George Lynch departed the Dokken reunion following 1997's Shadowlife, handing the reins over to ex-Winger guitarist Reb Beach. Beach has more than enough chops to fill Lynch's shoes, and although he brings his own musical personality to the riffs and solos, the songs' melodies are still recognizably Dokken. Unfortunately, those melodies are typical of post-reunion Dokken more often than not, with the band seemingly struggling to come up with the big chorus hook and just not quite getting there (a problem, come to think of it, that sometimes plagued the band in their heyday as well). Although Beach acquits himself well, the songwriting ultimately sinks the record; besides, at this stage of the game, it's difficult to believe Don Dokken when he sings "I must confess, I'm the maddest hatter of them all." Erase the Slate is workmanlike retro-'80s hard rock at its best, and thoroughly unmemorable at its worst.
01 - Exawatt - Odissea Veneziana (RondΓ² Veneziana)
Illusions is Crematory's third studio album, distributed through Massacre Records.
1. Steel Panther - Whole Lotta Rosie 4:02
Given up for dead over a decade earlier, the mighty Exodus -- the original kings of thrash metal -- made an unexpected but long-rumored return in 2004 with the release of their sixth studio album, Tempo of the Damned. But what had been intended as a long-awaited reunion of their seminal Bonded by Blood lineup was tragically thwarted with the sudden death of vocalist Paul Baloff in early 2002. Fittingly, Baloff was duly supplanted by none other than Steve "Zetro" Souza, the man who'd replaced him in the first place and who had gone on to sing on every Exodus album thereafter, including their mid-period thrash classic Fabulous Disaster. Of course the fact that Souza was clearly the better and more reliable vocalist (albeit not as fun a character as Baloff) should not be overlooked, and with the welcome involvement of long-gone founding drummer Tom Hunting, Tempo of the Damned still serves as quite the family reunion. It also doesn't disappoint musically, picking up the pieces right where the band's star-crossed career had fallen apart 11 years earlier with the underrated Force of Habit, and turning in a performance that is, at once, vintage Exodus and mindful of modern recording standards as well. All of the old, much loved Exodus hallmarks are here: lyrics filled with biting, sarcastic social commentary; no-fuss, jagged thrash metal; and unparalleled technical precision. 
01 - Ten Masked Men - Cry Me A River (Justin Timberlake)
A short-lived side project assembled by the members of costumed shock thrashers GWAR, X-Cops penned comedic hardcore and speed metal ditties inspired by the humorous darker side of law enforcement. Going under such imaginative stage names as Sheriff "Tubb" Tucker (vocals), Sgt. AlDepantsia (guitar), Lt. Louis Scrapinetti (guitar), Patrolman Cobb Knobbler (bass), Cadet Billy Club (drums), Mountain Bike Officer Biff Buff (vocals), Sgt. Zypygski (vocals), and Detective Philip McRevis (samples), the members of X-Cops locked up their debut album, You Have the Right to Remain Silent, in 1995. But they managed only a single the following year before retiring from the force and, once again, concentrating on donning their GWAR outfits thereafter.
From their modest beginnings as roadies for avant-garde Swiss metal legends Celtic Frost, the members of Coroner carved out one of the most unique careers in the European thrash metal scene. The trio was originally pegged as a conventional thrash band, but their jaw-dropping musicianship and increasingly complex, almost prog rock compositions soon won over most critics, some of which labeled them the Rush of thrash metal. Over the course of eight years and six albums, the band fought constantly to expand the limiting boundaries of thrash, yet achieved only limited commercial success for their efforts. Still, their fearless experiments have allowed their albums to endure and stand the test of time better than many of their more celebrated peers. 
Punk Goes Metal is a concept compilation, as it finds 17 of punk rock's quirkiest groups covering many heavy metal classics in their own special way. Occasionally, the songs take on a new life based on the band's interpretation (such as Link 80's brass section in Metallica's "Harvester of Sorrow"), while others stick to the integral metal qualities that left the chosen song imbedded on so many sweaty, long-haired headbangers' minds when it first came out (as does A.F.I.'s version of "My Michelle" or Dynamite Boy's superb cover of AC/DC's "TNT"). These groups have done an outstanding job of refreshing old classics, and at times old metal songs that many wish had never been unearthed, and that is the sole reason why Punk Goes Metal succeeds. Enjoyable and often humorous, this is a compilation that fans of '80s metal or '90s punk should own.| Tracks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Zyklon is the new full-time super group from Norway's most blackened regions, consisting of Emperor members Samoth (guitarist and bass) and drummer Trym, Myrkskog's Destructhor on lead guitar, and Limbonic Art vocalist Daemon. This is hyper-fast, extreme black death metal, not to be contended with from any region or country, as it blitzkriegs the listener with it's all-out sensory attack. Opener "Hammer Revelation" is just that: an over-the-top assault in the vein of old Emperor, Morbid Angel, Immortal, Bolt Thrower, or Behemoth all pushed to new levels of extremity. Resident murderer Bard Faust Eithun has decided to pen the lyrics to the album, and from what can be heard, they aren't too bad, focusing more on the apocalyptic than the overdone blasphemous tomfoolery of old. Razor-sharp production, futuristic samples, and cold, mechanical synths combine to give the whole album a degenerated industrial feel. One gets the feeling that they have entered the post-apocalyptic region somewhere between solitude and hell. Trym sounds back to old form, leaving behind his recent straightforward Emperor style, for the more experimental percussive rhythms of Zyklon with its varying tempos and mechanical persistence. Daemon's vocals sound like a black metal hybrid with old Godflesh/Justin Broadrick vocals, which accentuates the mechanized quality of the music. However, it is Destructhor and Samoth's string work, which holds the foundation of the music together, as layers of churning guitar grind through the listener with Ihshan or Trey Azagthoth-like precision. Once "Transcendental War," the closer, is reached, we are treated to the most savory morsel of all, a guest appearance by the infamous Garm. Bursting forth with boiling guitar, the song grooves into a mid-paced Morbid Angel churn at the four-minute mark, before Garm's sorely missed clean chants soar effortlessly over the music as the chaos winds down to a quiet doom. This aptly subtitled "Battle Between Gods" is a perfect, grim closure to an apocalyptic masterpiece. Those who love the extreme, commit musical suicide with Zyklon.| 1 |  | Hammer Revelation | Destructhor, Eithun, Zamoth | 6:23 | ||||
| 2 | | Deduced to Overkill | Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth | 3:16 | ||||
| 3 | | Chaos Deathcult | Akkerhaugen, Destructor ... | 5:59 | ||||
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| 4 | | Storm Detonation | Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth | 4:41 | ||||
| 5 | | Zycloned | Eithun, Trym, Zamoth | 5:24 | ||||
| 6 | | Terrordrome | Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth | 3:59 | ||||
| 7 | | Worm World | Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth | 4:15 | ||||
| 8 | | Transcendental War-Battle Between Gods | Destructor, Eithun, Zamoth | 7:19 | ||||
