If you’re into heavy stuff, you’re totally gonna like what’s come out in music this week…

  Shinedown – Amaryllis

Shinedown’s become very well known in mainstream rock the past 7-8 years it seems. From their songs “45” and “Fly From the Inside” to “Sound of Madness” and “Diamond Eyes,” this band has been churning out hits like crazy. The first single from Amaryllis, “Bully” is in the same vein as those songs. Hard rocking, in your eyes, and quite thought-provoking. One can only imagine the other 11 tracks are exactly like that! Released at the same time as the album, the band has also put out an e-book for people to purchase online, titled For Your Sake: Inside the Making of Shinedown’s Amaryllis. According to fmqb.com, Shinedown is the first of band to take advantage of Apple’s iBooks 2 app to make an e-book, so this is history in the flesh, folks.

Modern Day Escape – Under the Gun

Let me start off by telling you about MDE’s lead singer, because this lil factoid is pretty damn awesome….he has a sleeve of tattoos dedicated to video games. That’s right, you heard me. Don’t believe me? Check it out. Modern Day Escape isn’t your average screaming metal band, cuz they’re actually quite good. Lead single “Under the Gun” (see what they did there) is heavy, it’s loud, and it’s rockin’. I’d expect more of that from them on the rest of the album itself!

Ministry – Relapse

I don’t think you’ll find a more politically charged metal band than Ministry. However, having just heard their first single “99%” (formerly titled as “99 Percenter,” it’d be tough to recommend this one. Whether it’s the basic, formulaic sound of it, or the poor, poor quality of the music video, this song just isn’t that good. The band behind “Lieslieslies” have seen better albums, but that’s not to say it’s the worst thing ever, as it’s still listenable. Just could be a LOT better.

 The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet

If we could go into a different direction for a bit, then the Mars Volta are the PERFECT band to do that with. Not sexually, of course (well…maybe…) but if you want something that defines experimental, then you’re gonna wanna check this band out now. “The Malkin Jewel” just screams TMV, it’s like they haven’t strayed from where they’ve been, but they can still sound completely not-normal. It just shows off how this El Paso based band can do things in their own way.

The Veer Union – Divide the Blackened Sky

Hard rockers the Veer Union are exactly that…hard rockers. If you want the hardest of rock, check this one out ASAP!

Sorry this one was late! Hope y’all enjoy it anyway!