Kansas - The Prelude Implicit

Kansas

The Prelude Implicit

Available Now!

This one caught me by surprise when it popped up in my inbox. Kansas? Like, the Kansas are putting out a new album and want me to review it? Talk about an opportunity you can't pass up.

When you talk "classic rock" there are always some bands you need to include on your list. AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd to name a few. Kansas should also be on that list. From the moment this album starts it transports the listener back in time. Back to a time before the internet, smartphones, iPads, and a crippling national debt. 

The Prelude Implicit is the bands first album in sixteen years, adding to a very impressive discography that dates back to the bands debut self-titled LP in 1974. John Elefante, Rich Williams, Phil Ehart, and Billy Greer, make sure the album has that quintessential "Kansas" feel to it.

Overall The Prelude Implicit is a great album for any classic rock fan ... for any rock fan, really. Kansas will be debuting songs off The Prelude Implicit this fall, live in concert, as part of their Leftoverture 40th Anniversary Tour which stops in Boston on November 26th. Tickets can be purchased at www.kansasband.com.

Finding Common Ground - Emergence

Finding Common Ground

Emergence

Available Now!

For fans of: The Menzingers - The Wonder Years

Finding Common Ground, a four-piece punk/Indie band out of Colorado is one of those bands you need to start listening to now. Their most recent release, the EP Emergence is just magical. 

With two hard-hitting punk tracks and an Indie acoustic song, this three track EP surely should not be overlooked. 

Packed full of melodies that remind us of The Menzingers and State Champs to lyrics mired with feeling of The Wonder Years, it makes for a great listening experience. 

The three tracks on Emergence left us wanting much more so we listened to The Time That's Passed, their LP that debuted last year and were equally impressed. 

With a "name your price" option up on their bandcamp page right now, do yourself a favor and go drop $5 on this baby. Hell, pick up their LP from last year, too, and start telling all your friends to listen to these guys. 

Knocked Loose - Laugh Tracks

Knocked Loose

Laugh Tracks

Available 9/16

For fans of: Vanna, Expire

Coming off an appearance on the "Common Vision Tour 2016" with The Accadia Strain and Oceano, the band saw their popularity skyrocket. With nearly 8,000 followers on Twitter and 35,000 on Facebook, it is very surprising that Laugh Tracks is the bands debut album. The best way we can explain the album is "heavy af."

Though not our normal genre, we really enjoyed listening to the album.  There is so much energy in throughout Laugh Tracks and that seems to be what the band was aiming for. They told Alternative Press that, "Laugh Tracks is an aggressive album that refuses to be pigeonholed or cornered into one particular subgenre." 

"With this album, I stopped being angry for the sake of being angry. I had to reach inside of me to get something worthy of an album. We put this album on a pedestal. We scratched so many songs, so many lyrics—everything had to be a certain standard before we showed it to anyone else. I go a lot deeper, and I get very personal on this album. Sometimes I get very sad on some songs and in other moments I get very angry. Our band is kinda sandwiched between hardcore and metalcore, and a lot of people are very strict with subgenres for whatever reason. Knocked Loose doesn’t pay attention to that. We like it all: You can call us a hardcore band, you can call us a metalcore band, you can call us whatever, it’s not a focus for us." -Bryan Garris vocals

Laugh Tracks truly is a great album, especially for a debut full-length. With their already large following on social media they should have no problem moving the album, especially in the first week when it really counts. 

Light Years - Lite Years

Light Years

Lite Years

Available Now!

We have have the pleasure of interviewing Light Years twice, once in Worcester, and again in Portland, Maine. Both times they were friendly, funny, and energetic. They have been around the world in 2016, starting the year off with a bang as support for Neck Deep and State Champs as they kicked it around the UK. 

Lite Years takes three songs off their 2015 smash album I'll See You When I See You and creates a warm fuzzy feeling inside us. Vocals and guitar by frontman Pat Kennedy are mellow and pretty much all we could ask for in an acoustic EP. 

Though only four tracks, do yourself a favor and pick this baby up. Perfect for a rainy day or relaxing day in Lite Years is damn good.

A Day To Remember - Bad Vibrations

A Day To Remember

Bad Vibrations

Out Now!

A Day To Remember's highly anticipated album has finally been released. Their first since Common Courtesy in 2013, Bad Vibrations delivers a total knockout. Seemingly the ultimate culmination of the band, Bad Vibrations has sounds varying between For Those Who Have a Heart, to Homesick and What Separates Me From You. 

Heavy riffs mixed with deep vocals bring us the heavier side of ADTR that we love along while punky chords and lyrics give the album some flavor and a bit of character. 

Easily one of their best albums to date, ADTR is currently out on tour with blink-182; expect to see a headlining tour later this year or in early 2017.

Listen to:

  • Paranoia
  • We Got This

The Mahones - The Very Best: 25 Years of Irish Punk

The Mahones

The Very Best: 25 Years of Irish Punk

Available August 26th

The Very Best: 25 Years of Irish Punk Tracklist:

01. Scruffy's Intro
02. A Great Night On The Lash
03. Paint The Town Red
04. Shakespeare Road
05. GIve It All You Got
06. A Drunken Night In Dublin
07. Ghost Of A Whiskey Devil
08. Across The USA
09. Streets Of New York
10. Queen And Tequila
11. One Last Shot
12. Down The Boozer
13. Angels and Devils
14. Is This Bar Open 'Til Tomorrow
15. Teenage Kicks
16. Drunken Lazy Bastard
17. The Hunger & The Fight
18. Punk Rock Saved My Life
19. Last One To Die
20. Alternative Ulster
21. Wild Rover (Live In Italy)

Like any greatest hits album a lot went into selecting what went on this album. "We pretty much went with the songs we were performing live on The Hunger & The Fight World Tour," frontman Finny McConnell told us.  "We did mainly fan favourites and a few new songs on that tour, so when we finished the tour in December 2015, we went straight into Telejet Recording Studio in Toronto and recorded about 40 songs. We were so tight from touring that most of these songs were recorded on the first take. I really love these new versions. I think I may even like them better than the originals!" Finny also told us that an acoustic "best of" will be coming out next year.

Be sure to pick up your copy when "The Very Best" comes out and look our for tour dates.

Acadia - InFocus

Acadia

InFocus

Available 8/25

The highly anticipated EP from one of Maine's premier alternative bands is finally here. With a song that features Jordan Black of Like Pacific, this is not an EP to take lightly.

Acadia is set to do a weekend run from August 25-28 with stops in Burlington, VT, Rochester, NY, Revere, MA, and wrapping up with a homeshow in Portland on the 28th. The band is also slated to open for Like Pacific and Broadside on the "Distant Like You Asked Tour" October 12th in Cambridge, MA. 

InFocus is everything we hoped it would be. Upbeat, crisp, and with a handful of catchy chorus'. 

Starting off with 'Victory,' InFocus only gets better as it goes. The second track 'Casablanca' is one of our favorites on the EP. "And I, I never wanted you gone, I'm sorry if you felt that way!" screams frontman Jameson Trudel. Throw in a "Here's looking at you, kid, here's looking at you," and you have a perfect time to point your finger at the band while shouting the lyrics.

'Silence' brings it down a notch, a slow song that the band feared might not fit on the EP but actually fits perfectly. "I wish I could hold you tight, I wish that we could have just one more night, I'd do anything for another chance," Jameson sings. 

Without a doubt our favorite track on the album is 'Pawtucket Street." Just listen below and you will understand why. It's no small task to have the lead singer of one of the summer's hottest bands to be featured in one of your songs. Like Pacific continually drew large crowds during their performances this summer on Warped Tour, even when larger, more popular bands were playing.

Closing out the EP is the band's first single 'Radiant.' When this song first came out I knew the band was destined for big things. Originally featuring Matty Arsenault of A Loss For Words 'Radiant' is a fan-favorite and always draws a great response. 

Overall InFocus is a great EP, probably one of the best alternative EP's we have heard this year. Pick up your copy when it comes out and be sure to catch them at one of their upcoming shows.

At the Heart of it - you couldn't stay

At the Heart of it

you couldn't stay

Available Now via Wide Eyed Noise

Dubbed what the band called an "urgent release," At the Heart of it's latest release you couldn't stay delivers a strong and powerful message. 

The EP starts with 'Currents' - a song full of emotion and pain. "We watched your innocence slowly slip away, swallowed by the sea," frontman Richie Downs sings. "Taken from us well before your time. Ripped from your friends, your family and your life." Holy shit that's some serious stuff. The song continues down that path by later asking, "Are we all just swept away? Without a face? Without a name? Never feeling safe in your own skin."  A song full of raw emotion is only amplified when seen live. With Richie covering the entire floorspace to guitarists jumping off amps, ATHOI not only delivers a powerful message in their song but a powerful performance as well.

The second and final track, 'Sunspots,' is just as good as the first. Written about a lost loved one the song plays out as a letter to someone who is no longer with us. "I heard you say that nothing lasts forever but the memories we've made along the way, but I can still see your face. As clear and ever present as the moment that they took you away," Richie sings. " tried to tell myself that it was just your time. I tried to focus on your life, but it's your absence that defines who I've become now." By far my favorite song on the EP, 'Sunspots' is so full of pain and emotion and is a song anyone who has lost a loved one can relate to. "I believe that a piece of you lives on in every piece of me. You're never truly gone as long as we continue to breathe," are two lines that show us loved ones are truly never gone. The pain of losing a loved one never goes away, we merely learn, however tough, to live without them. ATHOI delivers this message perfectly.

With so much emotion packed into two tracks you couldn't stay is an album you're going to want to have on repeat. Listen to the album on their bandcamp here.

Trapt - DNA

Trapt

DNA

Available: August 19th

Trapt, the California-based rock band best known for their 2002 hit "Headstrong," is back at it with their seventh studio album "DNA."

The band is currently out on the "Make America Rock Again" tour which will feature other artists who had success in the 2000s. With names like Drowning Pool, Puddle of Mudd, and Saving Abel, this is a tour you do not want to miss.

The album stars off strong with "Human (Like The Rest of Us)" with a sound that is instantly recognizable as Trapt. Chris Taylor Brown's familiar voice and guitar transport us back to a different period of rock while Pete Charell lays down a great bass line. 

Newer members Brendan Hengle (drums) and Ty Fury (lead guitar/backing vox) have their moments, but this album is all about the name. Throughout the album we are presented with a sound we all grew to know and enjoy years ago. The album has its softer moment with "Castaway" and "Fallen Angel" but still comes off as a great hard-rock album.

Trapt is back at it and like their tour states, want to make America rock again. This album is a step in the right direction. 

Listen to: Human (Like The Rest Of Us) & Changing Hands

Islander - Power Under Control

Islander

Power Under Control

Out 8/5 via Victory Records

"Power Under Control finds ISLANDER doubling down on their alt-rock, punk via hip-hop inspired sound that’s modern than retro." -Victory Records

The first time I saw Islander was when they were out on tour with Papa Roach and still trying to make a name for themselves. Fast forward nearly two years and here we are. ISLANDER's highly anticipated sophomore album "Power Under Control" does not disappoint. With the same raw energy and a new addition ISLANDER is ready to take over the rock world.

"Founding member and vocalist Mikey Carvajal was joined by Korn/Love And Death wunderkind guitarist J.R. Bareis in 2015, leading the band on a powerful new path. The seeds of this relationship were planted during 2014’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Fest, when word of ISLANDER’s explosive performances quickly spread to the tour’s headliners Avenged Sevenfold and Korn - who flocked to watch the band almost daily. Bareis, who was then guitar tech for Korn’s Brian “Head” Welch, soon found himself in the role as ISLANDER’s new guitar player. " - Victory Records

The album was recorded with Cameron Webb (Motohead, Alkaline Trio) at NRG Studios. 

Touring with bands like Korn, Papa Roach, P.O.D., Suicide Silence, Seether, Nothing More, and many others helped them get their name out - hard work and dedication at it's finest.

ISLANDER have given us one of the best hard-rock albums of the year with 'Power Under Control' and are currently out on a headlining tour and don't look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Call in Artillery - This is Temporary

Call in Artillery

This is Temporary

Available Now!

It's not very often you find an album with such a wide range of sound, but that is exactly what Call in Artillery gives us with their full-length This is Temporary. 

The first track, 'Fight Night,' gives an alternative vibe and draws the listener in. With a catchy chorus the track is very enjoyable and seemingly sets the tone of the album, but the next track catches everyone off guard.

With a mix of both electric and acoustic guitars and chord progression 'Lipstick' gives off a country/folk vibe but is quite enjoyable.  The third track, 'Blackout' jumps back to an alternative sound and is one of our favorite tracks on the album. 

'I Won't Let Go' follows up nicely as an answer to 'Black Out's' chours "Don't let me go." With an electronica vibe this track sticks out but provides a nice break from the alternative/folk sound. Featuring Tommy Drapon the synth fits well with the rap Tommy lays down.

'Fuck You.' Not a subtle title, but this is without a doubt our favorite track on the album. The most punk-sounding of all tracks on the album you could tell us this song was written by The Ramones or The Clash and we would believe you. Though it's only 0:44 we recommend you listen to it. Hell, listen to it multiple times.

'Care Free Living' brings us back to the main sound of the album and reminds us of Frank Turner, and that's not a bad thing. 

'Hey Natalie' feels like it's an acoustic version of a heavier punk song and has a great sound. This song makes you think and really draws out  emotions in the listener.

The last track, 'Hands To The Sky' features PIЯ and brings us back to high school. Everything about this track screams Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory and we surprisingly love it.

This is Temporary has a wide range of sound and although we love it we wish it were more consistent. The band has an outstanding alternative and they need to focus on that. Overall This is Temporary is a great debut album and has us excited for what they do next.

Listen to: Care Free Living, Fuck You 

CallinArtillery.Bandcamp.com

Soundcloud.com/CallinArtillery

Facebook.com/CallinArtilleryOfficial

Twitter.com/CallinArtillery

Crown The Empire - Retrograde

Crown The Empire

Retrograde

Available July 22

Crown The Empire's latest album is the latest from a band still making their name in the scene. After releasing Fallout in 2012 a few lineup adjustments were made and Fallout was re-released in 2013 followed by their most successful album, The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways in 2014. 

Currently out on Vans Warped Tour, the band has endlessly been promoting the new album via social media and during their set times. Andy Leo and David Escamilla do a great job working together vocally on the album while Brandon Hoover's guitar skills provide a solid backbone all sewn together by the heartbeat Brent Taddie provides on the drums. 

Zero is without a doubt the best track on the album with a solid back-and-forth between clean and dirty vocals while all other tracks round out the album very well

Overall Retrograde is a fantastic follow-up to their 2014 album The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways and will leave any fan of CTE eager for more.

Listen to: Zero

Save The Lost Boys - Temptress

Save The Lost Boys

Temptress

Available July 15

Spoiler alert, this album is amazing. "It's a big story," bassist Josh Hall said when speaking about the album. "At the time Lee and I were having issuse with relationships and we wrote from every facet of what we were feeling," something made very apparent in Bad Names. 

Temptress embodies everything that pop-punk was and continues to be. Drawing heavily from bands like blink-182 and New Found Glory, the guys in Save The Lost Boys have banded together to give us one of the best albums of the year. Their charisma shines throughout the album which can be enjoyed front to back.

Vocalist/guitarist Lee Weiss has a very open and energetic personality that also makes the band very enjoyable to see live. We would not be surprised that down the road STLB gains the same fame as newer pop-punk acts like State Champs and Neck Deep.

Listen to: Bad Names, DAY > FLL

Cane Hill - Smile

Cane Hill

Smile

Available July 15

"I think my greatest accomplishment is realizing I was complete shit and fixing it instead of being complacent," Cane Hill vocalist Elijah Witt said to Alt Press. 

This metal band from New Orleans, LA is set to release their debut record "Smile" tomorrow and it is an absolute one-two punch to the face.  Everyone at Crowdsurf was thoroughly impressed with the album and it was abundantly clear why Cane Hill will be attending the APMAs as a "Best Underground Artist" nominee. 

Smile is completely unique and unlike anything that is circling the nu-metal scene right now. "Screwtape" was on their self-titled EP but has been completely revamped on this album. Witt's vocal range is phenomenal and is really what makes this album worth listening to. 

Listen to: Screwtape

 

  

Down and Outlaws - Above Snakes

Down and Outlaws

Above Snakes

Available July 8

 

Breaking from our norm of punk and pop-punk, we just had to sit down and listen to Above Snakes, the latest album to come from hard blues rockers Down and Outlaws. 

In "I Don't Care," Peter Danzig sings, "I'm a sickness, I'm a cheat, I don't care if I feel a thing," to which the whole band responds, "I don't care," hence the title of the song. 

With a tough, raspy sound that reminded us of Queens of the Stone Age, Alice In Chain, and Black Keys this four-piece band is on track to break through in a market that doesn't get the attention it deserves. 

From States Away - Hypervigilant

From States Away

Hypervigilant

Available: July 8

It's hard to stay unbiased when reviewing your friends album, but New York/Connecticut based punks From States Away have given us a remarkable  EP that will surely help them break though in their highly competitive market. 

With a sound that ranges from classing New Found Glory to A Day To Remember's "Common Courtesy" this is an EP all fans of pop-punk can enjoy. Unsurprisingly, From States Away won a spot on the Ernie Ball Stage in 2015 and played the Hartford date of Vans Warped Tour.

From States Away sophomore EP leaves you wanting more, and that's always a good thing. 

Listen to: Fight or Flight

 

 

blink-182 - California

blink-182

California

How fitting is it that on the 182nd day of the year we get new blink-182?

Coming into this album we had no idea what to expect. The first single released was Bored to Death which everyone said was much too similar to Adam’s Song. A few weeks prior to release they released Rabbit Hole which stuck to that familiar blink-182 sound we all grew up with and left many of us with high hopes for the album.

Opening with Cynical a catchy song that builds into those Travis Barker solos we all love and Mark Hoppus vocals we fell in love with in the early 2000’s. Once he sings, “What’s the point of saying sorry now?” we were hooked.

The album is filled with references to the bands home state of California, fitting since the album is named after the state, and does its best to remind us that blink-182 is still a force to be reckoned with. "I’m in deep with this girl but she’s out of her mind,” they sing in one track and, “I wanna see some naked dudes, that’s why I built this pool,” in another.

Keeping their sense of humor and doing all they can to cover up the absence of DeLonge, blink-182 delivered an absolute knockout with this album. Many blink purists may disagree, but musically the album is solid. 

Bored To Death - blink-182

Masked Intruder

Masked Intruder

Love and Other Crimes

Due out: July 8 via Pure Noise Records

Masked Intruder hails from Madison, WI and is comprised of masked band members simply known as Intruder Blue, Intruder Green, Intruder Yellow, and Intruder Red. Since their inception in 2011, the band has released two coveted albums, 2012’s self-titled, 2014’s M.I., and a handful of EPs which have achieved mass notoriety. 

Their newest album, "Love and Other Crimes," stirs up memories of Millencolin and NOFX which is fitting since Masked Intruder is Fat Wreck Chords, side project of outspoken NOFX guitarist Fat Mike. 

The album has an excellent pop/power punk feel to it. Amazing harmonies and melodies that everyone can enjoy make this album a must-listen. Just like past albums, Love and Other Crimes gives us that warm fuzzy feeling that all great music does. Be sure to pick up this album and catch Masked Intruder on Vans Warped Tour all summer.

Listen to: First Star Tonight 

Direct Hit!

Direct Hit!

Wasted Mind

The new Direct Hit! album Wasted Mind is by far one of the greatest things we have ever listened to.  The tone of the album is set from the get go when they tell people over 40 not to listen because it’ll make them mad in the opening track, 'A Message to Young People.' 

This album is one of the best released so far this year, the fast pace the beats, and lyrics are ones that inspire jumping around, which makes us wonder what a live show would be like. No need to worry, though. Direct Hit! will be in Boston on July 9th. 

With a true punk sound the album brings up memories of older Green Day and even The Ramones, Direct Hit! have an instant classic with Wasted Mind. 

Go listen to: Hospital For Heroes