Black Spikes : "Ydos"

 

Here is the sophomore full-length from this Lithuanian metal band, which falls somewhere between a more atmospheric take on metalcore; some more mainstream elements in their grooves come closer to nu-metal. Most reviews are my first listen through an album; this is my second pass through, which was needed to give it my full attention, as there is a great deal going on here. The more atmospheric parts are likea less folky Myrkur. But the punch and crunch seem to be the main objective of this band, which for a metal band makes sense.

There is a great deal of bounce to "MELAS"; it is more intense than the first song. There are electronic elements in play, and at times, it makes me think what it might sound like if Yolandi sang for Spiritbox. The vocals are sometimes phrased in a more rapped fashion.One thing this means is that is very relevant to today's musical climate.  "Mara" finds this falling in a more staccato groove but still aligns with what I said previously. They are very consistent, and within a few songs we shall learn if this is due to being stuck in a formula, but at this point in the album it still works, though all the screams sound the same. There is a blast beat at one point in the song, so people will start referring to it as black metal since they wear makeup. Their drum is on point. 

By the time we get to "Zelvar," I've figured out they are singing in their native tongue. They have also established their sound and are flipping around the varied elements to switch up the songs; the sing-song atmospheric vocals contrast the djent-like crunch and screamed vocals. "Revana" finds the angular crunch leading into a hip-hop groove. The Spiritbox vibes are back again, at times more surreal. "Apatija" is where things start to run together and I have to go back once again and pay closer attention. The chanted choir-like vocals lead into the slower crunch of guitar that builds.. "Aurea" finds them really taking the dynamic shifts to extremes, but it works well.

"Senas Demonas" is one of the heavier riffs of the album and one of the more accessible songs to mainstream metal audiences. "Dulkes" is very intentional in it's heaviness.. This is balanced out with some groove. Overall I really enjoyed this album I will give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. It drops on Napalam Records.August 28th.,   

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ten56. : "IO"

 

The sophomore full-length from ten56 finds them picking up where they left off.  They are still at the intersection where metal-core sprang from nu-metal in the days of Myspace. What I like about these guys is the dark undertones to their sound that hit no matter if they are opening the album with more of a hammering stomp or going into the more Ghostemane-like rap dirges. There are interesting sounds wrapped around both modes of sonic attack. "Snapped Neck' follows more of a formula than the first two songs, with sung vocals popping in, though it's bookended by experimental touches. 

"I Know Where You Sleep" is the first single from this album that I remember hearing. It feels more like a death metal song at first. It's oppressive in its hardcore heaviness. I had to listen to it a couple of times to wrap my head around it. To their credit, they do temper the blunt force with atmosphere. "Good Morning" feels like an extension of the previous song until it builds up in a feral chaos. The staccato vocals are well placed in their primal chant. Some similarities to Slipknot can be detected here. 

"Earwig" has a more headbobbing groove to its brand of beatdown, though it's decorated with all kinds of noisy sounds. I like the vocal production on this album more than what I have heard from them in the past. There is so much going on with the sounds swirling around the guitar's crunch, I think using effects on his voice makes him work more like another instrument. "ICU" finds more hip-hop elements working in. This is preferred over the just straight upetal core moments. "PTY FCK" works with his angry lyrics as it circles more of a nu-metal mosh pit. The wall of sound they hit you with here is just so over the top, it works. 

"Friends' sounds like if Limp Bizkit has a psychotic episode on a meth binge. 'Banshee" is the first song where it feels like the heavy intention overpowers the songwriting, and even then, it's still more effective than not. The title track is more of a drill track. I will give this album a 9.5, as it finds a great balance of being heavy as fuck while still caring about the songs and avoiding falling into a trap of just numbing you out with their pound. 

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The Barbarians of California : "And Now I'm Just Gnashing My Teeth"

 

This hard-core band is obviously from the West Coast. Most West Coast hard-core makes me think of skating boarding.  The Barbarians of California's new album "And Now I'm Just Gnashing My Teeth"(oneRPM)  carries more of a metallic stomp aligned with modern hardcore. Even the first song reveals that they have an experimental edge. Once you are into the meat of the album, they are bridging hardcore with a nu-metal sound not unlike what System of a Down does.  They attack with a more spastic jerk. It's hard to not appreciate the sense of adventure that runs through these songs. The new generation of nu-metal kids who go to festivals like Sick New World are definitely going to dig it. Hardcore purists might have some questions. 

"Bazooka" hits with a more metal lumber. They pick up the pace for a more manic groove. I like how it gets darker when the guitar harmonies kick in. "Dopamine Prophecy " pretty much just pounds at you with senseless violence, though with more groove than say grindcore. They are joined by Tim from Rise Against, for "Three Letters". The varied vocal colors work well on this one. "Where Are the Punks" has them chanting about bombs again, the main riff has more of a Slipknot-like grit, but it works well. 'By the Time I Get to Mexico"  feels like a less moody version of 'Adrenaline" era Deftones., but with Slayer guitar solos thrown in. 

"Mr Microphone" is heavy, but it's all over the place in the beat down it tries to serve up. They would get points for having Daryl from Snapcase, but the rest of the song sounds like System of Down. It is not the album's best song, though I think their take on the nu-metal revival has some merit and they generally care about songwriting even when they Slip into knotting. I will give this album a 9 as it's a lot of fun even if I don't listen to it again. 

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Venues : "Transience"

 

This German band occupies the middle-of-the-road metalcore/nu-metal space that is more commonplace in mainstream metal. This band balances out the more soaring pop vocals of Lela with a more metallic scowl. Her voice brings the radio-friendly hooks. Their writing is not harsh and focuses on grooves and providing space for the vocals to fall. With songs like the more power ballad like "Unspoken Words:" their beauty and the beast formula is at perhaps its most accessible. I am always for strong vocal melodies, so the only issue I have with what they are doing is that it just doesn't come across as being that heavy to me, and is a tad overproduced, but that is what comes with this sort of thing, 

"Bad Karma" takes things even further into pop sensibilities. None of their stuff really feels that dark to me which might also explain why it's not resonating with me. By the time we get to "Reflections,' the formula they use to write songs is so firmly entrenched the songs begin to sound the same. The use of the male growls is pretty predictable  When I watched their videos and found out it's not one of the guitarists just lending his growl, but another male vocalist, It left a worse taste in my mouth as I hate it when bands have two singers that are not playing instruments. If it's something like Kiss where everyone sings that is fine, but two dedicated vocalists both fronting a band do not sit well with me. 

Some of the breakdowns remind me more of Slipknot than modern metal core so that is where the lines get blurry. There is a little more bounce to "Oblivion" that also reminds you that Evanescence is also nu-metal. Just for girls. This is a really well-produced album., but so are most pop albums. They gain some steam and get more aggressive on "Cravings" at least until the chorus comes, but the wheel is not getting re-invented here. The album closes with an overly dramatic ballad that only fosters Evanescence comparisons.  I will give this album an 8, it's pretty middle-of-the-road sonically but a well-crafted vanilla latte for the ears. 

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Graphic Nature : "A Mind Waiting to Die"

 This British band dropped this album back in February and just managing to catch up with it. They play a form of metal core that collides with nu-metal, which is becoming another sub-genre called nu-core. There is a Slipknot like collage of sound that explode into your ears that are at least being presented as if they are coming for the singer's tortured psyche. The guitars thump with the down tuned aggression that metal core adopted from nu-mtal in the post-Myspace landscape. "Into the Dark' continues to find the vocals yelled in a hard core manner with more emotional posturing. They render some convincing break downs on the second song . 

The hyper aggressive temper tantrum continues of "Killing Floor" , but there is enough atmosphere dialed into give it the darker shade this kind of thing needs in order to convince. The Slipknot influence might be the heaviest thing going in their sound. "Sleepless" works more of the driving anger, and has less sonic nuance than the previous song. "White Noise" keeps things churning in the same direction with hear Slipknot head on "Iowa". There are swathes of sharp sounds that cut through the attack of the guitar, but the overall effect feels more like a Slipknot tribute with this one. Turntables are being manipulated which points it's finger in that direction for sure. Though this band consists only of  five people so there is not an army of clowns involved. 

"Bad Blood" is sadly not a Taylor Swift cover, which might have been more interesting than the JNCO flavored slab  of riffs that hit you with here. The singer is far from Corey Taylor, so they are not making use of the power of melody to provide a counterpoint for what is going on. Any melody that is going to arrive is going to come from the guitars. "Twisted Fear" stomps and bounces in the exact manner you might expect this to go in. I think a band like Bloodlet did this sort of thing better pre-Slipknot. It is a shame that there is an entire musical movement going on that is not acknowledging bands like Bloodlet and Starkweather. I do appreciate when these guys experiment a bit and use sounds outside of the metal core norm. However there is just a redundancy in how the anger is delivered from there. I am all for nu-metal getting another shot, if the bands are learning from the mistakes the genre made on it's first run and not repeating them. Instead what is happening with this album is all the songs begin to sound the same after the try to inflict the same blunt force trauma. 

The brooding "A Twin" is more of an interlude as it does not develop past the hushed muttering of the vocals that feels more like the intro of a Code Orange song than  an actual song unto itself. The last song "the Downpour" pounds and prances in the sonic zip-code that they have been circling this entire album. Here lies the danger of metal core remarrying nu-metal is the child they  make might be too inbred to not have the same defects. I will give this album a 7, as I like how dark it is, and the album has a good sound, though not song focused, touching on cool sounds, and there are great ideas that could be further developed as they progress as a band.