Sweet Sour
Band Of Skulls
CD | MP3
Vagrant Records
Release Date: February 14, 2012

As a music geek, one of my favorite pastimes when listening to a new artist is picking out all of their influences. I can usually figure it out right away, but then there are bands like Band Of Skulls. The English power trio so effortlessly blends styles like blues, classic rock, pop, folk, and garage rock on their new album Sweet Sour that pinning down one or two major influences becomes nearly impossible. Fans of 2009’s Baby Darling Dollface Honey need not worry about a sophomore slump. The way that record was produced, it felt as though the band would leap from your speakers into your living room, rocking out right in front of you with every spin. Everything that made the former effort sound fresh and exciting is still here, just tightened and refined without sounding forced or insincere.

You Dare Call That Thing Human?!?
Adam WarRock
CD
Bandcamp
Release Date: February 13, 2012

Adam WarRock continues to perfect his unique sound as You Dare Call That Thing Human?!? shows the artist’s growth from comic book-themed rapper to serious emcee with a comic book twist.

Adam WarRock, otherwise known as Eugene Ahn, has grown considerably over the past few years and that is most evident with his latest album. Starting off with 2010’s The War For Infinity, the self-proclaimed “Internet’s Foremost Comic Book Rapper” showed hip hop fans a brand new sound that blended the east coast style of acts like The Wu-Tang Clan with the nerdcore sound of acts like MC Lars, while also telling a story centered around Marvel Comics’ event comic The Infinity Gauntlet. While WarRock has not abandoned this style at all, Ahn seems to have completely found his voice with You Dare Call That Thing Human?!?

Heavy Metal Presents: Gates Volume 1 – Ascension
Melrose and Vine Records
MP3 Download: U.S. | UK
Released date: August 9, 2011

For over 30 years Heavy Metal — the sci-fi/fantasy comic — has graced comic shop shelves with visceral covers featuring Adonis-like men with rippling muscles and svelte, pointy-breasted semi-naked women. This year Heavy Metal has released a soundtrack of metal and electronica to accompany its first web comic: Gates. If that wasn’t cool enough, all net proceeds go towards the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

Motley Crue
Greatest Hits
U.S.: CD | MP3
UK: CD | MP3
Eleven Seven Music
Release date: December 5, 2011 (UK)

This year marked 30 years since the release of Motley Crue‘s debut album Too Fast For Love. After that record hit in 1981 the years have been packed with tragedy and infamy (with a sex tape or two thrown in) for the Crue. But in that time they, somehow, continued to make great music, most of which is compiled on this Motley Crue: Greatest Hits package.

The tracks are in chronological order beginning with the untamed “Too Fast For Love” to the more production heavy efforts of the fabulous “Dr. Feelgood” and “Home Sweet Home.” All of the most famous songs are on here and even the not-so-famous and more recent works like “Afraid,” “Saint Of Los Angeles,” “Sick Love Song,” and “If I Die Tomorrow.” Even those people with only a passing knowledge of Motley Crue would at least be familiar with a handful of tracks. Everybody knows “Smokin’ In The Boys Room” and “Shout At The Devil”!

Chickenfoot
III
earMUSIC
Release date: October 24, 2011 UK
November 1, 2011 U.S.

Supergroups are always a precious thing. Usually the ego-meter is higher than the number of tracks recorded, but lower than the probability that it will crash and burn. Having two ex-members of Van Halen in Chickenfoot always sounded like someone was waving a blowtorch at a short fuse. The explosion would surely follow.

And yet here we are, two years after Chickenfoot’s self-titled debut album for album number two. According to guitarist Joe Satriani in his interview with Geeks of Doom, singer Sammy Hagar named the band’s second album III because drummer Chad Smith and bassist Michael Anthony wanted to call it IV. Well I’m glad that’s cleared that up then.