You ever just have one of those moments where you can't stop listening to "One Week," by The Barenaked Ladies? That's what I'm going through right now. Anyway, this edition includes some legends, some future legends, some jazz, and more. To the metals…
Accept – Blind Rage 
Genre: Heavy Metal
Origin: Solingen, Germany
Label: Nuclear Blast
Buy now on Amazon.com
I feel like every other week I'm talking about a long-running band that has a huge following, but didn't quite manage to reach a Judas Priest level for some reason. This week is it Accept. These feisty Germans are here with their fourteenth album over all, and their third without Udo. They are still playing "Balls To The Wall" metal, and they're not showing their age doing it.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbUXHTWZ9vk[/youtube]
Ace Frehley – Space Invader
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: The Bronx, New York
Label:
Buy now on Amazon.com
Now for our second early metal icon in this week's edition: The Kiss guitarist people think of fondly. Now, I'm not a huge Kiss fan, but I can recognize this guy's influence and the importance of his legacy. His solo stuff is fair to middling blues-based metal/hard rock, but the spirit of a legend is there. Jeremy has a full review here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGvz7FdUzOc[/youtube]
Black Trip – Goin' Under 
Genre: Heavy metal
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden
Label: Prosthetic
Buy now on Amazon.com
This album seems to have been out elsewhere for a bit now, but it's just hitting North American shores with a hell of an impact. This band should fit well with the bluesy heavy metal nostalgia kick everyone's been on. Think of a more upbeat Graveyard, who are also from Sweden. What is is about that country that pumps out bluesy throwback rock and melodic death metal?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df4iKL4ZlYw[/youtube]
Dictated – The Deceived 
Genre: Death metal
Origin: Kampen, Netherlands
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
This band is pretty good at playing death metal. I sort of feel like I've heard this before in a bunch of different bands, but that's ok. Don't expect any super technical craziness, this is all low-end, crushing, brutality.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYPVf8XjzoQ[/youtube]
Dragonforce – Maximum Overload 
Genre:
Origin:
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
You know DragonForce. You know exactly what it is going to sound like. This album is fast, technical, epic, etc. I give them props for shaking things of adding Matt Heafy from Trivum into the mix a few times, but other than that, it's very much a DragonForce record. Fun idea: take a drink every time they say "Fire," "Fly/flight," "Fight," or "Free." If you play this drinking game on most of their albums, you'll probably die. Greg has a full review here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb7F3SU5BRw[/youtube]
He Is Legend – Heavy Fruit 
Genre: Stoner/Alternative
Origin: Wilmington, North Carolina
Label: Tragic Hero
Buy now on Amazon.com
Back in the day, I remember a very different He Is Legend. This band I'm hearing now is eclectic in their sound but remind me of a heavier Blind Melon (and I mean deeper cuts than "No Rain"), which is a weird fucking comparison to make. I mean, they're near some (so-called) radio rock/metal, but they add a weird twist to it. Weren't they like metalcore or an Every Time I Die-like band or something before? Stream it here.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3MQ5ZV53l4[/youtube]
Karma To Burn – Arch Stanton
Genre: Instrumental stoner
Origin: Morgantown, West Virginia
Label: Deepdive
Buy now on Amazon.com
I would argue that very few bands can keep up the instrumental stoner shtick and remain interesting as long as Karma To Burn. While they don't completely reinvent themselves with each release, they wind up just different enough to keep the listener guessing a little bit.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2bfNAXyYiQ[/youtube]
Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden 
Genre: Doom
Origin: Little Rock, Arkansas
Label: Profound Lore
Buy now on Amazon.com
I tried to hard to resist the hype of this band, but fuck it, they are pretty great. They play doom in a way no one else does, and they do with with finesse and beauty. I can already see this album near the top of so many best of lists.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTTt-ikVJSk[/youtube]
Trioscapes – Digital Dream Sequence 
Genre: Jazz fusion
Origin: Greensboro, NC/Atlanta, GA
Label: Metal Blade
Buy now on Amazon.com
Not metal. Don't care. Dan Briggs from Between The Buried and Me plays (THE FUCK OUT OF THE) bass on this album, so it earns a mention. Their last album, Seperate Realities, was really, really good and addicting. This one is better. Prog guys, metal guys, jazz guys, drum nerds, bass nerds, every nerd of music should get up on this.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxTKjqgDDWo[/youtube]
Also dropping today…
Acrania – Totalitarian Dystopia (Unique Leader)
American – Coping With Loss (Sentient Ruin)
Big Engine – Shot Like A Rocket (Pavement)
Cardinals Folly – Our Cult Continues! (Shadow Kingdom)
Cenotaph – Riding Our Black Oceans Re-Release (Chaos)
Children Of Technology – Future Decay (Hells Headbangers)
Cross Examination – The Dawn of the Dude EP (Organized Crime)
Crucifyre – Black Magic Fire (Pulverised)
Darkness Divided – Written In Blood (Victory)
Deadlock – The Re-Arrival (Lifeforce)
Diskord – Oscillations EP (Hellthrasher)
Dying Out Flame – Shiva Rudrastakam (Xtreem)
Egypt Central – Murder In The French Quarter (Fat Lady)
Empire Auriga – Ascending The Solar Throne (Moribund)
Extinction A.D. – Plague Prophecy EP (Good Fight)
Ghast – Dread Doom Ruin (Todestrieb)
Grinder Blues – Grinder Blues (Megaforce)
Halcyon Way – Conquer (Nightmare)
Johnny Touch – Inner City Wolves (Shadow Kingdom)
Joy – Under the Spell of Joy (Tee Pee)
Khtoniik Cerviiks – Heptaedrone (Iron Bonehead)
King 810 – Memoirs of a Murderer (Roadrunner)
Midnight – No Mercy For Mayhem (Hells Headbangers)
Passion For Sorrow – Rotting Immortality (The Orchard)
Pillbuster – Brothel (Stonerkill)
Powerlord – The Awakening Re-Release (Shadow Kingdom)
Principality of Hell – Fire & Brimstone (WTC)
Proselyte – Our Vessel's In Need (Gypsyblood)
Provocator – Antikristus (Moribund)
Punch – They Don't Have To Believe (Deathwish)
Sacrocurse – Unholier Master (Hells Headbangers)
Six String Slaughter – Born Unspoiled (HPGD)
Sleeping Giant – Finished People (Century Media)
Sloth Herder / Horde of the Eclipse – Split (Unholy Anarchy)
Take Over and Destroy – Vacant Face (Comfort Point)
Those Who Bring the Torture – Piling Up (Selfmadegod)
