When this album opens it certainly seemed more like the project is taking on more more conventional rock slant with this. Even with the drone and the odd touch of quirk to the vocals on the first song, you can also here traces of Led Zeppelin. "The Dome" has a angular groove that combines the weirdness of new wave with a driving noise rock pound. Things don't fall as firmly into the craziness I expect from these guys until on "Warning" and then it has a hint of punk to it. His wife Lydia Ainsworth, who we are a fan of here lend her voice to "Pygmalion". It sounds more like her song that what this project does. But it hovers rather than forming a song, so it more of an interlude. I guess everyone has to do a cover of "Sinnerman". The monotone vocals make less of an effort to convey the emotion of this song, so it falls way short of of Nick Cave's on this song.
I really like the dark powerful pound of "Look Daggers". It works of a pretty simple throb , but it's effective, almost like a more demented version of Clutch. "A Sacrifice" finds the darker turn the album takes progressing even further. The tempo picks up rather than relying on a drone.
Lydia returned to sing "Sons and Daughters". This feels more like it came from the 80s. Something Blondie might have done. The album closes with "Uniform of a Killer". It begins with a march and moves into a simmer , but doesn't engage me as much as some of the other songs on this album.
I'll round this one up to an 8, as it reaches a decent compromise. I think some of the more sonic oddities and genre jerking that have been reigned in for the sake of songwriting are not missed as long as they are keeping this heading in a darker direction. I think this album is such it's own thing that it is going to take some time for it to really wear on me , though I suspect tit's the stronger songs which I hear as the darkest that will become most endearing over time.
I found "Tired of Tomorrow" to be too happy and was underwhelmed. While this album might not be full return to the grunge tinged "Guilty of Everything" it does make shoe-gaze great again with more balls behind it than the previous album. Opening with the strong dreamy fuzz of "Zero Day" . This mood is maintained with "Blue Line Baby" that keeps the surreal step back into the 90s going . There are authentic guitar tones and the songs builds into a hooky melody at the end. The new element being introduced on this album is the kind of vintage slacker rock that bands like Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh used to crank out. This first surfaces on "You Wind Me Up". Having listened to a great deal of this back in the day it feels pretty spot on and is a good song on it's own two feet not totally dependent on the nostalgia.
I think I had to listen to "Plastic Migraine" four times before I plugged in and connected to the song. Some of this is due to the highly floating atmosphere the song is thick with. Upon a more focused listen the vocal melody was found hiding behind the guitar. Granted as I write this I am listening to it with only one ear bud in my right ear , but it seems to be capturing everything enough for me to get the point and last night I listened to this with both working for the stereo effect. "Us / We / Are " feels more like earlier Radiohead. The vocals have really improved on this album. The sense of dynamics is also more polished and proves they can play are more conventional radio rock if they want and are not hiding behind all the effects.
"Hail on Palace Pier" has a more fragile atmosphere as it is stripped down to vocals, bass and drums. This gives it a more post-punk feel. Not surprising since some of these guys are also in Death of Lovers. This song is the closest these two projects have come to having a middle ground. It does build into a more guitar driven style of alternative rock. There more grungey side is indulged on "I Hate the Flowers". While it is not pure Nirvana worship it is easy to hear these influences. "the Carpenters Son" embarks on a more delicate drift into the clouds. Compared to the more compact punch of what they have done earlier in the album this might be pleasant but not as compelling. There bass player is so good until any song where he is not at the center is not among their best work, but for what this is it works. "Hope is Just Another Word With a Hole in It" is a balance of rock drive and ambiance from the surreal guitar tones. It kinda of floats around without solidly hooking me into, but is still pretty decent and spot on for what they do . I'll give this album a 9.5 as it is a pretty solid return for them and was highly enjoyed even if it floats away at the end.
Inspiration comes in many ways. An afternoon spent beside a creek. The look in someone's eyes. With depression I can feel like the energy it takes to write one of these is more than I can muster. In the past I have done the iPod shuffle where I just hit shuffle mode and reviewed the songs that came up. These songs are ones that have provided a soundtrack to my week. They have further inspired other inspirations that perhaps made me feel more alive. Sonic shades reflecting glimpses of beauty perhaps but into better words with in these lyrics. Some of these songs are old some are new, the same can be said of feelings, though looking at them with a fresh set of eyes is just as powerful as going back and re-listening to some of these songs for the first time in years, it re-captures the same magic as leaving notes in lockers in high school.So thanks for the inspiration, I hope the universe allows it to keep coming. Type O Negative- "Wolf Moon"
Boston's Morne is a sludge band that knows how to get in a groove. The throaty vocal come in with the kinda roar that is typical for this sort of thing falling somewhere between old Mastodon and Neurosis. More upbeat than Neurosis thus the Mastodon comparison comes in. Feedback screams out of their dense guitar tone like pieces of shrapnel. "Not Our Flame" mixes a more melodic blend of heavy chugged sludged out metal. The drums are almost death metal with the big wall of double bass they churn out. These guys are really good at keeping you hooked in with catchy riffs. "The Blood Is Our Own" more deliberate with the guitars giving the song a little more room to breathe. The vocals don't occupy this space any differently than there barked delivery employed in the first few songs. The song kind drones on it's own throb and dynamically proves to be a one trick pony.
"Scorn" is apocalyptically heavy in much the same way Neurosis' "Through Sliver and Blood" is, though it defaults to more of a metal chug then the kind of density Neurosis tends to employ. There is a slower and darker sense of melody to the guitars on "Show Your Wounds". The drums provide more motion to "Night Awaits the Dawn". With slight shifts in the groove this song rides it pretty much coasts along until a moodier more atmospheric shift develops. The last two songs find the more mournful undertone beginning to surface and has them leaning in the direction of doom with of the two songs finds "Surrendering Fear coming the close to the darkness even though the verse riff to the song also finds the band at their most emotionally soaring.
I'll give this album an 8. There are well constructed riffs that go beyond the rule of "cool riffs alone do not a good song make" and weave them into something with a very connected mood. I prefer the more melodic moments and the vocals are their weak spot limiting the overall sound to being pretty uniform at times. If you are looking for some sludge more rooted in metal than crust punk then this is a band worth your time.
This duo from LA takes the Halloween trapping of gothic dark-wave and pairs it up with some pretty banging pop beats that have drive to them. This is layered with sugary sweet female vocals not unlike Chrvches. Lyrically their is more an edge looking at the underbelly to the City of Angels, with lyrics looking at drugs and mental illness. Though in an almost cartoonist way. The smooth 80s inflected grooves begin to run together on "Your Addiction" with the more whispered vocal on the verse the only separating it. The frequently synth arpeggio patterns do create this more uniform sound against he grooves. While this formula is infectious the deeper we move into the album it begins to lose a little of the edge it first delivered.
They get some of this back with more Nine Inch Nails influenced beat of "Candy Coated Suicide". Their vocalist might have a voice that drips with Lolita like sex appeal, but her range is also limited to this.This doesn't mean there is no sense of dynamics as they do capture a wider range than say the new Lords of Acid. "Therapy" finds the synths taking on more of the Stranger Things synth wave feel while keeping a pulse with more in common with the groove the Eurythmics used to use.If we are still tracing back this music's origins the slight disco feel of "Imaginary Friend" is not unlike Blondie.Granted this is Blondie through the filter of modern pop.
"Vampires" is marginally darker, I mean it would have to be that is pretty much a no brainer. Aside from that it does little to set itself from the uniform formula applied to the other songs. There is piano to "Survive" that provides a little different color , but it's the more aggressive beat that wins me over.This provides the kind of dynamic contrast these kids would do best to implement more of . Despite this being a pop album posing as dark wave for Halloween in Hollywood, I think they are good at what they do regardless of the band wagons they may or may not be hopping on. I'll give this album an 8.5 and see how it grows on me.
Yes, new post-punk is still coming out. I might not cover as much as I once did hear, because I got tired of rehashing a bunch of Joy Division wannabes. So these guys break the mold to some extent in order for me to take the time and listen to this album . Vocally this is falling closer to Echo and the Bunnymen with the bass line taking on more of a Joy Division like drone. Sure the Cure can always be a reference point for all post-punk that gives it a once more with feeling. The single note guitar melodies that trickle around things also contributes to this comparison to some extent. So this is not the most original thing under the killing moon, so we will see how Rueban Sawyer works with the parts he has assembled here. Gary Numan is also reference point when the synths replace the guitars as the melodic vocal point for the vocals to work around. By the time we get to the stiff drum machine driven "Reasons" despite the cooler Brit pop vocal it begins to sound the same and the album fades slightly into the background. When I tune back into this song it is revealed that the melodies have improved.
"White Smoke" gets more sinew to it's bass line , but it's competing in the mix with the keyboards. The vocals to this song are less interesting as the keyboards begin to dominate things in the Gary Numan manner. "Ladder of Love" has more of an 80s new wave feel, ass it splits the difference between organic instruments and a more plastic electronic sound. I would not cal this dark wave as it's not all that dark and fairly upbeat . I think of this projects two sides I prefer the more Echo and the Bunnymen side as it's darker and more brooding. I think with a full band and better production this project could flourish. All of the weight being placed on the sole talents of Swayer is asking a little too much. Dark is often my answer to most musical question , but the pulse to "Turn Around" is the exception to that rule as the darker ambiance finds it still droning to a promise it never fulfills. The last song "Covers" sticks to a similar path, perhaps a little more minimalist in the sparse arrangement, that assumes the vocals are interesting enough to carry the song which might be a slight over estimation.
I'll give this album a 7.5 , I think the issues with it have been spelled out pretty well. It's not the most original thing, but I think it comes at some of these post rock staples with a different angle to them claiming most as their own while wearing his influences on his sleeve. It could be darker. It could use a real drummer than might cater to groove less droning. It could do a lot of things, but this album is what is it, not too shabby, will keep an ear out for what the future brings.
I have never really paid any attention to these guys , but a friend told me Hopesfall just put out a new Hum album. While I can hear that in the guitars, the vocals are more of a throaty scream when it opens , the Hum like vocals don't come in until what might be the chorus. The pace picks up for the second song , it's almost more Helmet like. The melodic sections it ebbs down into fall into place in a similar fashion as what the Deftones are known for though less dark and brooding. "Bradley Fighting Vehicle" could easily be Cave In or many of those bands from that era. These guys sound pretty genuine in what they are doing, so I am not admonishing their love for the 90s. Even though this recalls the days of Myspace when it comes to how the vocals are shouted out, it's better for the atmospheric guitars as it gives their overall sound more grit.
"C.S Luckyone" has the vocals expanding their croon beyond the plaintive slacker rock. The riffs have a more angular modern rock touch as the drums groove behind them. "I Catapult" devolves into the kind of Jimmy Eat World middle of the road rock that I typically try to avoid. This kind of runs into "Tunguska" which is more dynamically and a better written endeavor. "Aphelion" at a minute an a half if more of an interlude than really allowed to mature into the kind of fully fleshed dynamic piece most of these songs are. "Drowning Potential" might default to the good cop / bad cop dynamic made popular in the 90s, but it's well done here with a balance of angry stomping and atmosphere.
"To Bloom" works of ambiance set against a solid groove. The guitars provide a big explosive backdrop to propel it. The last song is not far from what they have been doing for the bulk of the album, more melodic than aggressive, it has a syncopation that keeps it moving forward. I'll give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me , some of the songs kinda run from one another, with punchy moments the only things separating them, I think this is a mature step forward for this band.
Despite the fact I refuse to call this Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway the new solo album from Daron Malakian is the closet things you are going to get to new System of a Down. Much like his first solo album, this is more rock n roll and less nu-metal than System of a Down. I have always like Malakian's vocals with System of a Down , perhaps more than Serj's. "Angry Guru" is less impressive than the more tightly written opener. The title track is more up tempo, but has a darker tension to that recalls some of System's best moment. It seems like this song was probably written for the next System of a Down album that never happened, as his takes on a lower croon that has more in common with Serj's vocal style. He also uses more of a stomping scream that really brings System back from the grave.
The dark and melodic nuances I prefer from his work continue to seep over the more bouncy rock of "Fuck and Kill". While I like the exotic touches when you compare it against the title track it's not the same caliber. Though it's not shabby either. "Guns Are Loaded" is a little more of a power ballad in terms of dynamics. It's dark almost like something Marilyn Manson might do in one of his more organic moments. "Never Forget" is more of a straight forward rock song, that is energetic but doesn't capture everything I want from him as much as some of the other songs do. I'm not opposed to the more rock n roll side of what he does at it is done much better on "Talkin Shit". This album is somewhat hit or miss in this regard as the very next song fails to hit this very same sweet spot as effectively , maybe it's a case of going to the well too many times.
The guitar has a more frantic metal attack on "We Won't Obey". It's palm muted in an almost punk manner. More straight forward than your average System of a Down song, there are moment of quirky punch injected into it. "Sickening Wars" has a similar punk feel to it. It ends with two covers of these is an instrumental, the other is a Skinny Puppy song. It sounds nothing like the original Skinny Puppy song. I'll give this album a 9 as it's very solid and well done though not as hard hitting or gripping as the first one.
We have been following the project for sometime, while a huge fan of their first release the second did not grip us as strongly. This EP finds them heading more firnly in a shoe gazing direction. It works of drone more than dynamics. The groove seemed to have a similar tension in the riff as "Stranglehold" though perhaps if it was covered by Stone Roses. "Awake and Dry" finds the vocals claiming a more substantial melody why the music simmers in a surreal murk beneath them. Still rather than going somewhere it lingers on this droning pulse with guitars toying around it.
The guitars gain a moderate amount of heft on "Heavens Sings the Soul to Sleep". The vocals are little higher and over the dreamy wall of dense sonics sound almost like Jane's Addiction. The guitars are way noisier than Janes, and there is none of the hooky punch Perry and the boys once carried. Also the bass feels pretty buried the My Bloody Valentine like hypnosis they are trying to induce here. This song does kind of have a little more of a build than most of the others on the EP, though it introduces layers and there is never a tempo shift of any kind.
"Thank You" is not a cover of the Led Zeppelin. It's dreamy drone that reminds me a little of Jesu if their shit had been moree stripped down and basic. It's pretty much just guitar and vocals . The drums come in at the end the Led Zeppelin feel occurs in more of a "When the Levee Breaks" kinda of way. Even then the drums are no as powerful as Bonham, but who does play like that anymore? Ok I guess Clutch. But rock music is not what these guys are ultimately trying to craft here, it is something much more surreal . I'll give this album an 8, the vocals are really improved which adds to the overall sound. It is a little droning for my tastes but I think they suceeded in making the album they set out to.
The albums begins with a great deal of literal fanfare, before going into some well done , yet cut and paste black metal that really only catching my ear when the trumpets come back in, so it more Imperial Trumpet than Triumphant.The more angular death metal with touches of jazz found on "Lower World" works better for me. The drums seem to sit back a little far in the mix. Then their is a shifting dissonance to "Gotham Luxe" that moves like brackish water and while I appreciate the dark feel of the song like free form jazz it barely manages to contain this into an actual song. "Chernobyl Blues" starts off simmering and brooding then just kinda falls back into their same old bag of tricks. This becomes the problem with these guys while they do some tricky mathy discordant black metal it all begins to sound the same which is not progressive at all unless it progresses and goes somewhere.
I find myself letting this fade into the background when I return to "Cosmopolis" . The smoky jazz of "Mother Machine" snags my interest again. If this was black metal for a David Lynch movie I might like this album more. Things do begin to progress on "the Filth". It has a woman wailing away in the background in somewhat operatic singing. This reminds me a little of Igorr when they go about it in this fashion and it finds their zaniness working with them rather than against. They really pull it together in the last three songs as even the one with the woman screaming mindlessly at the end still works.
I think the problem this album starts off with is trying to hard. It's a concept album, though not like say "Operation Mindcrime" but conceptually tries to convey something that might be forced rather than eased into. I''l round this down to a 7.5 for the initial pretentiousness and hope to hear more that is like the last three songs from them.
This odd band from Finland is not just jumping on the shoe gaze band wagon they are giving the wheels a spin of their own. Where most shoe gaze tends to be slow and dreamy these guys are pretty up temp and let the guitars get spacey in the back ground as the bass and drums drive the ship. The vocals are also delivered with more of a post-punk energy rather than the more sedate breathy kind that are the norm.The kind of pop punk injection of the second gives them more of a Cure feel. My initial thought is it's a little happy. The melody has a very 80s feel.It's not until the thrid song to they finds them selves in the kind of droning groove that is set against the more typical trappings of shoe gaze that you feel like you are in more familiar territory. The guitar feels a little more like Sonic Youth in how it lays down the ground work for the vocals .
They continue band the road that's more traveled on "Severny". This has more of a Stone Roses feel. Though the first few chords hold more weight than Brit Pop and have a more My Bloody Valentine like ebbing down when the vocals come in. There is a more Led Zeppelin like pulse to the song that follows this one. It also dies down into more dreamy drift, but it does prove in the transition that their drummer has some chops. The bass leads back in with a slinky groove that the effected guitars play around. I think this song would transition well live. It swells into something more dense and sonically intense. The last song finds them racing off into a more upbeat take on 90s indie rock mixed with 80s new wave pop in the melody lost in a boozy swirl of shoe gaze guitars. +
They take enough familiar elements and polish them up before adding their own weird spin. I think this album is a more unique take on modern shoe- gaze than simply re-booting as a tribute band to Slow Dive . I'll give this one a 9 as it stays interesting, at times it can be rough around the edges and noisy, but the charm of these songs smooths even those moments over to make this a fun listen from start to finish.
The traces of hardcore continued to be shed as the opening is a lazy British beach ballad. Even at this point calling it post-punk would be an exaggeration of the word punk. I can hear more Brit pop and new wave in the almost more 80's like sheen that is buffed out by a warm organic mix. Speaking of pop it is hooky and has more pogo in it's bounce than say the Drums, but the melodies do reach a similar zip code. The guitars come more to the forefront in "Dip" , but the novelty of what they are doing begins to lose some of it's luster by the time you get there. "Bee Kind to the Bees" is more like the Shins. The lyrics are clever and on the surface this all sounds pretty happy. There might be more than sunshine and sugar bears going on in their heads.
They almost get a mainstream of a sound as Weezer on "S'Dream". Am I referencing too many bands? Some might say this is lazy writing, I beg to differ. Since this is my blog I'll write however the fuck I feel, but if a band doesn't want to be compared to anyone then maybe they should step up their game and find their sound identifiable sound. The lazy jangle of "California Speed Ball" cements this music for rich stoner white kids. This could easily be on the soundtrack of some teen show on the CW. Not that it's a bad song, quite the opposite. It might not be what I was expecting going into this , but they have become good at what they are doing. So it's not that this shoe doesn't fit them. I guess it's the process of getting older and becoming wiser song writers.
You can hear hints of punk on "Calm E" . The vocals have more swagger and the song is more driven by the bass. The guitar riff almost has a touch of grunge, and by grunge I mean Hole, so in it's less metallic form. "Dave's Not Here" has a touch of the Ramones if we are thinking about their happy more Beach Boys influenced pop leanings. "Dozy" just breeze by without really grabbing my attention. "Bluebird on my Shoulder" starts off as almost more of a ballad and the tempo gradually builds to the same kind of jangling pop they have been churning out the duration of this album. I'll give this album an 8.5, it succeeds in what they set out to accomplish, it just depends how high your threshold for pop is.
The press release said they are moving in a more black metal direction when they meant to say they were moving in a more European melodic death metal direction as evident from the harmonized melodic riffs in the verses to "When Paradise Fades" . There is some blasting at the beginning of "Temple of the Sun". It devolves into more of the a-typical thrash. Sung vocals join in a dramatic refrain before guitars return to their dizzying speed.The title track finds some of the band's most nuanced guitar work to date, though I think fans are wanting something that chews nails for breakfast. So me saying that so far this sounds like it is the band's most melodic album to date might be a turn off for some fans. If the big palm muted verse riff was at more of a gallop it would come across like a scowling version of Amon Amarth.
This album certainly doesn't feel as dark as the previous album, but if you like your metal big and majestic then this is for you. Sometimes the vocals drop into a lower death metal like growl but general carry a more mid range sneer. When they speed up into a more high tempo thrash on "the Luminous Sky" they begin to more me. "the Vault" has a more melancholy brand of melody to it that I prefer, though when it races into the verse it's business as usual. It's marginally hooky and the lyrics are some kind of generic heavy metal apocalyptic mish mosh. It's at this point in the album where due to the fast and furious pace they feel compelled things begin to sound the same to me and the songs start to run together.
"Sacred Soil" falls back onto what they have been doing the bulk of the album so far with the growls more accented when they get to the chorus. So it ends with a formula firmly in place and their foot on the gas. I'll give this one an 8. The production is a little bright , but the guitars sound great. The bass playing is very melodic and the band is firing in the right direction I could just stand for this to be a little darker and meaner.
This album is a matured take on what we once called emotional hard-core. I think kids are calling it screamo these days. Call it what you want it comes across much more honest in intention than the emo of the early 2000s . Despite it's melodic set up when the album gets going it explodes with hard core anger and then rages with the desperation of punk after. When it takes off it has a similar tension to some of Converge's more musical moments of post- hardcore. This is the French band's 2nd album which has been six years in the making. They certainly had time to get the guitar sound dialed in. "Love is Political" has more angular chaos to it , but the bass player holds it together. The vocals are more sung on the thoughtful "We Vs Us" . It maintains a tension that promises more of an emotional release than a hard core break down. I find this to be more unique as I got my fill of break downs in 1999.
"Remember Us Better Than We Are" blast into frantic motion with punk energy. The vocals stay at more of a punk shout. Around the 3 minute mark the song simmers on it's own brooding thoughts. "I Don't Dance" is a temper tantrum until it finds it pounding staccato groove.For some reason this one rages in a manner than works for me better than the previous song. "15 - 38" has a more casual indie rock saunter. Sung vocals come in and add another color as they chant the albums title in the lyrics. "Triste Sire" takes on on a punk rant, that is not my favorite side of what they do and even then it's not half bad. The impressive bass playing and passion they pursue the tempo wins me over. The bass player stays on his winning streak with the rubbery slink of "Morning". It's like a beautifully brewing storm set to music.
The album closes with the anger driven "Fossils". It gets pretty blasty for hard core, before giving way to a more melodic section, sense you can only stay angry for so long until it becomes exhausting. This melodic section is different from the others earlier in the album as it has more of a shoe gaze feel. Overall this album returns to the days when emotion and hardcore fit perfectly together. Sometimes some of the album abrasion is a temper tantrum it has to work through, but enjoyable non the less so I'll give it a 9.
Yeah... I get the Entombed thing going on. But I hear other more traditional thrash elements worked in among the shades of black. The more melo-death Swedish guitar lines are balanced out with meaty chugs. This is the Mexican band's fourth album so one might assume they know what they are doing. There is more of a gallop to "Deliverance From the Astral Sea". It goes in a weird direction four minutes into it's other wise powerhouse attack to indulge in a trippy bit of ambiance.The craze call of the vocals that are not as gruff or powerful as the roar employed by Entombed , begins to get a little stale by the time we are at "Echoes of Light" . The vocals really begin to pay against the band who would benefit from a lower growl on "From Death To its Son".
The turn to ebbing back into weirdness on "Heavy is the Crown" certainly breaks things up as needed and takes my mind off the redundant vocals. The more mournful riff that wants to be a chorus carries a layered stomp. The things get mushy, aside from a convincing gallop here and there the last two songs sound pretty similar . Though midway into "Sky Burial" things get broken up again with more weirdness which is certainly one of this band's strengths. The chug gets even stronger by the end of this song, though the rule around here is "cool riffs alone do not a good song make". So while it's head bang worthy,there is nothing that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
I'll give this album a 7.5 , the vocals become a sticking point even for all the cool heavy chugs and weird horror movie like excursions into trippiness they take you on which this being my first time giving this band a shot proved to the best surprise. If you are really into the Entombed style of metal but looking for something different then this is recommended. If you are very particular about vocals I can't imagine you liking this.
The new album opens in a tone that is not metal at all with piano and post-rocky instrumentation taking a dreamy groove which the vocals eventually snarl over. Snarling doesn't instantly make things metal here or really anywhere. "Honeycomb" is more metallic. The drums punch certain accents, but until it swells I am reluctant to call it metal. The drummer has really stepped up his game that is for certain. Vocally the are back to sticking to the same snarl so far. It's his typically mid range, sometimes it sounds like he is making more of an attempt to form words than others. It's not until the chug that accents the verse going toward the three minute mark that anything heavy really happens. The drummer obviously has a hard core back ground in how he drops to half time grooves to give things more of a break down like stomp. They do cram a lot into the songs first four minutes. The second six finds a guitar solo leading into the second act. It is more melody than shred. It does ebb back down into that more atmospheric indie rock feel, and I avoid the term shoegaze here as I think that is some more hypnotic with a dense darker drone.
The first song to surface from this album "Canary Yellow" opens with a light dreamy drift. It makes me think of Explosions in the sky. After almost three minutes of this it does bust into metal. It's a more mid tempo and less furious version of what they do. The sweeping guitar melody comes into carry the song as the vocals pretty much remain in their signature scowl. At the eight minute mark this flows down into more moody indie rock passage that would not sound out of place on a Morrissey song. These guys get a lot of credit in the song writing department as they have a bunch of bands trying to jump on their band wagon, but they raise the bar and do it in a hooky dynamic manner. Granted it's also their most accessible work to date. Sung vocals come in , but stay in the background. It does give it a more emo feel.
"Near" does dip into the shoe gaze I was mentioning previously. While I have never denied it has been an influence in their sound, I don't think as a whole their roots are as connected to bands like Slow Dive or My Bloody Valentine. The clean vocals come in to make this sound more like the Stone Roses. The song that follows starts off on a similar foot, but finds it's way back to the more blasty style of "black metal" this band is known for. So the question is not is this the best black metal you have ever heard as it certainly rides the line on what most of us might consider black metal, but where does this fall in terms of what this band does. In those terms I think it marries where they went on 'Sunbather" with the more metallic leanings of the last album. I think Kerry McCoy is really coming into his own as a guitarist.
Chelsea Wolfe lends her voice to the duet "Glint" with who I assume to Clarke singing. If this is him then he has proven that he can really sing. The album closes with "Worthless Animal". There is a little more melancholy to this one and the vocals sit kinda of oddly in the mix, despite having mixed "Sunbather" the mix as a whole feels odd as if the mid range dominates it where if it has been a more bass friendly mix it would have been heavier. I'll give this album a 9 as it earns multiple listens , almost hard to call it a metal album, but I think it excels when it comes to guitar playing and songwriting.
This band picks up where it left off with their thickly inspired homage to Sabbath. Though there is more sultry tone considering the vocals of Johanna Sadonis. Things are more polished on their sophomore effort. "California Son" adds a touch of Deep Purple to their sound before locking into the trade mark Sabbath chug. I'll once again go on record to explain the difference between stoner metal and doom here as that is often confused. The key that makes this stoner metal or rock is the uptempo and lack of a dark or mournful sound. There is a little more of a boogie here. "Dreamer" has a darker mood that reminds me more of Dio era Sabbath, which is a good thing as you don't hear as many bands mining from that era. "Pheonix" is more like a Pat Benatar take on the genre. It's not as interesting, but it grows on me.
Their cover of "Dancing With Mr. D" makes you think this song was orginally by Sabbath rather than the Stones when you hear their take on it. "Reaper on Your Heels" finds them kinda going through the motions of radio rock from the 70s. The drummer is working hard, but I don't hear the song writing really having it's own personality here. They are still good enough musicians to make the warmed up left overs over to some extent. They look towards a more doomy direction on "Eyes in the Sky", it simmers but never really sizzles. The vocals seem to meander a little more. The fact Johanna's vocals are given room to breathe, certainly helps "Before the Sun". She is certainly hot and this is conveyed in her vocals here. The guitar solos on this album don't really wow me, but the capture the time period aimed for.
"Aton" has more of a Mountain feel. Her vocals work around the riff pretty well and the song has a dynamic flow so it succeeds. "Faux Pharoh" has more drive that propels the song to a more captivating place. The chug is convincing. I'll give this album a 8.5, as they prove themselves good at what they do, they manage to make fresh some of the old retro conventions. The album does hit some redundant murk that generally plagues this kind of Sabbath worship, though her voices helps keep them from being a Sabbath tribute band trying to pass songs off as originals.
Many of New York's black metal bands come from the hipster circles of Brooklyn. They bring elements of punk, post-rock and avant garde indie rock into the mix. Mutilation Rites separates themselves by only bringing more metal into the equation. The closest to punk is grind core which I can hear more of on the first song "Pierced Larynx". On board this time is new drummer Tyler Coburn, whose double bass in convincingly metal despite his more avant guard past. "Axiom Destroyer" picks up where the previous song left off though it is more straight forward and blasting. The production on this album gives the band a bigger and heavier sound.
"Ominous Rituals" has more groove in its throb than the previous song, but if what is it doing that we have not already heard in black metal before is asked then the answer might leaving you thinking. It does a have passages that are darker and more melodic than anything we have heard on this album so far. The vocals sound like and after thought and for these guys typically are the weakest link. More of a powerful grind drives "Ominous Ritual" which is just what this album needed to break up the blast. It goes in a much more death metal direction. There is a riff lurking in the frenzy the song boils into that reminds me a little of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", it's suffocated beyond recognition. The drummer is killing it, which after the last time I saw them with their old drummer is an accomplishment as they guy was a hairy beast in daisy dukes. The guitars are also well layered here as they are not just doubling each other, but providing a counter point.
The title track finds them getting a little darker, before blasting off into a rapid rage powered by double bass. It goes from a more thrash drive feel to more of a speedy blur. The vocal spew makes me wonder the merit of the lyrics that become a mute point. It does converge back into a more death metal pounding that reins things in before taking off again which provides the needed dynamics to keep me interested rather than losing me in blasting for the sake of blasting. There is a really cool riff that kicks off "Putrid Decomposition" that closes out the album. At ten minutes this journey has the needed twists and turns so no time is wasted in drone, as every minute is well invested. Angular dissonance possesses many of the riffs here. That is not to say this is not executed with a great deal of power and finds them more on the death metal side of what they do. I'll give this album a 9. Most of the improvements come from the production end, as they might weigh in on more of the death metal side of their sound, but the identity of the band is firmly intact even with line up changes. Comes out July 20th. />
I say I am going to review lots of albums and while I mean that when I say it, the truth is , there are not enough hours in the day and something I am already a fan off comes along and distracts me from the intended album. So I am going to do this one in 24 hours like I told myself I would. This is a punk band from Athens, Ga. There are many of the familiar punk trappings like the rapid pop of the snare and reckless guitar playing.Athens is not the first place I think of punk coming from , but they sound pretty authentic. Frantic might be a word more suited to describe the feel of this than calling it aggressive. It's more happy in it's driving energetic style. Some times the vocals form almost an ominous chant. There are over dubbed layers of the yelled female vocals. I really like the lyrics to "Halloween Hell" where they declare the hideaway hookers all wanna dress like sluts. This is a really fun song I can sign off on.
There is more of a bounce to "Riot Surfer". This style of punk is typically happier than what I normally listen to when it comes to punk, which regular readers here no leans more in the direction of Joy Division. These guys are fun and hooky which goes a long way no matter the genre. The vocals frequently crack in unison screams.More pounding than the Ramones and holding a much angrier edge than the more garage rock strains of punk like the Coathangers. They throw a party on "John Lee" ,there is a little more of a hard rock edge to the guitars here, so these guys could easily play with bands from other genres and not feel out of place. More of a 70s Runaways feel creeps into their shifting sound on "Dirty Life". What I am beginning to like midway into this album is how they can shift their sound while retaining their identity.
The album title doesn't lie as many of these songs sound like summer anthems and feel like this band should be from California rather than Athens. "Costa Rica Dreaming" falls into this category. The bass player throws in some subtle flourishes rather than always following the guitar line. The other winning quality that sells this for me is the attention to detail in the song writing department. They are not a 1,2,3,...go! punk band that recklessly blasts through chords to call it a song. "Sorry You Love Me" doesn't grip me as urgently as some of the other songs, but it still accomplishes what they set out to do. "Wet Christmas" is like a punk take on "White Christmas" following a variation of the classic arrangement while declaring that they want to be moist all day. Sounds like a decent holiday to me. "JMA" finds the drummer showing their chops as the band begins to play of a more typical punk tempo.
A more rowdy sing a long can be found on "San Diego Pizza" that makes me think this band might be a lot of fun live, as they aren't throwing their brand of political anarchy in your face or raging against any machines, but just trying to inspire more drinking. Granted I quit drinking, so I might not need a soundtrack for that I still appreciate what is being done here. While the vocals are never a shouted after thought on "Romona Ray" they receive the kind of spot light that is often reserved more for pop music which makes this song stand out more and is my favorite on the album. I'll give this one an 8.5, which is really good for an unsigned band who plays a style of punk that is more sunshine than the shadows I prefer, so if you are not a depressive like me and enjoy some feel good music you might round this up to a 9.
I like classic or outlaw country music. So the idea of a metal band covering a bunch of country songs was very appealing in theory to me. Devildriver is a band I always assumed rooted in nu-metal due to the connection to Coal Chamber, so I never gave them much a chance, though passing listens to what I have heard over the years had yet to really wow me. This makes the first song "Country Heroes" by Hank William the 3rd more impressive, though they have Hank on the track, so how can they really mess that up? They get a little more adventurous by brings Randy Blythe in to help them with Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River" which they do an admirable job with, but I think the Eagles' "Outlaw" man lends itself to metal in a more cohesive fashion. I have never been a huge fan of Johnny Cash , but I do like the song "Ghost Riders in The Sky" . They bring in John Carter Cash to help sing some of his father's parts , as Dez really only handles a gruff bark.
"I'm the Only Hell( Mama Ever Raised" is almost to metal, with not enough country elements peppered in. Ok George Jones is one of my favorite country singers so I am going to listen to "If Drinking Don't Kill Me " with more of a cautious ear. The country elements are not every pronounced they bring Wednesday 13 in to help with this one and his contributions are largely negligible. I begin to get a little bored by the thrashing version of Johnny Cash's "the Comes Around" Lee Ving from Fear lends his voice to a few spoken accents. They bring back the more melodic country elements on " A Thousand Miles From Nowhere". It's very clear by the point their drummer is a monster.
The singer from 36 Crazy Fists comes aboard for Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road" . He sounds almost like Blackie Lawless in his delivery. But the more melodic flourishes are what they needed. It's good to hear Burton C Bell's unmistakable voice on "Dads Gonna Kill Me" , but this is pretty much run of the mill metal. When you take a classic like "A Country Boy Can Survive" then I am going to need hear less chug and more of the real song. This is marginally accomplished. "the Ride" really needed Lee Ving's vocal contribution. Otherwise the essence of the song would have been lost. I'll round this up to an 8, its good for what it is.
Full disclosure I can name 5 "progressive" death metal bands that I think are worth a shit. Cynic, Pestilence, Opeth, Edge of Sanity...ok maybe four then so let's see if these guys can be the fourth. They do take a cue from Cynic with the robotic elf vocals that come in. The rubbery bass line also appeals to me. Some of the more mathy runs throw things off for me, but they are aggressive enough for me to appreciate the talent going into this without it coming off as pure wanking so I am going to keep listening. So I like the first song , but can I take an entire album of this? While I like girls who are into technical death metal, because it means they will like watching me masturbate, I'm not sure I'm a voyeur in that regard, but they keep bringing the mechanical elf vocals, so I'll keep listening. Thee second song is less aggressive as the gallops are more of an after though than the angular equations.
The title track features some lower more guttural growls that I expect from my death metal. Yet there is not clear path in how they are driving this song along and it sound more like pieces of songs mixed together by a dj. Until you get to the solo section then that is more cohesive. The mech-elf vocals loose a little for me as they are now more expected. They do take some of the cooler elements of post- "Covenant" Morbid Angel and weave them together into groove that they don't let groove. The song that follows adhere's to a more solid structure. It feels heavier but I think the first song is better in terms of composition. There is something about "Ethereal Skies" that reminds me of Carcass.There is more trade off between the robo-elf vocals and the growls . There is also a symphonic slant to it , which is nothing like Carcass. "Convergence" sounds more like a proggy extension of the previous song.
"Ekpyrosis" has some more melodic touches and , the best solo of the album as it's as tasteful as shredding typically gets. The drummer gets a little blasty on this and it's also one of the albums more aggressive songs. The race ahead at the speed this album has been thrashing at on "Seventh Aeon" and despite a melodic breakdown it begins to sound the same. "the Conjuration" blasts with more of a death metal bite and its not as bogged down with all the busy elements they call progressive, but at it'score with out that it's pretty much run of the mill death meta, though the guitar can lock into a pretty mean chug as needed. There is finally a groove that makes the math worthwhile on "An Epilogue to Infinity". I don't always have to have death metal sounding like Morbid Angel or Incantation, what they are doing here works just fine for me. At the end of the day the album might have a ton of busy work , but its still pretty solid as the cool parts out weigh the bloat. I'll give it an 8.5, strangely Relapse Records is releasing this.
So this is an Immortal album without Abbath. So the problem that hits me from the first song is not that it doesn't charge at you with a lightning fast blitzkrieg of power or that it is not epic enough in scope and sound , but it lacks the trademark croak I think of as Immortal. Instead Demonaz has a higher more screamed rasp. There is a faint hint of a croak. Enough that if you suspend your disbelief and really want this to sound like Immortal it will. It has been 9 years since they have released an album, in that time there is a whole generation of listeners who were still listening to Slipknot in 09 and just got into black metal. They will be impressed. It's kinda like when I first got into Black Sabbath, and "Born Again" had just come out. I bought the album with Ozzy on my mind, I knew this was not Ozzy, but I wanted to be into Black Sabbath so badly I had to trust Toni Iommi to lead through decades of questionable albums.
This is not bad , just as "Born Again" was not really a bad album. It has all the elements in place musically of what Immortal should sound like. It might be more blasty until the 3rd song than normal, so perhaps that is what is making them sound like everyone. While the more melodic touches do help, I am not sure it's a total cure from what ails them here. That might be more of a chemistry thing. "Grim and Dark" feels a little darker, and Immortal has been more epic than dark in terms of black metal. The undercurrent of blasting on this song, feels like it has more in common with pretenders to their throne like Inquisition. Inquisition is darker than this version of Immortal for sure, but these guys have the edge in the energy of their galloping.
The positive side of this album is the guitars sound massive and fucking mean. This doesn't stop me from beginning to feel bored on "Call to Ice". The snarl of the chorus works, but the magic is not grabbing me like it once did. There is another melodic touch to "Where Mountains Rise" that lends a little more dynamics to the sound in order to make me think this could be played out in the snow. The way the vocals punch in around the guitar reminds me more of death metal phrasing. "Blacker of Worlds" doesn't set them apart from today's younger crop of black metal bands to uphold the legendary status they once deserved . "Mighty Ravedark" finds the band winking at themselves in the best way possible.
I'll give this album an 8.5 based on the merits of the production and how well it's executed. I am not sure this always captures the true spirit of the band and leans more on what is expected of black metal. I think they meet those expectations , but with some compromise.Would I go see them on tour as this line-up? I am not sure, would depend on who they were touring with as support.
When it comes to black metal this blog's quest going forward is to seek out the best black metal that is not just blast beats. The third album by this Italian band seeks to pull from first wave black metal influences while having the sweeping sense of majesty that marks much of today's black metal. This band features members of Abhor and Make a Change Kill Yourself..., so the touches of gothic horror as well as depressive elements are both present. The vocals are not that emotive as they stay at more or less a croak. There are grandiose hints of classic metal on "Nahum". The drummer has his double bass dialed in for sure.The keyboard and violin find their way back in early on in this 12 minute monster. The violin makes me think of My Dying Bride.
They do give into the blast beats going into "Amos" . Midway into the song it breaks into something more like chamber music giving it a more folk vibe. Then they speed back up. I wasn't paying attention when it transitioned into "Obadiah". This song has a more deliberate pulse. Things get darker and creepier going into "Jonah". I like the mood being created here and become curious if this is going to become an actual song. Two minutes in and I am beginning to doubt it will and my fears are confirmed. There is an interesting throb driving "Zechariah". The drums shift under neath the some one static melody of the guitars.
"Zephaniah" is almost 18 minutes long. It takes two minutes for the song to kick in. The vocals are more of a death metal gurgle here. To be such a long song I think it requires a greater expanse to sonic colors to justify the indulgence of it's length. Instead it drones in a meandering manner. The drummer tries his best to steer it with greater intensity, but the guitars are locked in what they do. I'll round this down to an 8, there are some songs that really work best for what they do and then other moments not as inspired. None of these are bad songs. If you are really into this brand of horror movie like occult metal then you will also dig this album.
Ok you guys have spoken so I am going to make this column a weekly installment rather than just whenever I feel like it. So I am going to continue to take another listen to albums long regarded as classics and see how they hold up over time. There is a misconception that grunge ...namely Nirvana killed hair metal. This is untrue it was actually Guns N Roses who did this. When I saw them as a kid open up for Motley Crue in 1987 on the "Girls , Girls , Girls" tour it was clear there was something different about these guys ,aside from the fact they were wasted. This album is a testament to that. Sure they had the hair and a sleazy look like Faster Pussycat, but there is something genuine and organic about what they did here. "Welcome to the Jungle" sets the stage from that and while the song served as a calling card to that fact like most of the singles from this album, it's far from the best song. In fact "It's So Easy" is a better song. It finds Axl dropping down into his lower register and the all of his various vocal colors are well displayed in the overdubs. I am listening to the newly remastered deluxe take on this album which is brighter and the separation shows Izzy and Slash's complimentary guitar lines had more going on than met the eye. Sure these guys had the look, but Guns N Roses killed hair metal by sayings, big hair isn't enough you have got to show up and write real songs and be able to play them in a way that rivals our influences.
"Nightrain" is like a pumped up and explosive version of the Rolling Stones, armed with Axl Rose's aggressive screech. I like this songs, but it's not as dark as some of the others and it's groove doesn't slither like my favorites. "Out Ta Get Me" that more of a punk attitude to it. This is really high lighted as they head toward the chorus. Listening back to this I can hear a more metallic attack in how the guitar is picked than what I recalled from when I bought this album back in the day. The drumming is more nuanced than the big arena shaking beats Tommy Lee employed. This attention to detail is what further set these guys apart from the pack. Yeah, it's either the sex or the drug songs that are my favorite on this album. So far after "It's So Easy" this was one of my favorites from the a-side. Axl is once again in lower register. While "Paradise City" is a radio staple, it's too happy in it's strum for me and I have long regarded it as a fast forward classic. Granted teenage me who would get tired of it mainly listened to metal much harder than this brand of rock, so this was pussy shit to him. Now The verse groove is pretty solid in it's stomp.
The b-side of this album dominated the more radio friendly a-side. There is a darker current to "My Michelle". Lyrically this is some of the album's strongest work. The chorus could have been thought out a little better but it's packs a better punch than "Paradise City" . One of my favorite songs on the album is "Think About You" and if I had to make a mix tape for a girl friend in high school this song along with the oh-so romantic "Rocket Queen" would both be on it. I love how the guitars are layered on the chorus. "Sweet Child O Mine" might be the album's biggest radio hit, and deservedly so as the guitar playing on this was really next level shit for when it came out. The vocal melody flows well against the guitar and if you have to have a power ballad this is the way to do it. It might be one of Slash's best solos, not just on this album , but period. I haven't really harped on his solos a ton so far, but I think at this point in the album you start figuring out that this can can really fucking play. My favorite part is the break down to the lower vocal after the solo to the "where do go now ...".
There is a weird cow punk thing going on with "You're Crazy" , I think this would fit better on any mix tape I gave to a girl post- high school. This one races along at more of a punk tempo than the rest of the album. The last two songs drip with sex and are the two song I lost my virginity. So it's hard to tell if I just have a sentimental attachment to them. It's also interesting that there are BDSM themes in the lyrics. "Tied up, Tied down , up against the wall, be my rubber maid , baby and we can do it all" . So maybe that is what helped set that in motion. I would not only say "Rocket Queen" is the best song on the album I would say it's in my top 50 songs of all time. Lyrically it pretty much sums up my sex life. I think it was the girl moaning in the break down of this song that this song that made me cum when I first had sex. So at about 7 mins I'm sure I did a little better than most 12 year olds. This album gets a 10. Songs like "Rocket Queen" and "It's So Easy" making up for the album's happier radio moments.
Hearing something called crust punk can mean different things. Since this band's last album came out 30 years ago I was hoping it had more in common with the punk bands that held a more apocalyptic and industrial tone along the lines of Amebix. I was correct in this guess. Amebix also means that there is a healthy dose of Killing Joke in the sound, though we know how butt hurt those guys get when I bring that up. Any ways in regards to this band the drums and the heavily accented narrative of the husky vocals work together to create more of a droning mood that pleases my ears. The guitars have a fair amount of melody in them. There are a few touches of almost 90s rock shoveled into their sound. If this is the definition of crust punk then it's a genre I like more than I normally think because it doesn't rely on speed.
There is a more deliberate chug to :the Unthinkable" which recalls the more rock roots of older punk. The chorus chants ' here come the crazies", not the hookiest thing ever , but it works for this song. "Over" stomped along with a similar mood and intensity. Not standing out , but aslo pretty consistent with what they have been doing up to this point. There is a more metallic muscle flexed on "the Hurting". There is a great bass tone not only on the title track, but most of the songs benefit from it's thick over driven power. Vocally many of the songs carry a similar declaration. Sometimes this comes across more as a bark than a sung vocal.
The guitars get a little more aggressive on "Under the Sun". The attempts to sing on the chorus are not the best , though the overall mood of the songs presses past this fact.The bass takes over the melody on the power ballad "Too Far From Home" that reminds me a little more of Warrior Soul than Killing Joke. Overall their moody metallic blend of sounds to herald impending doom are woven together well and they accomplished what they set out to do. I'll give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me. This comes out on Rise Above Records July 13th.
