Glassjaw : "Material Control"

While their first album  "Everything You Wanted to Know About Silence" was pretty ground breaking to influence what I would later call Myspace metal, they bridged hard-core and nu-metal in a manner that still has taste. Their third album only has two original members so it is no surprise they are having a hard time trying to remember who get back to this place. It opens with a song that holds only slight memories of their more hardcore past and owes way more to the Deftones. The second song doesn't veer far from it. For not making an album in 15 years I would have hoped a song like "Citizen" would have been more inspired, but it feels like aside from wanting to be a Deftones tribute band this whole affair is obligatory in order to go on tour.

By the time we get to "Galgotha" all the songs are starting to sound the same and that is only four songs in. I should not find myself listening to one of this band's albums and wondering if I am going to be able to make it through. The line "from my lips / to your ringing ears" is like something that could have been found on their earlier work. Perhaps the problem is having your drummer playing guitar. Not that this is Daryl's best work , but anytime he is not trying to impersonate Chino I'm happy. It's the more "Watching the Detectives" feel to "Strange Hours" that helps switch things up. It just meanders around in it's own backyard and never culminates into anything. "Bastille Day" might have well been the intro to "Pompeii" that follows. This song at least has more of an angry streak it that has been missing most of the this album.

"Bibleland 6" finds the band falling back into the lap of the Deftones. There are some heavy accents, but the vocals are almost boring. There is a little more of the punk recklessness on "Closer", but a similar problem plagued the new Used album, where everything sounded too refined and lost the unhinged edge and sense of danger. The bass tone to "My Conscience Weighs a Ton" is killer, but finds itself undone by Daryl's Chino croon, which has to be what is weighing on him, knowing he once had a style of his own and now he is shadowing someone else. The title track is just an interlude. They sounds a little more like themselves when they close the album with "Cut and Run", which might be one of the album's best moments. I'll give this album a 7. It's well recorded and played, the main thing that takes away from it is the problem I have with the worship and tribute being paid to the Deftones.

Warrior Soul : "Back On the Lash"

When I was in high school I went to go see Soundgarden direct support for Danzig. While Soundgarden who was touring for "Louder than Love" was awesome the band before them was Warrior Soul. They seemed to be a bridge from glam metal into something more cerebral. I went out and bought "Last Decade Dead Century" the next day. So I want Warrior Soul to sound just as incredible as they did then. We go way back. I am aware Kory Clarke has drug the name around from various incarnations of this band and none of the members that played on the classic first three album still remain. But at the very least I expect them to be within the same sonic range as they were in 1990. Granted they were ahead of their time. They even played with the former Killing Joke drummer at first so when this album opens with the same style of punk infused metal as Killing Joke, this makes sense. Kory's vocals are more aggressive here not unlike something Jaz Coleman would do.

 It's when they begin to sound more like Faster Pussycat on "I Get Fucked Up" that I begin to question the direction they are now in. Though is this more passable than what happens on the song that follows. It's the title track that dashes my hopes as Kory's voice sounds fucking awful. I am not sure what kind of fucking producer let that fly. His sounds like god damn Lemmy jamming with the Cult. It sounds like he was losing his voice in the recording booth. "Thrill Seeker " is marginally better with a little more balls to the guitar. The riff to "Goin Broke Getting High" is heavier and makes more of an attempt to rekindle their former glory. The rust on Kory's raspy pipes, flakes off a little, but this is far from "Drugs God and the New Republic". The riffs continue to fall somewhere between AC/DC and the Cult on "Black Out". The vocals are more spoken here. The bass really drives this one. 

The very straight forward manner they constructed these songs, feel like there is little trace of the acid fueled sense of space age surreal sonics that colored there older work, with the chorus of "I 've Got the Rock" sounding like a Motorhead b-side. The lyrics are even less inspired so Kory has to take some of the blame for this. When he tries to go up into his higher register it's almost painful though the makes a more successful attempt on "Further Decay". "That's How We Roll" sounds more like the type of rock these guys were becoming an alternative to back in the day. It pains me to have to give this album a 6.5, but even then I feel I am being generous.It id inspire me to go back and revisit all the old albums to hear when this band ruled.


6

The Used : "the Canyon"

"Lies For the Liars" was the last album I bought by these guys. I did catch them live last year and they played the entire first album. Bert and the bass player are the only two original members. It opens on more of the emo side with an acoustic ballad that is not as good as their more ballad like moments from the first album. There is a more of a funky groove to "Cold War Telescreen" than what I am used to hearing from these guys. The hook in the chorus works and makes this song pretty listenable. There is a more 80's rock n roll feel to the palm muted chug of "Broken Windows". If Bert's quirky voice wasn't on this it could be a Bon Jovi b-side when it comes to the arena-rock chorus. However much like Bon Jovi it is pretty damn catchy.

What I used to like about the Used that I felt made them stand out from the other Myspace metal bands their ability to sound unhinged then rein it end for a catchy melody. The key to this unhinged sound was that it sounded like it came from a very honest place. They come close to remembering this place on "Rise Up Lights" but something about sounds like a version more refined with radio aspirations. There is a more mainstream alt rock feel to the more Muse like groove of "Vertigo Cave". The song is decent , but certainly falls short of standing next to the band's best songs. There is more urgency to "Pretty Picture". It tends to fall along the lines of every other modern rock radio band with it's soft to loud shift in dynamics, but it works for what it is. This is when I realize there are 17 fucking songs on this album and I bet if they really focused on ten this could have been killer instead of settling for what everyone else is doing.

The bass lays down a more David Bowie like groove on "Funeral Post", but is that what Bert is best working with ? The more Faith No More like moments on this album are questionable and certainly steps away from what is in the best interest of what this band is really about. Where this song builds up and goes off into is pretty cool, though questionable in regards to the sound of who the Used is. They heavily effected jangle seems to be one of the devices this album defaults to. The chorus to "Upper Falls" works well , but I am unsure about the rest of the song. There is too much twang in the guitar that sounds like it belongs on a Dave Matthews album. The bass player has certainly been listening to more David Bowie, which you can't fault him for however Bert is far from  Bowie and his vocals might be better suited following other melodies.

There is a more grit in the riff to "Selfies From Aleppo". The chorus to this one doesn't work as well as some of the other choruses on this album that were supported by much less cooler riffs than the one on this song. There is a party soundtrack vibe to "Moving the Mountain". The chorus helps smooth this one out and make it tolerable. The chemistry on "Over and Over Again " is not as fortunate and comes across as being too happy for my tastes. Then there is the bass solo..take one , which is cool, but doesn't make or break a song. "the Quiet War" would make a pretty great Coheed & Cambria song, but not really what I want from the Used, though it doesn't suck. Though the rap at the certainly does. Is "Moon Dream" supposed to be their "Eleanor Rigby" ?  Why else would they have a string section in one of their songs ? Bert's voice sounds good, though like Claudio from Coheed.

They bring back the crunch of guitar on "the Nexus". But that is all in vain by the end as the song gets too happy. It makes me wonder if this is all due to Bert's sobriety. Not every one can make the change with their creative juice intact, just ask Dave Mustaine. There is a little more inspiration in "About You...". "The Mouth of the Canyon" covers a lot of ground and is a sprawling piece of music that touches on more rock n roll moments than I am used to hearing them tackle but it some how works. I'll give this a 7.5, it is not bad , but it doesn't really capture what I want from them. If you have stuck with them past the first three albums then perhaps this is less of a shock to you and might work more for you than it does me.

Catching Up with 2017 - Rebirth of Nefast : "Tabernaculum"

This one went under my radar , it's a band from Iceland that released this back in March. While they are a black metal band I am drawn in by the fact that they lay off the blast beats until five and a half minutes into the eleven minute opener. Instead they opt for a darker creeping brand of deathly doom. They have dissonant guitar melodies layered over the blasting when it does burst in. The vocals are more of a an agonized croak that is in a lower death metal range. They slow back down into the dissonant abyss they churn out. Normally I don't like long songs , but this some how works for me. If they had blast beat their brains out for 11 minutes then that would not have flown as much.

They do come straight at you with blast beats on "the First Born Of the Dead". Around the two minute mark this slows for another return back into the darkness. More deliberate spoken vocal and sung vocals are layered in a call and response before the guitar solo comes in. At the six and half minute mark the song breaks down into an even more gloomy riff. "Alignment Divine" finds them falling more neatly into what is expected of modern black metal. They continue with the blasting on "Carrion is a Golden Throne". This song features what by the midway point is the album's most melodic moment a break down where the vocals take on more of a whisper.

There is another storm of blasting going into "Magna, Mater, Menses" . Following the formula that seems to be developing they ebb back down into the misty mountain hop of gloom and then kick up a few blasts here and there.It's clear if they shaved off some of the atmosphere at the end of these songs they could condense a few minutes and make things more concise. They close the album with "the Dead Age of Hollow Vessels" which sounds like it should be about millennials based of the title alone, but the lyrics are obscured in the growl. The drop the raging earlier in this song than the others, which is strange considering this is the album's longest song. At this point the atmospheric excursion into melodic dusk is now expected, but sonically still interesting.I'll give it an 8.5, unlikely to make my top 10 black metal albums of the year list, but if you like dark and melodic black metal working off a cloud of dissonance then this is worth your time. Iceland has a pretty decent track record when it comes to black metal and these guys are a worthy addition.

Summoning : "With Doom We Come"

It starts off with a instrumental that has what sounds to be snippets of dialogue, almost like background music for your next Dungeons and Dragons session, the actual metal doesn't start until the second song. Which has growled vocals , but while the main riff is more interesting.There are some folk percussive elements that are more predominant at the begin. The mix of this album is weird sometimes unfortunately the synths are more present in the mix and the guitar takes a back seat compromising the heaviness that could have been if they have a more organic sound.Not that anything is really consistent as the guitar comes up for "Carcharoth". The songs tend to work at more of a pulse than the triumphant gallop that once characterized this band. I can only think of one song that isn't ruled by the pulse of it's melancholy atmosphere. The positive side to this is the fact that the melancholy feel makes for a darker listen when then the fugal horns are not holding the melody. On "Carcharoth" the vocals have more of a Bathory quality to them and are not in the Gullom like growl.

The piano that opens "Herumor" highlights one of the tonal weakness of the album though this particular song compensates for it by switching up the approach to the vocals and having a almost Dead Can Dance like rhythmic quality to the songs tempo breaking away from the pulsing drone that has ruled the album up to this point.Things get a little darker on "Night Fell Behind". The drums start off sounding a little more organic. This one is back to the pulsing feel , but it does so in the same manner as post-prison Burzum. The vocals go back into the almost sung Bathory like feel.  The last two songs of this album both are eleven minutes. "Mirklands" opens with a piano melody.  The vocals have more of a feral snarl to them. The dynamics of this song are more effective despite having to wrestle against the keyboards.

The title track which closes the album finds the vocals getting even closer to singing. It is pretty clear that while the album really indulges in the more folk like elements to create a more pagan metal feel these guys are not playing black metal. The flute melody really drives this point back home to Middle Earth. The break downs where it falls back to the synth lines are not the album's strongest moments.I like this album despite the cheese filled synth lines. I like the fact it is darker and more melodic. I have enjoyed the handful of listens I have given it thus far, though unless we get a thick snow, I can not see this as something I would listen to while out and about on my iPod, so I'll round it down to a 8.5, which is still a step above just being pretty decent. 

Desert Graves :"Nobody Gets Out Alive"

On one of my Bandcamp searches for death-rock I came across this band out of Idaho. They are not death rock, but an angular blend of noise rock and post-hardcore. There is more of a creepy punk vibe to "Demons". But the emphasis seems to be the angular twisting of the riff against the angry shouts of the vocals. Everything is lo-fi and bombastically blown out. They reign things in slightly for "Sleazy D" also includes more of a call and response between the male vocals and the snotty female vocals that chime in. There is a more melodic section heading toward the end of the song, as it escalates into a more psychedelic journey.

They ease into a darker more sublime dream of a melody on "Echo". The female vocals lead the way in and the angry male vocals take over when they used the expand and contract dynamic of loud to soft on what would be the chorus. So far this is my favorite song, because it is the darkest thus far. The girl has a pretty sexy sounding voice, I'll have to stalk their Facebook and see if the sound of it measures up.  "Waves" is more of a shoe-gazing affair. As an instrumental it is pleasing, but I think they would have been better served by having included an actual song as it seems like more of a passing outro.

The album is a name your price deal on their Bandcamp. I think this album's strongest songs balance out the more noisy songs, which sometimes work better than others. At the end of the day I thing this band is successful at what they wanted to do, unless that was to make a death-rock album, which it is not. But for psyche-garage rock with an angular post-hard core edge to it. In someways it reminds me of if Murder City Devils had a bizarre drug orgy with A Place to Bury Strangers and Sonic Youth. I'll give the album a 9 as I am strongly considering downloading it.

Eye of Nix :"Black Somnia"

They have returned, this time with an even thicker atmosphere of darkness coating what they do. Front woman Joy Von Spain scowls harshly on the opening track . They blend gray fog of blackened doom with a staccato groove to create something that is not just more blast beats, even though they are sparsely used. When the song accelerate they do not abandon the pulse of the song.It slows in a more apocalyptic stomp toward the end. The guitar tone changes into more of a strum for "Fear's Ascent". She goes up into her more operatic soprano for this one. They build a tension even at this almost upbeat indie rock like pace. They hang on the groove they lock into her until slowing for dramatic punches when they step on the distortion for what might be the chorus if they were going for a more conventional song format, but instead it feels like this is written in movements rather than the formula of popular songwriting. I like the current of double bass that flows as the song begins to fade out heading towards its final moments.

The production is not as dense as the previous album. This space creates more room for a melancholy atmosphere to permeate the songs. They come back in with more hesitant ritualistic creep on "A Curse". This reminds me of Diamanda Galas in the exotic explosion of chaotic sound.  Midway into the song their sonic solve begins to coagulate as they build into the more more moving build . The drums going into an odd blasting where they music around it is more intangible aside from her growled vocals. "Lull" finds them ebbing back down into the strum of clean guitar. The sung vocals hover over this as the drone carries on for two and a half minutes into the song, before it builds into a monolithic sludge. Her vocals are mixed back against the guitar when it falls into a proper verse. Though the song is movements rather than adhering to the more typical verse / chorus arrangement.

Von Spain's vocals go into her higher soprano and work as more of an atmospheric layer over the song's ebb and flow of loud to soft dynamics.Around the four minute mark things begin to congeal into a more driven climax. Her vocals drops a third to get meaner. The song falls back into an oddly relaxed pound. The double bass at the end of the song is pretty impressive flex of the drummer's chops. The pounding is less relaxed and more ominous on the album's eight and a half minute closer. This is still a respectable time frame, as they do not abuse this by droning too much on any one section. This song has a stormier more metallic feel to the way it rages at you.The drumming once again shows tremendous growth. I'll give this album a 9. It's a darker, heavier and more confrontational feel. The paint the sky black with the apocalyptic tone of these songs that never fit neatly into one sub-genre. Where their previous album hooked you in on first listen this one grew on me with it's intense density, but continues to earn repeat listens . This album is released December 15.