“No Regrets”, by Dope (Koch)

Latest album from Edsel and friends moves forward by looking backward

A new Dope album is a truly wonderful event in the music world. Despite the seemingly endless revolving-door of band members, Edsel Dope’s rock-steady leadership has seen the band stick to what it’s very good at – i.e. releasing heavy, gruffly-melodic hard rock-metal albums with a rather punk attitude.

The 16 tracks on this album are all brilliant, with the first 13 being simply amazing (the final three tracks on the album are bonus oddities; “Die, Bom, Bang, Burn, Fuck”, for example, is an amalgamation of a number of past songs in a live mash-up style). If you are familiar with Dope’s previous output, then you’ll be pretty sure of what you’re going to get on No Regrets.

Edsel’s gravelly-yet-melodic singing style remains as strong as ever, with Virus’s guitar playing going up a notch – the power-chords are still there, but you’ll also find some interesting harmonics and solos throughout the album. The punky, snotty, anti-establishment attitude is still strong and it makes for a fast-paced album. If the music doesn’t get your blood pumping, then you might just be dead.

The music is a blend of what has come before. There are the more melodic moments that featured prominently on Life (2001), but equally the harsher, heavier and angrier elements of their debut, Felons & Revolutionaries (1999). The band has always mixed these elements, it’s true, but it’s possible that they’ve finally found the perfect mix, which coupled with their realization that sometimes shorter songs work better, makes No Regrets an exceptionally gratifying listen. I have no doubt that my neighbours both upstairs and on the same floor are already annoyed with my singing along to “My Funeral”, “Rebel Yell” and especially “Addiction” (which is ready-made for mosh-pits the world over).

Simply superb, and just what we needed in this depressing, serious time. Very highly recommended.

Best cuts (if I have to choose some): “No Regrets”, “My Funeral”, “Rebel Yell”, “Addiction”, “Violence”

Discography: Felons & Revolutionaries (1999), Life (2001), Group Therapy (2003), American Apathy (2005), No Regrets (2009)

For Fans of: Makeshift Romeo, Static-X, Five Finger Death Punch, Twisted Method, Motograter, Engel, Drowning Pool, Egypt Central, Burn Halo, HellYeah, Rev Theory

“Burn Halo”, by Burn Halo (Rawkhead Records)

Former Eighteen Visions’ singer releases one of the best rock albums of the decade

For anyone familiar with Eighteen Visions’ final, eponymous album, Burn Halo’s sound will come as a pleasant surprise. This is a straight-up rock album, with none of the emo or hardcore posing of Eighteen Visions. Songs like “Too Late To Tell You Now” and “Dead End Roads & Lost Highways” easily fit alongside songs by such bands as Shinedown, Black Stone Cherry, Foo Fighters and other more commercial rock acts. “So Addicted” has a snotty, punk-rock snarl throughout, reminiscent of Buckcherry or Papa Roach, and maybe Dope at their more commercial. This is not to say that Burn Halo are carbon-copies of the above bands; far from it. The band clearly have their own sound, and while James Hart’s vocals are still reminiscent of his previous work (though leagues ahead in terms of quality and variation), overall the music has more in common with Guns ‘N’ Roses, recent Avenged Sevenfold, and perhaps even Aerosmith than his previous cohorts in the emo/hardcore scenes. For this reason, this is one of the best albums recent in quite some time.

If you’re put off by the reference-heavy nature of this review, don’t be. Burn Halo are their own band, and their sound is their own, but the varied-yet-consistent quality of the songs allows them to mix with a broad spectrum of other contemporary rock acts, and should give them a massive appeal to the wider community of rock fans the world over.

In four words: Superb, addictive, original, essential.

A must for fans of: Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold (post-City of Evil), Guns ‘N’ Roses

www.myspace.com/burnhalo