It’s a high-speed and high-volume week, leading off with something brand new: “Hammerhead” is the single from the new Offspring album, Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace, which hits stores this week. This track definitely falls on the “rage” side of the equation: Fans are praising the track as a return to Offspring’s early punk days and it sure thrashes hard and fast; though with some of the patented Offspring chorus harmonies as well. And the song’s lyric is right up to date; taking you into the mind of a soldier serving in Iraq — Make your own conclusion, though the song doesn’t come down on any sides other than pro-troops.
If you’re in the mood for some heavier metal, we can fill the need with a pair of tracks by California monsters Avenged Sevenfold; both takes from last year’s self-titled album. The disc got a lot of critical acclaim even though it led off with “Critical Acclaim,” specifically about how they couldn’t give two craps about it. “Afterlife” finds the band at its most progressive, throwing you lots of tempo changes and flashy guitar bits for your pleasure and frustration.
Wrapping up this week’s package is the band that makes Black Tide look like geezers: Crooked X are a bunch of 13-year-olds from outside Tulsa, OK. They’re also metal veterans already, having done an arena tour with Ted Nugent last summer. “Rock’n’Roll Dream” doesn’t sound at all like the work of young kids: Sounds like seasoned rock guys playing, complete with growly and grown-up vocals. Download it now and imagine how good this band will be when they’re through puberty!
“I Want My, I Want My DLC!”
The songs in Rock Band are only the beginning. Each week we’ll be rolling out more downloadable songs, essential tracks (and sometimes whole albums) from every era of rock history. Check the Rock Band website to find out what’s new.
Tracks will usually sell for $1.99 each; with three-pack specials costing $5.49. (On the Xbox 360, that’s 160 Microsoft Points per track and 440 per three-pack). Occasional special or discounted tracks may cost a dollar more or less.
Downloadable content for the Xbox 360 is available through the XBOX LIVE marketplace. Downloads for the PLAYSTATION 3 version of Rock Band are available through the PLAYSTATION Network Store. In each case, the songs are downloaded onto your hard drive.
If you’re playing solo, you can start rocking right away. For head-to-head or multi-player online, all players will need to download the song.
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