I am not reviewing Metallica's Death Magnetic because it leaked Wednesday...

I'm just not going to do it...instead, I'm going to give you a hypothetical view on what I may think of Metallica's new album Death Magnetic.

The album starts with "That Was Just Your Life". It might just signal the beginning of Metallica's return to their 80s form (The decade that brought Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All). But I wouldn't know because I haven't listened to the album yet.

"The End of the Line" may have one of the better riffs at the four-minute mark...but that's only because a friend who listened to the album told me about it.

The first single "The Day That Never Comes" is the only song I've heard from this album so far, I swear! It's a mix of a lot of their most popular 80s songs wrapped into one...you've got a bit of Fade to Black in there, a bit of One, a bit of Orion and Master of Puppets.

The song "All Nightmare Long" may be the best song on the album...at least that's what a lot of fans are saying...but again, I wouldn't know, I haven't had this song on repeat for a half an hour.

"Cyanide" is a song that I've only heard live...because I didn't go to Metallica.com to listen to the full sample of the song or five others on the album. I don't like the lyrics so much, but the riffs are what make Metallica, Metallica.

"The Unforgiven III" may feature a piano/strings intro...which actually might be an ode to S&M...but again, I have only heard a clip of it so I really wouldn't know.

"Suicide and Redemption" could be a track that's 10 minutes long and it may not have any vocals...because I heard that the album has one instrumental...What?!? I WIKI'D IT!!!!

That may be a bit of a long instrumental...but it could very well set up a nice backdrop for the last song on the album...because I've not played this album since Wednesday...because it comes out on September 12th. 

This album might earn itself an 8.5 out of 10 because it sounds like a bridge between ...And Justice for All and The Black Album...but I have absolutely, positively not listened to the album so I can't have any opinion whatsoever? Who do you think I am, Maxim?

On an unrelated note, I really need to work on my code language.

A band a day...Eyes Set to Kill

Eyes Set to Kill is raising Arizona. I'm not generally into a lot of post-hardcore/screamo stuff, but there's a certain "I don't know what..." about Eyes Set to Kill.

Eyes Set to Kill is...

Alexia Rodriguez: Vocals, Guitar, Piano

Anissa Rodriguez: Bass

Brandon Anderson: VOCALS!!!!!, Keyboards

"Metal" Greg Kerwin: Guitar

Caleb Clifton: Drums

Flyleaf, Kittie, and a sprinkle of Killswitch Engage meets Hawthorne Heights (RIP Casey).

A short history lesson on Eyes Set to Kill is that they'd actually used to be a six-piece band with Lindsay Vogt, a different lead singer. They formed in 2004 and in 2006 really started to make a name for themselves on the various music networking sites with their debut EP called When Silence is Broken, The Night Is Torn. They've had shows with Papa Roach, Kittie, Walls of Jericho, and In This Moment.

It's not very often that you find a post-hardcore band that's influenced by The Spice Girls and N*Sync...but somewhere the dancing got uncoordinated and Lindsay left the band sometime in 2007.

It's crazy because at around the same time, they signed a record deal on Koch that allowed them their own imprint.

Enter Reach. Alexia took the lead of the band. Normally, when a band loses a lead singer, they take the band with them. The band has actually only grown stronger turning what was once a regional act into a national one.

They are opening on a nationwide tour in October and November.

In the meantime, check out some more videos featuring Eyes Set to Kill including Darling and Liar in the Glass.

A band a day...Forever Oeuvre

Cincinnati, Ohio is the home of a band that has kind of a weird name, but a name that makes perfect sense...Forever Oeuvre (say it as you would "ooh-vrah").

Forever Oeuvre is:

Rachelle Holscher: Vocals

Jimi Holscher: Guitar/Vocals

Ronny Paige: Guitar/Vocals

PJ: Bass

Ryan Sebastian: Piano/Vocals

Their sound mixes a little bit of Evanescence with Lacuna Coil and Earshot.

Cincinnati is also the home of Breaking Benjamin drummer Chad Szeliga. Chad brought the band to David Bendeth's (Paramore, Breaking Benjamin) House of Loud Studios in New Jersey where they were working on new music to lay down drum tracks...some of which is currently on their Myspace as demos. Chad has also worked with Leo.

Their debut work has actually yet to be released, but from the sounds of things on their Myspace, they've got some amazing music waiting to come out. Recruiting Ronny Paige, who'd recently worked with Fuel certainly helps things, too.

In the meantime, you can get an idea of what the band sounds like in this video.

A band a day...Skratch n'Sniff

Earlier in the week, I talked about The Senate, a band that mixed hip-hop and elements of rock into their music.

Skratch n'Sniff is kind of like that...only they don't actually have to play instruments.

Skratch n'Sniff is:

DJ Mike Czech: Turntablist

Malcolm: Host

Skratch n'Sniff isn't actually a band in theory...it's a radio show that was born in San Diego during the golden age of the mashup (2003) and has been around ever since.

Small history lesson on mashups:

Mashups started getting attention when Danger Mouse (who later went on to create half of Gnarls Barkley) produced The Grey Album (mixing Jay-Z's Black Album with The Beatles' White Album) to positive results.

MTV liked the idea so much that they wondered what something like it would sound like live and Jay-Z and Linkin Park were the first (and so far, the only) artists to try the Collision Course.

Lesson over.

The idea behind their radio show is very simple, mix contemporary modern rock songs with some of the best rap out there.

As a listener of both genres, you would think that I'd be rather skeptical of rock and rap mixing.

But one listen to their mix of Saving Abel's "Addicted" with Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop" and you might just wind up being "Addicted to Lollipops"...I've never even heard the full original of Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop".

The two songs on their own have been very popular, but together sound as if they were meant for each other, both musically and lyrically (which is somewhat rare for a mashup).

The one hour show's popularity has actually grown to reach 45+ cities, including major markets such as Dallas, Boston, and Atlanta.

Skratch n'Sniff have actually stood the test of time with mashup music where others haven't and they're still growing.

Here's a super mix featuring clips and full songs that they have mixed.

A band a day...Ember

Continuing our mini-trip through Texas, we move to Austin where Ember resides.

Ember is:

Chris: Vocals

Deuce: Guitars

Jared: Guitars

Jason: Bass

Dusty: Drums

I've only listened to this band for about a month and they've quickly left an impression on me.

They've been around since 2004, but have really started to build a name for themselves in their area with their latest EP called Under Pressure.

I think the lead singer sounds like a mix of Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down and perhaps Ed Sloan of Crossfade being backed by Staind. 

Soulful, heartfelt vocals backed by heavy music...kind of reminds me of one of my favorite bands.

I could see these guys going on tour with fellow Texans Overscene, whom I just profiled.

Much like Overscene, they can cater to a more mainstream-ish rock crowd without making it sound too contrived.

They've actually come up to New York City for label showcase shows with positive results...although still no label.

But with the mainstream appeal of a song like "Blind", expect that to change.

Here's the brand new video for Blind.

A band a day...Overscene

Dallas, Texas is the home of our next band...Overscene.

Overscene is:

J-Rock: Vocals

Justin: Guitar

Erin: Bass

I know what you're thinking...three pieces? Shouldn't their be a drummer? Well, unfortunately, their drummer, Michael left the band in late June and are currently looking for a drummer and a second guitarist.

That hasn't stopped Overscene from making a name for themselves.

Their debut album, The Moment of Change, has been earning quite a lot of respect in the rock world. Their song "Here I Am", which I would consider the lead single fits perfectly on rock radio.

They have an excellent balance of softer and harder songs.

It's a mix of something like Three Days Grace, Seven Wiser (RIP), and in their heavier moments, Nonpoint.

Recent tours with Sevendust and Black Stone Cherry have given them more exposure, which is not bad, considering they're still unsigned.

Perhaps they can eventually join Flyleaf and Drowning Pool in recent bands that have given Dallas their reputation for rock music.

Here are live videos for Each Time I Fall and Stems.

A band a day...The Senate

On August 7th, I went on an assignment to help tape a band called The Senate. Normally, when I go to a show, I would have likely gone onto the Myspace of the band just to hear what the band sounded like...but this was one of the few cases that I didn't. I figured it would just be like any other band.

However, in the 45-minute set at the NYC performing arts venue known as The Triad, I got to see the most original band I've ever seen perform live.

The Senate is:

Michael "MyKel" Coppola (Vocals/Rapper)

Crystal Joy (Vocals)

Stephen Loos (Guitars)

Russell "Shoelace" Savarese (Guitars)

David "D Bass" Holder (Bassist)

Benjamin "Benny Blanco" Rivera (Drums/Percussion)

When you think of the government, you think (or rather should be thinking) that it is a collective representation of the people.

When I think of The Senate, I think that it is a collective representation of the music that they listen to.

Quite literally, the musicians in this band come from all sides of the musical spectrum.

They are influenced by artists like Jay-Z, Sarah Vaughan, The Deftones, and Billy Joel. 

However, when you see them live like I did, you actually get somewhat of a different experience.

I hear Jay...Mary J., some Gym Class Heroes, The Roots, and a mixture of Chevelle and the Deftones.

What struck me about this band is that they appreciate all forms of music and are not limited to just one brand. They like their hip-hop, they like their top 40, and they like to rock. As a matter of fact, they opened their show with Van Hagar's "Right Now" backing MyKel's rapping.

What also strikes me is the concept of the band.

When I think of a traditional band, you know who your leader is...and most of the time, it's the lead vocal.

But when you think of that analogy of the government's Senate and the band The Senate, what you get instead is a group of leaders.

In other words, even though MyKel and Crystal do most of the vocals, it doesn't mean that they necessarily lead on all of the songs. They had guitarist Stephen Loos sing a song and at the very end of their set, they asked their drummer to come up and sing for them to a rousing applause...because what drummer in a band gets that kind of play?

There's no glass ceiling or barrier between the leads and the rest of the band and that is a great concept for a band. 

They are currently working on their debut album Mistaken Coincidence.

Long Island bands beware because The Senate currently has the floor.