Review: Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
Posted on 7 May 2008 | No Comments
What exactly is the definition of “metal?” I’ve heard many categorize the Seattle-based band Earth as “drone metal,” but (at least on their latest album The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull) I think that is pushing it. There is certainly no argument (however) from anyone about the behemoth dronescapes that Earth creates. They are simply epic.
Rooted in the blues and psychedelic Americana, fuzzy reverbed guitars ring out and hang hypnotically in the air while the bass rumbles and writhes into drawn-out lumbering grooves. Maybe a little like Early Day Miners’ Offshore but slower and heavier. That’s the real conundrum with The Bees Made Honey…; it is dense and heavy but not really all that metallic. It is more like a landscape in sound than a song; it is mountainous. Like huge clouds on the horizon rising thousands of feet from the wide-open plains of middle America; warning of the impending thunder storm.
The Bees Made Honey… is glacial in pace but not icy for this also sounds of the red and dusty West. Imagine brightly colored rays of sunshine bursting through thickly clouded skies (not unlike many Ansel Adams prints) or explosions of lightning in the night sky. Yeah, The Bees Made honey… is kinda like that and out now via Southern Lord.
MP3 | Earth – Omens And Portents I: The Driver The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Atmospheric, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Hail Hornet - Hail Hornet
Posted on 24 April 2008 | No Comments
Hail Hornet ia band that features members of Alabama Thunderpussy and Weedeater (among others). On their self-titled debut album, they dish out grime-metal that’s brutally aggressive and thunderously sludgy. This is some gnarly shit that will put hair on your chest and is out now on the awesome Dwell Records label.
MP3 | Hail Hornet – Golden Whore Hail Hornet
MP3 | Hail Hornet – Devil’s Hound Hail Hornet
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: High On Fire - Death Is This Communion
Posted on 20 April 2008 | 3 Comments
Metal. Oh sweet metal. My brother listens to way more heavy music than I do and Death Is This Communion was his favorite metal album of 2007 and after further deliberation, I find that statement difficult to refute. make no mistake this is some powerful and beastly metal, but rather than just throw comparisons around, I’ll just let the music do the talking here. This is truly some amazing stuff Oakland’s High On Fire and highly recommended for fans of Mastodon, etc… and don’t forget to catch them on the Gigantour right now!
MP3 | High On Fire – Rumors Of War Death Is This Communion
MP3 | High On Fire – Fury Whip Death Is This Communion
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: The Sword - Gods Of The Earth
Posted on 1 April 2008 | 1 Comment
On their sophomore album Gods Of The Earth The Sword dishes out another serving of stoner and NWOBHM inspired metal riffage that should help you pillage any small countryside towns that you and your noble steed should come across in your journeys. The album picks up exactly where Age Of Winter left off; not as pummeling as Mastodon and not as melodic and epic as Zeppelin. Gods Of The Earth grooves, pounds, and provides guitar pyrotechnics that seem to be made for worship on Guitar Hero. In short:
“This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers:
Gnaws iron, bites steel:
Grinds hard stones to meal:
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountains down!”
MP3 | The Sword – Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians Gods Of The Earth
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Goes Cube - Not What We Thought EP
Posted on 25 March 2008 | 9 Comments
Goes Cube has always been awesome (that’s a given). But when the robot rhythm section was replaced by new drummer Kenny Appell, their sound became massive. Just imagine Frodus, Isis, Lightning Bolt, and Helmet all wrapped into a ticking package labeled Goes Cube and you’ve got the idea. Before I go into just how ridiculously great their new tour-only EP Not What We Thought is, I need to apologize to Goes Cube.
This review was supposed to be written before Goes Cube started their current tour. I wanted my brother to write this review because he was pretty good friends with Matt “Coach” & David at U of I. He may have actually lived with Matt at one point, but I’m not sure. Anyhow, my brother was supposed to write this because he is infinitely more qualified to (an MFA in creative writing as well) but due to some shit that’s been going on, that never happened. My apologies to the Goes Cube dudes indeed.
So the new Goes Cube EP is six songs of brilliance numbered 50, 53, 54, 56, 57, and 49. From the first note until the last, the songs on Not What We Thought hurl themselves at you like a grenade with the pin pulled; like a vicious attack dog clamped down around you arm that is never going to let go. The bass angrily throbs, the guitar rips and tears, and pummeling drums create a thunderous roar that cannot be escaped. The single most astonishing thing about Goes Cube is how heavy they’ve become. The music is, like, really fuckin’ metal, and stuff, now. And though Goes Cube can be brutally bombastic and thrown down a low snarling groove, they can (and often do) travel down a road that’s a little more atmospheric, moody, and controlled… but then dive headfirst back in the the thick, swirling, blisteringly hot, metallic soup that is the foundation of what Goes Cube does.
In summation, this EP is a electrifying and visceral mini-masterpiece that demands repeat listens. I’m sure all the Goes Cube fans out there (myself included) are just begging for a full-length sometime soon. If Not What We Thought is any indication of the direction Goes Cube is headed; beware. They might just conquer the world.
MP3 | Goes Cube – Goes Cube Song 57 Not What We Thought
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal, Noise
Review: Collapsar - Integers
Posted on 21 March 2008 | No Comments
Are you a fan of of Don Caballero, Russian Circles, or Dillinger Escape Plan? Would you listen to Rush if they weren’t such whiny little bitches? Well, then you just might fall in love with the latest record from Lafayette, Louisiana’s Collapsar. The album is called Integers and is packed full of pummeling long-form prog-heavy instru-metal workouts. Sure, it might come off a little like technical wankery to some people, but this stuff is so complex and rhythmically exhausting, I’m not even sure how you compose this, let alone play it. I mean, this is some mind-blowing shit. Now despite the brief textured and more atmospheric passages that break up the record, it is dizzying and tiring just getting all the way through Integers; which seems like is could be the awesome sound of futuristic death-bots mulching the life out of humanity. Math-rock on steroids if you will. You can get Integers now from Escape Artist Records.
MP3 | Collapsar – The Great Caldera Integers
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Baroness - Red Album
Posted on 12 February 2008 | 1 Comment
Am I the only one who keeps realizing that there are a ton of great records from 2007 that I completely missed the boat on? Another one of these album is Red Album from Savannah, Georgia’s Baroness. They play progressive metal that sounds like it would fit somewhere in-between Mastodon and Isis. You know, a band that is adept and conjuring up slight atmospherics as well as Earth-shaking and mountain-moving grooves. There are gruff shouted vocals as well as huge instrumental breakdowns that showcase the band’s insane guitar pyrotechnics. Amazingly, with guitarists that are this good, I often found myself paying more attention to the equally stellar drumming.
Red Album may be heavy, but it isn’t dark or gloomy. It has a remarkable sense of sunny melodicism and beneath a stoner metal exterior is a heart filled with psychedelic and bluesy classic rock. The music of Baroness rages with physics-formula guitar leads that loop and build to thundering crescendos. Simply put; Red Album is awesome and out now on Relapse.
As a sidebar, I got the Guitar Hero video game for Christmas and since then, every time I listen to metal I find myself thinking, “That would be a great guitar hero song.” Does this happen to anyone else? Needless to say, most of The Red Album would make great guitar hero songs, but would be ridiculously difficult.
MP3 | Baroness – The Birthing Red Album
MP3 | Baroness – Wailing Wintry Wind Red Album
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Guns Up! - Outlive
Posted on 8 February 2008 | No Comments
The first thing that popped into my head while listening to Guns Up! and their record Outlive was, “I bet they guys are from Boston or somewhere in New England. Stereotypical, I know, but dead on since the band does indeed call Merrimack Valley, New Hampshire home. At least they did until they broke up. Never you mind though. Guns Up! left us with Outlive; a quick but powerful little piece of Madball meets In My Eyes tough guy East Coast hardcore. You know, 4/4 stuff that speeds up, breaks down, and then back; all while managing to teeter on the edge of a groove and avoid most noticeable melody. The riffage is predictable without being generic and everything just sorta works. Not ground breaking but I’d be willing to bet that this is a perfect soundtrack for deadlifting, squatting, and bench pressing. I may just have to test that on out later tonight.
MP3 | Guns Up! – Life’s Ill Outlive
MP3 | Guns Up! – To An End Outlive
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Gallows - Orchestra Of Wolves
Posted on 25 January 2008 | 1 Comment
I think I heard Mr. Brett from Epitaph Records refer to Orchestra Of Wolves as the best punk record since Refused’s Shape Of Punk To Come. I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, but it is pretty damn good. Orchestra Of Wolves is the debut album from Watford, England’s Gallows. It angrily explodes into a razor-sharp frenzied racket of drums, bass, guitars, and screamed vocals that could easily carve you to pieces. Gallows’ unique brand of hardcore is metallic and discordant but incorporates a familiar punk element and rock ‘n’ roll swagger that is both gritty and groovy. Coalesce vs. The Bronx in a cage match if you will.
Listening to Orchestra Of Wolves is like getting smacked in the face; repeatedly. This is music that absolutely can’t be just background. The sound is raw and abrasive but surprisingly listenable for something that sounds so brutal. Slight shades of melody are there behind the blown-lung screaming and the music’s caustic punch, but only barely. Definitely something any fan of the above mentioned bands should check out.
MP3 | Gallows – Kill The Rhythm Orchestra Of Wolves
MP3 | Gallows – In The Belly Of A Shark Orchestra Of Wolves
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Fight Pretty - Rewiring The Human Body
Posted on 14 December 2007 | 1 Comment
On their new record, Houston’s Fight Pretty spits out firebombs of dense and chaotic metalcore that takes many cues from the likes of Converge and other of that ilk. Somehow (however) the band manages to throw a little bit of rock & roll swagger and Blood Brothers-esque spastic art-punk convulsions into the mix as well.
Rewiring The Human Body is a raucous ride that probably left the band bloodied & bruised after the one-day recording session that birthed the record. Sure, it could be more polished and more precise, but it is that rawness captured straight to tape that sounds just like a lion and a rhino battling to the death. Plus, how can you not love lines like, “…and all this Whiskeytown is only making me sadder.”
Rewiring The Human Body is out now on Dwell Records and would probably make a great Christmas gift for your dad.
MP3 | Fight Pretty – Art Abuse Rewiring The Human Body
MP3 | Fight Pretty – Tradition Burner Rewiring The Human Body
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
Posted on 13 December 2007 | 1 Comment
The Dillinger Escape Plan has made their version of a pop album but don’t worry. You almost certainly won’t be hearing this one tearing up the airwaves or MTV. From Calculating Infinity to Miss Machine and now to their newest record Ire Works The Dillinger Escape Plan somehow seems to always top themselves. Incorporating elements of glitchy IDM breakcore, jazz, art-punk, proggy pop rock, and (yes) brutally chaotic mathcore, the band moves from idea to idea like a junkie popping pills.
As technical as ever The Dillinger Escape Plan continue to dazzle with both their arrangements and instrumentation. Even more amazing that the band hasn’t missed a beat considering the departure of drummer Chris Pennie just prior to the recording of Ire Works. This is an amazing album that finds DEP throwing a big “Fuck You” in the face of those who will certainly criticize the band for their eccentricity and deviation from the full-on mathcore juggernaut they once were. Sure, the band does that as well (if not better) than they ever have, but it is just so damn much fun to hear ‘em try new things like the wavering brass stabs on “Milk Lizard,” the detuned bells of “When Acting As A Particle,” the jazzy fills of “Horse Hunter” and “Mouth of Ghosts,” and the slinky grooves that drive “Black Bubblegum” and much of the rest of Ire Works.
I’m a sucker for pop hooks and Ire Works delights in that regard. A near-perfect balance of challenging back-bending time changes, sonic experimentation, and head bobbing rhythms with pop hooks glued nicely atop. Clearly not content to sit still, the band seems to appreciate both experimentation and rock ‘n’ roll. I honestly didn’t think the band would top Miss Machine, but they have and then some.
MP3 | The Dillinger Escape Plan – Milk Lizard Ire Works
MP3 | The Dillinger Escape Plan – Party Smasher Ire Works
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
The Anti-Matter Anthology
Posted on 29 October 2007 | 1 Comment
From 1993 to 1996 Anti-Matter was a fanzine published by Norman Brannon (former guitarist for Resurrection, 108, Shelter, Texas Is The Reason, and New End Original) from his New York City apartment. The zine featured interviews with many hardcore, punk, and indie bands that read more like conversations with friends rather than your run-of-the-mill interviews. Brannon also released the Anti-Matter compilation album in 1996 which featured many of the bands that graced the pages of the fanzine. I had a copy of the last issue of Anti-Matter an one point many years ago and still own the compilation CD. Brannon’s writing, music, and philosophies were influential to me so to hear that he had a book coming out was exciting news to me.
Brannon’s new book The Anti-Matter Anthology: A 1990’s Post-Punk & Hardcore Reader features many interviews that have been culled from the pages of the Anti-Matter fanzine. Included are documents of conversations between Brannon and the following: Rancid, Jawbox, Sick Of It All, Samiam, Quicksand, Rage Against The Machine, and many more. The book is insightful and bridges the gap between the well-documented hardcore and punk of the 1980’s and the Internet-spawned overexposure that so many bands of today receive. It is one last glimpse into the close-knit world of mid-nineties post-hardcore that Brannon and so many others poured their hearts into.
The book is amazing and is due out November 7th on Revelation.
Filed Under: Emo, Hardcore & Metal, Punk
Review: Atreyu - Lead Sails Paper Anchor
Posted on 11 October 2007 | 2 Comments
There is a new record out that I am a bit embarrassed to say that I kinda enjoy and I might be crucified because of it. It is Lead Sails Paper Anchor, the major-label debut from Orange County metal-core combo Atreyu. It is a little of a departure for the band with much more of a pop influence creeping into the music. Not pop like Britney or Christina, but (rather) the music is much more accessible to mainstream audiences than some of their previous stuff. There is less screaming and more singing and the music is a bit less heavy than on their previous releases.
It all reminds me a little of AFI’s major label debut Sing The Sorrow on which previously rough edges were smoothed over and glossed with a radio-friendly sheen. Lead Sails Paper Anchor probably isn’t going to be climbing the charts, but shades of Hollywood glam-rock and nu-metal bleed through and there are plenty of catchy little hooks nestled between some of the huge riffs. The downfall of this one (like all their other records) is that it is inconsistent. Sure the band is a behemoth on some tracks, but unnecessary synths, piano, and other predictable production elements detract from many of the songs on Lead Sails Paper Anchor.
Despite all of my negativity, there are a handful of really good/catchy/heavy songs that make the album worth a listen. Instead of crushing heaviness, Atreyu’s Gothic metal-emo gets sassy and sounds like the band is playing Buckcherry covers. Like I said, it isn’t a perfect album or even a 1/2 perfect album, but for whatever reason, I kinda like it with the tracks below being two of the album’s best.
MP3 | Atreyu – Doomsday Lead Sails Paper Anchor
MP3 | Atreyu – Honor Lead Sails Paper Anchor
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Fight Pretty - Ghosts Along The Brazos
Posted on 5 October 2007 | 1 Comment
In light of some recent comments stating that I don’t know anything about hardcore and shouldn’t be writing about it, I’d like to tell you a little about the the latest album from Fight Pretty. The album (released in 2006) is called Ghosts Along The Brazos and on it this Lake Jackson, Texas band blasts through 12 tracks of angst-laded metallic hardcore as if their lives depended on it. Much in the vein of Converge or (perhaps) Deadguy, blast-beat drumming and breakneck tempo shifts serve as the mangled skeleton for screeching guitars, rumbling bass, and throat-shredding vocals. A bit sloppy in places, Ghosts Along The Brazos is more concerned with the overall feeling and emotional content than it is about technical mastery. All in all, a pretty good album from a band that (even a year after the album’s release) remains relatively unknown. Fight Pretty also has a new album coming out in a matter of weeks called Rewiring The Human Body… that I’ll be sure to check out as well.
MP3 | Fight Pretty – Stolt 3am Ghosts Along The Brazos
MP3 | Fight Pretty – Giallo Ghosts Along The Brazos
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Modern Life Is War - Midnight In America
Posted on 21 September 2007 | 13 Comments
Sometimes records are accompanied by press releases that just beg you to listen to them. One such record is the latest from the Iowa-based hardcore band Modern Life Is War. It is titled Midnight In America and was described as “A modern hardcore masterpiece from the first note to the last,” and also as “The most passionate and intense hardcore available for consumption by the public.” Before I heard a single note of Midnight In America I was expecting greatness. I expected brilliance. Perhaps something on par with (for example) Jane Doe, The Shape Of Punk To Come, or even some lesser (but still good) albums. I didn’t get that, but I was left in awe with my mouth open.
As much as I wanted to like Midnight In America I just couldn’t. And while it isn’t the worst hardcore I’ve ever heard, it is nowhere near classic. There are no breakdowns, no catchy melodies, nothing really heavy, and uninteresting instrumentation. The vocalist is about as generic as they come and just adds another level of grating annoyance to an already uninteresting album. I admire the band’s attempt to get straight to the point with the lyrics but they sound like they were taken straight out of a rebellious junior high kid’s notebook. Lines like “The grass was never green/There was never purity/Some say it’s all over/Stupid fucking jaded burnouts” are bad enough but the album’s song that most other reviewers are praising (“Stagger Lee”) takes the cake. It begins with “My name is Stagger Lee/And I’m walking through the ice and snow/And my girl threw me out last week/And I’m fucking broke/Nothing but this dollar in my pocket and my Colt .45/Don’t look at me the wrong way/Cause I got nothing to lose tonight.” Wow.
I like more hardcore and metal that probably 98% of other music bloggers but I just can’t get into this. I hate writing negative reviews and think that they are a waste of time, but this just had to be done. This album is probably not as bad as I’m making it out to be, but certainly isn’t better then sliced bread. Sure, I might be jaded, old, and hard to impress, but anyone with the balls to promote their album as a “masterpiece” had better be able to back it up. Listen to the two tracks below and make your own judgment. I’d be interested to hear your opinions. Modern Life Is War’s latest, Midnight In America is out now on Equal Vision Records and is probably one of the only sub-standard records they’ve ever released.
MP3 | Modern Life Is War – Screaming At The Moon Midnight In America
MP3 | Modern Life Is War – Fuck The Sex Pistols Midnight In America
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Comadre - Burn Your Bones
Posted on 18 August 2007 | No Comments
Californa’s Comadre kicks out fast and furiously delicious emo-core jams on their 2006 full length Burn Your Bones. It is refreshing to hear a band that sounds as if they were plucked from the post-hardcore glory days of the mid 90’s but that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. In a day and age where it seems like so many hardcore and emo bands put fashion and style ahead of music, Comadre’s Burn Your Bones is essentially a fun dance-along record.
Now don’t misinterpret my words because Comadre’s music is is in your face hardcore, but there are discernible song structures and (at times) melody and/or breakdowns. The guitars screech and shred, the rhythm section pummels away, and the vocalist rips his throat to shreds. You know sorta like Converge meets Strike Anywhere at a Still Life show with a little of the Blood Brothers’ art-punk thrown in for good measure. It is easily one of the better punk/hardcore records I’ve heard this year and would certainly make my top 50 of 2006 if I was allowed a do-over.
Burn Your Bones is self-released by the band’s own Bloodtown label. Put this record on, have a beer, and do a silly hardcore dance. You can thank me later.
MP3 | Comadre – Breakfast Of Champions Burn Your Bones
MP3 | Comadre – Naw, You Catch Up Burn Your Bones
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Killswitch Engage Warped Tour Pix
Posted on 16 August 2007 | 1 Comment
Of all the bands at the 2007 Warped Tour, I was most excited to see Killswitch Engage. And although their set was only 30 minutes long, the reigning kings of metalcore did not disappoint. And (yes) Adam D is totally hilarious. In between songs while the rest of the band was trying to get him to shut up, he said things like, “All you metalheads, turn to the emo kid next to you and punch him in the dick,” and “Emo kids, what are you crying about?” I almost peed my pants.
Filed Under: Blog, Hardcore & Metal, Live
Review: Chasing Victory - Fiends
Posted on 28 July 2007 | 1 Comment
On their latest album Fiends the Georgia boys in Chasing Victory prove that they know how to dish out melodies as well as breakdowns. Fusing hard rock grooves with the sort of atmospheric hardcore that bands like Cave In perfected, Chasing Victory has made one hell of a record. It is dramatic and darkly cinematic without being over-the-top or turning into a parody of the genre (like all those eyeliner and vampire makeup wearing chumps).
Fiends certainly proves that the band has progressed leaps and bounds past many of its screamo peers. By incorporating horns, dirty alterna-rock riffs, and soaring falsetto vocals, Chasing Victory shows enough creative vision to keep things interesting. Don’t forget (however) that when the sun sets and the day is done, Fiends is a hardcore rock album. It is out now on Mono Vs. Stereo.
MP3 | Chasing Victory – Chemicals Fiends
MP3 | Chasing Victory – Wolves Fiends
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: DragonFOrce - Inhuman Rampage (or) high on the wings of eternity
Posted on 25 April 2007 | 2 Comments
DragonForce is an amazing extreme power metal group from London, England that blazes forth a trail of blistering anthemic riffage that Eric from Theme Park Experience and I (and a whole lot of Europeans) just can’t seem to get enough of. Their latest album Inhuman Rampage is full of overblown orchestration, atmospheric video-game keyboards, fantastical lyrics and the fastest guitars anywhere on this planet. The songs range in length from 5-1/2 to 8-1/2 minutes. The entire album is full of the sort of extravagance that the Darkness tried to but failed to capture.
It’s like Journey on amphetamines and a six-pack of Red Bull, and it has to be heard to be believed. On first listen you may think it is a ridiculous parody of hair-metal days gone by, but rest assured that they are dead serious about their music. Even Metallica’s Kirk Hammett has called them “the fastest guitar players I’ve ever seen.” DragonForce’s Inhuman Rampage is out now on Roadrunner Records and RIYL: Iron Maiden, Yngwie Malmsteen, etc…
MP3 | DragonForce – Through The Fire And Flames Inhuman Rampage
MP3 | DragonForce – The Flame Of Youth Inhuman Rampage
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Genghis Tron - Dead Mountain Mouth (or) I eat punks like you for breakfast
Posted on 6 January 2007 | No Comments
I’m scared of Genghis Tron. The music that this Poughkeepsie trio churns out beats my ass every time. They’ve recently followed up their debut 2005 Cloak Of Love EP with a new full-length entitled Dead Mountain Mouth. It is full of (again) extreme juxtapositions. I mean, anyone that would even think about combining the disparate elements that Genghis Tron does has some serious explaining to do.
Genghis Tron sandwiches industrial metalcore riffage up against dreamy electronics in a much more cohesive way that than they did on their debut EP. A grindcore masterpiece (if you will) that actually offers much more than repetitious and mind-numbing blast beats. When the band turns off the loud, they let the synth hooks creep in and the glitchy drum programming take over. This band is is like the love child of Converge and Aphex Twin. Despite the drastic time signature changes and light switch start stops, Dead Mountain Mouth is fluid from start to finish and is definitely something that heavy music fans should check out. Its out now on Crucial Blast Records and is fast becoming a favorite of mine.
MP3 | Genghis Tron – Chapels Dead Mountain Mouth
MP3 | Genghis Tron – Warm Woods Dead Mountain Mouth
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Electronic, Hardcore & Metal
Review: The Hope Conspiracy - Hang Your Cross (or) let the animals out of their cages
Posted on 19 December 2006 | No Comments
After reading my brother’s top ten list, I checked out the Boston, Mass. hardcore outfit The Hope Conspiracy. Their latest album Death Knows Your Name totally slays. It blends straightforward old-school hardcore raging with more brutal and chaotic modern elements so successfully employed by bands like Converge.
Death Knows Your Name was recorded with Kurt Ballou of Converge after a four year hiatus for the band. I haven’t heard much of their earlier material, but this album is heavy, angry, and (despite a lack of melody) actually pretty powerful and moving stuff. According to the band, the album’s concept is loosely based on George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and I think that that bleeds into the music. It just sounds like an album about escaping and overcoming oppression.
Anyhow, the record is out now on Deathwish, Inc. Pick up your copy today.
MP3 | Hope Con – Hang Your Cross Death Knows Your Name
MP3 | Hope Con – They Know Not Death Knows Your Name
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Converge - No Heroes (or) failing in the unending race
Posted on 7 November 2006 | 1 Comment
A few weeks back Grubbs mentioned how stellar the new Converge record No Heroes was. He was dead right. No Heroes is the brutal (but totally listenable) new album from Boston’s Converge. Wasting no time, the first five songs clock in at 5:40 combined and are over before you know it. They’ll leaving you lying on your floor bloodied and wondering exactly what hit you (if only so you can go back for more).
This album is on par with their metalcore classic Jane Doe and (like that album) is more pummeling than 2004’s You Fail Me. It is the aural equivalent of having your still-beating heart ripped from you chest. No Heroes is exhausting but excellent and out now on Epitaph Records. Highly rec’d as one of 2006’s best.
MP3 | Converge – Hellbound No Heroes
MP3 | Converge – No Heroes No Heroes
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes (or) set fire to anything else on fire
Posted on 6 October 2006 | 2 Comments
Read all my posts from the past week and you’ll probably say WTF is this guy thinking? I just want to apologize for going easy on all of you. No worries, though right? Next Tuesday (October 10th) the new record from Seattle’s The Blood Brothers will be officially released. It was co-produced by Guy Picciotto (of Fugazi & Rites Of Spring) and is easily one of the best records of 2006 and will knock your socks off.
The record (which is called Young Machetes) is a bombastic frenzy that (while still sounding just like The Blood Brothers) finds the band growing as musicians and ambitiously exploring new sounds. During many songs it almost seems like the band is on the verge of imploding only to pull it right back together without missing a single furious beat. It’s the shotgun wedding of Barry Gibb’s Bee Gees disco classics with the grinding spasms of Converge. Maybe it’s like a Black Flag sucker-punch to the face of Charles Mingus. In other words, its dance music.
On Young Machetes the band sounds dangerous. Not like they are going to mug you and gunpoint dangerous, but (rather) dangerous with smirks on their faces as they wait for their next prank to unfold right on cue. The dual shrieks, screams and singing howls of vocalists Jordan Blilie and Johnny Whitney are the perfect accompaniment (or perhaps distraction) for the jagged guitars and buoyant and relentless rhythm section. Additionally, much of the album features some great keyboard melodies. It is artcore that swings.
While I’ve never had the opportunity to see the band live, I can just picture them flailing around the stage smashing everything in sight (including themselves). Young Machetes is a chaotic and tumultuous listen that shifts, shakes, and (ultimately) bashes its way into your head. Never a band to rest contentedly on their laurels, The Blood Brothers have taken another leap forward merging aggression and art into a noisy and brilliantly beautiful mess.
Young Machetes is out October 10th on V2 Records and the 2xLP vinyl (on limited edition 180 gram vinyl) will be released by Second Nature Recordings.
MP3 | The Blood Brothers – Lazer Life Young Machetes
MP3 | The Blood Brothers – Set Fire To The Face On Fire Young Machetes
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal, New Wave
Review: Unearth - III: In The Eyes Of Fire (or) big bear and the hour of chaos
Posted on 28 August 2006 | 1 Comment
I think y’all need a little bit more metal in your diets, so I’m prescribing a healthy dose of Unearth to get you right as rain. These Boston tough guys play a pummeling style of metalcore that is threaded with barely enough melody to keep your head afloat.
Their most recent album III: In The Eyes Of Fire is a fierce beast that has enough breakdowns to devour a full-grown man. This is not sing-a-long metalcore. This is a lets-see-how-much-iron-you-can-throw-up-on-a-bar type of metalcore. In simpler words, this is great lifting music. It is a fast and menacing brand of heavy that incorporates just enough catchy guitar harmonies to lure you in before it beats you to a bloody pulp. My brother and I have been playing this album a lot lately and both give it two thumbs up. It is out now on Metal Blade Records. RIYL: Pantera, Slayer, All That Remains, etc…
MP3 | Unearth – So It Goes III: In The Eyes Of Fire
MP3 | Unearth – This Time Was Mine III: In The Eyes Of Fire
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: All That Remains - The Fall Of Ideals (or) like totally awesome dude man
Posted on 11 August 2006 | 2 Comments
After posting a few Killswitch Engage songs a few weeks ago, my brother suggested that I check out western Massachusetts metalcore upstarts All That Remains. I’m glad I followed his advice. This one is for you Grubbs.
On their latest album The Fall Of Ideals ATR dishes out a healthy dose of pummeling metal that manages to also retain quite a bit of melody. Yes, they actually have great songs! Blending soaring metalcore that is somewhat reminiscent of KSE with fast European style black metal makes for a great listen. Heck, Adam D of KSE even produced the album. Highly recommended for any and all fans of metal and hardcore. In a genre where it is sometimes hard to tell bands apart ATR manages to shine high above the rest. The Fall Of Ideals is out now on Prosthetic Records.
MP3 | All That Remains – Six The Fall Of Ideals
MP3 | All That Remains – The Air That I Breathe The Fall Of Ideals
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Set this whole world ablaze
Posted on 15 July 2006 | 3 Comments
Are you a fan of metalcore giants Killswitch Engage? Well, so am I. I can’t wait for their new album (whenever that might be released). So my brother lent me their DVD (awesome!) and I just started running again, so I’ve been listening to a lot of KSE lately.
Lucky for us the band recently released a new song on the WWE Wreckless Intent compilation as well as a great cover of the Dio tune “Holy Diver” on the Kerrang! High Voltage compilation. Rock.
MP3 | Killswitch Engage – This Fire Burns WWE Wreckless Intent
MP3 | Killswitch Engage – Holy Diver Kerrang! High Voltage
Filed Under: Hardcore & Metal
Back and badder than ever
Posted on 30 May 2006 | 2 Comments
Hey everybody! We are back (but thoroughly tired) from a fantastic fun-filled weekend in Pennsylvania without any A/C. I’ll give y’all a full rundown tomorrow but now I’m just going to kick back and leave you with a little Whiskeytits. Yep, their name says it all. See you tomorrow.
MP3 | Whiskeytits – Goddamn Pirate
MP3 | Whiskeytits – Guns Vs. Fangs
Filed Under: Hardcore & Metal, Punk
Review: Rager - Demo (or) sugar and spice and everything nice
Posted on 9 May 2006 | 3 Comments
The sounds of Rager are latest thing in hardcore to hit the mean streets of Chicago. They like drinking, partying, and setting fire (musically speaking) to the stage.
Andy (the drummer) is a long-time friend of mine and formerly of art-noise-core legends xHIKEx. Murty plays bass while Tim and Maggie both play guitar. Everyone sings different parts (a la Spazz) except Andy. I mean, he certainly ain’t Tim Rogner.
Anyhow, their sound is that of spastic hardcore, but hard to describe. I’ll try though. Think 88 Fingers Louie is dating the Locust and they go to a ballgame at Wrigley Field. They get sunburned and drunk on Old Style and then (for some unknown reason) get to sing the 7th inning stretch. Yeah. Rager sounds kinda like that. So in plain English, they fuckin’ slay.
They just recorded a 7 song demo called What Would You Do Last Summer? and will be raging (playing out) across Chicagoland and the Midwest this summer. Be their friend on Myspace.
MP3 | Rager – Rear End Career Ender Demo
MP3 | Rager – So What Who Cares Demo
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal, Punk
Review: The Sword - Age Of Winters (or) slaying the evil serpent
Posted on 1 May 2006 | 1 Comment
There seems to have been a recent proliferation of bands that are playing classic heavy rock/metal that sounds as if it could be almost straight out of the early seventies. And while I don’t include the bad joke that is The Darkness, Austin, Texas natives The Sword is one of those bands that is doing it for real. These Texans would beat those English poseurs into a bloody pulp.
On their latest full-length Age Of Winters, they dish out a liberal serving of groove-laden sludgey guitar riffs that will hit you like a sledgehammer that is complemented by plenty of melodic harmonized guitar soloing. The Sword manages to retain the classic quality of Sabbath and even Iron Maiden while also (at times) sounding like more “modern” groups such as Mastodon, High On Fire, or Wolfmother. All in all, the band is one to watch and listen to. They quickly managed to pummel their way into my head, and that isn’t a bad thing. Age Of Winters is out now on Kemado Records.
MP3 | The Sword – Freya Age Of Winters
MP3 | The Sword – Iron Swan Age Of Winters
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Atreyu - A Death-Grip On Yesterday (or) never ending dog and pony show
Posted on 20 April 2006 | 3 Comments
I’ll be willing to bet you didn’t know that my favorite makeup-wearing vampire-inspired emo-metal-core band is Orange County’s Atreyu. (Really, there are more than just a few of these bands). Anyhow, their 2004 full-length The Curse contains one of the fiercest (and somehow catchiest) songs ever to blare across my stereo speakers. “The Right Side Of The Bed” is such a great song and tops within this genre of music. A must listen if you will.
Now what got me thinking of this is the recent release of Atreyu’s newest record A Death-Grip On Yesterday on Victory Records. I think they may have ditched the makeup and vampire schtick, but they still dish out a good dose of emo-metal. The record is a bit less melodic and at times, sounds even a little like Coalesce or others in that vein. Good stuff if you like your rock a little on the heavy side.
MP3 | Atreyu – The Right Side Of The Bed The Curse
MP3 | Atreyu – Your Private War A Death-Grip On Yesterday
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Hardcore & Metal
Dogs at where my
Posted on 19 March 2006 | 7 Comments
So Friday night the wife and I went downtown (sans baby) to meet up with my sister, her boyfriend, and a few old friends. We ended up drinking the likes of Bell’s Amber, Three Floyd’s Pride & Joy, and even some Fat Tire at a pretty chill little spot called the Hungry Brain (near Belmont & Western).
Anyhow, one of those old friends (Andy) is currently playing drums for a band called Rager (that I have yet to hear but have heard great things about). He also used to be the drummer for the legendary xHIKEx.
xHIKEx was a genre-defying mess of a band that called themselves “Innovators of free-form progressive hardcore” and said that they were “whisky-drinking meat-eating vegan straightedge.” During their too-brief existence (roughly 1999-2001), they opened for bands who were fixtures on MTV and played in in front of a packed room while the headliners would play for 12 people and walk off stage utterly frustrated. xHIKEx is legendary. They were abusive and obnoxious but people loved them. Musically speaking, xHIKEx didn’t really have any songs, but rather concocted 35 second long improvised blasts of noise and screaming that was oftentimes closer to preformance-art than anything musical. They were destructive and chaotic and could (maybe) be compared to the likes of Assuck, Spazz, or maybe a garbage disposal. My brother played guitar for xHIKEx as well.
The songs below are from their one and only recording, Big Ups To Straight Edge which was a cassette-only release of which only 50-100 copies were ever made. They recorded approximately 20 songs while under the influence of one-and-a-half gallons of Old Crow Whiskey and too many Old Styles to count and. The end result can only be described as brilliant. Only two songs, “…Pinkeye” and “C. Everett Koop” were intentionally written (by the band) and performed more than once. I personally highly recommend their cover of Journey’s “Anyway You Want It.” If you can get past the 1st chorus you’ll be handsomely rewarded.
MP3 | xHIKEx – Bad Metal
MP3 | xHIKEx – Olympia Beer & Turkey Sammiches
MP3 | xHIKEx – Breakfast
MP3 | xHIKEx – Breakin’ Hearts & Breakin’ Necks
MP3 | xHIKEx – C. Everett Koop
MP3 | xHIKEx – Anyway You Want It
MP3 | xHIKEx – Forcefield
MP3 | xHIKEx – We Should Play Something Hardcore
MP3 | xHIKEx – I See Dead Peeps
MP3 | xHIKEx – The House Of The Rising Son
MP3 | xHIKEx – Hope I Don’t Get Kurt’s Pinkeye
MP3 | xHIKEx – Clown Jam
MP3 | xHIKEx – So Happy Together
MP3 | xHIKEx – Hut Hut xHIKEx
MP3 | xHIKEx – I Just Learned How To Tie A Tie And I’m 22
MP3 | xHIKEx – Adrian
MP3 | xHIKEx – A Messy Attempt At Making Sense Of Hippies
MP3 | xHIKEx – Jackalackin
MP3 | xHIKEx – Choose Your Future
MP3 | xHIKEx – Elian
Filed Under: Blog, Hardcore & Metal, Noise
Review: Russian Circles - EP (or) tortious interference abounds
Posted on 28 February 2006 | 3 Comments
Russian Circles are an instrumental rock band from Chicago, and while that is not the most unique way to describe the band, it (at least) puts you in the ballpark. Not exactly hardcore and not quite metal, the music is at times heavy and technical, but it also swings. The band is capable of switching for ambient soundscapes to a raging thrash in the blink of an eye. Definitely recommended if you like stuff like Don Caballero, Ghosts And Vodka, or even Isis.
They currently have a self-titled self-released EP out and have a full-length due out May 16th presumably on the excellent Flameshovel Records. You can catch them touring throughout March and April with the likes of Appleseed Cast, Minus The Bear, The Velvet Teen, Chin Up Chin Up, Isis, and more, including a stop by SXSW. Exact dates here.
MP3 | Russian Circles – Death Rides A Horse ST EP
MP3 | Russian Circles – New Macabre ST EP
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal, Post Rock
Review: Wolfmother - Wolfmother (or) party time at the king's castle
Posted on 19 February 2006 | 1 Comment
Wolfmother is from Sydney, Australia and I’ve been hearing their name a lot lately. Evidently there is an enormous amount of hype surrounding their self-titled debut full-length that is scheduled to be released in the US on May 2nd. Their Dimensions EP was released last month and serves as a good introduction to their monstrous brand of rock music.
For the sake of classification, this Aussie trio is a stoner rock band in the vein of Black Sabbath, King Crimson, and even Zeppelin. Musically they dish out tight, focused, pummeling hard rock tunes that are dripping with 70’s nostalgia and hippie overtones while vocally singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale channels Robert Plant and Jack White though his pipes.
Because their album art evokes Dungeons & Dragons imagery and has lyrical subject matter such as unicorns, wizards, gnomes, and witchcraft, you may be tempted to lump Wolfmother into the same category as joke bands like The Darkness, but you shouldn’t. Instead of becoming a total parody of classic rock (like The Darkness), Wofmother takes cues from more modern groups like The White Stripes, Kyuss, and QOTSA in their updated stoner rock sound. These guys don’t hide their influences, but (rather) combine them in such a way that seems honest and totally believable.
MP3 | Wolfmother – Woman ST
MP3 | Wolfmother – Mind’s Eye ST
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal, Just Plain Rock
Review: Horse The Band - The Mechanical Hand (or) shimmy shimmy shake
Posted on 30 January 2006 | 3 Comments
I laughed when I read their sound described as, “Imagine a 5 year old playing Nintendo and drinking Kool-Aid as he gets run over by Pantera’s tour bus,” and I’m laughing as I write this. Mainly because HORSE the Band is a terrible name for a band and also a terrible name for a horse, but also because I can’t believe how much I like this (actually I can). HORSE the Band is a (strangely) amazing metalcore band from California whose gimmick is incorporating silly 8-bit sounding keyboard parts into their tunes. While it sounds ridiculous it works. I’ve heard their sound described as “Nintendocore” which is pretty accurate, but rather then simply playing Nintendo game theme songs like The Advantage, HTB (instead) creates the soundtrack to (what could be) the gnarliest video game ever.
Musically they sound like a cross between Reggie and the Full Effect, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Alexisonfire but with those damn video-game sounding synthesizers added to the mix. It isn’t something that I really should like, but its like a car wreck on the highway that you can’t take your eyes off of. Its nothing more than schizophrenic technical metalcore with screamed/spoken vocals and (sometimes) inane lyrics. Highly recommended. Their latest full-length, The Mechanical Hand is out now on Koch Records.
MP3 | HORSE The Band – Birdo The Mechanical Hand
MP3 | HORSE The Band – The Black Hole The Mechanical Hand
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
Review: Part Chimp - I Am Come (or) born in a witches cauldron
Posted on 24 January 2006 | 2 Comments
Part Chimp hails from the UK and plays noise rock that (even at moderate volumes) sounds deafeningly loud. They (for the most part) throw melody out the window and spew forth a sludgy and bombastic cloud of pummeling guitar feedback and crashing cymbals. Even when the music quiets and the guitars go clean, you know its only a matter of seconds until the onslaught of riffage begins again. I am sure that the amps used by the guys in Part Chimp go to eleven and possible higher. This is music that will make your ears bleed with pleasure. Their sophomore album I Am Come is out now on the UK label Rock Action Records. RIYL: Lightning Bolt, QOTSA, DFA 1979, Black Sabbath.
MP3 | Part Chimp – Bakahatsu I Am Come
MP3 | Part Chimp – War Machine I Am Come
MP3 | Part Chimp – Doctor Horse Peel Sessions
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal, Noise
Review: Fear Before The March Of Flames - Art Damage (or) whiskey is alright in its place
Posted on 30 December 2005 | 2 Comments
I was reading the Equal Vision Records website and was saddened to learn that Detroit’s Bear Vs. Shark has called it quits. Too bad. Their latest record Terrorhawk was # 44 on my 2005 Top 50 list.
I did (however) come across a band called Fear Before The March Of Flames and they play some pretty crazy metallic arty mathcore. This Denver quartet packs their latest release Art Damage with so much anger and energy that you can’t help but feel exhausted after listening to it even though it clocks in at only 30 minutes. RIYL: Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Blood Brothers
MP3 | Fear Before The March Of Flames – Hey Kid, I’m A Computer… Art Damage
MP3 | Fear Before The March Of Flames – The Long Road To The Middle Art Damage
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal
