Blogcritics Author: Jerry Rojas

Yay or Nay: Synastry, Cradle to Grave, The Briggs, The Underneath & D'espairsRay

Jerry Rojas — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 22:36:26 EDT

Thumbs up or thumbs down?
In this 4th installment of “Yay or Nay?”, it is more of an international affair as we have representatives from Canada, Los Angeles and Japan. One thing is certain that despite the distances between these artists, the goal is still the same. Bring the heavy and aggressive but don’t forget the catchy hooks. Let’s see who made...

Concert Review: The Dillinger Escape Plan & The Bled - Ridglea Theater - Ft. Worth, TX - April 18, 2008

Jerry Rojas — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:57:35 EDT

The city of Ft. Worth should have seen the mayhem coming.
Many metal enthusiasts worldwide know the name The Dillinger Escape Plan. You may not be a fan of the chaotic, off-time form of mathematical metal but if you have seen this band live, you will know that not too many bands can match their ferocity or stage presence. Bringing along Tucson, AZ metalcore maestros The Bled, this tour strolled into Ft....

Concert Review: Girl In A Coma at Poor David's Pub-Dallas, Texas

Jerry Rojas — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:36:59 EDT

This Texas trio is one of the best bands I have discovered in a long time.
San Antonio, TX-based Girl In A Coma have received a lot of notoriety in the last few years. From being signed to Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records to touring the U.S. and Europe with one of their heroes, Morrissey. It’s certainly well-deserved and 2008 seems poised to be an even bigger year for the San Antonio, Texas punk trio.Having...

Concert Review: Gigantour 2008 w/Megadeth, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Job For A Cowboy, and High of Fire at the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas

Jerry Rojas — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:47:07 EDT

Bringing along some of the best in underground metal, Megadeth provides plenty of punch with this solid metal package.
If there is one thing I learned from attending last night’s Gigantour stop at Nokia Theater, it is that we need to go back to basics of a great concert package. No big festivals, no big hoopla, just four or five great bands and the masses will come. This idea is obviously not a new one, but it seems Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine is holding...

Music Review: P.O.D. - When Angels and Serpents Dance

Jerry Rojas — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:39:17 EST

With some notable musical guests, San Diego's native sons deliver their latest rap/hard-rock creation.
With the remnants of “nu-metal” scattered among the musical landscape, it would be hard for any band mixing hip-hop and rock to create something relevant. Many have tried and only a few have succeeded to moving on from this style. To come back this late in the decade means you better have a few aces up your sleeve. San Diego’s...

Yay or Nay: Year of the Sun Records featuring Of The First Born Son, Dear Black Diary, Handheld, For The Mathematics & What's He Building In There?

Jerry Rojas — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:18:40 EST

Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Established in 2002, Toronto, Ontario's Year of the Sun Records strived to make Canada another hotbed for all things punk, metal, and the experimental. In this 3rd installment of “Yay or Nay?”, here are some of the label’s latest (and mostly self-titled for some reason) releases. Do they make the cut? Let's find out. Of...

Concert Review: Foo Fighters/Jimmy Eat World At American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Jerry Rojas — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:20:00 EST

Making Dallas the first stop on their U.S. tour, the Foo Fighters open it up with a big bang.
I’ve become a bit leery of concerts at the big local arena. I’ve missed some great shows that have come through town because I didn’t want to be disappointed with nosebleed seats, bad sound, and really expensive merchandise. Over the years, I’ve just grown accustomed to the smaller, intimate venues for a more personal show. ...

Music Review: The Mars Volta -The Bedlam in Goliath

Jerry Rojas — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:26:59 EST

A prog/punk/Afro-Cuban rock odyssey into the paranormal, The Mars Volta invites you to come along for the ride.
Quite honestly, I don't know where I can begin to describe The Mars Volta. A quick history on the band will tell you how they came out of the now-defunct seminal punk outfit At The Drive In. In 2002, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala wanted to embark on an exploration of the progressive and complex with no regard for the...

Music Review: Danny Diablo - Thugcore 4 Life

Jerry Rojas — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:44:28 EST

The Queens, New York native son brings to us the art form of "thugcore".
No stranger to the New York hardcore scene, Danny Diablo aka Lord Ezec has been a staple for years. Having made a name for himself with Dirty Money Syndicate in the early 90s, it wasn’t until 1995 that his side project at the time Skarhead garnered international acclaim with help from many recognizable hardcore personalities from the New York...

Music Review: Eyes Set To Kill -- Reach

Jerry Rojas — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:50:44 EST

Female-fronted hard rock/metal outfit presents us their debut release.
At first listen, Tempe, Arizona-based Eyes Set To Kill open up with a very somber piano piece that makes the introduction almost go the route of many other albums. There is plenty of build up and then poof, nothing else. As they go into the first full track of their latest release Reach, it becomes quite clear that they come with a purpose. In...