Nightwish
Dark Passion Play
Available now
Finnish band Nightwish's latest album, Dark Passion Play, introduces new vocalist Anette Olzon to the band's symphonic power-metal arrangement. Dark Passion Play offers some great songs. The 14-minute opener, "The Poet and the Pendulum" and the duet, "Bye Bye Beautiful," showcase bassist Marco Hietala's talent. Aside from these tracks, the album falls into the typical power-metal groove with songs such as "For the Heart I Once Had" and "Meadows of Heaven."
Olzon's vocals, however poppy, complement the band's new direction after vocalist Tarja Turunen's 2005 departure. In short, this album offers something for old and new Nightwish fans, but I wouldn't recommend it for those new to the genre or fans hoping for something more progressive from the band.
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The Divine Conspiracy - Epica
Ghost Opera - Kamelot
Paradise Lost - Symphony X
Adema
Kill the Headlights
Available Now
Modern rock is generally hit or miss nowadays, but Adema's fourth studio album, Kill The Headlights, is a definite hit. After a few vocal lineup changes, the Bakersfield, Calif., quintet has found its groove with Bobby Reeves at the vocal helm. The band returns to its debut sound while still trying to shed the new-metal label earned with its other releases. Although the album lacks originality and firmly retains a pseudo-industrial feel, Reeves' vocals bring even the most generic lyrics alive. Standout songs are the slowed-down "Days Go By," with Reeves delivering an outstanding performance, and the down-and-out tale of two people, "All These Years." The weakest song on the album is a tie between the generic "What Doesn't Kill Us," with its obvious lyrics and unoriginal chorus line and the out-of-place ode to Los Angeles, the creatively titled "Los Angeles."
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Anthem for the Underdog - 12 Stones
Heroin Diaries Soundtrack - Sixx: A.M.
The Re-Consumation - Hurt
Meriwether
Make Your Move
Available now
This Baton Rouge, La., foursome serves up modern indie rock on its debut rerelease, Make Your Move. Although it sounds like any other indie band out there, it displays a passion for music and ingenuity evidenced by the fact the band actually had the idea to rerelease its debut with a new lineup of songs - replacing some of the old songs with new ones in anticipation of rereleasing the older ones on an upcoming album.
Vocalist Drew Reilley gives the whiny, high-pitched vocals a break during the second half of the album with songs like "Putting to Sleep a Lion," but he still falls flat during most of the first half. Musically, there are a few catchy hooks thanks to bassist Josh Barbier and guitarists Reilley and Steve Bergeron. One key song that catches the listener's attention is "Paper Airplane Machine," where the band seems to be more in its element, musically and lyrically. Make Your Move has a weak first half but turns out a solid performance in the end.
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In Defense of the Genre - Say Anything
No World For Tomorrow - Coheed and Cambria
Chase This Light - Jimmy Eat World
