This year is going by fast, we are already once again on the month we devote to death metal. As a teenager death metal used to be one of my favorite metal genres, there were considerably less options than there are now. Back in the day it was the only thing going when it came to bringing the evil . Bands like Morbid Angel, Deicide and Obituary being some of my favorite. This explains why I am less than impressed with bands who just try to recycle what was done before. I heard that back when it was done better the first time. Death metal is known for being hyper aggressive, almost to a fault. The roots are so close to thrash that it still offers moments for stellar song writing. This is what I am looking for, brutality alone does not a good song make.
Pulling from albums I have not heard yet this year and click around the inner webs to find what I might have missed. Off the bat the album's I have queued up are some bigger death metal bands that are waiting in the wings to replace the elder statesmen of the genre , I am going to try to go light on the death doom though it seems that trend is almost over. If you are a regular reader here then you know I am not going to settle for a bunch of bands who all sound the same. If you go back and dig into your last black metal month , you can see for yourself this is not the case. If you click back into the past even further you can find the death metal months of years past to confirm as well.
So you are getting 29 more reviews of death metal, past and present, though the emphasis tends to be on what is current when I do these. This should go to show , death metal is one of my favorites sub genres, like doom and black metal since I am giving it its own month something that cannot be said about thrash, punk, hard core, sludge or power metal. It is even more fitting this since I now live outside of Tampa the birth place of death metal as we know it today. Though the number of actual metal heads I have met in the first year have been marginal. Though as a whole the genre is even more vital at a time when death continues to outrage and panic people. Everyone is going die, trust the science, it says all people die eventually.
This Irish band plays a dreamy droning take on shoe gaze. The centerpiece is vocalist Katie Ball who dreamy fey vocals stylings, offer the kind of breathy narrative that gave trip hop a great deal of its atmosphere in the 90s . The band begins to come together in a more organic fashion that sounds like a band more than button pushing by the time we get to "Still" . There is a touch of noise draped around the sonics they color the song with. " I Am You" has more of a dynamic shift and I admire the fact they are not afraid to challenge the listener with harsher almost industrial sounds.
If it was not for the intervals Katie choses this would sound darker. But even I will concede it works for what they do. She pushes from her diaphragm more and goes up higher on "Seed" which is more than can be said for the trend of pop singers like Billie Ellish who use a breathy tone and record their vocals close on the mic. "Blue Chalk" works off more of an ambient tension pulsing in the background. The vocals are haunting but feel less invested in being as crucial a part of the song. It feels like it should bring the hammer down like a HEALTH song would but that never comes.
"Early" has a more formed and floating vocal melody and goes to show the dynamic range this band has in terms of the scope of what they do. There is more melancholy buried into the fibers of "Sore". It is one of the more emotive vocals performances Ms. Ball gives thus far on this album. "Mirrors" has more motion to it and is one of the album's better songs despite being more detached emotionally. The 90s electronic alt rock vibes get stronger on "In the Shade" . It almost sounds like if a noise band remixed a Chvrches song. The percussion is more minimal on the last song and the vocals hover around with the rest of the droning atmosphere that is the focus of this song which at five and a half minutes is not long compared to some of the other music we review around here, but for this band it's their longest song at least on this album. I will give this album a 9.5, it is strong when you consider what they do which is going for a mood and they use some interesting colors to capture it. Not shoe gaze in the way you might expect them to be.
Earlier in their career the band stated that they were not Rush fans, which seems pretty absurd, as they are pretty much the emo version of Rush. Though they are dwarfed by Rush when it comes to raw talent. The first song does not embrace the more metallic edge they have displayed on past albums and finds the band leaning into mor of the Warped tour pop they have sometimes clung to during the Myspace years. The harder edge rock does rise up on "Shoulders". Where they have shown a proggy inclination in the past this go around is very straight froward. Almost too much so. The production is very big and finds the overall sound to have more mainstream rock appeal.
Not even pop-punk, "A Disappearing Act" crosses right over into pop. If you wanted to hear a band sell out well this would be that moment. On one hand there have been moments in the past where Paramore was playing at the gym and I mistook it for Coheed, so I had foreseen this coming, perhaps a decade ago. There is a little darker tension to the groove of "Love Murder One". Even the more radio friendly hook in the chorus works better for who they are than what went down in the previous song. But is this "Welcome Home"? Um no. I can make more Michael Jackson comparisons than Rush here. Or perhaps the Police on the riff leading into "Blood". They do a better job of making pop music on "the Liars Club" which puts them more in the league of Fall Out Boy.
They sound pretty much like the Weeknd on "Bad Man". "Our Love" is pretty much just terrible any way you slice it. It might as well be Bruno Mars. I could not make it all the way through the song is how bad it is. Which has not happened in some time. "Ladders of Supremacy" is back closer to their older prog sound. The song after this one leans in this direction as well but is less focused. The album closes not far from this but something more along the lines of Meatloaf and Michael Jackson writing a song for a "Nverending Story Remake" but with less focus than those two might have, I will give this a 7, which feels like a lower score than it is, considering how good this band used to be in the early 2000s.
Kyle Tavares from the Canadian sludge band Seer steps away from what most would consider metal to takes a stab at something more along the lines of a shoe gazing 90s grunge. The vocals sit pretty far back into the drums, so while the guitars are up in your face taking up most of the space with the riffage the vocals float under the radar. When you can hear them, they are serving the song for what they should be doing with this sort of thing. This kind of Helmet like rock, was always influenced by metal to begin with so it is more driving and aggressive than other forms of alternative rock from this time period.
The second song finds the guitar having more of a chug. The vocals drift up from the throb a little more, though the mix is very dense and remains in the favor of the guitar. He brought drummer Israel Langlais aboard. Israel certainly gets the job done and does not over play like a metal drummer would, which is where this sort of thing drew the line back in the day. There are not guitar solos or flourishes of double band, instead it took the thickly distorted fuzz of the guitar and stripped it down to something with a more punk work ethic. "the Purity" in fact relies to much on the guitar which is driving, but does not ofer as much atmospheric contrast and is a little one dimensional.
The vocals break the surface of the mix, but if I was producing this album, I would have brought them up even further, Granted singing this sort of thing might not be his strength so I can understand why he would want to hide back in the guitars, but I think he is doing a better job than he gives himself credit for, You can hear where the stoner sludge thing got it's start from this sort of thing back in the day, I will give this album an 8.5 ,as I wish the mix was better than the vocals could be heard more to let these songs shine, but not every one listens to songs for vocals so if you want just a heavy guitar album that only borders on metal and owes a great deal to the 90s these guys have you covered.It comes out July 1st on Hidden Tribe Records.
This sardonic brand of punk embraces the early indie rock that formed what this sort of thing would become decades later. It opens with an instrumental intro that is the title track, but it is the second track that is the actual first song. This album is more experimental than what we are commonly led to believe punk can or should be. Bands like Fugazi are certainly a fair point of reference when pondering their influences. The first song that conforms more to the more common place punk sounds is "Faces in the Dark". It is more aggressive but works with the weird range of sonics they have attacked the songs with up to this point. It makes sense that these guys would be from New York given the city's history with punk music.,
"Underland" is faster and still more aggressive in its taunt racing. Lyrically their songs are pretty interesting and well thought out. The vocals are not just haphazard but a narrative. The way the bass acts as the anchor for these songs gives it a more post-punk feel. The vocals are typically more spoken than sung, though that works here. With "Day 49" there is a jazzier groove to what goes down. The drumming is not frantic patter but very thoughtful. Some of these songs have the jazz flavor but mixed with a more noirish slink to them. They remain in a darker reflective place for "Simple Cure" which is also one of the album's best songs.
Things gain momentum on " Jerusalem Syndrome" finds the band not subscribing to the popular belief that being critical of the state of Israel is being antisemitic, which is what punk should do. Though musically I prefer the more Police direction the music takes on the more nuanced "Beware". The vocals are more sun in places. At five minutes long they jam it out. The end the album on a more experimental note while still adhering to their brand of songwriting. Though it is oddly an instrumental. Overall these guys bring something new to a genre that all too often is less than adventurous. I will give e this a 9.5.
Not a huge fan of Dillinger Escape Plan I do have a great deal of respect for them and have heard most of Greg's solo work. This album is a great deal different in that it does not try to emulate new wave from the 80s he has moved onto the 90s , the opening track is more of a grunge ditty with more influence from bands like Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. "No More Lives to Go" is more driving, but still sounds like it would be filler on a Filter album. "Never Wanted That" relaxes down into a darker alternative rock , with a Cure like guitar line that floats through the song , which might be the best part.
I heard "Lowered" going into this album and it interested me due to the fact that Reba Meyers from Code Orange is on the song. Her voice as improved a great deal over the years and the 90s goth this song turns into is very fitting for her as it has a Curve like feel. This song also comes closest to the solo work of Puciato thus far. "We" also leans into more of an electronica feel, and is more subdued and introspective than rocking out. By the time it gets to the chorus it has shifted into the more future pop side of darkwave.
" I Eclipse " pretty much hovers in the Deftones sonic back yard. When the song builds up it is less derivative. He finds a more original sound with "Rainbows Underground". It does work off the soft to loud dynamic that became big in the 90s post-Nirvana. "All Waves to Nothing" finds him going for a more rowdy form of aggressive noise rock. Not unlike Tomahawk or the Jesus Lizard . I iwll give this album a 9.5, with that said I am not sure how much I am really going to listen to this in my free time, but he has done a great job of what he does even if it splits the difference between the Deftones and Alice In Chains half the time.
This German band feels more like power metal than doom. There is a good bit of weirdness going on here. It is always weird for me when the drummer sings. They gallop against the drummer vibrato heavy croon that owes a great deal to classic metal. The second finds them just as determined to gallop alongside these sword wielding riffs. There is a slight new wave warble to the vocals that is more pronounced, that almost sounds like Byran Ferry covering Iron Maiden. Not the best produced overall sound as the instruments fight for their footing in the mix. The guitar often getting lost while the vocals retain the spotlight. I think they would do better to sit further back against the guitar.
"Since the Sun Was Young:" turns into a train wreck with the bass line bouncing into the drums awkwardly, the vocals are doing their own thing and the guitar is lost in the chaotic mix. This is how not to do prog, as they are trying too hard and the arrangement becomes murky at best. They get it right on "From Our Ashes We Will Rise" , they are also trying to do a whole lot less. The title track is kind of awkward and clunky, but kinda works. Though the drumming on the proggy break down is kind of suspect. Yet to hear anything that feels doomy this album is too happy for that..
I can hear where they are trying to bring darker new wave like elements into their sound, but none of this is flowing naturally, The last song "New Dark Age" is heading in the right the direction though the execution is a little off, this whole album feels a little rushed, perhaps if they say on these songs a little long with a producer to give input the results might be more refined. I would have liked this in high school, my adult mind that consumes at least three new albums a day knows better and is going to give this album a 7, which is more than fair in fact the reason they scored so high is their willingness to be different.
Why the fact Lizzy from the Vains of Jenna went on the form this band go under my radar? Not that I actively seek out a ton of hair metal. I grew up listening to this sort of thing in 80s until I found music that was heavier. Two songs in an I can say I prefer the grittier edge the Vains of Jenna has as this very big and polished in comparison. Though major chords aside some of this grit is restored on "Sunrise on the Sunset Strip", despite this song being for all practical purposes their version of Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night". On second listen the album opener does grow on me and packs enough punch to be called metal. It is not as dark as the Vains of Jenna. The backing vocals give the title track too much of a Bon Jovi feel. When it came to hair metal, Bon Jovi and Poison were the bands I cared for the least, probably because they were not metal at all. This band works better when they lean more into the Faster Pussycat side of what they do.
For "Casket Case" to tackle the topic of his toxic addiction the mood is more like joyous pop punk. Granted they do not push the pop part of the equation too far. "Kerosene" has more traditional metal elements in play, though think the Scorpions rather than their edgier British peers. He sings in Swedish on "Salt i Ditt Sar". It works for this song, which rides the middle of the road in terms of AOR rock of that time. The guitar gets harder on "Final Deathroll", but the vocals seem to still be full of pep despite Lizzy's raspy tenor. There is a Pat Benatar like feel to "Goddamn Monday". I think a few less vocals harmonizing on the chorus might be for the best, but even this version works.
"Bad Vibes" is the first song that feels like filler in comparison to the other songs. They rock out in a way on "Chemical Vacation " that makes up for this. "City of Lice: pretty much circles what they have been doing up to this point, no new ground broken sonically. I will give this album a 9 as they care about the songs, despite playing it safe in the more radio-oriented direction of this genre, but pull it off really well, as there is no doubt that Lizzy is a great talent.
The first ep from this German duo blends a gloom encrusted aggression and heaviness with the kind of stark tension we expect from post-punk, though the angular riffs do this with almost mathy twists and turns rather than just droning on simple palm muted riffs. There is almost a doomy heaviness to what they do. "Dance the End" carries a death rock feeling to the creepiness. The baritone vocals are more emotive than the monotone Ian Curtis impersonation most of these kinds of revivalist bands stick to. The bass is burly and growls under the clang of guitars. Musically if I was going to pick a band this comes closes to it might old Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Vocally, his performance sets them apart from their peers as his voice goes down into an impress croak, that is as low as Andrew Eldritch, the big difference is there is no attempt to lure you out onto the dance floor here. Perhaps the title is making fun of these attempts, I have not listened to the lyrics too intently. The only concern that arises for me regarding these guys is on "Abysmal Rising" . It kind of feels like an extension of the previous song. There is a more punk swagger to it. The guitars are less adventurous than they are on the first track and the drums just kept a straight up mid temp punk beat, until the parts where the changes shift and they hammer harder. I guess what I want is to hear more melodic colors and instead I get them just beating into the song.
The close out the ep with a cover of the Chamelons "Don't Fall". They do a good job of it , though considering this is an ep I would have preferred another original from them in order to get a better taste of who they are as a band. Anyone can do a cover, though they do make it their own more often than not, it does not really take their sound in directions the first three songs did not elude to though it is more on the death rock side which I am a fan of . I will give this album a 9, I a curious to hear more from these guys and glad to have them on my radar as they are more on the death rock side of the equation.
The third album from Ukrainian black metal band, starts off with a more typical aggression that might come to mind when you think of black metal. I was a huge fan of their 2019 album "Love Exchange Failure" in how it blended jazz with the genre. Midway into the first song they get into that. Rather than it being two colors they switch back and forth from I am going to listen more to the moments where the two are blended. Not a huge fan of the idea of a 13-minute opening track they have crafted something that keeps your attention and never overindulges into sprawling drones of blasting. "Salt Paradise" brings in both Jay Gambit from Crowhurst & Executioner's Mask along with trumpets to add to the mood that is expansive drift on a desolate beach after a storm.
The blast back with a renewed fury on "Pheonix" which brings the moments I want where the sax glides over the metallic moments rather than having to flip the switch to turn the metal off. Around the five-minute mark the sax takes over the melody as the band drops down into more of a tense hovering beneath it before rising back up to devour the melody with a wrathful attack. They ebb the song down into a more synth heavy ambiance with sampled dialogue. "Silence Circles" takes a similar dynamic as the previous song but twists it into something darker and more dissonant. My favorite moments might be when the sax gives a call and response by using intervals more common for metal guitar than sax.
This album has a few ambient interludes booking the songs that I am going to ignore for the purpose of the review, but one does set the stage well for the melodically moody take on post-punk that is "Cronus". The metal still circles the song and eventually explodes as you might expect it to. The screamed vocals when they come have purpose and rather than an obligatory layer of humanity crying out, contribute to the song. The title track comes closest to what they did on their previous album, though the metallic parts are bigger and more in your face. At almost 15 minutes that's a great deal to absorb, and I am going to need a few more spins of it to fully digest it all, but it is impressive and works off of what this band is excelling at on this album. There is more straight forward metal here but done in a very tasteful manner that serves the song rather than just battery to your ears for the sake of it. I will give this album a 10 and see how it sits with me.
There is more of a doomy mood to the much-heralded crust sludge promised by this New Band when the album opens. I can see how it would only be a few dynamic turns for them to get there and the influence of Neurosis is all over this one. The tortured cave man groove emerges when enough pressure is applied. Though this happens on the second song which I am two minutes into before I know that is where we are in the album, which means things have a rather uniform circle of sound they work within. The song ends up going in a little more stompy direction than the first one. They go into a straightforward metal attack with "There Can Be No Forgiveness Without the Shedding of Blood". Some of the riffs have a more angular twist to them so it is not really Pantera territory, but the coarse vocals seem to grunt with no rhyme or reason.
They go on more of a journey for "By This You are Truly Known". It begins in a more deliberate sludge ridden simmer and finds them in a softer almost Pink Floyd like whisper, before roaring back into more of a pounding. While it follows a path paved by Neurosis, they do manage to make it their own here. The vocals seem to be even more of an ugly shouting for not reason, I am sure they are making noise rather than exclaiming lyrics on "And the Love of Possession". On the other songs when there was more to distract you from this fac t they worked better. After this song there is an 8-minute atmospheric piece which is more of an interlude with spoken word than a song as it hovers rather than going anywhere melodically.
The last song the grunted vocals offer no more purpose than haphazardly agonize over guitar that is trudging to find similar purpose. This band has too much potential to waste it on senseless pounding that loses context until things break down about two and a half minutes into the song. The lingering post-rock depression is meanders on is more pleasing to the ears. I will give this album an 8, I am rounding it down as the vocals began to annoy me with their lack of purpose. Not everyone is into purposeful vocals when it comes to metal so you might be more forgiving than I in this regard, I do like how dark and downtrodden the mood of this album is.
I have always liked what these guys do, in that they are making dark melodic metal of sorts with melodic vocals. There is less of a metal feel this time around. Dark post-grunge with a European doom influence, might be the best title to throw on where they fall in the spectrum. Though with more repeat listens it sounds also akin to what Staind might have done if they had been too depressed to write radio songs. The use of the occasional heavier than average riff might also put them in the same sonic zip code as Katatonia, the difference being the vocals. The melodies are no whereas hooky as Katatonia, oddly enough they are also more straightforward than their Europeans counterparts.
They second song is more memorable in terms of melody than the opening song. "No Thought or Memory" is darker and the vocals work more effectively in the droning croon they are locked in for the bulk of the album. The baritone pipes of their singer do not possess the most power or the widest range, they work pretty well in the context of this recording and the layers of harmonies recorded here. How this would translate live I am a little doubtful. Lyrically it is supposed to be about the past couple of years during the pandemic, but they are shrouded in the typical metal metaphors. From the drums fills and guitar solos you can still hear where their aspirations of being a metal band still lie.
The drumming is one of this album's strong points. The old saying is a band is only as good as their drummer, rings true here. The vocals back off and are a little more nuanced. The melodies work for this song, I am sure the isolated vocal tracks would not blow me away, The title track begins to reveal the formula in place for this album which is darker variations of grunge power ballads. "White Sleep" is one of the few songs where they step on the gas and let the heaviness cut loose. Though most of this is stuffed into the beginning of the song. The double bass is quick to rush in a try to make this song heavier than intended. Sure there are dynamics, but not the widest range when it comes to the sonic colors this album is painted with.
What I said earlier about the guitar solos and drummer still rings true on "Formless" . The vocals are a little more deliberate. The guitar melodies are a little brighter than I would prefer but not a deal breaker. They are more effective when leading in with the bass and drums on "Immemorial" before dropping the guitar in. It even gives the vocals more room to breathe. Even harsher vocals come in, which I am surprised there are not more of. "So We Forget" has some more melodic elements, but at the end of the day it begins to drag a little bit. Sure the solos sound great, but what use are they if the song drags and the vocal melodies are not compelling. The vocals are more convincing on "Blood and Ruin". They are delivered with more power and seem sure of themselves. The last song has a big sound dialed in with proggy bells and whistles, but really locked in melodies instead of the droning harmonies. I will give this album a 9 as it grew on me, beings released June 10th on Season of Mist.
Much of this album's challenge is in the mix. The drums and guitar both sound thin. Things are too compressed and trebly. This takes the weight from the death metal sections. I really cranked the volume and it helped with the bass some, but the guitar tones are weak. I appreciate the need to indulge in atmosphere, but for death metal there needs to be a denser sound. This is not to say their bassist is not good he does play melodically and does go above and beyond the call of duty. The drummer is also fairly skilled, which for death metal almost should go without saying. But even by calling this band death metal we are ignoring the role the clean vocals play.
The clean vocals are a selling point depending on how they are done here. I think a more understated drone would work best for what I think they were originally trying to do here. What they are trying to do can be unclear, the rapid patter of double bass, defaults once again to the mix, they do not bring the powerful thunder metal should have, now if this was more of a prog band where technical prowess was the key component rather than being heavy, there might be more of an argument in favor of this mix. The first riff that feels heavy to me is on "Lavender Calligraphy". They press release makes it sound like that instead of being progressive death metal, these guys fancy themselves "death gaze". As someone who is a fan of shoe gaze, I will say this sounds more like Fates Warning is an influence on them than it does Alcest is.
By the time we get to " Grave Compost Song" it seems the focus is beginning to shift to a more aggressive metal, it is about his brother than died, which goes to prove my theory without real life pain and adversity you can never convince me of being dark or heavy. They need to lean into this more. Then they push the gas down on the metal side of what they do not finding a balance in terms of melody until the chorus which makes this feel more in line with the kind of formula's employed by metal core bands. The gain a more impressive weight to the chug of "Glass Phantoms". The dynamics of the bands two sides still need some fine tuning as the melodrama brings the kind of 90s prog metal cheese they came before bands discovered Tool and developed a taste for other kinds of cheese.
They work better amid the moodier shadows of "a Vagabonds Lament". The vocals drag it back down to the metal status quo, they are at time onto something better than this, I think vocals are a puzzle they are still trying to grasp yet possess a limited frame of reference for that the options are in that regard. Once again, they seem to be onto something by bringing a jazz-tinged melody to the beginning of the almost twelve-minute closing track, but the vocals soar in with more ambition than real emotion that could tell this story. It is the same kind of pageantry that finds the singer of Dream Theater putting a bad taste in my mouth, When Geoff Tate does it works, but aside from maybe Roy Khan era Kamelot and Psychotic Waltz not so much from anyone else. Not that he summons the same kind of operatic drama, but there is a similar feeling. The blasting heaviness that this call is responded with feels to formulaic as well. I do think this album has enough moments, and does some interesting things enough to give this an 8. If you are a fan of modern progressive metal then you will enjoy this for sure, little too much pretense for my personal taste , but I am giving this such a high score for what it is due to the skill they play this with.This album is being released by Metal Blade Records June 11th. .
This odd British duo has a great deal in common with Death Grips. The first song is hip hop and they seem to have more to say in that mode than when they are trying to play punk. On "Take That" he just sounds stupid trying to take cracks at Elvis. Dizzy Rascal certainly did it better. That is even with Strange Bones contributing bass. To their credit they do not have a whole team of producers to make this, though it is more lo-fi than that Kendrik Lamar album I just reviewed. "Health is Wealth" is a Red Talk about what you consume.
"He Sold Suns" just kind of breezes by is nothing that grabs you in any way. They are better at the hip hop side of what they do as can be heard on "Must Be More" . When they try to play guitar it sounds amateur, as it sounds like they are picking the most generic punk chords ever to play. The production is more of an issue when they use organic instruments. "Turn off the Radio" is another example of this. The drums sound terrible unless they are programmed. The fuzz that starts off "GDP". Which is one of the album's better songs though it leans more on the hip hop side of what they do, with the lyrics fairly aggressive.
"Bait the Bear" rips off Suicidal Tendencies to the point of riff plagiarism. "Phone Tap" when it comes to punk is more original than the previous song, but that is not saying much when the lack of originality on the previous song was at the point of mind numbing stupidity. "Drug War" reminds me of when the Beastie boys were kids and they tried to play punk rock . The last song shows how they have not learned from their mistakes and lack self-awareness in regard to what they are good at it. It is not making punk music. Lyrically they are retreading the same ground so they are not great rapper either. Dead Prez does what they try to do in that regard better. I will round this down to a 6 , it is not the worst thing I have heard and there are a few ok songs earlier on in the album they just run out of gas and prove to be a one trick pony midway into it.
There is a whole backstory that I now wish I had not read on their Bandcamp page about their mental illness, being a gay Ukrainian refugee activist, despite living in Wales, a bunch of convoluted self-identification. I am just here for the music and do not give a shit about the politics. Falling somewhere between dark wave and industrial. The opening track might be the album's best song. Past of this is due to how bogged down in the smell of their own ambiance this duo gets. "Mass of the Black Cats" is barely a song. If Diamanda Galas did something like this the evil intent would have compensated, here not so much.
They do have some cool dark sounds. Much like the rule that cools riffs alone does not a good song make. The same could be said of a sound you might be really nice, but do not make me ask if you can write a song twice. The more cinematic "Hereafter" sounds like it should have been on the soundtrack to "the Northman". When the fiddles keep coming out alongside the gypsy vocals a more ancient neo folk vibe begins to merge with what they do. "Molfar" they take this and begin to dance with it. They create something more machine like in the stomp of the drone with "House of Shards". Think Dead Can Dance meets Bestial Mouths.
It sounds like a cyber hurdy gurdy is the pulse to " Something Broke Inside" . The eastern chant of the vocals add to the drone they capture here. I do like how the varied layers of sound are introduced. It is where the arrangement does not follow the verse chorus formula but is in how it is built up. "Spell" might get carried away and tries too hard despite being more minimal and almost feeling more like a Coil song . Overall I enjoy the mood they have made here and this is a very listenable album that flows likea post-apocalyptic Dead Can Dance, so I will give it a 9.
If I had to sum up this band in an elevator pitch it would be if you mixed the Pixies with the aggression of a 90s post-hardcore band. There is more jangle on the second song. The punk side of the genres they flirt with comes through more fully here. They switch gears with "Ashes in the Birtdbath" and it carries a darker more Jesus and the Mary Chain like post-punk flavor to it. Though there is an impressive range of post-rock dynamics that this swells into. The kick on the gas and pick up the intensity, with a great deal more drive following this song, though the post-punk thing is still there in the attitude. "Melody Drive" finds them backing off into a mellower terrain, though it is just an interlude.
There is a more deliberate swagger to "Dining Out" . I am not sure this is really what I remember there last album sounding like. It is not that I do not like the Sonic Youth guitar sound to " Live Scene" , as I dig it , it is just not what I was expecting going into this. They wander off into a place that makes me think more of Iceage in its slacker apathy with the languid guitars comprising "Vivid". He exclaims his pain is yours, and it is pretty believable , though I suspect he has a much lower threshold for pain than what I normally listen to.
Perhaps the album's best song is the driving yet smoothly melodic "Bad Fade". The vocals find a balance of command and slacker sensibility. The album ends with the more deliberate drumming of "Climbing Down the Ladder" to set the mood. The vocal keep things at a stark detached drone as they exclaim the bleak state of things. Overall I will give this album a 10 as it excels at recalling a sound of days past and making it their own. It's being released by Dais Records.
I am not expecting anything in the hard-core vein which ran through their 1998 debut as they have been moving more toward what is the middle of the road hard rocking that bans like Torche and Mastodon now occupy as well. The vocals sound like 90s Los Angeles on the second song, it's closer to Guns N Roses than Converge. By the third song it is such straight up rock n roll that it begins to become a little bland. The more melodic title track reminds me more of Mother Love Bone than post-hardcore. But it is a good song no matter than genre and I am open to that. I am also not too emotionally invested in this band so that gives them more wiggle room.
"Careless Offering" is the best song so far, it is darker and aggressive, not a step back into who they used to be , but a step in a better sonic direction. "Blinded By A Blaze" takes a similar emotive power ballad direction as Mastodon's work in this direction. Perhaps Alice In Chains is the influence for both bands in this regard. There is some great guitar playing on it. "Amaranthine" is the first really balls to the wall song, though it feels more sludgey in its attack than hard core by how the vocals are bellowed. When weighed against the previous song it's clear heavier does not always mean better. "Searchers Of Hell" is another harder edged song with big lumbering riffs. But it feels like something any heavier band could write. Though it does grow on me.
"Nightmare Eyes" is marginally darker and more emotive as much like the bulk of this album everything hinges on the vocals. There are a couple atmosphere interludes which for the sake of this review I will ignore as they do not contribute anything to the album as a whole. The smooth melody on "Waiting For Love" does make it feel like alt metal from the 90s. "Reckoning" isa reminder that Cave- in needs to lay off the Avenged Sevenfold. My impression about the Avenged Sevenfold fetish they have acquired has not changed when it comes to the 12 minute power ballad they end the album with. I am unsure what their longtime fan base is going to think about this album if you are not too invested in them being post-hardcore, then it might work there are some decent songs, and I appreciate what they are trying to do even at the most cock rock, I will give it an 8.5.
Heading back into their darker heavier roots this French Black Metal projects returns to their sinful ways of summoning ancient evils by opening portals of sound for nameless horrors to slither from. The first track "Chants of the Deep Ones" which is an over Lovecraft reference is as close to a straightforward black metal song as we have gotten from these guys in sometime, and when I refer to it as straight forward or really even black metal, we have to consider who is making this music and how in the past decade they have gotten further and further from convention. The second song is equally as heavy to less metallic as it draws you into its drugged-out hypnosis of guitar swirling around you. This band has flirted with many styles of music things like shoe gaze and post rock being numbered among them, though they have always gone through the warped worm hole of their creative filter and come as the misshapen monster of whatever sub-genre was cross overed into.
The dissonant creep that lingers in the darkened heart of " Into the Woods" carries the kind of eerie warble that I want from this band. One of my complaints when it comes to music these days can be when a band places too much focus on getting a certain sound and fails to write a decent song, as the sounds are the colors, the song is the picture you paint. There are always exceptions to this rule. The drumming is the most metallic thing about "Into the Woods" as the terms " the wailing and gnashing of teeth" of hell in the Bible is what the guitars are creating here. There are very few black metal bands that would want to listen to when taking psychedelics these guys are one of the few, I would want to create such a soundtrack.
The growl of the vocals is generally buried in the layers of sounds on this album, they gurgle up from the chaos on "Neptune's Eye". This song has a stormy but marginally slower throb driving it. Where most metal lives off of riffs this band has a habit of taking them and throwing them into the abyss to see what comes back. Yes, there are some blast beats employed in this song, but the primordial ooze the blast over makes this feel less like black metal than the songs that preceded this. "Keziah Mason" carries on with the dense buzz of guitar while the drums slow into more of a tangible groove do create a more deliberate drone. The vocals are sung, but set back into the wall of sound, though mixed with clever blend of effects to sounds as if they are spirits trying to contact this plane. The blast beats take more of a spotlight on the last song, without the band falling into the color by numbers black metal formula. Four minutes in they allow things to break down into a more wandering ambiance before converging back into an even more raging storm .
Obviously, a band with Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood is going to sound like Radiohead. The main difference is drummer Tome Skinner who played with the jazz band Sons of Kemet. He can be felt the most on the second song 'the Opposite" which finds them locking into a much different groove than what you might expect from Radiohead. I think the rowdy punk tension of "You Will Never Work in Television Again" made some members of the press fooled into thinking this would be return to the scrappier younger days of Radiohead. Why should it be? After all this is not Radiohead?
I am sure many of these songs were intended to Radiohead, but I can imagine the pressure which comes with writing for a new Radiohead album was one thing they wanted to get away from when writing this. Yorke's voice still has it, as he goes up into his falsetto for "Pana-vision". The palm muted groove of "the Smoke" works like disco Fugazi. Thing drift off in the ambiance of "Speech Bubbles" until the guitar comes in to bring it together. It is pleasing to the ears but falls short of the level of songwriting heard on the first five songs. They get back into guitar groove with "Thin Thing" that weaves around a surreal exploration. They slide back into dream land on "Open the Floodgates". The first song that really invokes earlier Radiohead is not their rock side but the more strummed Brit pop folk balladry of "Free in the Knowledge" . This is not the only song that finds them in more familiar sonic zip codes as "a Hairdryer" could have come from "OK Computer".
There are also equal doss if synth laden ambiance, creating ghostly introspection, that are moodier than they are dark. Johnny Greenwood has been scoring films and that can be heard as an influence on this album as well. Chances are if you are listening to this album in the first place you are a Radiohead fan so the moments where they cannot escape their legacy, while serve as moments to celebrate. Sometimes they rock this out a little bit as shown on "We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings". The last song also does this but to a more dream induced result. I will round this up to a 10 as even the more atmospherically focused moments are still doing what these guys set out to do and how my ears receive them is dependent on my mood .
The emphasis of what this Swiss band is doing seems to be something closer to a flowing form of post-rock not unlike some of Mogwai's dreamier moments. There is a guitar work sound, though they are not just nod twiddlers. A Pink Floyd like strum keeps the shoegazing moving. The title track that follows the more spacious opener finds them bringing down distorted chords with a more doomed out deliberation. There is an angular hesitation to how the riff connects. Vocals are belted out on this one male and female in unison with a great deal of soul and passion to their delivery. The male vocal builds into a harsher scream. The song breaks down and the more blues based female vocal shines on its own. The dynamic swell of the song is pretty impressive.
"Speechwriter" which at over fifteen minutes promises to be another sprawling epic, gets started in a more hesitation and minimal manner. The guitars hesitate to let the reverb heavy guitars ring out. Once this drone lingers past the seven-minute mark it begins to wear thin. Then by eight minutes in they begin to build up in a manner that makes me think of Godspeedyoublackemperor !, the more manic vocals that come in have a Roger Waters feel. They build it up into a crusty fury. "Horse Funeral" finds them back in the slow core minimalism. Letting timid chords ring out with faint drums barely tapping a cymbal. The build is even slower than the previous song with a guitar solo wailing carrying it forward.
This carries over into "Cineaste Cineaste" thought the focus shifts to a more subdued and straightforward folk like vocal. The song ambles down this almost psychedelic path. while not metal at all in its intentions for the bulk of the song things get sonically heavier as the attack shifts about midway into the song. This proves they can really knock it out of the park when they want to and do not have to rely on droning you into submission. They "Jubilant Howl" that closes the album is another elf like meandering piece of trippy folk. High reedy vocals give an almost Neil Young like narrative to this. About eight minutes in it does get more ominous and snarlingly heavy. I will round this down to an 8.5, due to the droning often taking away the focus from compact songwriting that might have made this an album I would have listened to more frequently, but if you like post rock with a side of sludge take a listen to this.
Was not expecting this album to open up with the kind of dark dense metallic crunch they pack for the brief opener. Then things get more melodic for "the Kiss". The high thin reedy treble of the vocals feels like a mix of Billy Corgan and Tom Petty. By the second song I find myself having to get used to the singing. There is a more upbeat punk vibe to this song. The vocals have a very pinched feeling not unlike Dave Mustaine or Axl Rose. "Wasted Little Heart' has a much better groove to it. I dig the darker moodier vibes of "Hear My Word" time we get to "Spellbound" I am fairly confident too many metal heads are snoozing on this band, which is heavier than most suspect.
"Dear John" is just an instrumental interlude leading up to " And Watched it Glow" that is driven by a pretty powerful throb. The band's light to to pull this kind of thing off despite the whine of the vocals. "Holy Water" is marginally more upbeat, the guitars continue their crunch. This time more straightforward. They trun to more overt metal attack with the fiery riffs of "Sacrifice" . It could be argued that a band like Ghost employs a similar approach with softer poppy vocals set against a harder edged drive of guitar, but these guys are heavier than Ghost for sure. "Angel" finds their grunged out power pop formula continuing to work , without feeling redundant.
"Shame" has a more brooding groove. The thunp of the bass lays the ground work, for everyone else to coast over . The more punk influenced theme returns on the last song , that is tempered with atmosphere and melody. there are some pretty 80s rock god solos on this album though the most memorable might be on the last song as the melody clearly works lock step with the song as a whole. This album rocks if you are into melodic grunge tinted hard rock with metal moments and not picky about vocals then this is for you, the vocals are what is keeping me with just giving this a 9.5, which is still outstanding it is just not flawless.
"Dark Deceiver " is the last album I paid attention to. I liked what I had heard from this band in the past so jumped at the chance to check this one out. The opening track is very well, executed in terms of the instrumentation. The vocals however despite the power metal dramatics they indulge in that owe a great deal to Dio this time around, feel a little less inspired. The 'damn you/ damn you all" part would have sounded better more aggressive. That is more aggressive than the grit that they do gain as the songs builds. As regular readers can attest to, I prefer sung, vocals the key when working with heavier music is how to pull that off without being 80s cheese. While I am also not a fan of having opening tracks that are over ten minutes, they do explore enough places that I never feel the song is just wandering, though it is also not the compact punch in the jaw to get your attention that most of the great metal albums have.
The groove of the second song feels more like they are back in their sweet spot even if it is not as heavy as their old stuff. "Stigmata" which is not a cover of the Ministry song, is more aggressive but less focused of a song with the guitars more obsessed with winding around each other in a dizzy finger circus of acrobatics. The song does dip back into a more Kamelot like melodic section. Which would really be a Queensryche like melodic section. The build on this song works pretty well and reins things back in. The more melodic "Momento Mori" goes even further into an emotive direction. Not a ballad, but a very subdued journey into a marginally darker place. The drummer is more impressive here where he proves he can hold back,
The title track I had to listen to a few times for it to sink in as it did not really grab me. But it is effective for what they are doing here and works as well as it should. The last song "Patient Zero" is more interesting. It is mellower and leaves more room for the vocals but works better. Three minutes in things do get proggy, but the dynamic contrast makes it work. I will give this album a 9, it might not be their heaviest or most aggressive work to date, but it is a solid album that does prog metal better than most these days.
After checking out his acclaimed "To Pimp a Butterfly" , which left me less than impressed, I skipped out on his "Damn" album, which also coincided with his newfound Christianity . With this album they hype is back. There is bound to be controversy as his faith places him at odds with things like cancel culture and gives a different slant to social topics, but when it comes to reviewing album I do not listen to music for social impact, I listen to songs, so at the end of the day the question that needs to be answered is can he write good songs consistently . As long as he does not start preaching, I am willing to look past his religious leanings .
When it comes to his song writing ability he falls along the lines as most pop artists with questionable levels of talent as it takes 23 Producers and 37 songwriters to make this album, to give some perspective Pink Floyd's "Darkside of the Moon" album only had one additional songwriter outside of the band, which was the guest singer on "the Great Gig in the Sky" and 3 be assisting in engineering and mixing. You would think this assembly line of songwriters would have to make a flawless product. Not quite in fact, The first song is a rapid exclamation of lyrics, but really not substance in terms of songwriting. "N95" proves that they are capable of getting this absurd team of songwriters to crank out a song worth listening to with groove and vocals that work over said groove.
Reverse racism always get a pass in today's climate so no one will bat an eye at lyrical tone of " World Wide Steppers" . The song factory gets their shit together again for "Die Hard" . Lamar feels like a guest on his own song here. While we are talking about his talent as a rapper, my opinion that what he does Q-Tip has already done better remains intact. "Father Time" is about his daddy issues, and works as a song, not great but effective for what he does. "Rich Spirit" is more laid back, the beat is minimal, but the song works for what they are going for. "We Cry Together" is Lamar is a relationship drama rapping Taylour Paige. The fact she is an actress playing a rapping here speaks to the depth of this. Once again he feels like a guest on his own song when it comes to "Purple Hearts". It is a well written song, just doesn't seem like it was written for him as Ghostface, puts on a better showing.
Not sure this needed to be a double album, but that is what we are getting for every song like "Count Me Out " that works off a smarter pop sensibility with the grace of a hip hop Frank Ocean, there is a song where the song factory tries too hard and the experimentation goes awry like the more minimal "Crown" which has a piano drone rather than bumping beat. Sure you get credit for trying, but with this much money at stake you would think the factory would think of what is effective given they are working with a rapper rather than Prince. I had never heard Kodak Black until the song 'Silent Hill". It is smart he keeps himself shrouded in controversy or someone might notice his career is based off rather flimsy talent.
The second part of this double album finds it getting mired into droning ballads and less focused. "Saviour" is more upbeat, but less focused lyrically. "Auntie Diaries" might be about his trans aunt, but musically there is not much to it. "Mr Morale" finds how he can take his more social focused lyrics and make them work over a futuristic beat. "Mother I Sober" finds Beth Gibbon's guest appearance pretty much wasted on a boring drone of piano and spoke word more than rapping. Lyrically the message of letting go of event that you allow to hold you in a place in time is pretty great but that does not mean the song itself is great. "Mirror" works better than the bulk of the songs on this album, so it is a good note for it to go out on. I will give this album a 7, anyone who tells you it is the best album of the year, should not be trusted when it comes to music, I think if it was cut down to one album they might have had something more fun with out being dragged down from the boring drones of spoken word.
I seem to recall reviewing this Swiss band before. To the best of my memory, though things start getting cloudy once we get to the bulk of the more conventional black metal bands who just live and die by a steady diet of blast beats, I seem to remember this band having a sound that set them apart from the pack. By the second song it is clear this is not the case, they are consumed with the sonic fury of blast beats, The manner in which this is executed does focus on more of a sonic sweeping than conventional metal way of doing this. The screamed vocals are more of a texture under the sonic swarm of guitar.
The addition if female vocals on "the Sun of Night" provide a much-needed color to broaden the sonic dynamics in terms of making this song not just sound like another feral gallop into unrestrained wrath. The screamed vocals continue to do what they have been doing for the first two songs. "Das Dunkel Der Welt" just blasts right past and forsakes any progress in redefining the sense of dynamics established in the previous song. They use a similar monochromatic assault on "Strepitus Mundi". Sure there are guitar melodies buried in the blur and more is going on than just blasting for the sake of it, but it is pretty buried in there.
The last song pretty much just picks up where they left off with the last song, the drums do not even have to change. There is a more mournful feel to the guitars, but they are at the same tempo. The arrangement does shift in an Immortal like manner though at more of a warp speed blast than what they used to play at. I will give this album a 7.5, the overall sound is effective they just sacrifice most of the dynamic for the need for speed that dominates this album.
Rather than try to be a one-man band this guy has the sense to recruit players who can bring his vision to life. While this is being marketed as cosmic metal, it's black metal that happens to be more angular and obtuse in the sounds and arrangements. This works more often than not because they do not take the easy way out. His wisdom in bringing on some hefty talent plays in his favor in terms of execution, Colin Marston from Krallice and Gorguts is handling the guitar heroics. The drumming is handled by the drummers from Fleshgod Apocalypse and Sadist, not a huge difference in styling they could interchangeable as there is yet to be a song, where I was like
"Woah the drumming is different on this one".
The modes of playing seem to be tremolo picked guitar or more atmospheric angular passages that are less aggressive. Not a mathy as say Krallice in its attempts to solidify itself as a progressive band, though jarring at times, as otherwise more in line with Cynic, though never as catchy. "Verminous Barrier' at least manages to keep me engaged when normally when the focus shift to acrobatics I would have been ready to check out. If you are thinking that I must not like progressive music then you might not have read much of what I write as some of my favorite artists are Cynic, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Mr. Bungle and John Zorn. Ye,s the drumming on "Oceans of Malic" is impressive but it sounds like the guitar is just trying to keep up and the snarl of the vocals is not really contributing that much in terms of songwriting. This album comes out June 17th on I, Voidhanger Records.
The switch into "Total Infection" is the first that did not run together, and things get even more interesting the further you get into the song, which might be the album's best track. There is not a ton of melody to be found on this album. It is also not very dark as the choices for atmosphere provide more spaciousness and breathing room rather than mood. The last song feels like a more aggressive extension of the previous song. Some of the taunt chugging almost makes you want to bang your head until they add a wanky jazzy solo over it. If the question surrounding this album was are these guys great musicians, the answer would be yes. If you were to ask me if they write songs that are going to stand the test of time, I would be more reluctant to answer. If synths that dominate the second half of the last song, do not make it any easier to answer this question I will give this album an 8, they are good at what they do, what they do could be more effective if they shifted their focus to darkness and melodies.
The sixth album from the Canadian indie rockers finds them moving in a darker more introspective direction. I can understand why the music press of today might be reluctant to embrace this album as this band who has been involved in activism in the past, is not taking a side here, but looking at the world through the harsh lens of its bleak future. The first song covers a great deal of ground to end up grooving like it does. There is a more Bon Iver like sound to the second song. Though it finds its own Dancey groove before it is all said and done, though the drone and dance at the same time. I think if they go to the well a third time with this formula it will not be as effective.
You can hear John Lennon's influence on "End of the Empire". Interestingly heralding the American empire's end. The second part of this song, which is a separate track, is not as inspired and wanders around on the secondhand smoke of the previous song. The first part of "Lightning" so a more folk turn, so much so that it reminds me of the new Ryan Adams. Granted Adams has headed in a more indie direction with his latest. I can also hear similarities between, the last Killers album along with the War on Drugs here. So it is not their most original moment , but it still works.
"Unconditional" keeps the more folk tinged strum of guitars churning, The second part of this song is the best song on the album. It is more like a Bjorkish take on pop, with Peter Gaberiel even lending his voice to the song. They close the album with the title track. Things go even further in more of a Ryan Adams direction . It almost does not seem like the same band that released "Funeral" with that said I feel like this song is the only misstep that doesn't work. I will give this album an 8.5, as to give it a 9 might lead one to think it is more inspired than it is.
The press release for this album called it morbid rock. My first guess when I clicked on this email was that it would be black metal. I should have gone with my gut. The melodic atmosphere propelling the opening song is chillingly effective. When they get caught up in the blasting assault, they build into it is not as compelling. This Polish band has more in common with Gorgoroth than they do any of their countrymen. "Smoke and Mirrors" finds the sonic intensity of their sound tightening as it expands. This gives it almost a creepy Dimmu like sound.
The title track is more deliberate. In fact, everything about the song has more room to breathe when they let up on the gas in their speedy hurtle down the highway to hell. The vocals are often multitracked and snarl with a commanding presence, even if they do not hold great range. It is also midway into this song that I hear a riff that might qualify as morbid rock. "Iskry" is more of a straight up blasty black metal banger. Things begin to get dark with "So Bleeds the Night" that finds sonics fittingly dark and dreary for it.
"Sedation to Sedition" took an additional listen or two for the dynamics to sink in. The last song is even more epic with a bigger sound. The range of sonics expands and they summon darkness with seeming conviction. There is a ton of black metal out there so it would be easy for a band to get lost in the shuffle. These guys set themselves apart by adding sonic dimensions to something that is tried and true. I will give this band a 9 for this album as they manage to be their own sound and created something with sonic weight and darkness.
I think there is a lot to like about this band from Texas. I speculate this as with most forms of extreme metal, the raw power that bulldozes you into submission with the sonic weight of what they do is impressive enough to make you question what the finer points of songwriting are. However, when I looked up at the screen of my laptop to realize I was already three songs into the album I slowed down to give a closer listen. Since that could mean it is hard to tell where one song begins and the other ends if they begin to sound the same. One point that gives this weight is how their sound is weaponized atmosphere. They have a unique sound until it comes to the low growl of the vocals that sometimes sounds to be random growls strung together to have a layer of human to the overall sound. The uniformity of the vocals is what keeps this sound with a certain confined range.
This makes the second song not as impressive as the opener. The drums to "Caverns of Sorrow" want to take this in a more deliberate doom direction, but the sonic sprawl of the guitar resists. The vocals do what they have done for the first two songs. It causes this to devolve into a mushy cacophony of swirling guitars presided over by the monotone growl. " Solemn Death Encompass" is very creepy, but pretty much just an interlude as it never progresses into an actual song. "Oceans of Silence" is a little more convincing in its sonic swell, at least enough so that block out the vocals that are the verge of being annoying at this point.
I was two and a half minutes into "Light of Eternal Darkness" when I realized it was not the previous song. The uniformity of sound pretty much rests on the lack of vocal colors. The interplay of instrumentation is interesting but needs more to work with from the vocals. The last song things come together well and it ends playing to their strengths. Overall I enjoyed this album, the concept of atmospheric doom alone is a selling point, the execution could have been grounded more in the songs, I will give it an 8.5. If you are looking for something different and dismal this is for you.
Has anyone though about asking Lizzy Hale to replace Chris Cornell ? I think that could work. She has the pipes at no point in the course of this review will I dispute that fact. What I might call into question is what she does with them as a song writer. The opening track sounds like if a metal core producer had gotten hold of Aerosmith in the mid 70s. The guitar is beefed up and her throaty shriek is in full effect. From a songwriting perspective , I think the Pretty Reckless might have more going on as songs like "Wicked Ways" works off a formula somewhere between Lita Ford and Paramore on steroids. It's like the female equivalent of Finger Death Punch. I actually prefer them when they give into their pop side on "Strange Girl". It was the first song that resonated with me.
"Brightside" splits the difference between Def Leppard and Joan Jett, with sprinkles from Hot Topic as the topping. It's fun and dumb, I was not expecting any deep thinking going into this. "The Steeple" is lyrically devoid of anything worthwhile, while well song the melodies are manufactured from a beer commercial. The ballad "Terrible Things" could be on almost any pop album. It does little for me. "My Redemption" could be a pop country artist's attempt to rock the fuck out , the hook reminds me of that for sure. Hale continues to belt it out. Her vocals are the high light the rest of the band is pretty generic.
The good thing about commercial rock bands is none of these songs break the four-minute mark so if I do not like something it is not a lot to endure. I do like the song "Bombshell". Lyrically it's girl power from someone who is a regular on Revolver 's hottest girls in rock issue. " I Come First" explores similar, I am sure it will be playing at strip clubs everywhere, not as good of a song as the previous one. "Pyscho Crazy: is the anthem for all girls who do not want to be accountable for not dealing with mental health issues. The last song is a ballad that Miley Cyrus would have done better. There are maybe a handful of songs I like, but she sings her heart out, think little less cut and paste in the song writing would be best, I will give this a 7. Has potential , sometimes hit's sometimes , just kind of meh. They are too professional to ever suck, but rock music is not supposed feel like product and needs more darkness to be convincing
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