Procession

A new Weather Report lineup makes its debut here, with Victor Bailey filling Jaco Pastorius' shoes, Omar Hakim on drums, Jose Rossy on percussion, and Joe Zawinul now thoroughly in charge. But contrary to the conventional wisdom which claims that WR went downhill after the departure of Pastorius/Erskine, the new lineup actually recharged WR's creative batteries; the material here is superior to that of the previous two albums at least. Bailey, while not Jaco's technical equal, is mobile enough to project through the texture, and Hakim has the versatility and swinging Third World rhythmic influences that must have appealed to Zawinul. "Procession" itself is a masterly Zawinul tone poem, with moody electronics and voices building to an emotional crescendo and ebbing away, a high point in WR's output.

A new Weather Report lineup makes its debut here, with Victor Bailey filling Jaco Pastorius' shoes, Omar Hakim on drums, Jose Rossy on percussion, and Joe Zawinul now thoroughly in charge. But contrary to the conventional wisdom which claims that WR went downhill after the departure of Pastorius/Erskine, the new lineup actually recharged WR's creative batteries; the material here is superior to that of the previous two albums at least. Bailey, while not Jaco's technical equal, is mobile enough to project through the texture, and Hakim has the versatility and swinging Third World rhythmic influences that must have appealed to Zawinul. "Procession" itself is a masterly Zawinul tone poem, with moody electronics and voices building to an emotional crescendo and ebbing away, a high point in WR's output. Even Wayne Shorter's sole composition "Plaza Real" is the most interesting tune he had come up with in a long time. The Manhattan Transfer, the champions of "Birdland," make a fascinating electronically distorted appearance on Zawinul's marvelous "Where the Moon Goes." This is an unjustly overlooked Weather Report treasure, hopefully due for CD reissue soon.

Grave's 10th album finds the band returning to Century Media, who parterned with the legendary Swedes to release the classic 'Into The Grave' debut in 1991. Six more albums of sonic violence followed before the band sought out new avenues following 'As Rapture Comes' in 2006. And although the two records that surfaced while Grave was away – 'Dominion VIII' (2008) and 'Burial Ground' (2010) – continued to uphold the band's penchant for quality mayhem, their latest outing, 'Endless Procession Of Souls,' hits like a ton of bricks thanks to its relentless speed, crushing groove, and rich clarity. Released at a time when death metal is enjoying a new wave of popularity and competition for the crown is fierce, 'Endless Procession Of Souls' takes the best of what Grave has offered in the past and chalks up a bigger and meaner spin on things.

Amia Venera Landscape is a sextet that combines emphatic post-hardcore sounds with ample instrumental suites. The band was born in 2007 and immediately succeeds in gaining space within the Italian alternative scene, coming to the stage with bands like Underoath, The Dillinger Escape Plan and August Burns Red. In 2008, they released their first EP, which received numerous promises from webzines and magazines, and which allowed them to play in various clubs and clubs throughout Italy. The following year they released two videos, Glances and Nichohlas, both of which were contained in the EP. In December 2010 they released their first full length 'The Long Procession'.