Album Review: "Eternal Oblivion" by Moonlight Prophecy

Yngwie Malmsteen may have popularized the genre of the neoclassical guitar shred fest, but he wasn't the last guitarist to ascend to such lofty heights.
Malmsteen was Swedish, which should come as a surprise no one familiar with that country's uncanny ability to produce legendary rock musicians.  However, the latest in the line of six string wizard's is Philadelphia's own Lawrence Wallace.  Wallace's latest project is one man band Moonlight Prophecy.
Wallace seamlessly blends classical music inspired guitar playing with the aggressive melodies of modern thrash metal with stunning results. This is what I imagine it would sound like if Dragonforce's Herman Li joined Testament. Blazing melodic solos over aggressive thrash metal riffs.

Album Review: The Workhorse III: Closer to Relevance

Sometimes, instead of falling neatly into a predetermined genre, a band decides to focus their energy on just creating great songs, regardless of how they are classified.  This describes Workhorse III, a trio from Philadelphia, who have set about to make an album of infectious tunes, and leave it to listeners and reviewers to figure out how to explain it.  Their self description as "too rock for metal and too metal for rock" suits them well.  

At times I heard punk rock, at other times they were clearly crushing it in the proud lineage of Sabbath.  There were moments when a Motorhead influence seemed clear.  Which is suitable, since Motorhead themselves have often defied categorization.

The dominate theme is songs which, although often containing dark lyrical content, are high energy, catchy, and most of all fun. I listened to it once on my way to work, and already several of the songs were stuck in my head, demanding a second listen on the way home.  In all cases, the riff is king.  It is the prominence of the distorted riff which could earn them a place within metal's hallowed halls.  At the same time there is no denying the strong vocal melodies will also appeal to fans of classic rock.