Hurt - 1 CD

1 songs To its legion of fans, everything the band Tool does is an event, but the elaborate plan behind their sporadic release schedule--roughly five years, on average, between albums--is due primarily to the time and effort the band packs into each successive effort. To title their fourth album 10,000 DAYS, then, isn't as much an exaggeration as it would seem. Tool are America's most consummate mainstream perfectionists, revitalizing progressive rock to the grandeur of its '70s heyday, but updated with technocratic tension and existential dread not known to previous generations. Perhaps it's the development of more musical genres at the turn of the millennium, but it's also Tool's ability to take what is needed from each and leave the florid excesses behind, forming a seething gray core of angst and release across epic-length songs that are as accessible as they are complex. The material on 10,000 DAYS provides typically thought-provoking grist for the band's lyrical handwringing ("Vicarious" tackles reality television as the bane of culture; "Wings for Marie" is a two-part suite on the death of vocalist Maynard James Keenan's mother), and is as musically engaging as ever, finding the band at their most powerful since 1996's AENIMA. Recording information: Grandmaster, Hollywood, CA; O'Henry, Burbank, CA; The Loft, Hollywood, CA. Animation: Ray Zone. Illustrator: Alex Grey. Photographer: Travis Shin. Tool: Danny Carey, Adam Jones , Justin Chancellor, Maynard James Keenan. Audio Mixer: Joe Barresi.

1 album for sale When it comes to heavy-metal lyrics, historically there have been but a few options. If one isn't inclined to go the ever popular, Iron Maiden-approved demons and wizards route, he or she is really only left with Kiss-style macho chest-pounding, or bleak alienation of the type perfected by Metallica. With its self-titled U.S. debut album, THREE DAYS GRACE manages to add a fourth option by combining ultra-stripped-down, de-tuned monster riffs in the very best Black Sabbath/Melvins tradition with emo-esque, heart-on-the-sleeve, diary-like poetry worthy of a Deep Elm Records release. In addition, these north-of-the-border boys add a snap-tight, chorus pedal-heavy production sheen that recalls the greatest of all Canadian hard-rock trios, Rush (particularly that band's excellent, but oft-overlooked, 1990s albums COUNTERPARTS and TEST FOR ECHO). By combining the best elements of metal and emo, two often-opposing genres, THREE DAYS GRACE breathe new life into both styles. Canadian Hard Rock Trio. Recorded at Longview Farm Studios, North Brookfield, Massachusetts; Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, New York; Vespa Studios and A Room Full Of Stuff Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Audio Mixers: Jay Baumgardner; Randy Staub ; Rich Costey. Recording information: A Room Full Of Stuff Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Barsville Studios, Woodstock, NY; Long View Farm Studios, North Brookfield, MA; Vespa Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Editor: Dave Holdredge. Illustrator: Jeff Faerber. Photographer: Chapman Baehler. Three Days Grace: Adam, Neil, Brad.

1 CD music But while IV may not overflow with musical reinvention, it boasts the strongest batch of songs the band has written since their debut. The album's lead-off single, "Speak," is a case in point, as are the songs "Shine Down," with its bluesy intro, and the powerhouse "Temptation." Fans looking for more of the well-crafted, bone-rattling sound Godsmack offered on previous albums will be wholly satisfied with IV. IV is the 2006 release from alt-metal outfit Godsmack. The band's sound, which draws from both traditional heavy metal and hard-hitting grunge-era acts like Alice in Chains, has remained largely consistent since their 1997 debut, and IV continues that pattern. Crunching distortion, snaky riffs, and thunderous rhythms make up the bulk of the sound, while Sully Erna's gruff, sometimes drone-oriented singing (which certainly owes a debt to Alice in Chains' Layne Staley) creates an evocative counter-balance. Godsmack: Sully Erna (vocals, various instruments); Tony Rombola (guitar); Robbie Merrill (bass guitar); Shannon Larkin (drums).

1 buy CD music The well-crafted, progressive alt-metal on 10 Years' 2005 debut THE AUTUMN EFFECT proves they are one of the more promising bands on the scene. With the dramatic, tightly wound vocals of Jesse Hasek leading the way, 10 Years draw on influences like Tool and the Deftones in structure and mood, yet do not shy away from commercially viable melodies. Brooding atmospheres, plus lyrics that explore the darker corridors of human feeling, keep 10 Years firmly in the "dark rock" category, but their engaging craft and penchant for anthemic choruses indicate that they are equally ready for radio. 10 Years: Jesse Hasek (vocals); Matt Wantland, Tater (guitar); Lewis Cosby (bass guitar); Brian Vodinh (drums, background vocals). Additional personnel: Michael Harrison , Ruth Brugger-Johnson (violin); Novi Novog (viola); Nancy Stein-Ross (cello); Rick Bemis (double bass).

1 songs The evocatively named THE MELODY AND THE ENERGETIC NATURE OF VOLUME is the debut CD from Canadian alt-rockers Evans Blue. The band plays punchy, melodic music that takes pages from the books of grunge, emo, and commercial hard rock. And while they're rewriting none of those books in the process, Evans Blue strike enough of a balance between muscle and tuneful accessibility to gain widespread acceptance, which is exactly what the band seems poised to do. Evans Blue: Kevin Matisyn (vocals); Parker Lauzon, Vlad Tanaskovic (strings); Joe Pitter (bass instrument); Darryl Brown (drum).

1 album for sale Moody alt-metal messengers Hurt continue on their offbeat, provocatively purist course with the simply titled VOL. II. While the group's sophomore album is not meant to be the next chapter in a set of concept albums, vocalist/lyricist's J. Loren's writing style does present themes that connect quite deliberately with VOL. 1--and each track plays out not unlike a short story, making the band's creative evolution all the more intriguing. Hurt: J. Loren (vocals, guitars, banjo, violin); Paul Spatola (guitars, dobro, piano); Joshua Ansley (bass guitar); Evan Johns (drums). Additional personnel: Lynn Fiddmont, Machan Taylor, Williams Hines, Eyvonne, Valerie Carter, Elaine Caswell (vocals); Dave Klotz ...