Category: Uncategorized

By Andrew Bansal

Metal heavyweights Megadeth have had an eventful past few years, to say the least. It started with the release of their 12th studio album Endgame in 2009, the first featuring Chris Broderick on guitar, then the reunion with longtime bassist David Ellefson which led to them doing the Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour in the right earnest. The first run of this tour was with Testament and Exodus, and got the ball rolling for a never-ending touring cycle that included two more US tours in support of the Rust In Peace anniversary, then the Big 4 dates, the resurrection of Gigantour, and ending with another anniversary tour, this time for the 20th anniversary of Countdown To Extinction. Somewhere along the line, a new studio album called ‘Th1rt3en’ was also put out. The focus on the last two albums was largely lost as the band got caught up in these anniversary tours and what not. Come 2013, Megadeth has moved on to Tradecraft, a label created by Universal Music for Dave Mustaine, and today on June 4th released their 14th studio effort, ‘Super Collider’. Continue reading “Megadeth – Super Collider”

By Andrew Bansal

During the last few months, heavy metal forefathers Black Sabbath have been enormously hyping up the release of their new studio album, simply titled ’13’. With this being the first Ozzy-fronted Sabbath studio album since 1978’s ‘Never Say Die’, as a fan I was initially excited about ’13’ but as the release date drew nearer, skepticism grew large about whether the album would hold water amongst the legendary Sabbath classics, how Ozzy’s vocals would sound, whether riff master Iommi still has the magic in his songwriting, and what the modern production values would do to the Sabbath sound. I found the album’s title and artwork to be rather unimaginative, but obviously, it being a Sabbath album I overlooked that flaw and was still curious about the music. I avoided listening to any of the ‘singles’ that were put out over the internet, and waited till I had access to the entire album to form my opinion about the new Sabbath. Continue reading “Black Sabbath – 13”

By Avinash Mittur

The last few months have been a trying time for Queensrÿche fans. There are of course, two bands currently operating under the name: one led by world renowned singer Geoff Tate, and another armed with the new vocal powerhouse that is Todd La Torre. Last month, Tate released Frequency Unknown with his lineup of Queensrÿche; the version of Queensrÿche with La Torre on the mic, and original members Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield in tow, are set to release an album of their own on June 25th. This self-titled album is a tough record to offer a fair critique on. It’s an album that attempts to appeal to several disparate audiences, and finds a mixed level of success as a result.  Continue reading “Queensrÿche – Self-Titled (2013)”

By Avinash Mittur

Nearly two years ago, Judas Priest embarked on their farewell Epitaph tour. As we all know now though, things changed and the band has no intention of retiring any time soon. If the Epitaph tour was to have been their last, at least Priest would have gone out in a blaze of glory. The shows were the longest in the band’s history, and the performances only improved as the tour went on. For the two of us from Metal Assault who got to see the show, it was among the greatest we’ve ever seen. Judas Priest’s new DVD/Blu-Ray release, the aptly titled Epitaph, is a document of the band’s final show of the Epitaph tour at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, England. Epitaph is a wonderful keepsake for fans lucky enough to attend the tour, and an all-around great celebration of Judas Priest’s history.  Continue reading “Judas Priest – Epitaph”

By Avinash Mittur

When the thrash revival (or “re-thrash” as I’ve seen it called as of late) was at its peak, the new bands seemed eager to jack the riffs, fashion and social priorities (i.e. ‘fuck the posers!’) of the Bay Area legends like Exodus and Testament, and march through the brutal musical territory carved out by the likes of Kreator and Sodom. The crossover thrash movement was something that not even new bands dared to return to though. Acts like D.R.I., Dr. Know, and Stormtroopers of Death seemed forever contained in their own time bubble, only having their legacy kept alive through live shows and having their logos slapped on patch jackets. Dallas, TX’s Power Trip are a truly special bunch of dudes then. Their debut record on Southern Lord Recordings, Manifest Decimation, is a confident and rabid burst of vintage crossover released in a time when no one seems to want to mess with that sound. It’s a promising entry into the metal world for this young band, and it’ll satisfy anyone who’s gotten bored with the sounds that the millions of thrash kiddies have played to death.

Continue reading “Power Trip – Manifest Decimation”

By Avinash Mittur

The Bay Area seems to just about have it all when it comes to quality modern heavy metal. Strangely enough though, with the exception of San Jose’s Sleep, classic stoner rock and doom metal seems to have evaded the local scenes. Luckily for us that can’t get enough of the Almighty Riff though, Orchid from San Francisco have been able to nicely fill that gap in recent years. With barely any promotion and very rare live performances, Orchid have been one of the Bay Area’s best kept secrets until now. That’s truly a shame, because I’ll be damned if Orchid aren’t one of the most likable and downright cool acts coming out of the weird little town of San Francisco right now. In the two years since their first full length, Capricorn, Orchid have been rapidly gaining a following, thanks to a pair of killer EPs released in the last year and a small number of near-legendary shows at home. The band’s new record, The Mouths of Madness, is better than any fan could have hoped for though. It’s a loving tribute to the classic heavy music of old and it’s one of the best rock and roll albums anyone will hear all summer. Continue reading “Orchid – The Mouths of Madness”