Nickleback haven't made it this far by throwing their audience difficult curveballs, and All The Right Reasons--the Canadian quartet's fourth full-length--continues their run of uncomplicated, testosterone-soaked hard-rock albums without a wobble. Frontman Chad Kroeger still approaches the act of songcraft like he's chopping wood, grunting and sweating under the weight of gritted-teeth ...
Manufacturer: Roadrunner
Minutes to Midnight stands to defend Linkin Park's status as the hardest-rockin' softies in mainstream music. Like its predecessors Hybrid Theory (2000) and Meteroa (2003), Minutes to Midnight flexes plenty of decibel-heavy muscle ("Given Up," "Bleed It Out," "No More Sorrow") and made-to-order, melodic radio fare ("Leave out All the Rest," "Shadow of the Day," "In ...
Manufacturer: Warners
One of the defining moments of the 1990s, despite happening at the start of the decade. The guitars start jittering, then "BOOMA-ABOOMA-ABOOMA-ABOOM!", the drums kick in and grunge splatters itself all over a generation of MTV viewers. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" will surely always speak to alienated teenagers, while giving them something to thrash around their rooms to, kicking the whole thing off ...
Manufacturer: Polydor Group
A Beautiful Lie, the second studio album from 30 Seconds To Mars, was recorded in five different countries over a period of three years, in order to accommodate vocalist/guitarist Jared Leto's acting career. Yet the album is anything but disjointed. On the contrary, it's more consistent than its predecessor, 30 Seconds To Mars, as well as more confident, more personal (lyrically), and ...
Manufacturer: Virgin Music
Following in Staind's footsteps, Nickelback make the personal public and vent a history of frustration and resentment to melodic hard rock. Silver Side Up starts with "Never Again", an angry tirade against domestic violence that sheds light on the issue without too much sap or sentiment. The catchy "How You Remind Me" and "Woke Up This Morning" tell of rotting relationships, while other ...
Dave Grohl's sixth album fronting post-grunge rockers Foo Fighters finds him softening his game somewhat, although not in the manner of 2005's In Your Honour, which countered the Foos' stadium metal moves with a second disc of acoustic songs. Rather, Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace sees Grohl taking cues from his beloved Led Zeppelin, penning a record that incorporates ...
Manufacturer: Roswell Records/RCA/Sony BMG
O is the remarkable must-hear debut album from Dublin-born dreamer and troubadour Damien Rice. Like compatriot David Kitt, Rice is evidently a major talent, one of a select breed of loosely-affiliated modernist folk artists for whom the words "traditional" and "singer-songwriter" are hindering terminological obstacles that need to be blown clean out the way for the sake of progress. Adorned ...
Manufacturer: East West
Calling it a day in early 1999 was probably the best thing the Verve ever did, as it meant that they quit when they were at the pinnacle of their success, sparing their faithful followers an unsightly degeneration. Urban Hymns is a fitting final testament to Wigan's favourite sons, as Richard Ashcroft and Nick McCabe temporarily buried the hatchet and reformed one of Britain's greatest ...
Manufacturer: Hut
It may be too cynical to assume Hybrid Theory changed its name to Linkin Park in order to appear right next to Limp Bizkit in your local record bin. But rock-rap workouts like "One Step Closer" and "Papercut" do make Linkin Park a comfortable fit with Fred Durst and his ilk. Producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Lit) and twin vocal threats Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda serve up ...
Manufacturer: Warner
