CD Review: New Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Music From Crossing Rubicon, UXO, Grayscale Season And Meltdown

From Bristol, CT comes the latest release titled "No Less Than Everything," from the hard rock band Crossing Rubicon. Their new album was released on February 12th through Pavement Entertainment and features ex-All That Remains bassist Jeane Sagan as their latest member. The new twelve-song release begins with blazing guitar riffs and stunning vocals of Scott Anarchy in "Tomorrow Never Comes." Crossing Rubicon get more into the hardcore metal sound of "Unhinged" and "Bittersweet Day," but sandwiched between is the mainstream metal appeal of "The Fallen." The band's harmonizing highlights the grunge/metal sound of "Cuts Deep" and they add some prog-rock to their sound with "Violet Carson." The album finishes with the electrifying solos in "Do We Not Bleed" and the uplifting closer "Return To Atlantis." To find out more about Crossing Rubicon and their latest release "No Less Than Everything," please visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/CrossingRubiconRocks.

The highly anticipated album from UXO duo Chris Spencer and Steve Austin was released on January 29th through Reptilian Records. It features seven songs from the duo darkest, most powerful recording they ever endured. Beginning with "Bitter," their sound is compared to controlled chaos as Chris and Steve scream the vocals along to the rhythm section of Aarne Victorine and Patrick Kennedy as they bash away at the doom metal rhythm. The quartet comes together for the grunge/metal combination of "Trauma" and work together to overpower you with the thunderous "Redlegs." UXO slow the pace down for the dark, Sabbath-like appeal of "Everything's A Mistake," before closing with the more up-tempo punk-like attack of "User." To find out more about UXO, please visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/UXOOFFICIAL.

From Sweden comes the debut album, "Head To Mist," from hardcore metal band Grayscale Season. The album was recorded over the course of five months last year and will be released digitally on February 29th. It features twelve bone-crushing anthems, beginning with the speedy blast of "Breathing Just Wasn't As Fun." They continue to dominate their sound with thunderous drumming, growling vocals and crunching guitar riffs, as displayed in "Queenmaker" and "Dead Man Walking." They find the perfect balance of classic hardcore metal and appealing modern death metal with "No Fear, Kill Yourself," before closing the album with the adrenaline fueled "Gospel" and the hard hitting progressive metal feel of "Mallory." To find out more about Grayscale Season and their latest release "Head To Mist," please visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/GrayscaleSeason.

From Norway comes the debut album from hardcore metal band Meltdown titled "Answers." It features eight hard-hitting, bone-crushing songs that will place Meltdown as one of the premier underground heavy metal bands in Europe. Beginning with the title-song, "Answers," you instantly get drawn in to the crunching guitar riffs and adrenaline pumping rhythms. The combination of growling vocals and singing choruses showcases different dimensions within the band's song structures for "The Curse," while "Time Of War" is a straight shot of power from the band. The album closes with the quick-pace of "Nightmare" as you easily find yourself head-banging along. To find out more about Meltdown and their latest release "Answers," please visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/meltdownofficialnorway.