From the brutal to the sludgy to the experimental to the symphonic, we raise our horns in welcome and warning to the coming week: we are here to ROCK.
Nita Strauss quickly established herself as a feature of Alice Cooper’s touring spectacle. On her debut solo album, she takes those chops for an intense metal workout. “Our Most Desperate Hour” is suitably technical and aggressive, evoking not only the dire despair suggested by the song’s title, but also the heroic strains of those inspired to rise to such an occasion. There’s riffage galore and soaring melodic hooks—grab your blackest t-shirt and refill your lighter for this reminder of the joy of metal.