The News Review:

- CLUTCH “Full Fathom Five: Audio Field Recordings 2007/2008 …
- Firewind: The Premonition – Music Review
- There’s still music for the holidays
- Local Band Q&A: The Year in Review

CLUTCH “Full Fathom Five: Audio Field Recordings 2007/2008 …
Washington Post United States 
Shiny Cadillackness" which leads to the thumping "Electric Worry" partially borrowed (with credit) from Mississippi Fred McDowell. Repeating that bluesman’s vow to banish memories of lost love Clutch gives contemporary urgency to a perennial concern. There are grinding passages on Russian Circles’ "Station" but this Chicago trio is one of the new crop of metal-rooted bands whose music is more celestial than earthy. The album’s vocal-free compositions are as likely to chime as to pound with the epic flourishes of such pieces as "Harper Lewis" balanced by rippling interludes. The mostly aggressive title track explains why Russian Circles is touring with Clutch yet even it includes a hushed sequence. Like most instrumental-rock albums "Station” can seem a bit faceless but it certainly doesn’t lack range. Local rock experimentalists Caverns are already well known for bombastic live shows that are perhaps best measured not in decibels but with a seismograph.
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Firewind: The Premonition – Music Review
HotIndieNews.com NY 
While my sister was listening to Menudo and my mom listening to Sonny and Cher I was listening to Iron Maiden Motorhead and DI. Yea I had my head on straight! I missed those days of gut wrenching melodic metal. Sure bands have come along since and have attempted the style but tend to fail miserably. Nothing can beat the style grace and musicianship of that metal genre and no band has really captured that true essence of what metal REALLY is.

There’s still music for the holidays
Fresno Bee CA 
Rites of RetributionFormer members of Fresno punk bands Die Another Day and Rikki and the Bruiser Boys have joined to form punk group Rites of Retribution. The band plays at 8 p. Friday at Babylon 1064 N.

Local Band Q&A: The Year in Review
NewsK.com K 
Victims of LifeQ: What has been the biggest accomplishment in your music or the local music scene this year?A: The way that bands tend to work with each other and help each other out. The bands who have been doing it for multiple years don’t think twice about giving a helping hand to the new and younger bands. It’s refreshing to know that there is still good in humanity; the funny thing is most would not even think that these hardcore heavy metal bands do more good for others then some of the do-gooders who are only out for themselves. give "horns up” to all metal musicians and wish them a killer 2009.