmigiana...

DGM - Momentum

DGM came seemingly out of nowhere with just the perfect mix of prog, power and melodic metal. Now this is my kind of metal!Hailing from Europe, progressive metal outfit DGM is here to impress the shit out of genre fans with its aptly-titled eighth studio album, Momentum. Offhand you could compare them to Symphony X (whom they toured with last year to wide acclaim), but they go beyond that into melodic metal territory, with its wonderfully appealing choruses, that makes for a really appealing sound. Think Symphony X meets Ark meets Dream Theater and you've got some idea what to expect.

Lending their considerable talents, Russell Allen (of the aforementioned Symphony X) appears on the opening track Reason with a meaty opening riff that sets the pace for the rest of the album, while Norwegian guitar virtuoso Jorn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan’s Mind) lends a really nice solo to Chaos. All of this energy, melody and precision puts this band in a Venn overlap group that sits at the center of progressive metal, melodic metal, and power metal, offering the best of each for whatever eager listener snaps this up. And if you're a metal fan, you really should give this a listen.

The Bottom Line: What can I say? DGM has made one really fantastic album that I find myself listening to over and over again. Italy is really coming into their own with some solid, amazingly talented metal musicians that are making some of the best metal I've heard in a long time. Italia, ti saluto! 

Tracks to Make You Consider Just Giving Up the Guitar: Reason, Trust, Numb, Pages, and Chaos

- Genghis could listen to bands like this all damn day...

Picture Me Broken - Mannequins

Yeah, yeah, she's the daughter of Gregg Allman, but Layla can actually sing pretty well - and she does death growls.Let's just get this out of the way from the get go: Picture Me Broken's lovely young lead singer, Layla, is the daughter of the legendary musician Gregg Allman, okay?

Falling straight off the alt metal tree, Picture Me Broken (PMB), on their EP Mannequins, could very easily be mistaken for Evanescence, circa 2003 (though they actually formed 2 years after that). But before you lace up those Doc Martens and show off your angel wings back tattoo, know that PMB throws some new things into the mix such as an 80s rock energy and the melodeath sensibilities of the "aughties".

The former comes through in the guitar work of Dante Phoenix and Jimmy Strimpel, but interestingly the latter is brought to bear in Layla's Gossow-ish death growl on the title track. Let's hope for more interesting twists to the alt metal sound they've been influenced by with some killer guitar work and Layla's ambitious singing. Hopefully, this is just a taste of what's in store for early adopters...

The Bottom Line: Forget who's the famous daddy of the lead singer, that's not what makes Picture Me Broken tick. While some may dismiss this band as an Evanescence wannabe, there's enough on this EP to merit a chance to impress with their first full blown studio album later this year.

Tracks to Dye Your Roots None More BlackTM To: Torture and Mannequins

- Genghis wisely resisted the inclination to include a picture of Layla in this review...