Incite : "Savage New Times"

 Max Cavelera's step-son Richie grew up around this, so it makes sense his band sounds like a harder-core take on what Sepultura did. This finds them in a darker, more Sick Of It All style of the genre, which is very well written. A more Power Trip-like is thrashing to "Feel This". "Just a Rat' feels like something Pantera would do on the verses. The choruses get heavier and work for what they are doing. The more Pantera-like feeling is also present in the vocal delivery for " Chucked Off". This begins to find them leaning in the direction of not feeling as fresh in the overall originality, but it's done in a manner that still works off the sheer energy they are delivering. 

Whoever he has writing with him is a riff monster, as it's true to 90s cross-over thrash, but also is produced in a manner that makes it relevant today. "Dolores " stands out from the other songs as working with a darker, uglier, throbbing pulse. They need to move more in this direction and less of the '90s Pantera styled hardcore than colors "No Mercy No Forgiveness" because it was my least favorite side of Pantera when they did it, so I am not into bands drawing from that influence. They prove they can groove and be heavy enough with a bit of a Slipknot vibe for "Used and Abused." Lyrically, it is not the strongest song, but the overall feel works. 

The drumming feels a little more like Sepultura on " Never Die Once," which has a staccato stomp recalling bands like Machine Head. The Chant on the chorus works, it is nothing next level, but it fits the songs. The drumming going into the last song is almost "Painkiller".  But it's nothing epic, just uptempo. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me, I am already into bands like Power Trip so not sure if there is enough difference between these guys and their influences to really set this apart from what I already listen to, but young thrash fans should check this one out. 

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Soulfly : "Totem"

 

It has been a while since I have listened to Soulfly, though I am a fan of Max era Sepultura and have never been all that impressed with anything the band has done since the split. Imagine my surprise when I check back in with this band to find them kicking so much ass here.   Gone are any of the nu-metal leanings that might have colored earlier releases. In fact, they are at full on thrashing speed when the album opens, but more like Slayer than even the "Arise" era of the Sepultura. Max has admitted that the "Reign in Blood" album was an influence on it. Max's song Zyon plays drums on the album. He has grown into being an impressive drummer. "Scouring the Vile" finds these guys sounding more like Sepultura then Sepultura does at present. The album is really well produced as it has a hammering intensity to it. The guitar tones is pretty biting when they thrash out on songs like "Filth Upon Filth". 

The Slayer comparison could resurface again on "Rot in Pain". Though this would be a sound more like newer punk tinged Slayer that in so aggressive it forgets the groove of cool riffs for the bulk of the song, though they still find their way in. The first really fucking awesome song in terms how it commands you to head bang is "the Damage Done". The title track is also another song driven by a heavy groove that crushes it way into your ears. Max's vocals are solid for what he does, they sound like he has not aged. Halfway in an it is safe to say this album is demolishing the last Sepultura album. "Ancestors" might not maintain the flawless momentum of the two previous songs, but it is pretty solid in its own right.  

There is an instrumental that could have just been woven into another song as an intro formulated into a song in itself as it feels more like an interlude in the present form. "Spirit Animal " closes the album and works off a powerful locomotive chug. At nine and a half minutes the song has plenty of time to simmer in the atmosphere it builds off before gaining speed. Richie from Incite lends his voice and Chris from Power Trip throws down a guitar solo on it. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. It is pretty impressive as it is and not what I was expecting from Max this late in his career. 

Weekly Shuffle

Ok this weeks is going to be different as my iPod in on the fritz so instead I'm using comcasts music choice metal station so it's their take on metal and more mainstream look at than I normally take first up


"la Epiddemia" by Ill Niño - well these guys have gotten a lot heavier than I remember them being , but it sounds like second rate Slipknot, they don't want to surpress their rap rock past but are going for Chimera like vocals but even more bland. The guitars are better than I remembered.

" Tomorrow belongs to Nobody" by Carcass, ok the first band I actually listen to so that's a relief from the metal core I fear is to come. These guys know how to piece the riffs together, more rock n roll take on things than from the Heartwork album, the verse riff is still pretty mean though and has a good groove. The lyrics are no a text book rundown of medical procedure but neither were the lyrics on Heartwork.

"Buildings" by Katatonia band number two I like, I think this has come up on the shuffle before, if I have to drop down to a sixteen gig iPod I doubt this album will make the cut, it has it's moments but is a lot more of the same , I like the melodies here better than some of the others on this album. I don't want to hear the get more progressively radio stale which each release which is the direction it's gone since Great Cold Distance.

" Secular Haze" by Ghost, first I have heard from this album much more circus feel, I heard its a different singer and it's much less king Diamond in the delivery though the keyboards have the theatrics of the kings later solo work ,but the melodies are smoother almost like Opeth. It sounds over produced and a departure from their first album, not a good sign of things to come. I guess the change in singers is why they changed their name to Ghost b.c . look for them in the where are they now files everywhere.

"the aftermath" by Incite, o.k now here's the kind of boring bullshit metal I hate, there is nothing you haven't heard since vulgar display of power o.k far beyond driven to be fair as 97 is the last time this sort of thing had any validity Becuase by the time Slipknot got around to it the hardcore influenced thing was already a mall metal cliche. No ambiance or melodic trappings but not heavy enough to justify the lack of them.

"Lenfant Sauvage" by Gojira, I liked their first album but never got around to really checking them out after that point, this isn't bad , it's less Meshuggah worship than I thought there would be and I guess if you are going for a more mainstream metal thing this is the way to do it. Towards the middle of the song it begins to bore me but nothing too offensive , while I wouldn't be opposed to hearing the whole album it doesn't seem like something I would listen to on a regular basis either.

"Psalm 69" by Ministry, I have been on a Ministry kick lately, this is one of the albums best songs and it's a classic album so I only have good things to say about this one. I love the effects on Al's voice here, he wasn't growling but it makes the delivery sound heavy as the guitars , It coats them well.

"kings of deceit " by Affiance, ...this is pretty bad cheese , it's going for a big power metal like chorus with out anything interesting to back it up just straight forward chugging, they prolly have faux hawks and are wearing affliction shirts as they pose on the monitors. Imagine Symphony Or Strativarious without the chops.

"Frozen at the moment of Death" by Six Feet Under , I owned their first album and I like Cannibal Corpse up until the Bleeding , then like the bulk of Chris Barnes solo band when you heard one album you have heard them all, the vocals are really one dimensional and uninteresting, though the band has picked up the pace from what I recall of their previous efforts, the bridge to this song is o.k but this could really be any death metal band, very lacking in personality.

"Feel so Numb" by Rob Zombie ...when this came out I did not own it but for 2001 this was a less offensive reminder we had just wandered out for the nineties than other stuff on the radio at the time, I'm not sure I would say this is metal, but I removes a lot of non metal things on the shuffle, however I don't think this stood the test of time as well as Ministry as it sound like wrestlers might start walking to the ring at any moment.