Godsmack: The Oracle Review

Following up 2006's "IV," Godsmack released their fifth album, "The Oracle" on May 4, 2010. It really brings a brand new Godsmack sound, while at the same time brings back the older sound of them. They have changed a lot through the years, and finally, their new master piece is finally finished.

The album opens with the song, "Cryin' Like A B***h," the first single by them. The song brought a new evolved sound from them, which was very heavy and intense, and also very good at the same time. Their next single, which was released in April, was named "Love-Hate-Sex-Pain." It was the forth track of the album. I enjoyed this song a little more than the previous one mostly because I found the guitar part stand out more, and I liked the vocals more. Their third single was named "What If," and was released mid-April. It was the fifth song in the album. I thought it was a great song because of the long intro into the song, and the loud guitar part. I also like the lyrics to the song such as,"What if I leaved, could I I still breath? What if I breathed, could I still be? And if I leaved, would I be me?" Their fourth and final single was named "Saints And Sinners." It was another good song that was similar to "What If?" but different. It was the second song in the album. The song had a cool bass guitar part, and good vocals. It was released late April, a week before the full album was released.

"War And Peace," which was the third song of the album, I thought had a cool beat to it, and had a very dark feeling to it. It also had a heavy guitar riff to it that made it sound cool. "Devils Swing," the sixth track, is another good song. This song has a great guitar part, a good vocal part, and a good beat. Two thumbs up for that song. "Good Day To Die," the seventh track of the album, is another great song. I love the intense guitar riffs in it. Track number eight is titled as "Forever Shamed." This another good song that sounds more like old Godsmack to me for some reason, but like good Godsmack. The solo in it is very good, and very appropriate for the song. "Shadow of a Soul" is the ninth track of the CD. The song starts out with some intense guitar and bass parts, and then goes into vocals. The rest of the song is similar to the beginning, and is a pretty good song. The tenth and final track is "The Oracle." It's an entire instrumental track, but don't get disapointed. It's one of the best tracks of the song. The guitar riffs are just amazing sounding. It has a man speaking in the background that sounds similar to the tracks "Moon Baby" and "Vampires."

The bonus tracks of the album are titled "Whiskey Hangover" and "I Blame You." The first bonus track, "Whiskey Hangover," is a great song, and is probably one of the best of the album. The guitar and lyrics are both very good. The song was first released as a single in late June 2009, and was origionally not going to be on the album. The second bonus track, titled "I Blame You," is another good sound that's very fast-paced land heavy like the rest of the album. The album is a great addition to Godsmack's music, and is reccomended by me to any fan of them. You can listen to their full album here on myspace, or go to the Godsmack official website here.

Review: The Fireship - Paper Tipers - EP

The Fireship, the new Chicago band, just recently released their demo of their first album, Paper Tigers. I think this band may become something big. Their album is alternative rock, and is very exciting all the way through. The third song of the album, "Ferinandea," is a great track. The vocals of the song are great. "Paper Tigers," the album-named track is another great hit, in my oppinion. The whole rest of the album is great, and I bet the rest of their album will be just as good as this.

Review: Vampire Weekend - Contra

The new indie rock band, "Vampire Weekend," releases their second album, "Contra," on January 11th, 2010. Their entire album is just as great as their first album, and has a very unique sound to it. The first song of the album,"Horchata," has a "Coldplay" sound to it, in a way. It's also, in my oppinion, their best song. The second song, "White Sky," is very bright and happy all of the way through. Their songs "Holiday" and "Run" have a really beachy sound to it, and again, is very bright sounding. Their other song, "Cousins," is much more fast paced, and one of my favorite songs by them. The entire album is just amazing, and is unlike anything I've heard before. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes something a little different. Here's the band's page right here.

New Releases

Here are the release dates of some new albums I will probably be reviewing in the near future, and you can look for them in the store.

Drowning Pool - Unknown Name : April 27, 2010

Godsmack - The Oracle: Coming May 4, 2010

Avenged Sevenfold - Unwind the Chainsaw (Rumored Name) : Coming Early to Mid 2010

Disturbed - Unknown Name : Coming Summer 2010

My Chemical Romance - A Love Letter To Rock And Roll : Coming Early 2010

Korn - Korn III: Remember Who You Are : Coming Mid 2010

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unknown Name : Coming Late 2010

Coldplay - Unknown : Winter 2010

Franz Ferdinand - Unknown : 2010

Linkin Park - Unknown : 2010

The Offspring - Unknown : Late 2010/ Early 2011

Creed - Full Circle

After the long eight year wait, Creed finally releases their fourth album ,"Full Circle." I think this album is so great because of how they bring back their sound from old Creed albums, and also show a much more heavier side of them, and is just amazing sounding. The album starts off with an amazing song, "Overcome." This is my favorite song from the album because of the great guitar. The next song, "Bread of Shame," is another one of my favorites because of the lyrics in it. The songs "A Thousand Faces" and "Rain" are softer songs, and are also very good songs because of bringing back old sounds of their past albums. I like the song "Fear" alot because of its very heavy, big sounding guitar riffs in it. I as well liked their album named song, "Full Circle" because of their unique sounding guitar part, and it sounds different from all of their other songs. I really recommend buying this album. To go to Creed's official website, click here

The Rebellion - Time

Indie rockers The Rebellion cover a lot of territory in their new CD,"Time," managing to be alternately thrashful and thoughtful. Guitarist Silviu Moldovan sounds at times like Travis Stever of Coheed and Cambria, but Rebellion pianist Josh Palmer also manages to summon the likes of The Fray's Issac Slade on other tracks -- a virtual "180" of influences on the indie-rock landscape. The result: A band with the potential to go in a number of directions, even within the same disc. That sort of versatility portends a potentially long and fruitful run.

"Time," the band's debut, is a tasty collection that feaures a unique sound. The opening song, "Dr. Don't," is one of the best of the album -- and here is where Palmer channels a bit of The Fray's Slade.

The next song, "Start Us Over," has a completely different sound to it. It's much more rockier, but also big-stage dramatic, even Homeric in the mold of Coheed and Cambria. The third track, "One Night Hero," has the best vocal performance on the disc. The songs "Change" and "The Wait Is Over" have a piano/songwriter driven sound to them.

"After The Rain" is softer that anything else on "Time," a piano based tune that will send chills, if the mood is right. The song "Time" is probably one of my favorite songs from the album, and packs a good guitar riff. "Don't Know How" has equally good guitar and piano in it, unlike most of the songs which usually feature just one or the other. The overall album is great, in my opinion, and I definitely think you should get it. The band's MySpace page is here.