Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Degreed, Frozen Land, Evile, Houston,

Index

'Public Address' is the band's seventh and latest album. For me, it has been fun to watch this band evolve. I first caught the band from the 'Dead But Not Forgotten' album. I was very impressed and have been taking the ride with them ever since. It always sounds cliché to say that the band's latest effort could be there best, but honestly, this album is amazing. I have taken the time to really sink my teeth into this one and it's as solid as anything they have done. The band have a good rock edge to the music and great choruses as always. I really do believe that in our day and age degreed is becoming one of the more premier bands in the genre. As bands from the eighties age, we always look towards the genre being handed off to a younger crowd of bands to continue the work that has been done. If this album gives any indication, the genre is in good hands!

Release Date: July 7, 2023

Frozen Land is new to me. I really wasn't familiar with them to this point, but did take a quick listen to them and came away with my interest peaked. For others who may not be familiar with them, they play a power metal style which I feel goes back to the 90's sound of bands like Helloween and Gamma Ray. Plenty of similarities with those bands, but at the same time, Frozen Land holds their own. The music is accessible and performances are very good. Their are 9 tracks total on this album with the running time coming in at just over 38 minutes. Kind of short, but pretty damn effective in my opinion. The first 7 tracks are of that power metal style described. The final 2 songs add in a dance/synth element to add an extra catchiness to it. Do check out the video for 'Señorita' to see what I mean. I really dig the band and this album. Easy recommend!

Release Date: June 16, 2023

When I go in to a new Evile album, I generally have expectations. This band set the bar pretty high with 2007's

'Enter The Grave'. The first track I ever heard by the band was 'Thrasher' and I was definitely hooked being the thrash fan that I am. This new album is definitely Evile, but continues to show the band grow their sound. As I made my way through the first half of the album, I was thinking their were some similarities to Metallica and their slower chugging rhythm work similar to songs on the black album. The album does eventually kick it up a notch in terms of tempo. The songs are all really good as I had expected. It is worth mentioning that Ol Drake had left the band, but returned and as of the latest album is handling lead vocal duties as well as lead guitar. Once again, I found a lot to like with this latest album. Good heavy music with excellent delivery!

'Release Date: July 14, 2023

If you are familiar with the melodic rock band Houston, you will be aware of the 'Relaunch' albums. The band has been releasing albums with original material and then 'Relaunch' material. What that means is the band highlights melodic hard rock songs from the past that may be more obscure to some and it shines a light on these songs that may have been missed years ago. I always enjoy these albums personally. This third release showcases plenty of good material, but the one that definitely stands out for me is 'Sound Of A Breaking Heart' originally released by Prophet. I was a huge fan of the 'Cycle Of The Moon' album and really thought it was never given it's due. Houston does a great job not only with that track, but the entire album. It's a good bet that some of these songs are going to be new to fans. Enjoy these, but search out the originals as well!

Release Date: July 14, 2023

Last time we checked in with Scream Maker who comes to us out of Poland, they had just had their 'Scream Maker' album reissued via the Frontiers Records label. Obviously, that means it had been out previously, but Frontiers was able to broaden the audience with their distribution. The promise of what was to come with that album is now fulfilled with the band's latest 'Land Of Fire'. I really dig the band's formula for writing as well as their sound. They sound pretty traditional in terms of their metal sound. Once again, I heard things that reminded me of the 80's Iron Maiden albums. Little things in the compositions that fans will be able to pick up on. This album started off really good for me and as I took subsequent journeys through it, it got better and better. It's a grower type of album. Stick with it and it gets better each time. One of Frontiers' solid metal acts!

Release Date: July 14, 2023