Royal Thunder - Crooked Doors

One of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2015, Crooked Doors is the kind of record that can make or break this bands career. Royal Thunder are on a precipice and this could very well be the album that pushes them over the edge and makes them lords. Given the incredible progression from their last release and the sonic bliss provided by this record, it seems to me at least that Royal Thunder have the potential to break your world with this latest release, psychedelic and compelling, this is a record that takes you on a veritable musical journey.

There is something truly human about Royal Thunder that penetrates the esoteric magic that defines so much of this record. You feel yourself falling through space and time as songs like Floor wrap their way around your mind and carry you off to a distant land of milk and honey. Yet there is also a sense of desperation in the music, sublime and at times terrifying. Remember, these guys escaped from a cult and a certain sense of that quasi-religious power finds its way into Crooked Doors this is an album that is an easy first listen, yet the deeper you dig into the layered guitars and spacey female vocals the more you realize how destructive this band can be.

So let these guitar harmonies really sink in and try to wrap your head around the weird worlds that Crooked Doors paints for the listener. An album that seems to have infinite depth Royal Thunder craft intricate shapes with surprisingly simple instrumentations. There is a sense of heart rending majesty in songs like The Line and yet they never seem to use raw heaviness as a crutch. Deeply emotional and clearly the product of a deepset passion for the music, Royal Thunder are perhaps 2015's best rock band.

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https://www.facebook.com/RoyalThunderMusic

Sam Haiman Band

I've lived in America for almost three weeks now, yet since coming here I have yet to find a band that just screams America with their sound and ethos. Now, with the powerful chords of the Sam Haiman Band I can say I have. While the music is not blatantly patriotic, there is a clear Americana vibe going down here. There is something distinctly human about Sam Haiman's (The main songwriter) voice. He fills your speakers with a sort of spirit of the heartland. There is nothing too technical about the music on the bands new record accurately titled Sam Haiman Band EP, yet it has a lot of spirit. Try to listen to Ballad of Broken Hearts and not get what my generation call "feels". Meanwhile, tracks like Running on Empty seem to sympathize with the common man and the brutality of the human condition in lower class America. Simply put, Sam Haiman knows how to write a song and it seems pretty clear that he's put all his years of experience into a finely honed sound, one that reflects the spirit of an artist who seems to be reaching for the sky. 

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https://www.facebook.com/SamHaimanBand

Slim Loris

So now for a small break from thrash metal; Slim Loris is an inspiring Americana musician from Sweden (because Swedish Americana is a thing now). Keeping in line with the Two Guys Metal Reviews philosophy that "Swedish is always better" Slim Loris creates fascinating soundscapes that enrapt the listen with their melancholy beauty. It is this melancholy beauty that dominates songs like In Silence with its endlessly repeated piano part. I am distinctly reminded of Jack White at times, the songs have the same earthy quality and really reach into the listeners soul. They make full use of the musics hidden magic for an end result that is like an endless pool of music, at once never ending, but also wonderfully simple. In short, if you're looking for a wonderful young folk artist to check out and fall in love with then Slim Loris is there for you. His new album Future Echoes and Past Replays is a wonderful testament to the power of modern folk.

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Slim-Loris/214253388610637