Pantera Flac

Pianist, composer and vocalist Cameron Graves calls the music he’s architected for his new Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group release thrash-jazz, though that only begins to tell the story. Yes, upon an initial listen, the juggernaut metal force and hardcore precision of Seven can knock you back. After all, Graves grew up in metal-rich Los Angeles, headbanging to Living Colour as a kid and, after immersing himself in jazz and classical studies for years, reigniting his love for hard rock through records by Pantera, Slipknot and his most profound metal influence, Swedish titans Meshuggah.

"Txai" is described as a term of respect for those who are allies of the forest – and such is the focus of this concept album, the end result of a fact-finding voyage through part of the northern Brazilian watershed. Utilizing forces ranging from a simple dialogue between Milton Nascimento's baritone and percussion to a large orchestra and chorus (often arranged by Wagner Tiso), Nascimento shares his thoughts about the rivers and nature, ultimately warning us not to let the forces of capitalism destroy the Amazon rain forest (reinforced by a spoken passage written and narrated by actor River Phoenix). The songs are separated by wild-sounding interludes of folk music from the peoples of the region, and there is a fascinating vocal/percussion arrangement of Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Nozani Na."

Formed in the late '80s out of a common interest in speed and doom metal, Exhorder helped shape the "Louisiana sound," a common sound shared between many metal bands from the state. By crafting chugging, tight riffs with a rigid structure, Exhorder made quite the local impression with 1990's Slaughter in the Vatican…

We're heading back in time here, back nearly twenty years in fact. With the recent release of the excellent "Dust" single from Sweden's Livin' Parazite, it feels right to reappraise the band's to date, only two albums, 1997s Paranoia Chaos and Down from five years later. The debut featured Martin Karlsson on bass, with guitarists Linkan Andersson and Ola Renkse, vocalist Larsa Bertilsson and drummer Geron Fritiofsson - it's a hard hitting, eclectic little beast of riffs and hooks…

Immediately following his departure from metal legends Iron Maiden, singer and jack of all trades Bruce Dickinson signed a new deal stateside to Mercury Records and went to work on his second solo effort. Notwithstanding some dreadful artwork, his Polygram debut, Balls to Picasso, is somewhat of a disappointment and, for the most part, an ill-conceived project…