Jackal - Self Titled 7”

    Pure savage hardcore punk aggression is what Jackal delivers on their self-titled 7” EP. The Florida based band brings some rancorous sounding riffs to the table and makes a short yet extremely effective statement on this new release.

    The band’s sound reminds me of classic 80’s hardcore punk, while conveying a confident and raw attitude that transcends beyond simple hardcore worship. There is a sense of fearless musical creativity which is simply uncompromising until the very end. The release starts out with a burst of merciless aggression and maintains a feverish presentation of gritty sounding hardcore.

    The EP may not be a lengthy release, however, the tracks that are featured on it definitely leave an impact. Kicking the album off is the track, “Jackal,” which is an all out assault of terrorizing riffs and pissed off sounding vocals. The next track, “Robbed Life,” starts out with some thunderous drumming and ignites a fuse of hard hitting musical insanity. Track number three, “Help Yourself,” does not allow you to take a breather, because the band continues to hammer out some furious sounding compositions. The final song, “Cornered,” concludes the chaotic hardcore onslaught with each musician doing a great job to build this wall of raw hardcore attitude which eventually comes crashing down once the song ends.

    If you were to ask me what people can take away from this release, I would say that listeners are given the opportunity know what Jackal is capable of creating and I think the band leaves quite an impression for such a short release. I definitely look forward to more music from Jackal and I really would like to catch them live. The band unleashes such raw attitude on each track, so seeing them live must be like getting thrown into a tornado of hardcore strong enough to rip your face off.

    Also check out the youtube channel “No Deal,” which has tons of great hardcore releases! Also, don’t forgot to check out Jackal’s bandcamp where you can buy the songs. Support the artist!

Jackal bandcamp:
https://jackal.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-7

Album Recommendation: Jar’d Loose "Goes to Purgatory"

    I am sent a decent amount of bands to review from different rock and metal labels, so I cannot check out every band on the planet. Sometimes it takes me a year or two to find out about an awesome band that put out an album four years ago! Well, about two months back I found out about Chicago's Jar’d Loose and can’t stop listening to their debut album, “Goes to Purgatory.”
    Surprisingly enough I found out about this band through reading their singer’s wrestling opinion column on Metalsucks. Out of the other articles on Metalsucks it was the one most worth reading. After agreeing with how he analyzed the current state of wrestling entertainment, I decided to check out his band. So, off I went to youtube and typed in the band’s name, Jar’d Loose. First song to show up was the video for, “Coming Like a Nightmare.” Once the main riff exploded through my speakers I was instantly drawn to the song. The band’s raw delivery was simple yet extremely powerful and gravitating. All I could think was...I need their album.
    Now, I did what any supportive hard rock and metal fan who hears a band on youtube that they enjoy should do... I bought a copy of their album. The purpose of this article is for me to persuade you to check out Jar’d Loose and the album, “Goes to Purgatory.” If I succeed there will be more people driving around rocking out to Jar’d Loose while people in the next lane give looks of confusion.
    The band’s unique crushing mix of hard rock and metal is established right away with the opening track, “Last Living Roach.” Singer Eddie Gobbo delivers the lyrics with this harsh and no-nonsense vocal style that is very old school hardcore punk sounding at times. As the band hammers out a distorted demon of a jam, you find yourself getting lost in the furious tsunami of noise. Song number two, “Rotten Tooth,” is a vicious piece of music with some really potent lyrics. Eva Bialecki’s bass plucks out a thunderous flurry of notes while drummer Phil Hardman utterly smashes his kit following along to the song’s main riff.
    Tracks three and four, “Appendage” and “Busted,” continue the brutal assault that the band established with the opening songs. Jar’d Loose does not need flashy solos or technical riffs to make their sound extremely heavy. Just listen to the riff guitarist Pete Adam Bialecki throws down on song number five, “Hell’s Mothers.” The riff has that powerful sonic chord destroying vibe you hear from bands like the Melvins or Saint Vitus.
    Another area where Jar’d Loose excels in and comes across as a creative force, is through their lyrics. The words are cleverly constructed to fit each songs composition. For example on the song, “Right Eye,” the lyrical phrasing is so vivid and sticks in your head. Before the chorus Eddie repeats this unapologetic sounding verse, “...No Shame, Needs No Forgiveness.”  Each word and each instrument offer such raw passion that I am hooked to every sound coming from the song.
    “Go Down With You” and the last song on the album, “Coming Like a Nightmare,” are packed with a variety of different sounding arrangements and rebellious musical ideas. “Coming Like a Nightmare,” tears through the speakers with no holds barred and simply demolishes.
    From top to bottom you will not find a dual moment on this album. Jar’d Loose is the type of hard rock and metal the world needs right now. The raw sounding expression is an honest reflection of what these musicians have to offer. Alright, I think I have said enough. Please, just go out and buy the album or I will be coming to your house like a nightmare and won’t leave until you purchase, “Goes to Purgatory.”

Jar'd Loose Facebook Page

Cinderella “Long Cold Winter” Recommendation

    Most people in the metal community tend to give Hair Metal bands a lot of shit. Yes, these bands wore outrageous outfits, overdid it with the hairspray can, and wrote cheesy love songs about messing around with females who would later become queens of the trailer parks.
    However, there were some great bands that unfortunately do not get the credit they deserve, because they were lumped in with that scene. One of those bands is Cinderella, and I am going to make the case why you should all check out their second album, “Long Cold Winter.”
    Cinderella may have looked like a typical glam band, but they could play their instruments well and created some solid hard rocking bluesy like songs. “Long Cold Winter,” is just full of ripping seventies style hard rock tracks and of course some ballads. However, these ballads are not your usual glam pop metal softy songs. Tom Keifer’s voice definitely gives the songs a unique edge and his vocal tone sounds similar to that of Brain Johnson from AC/DC. Guitar wise Cinderella seems to offer up countless catchy hard rocking riffs with wicked sounding blues pentatonic leads. Jeff LaBar and Tom Keifer work great together trading guitar parts and making the music consistently exciting. Bassist Eric Brittingham and drummer Fred Coury create a solid rhythm section that is consistent and keeps the sound grounded for Tom and Jeff to explore with their leads.
    The songs on this album all seem to have their own special sound and are written with great consideration for quality. Track number one, “Bad Seamstress Blues,” is a bluesy beast of a track. The heavy distorted guitar tone matched with that classic rock rhythm gets the foot tapping instantly. Following the opening track is in my opinion the best song on the entire album, “Gypsy Road.” This song is a perfect reflection of the rock and roll life style and has a killer main guitar riff. The guitar solo is nothing too fancy, which I think fits the song nicely. Cinderella definitely goes for that AC/DC mentality where the music is simple yet hard rock’n to the bone.
    Track three, “Don’t Know What You Got,” is probably the band’s most well know song. One reason for this is that the song was constantly played on MTV since the track is a ballad. In the eighties ballads seemed to define hair metal bands, but compared to the other eighties glam ballads I have heard, I think this one is by far the best. Tom Keifer sings with sincerity and his piano playing adds so much emotion to the song. Also, I really like the guitar solo that seems to transcend over the music and grab the listener’s attention with its vibrant tone. Another ballad type track on this album, “Coming Home,” is also very different from those other cheesy glam ballads. Cinderella may slow the tempo down, but the rock and roll spirit is always there and composition sounds good.
    Another track I want to mention is the title track. This slow blues jam sounds like something straight out of the days of Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King. Jeff and Tom really throw out some wicked sounding guitar fills. The last track on this album, “Take Me Back,” is another one of my favorites from this album, because the overall sound is pure rock and roll. Play this song in a club or play this song in an arena, the rock and roll vibe and sound does not change.
    Out of all the eighties glam bands, I think Cinderella definitely stands out from the usual excessive hairspray can groups. They make look the part, but this band is just a great hard rock band. Highly recommend this album if you have not heard it before. Do not let the band’s name or image deter you, they know how to rock!

Tracks:
1. Bad Seamstress Blues
2. Gypsy Road
3. Don't Know What You Got
4. The Last Mile
5. Second Wind
6. Long Cold Winter
7. If You Don't Like It
8. Coming Home
9. Fire and Ice
10. Take Me Back