Music Discovery Monday – 2/27/17

Music Discovery Monday – 2/27/17

Music Discovery Monday shines a light on artists that are not getting the radio attention that they deserve, while also showcasing new singles by established bands that are likely to get airplay in the future.

In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlist below, all songs featured on Music Discovery Monday can be listened to individually by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles above each review.

 

 ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher/Editor, Hard Rock Daddy)

BLACKTOP MOJO – “Pyromaniac”

Hard Rock Daddy jumped on the Blacktop Mojo bandwagon early on, and with good reason.  This four-piece Texas hard rock outfit brings something unique to the table.  They are equally adept at downhome Southern Rock and Alternative Modern Rock, where they take the best of what the grunge movement had to offer and incorporate it into their sound.  And if that wasn’t enough, this band absolutely killed a cover of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” last year.  All of this is possible because of the diversity of the members of Blacktop Mojo and the incredible range of frontman Matt James.

On “Pyromaniac,” the band’s latest single from their upcoming album, Burn The Ships, James and company prove once again that they are a force to be reckoned with, and a band to keep on your radar.  The song begins with a slower-tempo, moody intro before kicking it into high gear with a heavy, chugging sound.  All the while, the band stays true to their melodic roots and infuses in a bit of southern flavor for good measure.

If you’re wondering just how “hot” these guys can get, look no further than the fact that they were the winners of the contest to open for Bon Jovi at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX this past week.  “Pyromaniac” may lead you to believe that they are too heavy for Bon Jovi, but if you check out their brilliant cover of Jamey Johnson’s “In Color,” you’ll see that they are diverse enough to support a multitude of bands.  That is, of course, until they build up enough of a following to be headliners, which seems inevitable at this point.
IGNITE THE FIRE – “Breathe”

It’s always exciting to discover a band with a seasoned sound early on in their career.  There are many modern hard rock artists these days that get so caught up in trying to create a sound that will garner radio attention that they end up sounding generic in the process.  That is not the case for Ignite The Fire.  This is a band that should easily garner radio attention if they get the proper push.  While you can hear the influence of bands like Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown and Evans Blue in their music, they still have their own sound, and most importantly, great songs.  “Breathe” will be featured on the band’s upcoming EP (due this spring).  If this song is any indication of what’s to come, you should expect to hear this band on Active Rock radio sooner rather than later.
 

ANDY CHEUNG – HRD Music Scout

IRON REAGAN – “Bleed The Fifth”

Iron Reagan released their third album (Crossover Ministry) recently.  I can’t stop listening to it.  “Bleed the Fifth” (and the songs on the rest of the album) is classic crossover metal at its finest.  It’s heavy, noisy and aggressive, while following the hardcore song structure (4 minutes or less).  Featuring members from Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour, this album is a must for crossover metal fans in the same vein as D.R.I. and early Suicidal Tendencies.

 

MUTINY WITHIN – “Circles”

Mutiny Within has dropped a great album entitled Origins.  The band’s third album looks like an early contender for album of the year (by my standards, and probably for anyone who is a fan of melodic death metal).  The song composition is topnotch, and the musicianship impresses me more with each listen.  The vocals range from death metal screams and growls to clean singing, featuring almost a metalcore feel.  There are orchestral arrangements nestled in between the heavy riffs.  All in all, this is a brilliantly written and produced album.
 

ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout

SAINTED SINNERS – “We Are All Sainted Sinners”

Vocalist David Reece has jumped around from band to band over the years, but everywhere he goes, he brings effort, quality and consistency. From Bangalore Choir to Bonfire, to his brief stints with Accept and Tango Down, to his own amazing solo material, he has brought us volumes of hard rock dripping with groove. Here he teams with German guitarist Frank Pane (Bonfire) and keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg (Axel Rudi Pell) to form Sainted Sinners, a brand new band with a brand new, self-titled debut.

 

TOKYO MOTOR FIST – “Put Me To Shame”

There’s a definitive ‘80s vibe running through this new group’s music, with catchy melodies and big, blustery choruses.  Tokyo Motor Fist boasts an all-star lineup, uniting vocalist Ted Poley (Danger Danger) with guitarist Steve Brown (Trixter), bassist Greg Smith (Ted Nugent, Rainbow, Alice Cooper) and drummer Chuck Burgi (Rainbow, Blue Oyster Cult, Joe Lynn Turner).  The final product is AOR with a little metal and a lot of groove.

 

SUBMISSIONS

To be considered for Music Discovery Monday, please e-mail a link to the song being submitted on YouTube and an artist bio to – submissions@MusicDiscoveryMonday.com