The music on ReVamp is gothic symphonic metal, in a similar vein to vocalist Floor Jansen's previous band After Forever. Things get off to a bombastic start with "Here's My Hell," with guest vocals from George Oosthoek of Orphanage. The ballad "Sweet Curse" is a duet between Jansen and Russell Allen (Symphony X).

The guests vocalists add some diversity, but Jansen is fully capable of carrying the load herself. "Millions" is an especially strong performance as she transitions between a melodic alto and operatic soprano. "In Sickness 'Til Death Do Us Part: Disdain" is the heaviest song on the album and features vocals from Soilwork's Bjorn "Speed" Strid. It's an interesting dichotomy, as Strid's vocals are harsher than the usual "beauty and the beast" combo.

Read the complete ReVamp - ReVamp Review

(CD cover courtesy Nuclear Blast Records)

For Death, Glory and The End Of The World is the latest full-length from the Swiss band Kruger. Vocalist Reno tells us more about his band and their latest album.

Give us a preview of your latest CD For Death, Glory and The End Of The World.
It's our fourth album. We started ten years ago, but only our parents and a few lost people cared until recently. We usually describe our stuff as a mix of Entombed ("thick" and "heavy") and Breach ("raw" and "'epic"). It's the second album released through our beloved label Listenable Records, and the second as well we did with Sir Kurt Ballou.

If you need more hints, people usually describe us as Mastodon with less talent/success/seventies influences, as Gojira with less tightness and a better healthy lifestyle, as Neurosis if they were young and inexperienced, or as a less boring Pelican.

How did you recruit Gojira's Joe Duplantier to guest on "Muscle"?
Joe's been a friend for a while. We played together a few times, are on the same label, and I'm personally booking his band in Switzerland. We just gave a try and he said yes. It's amazing to hear him on our song, especially the one with the most miserable lyrics ever.

What's the response to the CD been so far?
Between good and incredible. We can't complain, we just do the band to have a few free holidays a year though Europe, and some people talk about us as the next big whatever. We'll never be that, but it's amazing to see our hard work is appreciated.

What are your upcoming tour plans?
Our tour schedule is pretty hectic. We have two new dads in the band, two guys getting a real adult job, side-projects, etc. It's tricky to be all available all the time. After a few summer gigs, we have an upcoming European tour in October, but we usually don't play that much, maybe 40 gigs a year. That is totally fine with me, as every single show is incredibly exciting, and that excitement is worth any rock star fantasy.

Anything else you'd like to mention or promote?
I hope we can come to America some day, my dreamland. There are the same terrible conditions as in the UK, but with an 8 hour drive between each show. I can't wait!

(photo courtesy Listenable Records)

Here are the new heavy metal CD releases for this week.   For the most detailed and up-to-date schedule, check out our complete Heavy Metal CD Release Date calendar.

July 27, 2010
36 Crazyfists - Collisions and Castaways (Ferret)
Angels Of Babylon - Kingdom Of Evil (Burnhill Union)
Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare (Warner Brothers)
The Body - All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood (At A Loss)
Brutal Truth - No Need To Control Re-Release (Earache)
Decrepit Birth - Polarity (Nuclear Blast)
Insidious Disease - Shadowcast (Century Media)
Invasion - Orchestrated Kill Maneuver (Rotting Corpse)
King James - The Fall Re-Release (Retroactive)
Proghma-C - Bar-do Travel (Armoury)
Revamp - Revamp (Nuclear Blast)
Sodom - Lords Of Depravity II DVD (SPV)
Various Artists - 20 Years Of Century Media: 2001-2005 (Century Media)

The latest CD from the Swedish band Sister Sin is True Sound Of The Underground. Vocalist Liv fills us in on the album, a recent lineup change, their U.S. tour, her musical beginnings and several other topics.

Chad Bowar: How did the band's sound evolve from Switchblade Serenades to True Sound Of The Underground?
Liv: It just came naturally to evolve towards a bit more heavier and aggressive style, something that became apparent when touring on Switchblade Seranades. It just lacked the energy in some places that we really needed when playing live. I think this is the step towards the sound we've been aiming for, the songs, the style, it all fit together. We are very pleased how it came out.

Where did the album title come from?
Coming out of Gothenburg in 2003 where all bands played that melodic, In Flames, kind of metal. We've always felt like outsiders, and many bands in that genre claimed themselves as "underground," although it was the most popular music there at the time. So we decided to use "true sound of the underground" on our websites, stickers and stuff. The phrase has stuck with us ever since and we thought it would be cool as an album title.

Read the complete Sister Sin Interview

(photo courtesy Victory Records)