2015 has given us some great material (which I'll be discussing next week) but to finish what's been a pretty decent year in music, it's time to dust off the Taster Session posts and take a look at five singles from albums that'll (hopefully) be released in 2016. If the year can be judged based on this snippet of music, we'll hopefully be in for another treat!
"Dark Energy" - The Cult (listen here)
From the album Hidden City (5/2/16)
Our first taste of the new year comes from The Cult bringing us a song that definitely doesn't sound like The Cult I know! Don't get me wrong, it's still Hard Rock but their typical clean-toned Guitar and 4/4 rhythms have been replaced with crunching riffs and tribal drums. Luckily, Ian Astbury is still with the band and he's certainly still capable of carrying a top notch vocal line so it doesn't sound like a tribute act yet. Based on this song, I'm definitely looking forward to their new album, even if the album cover is a bit Prog Metal-ish for The Cult.
"Victorious" - Wolfmother (listen here)
From the album Victorious (19/2/15)
If the previous song was a good example of a band straying away from their typical sound and producing something awesome, this is a great example of a band sticking with their guns and also producing something awesome. I've yet to listen to Wolfmother's third album that I'm guessing the band weren't exactly proud of when they essentially leaked it online with no announcement or anything BUT this title track is exactly what I expect when I listen to the band. A bouncing rhythm, heavy Guitar riffs, Andrew Stockdale wailing away and a catchy chorus, all wrapped up in a neat package.
I'm not sure if the band intentionally broke into a cover of "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath mid-song or if it just sort of happened during a particularly good recording take but I'm glad they left it in! Unlike several previous entries on Taster Session posts, I've actually listened to another tune teased from the upcoming album entitled "City Life". Let's just say that those two tracks combined have made me VERY excited for February 19th. VERY excited!
"Fatal Illusion" - Megadeth (listen here)
From the album Dystopia (22/1/16)
When Super Collider was released, Metalheads all over the world felt like Megadeth had gone too commercial and accidentally recorded a Hard Rock album instead of a Metal one. Can't say I blame them, as it only really had one song worthy of Megadeth's name ("Kingmaker"), even if there were some decent tunes peppered throughout. However, this track sounds like the band have sorted themselves out and gone back to proper Thrash!
There's a strong "Peace Sells" feel about this track, whether it's in the opening bass riff or tempo change mid-song. If that was the band's intention, good on them! Hopefully the rest of the album will have the same energy and aggression, even if the band have pretty much said that they don't just want to write Rust In Peace over and over again. Yeah, consider me pumped for this as well!
"This City Made Us" - The Protomen (listen here)
From the album Act III (??/??/??)
I'm not sure when their third album will come out but since a single's been released, I'm guessing it'll be 2016. Anyway, as I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of these guys but every now and then, they nail it. This is one of those songs that they've nailed! If you like late 80's Queensryche, do give this one a listen. It may not have a memorable solo or any of the frills of 80's Metal but it does have each band member giving it their all and coming up with something that actually makes me want to listen to more of their material, even if I thought their earlier work was a little pompous for video game inspired Rock opera.
"Lords Of Summer" - Metallica (listen here)
From the album ???? (??/??/??)
Remember how Metallica were going to release a new studio album this year? Even Iron Maiden got The Book Of Souls out this year and their lead vocalist was busy kicking cancer's arse so I'd love to hear their excuse! So far, the closest thing to a new album tease is a demo version of a song which may or may not appear on the (as of yet) untitled 2016/17 album. Much like Megadeth's "Peace Sells" tribute, this sounds like Metallica's way of saying "So you want more ...And Justice For All, huh?" and even though this is just a demo track, I'm liking what I'm hearing.
It's full to the brim with heavy riffing and even if the mix isn't perfect or even acceptable for a studio album release, it's given me faith in the band's ability to deliver a suitable follow up to Death Magnetic that'll hopefully make up for Lulu. Hopefully the band will turn this track into a fleshed out studio version and not just keep it as a B-side that they'll occasionally play live. Also, I know this song was first heard in 2014 but the way I see it, it's to promote something that'll likely come out in 2016. Therefore, it counts!
So yeah, looks like the "Next Time..." trailer for 2016's album releases is full of action, at least on the Rock/Metal side. There are also a few albums from 2015 I've yet to listen to like the last ever Motorhead album (RIP Lemmy) and a new one from ELO...or should that be Jeff Lynne's ELO?
Once again, have a Happy New Year and I'll see you all in 2016!
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