If you enjoy any music from Protest The Hero or even Killswitch Engage, then there’s a good chance that you’ll like the sound that’s coming from this band right here! Baltimore, MD based Metal/Alternative band Rest Among Ruins just posted a new song “PHYX” at www.myspace.com/restamongruins and made it available for free download at http://fburls.com/86-8AaHUr8E.

I have listened to some of the music they have on their MySpace site, and based on what I’ve seen, I’ll be interested to hear something from their first album, that is scheduled for release sometime this year. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open if anyone hears something more about these guys!

I can’t be sure if anyone else does this, but for some reason sometimes I get this ridiculous preconceived notion that just because of a band’s particular geographical location, they might suck. I don’t know why I do that. I feel like I have a pretty level head when it comes to thoughts like that, and I always try to give a band it’s fair try. I did that very thing with the band Orwell, who hail from La Crosse, Wisconsin. All I can say is, good thing I gave them a shot, or I might have missed out on some “IN MY FACE” METAL!

Orwell just recently released Endeavors (2009), and I must say, that they definitely have a lot going for themselves in this album. When I did some research into their MySpace page, I noted the music genre wasn’t shown, which made me a little nervous, because that usually leads to some major “screamo” bullshit that I know I’m gonna hate right off. But Endeavors mixes both Melodic Death and Metalcore together pleasantly. The breakdowns in all of the songs are fitting, and don’t sound out of place. It makes for a nice change-up through part of the song, and we get a sense of talent when we hear the beat take a turn around the bend, even for a short few seconds here and there. Not only was there good instrumentals, the vocals are a pleasant mix as well, using both scream and growl to melt my face with!  I never once felt like I was getting sick of the music, because of some pansy singing about his slashed wrists and depressing girlfriend. All I felt was good from this album, and it’s made me want to relive the pleasure.

Endeavors isn’t an album I would suggest to the faint of heart, but more towards the devoted veteran listener, who’ll enjoy the album for what it brings to the table. I will definitely keep Orwell in my sights for future albums, and whether or not they’ll make their touring trip over my way. Oh, and a special thanks to the metal gods for showing me the way down the right path!

VERY GOOD

Similar Bands: Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, In Flames, Light This City, God Forbid

1.    Dictators In Disguise
2.    Temting Our Damnation
3.    Walking Ghosts
4.    Anticipation
5.    Consumed
6.    Distance
7.    Chasing Illusions
8.    Fortress
9.    A Promise Of Pain
10.    Firefighting In Hell

Luke Mathson – Vocals
Eamon Nechvatal – Drums
Tim Bradley – Guitar
Bern Wachter – Guitar
William Strickland – Bass

http://www.myspace.com/orwellwi

Review by TONY

It’s a sad day when a Kalmah album isn’t reviewed, because these guys are one of the most under-appreciated bands in the history of metal. Sadly, AMR failed to review this album back when it came out despite being a magnifficent display of modern melo death. Well now I am encouraging all of my readers to jump in, head first, into this fantastic Kalmah release and when you’re done listening to it, stay tuned for a review of their latest album 12 Gauge which just came out last month. It’s a good time to be a Kalmah fan here at AMR!

I am just going to call these Germans D.A.R., because their name is a bitch to type out (I guess I could copy it, but they needed an acronym anyway). My primary exposure to D.A.R. has been in the form of Allegro Barbaro, the band’s 1999 effort, which despite my owning it, is very hit or miss. Allegro Barbaro is definitely an original album, but the clean vocal moments are borderline ruinous on several songs. Licht on the other band, is a damn fine album, it fluidly combines punk, death metal, folk metal and Euro pop influences to create an upbeat, catchy album.

In honor these re-releases of what I consider the two premiere Dragonforce releases, check out the albums below courtesy of Lala. If you like them, head over the Spinefarm and pick up the two albums that defined modern power metal.

Valley of the Damned – Dragonf…

Sonic Firestorm – Dragonforce

Soundgarden has announced they are likely going to be doing a reunion tour (full return perhaps?), so in honor of the overpriced tickets for this once great band, I have presented the readers of AMR with the band’s quarky and groovy debut, Ultramega OK which is FAR less mainstream than anything they released 1993 and onward. This is NOT grunge, no where near it in fact.How the band went from this to the mainstream post-Nirvana darlings of grunge is beyond me, but nothing can replace the obvious impact this and their other early material had on rock and metal in the coming decades.

Prior to Chuck Schuldiner’s untimely passing, he was beginning to make new waves with his band, Control Denied, which is a U.S. Power Metal band with the same technical wrangling ever so present in latter Death albums (i.e. that trademarked Death guitar and bass tone). Chuck shows with Control Denied that his vision of metal stretched far beyond the walls of death metal. He was a visionary, and sadly, this album was one of his last visions to see the light of day.