Metal Reviews

Is this becoming THE YEAR for "comeback albums"? I mean:

Testament's releasing a "comeback album" at the end of the month.

Anthrax is hoping to release one this year with their new singer (the results should be interesting indeed).

Alice In Chains is working on one and planning to release it this year.

Queen is finally going to release an LP of new songs with Paul Rogers in the Fall (I saw them performing a new song on Blabbermouth.net btw, it wasn't bad - reminded me a little of Soundgarden).

Weezer is releasing a new album in June, after countless rumors that Make Believe would be their last studio album.

I'm sure I'm probably missing a few. But wow! Next thing you know, Nirvana will reunite with somebody replacing Kurt Cobain and release an LP before the end of the year.

Every year's the year of comebacks these days, and every year every band promises to return to their roots but then doesn't.

Frikin X Japan, Lost Horizon and Hibria all giving news of upcoming albums... I agree.

Really? That's awesome!

Yep. They don't have a definite release date, but they're aiming to have it out sometime before the end of the year (November, may be?). The name of the new singer escapes me right now, and I'm too lazy to do the research.

I really hope Cantrell releases another solo album in the near future, since I really liked Boggy Depot (Degredation Trip I haven't heard yet). And I think he's a vastly underrated vocalist. Hopefully he'll sing at least a few songs on the upcoming AIC album.

Degradation Trip (both CD's) is unremarkable. Granted there about 5 really great songs on there that are classics, but 5 for 25 is not a great album. I can't see this new AIC albums being anything more than another JC solo album, but like his first album, will feature AIC rhythm section.

Yes, you read that right, Boggy Depot had sean kinney and mike Inez playing their respective instruments, so it was essentially alice in chains without layne, which is exactly what this new album will be like. Personally a Jerry solo album gets released without the hype and pressure from Sony and label alterations, so I think that would be better.

AIC should have gotten John Bush any damn way. This new guy is appaulingly bad.

Degradation Trip is outstanding!

uhhh, both discs?

Degradation Trip is great, at least the first disc.

I haven't listened to the second.

I haven't heard the new guy, but I remember there being rumors two years ago that Maynard James Keenan would fill in as AIC's vocalist as a side endeavor. He did tour with them a few times.

The fact that Boggy Depot is basically "Alice in Chains without Layne" shouldn't be too surprising since several of the album's songs are actually left-overs from the Tripod sessions (note: "Tripod" is what people sometimes call AIC's self-titled album for obvious reasons). I heard somewhere that Layne even co-wrote a couple of the songs on Boggy Depot, but I don't know whether this is true or not.

That is untrue. Layne wrote very little of AIC songs anyway. He was basically the kirk hammet of AIC

Not to forget, Metallica too is expected to release an album this year.

Yes. I predict it will rule everyone's ass...and everyone will talk shit anyway.

Yes but will it be a comeback album or will it fail like St Anger and Load/Reload.

Everyone that has heard it thinks it is going to be their greatest album ever. We've heard all this bullshit before, but the info is coming from impartial third parties. Not their producer, manager, the band, their fans. Fellow musicians that have heard it think it is their best work ever. Time will tell, but I expect a real return to form. I think the band has probably done their european metal homework like they did back in the early 80's and will be releasing a compilation of riffs from various obscure metal bands just like their first three albums were.

Its all because the got short with cash! So they did quick release to get some cash!

And possibly Chinese Democracy maybe?

Nah, that'll happen just after Duke Nukem Forever comes out.

I was actually waiting for somebody to compare Duke Nukem Forever to Chinese Democracy.

As I've said before, no matter how good the album is, there will be at least a few people trashing it simply because it's Metallica. Similarly, there will be plenty of people praising it for the exact same reason. The moral here? Listen to the album and be as objective as possible.