CKY - "THE PHOENIX" (2017)

CKY - "THE PHOENIX"
(Running time: 30:45 minutes; 8 songs)
("Entertainment One" & "SPV"; 2017; CD):

Hey guys, me again, next post, next record, next review, yes, and this time on the new album of/by a band that I also just recently discovered this very year of and in 2017, for what the damn bloody fuck reasons ever, and here and now it is all about the brandnew CKY full length release "THE PHOENIX" released still pretty recently in 2017 via "ENTERTAINMENT ONE" and "SPV"; and eight years that passed by since its proper actual full length precursor album "CARVER CITY" from 2009 the albumtitle is maybe pretty 'programmatic' or sort of. After CKY were (without any kind of justification) more or less (beside some cool shirts back then) totally unknown to me I will spare me any band introduction and will jump straight and direct into the action, yes, and I will do so this time with naming you the probably biggest "What's wrong with it? That's wrong with it!" part of the whole album... it's simply by far too short, its running time is way too damn short, point and fact. Beside this... damn it... this is a damn strong and really fresh and exciting and mostly nicely varying and diverse metallic as well as grungy modern Alternative (Hard) Rock album that leaves you truly demanding for more. Beside this there aren't really negative points. Surely not all is gold but really pretty much and it is all on a strong and really fucking good level of quality and with the lead voacls, hell yeahr, the singer is so incredible strong with his very cool and smooth and yet very forceful style and way of singing and intonation, oh yes, this is really, really damn very, very strong and a pretty unique and a the songs and the music very strong marking feature of CKY's music on "THE PHOENIX", bloody hell yeahr, with such a singer and such lead vocals delivered by such a singer you already have one hell of  a huge plus already from the get-go on your side and so do CKY here on and with "THE PHOENIX" and this without a single doubt. Beside the really outstanding vocals we get a big and strong guitar work that's really stunning and dustdry boneshaking heavy and yet very sensitive and melodic and above all really grooving as hell and wafting with smoothe and chilled tones and that's packed up full with grapping playful elements and shines with a lot of passion and soul in a really just nothing but cool (and also pretty unique characteristic) way and this with the riffing and in the rhythm department as well as and maybe even especially with some bombing lead and solo work, yes, also the guitars are a true trademark of the sound and music of CKY (at least here on "THE PHOENIX"). Then there is the strongly present walking and talking bass and the stunning and nicely massive drumming adding beefy meat to the bones of "THE PHOENIX" as well as a cool organ that's really enriching the songs in most parts heavily. The songwriting is also pretty fresh and focusses beside some nice surprises and play- and soulful moments especially on the strong arrangements of the rhythmic structure with their strong organic grooves and their in most parts strongly rousing alignment. And here definitely a bunch of skilled musicians is at work, yes, just for the record. Maybe imagine a very self-contained mixture out of AUDIOSLAVE, DANKO JONES, DEFTONES, some new METALLICA, a bit of CREED, and some PUDDLE OF MUDD, hm... maybe, and you get a good first impression of where to start with your imagination of what is waiting here for you with CKY's "THE PHOENIX". At the end of the day a bit more variations and a bit more diversity to the grooves and the rhythm structures and "THE PHOENIX" would be even more better but also so anyhow CKY delivered a really damn strong album here with it that also comes with strong lyrics, a beautiful artwork, and a pretty natural and yet fat'n'heavy production sound that's a perfect match to/with the music and my personal favorites are "REPLACEABLE", "DAYS OF SELF DESTRUCTION", "UNKNOWN ENEMY", "HEAD FOR A BREAKDOWN", and "BETTER THAN GET EVEN", yes, so maybe start your listening sessions with this most precious gems. CKY delivered with "THE PHOENIX" a really damn strong album that I can only recommend in a very sure and calm way to you, point and fact.
(8 of 10 points)
https://www.facebook.com/ckyalliance/?fref=ts (-the link to the facebook site of the band)

CKY - "HEAD FOR A BREAKDOWN" (2017, "THE PHOENIX")

PAPA ROACH - "CROOKED TEETH" (2017)

PAPA ROACH - "CROOKED TEETH"
(Running time: 34:02 minutes; 10 Songs)
("Eleven Seven Music"; 2017; CD):

And already back again, yes, and so now here comes the next dose for you and in this particular case here now you get my record review on the 2017 PAPA ROACH album titled "CROOKED TEETH" released via "ELEVEN SEVEN MUSIC" earlier this very year. "CROOKED TEETH" is the 8th full length studio album of/by PAPA ROACH in their pretty impressive career that once started way back then in 1993, yes, that's quite a while now. I would bet that "LAST RESORT" from (and together with) their "INFEST" full length record from back then in the year 2000 was and so far perhaps pretty much still is their very, very biggest hit and even it feels now-a-days sort of like centuries ago with that much water went and still going down the river since then, yes, but still PAPA ROACH are around and so now here in 2017 we are today and they are still rocking out new tunes and records, yes, and their newest one is their current new 2017 full length record "CROOKED TEETH" and it is my first experience again with them since their "GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER" release from years ago back then in 2004, yes, and so you see that before "CROOKED TEETH" PAPA ROACH were pretty much completly off-my-radar-screen for many, many years and for over a decade now already, yes, and I would probably never have thought that this would change any day again - and then finally one day I listened to their phenomenal outstanding new track "HELP" on my favorite radio station and instantly I needed to get my hands on their new record, yes, and so I did and so now here we are. So, okay'n'yes, we have 2017 and PAPA ROACH are (finally) back again with "CROOKED TEETH" and the once Nu Metal and/or Alternative Metal (or maybe also heavy Nu Rock and/or heavy Alternative Rock) 'spitfires' are hitting the scene one more time, hell yeahr, and they have a damn strong new album on board that they carry with them bringing it to us. Maybe we do seek any new larger than life and/or über-surprising total(ly) 'Whoooaaa!!!' moments without that much success after all but after nearly twenty-years of existence and cultivating their (especially today pretty much) very own style'n'music and delivering it today through'n'through on a damn high quality-level that's maybe also not that important anyhow anyway after all, however, and or but especially it's after all not that much important then when we get a big bunch of more than only decent but really damn good'n'strong new tunes, yes, and so PAPA ROACH did with "CROOKED TEETH", point and fact. PAPA ROACH's "CROOKED TEETH" is massively filled with heavy crunching and powerful forward smashing guitars that also offer and deliver a wide variety of catchy, anthemic, and in all positive sense 'poppy' melody lines that shine through in a bright way via great guitar leads and in general a mostly very strong melodic work that really add(s) a lot to the anyhow really damn strong, and forceful, and rousing rhythm work and grooving arrangements that in combination with a pretty cool and nicely varying songwriting really mark the songs strongly and heavily and in the very most parts for all the good and right and justified reasons. Then we have the strong and bright shining and very diverse lead vocals that cover a wide distant territory of different styles from hard shoutings and loud aggressive tonings over clean and clear, melodical singing to very competent and charismatic Rap parts, yes, and all done and flavoured with a strong own unique identity to it and all done very, very and 'highliest'skilled. All is then backed and fired up by a massively stunning rhythm section, full of sheer force as well as 'fluffy' diversity. Hip Hop styled grooves'n'beats and 'poppy' electronical rhythms and beats and melodies then round it all finally up, yes, and this in a convincing fashion'n'manner. The songwriting is in most parts also pretty strong, varying, and diverse as well as powerful, and full of highly energetic dynamics. That this fine gentlemen also know damn good how to play their instruments which means that they are very skilled musicians should be clear anyhow but for reasons of completness I do mention it here anyhow. Very strong and heartfelt and soulful and touchin'n'movin' lyrics and a first class loud blasting production sound then round it all up, yes, as well as a very 'unattracting' artwork, okay, but that's after all anything but very important. My personal favorites are the highly energetic "BREAK THE FALL", the smashing title track "CROOKED TEETH", the stunning and very massive grooving "BORN FOR GREATNESS", the über-catchy "AMERICAN DREAMS", the highly sensitive and very melodic "PERISCOPE", and the über-anthem "HELP", oh hell yeahr, all definitely pure platinum stuff. The not mentioned songs are mostly gold, precious'n'shiny, even some silver is there to find as well, hm, but anyhow PAPA ROACH's "CROOKED TEETH" is a damn good and a really strong album, definitely, that I can calmly and clearly recommend to you, yes, so best just go out and get it promptly.
(8,5 of 10 points)
http://www.paparoach.com/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

PAPA ROACH - "HELP" (2017, "CROOKED TEETH")