May 11 – Tucson, AZ – The Rock
May 12 – Mesa, AZ – UB’s
May 13 – West Hollywood, CA – House of Blues
May 14 – Santa Ana, CA – Galaxy Theatre
May 15 – Ramona, CA – Ramona Mainstage
May 16 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
May 17 – Portland, OR – Peter’s Room
May 18 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater
May 19 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
May 22 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
May 23 – St Paul, MN – Station 4
May 24 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
May 25 – Louisville, KY – Uncle Pleasants
May 26 – Detroit, MI – Blondie’s
May 27 – Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s
May 28 – Worcester, MA – Palladium
May 29 – Toronto, ON – Wreck Room
May 30 – Montreal, QC – Les Foufounes Électriques
May 31 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial
June 1 – Farmingdale, NY – Crazy Donkey

I find this kind of ironic considering the first two Dragonforce records are being re-issued on Spikefarm records; could this be a promotional stunt to get more sales? All I know is that this is probably a good move for the band, as the Dragonforce schtick had run its course, and new blood and ideas have been desperately needed for quite sometime in the British power metallers camp. I do have to say that I will be looking forward to seeing what the band produces on their next endeavor with a fresh voice.

March 25 – Orlando, FL @ Club Firestone
March 26 – Charleston, SC @ Halligans
March 27 – Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
March 28 – Greenville, SC @ Gottrocks
March 30 – Nashville, TN @ The Limelight
March 31 – Indianapolis, IN @ 8 Seconds Saloon
April 01 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Pierre’s
April 02 – Geneva on the Lake, OH @ The Cove
April 03 – Covington, KY @ The Mad Hatter
April 07 – Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
April 08 – New York, NY @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise

April 09 – Southbridge, MA @ Millstreet Brews
April 10 – Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall
April 12 – Baltimore, MD @ Bourbon Street Ballroom
April 13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater – no GREEN JELLY
April 14 – Erie, PA @ Sherlock’s
April 15 – Flint, MI @ The Machine Shop
April 16 – Toledo, OH @ Headliners
April 17 – Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Villa
April 18 – Middletown, OH @ Sorg Opera House Theater
April 20 – Waterloo, IA @ Spicolis Grill And The Reverb Rock Garden
April 21 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
April 22 – Louisville, KY @ Expo 5
April 23 – St. Louis, MO @ The Library
April 24 – Merriam, KS @ Aftershock
April 25 – Wichita, KS @ Lizards Lounge
April 25 – Des Moines, IA @ House Of Bricks
April 27 – Tulsa, OK @ The Other Side Event Center
April 29 – San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Livesa
April 30 – Houston, TX @ Wired Live
May 01 – Austin, TX @ Red Eyed Fly
May 02 – Dallas, TX @ Skillman Street Bar
May 05 – Amarillo, TX @ The War Legion Underground
May 06 – Denver, CO @ Cervante’s Masterpiece
May 07 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater – no GREEN JELLY
May 08 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
May 12 – Sparks, NV @ The New Oasis
May 13 – Bend, OR @ Domino Room
May 14 – Tacoma, WA @ Hell’s Kitchen
May 15 – Portland, OR @ Peter’s Room at Roseland
May 21 – Fresno, CA @ The Crest Theater
May 22 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
May 23 – Modesto, CA @ Fat Cats Music Lounge
May 27 – Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theatre
May 29 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
May 30 – Phoenix AZ @ Rhythm Room

http://www.myspace.com/nashvillepussy

3/10/2010 Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE
3/11/2010 The Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
3/12/2010 The Depot – York, PA w/ Backwoods Payback, Wrath of Typhoon
3/13/2010 The Black and Red Bar – Washington DC w/ King Giant
3/14/2010 The Brighton Bar – Long Branch, NJ w/ The Ominous Order of Filthy Mongrels
3/15/2010 Lit Lounge – New York, NY w/ Maegashira, Nolan Gate

http://www.myspace.com/resurrectionsorrow

April 30            Worcester, MA                      Palladium
May 1               East Rutherford, NJ               Bamboozle
May 2               Baltimore, MD                      Ram’s Head
May 4               Atlanta, GA                          Tabernacle
May 5               Nashville, TN                        Rocketown
May 7               Dallas, TX                            House Of Blues
May 8               TBA
May 9               Tulsa, OK                             Diamond
May 11             Phoenix, AZ                          Marquee
May 12             Las Vegas, NV                     House Of Blues
May 14             Anaheim, CA                        The Grove *Main Support TBA
May 15             San Diego, CA                      SOMA *Airbourne not on this date
May 16             San Francisco, CA                 Regency Center Ballroom
May 18             Salt Lake City, UT                 Great Salt Air
May 19             Denver, CO                           Gothic Theater
May 21             St Louis, MO                         The Pageant
May 22             Chicago, IL                            Rivera
May 23             Columbus, OH                        Rock On The Range
May 25             Milwaukee, WI                       Eagles Ballroom
May 26             Minneapolis, MN                    1st Avenue
May 28             Grand Rapids, MI                   The Orbit Room
May 29             TBA
May 30             Detroit, MI                             The Fillmore

Arsis have had a short, but storied career since their 2004 debut, A Celebration of Guilt, which immediately set them apart from their contemporaries as technically gifted death metallists. Since then, the band, while generally staying in favor with most critics and fans, has experienced a mixed bag of criticism from their next two efforts, United in Regret and We Are the Nightmare. This year though, Arsis are truly set to re-take the world as they once did with their latest foray, Starve For the Devil.

Arsis’ two middle albums, while I think are generally good, had some set backs based on a general lack of originality. What made Arsis so awesome was their fresh take on melodic death for their debut which was filled with unreal riffs from top to bottom making it one of the best albums of 2004. Starve For the Devil brings back that spirit of original songwriting by orientating traditional metal solos and melodies that actually make portions of this album sound like a classic speed metal album with the guise of it being death metal (which hearkens back to the early days of Johan Liiva era Arch Enemy). From top to bottom, Arsis offers up a king’s ransom worth of riffage that should make any modern death metal band stand up and take notice, because these guys could easily steal album of the year from critics the web over.

If I were to be critical of Starve For the Devil, well…I really can’t to tell you the truth, there isn’t enough substantial criticisms I have of this record to warrant their inclusion in this review because this chunk of modern metal is just that damn good. I suppose, at the very least, one could say that they rhythm guitar riffs may become a bit over-used as the album progresses, but really, this isn’t really a slight on the overall quality of this effort, especially when you hear the righteous solos of Nick Cordle who practically stole this album with his performance.

Essentially, if you have yet to buy a new album for the new year, do yourself a favor and go out and purchase Starve For the Devil, it really is a delightful piece of death metal, and a certain runner for best album of the year released only in the second month of 2010. Now if you don’t mind, I think I’ll sit back with my morning coffee and jammies on, and listen to Arsis all over again.

AMAZING

Similar Artists: Arch Enemy, Daath, The Black Dahlia Murder

1.    Forced to Rock
2.    A March for the Sick
3.    From Soulless to Shattered (Art in Dying)
4.    Beyond Forlorn
5.    The Ten of Swords
6.    Closer to Cold
7.    Sick Perfection
8.    Half Past Corpse O’Clock
9.    Escape Artist
10.    Sable Rising

James Malone – Guitar, Vocals
Mike Van Dyne – Drums
Nick Cordle – Guitar
Nathaniel Carter – Bass

Nuclear Blast Records

http://www.myspace.com/arsis

Review by CODY

Chicago’s Lair of the Minotaur’s new album may be called Evil Power, but the sound is more like “raw power.” Combining the ferocity of blackened thrash metal with the grinding style of doom metal, Lair of the Minotaur are really a sound to behold.

Some might see Evil Power as an album that takes queues from Skeletonwitch and other modern blackened thrash bands, but in reality this is Lair of the Minotaur’s fourth studio album with the first three being released on respected label Southern Lord Records. I’d compare Evil Power to Slayer, Celtic Frost latter day Darkthrone and Melvins rolled into a less than neat presentation, and it’s an extremely affective execution with more riffs that are bound to break your neck than you may know what to do with. Another apt comparison would be to the likes of Sweden’s D-Beat scene with notable examples being Driller Killer and Disfear, whom mold thrash metal with Discharge-like riff structures. Lair of the Minotaur and Evil Power plays like a hardcore record, especially with the Melvins influences, yet so much more brutal.

The bottom line is you can’t really go wrong with Evil Power if you enjoy any combination of bands I listed above, this is a ruckus of an album that really is quite fun to listen to.

VERY GOOD

Similar Artists: Celtic Frost, Darkthrone, Skeletonwitch, Slayer, Melvins

1.    Attack the Gods
2.    Let’s Kill These Motherfuckers
3.    Riders of Skullhammer, We Ride the Night
4.    Evil Power
5.    Goatstorm
6.    Hunt and Devour
7.    Metal Titans
8.    Blood From the Witch’s Vein
9.    We Are Hades
10.    Death March of the Conquerors
11.    The Violent Iron Age of Man

Steven Rathbone – Guitar, Vocals
Chris Wozniak – Drums

The Grind House Records

http://www.myspace.com/lairoftheminotaur

Review by CODY

Little needs to be said about Chico, California’s Clouds on Strings, because once you catch even a small portion of their music, you’ll know what they are about. They are not metal, in any way really, but prog rock is an integral part of metal, and vice versa, so presenting the meta world with a fantastic group of pure, progressive rock should do wonders for your ears in between those Kataklysm and Pantera CD’s. Clouds on Strings is a seamless unit with a soul that has never really been explored that much, which is what makes them stand out from the pack quite dramatically. For a somewhat similar comparison, see Bigelf combined with Yes, King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. This is a treat for all you progressive fans, I guarantee it.

http://www.myspace.com/cloudsonstrings

U.S. Power metal is a rare commodity in America, perhaps even rarer than European imports, despite the title of this often misunderstood sub-genre. Unlike in Europe where neo-classical flavor and soaring melodies are the order of the day, U.S. Power Metal is much more subdued. While both regional power metal scenes have their base in speed metal, the traditional U.S. style is more traditional in it’s roots, often taking on a simple melodic version of speed metal bands. California’s Scarred represents one of these long lost U.S. Power Metal bands with a more recent history. Founded in 2001 with a full length album, Shadow of Conspiracy, released in 2006 and more recently 2009’s EP Worms of the Universe, Scarred have taken on the monumental task of moving their sound in an era that is more difficult than ever to find realization.

http://www.myspace.com/scarredmetal

While traditional metal is just becoming en vogue once again in America, it has become relatively commonplace in Europe and Japan to see these retro bands of this type. One such band, Finland’s Armour has released a brand new album that is truly classic metal incarnate. Echoing bands such as Running Wild, W.A.S.P., Exciter, Grim Reaper and more contemporary comparisons to the likes of Cauldron, Armour is playing to a style that has much to offer modern metal with its relentless assault of licks that once reigned over metaldom.

Initially vocalist Vince “Werewolf” Venom is a bit off putting, but much like Blackie Lawless, Rolf “Rock ‘n’ Rolf” Kasparek and even Lemy Kilmeister, he begins to grow on you as the tracks proceed. Instrumentally Armour is spot on with their era of riffs, so much so that this self titled album could have been lifted from 1985 with no problem with a tried and true mixture of traditional and speed metal. In fact, Armour is so authentic that it may actually be off putting to many listeners considering there is almost no sense of modernity to this record. Europeans will surely eat this up, especially German fans, but I don’t know if newer American fans will be quite ready for Armour. However, if you are a seasoned American listener and wouldn’t think twice about going to see a W.A.S.P. show tomorrow night, then pick this album up ASAP.

Essentially, if you have heard any of the above comparable bands, you should know exactly what to expect from Armour; there are no surprises here. If you lived through the 80’s and were glad to have this era gone and forgotten, then avoid at all costs, but if you are looking to re-live the most classic era of our musical heritage, then break out your bullet belt and get ready to have a good time!

GOOD

Similar Artists: Running Wild, W.A.S.P., Exciter, Cauldron, Grim Reaper

1.    Rock’n’Roll Tonite
2.    The Time Is Right
3.    Sex Demon
4.    Roll Out (Or Get Rocked)
5.    Satan’s Knights
6.    Can’t Resist Your Spell
7.    Magick Armour
8.    Hellfire
9.    Ready to Attack
10.    Heavy Metal Drinkers

Hells Headbangers

http://www.myspace.com/metalarmour

Review by CODY