At The Gates
At War With Reality
CD | MP3 | Vinyl
Century Media Records
Release date: October 27, 2014

At The Gates‘ 1995 album Slaughter of the Soul is considered by many experts to be one of the most pivotal moments in death metal history. Decibel Magazine went so far as to label it “the most influential death metal album of the next decade.” That recording, despite being the band’s fourth release, is among the very first to feature the sound that would come to be known as melodic death metal or “the Gothenburg sound,” a reference to the city in Sweden that spawned At The Gates and their equally influential contemporaries, In Flames.

It is also a record that most thought would serve as At The Gates’ epitaph. In 1996, only a year after its release, the band split acrimoniously when brothers Anders (guitar) and Jonas Bjorler (bass) decided to leave and form The Haunted. The rest of the band resented them for leaving at the height of their success, but decided that At The Gates could not continue without them.

Walt Disney Records’ Legacy Collection’s excellent streak of soundtracks continues with its August 2014 release that commemorated the 50th anniversary of Mary Poppins, considered by many critics as one of Walt Disney’s greatest achievements. Its Oscar-winning song, “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” and the other cheerful tunes and score are as ingrained in our minds as Julie Andrews‘ and Dick Van Dyke‘s unforgettable performances.

This new CD set remarkably integrates nearly every musical element of the film possible across three packed discs. The Legacy Collection: Mary Poppins is even sweeter than a spoonful of sugar.

Slipknot
.5: The Gray Chapter
MP3 | CD | Vinyl
Roadrunner Records
Release Date: October 21, 2014

These past six years have been a rocky ride for both Slipknot and their fans. When the band released their last record, All Hope Is Gone, in 2008, it was met with mixed reactions. Many of the band’s long-time fans felt the album ventured a bit too far into Stone Sour territory — That’s the other band that singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root were in: a band that specializes in more lighter, radio-friendly, hard rock fare. Many of the tracks from All Hope Is Gone would not sound out of place on a Stone Sour record. On the other hand, the album was a huge success and garnered Slipknot hordes of new fans and saw them continuing to be a massive concert draw throughout the album’s tour cycle.

Sick of It All
Last Act of Defiance
CD | MP3 | Vinyl
Century Media Records
Release date: September 30, 2014

After running the gamut of record label and band line-up changes, and nearly 30 years in the industry, Sick of It All has definitely earned their title as veterans of the hardcore scene. Hailing from Queens, NY, Sick of It All are still loud and proud with their latest Century Media release, Last Act of Defiance.

Wovenwar
Wovenwar
CD|MP3
Metal Blade Records
Release date: August 5, 2014

2014 has been such an amazing year in the world of metal with so many exceptional releases that I was starting to think that I might never have to sit through a sub-par record again. Then, along comes this.

Wovenwar is the band that has risen from the ashes of one of Christian metal’s most prominent bands As I Lay Dying. In one of the biggest scandals to ever rock the metal community, AILD singer Tim Lambesis was arrested in May of 2013 for attempting to hire an undercover San Diego cop to kill his estranged wife. Lambesis was sentenced to six years in prison for that conspiracy earlier this year. For details on that story click here.