TheAlterBridgeNation.com

New Ed Sheeran: 'X'

Great pop album. This guy is getting better and better every year - can't wait to see what he'll do when he gets older...
Good lyrics, beautiful singing and sweet guitars.

I don't know how I stumbled upon this, but yet, here we are.



Ayreon - The Human Equation. 8/10.

So I was stumbling upon the Dream Theater forums and read a thread of vocalist James LaBrie will be partaking in a concert where him, Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, amongst other musicians, will be performing this album in its entirety in the Netherlands. I saw a preview of a choir rehearsing this and it sounded like something that LaBrie will be right at home with so I took a listen to it. My goodness, 1st off, there's an awful lot of things going on. This concept album is 100 min. long and James LaBrie sings a good amount of it singing as the main character of the concept. Other vocalists, like Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth and Devin Townsend are in it, as well, playing other characters. If you have a lot of time and like listening to prog. metal and rock operas, check it out.

10/10

No, this isnt actually the last album I listened to, just my favorite out of the recent ones.

Big Wreck are a band that I was always aware of, and never really gave them a listen besides a couple songs. Totally regret not getting into them earlier, but now I have a bunch of beautiful music to listen to for a long time. Ian Thornley is a stellar songwriter/guitarist/singer.

I love this album, and you should listen to it if you havent, because its great.

Great DVD from these guys.



Dream Theater - Breaking the Fourth Wall DVD. 9/10

So Dream Theater decided to make their tour, this year, a little different from their other tours. One thing, they decided to play a static setlist (same songs the whole tour, this year, but for good reason). Another thing, they highlighted three albums, their current album (Dream Theater), Awake (which is 20 years old) and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (which is 15 years old).

For this show only, which is held in Boston Opera House, they wanted to incorporate the Berklee College (which is the college that John Petrucci and John Myung went to and where Mike Mangini was a professor at) of Music World Strings and Concert Choir for Illumination Theory and the Scenes songs.

As for the show, the band is playing well no question about it. The crowd sounds a lot more audible and active from the other DVDs I've heard (Score and Live at Luna Park, which was surprising since it was held in Argentina) which is another plus.

Favorite performances from it, so far, Illumination Theory, Strange Deja-Vu, Space Dye Vest, Lifting Shadows Off A Dream, and Breaking All Illusions.

Indeed, a well worth it purchase for me.

Nickelback- No Fixed Address
I didn't even know they released a new album a few months ago until I stumbled across a review on The Rolling Stone. Sheeeesh, I wished I never listened to this pile of crap. This album is a slap in the face to every Nickelback defender, who said that at least they know how to write decent Alternative Metal/ Modern Hard Rock songs. There were always two or three good songs on a Nickelback album, imo. Except for this one. There is nothing heavy, the ballads either sound generic as fuck or generic as fuck with pop music influence. The opener is the only song that is kinda okay.
Cobbler, stick to your trade.

2/10- the opener saves the album form a 1/10 rating.

I always thought that new Nickelback album is all right, if you are in a condescending mood, and want something to laugh at yourself with. Make Me Believe Again is all right. I don't know I keep listening to Satellite. It's so damn cheesy and innuendo with the lyrics, but bloody hell. I can't stop listening to it.

The rest of the album is pretty weird to say the least.

Edit: All right, I didn't know that Satellite song was the last song I listened to on Spotify. I tell you, that song is infectious.

Sleater-Kinney's new album is really good. Not as good as their older stuff, but still really enjoyable. It's only about 30 minutes which kinda sucks (it really leaves you wanting more), but there are no weak moments so that kinda makes up for it. I'd give it a strong 7/10.

Björk's new album is absolutely beautiful. So intense and emotional. Definitely one of my favourite albums from her (after Homogenic and Post), which is impressive considering she's been making music for almost 4 decades. I'm gonna give the album an 8/10, but I think I'll grow to love it even more in time.

Combined with Alpha from Periphery (still haven't listened to Omega yet), 2015's off to a great start. Douglas Firs and A Place To Bury Strangers had 2 enjoyable releases as well. Both around 6-6.5/10.

Kensington - Rivals 9/10


One of my top 5 albums of 2014...

These guys are huge in Holland and I think it's a matter of time for them to become international stars.

Eloi - the lead singer - has this steady, distinctive and emotional voice... I've seen this guy few days ago and he blew me away, especially with this delay effect he used -> proof
The drummer is very good too (and damn hot).

The statement in your signature really cleared up that comment about the drummer. Lol

So the signature works... you're not gonna call me 'mate' anymore

Rosenblaetter wrote:So the signature works... you're not gonna call me 'mate' anymore

I always thought you were a bunch of rose petals.

Obviously you were the only one.

It was probably for your benefit that I didn't know...now I'm gonna have to flirt with you.

The Hunting Party by Linkin Park - 8

I really, really like it. Just that section with Rakim on Guilty All the Same seems to drag/slow it down. >.<

I love that part

Just listened to Papa Roach's new album. Wasn't really impressed with it. There were 2 tracks that I really liked in the middle: Gravity and War Over Me. I thought the guest vocals in Gravity were really well done. The rest of the album was kinda forgettable. Definitely not bad, but just not something I'd love to go back to. I still haven't heard anything worth repeating more than a few times from these guys since The Paramount Sessions. Occasionally there will be a good song like Lifeline or Where Did The Angels Go, but even compared to the old songs these songs are missing something.

Jacoby's lyrics are getting really old as well. 5.5-6/10

Black Label Society- Order Of The Black
Yea, it's not a recent record, but still pretty new to me. Fun album, cool riffs, cool singer, cheesy ballads. I like it 7,5/10

CD Player At home: Machine Head - The Blackening = 10/10, Timeless value.
Album in Car MP3 CD: Skillet - Rise = 8/10, Solidly produced, but now sounding identical to Theory Of A Deadman - Savages in production methods. Both albums are recent favourites of mine.

The Alchemy Index (both) by Thrice:

9/10. Fire is really growing on me, while the rest remain lovely. The Arsonist, though, holds it back from being a 10 for me. (still a decent song, though.)

Father John Misty's "I love You, Honeybear" is a really good singer-songwriter album. It's one of those albums where the lyrics really take the songs to another level. They are so bitter and cynical sometimes that it hurts.

I'm really impressed with the entire album. I'm gonna give it a strong 8.5/10.

Kendrick Lamar's new album is really good. It's hard to grade it, because I don't listen to hip-hop a lot, so it's hard to compare it to the other music I listen to, but I thought it was really enjoyable. I really I loved the instrumental parts, the funk and the jazzy vibes. There's a lot of live jazz improv on this album, which is really cool.

I needed a few listens to kinda "get" the lyrics, but it absolutely paid off. Kendrick's an amazing story teller. Even though it's hard for me to relate with a lot of the themes, because of obvious reasons, it's hard to deny that's it's all really clever and poetic and he still manages to drag me into the stories he's telling. There's also something about his delivery that's really entertaining.

Can't wait to let this one grow on me even more.