Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Blue Öyster Cult, DGM, L.A. Guns, Stardust, and Warrior Soul

Index

Blue Öyster Cult is one of the bands that influenced my taste in music so many years ago. It's been a big year for the band with many releases including their first studio album in nearly two decades. The wait was worth it! The band has retained it's core sound and there is a variety of things happening on the new album. A couple of my favorite tracks are also some of the heavier tracks on the album. 'Stand And Fight' and 'The Alchemist' will please the diehard fans as much as it pleased me. The video tracks for 'That Was Me', 'Box In my Head' and 'Tainted Blood' give you a very good idea what to expect, but make no mistake, this is Blue Öyster Cult doing it the way they always do. It's equally nice to see the contributions of other members as well like Richie Castellano handling vocals on 'Tainted Blood'. Just an excellent record!

Release Date: October 9, 2020

I knew that I was going to absolutely love this new record after seeing the video for 'Flesh And Blood'. The song and video are a bit dark, but the musicianship is amazing. As I got to listen to the rest of the record it was obvious to me that this album was something special. Going back to the musicianship, these guys are amazing. Everyone in the band contributes to a high level. The songs are amazing as well. The band has an ability to get intense, but never sacrifice the melodic nature of each track. It's a good balance that pays dividends. Some of my favorite tracks include the already mentioned 'Flesh And Blood', the title cut 'Tragic Separation', 'Fate', and 'Land Of Sorrows' although I think the entire album is pretty solid. If you like your metal in a progressive vein but still embraces an ear friendly melodic sound, this is your album. Great stuff!

Release Date: October 9, 2020

To avoid any confusion with which version of the band I am talking about, this is the Kelly Nickels and Steve Riley L.A. Guns. Renegades is their new album and it sounds pretty good. There is a cool groove running through each track and the sound reminds me a bit of the earlier days of the band. I was catching new tracks as they came out in the past few months and felt like the album as a whole would be an entertaining listen. 'Crawl' was the first track I heard and is the album opener and really does set the tone. There are 10 tracks total and it all sounds pretty consistent. For those curious, this version of the band is fronted by singer Kurt Frohlich and also includes Scott Griffin on Guitar. To summarize, I like the vibe on this record. It's easy to get into and the sound is reminiscent of earlier albums. Keep an eye out mid November for this one to drop.

Release Date: November 13, 2020

Frontiers Records really knows how to find great bands. Stardust is Hungarian and their music is melodic hard rock in nature. There is a definite 80's sound to this band from the song structure, to the guitar solos, to the vocal work. As I listened to this album I was getting hints of bands like Def Leppard, Danger Danger, and other acts like them. The music is well written and easily accessible. I've said it about other acts as well, but if this band were to have been playing in the 80's, the potential to be huge would be pretty good. The melodic rock market is a bit different now, but I still feel this band has the goods to make a lasting mark on the scene that exists today. You can check them out via YouTube with tracks like the album opener 'Runaway' or '2nd Hand Love'. There are other various tracks there as well. This is a very easy melodic hard recommend from us!

Release Date: October 9. 2020

Warrior Soul decided to do an album of covers and input was apparently given by quite a few members including former members of the band. The track selection is interesting. You have a few tracks that get covered quite a bit by other bands, but you also get some that may be a bit more unexpected like The Cars 'Let The Good Times Roll' or KC and the Sunshine Band's 'Get Down Tonight'. Sure, bands will cover these, but one wouldn't expect Warrior Soul to do so. It's actually pretty cool. There are a couple of Kiss covers with 'Cold Gin' and 'Firehouse' and even 'Outlaw' by Motörhead. The renditions are pretty faithful to the originals with a slight more metallic touch on some. You get Kory Clarke's vocals which add a different flair as well. If you dig covers albums and are a fan of the band, you'll probably like this one.

Release Date: November 13, 2020