Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Bloody Heels, Static-X, Poltergeist, Mark Spiro, and Tokyo Motor Fist

Index

Bloody Heels is another great signing to the Frontiers label and comes to you from Latvia. To describe the music, I would say it is fairly traditional hard rock with a metallic edge to it. The band fits in well with a lot of the other Frontiers artists but does turn it up a notch in terms of intensity. There is a cool groove through the album. At times there are some cool bass lines, other times it may be the chorus or even the smooth guitar sounds. I felt the songs were all really good. Most were rockers with a few of them being slightly more melodic. Also, in my opinion the band's sound would fit closer to the late 80's sound that went into the early 90's. Think bands like Heaven's Edge and you'll have a general idea. As I like to say, I am glad there are young artists that still embrace this sound and do it so well. Bloody Heels is a band to keep an eye on!

Release Date: July 10, 2020

When it comes to the more modern bands, or maybe from the last twenty years or so, Static-X is one of my favorites. I remembered picking up 'Wisconsin Death Trip' and not really feeling it until years later, but at that point I became a big fan of the band's unique style of music. After the untimely passing of Wayne Static, I wasn't sure where the band would go. In ways I still don't, but I am glad they decided to release some music that still features Wayne's vocals. You do have some tracks that do feature Xero who is currently fronting the band. You can feel the respect given to Wayne not only in the music but the overall presentation and videos. He is featured front and center as this is a tribute to him. The music is exactly as expected for Static-X. I found this to be a great release and will definitely be looking forward to a volume 2 if it indeed comes!

Release Date: July 10, 2020

Speed and thrash from way back. I remember this band from the speed metal scene that was prominent in the late 80's. Apparently the band was non-functional for quite a few years. Coming back on the scene in 2016 with the album 'Back To Haunt'. 'Feather Of Truth' is their second release since returning and is a great platter of thrash and power metal songs. You can tell these guys are veterans from the original heyday of thrash. This is more of an old school thrash record in terms of sound, vocals, etc. Some of the more modern bands of today have embraced elements of thrash, this band have done their part through the years to help make the mark. I mentioned the power element earlier. This definitely exists on this record as does the big riffing that thrash has been known for. Pretty happy with the purity of this record. These guys did it right! Great album!

Release Date: July 3, 2020

Here is your best bang for your buck record this year. This release spans three discs and has a runtime of almost three hours. 37 tracks total with around 13 of them being unreleased material. Fans of rock and AOR are going to find a lot to like with this album. The music goes back to 1996 and runs through the 'It's A Beautiful Life' album in 2012. Spiro's songwriting has made him one of the most successful songwriters. A run through this album and you will recognize why he has been so recognized and successful. Even with the length of this album, I have spent a lot of time with this album in the past couple of weeks. This is uplifting music that sounds so good with so much negativity dominating the world currently. Sometimes you just have to get lost in something and this album is a great way to do just that! Recommended!

Release Date: July 10, 2020

Second release from this collaboration of Ted Poley and Steve Brown. More great hard rock music that feels like a Danger Danger/Def Leppard mix. Brown provides plenty of flash with his guitar work. I liked the band's first release and feel this one is even better. I did like the vibe on this record with the great contributions from each member. The songwriting is good with there being some different things for different types of listeners. I liked the rock stuff but could also appreciate the finesse displayed on the title track as well. Plenty of atmosphere and depth on this particular song made it a favorite of mine from the album. Albums like 'Lions' have made this year a bit easier to handle. There is an upbeat feel to the tracks that give off positive vibes and give the listener a sense of fun. Another great release from these guys!

Release Date: July 10, 2020