The sixth studio long-player from Netherlands-based symphonic rock outfit Within Temptation picks right up where 2011's generally well-received conceptual outing Unforgiving left off, expanding on the group's penchant for stylistic elasticity while maintaining a foundation of solid songwriting and engaging narrative. The appropriately named Hydra (the multi-headed monster of myth reflects the group's ability to juggle multiple musical genres) includes guest appearances from Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones, rapper Xzibit, ex-Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen, and Soul Asylum vocalist Dave Pirner, and features the singles "Paradise (What About Us?)" and "Dangerous."© James Christopher Monger /TiVo

U.K. art rock outfit Porcupine Tree devotes an entire box set to their early- to mid-'90s downtempo/prog rock period. Stars Die: The Delerium Years '91-97, narrows its focus to the group's psychedelic, pre-ambient Pink Floyd era that relied heavily on guitarist/founder Steve Wilson's more pop-oriented -- but still epic -- compositions. The two discs pack 21 assorted rarities, previously unreleased tracks, and new mixes into an elegant box featuring a deluxe 40-page booklet that's worth the price of the collection itself. Listeners looking for an entry point into this Porcupine Tree period would do well giving this anthology a shot, while fans of acts like Ozric Tentacles, Tangerine Dream, and Flying Saucer Attack, who have remained in the dark about the group, will likely find them to be a new and wonderful addiction.© James Christopher Monger /TiVo

Like Latto, Doja, Nicki, and others before her, Coi Leray makes a smart and savvy pivot into the pop mainstream with COI. Balancing pure pop earworms with edgier, hardcore aggression, she shoots for the stratosphere with intentionally crowd-pleasing fare, such as the album's global smash "Players," a multi-platinum hit that samples Grandmaster Flash's "The Message." Speaking of samples, there's a load of familiar sounds floating around COI, including Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl" on the aptly titled kiss-off "Bitch Girl"; Lesley Gore's "It's My Party," which is transformed into an equally cheeky (but way saucier) "My Body"; and Daft Punk's robo-list-reader "Technologic," which gets a little twist with the additional imperative on the spare, chest-thumping "Phuck It." One of the more recognizable interpolations arrives in the form of "Make My Day" with frequent collaborator David Guetta, who cuts Technotronic's "Pump Up the Jam" lyric into a throbbing, hedonist anthem. Guetta sticks around for "Man's World" (a spin on the James Brown classic) and the surprise rock number "Black Rose," which slaps riffs and pounding drums on a stadium-sized singalong that hints at exciting, genre-hopping possibilities for the artist. Additional guests include Saucy Santana, Giggs, Lola Brooke, and Skillibeng, with each adding their own special touch to the set, from '90s house to grime to dancehall. However transparent, this stylistic shift is, in the very least, an interesting move for Leray. But, at its most passable, COI is an engaging play with enough highlights to pack a playlist and keep the party moving.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

The first song, and third single, from Imagine Dragons' debut album, "Radioactive" finds the band swinging for the arena rock fences straight out of the gates with this pulsing pop powerhouse. Melding elements of dubstep with sweeping alt-rock, Imagine Dragons create a song that feels more like a swaying call to arms than a dance club hit, making for a song that you'll feel in your chest long before you feel it in your feet.© TiVo

Most Kiss fans associate Gene Simmons with the band's hardest-rocking compositions; after all, he's responsible for such heavies as "Watchin' You," "Calling Dr. Love," "Larger Than Life," and "Goin' Blind." So many Kiss fans must have been surprised when they heard Gene's diverse 1978 solo album, with songs that contained choirs and string arrangements, plus elements of Beatles pop, '70s funk/disco, and feel-good rock & roll. Granted, there are a few heavy rockers (such as the single "Radioactive," "Burning Up With Fever," and "See You in Your Dreams"), but Simmons was always a closet Beatles fan, as evidenced by "See You Tonite," "Always Near You," "Man of 1,000 Faces," and "Mr. Make Believe." The only real misstep is a preposterously embarrassing cover of the Disney classic "When You Wish Upon a Star" (complete with Disney-esque sound effects/music). But Simmons made sure that the top artists of the day lent a hand (Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Donna Summer, Cher, Bob Seger, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Helen Reddy, and Janis Ian), which makes Gene's solo album an unpredictable yet ultimately enjoyable release.© Greg Prato /TiVo

Gravity is the sixth studio album from Welsh metallers Bullet for My Valentine and follows their 2015 album Venom. Produced by Carl Brown (My Vitriol, Radiohead) the album sees frontman Matt Tuck push the group's sound into a new direction by adding elements of electronica into their metalcore sound.© Rich Wilson /TiVo

Historically, there's a progression that bands usually follow before their sound goes full-on arena rock. Things will start small and gritty, and then as the fame and crowds build, the sound changes to match the massiveness of the venues. However, on their debut album, Imagine Dragons buck tradition and swing straight for the cheap seats, doing away with generations of sonic evolution in favor of the huge, arena-made sound of Night Visions. Dramatic and sweeping, the Las Vegas band works in the same vein as pop giants Coldplay, offering up track after track of hooky and emotional midtempo jams. While a move like this might seem overly ambitious for a freshman band, Imagine Dragons are able to pull the sound off, with songs like the already ubiquitous, seemingly soundtrack-ready "It's Time" having no trouble worming their way into whatever part of the brain it is that likes to trap songs against listeners' will. The problem is, while the band's electronically reinforced sound is definitely big, it sometimes feels as though it lacks depth. Despite this, "Every Night" will certainly have some listeners unconsciously reaching for a lighter to wave in the air before they realize what they're doing, and it's exactly these kinds of surface pleasures that we turn to pop music for in the first place. What this means is that even though Imagine Dragons might have skipped a few steps along the way to their arena sound, Night Visions is still an album that, at least for a few minutes at a time, will make everyday life seem just a little bit bigger.© Gregory Heaney /TiVo

Anticipation was quite high when it was announced in 1984 that Paul Rodgers, the past voice of Bad Company, and Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin's former guitarist, were creating a "supergroup" called the Firm. Page and Rodgers had first tinkered with the idea of an album after their successful collaboration on the ARMS benefit tour for Ronnie Lane in 1983. Based upon the fact that it had been over five years since Page's last band effort, and two years since Rodger's lackluster finale with the original Bad Company, pundits were more than eager to hear what new material the duo would unleash. However, when the band's self-titled debut was actually released in 1985, it received a critical drubbing and was all but ignored by the record-buying public. That's too bad, for the album is quite good and does nothing to taint the sterling reputations of either of its key players. Page and Rodgers were joined on The Firm by veteran drummer Chris Slade and Roy Harper-alum Tony Franklin. Slade's Bonham-esque sledgehammer attack on the skins, coupled with Franklin's fretless basslines, added dimension to Rodgers' smooth vocals and Page's layered guitar textures. Page's tone throughout is very reminiscent of the sound of his overdubs on Coda, as well as the sound he would subsequently employ on 1988's Outrider. Opening track "Closer" cleverly uses a subtle horn section to good effect, while "Someone to Love" represents all the good elements of the band in one number. Rodgers' "Radioactive" was actually a minor hit for the band, its quirkiness overcoming the goofiness of the lyrics. The album's best cut is "Satisfaction Guaranteed," a mid-tempo gem with a snaky and exotic Page riff and a heartfelt vocal performance by Rodgers. The only weak track on the record is the unnecessary cover of the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," which feels totally out of place. The album-closing "Midnight Moonlight" could have been the Firm's best song, but the underwhelming arrangement and superfluous backing vocals partially destroyed it. The fact that "Midnight Moonlight" was actually an unfinished Led Zeppelin cut entitled "Swansong," left over from the Physical Graffiti sessions, led some to believe that Page had run out of new ideas for the project. While it is true that this album isn't as uniformly excellent as Led Zeppelin's work, it is the best from this short-lived band and turned out to be Page's most consistent effort from the entire decade of the '80s.© Brian Downing /TiVo

After quite literally bursting onto the early 2000s heavy metal scene with their 2003 debut's heady resurrection of classic thrash and crossover, Municipal Waste proved they were no novelty act with their wildly entertaining successor, Hazardous Mutation, setting up no small expectation for album number three, 2007's curiously named The Art of Partying. However, wary listeners need not fear that this title means Andrew W.K. was crashing at the band's studio, or interfering with popular producer Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed, etc.), who was brought on board to mix in even more muscle and energy into the Richmond, VA quartet's template. Rather, Municipal Waste have now fully embraced the aggressive but good-humored tactics of classic Anthrax, and the sounds of 1985's Spreading the Disease, in particular, which '80s-flavored thrash nuggets like "Mental Shock," "Sadistic Magician," and "Rigorous Vengeance," replicate to eerie perfection, thanks to added background gang-shouts. The post-hardcore spirits of D.R.I. and S.O.D. also pervade the album's overall sense of urgency and brevity, while the specter of early Suicidal Tendencies reveals itself when the band slows things down for the intro to "The Inebriator," as well as in the conversational comedy bits heard in "Beer Pressure." Luckily, The Art of Partying's modern, ultra-thrash intensity still helps to identify it as a product of the 2000s, not the '80s, and Municipal Waste boast enough songwriting imagination to comfortably refute the inevitable copycat claims. Plus, even the most cynical of listeners will have to admit that the 20-year statute of limitations has already expired for making such accusations, anyway -- let the party begin! [The CD was also released with two bonus tracks.] © Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo

Apparently Ponty was lonely for some company in the studio, for he brought in a full rhythm section (Scott Henderson, guitar; Baron Browne, bass; Rayford Griffin, drums) to accompany his impressive battery of electric violins, keyboards, drums and sequencers. The sound has opened up considerably, but again, Ponty continues to explore the high-tech, electronic, sequenced ostinato world that he opened the door to on Individual Choice. The music floats, gleams, and rocks along to sometimes rigid grooves in this mostly successful attempt to merge the sequencer-driven Ponty of the '80s with his jazz-rock incarnation of the '70s. It's a very even album, without any extreme peaks or dips, and Ponty dispenses with his sidemen entirely on the final two tracks, the last of which concludes the CD on a gently percolating electronic groove.© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo