Mediabase - Newsletters

Newsletters

Week Ending:
28 December 2024

Album Of The Week

TheBigBlack

Ghost Stories

Blue Oyster Cult - Ghost Stories (2024)

[Hard Rock]

Upon its release Blue Oyster Cult announced Ghost Stories would be their final studio album. Generally when this happens with such a long lasting and beloved band they pull out all the stops to try to produce one last great album their fans can cherish. Instead, they raided the vaults for old unreleased material, mostly recorded between 1978 and 1983, the period that included the albums Mirrors, Cultosaurus Erectus, Fire Of Unknown Origin and The Revolution By Night. These albums are all held in high regard by fans, but time will tell if the reworked left-overs included here are thought of similarly. Some additions were added to the tracks and AI was used in places to de-mix songs for rework, so this isn't just a bunch of left overs packed in the state they were found. Care and attention was apparently applied to the recordings to enhance them. That is why it is so baffling that they sound so void of any passion or intensity. 'Late Night Street Fight' is a groovy start, and opens the album up with in a rather mellow, laid-back way. It isn't the best opener, but has enough charm to hold your interest. 'Cherry' follows, but this is where the charm starts to evaporate. The song sounds like a cast off from a 1950s musical theatre show, more akin to an average Jim Steinman song than a band of this calibre. 'So Supernatural' is one of the catchier songs, and sounds more like vintage BOC than most songs on the album, but it is still ephemeral affair that feels like it would be the worst song on a better album. The cover of The Animals 'We Gotta Get Out Of This Place is flat and lifeless, but the band does breath some life into the MC5's 'Kick Out The Jams'. 'Soul Jive' and 'Gun' are both insignificant songs, saved by the slight boogie-shuffle of 'Shot In The Dark'. As the album winds up 'Don't Come Running To Me' covers the penultimate spot and is one of the better songs on the album, but then the album closes with an acoustic (and quite insipid) cover of The Beatles 'If I Fell' (apparently recorded some time in 2016). After a few listens it is clear that the title, Ghost Stories, is very suited to the material - as this sounds like an album full of songs so thin that you can see right through them. They often feel underdeveloped and flimsy to the point of being unnecessary, and the whole album is void of the vitality that once made this a great band.

mindkiller8

Superunknown

Soundgarden - Superunknown (1994)

[Grunge Rock]

Acknowledging the fact the band cut their craft in the 80's and had a couple of releases in that period which stand on their own, they eventually made it big on the alternate scene with Badmotorfinger in 1991, receiving MTV play for the likes of 'Jesus Christ Pose'. Another Seattle native band about to make it big. There will be many arguments for decades to go on who provided the biggest influence very early on. In someways it could be argued that Cornell alone was one of the biggest influences, setting up the like of Temple Of The Dog while Soundgarden were still paving their way forward. In any case, all eyes on the post Badmotorfinger release. And it hit hard in 1994 with Superunknown, that bought a ton of hits for the fans to love. It seems disrespectful to simply state the record is a bunch of catchy songs to get active on, learning the vocals and smiling whenever you heard them on the radiowaves, hanging out for them to tour the album. Yet the record has some very hard hitters like 'Fell On Black Days' and 'The Day I Tried To Live'. Call it a ballad if you will, but there are certainly parts in the record that has the listener pause for a breath and take note of the lyrics Chris has written. The album really has no fillers, with further highlights being the self-titled song, 'Spoonman', 'Limo Wreck' and finishing the record up with 'Like Suicide' - a very moody piece written by Cornell which arguably brings the listener down to reality after listening to such an engrossing release by the band. In some ways it is hard to listen to the band these days following Cornell's passing in 2017. Apart from just wanting to hear the band play again, the world has been robbed of the incredible talents of Kim Thayil and Ben Shephard. Matt Cameron being a big part of the band also of course but he lives on through Pearl Jam thankfully. R.I.P always Chris.

Artists: New Additions

These are new artists added this week.

There are no new additions this week.

Members: New Additions

These are new members added this week.

Click on any images below to see member details.

Jurgen Reil

Thrash Metal

Jurgen 'Ventor' Reil (born 29 June 1966) is a German musician, best known as the drummer for German thrash metal band Kreator. He is one of the only two original members left in the band, although he has left previously due to personal differences. He is a big fan of tattoo art and he owns his own tattoo studio in Essen-Karnap (Kreativ-Tattoo), in which he actively works as a tattooer.

Mille Petrozza

Thrash Metal

Miland 'Mille' Petrozza (born 18 December 1967) is a German musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of thrash metal band Kreator, which he started playing in as Tyrant in 1982 and renamed into Tormentor in 1984. He is also the principal songwriter of the band and the only member to appear on every Kreator album.

Labels: New Additions

These are new labels added this week.

Click on any images below to see labels details.

Island Records

Island Records is a Jamaican multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another label recently acquired by PolyGram, were both at the time the largest independent record labels in history, with Island having exerted a major influence on the progressive music scene in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s.

Locations: New Additions

These are new locations added this week.

There are no new additions this week.

Core Discographies: New Additions

These are new releases available in the Core Discographies this week.

Core Discographies Links: New Additions | New Releases | Coming Soon | Themes

Remember, Core Discographies accepts Requests. Click HERE to request your favourite album to be included.

Click on any links below to see release details.

MP3

FLAC

Municipal Waste
Tango And Thrash

[E.P.]
24 May 2024
Thrash Metal (Crossover)

'Tango And Thrash' is the third E.P. by Municipal Waste.

MP3

FLAC

Municipal Waste
Electrified Brain

[Album]
1 July 2022
Thrash Metal (Crossover)

'Electrified Brain' is the seventh studio album by Municipal Waste.

MP3

FLAC

Kreator
London Apocalypticon (Live At The Roundhouse)

[Album]
24 February 2020
Thrash Metal

'London Apocalypticon (Live At The Roundhouse)' is a live album by Kreator. It contains the band's performance at The Roundhouse in London, U.K. in December 2018.

MP3

FLAC

Municipal Waste
The Last Rager

[E.P.]
11 October 2019
Thrash Metal (Crossover)

'The Last Rager' is the second E.P. by Municipal Waste.

MP3

FLAC

Anthrax
State Of Euphoria [30th Anniversary Edition]

[Album]
5 October 2018
Thrash Metal

'State Of Euphoria [30th Anniversary Edition]' is a reissue by Anthrax. It contains the original album remastered, and some b-sides and demos.

MP3

FLAC

Blood Feast
The Future State Of Wicked

[Album]
14 April 2017
Thrash Metal

'The Future State Of Wicked' is the third album by Blood Feast.

MP3

FLAC

Voivod
Post Society

[E.P.]
26 February 2016
Thrash Metal

'Post Society' is an E.P. by Voivod. It is the band's seventeenth release overall and the first studio release with Dominique Laroche on bass, replacing Jean-Yves Theriault.

MP3

FLAC

Anthrax
Spreading The Disease [30th Anniversary Edition]

[Album]
20 November 2015
Thrash Metal

'Spreading The Disease [30th Anniversary Edition]' is a reissue by Anthrax. It contains the original album remastered, and some live tracks and demos.

MP3

FLAC

Hirax
Immortal Legacy

[Album]
24 February 2014
Thrash Metal

'Immortal Legacy' is the fifth studio album by Hirax. It is the first album since the 1980s to feature a four-piece band.

MP3

FLAC

Anthrax
Aftershock (The Island Years 1985-1990)

[Albums Boxed Set]
14 October 2013
Thrash Metal

'Aftershock (The Island Years 1985-1990)' is a boxed set by Anthrax. It contains four albums released on Island Records with some b-sides and outtakes.

MP3

FLAC

Onslaught
VI

[Album]
13 September 2013
Thrash Metal

'VI' is the sixth studio album by Onslaught. It was their second album to have bassist Jeff Williams, third in a row to have vocalist Sy Keeler (though he would leave Onslaught once again in 2020), and only to feature drummer Michael Hourihan.

MP3

FLAC

Municipal Waste
The Fatal Feast (Waste In Space)

[Album]
10 April 2012
Thrash Metal (Crossover)

'The Fatal Feast (Waste In Space)' is the fifth studio album by Municipal Waste. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard New Artist chart.

MP3

FLAC

Onslaught
Sounds Of Violence

[Album]
8 January 2011
Thrash Metal

'Sounds Of Violence' is the fifth studio album by Onslaught. This was Onslaught's first album not to feature a new singer, as Sy Keeler remained with the band after their previous album Killing Peace (2007).

MP3

FLAC

Anthrax
Among The Living [Deluxe Edition]

[Album]
10 November 2009
Thrash Metal

'Among The Living [Deluxe Edition]' is a reissue by Anthrax. It contains the original album remastered, and some b-sides and outtakes.

MP3

FLAC

Municipal Waste
Massive Aggressive

[Album]
25 August 2009
Thrash Metal (Crossover)

'Massive Aggressive' is the fourth studio album by Municipal Waste. The album artwork was done by Andrei Bouzikov, bassist of the band Deadfall.

MP3

FLAC

Voivod
Infini

[Album]
23 June 2009
Thrash Metal

'Infini' is the twelfth studio album by Voivod. It is their last album to include contributions by their late original guitarist Piggy, who died nearly four years earlier, and their last to feature Jason Newsted on bass.

MP3

FLAC

Municipal Waste
The Art Of Partying

[Album]
11 June 2007
Thrash Metal (Crossover)

'The Art Of Partying' is the third studio album by Municipal Waste.

MP3

FLAC

Onslaught
Killing Peace

[Album]
5 March 2007
Thrash Metal

'Killing Peace' is the fourth studio album by Onslaught. It was their first album since 1989's In Search Of Sanity and the first to feature vocalist Sy Keeler since 1986's The Force.

MP3

FLAC

Sepultura
Live In Sao Paulo

[Album]
8 November 2005
Thrash Metal

'Live In Sao Paulo' is the second live album by Sepultura. It contains the complete performance from a concert in Sao Paulo. Brazil in April 2005.

MP3

FLAC

Rumpelstiltskin Grinder
Buried In The Front Yard.

[Album]
11 September 2005
Thrash Metal (Crossover)

'Buried In The Front Yard.' is the debut studio album by Rumpelstiltskin Grinder.

MP3

FLAC

Municipal Waste
Hazardous Mutation

[Album]
29 August 2005
Thrash Metal (Crossover)

'Hazardous Mutation' is the second album by Municipal Waste. It is also the band's debut on Earache Records. The album's main theme is zombies, other monsters, and partying all tied together with humorous yet brutal lyrics.

MP3

FLAC

Destruction
Inventor Of Evil

[Album]
22 August 2005
Thrash Metal

'Inventor Of Evil' is the ninth studio album by Destruction.

MP3

FLAC

Megadeth
Greatest Hits, Back To The Start

[Compilation Album]
28 June 2005
Thrash Metal

'Greatest Hits, Back To The Start' is the second compilation album by Megadeth. The title is a reference to lyrics in "Rust In Peace... Polaris" from Megadeth's 1990 album Rust In Peace. The cover art is an edited version of the 1954 Castle Romeo H-bomb test.

MP3

FLAC