Technical death metal is always evolving, and I see THE LAST FELONY and their latest release Too Many Humans as an important album in the genre. Strong words to say I know, but read on… Maybe not technicality in terms of bpm or schizophrenic sweeps every 2 seconds, but I’ve rarely heard technical death metal with an atmosphere this dark before, and those guitar tones the band incorporates play a strong part. I’ve been following these guys for a good while now. They’re a hard working band that’s really made a name for themselves in their native Canada, and are about to really make a name for themselves on a global standpoint. I’m very happy to see them sign to powerhouse Lifeforce Records, who’ve sure taken the band to the next level in their career. Canada has always been the home to some of the best technical death metal out there, and I could name drop like a madman I’ll tell you what, but I’ll say right now that this band is different. What I especially love is that all of their intro riffs to each song capture the listener in such a powerful way, luring them in for the duration of the song(s). And each song on Too Many Humans from start to finish is superb. Though I’ve heard some complaints of everything being too repetitive (which I can understand), but I see this benefiting the album as a whole. Plus (though a tad off subject), I think THE LAST FELONY has a really badass band name, and the average d00d is more than likely going to click their MySpace link out of curiosity. That click is worth your while, my friend.
THE LAST FELONY opens up Too Many Humans on a strong note with “We Are Future Housing Developments For Maggots”, and right away you can sort of tell that these guys are here to stay. The song gives a balls heavy death metal assault, blazing fast guitars, and deep-as-the-abyss guitar counterattacks. Dom Grimard and Felix Roberge really play well off of each other while harmonizing, and you’ll see they’ve got plenty of tricks up their sleeves…
Moving right into the title track, “Too Many Humans”, the band goes on a nonstop assault of thunderous riffing, meant to bring on the apocalypse. About midpoint when the breakdown hits, THE LAST FELONY charges away with some great dual guitar action, and drummer Seb Painchaud is a madman laying down the foundation.
The fifth track on this release, “Quandary”, is an older song of the band's (which is the initial song that made me take notice of THE LAST FELONY), and “Quandary” is still where I see THE LAST FELONY break away from the pack. Again on the intro subject, its mid pace almost casts an ongoing shadow upon the listener, with each note and emotion ringing in your mind in both a catchy and dark way. Moving along in "Quandary", the verses come at you like a technical juggernaut on speed with sick drumming set at about a million miles per hour, and nothing seems forced because it all comes naturally. THE LAST FELONY knows the importance of creating a brutal atmosphere throughout Too Many Humans, which in this case is all out extreme. “Quandary” ends on the intro riff previously heard, and leaves the listener in their wrath, in both fear and fascination.
Saving the most dark and extreme for last, “Water Cooler Suicide” shows the band at their very best, and the intro proves this from the get-go. Let the song as a whole speak for itself, because the band bombards you into nonstop headbanging. Those guitar tones are absolute beast, and the song structure on “Water Cooler Suicide” is unbreakable. There’s just so much power here! The verses in the song blaze a fierce path with plenty of dissonance, chugging, and of course that dark tremolo groove the band does so well. Click the YouTube link below to hear for yourself. Put “Water Cooler Suicide” on repeat, trust me.
THE LAST FELONY is right. There are too many humans on this planet, and by humans we mean those who don’t approach life with an open mind to others, and those who tend to think only about themselves. Anyways, ATTN metal fans: Too Many Humans is an absolute must for your collection. I receive so many advance albums to review, but in my eyes THE LAST FELONY is something special. This album almost feels futuristic at times, and a lot is due to the ace production. Such a force to be reckoned with, and I’m sure their future is going to be big. They’ve got a Canadian Tour coming up with Despised Icon and Misery Index, then a European tour with Misery Index, Grave, Arsis, and The Rotted, so they’ll have plenty of opportunity to introduce the world to the force that is THE LAST FELONY. Now get your asses to the US and tour guys, and I’m there!
Sumeriancore has been really starting to make itself its own genre, and the kids are all over it like white on rice. Unsigned Maryland band AN OBSCURE SIGNAL has been a name I’ve been seeing quite a bit lately, and their latest EP, Creations, shows a great upstart in the band. Produced by progressive wizard Micha Mansoor of Periphery, you can easily hear quite a few Periphery similarities both musically and production-wise, which is a good thing btw.
The album opens with “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead”, giving plenty of chugs and melody on the more prettier / aesthetic side of things reminding me of the softer side of Born Of Osiris.
“Nature Of Monsters” gives plenty of low ended extreme metal tones, some mosh-approved breakdowns, and even some clean singing that structurally seems to fit in.
They save the best for last in “Villians”, where the band really brings the ruckus. There’s plenty of monstrous guitar tones, speedy tempo changes, and some great hints of melodic metal. They’ve also got their best selection of breakdowns in this song in my opinion, as well as their blend of melodies.
The wheel isn’t necessarily being reinvented here, but these guys are solid, and at least follow more of a progressive mindset than following the millions of generic borecore bands. Keep an eye on AN OBSCURE SIGNAL as they seem like one that will grow fast.
Check out AN OBSCURE SIGNAL tear shit up in their native Maryland.
Not too long ago I had the chance to interview Saud, the vocalist of Columbus, OH metallers THE CRIMSON ARMADA. They just got off the Scream The Prayer II Tour (which you’ll catch my interview is a tad late, my apologies), but still Saud gives us some great insight on the latest happenings of THE CRIMSON ARMADA, plus some fun shenanigans involved! Also, THE CRIMSON ARMADA has made their music available for FREE download, including their new track “Composed Of Stone”, which the track totally kicks ass and shows a heavier than ever THE CRIMSON ARMADA. Head over to their official MySpace and click on their blog to do so: http://www.myspace.com/thecrimsonarmada. They’re letting all hear for FREE, so whether you buy their stuff, download for free, or however you go about obtaining your music, make sure you support the band and get out to a show where the band really shines. Read on…
Alex Gilbert (HeadbangHere.net): You guys are on the Scream The Prayer III tour, easily one of the biggest tours of the year. You guys must be pretty stoked exposing THE CRIMSONARMADA’s music to quite a large audience, huh?
Saud (THE CRIMSON ARMADA): Yeah we are totally milking this tour for everything both on the band aspect and the spiritual aspect. The awesome crowds are just an incredible bonus.
Alex: Let’s talk about some new material. On your MySpace you’ve got a new song called “Composed Of Stone”, which is absolutely monstrous in composition, and I really think you guys sound at your best – hey, a band is supposed to continuously get better, right? Anyways, can you possibly dive into more future material with us and your musical direction?
Saud: The future sound of The CrimsonArmada is yet to be determined but we are certain it will be really heavy. The technical aspect is still really integral to our sound so we won’t be cutting it altogether but it will definitely be toned down a little bit to allow more bouncier riffs to shine and give the music more of a jump. Vocally the music will be more harsh and aggressive. I’m going to be employing new screams that were hinted at in “Composed of Stone” such as the use of the natural voice into a scream but others that fans will just have to wait out and see.
Alex: I’m sure you get this question quite a bit, and I know you guys say you aren’t a Christian band but in fact some members are Christian. I know you have some religion in your lyrics, but either way, it’s the importance of being open minded and treating everybody equally no matter their religion, race, likings of music, etc. I think you guys definitely understand that. What are your thoughts?
Saud: We write music that glorifies God. We know what we believe and it is clear through our music. However we have lots of fans who do not share our beliefs and it is not the mission of the crimsonarmada to isolate people who do not believe what we do.
Alex: After the Scream The Prayer III Tour, do you guys have any other tours lined up?
Saud: We have some potential tours lined up but nothing solid at the moment.
Alex: The music video for “The Serpent’s Tongue” is great. I love the contrast. Are we going to see more music videos in the future for the new material?
Saud: We're definitely shooting a music video soon but I can't say what yet. I can promise it will be incredible though. Like on a scale of 1 to california gurlz by katy perry its pretty much an 8.9.
*editor’s note: Can’t wait to see. For now, check out their most recent music video for “The Serpent’s Tongue”, off of their most recent release, Guardians.
Alex: You’ve made all your music available for download. As an already established band, this isn’t a bad idea at all. Hey, those kids who download it and are short the pocket change to buy an album can get some killer music, and are bound to catch THE CRIMSONARMADA in concert, so it’s a win win situation. What are your thoughts on all of the downloading these days, and the future of music either physical or digital? I know everybody has their own thoughts.
Saud: Honestly we decided to put the album up for download because lets face it, for most young metal bands like us the odds of making it financially are slim to none. Bands nowadays make all the money on the road selling merch. CD sales don’t really pay us and if money we're not really ever going to see is keeping kids from having our album then why sell it? We love what we do and we want kids to love that too and we know how it really is hard to afford CDs today so we are honored to be able to give it out for free.
Alex: For those who haven’t seen THE CRIMSONARMADA yet, how would you explain one of your shows?
Saud: W just get on stage and party for anywhere from 20 - 45 minutes and see
how many kids can destroy the venue.
Alex: When we visit Columbus, OH, where are some good places to eat, party it up,
catch a show, etc.? Rap away!
Saud: NewportMusic Hall is the place to go for sweet shows. Some awesome
places to eat: there’s a place called Houndogs Pizza, Fitzys, Adriaticos, and Buckeye Donuts. And the place to party anyday of the week is downtown high street.
Alex: Here’s a fun and tricky question. If you were to create a dream tour, who
would be on it?
Saud: For The CrimsonArmada?
As I Lay Dying
Suicide Silence
Whitechapel
The Ghost Inside
Stick To Your Guns
The Acacia Strain
For myself though like just to see a tour:
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Bury Your Dead
Chromeo
John Mayer
She And Him
The Acacia Strain
Linkin Park
Kesha
The Fray
Emmure
And in that order haha
Alex: I’ve also got to ask this one. What are some of your guiltiest pleasures that one might not expect to see on your ipod?
Saud: HAH. I am the worst person to ask this. I don’t even like metal in general. Most of us like hardcore instead. Our guitar player josh listens to metal, but myself personally, I like country, haha, and pop punk and pop rock. Some guilty pleasures would be Taylor Swift, Paramore and LinkinPark.
Alex: Lastly, it’s great to see you guys on the road again, especially on such a high profile tour like this. How does the future look for THE CRIMSONARMADA?
Saud: well once we get off of this tour we will be writing and recording an EP that is yet to be named but i promise it is going to be AWESOME TIMES TEN TO THE INFINITY POWER.
These guys are everywhere! Recently, Alex Gilbert at HeadbangHere.net got the chance to interview BRING ME THE HORIZON guitarist Jona Weinhofen, who is currently on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. BRING ME THE HORIZON has a new album on the way, which means a lot of touring on the way, so read on my friends, and see how they’re making time work by their side.
Alex Gilbert (HeadbangHere.net): You guys have the Vans Warped Tour coming up fairly soon. The band has already played the Warped Tour in 2008, and wow, do those tours look like a ton of fun. I bet you guys are pretty stoked, huh?
Jona Weinhofen (BRING ME THE HORIZON – guitar): This is a great tour! For us it’s pretty much just one big hang out and party. I can’t entirely say the same for our crew - they’re the ones who pretty much do all the hard work for us, legends! But for those of us in the band it pretty much consists of waking up around mid-day, eating a free meal, hanging with our mates in the heat, going for bike rides, swims in rivers/lakes/beaches, hanging out at Six Flags on days off...oh yeah and playing the occasional show!
Alex: What bands are you looking forward the most to seeing on the Warped Tour this year?
Jona: Honestly there are a lot of new bands I’d never heard of before, or had never gotten the chance to see. We're stoked to share the stage with our past tour buddies like Every Time I Die, You Me At Six, and Parkway Drive etc and we've made a lot of new friends like the guys in Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence, and more. Some other bands I have been stoked to see for the first time are VersaEmerge, Conditions, and Closure In Moscow!
Alex: You guys are currently in the studio recording your follow up to the highly acclaimed Suicide Season. We’re excited to hear it! You guys seem to get stronger after each release, and have always been known to unleash a ton of power! Can you give us a taste of how the new album sounds?
Jona: It’s finally all finished. We just received the master copy last week and we are super happy with how it all turned out. There’s a definite Suicide Season vibe as far as the musical side of the album, however theme and lyrical wise the album is much more mature. It’s a little more serious and less 'hey let’s all party' than Suicide Season was. Also on the production side of things we have attempted to step it up another level. We have a lot more going on in this record. We've experimented with some violins and choir and also taken a lot more influence from electronica music. Not to say that we've created a bunch of dance music songs, moreso used elements like chopping vocals and using electronic drums in certain parts of songs.
Alex: BRING ME THE HORIZON’s guitar work has always been pretty monstrous! You guys all seem to work really well together. Can you walk us through the song process?
Thats all pretty much down to Lee Malia! the guy is a musical genius.
He can pull a killer riff out of his hat in about 10 seconds flat. the song writing process usually begins with a riff or two, idea's from Lee and I, or perhaps a sound theme that Oli has come up with and asks us to try write some riffs along that vibe. We all just sit around in a room and kinda build off the initial ideas until we have the skeleton of a song. Then we record a demo version of the song and listen to it repeatedly to see from an outside listening perspective, what could be added, removed or edited. During the writing for this next album we gave some of the demo songs to some dj friends to see what atmosphere they could add to the song, and from there we take it in to the studio and see what our producer Fredrik feels the song needs or doesn’t need.
Alex: BRING ME THE HORIZON has always had such badass music videos, some being pretty funny, too. It seems like you guys are always having a ton of fun. Can you give us a lead on the music video status for the new album?
Jona: We've already shot 2 videos for the first two singles. We did this before the album was even fully completed because we were worried about finding the time when we started our busy touring schedule this year. We were lucky enough to find a really talented producer and graphic designer named Jacob Printzlau from CopenhagenDenmark. He was totally into the vibe of the band and agreed to shoot 2 videos for us as well as design our CD artwork and layout! Both music videos are near to completion, one is a more performance driven video featuring a lot of the band in action. the other has an in depth story line and actually involved us all doing some acting which was a blast!
Alex: I really do dig a lot of the BRING ME THE HORIZON’s remixes. I’ve got to ask. Are any of you guys’ fans of some of the dance / electronic singles that charts in the UK? Seems like some inspiration could have been drawn from there, but hey, it mashes up really well!
Jona: Honestly the entire band is into some form of dance, electronic or ambient music. I guess as far as the UK charts go we're all into fairly pop stuff like Lady Gaga and her remixes as well as UK artists like Ellie Goulding and La Roux. But it goes much further beyond that.
We all love a lot of the French electro like Danger and Justice, a lot of UK spawned dubstep like Bar9, Rusko, Tek-One and Borgore. We love it so much we're even taking Tek-One on our next UK tour! They’re great guys and we're all really intrigued to see how our fans react to a style of music they may not necessarily be into at first.
Alex: BRING ME THE HORIZON has toured and received love all around the globe. Being a consistent touring band, when coming back to the UK, is there still no place like home?
Jona: Well speaking on the behalf of the other 4 guys i can definitely say this is the truth! Touring takes its toll on you, especially when you’re away for long periods of time. There’s nothing like returning home to your own bed, bathroom and kitchen. It turns your home into a sort of luxury, something you don’t get to experience too often. For me personally, I’m originally from Australia and I only get to go home to there about twice a year, so it becomes extra special for me to get home and see all my friends and family!
Alex: So when we come visit the UK, where are some places you recommend to catch a show, grab a bite to eat, party it up, etc.?
Jona: London is obviously a huge city and a mecca for live music. Leeds and Manchester are both really cool cities and I strongly recommend trying Nando's, it’s a chain of Puerto Rican grills. If you’re into some of the more electronic stuff then Sheffield is for you. There’s always warehouse raves and dubstep nights at a bunch of the nightclubs there.
Alex: Count Your Blessing is still a CD that is constantly bumping in my car, though each respective album is a great road trip companion. Looking into your past discography, what are some of your favorite songs from each? Also, what are some of your favorite to play live?
Jona: Count Your Blessings has great sentimental value to the band, however it’s an album full of songs which have been played and played and played over the years so they can be a bit tiresome. Pray for Plagues is still a staple on our setlist. I think there'd be an uprising if we left that one out of a show!
Alex: Here’s a fun and tricky question. If you were to organize a dream tour, who’d be on it? Feel free to name a full scale arena festival if you wish.
Jona: For me personally a dream tour would be something like this. BMTH, A Day To Remember and Parkway Drive world tour. Each band would headline their own respective territory. Then we'd have to have friends bands like Architects, Deez Nuts and The Ghost Inside on it too! I think kids would lose their minds.
Alex: I interviewed Ben Bruce of Asking Alexandria a little bit ago – super cool dude. His dream tour, which was already planned out in his head is “The Tour To End All Tours, Tour”, with BRING ME THE HORIZON, The Devil Wears Prada, A Day To Remember, Parkway Drive, and Asking Alexandria. That one sounds like a fun one, too. What do you think?
Jona: Haha that’s pretty much my tour but with a few different bands. We've already toured with ADTR and PWD so we're all really good mates and I know we would rule the world together!
Alex: Here’s another fun question. What are some of your guiltiest pleasures that one wouldn’t expect to see on your ipod?
Jona: As I’ve mentioned earlier we're all pretty big into a lot of Pop. On my ipod you'll find Pink, Gaga, Paris Hilton, The Veronicas and plenty more! I also downloaded the Never Shout Never discography the other day. I’m not necessarily into it but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
Alex: Last but not least, you guys have always seemed like a band on the fast track. BRING ME THE HORIZON got big pretty fast, and you guys seem to get bigger and better with every step. How does the future look for BRING ME THE HORIZON?
Jona: The funny thing about BMTH is that it seems like the band got real big, real fast when in fact we have been a band since 2004 so taking 6 years to get to where we are isn’t exactly the 'fast track' haha. I think what makes people perceive that we got big is that we gained a lot of fans after Suicide Season was released and so to many people that means the band has been around for 2 years when in fact we've been slogging it out as long as any other hard working band. BMTH has also done about 7 U.S. tours which also isn’t exactly overnight success either. Having said all that the future looks very bright for BMTH. We pretty much have our next 12 months completely planned out and there are some very big things on the horizon (pardon the pun) for us. BMTH is not going away any time soon!
Check out BRING ME THE HORIZON’s music video for “The Comedown”, off of their 2009 Epitaph Records release, Suicide Season. I love this video!
Disfigure me dead, bitch! That’s what DISFIGURED DEAD the band did to me! Once again, another great release from underground metal specialists Hells Headbangers, this time with the DISFIGURED DEAD album Visions Of Death. It’s straight forward, raw to the bone, nitty gritty, old skool death metal. The production is possibly like you guessed: a tad fuzzy for those of you tr00 metalheads who don’t like that pretty watered down production. Production wise or not (I hate how so many judge off of production), DISFIGURED DEAD creates some good metal. Many conceive black metal to be the "evilest" form of music out there, which is completely stupid in some cases, but evil or not, some of that death metal out there influenced by classic horror is straight up evil, and kickass at the same time. Get your leather jacket with your Death, Cannibal Corpse, and Convulse patches out for this one! Here’s a patch-friendly release.
Visions Of Death gives a ton of great old fashion death metal. This whole album is a pretty good listen from start to finish, but here’s some of my favs:
The third track on this album called “Screamatorium” is a beast. Classic death metallers, rejoice. The song is a simple yet a straight assault to the skull, bashing out the brains. Early Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, and Unleashed come to my mind with the tempo shifts, and it’s good to see a modern day release like this re-living (I hate that saying) the old days. But it's true, because these guys + Hells Headbangers focus on that no bullshit metal. I'm glad someone is sticking true to their guns, because isn't it all about the music? It's always great to see those few labels that absolutely love what they put out, and not about selling zillions of records and appealing to the 14 year old hipster crowd just for status points. This album continues to slay, my friends.
Mid-way through the album you’ll run into “Dead But Walking”, so by song title you’re going to think two things: 1) Some Zombie shit? 2) This is metal! #1 is false, but #2 is true! Just straight death metal with blasts of mid tempo assaults, squeals, and lyrical gore goodness. It's nice to take a fresh breath of air.
The album closer in “Eternally Entombed” is where I see the band at their best, and shred they do! I know I mention Slayer quite a bit in reviews (and I don’t want to look any less eduacated by a Slayer example since Slayer is a huge band that I hope the average person knows of – I love Slayer, btw), but this style of underground death metal definitely takes that evil perspective from Slayer’s Show No Mercy and the classic / unbeatable Reign In Blood-era. Taking influence from a great is not bad at all, because back to the point at hand, DISFIGURED DEAD is shredding through these verses sometimes at insane speeds, and sometimes with classic death riffs that are bound to strike the metallic mind. “Eternally Entombed” is definitely the epic on Visions Of Death in my opinion, clocking in at 5:44, and kicking ass every second for whatever pace they choose.
I wish people would take more notice of these great underground metal bands, but I guess in the end it’s hard to appeal to this generation’s abundance of hipsters and scene douches. So furthering this point, DISFIGURED DEAD makes true death metal for the people that want to hear it, and for the people who want to hear it, they are going to be pleased.
Classic underground death metal is a genre I will always have a spot in my heart for. Sometimes these classic releases tend to go off the map a little bit, mostly because the metal underground wasn’t near as visible of a genre as it is today. Thanks to the fine folks at Relapse Records, CONVULSE’s underground death metal masterpiece, World Without God, is re-mastered, repackaged, and features CONVULSE’s legendary Resuscitation of Evilness demo. To be honest, I had never heard of CONVULSE before hearing about Relapse’s initial re-release of World Without God. Upon pressing play, I instantly fell in love for all that is CONVULSE! You’ve got to love re-releases because, a) that hard-to-find classic you’ve been looking for can now be found b) the younger generation (like myself) can now be exposed to influential pieces of metal that helped paved the way, and c) the band is now resurrected in a way, so if you haven’t caught on earlier, you had better take note of their reign this time around!
With CONVULSE being one of the first Finnish bands to arise in the early death metal scene, the band was also very ahead of its time. I can’t think of too many bands in 1992 making such a pure death metal sound as this, and at the same time creating an atmosphere this dark! World Without God is definitely solid from start to finish, and unleashes one hell of an unholy death metal force! World Without God was released originally in 1992, and it’s incredible how raw, intense, and true of a classic evil they created, especially when band’s now-a-days can’t even come close to topping it. Every song comes out at full power, and CONVULSE’s assault continues to strengthen as the release goes on. It’s hard to pick a favorite song because I love them all, but heeeere we go! “Blasphemous Verses” unleashes some great death metal melodies with great riff work, slaying tempos, and a touch of darkness. CONVULSE sure knows how to speed things up, too. These blasphemous verses rage all over the track! “False Religion” has that bold death metal sound with a creepy atmosphere that is brilliantly incorporated within. The clean picking is enough to almost put you in a trance, whereas the shred factor in “False Religion” is easily enough to raise my horns. Other songs like “Godless Truth” and “Resuscitation Of Evil” continue the CONVULSE stomp with more shred, and the guitar teamwork of Rami Jamsa (also the vocalist) and Toni Honkala is absolutely incredible! This is such memorable death metal that both chills and thrills.
World Without God reminds me a little bit of Slayer’s Reign In Blood. Even though Reign In Blood was initially released way back in 1986, that album still cannot be topped, and remains a classic album in metal history. I see the same sort of pattern in World Without God. I’m putting this one right next to my Death and At The Gates CDs. Now I’ve got to go and dive into everything that is CONVULSE. Go out and buy this now if you call yourself a metalhead!!
Take a listen to the “Blasphemous Verses”, off of CONVULSE’s rerelease of the absolutely brilliant World Without God, released via our homies at Relapse Records!!
Let me tell you about this band named FEN – they are pretty good. They can straight up trip me out at times, then easily move into such a precise aggression that I almost feel like I’m walking through these trails out of gloom. Okay, pun intended, because FEN’s latest art rock / heavy metal release, Trails Out Of Gloom, released via our homedogs at Ripple Music, is quite the mysterious release in its own way. The star on this album is definitely vocalist / guitarist Doug Harrison, as he seems to innovate to each melody with either a spooky or straight rockin’ feel – I’m telling you, the man has quite a good range. At times I hear Opeth, at times I hear Porcupine Tree, at times a little bit of latter day Pink Floyd, and about a million other things too, but FEN surely strives to expand the mind. And with music these days, that's a gooooood thing. Did I even mention these guys can shred? Not shred to show off, but shred when its necessary in their music, or I meant they show off when it's necessary. Wow, butchered that - anyhows.
The album opens up with the title track, “Trails Out Of Gloom”, and I love both the acoustic and aggressive parts of FEN. Like a simple math equation (1 + 1 = 2), both equal FEN, and I think they really start to grasp the listener on the opener. Follow on, my friend… “The World Is Young” is a down tempo monster! This song is heavy, and while it may not be obviously heavy to the average person, those guitar tones and the tempo itself are enough to drown a person in the Atlantic Ocean. “End of the Dream” brings out a kick ass classic rock vibe, where the FEN vocalist Harrison [Doug] even hits some falsetto pitches, and while the whole vibe of the song is indeed rock, I raise my horns! I even hear a tad bit of a Tool influence with the palm muted guitar riffs, and the next moment I’m bombarded into prog glory. Yeah that’s right FEN, play the fuck outta those instruments!
The band has really found a great balance here. I admire bands that aren’t afraid to mix it up, and especially on a progressive scale like this, FEN seems to understand how music has no boundaries. And so does their label, Ripple Music. If you don’t know much about upstart label Ripple Music, you had better familiarize yourself with them now, bitch! These veterans are bound to make more than ripples, I’d say tidal waves! For now, make sure you pick up a copy of Trails Out Of Gloom if you are one of the open minded.
Simple equation: NIGHTBRINGER = EPIC AS FUCK!! Seriously, hands down to my favorite black metal release of the year thus far. These guys are from Colorado, so whatever kind of powers they are summoning from the mile high state, I like it a lot! Many say black metal has to be pretty kVlt to be tr00, many say that black metal has to be satanic to the max, many say the production can’t be too pretty and that it must be raw to the bone (which NIGHTBRINGER’s production honestly doesn’t meet those standards of black metal), but in my eyes, some of those bands who expand black metal into distant and even unimaginable dimensions can be the fucking tr00est of them all. In my eyes, one of those bands is definitely NIGHTBRINGER. Apocalypse Sun is one of those releases when upon pressing play, you are going to be completely captured in NIGHTBRINGER’s wrath, with no escape, and with no doubt that this is one of the best releases of the year, thanks to our buddies in the AJNA Offensive.
Their band name itself (NIGHTBRINGER) sparks my curiosity, and these dudes back their name 110%! These guys stun you for every second as if this blasphemous night will never end, which on this release, the band seriously takes form of the man himself! I sure hope NIGHTBRINGER becomes one of those instant names to drop when black metal is brought up, because I haven’t seen this much potential and uniqueness in a black metal band for quite some time. NIGHTBRINGER combines complex black metal, ambience, down tempo driven darkness, and a ton of mind bending extremity, making for one hell of a slaying experience!
Apocalypse Sun opens up with the epic onslaught of “I Am I”, and shows NIGHTBRINGER at their best. Holy fuck, this song is as deep as the abyss, and it almost seems like NIGHTBRINGER discovers a new evil within the wide spectrum of black metal. This 6:18 opus takes a slaying pace with haunting riffs, terrifying dissonance, and all out power. The seed is definitely planted, and there's plenty more action on Apocalypse Sun. “Goblet Of Sulfur And Poison” is another one of those midnight gallopers that hosts a ton of tremolo picking and insane double bass work behind the kit. On this song NIGHTBRINGER brings in the shred factor, and don't slow down once. Closing on possibly the most frightening note on the release, “Fount Of The Nighted God – Head”, the songs’ excellent use of tremolo picking riffs set again that slaying pace NIGHTBRINGER does so well. This song puts the stamp on the Apocalypse Sun, and really makes the listener hungry for more of the creative force that is NIGHTBRINGER.
Man, I would love to see these guys live – come to California, guys! I can only imagine… With this much depth in their music, I bet they put on one hell of a show. NIGHTBRINGER must be extremely proud of this release, because in my eyes (as a black metal fan, and a fan of metal in general), this release is seriously unique, black metal production-wise or not, and unique is a word you rarely find in my reviews. This is more than just black metal, this is excellent and open minded musicianship that is bound to bring the NIGHTBRINGER brand name to the top.
Listen to the epic as fuck “I Am I” of of NIGHTBRINGER’s amazing AJNA Offensive release, Apocalypse Sun. Do it. Do it NOW!!
The legendary Norweigen black metal titans DARKTHRONE are back with a raw blend of black metal / speed punk. It’s great to see the mastermind DARKTHRONE duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto keep things going one way or another. I must say though it’s a bit different not hearing the classic black metal DARKTHRONE who’s created some of the truest, rawest, and droning black metal the scene has ever witnessed. A Blaze In The Northern Sky and Transylvanian Hunger remain 2 of my all time favorite black metal albums, and undeniably are classics that so many black metal bands have taken influence upon. On Circle The Wagons you’ll definitely see more of a speed punk influence than anything, with elements of black metal, heavy metal, and thrash. I guess it’s a little weird, because I’m sure any metal fan like myself is quick to think black metal when they hear DARKTHRONE. Circle The Wagons is still a solid release though, and let me tell you why.
Those of you who respect the true underground metal scene as a whole are really going to appreciate this release. At least the band has a message, has something to say, and makes sure that they are heard. That is music. “Stylized Corpse” is the best song I’ve drawn from Circle The Wagons. It’s got a great blackened groove, and those riffs really put you into a trance. You can just feel it, and that’s the DARKTHRONE that I love. Other songs like “Black Mountain Totem” and “I Am The Graves of the 80s” bring a fun side to DARKTHRONE with some rocking riffs, some shred here and there, and a classic heavy metal sound that shows these guys definitely respect the roots. Circle The Wagons is definitely a metal album, whether you are too kvlt for us or not.
I do appreciate this new DARKTHRONE. Regardless of what musical direction the almighty DARKTHRONE takes, they still indeed keep things underground, and keep things real. On Circle The Wagons they are saying “death to all posers!”, and saying it with authority. Again, no matter which era of DARKTHRONE you love, Circle The Wagons is still a piece of the puzzle to check out with the volume up!
Listen to DARKTHRONE’s song “Stylized Corpse” off of their 2010 Peaceville Records release, Circle The Wagons.
I must say that I’m happy that AS I LAY DYING finally went back to their old ways but heavier. The Powerless Rise is a fantastic album full of amazing breakdowns, ear-boggling dance parts, and just an amazing mosh album. AS I LAY DYING has finally delivered the album that they desperately needed to after their last release An Ocean Between Us. I love The Powerless Risebecause it solidly mixes Frail Words Collapse and Shadows Are Security down to last detail. They switched back to their old style of hardcore / metal with a hint of thrash to throw in the mix to keep the album fresh and not stale. We have been given metal bands that don’t bring anything to the field and AS I LAY DYING is a powerhouse, we all know this, it’s refreshing to see that they even know they need to shake things up to keep it appealing.
Each song is its own personal message. Each lyric matching each riff and drum pattern help bring this album to the full potential that it has. You can defiantly tell that they spent a large amount of time mixing and mastering each track to make it the masterpiece that it is. Some people may say that this album sounds just like their older albums with no difference and brings nothing new to the game, well they are all wrong and don’t appreciate the real work that got put into the making of The Powerless Rise. Frail Words Collapse has the hardcore aspect, blending string skips and breakdowns like what every hardcore listener fell in love with. Shadows Are Security brought the more metal side to their influence. An Ocean Between Us really didn’t bring anything to their side minus showing that they still have the ability to suck it up and give the listeners what THEY want to hear, and not focusing on what they want to do with the album.
Seriously nothing but good, scratch that, great things can be said about this album. I haven’t found one song that I don’t like on this album. They are all equally amazing in their own form and style that they are wrote. Some of the mind-blowing songs are: “Beyond Our Suffering,” “Parallels,” and “Condemned.” Another talented side of the band are the solos. They are just as good in this album as the rest of them. They don’t give up the relentless assault of pure raw power that they bring into your eardrum. Like I seriously cannot give up on how amazing this album is. It is their best to date and I doubt they will even be able to top this. If you don’t have this album, you NEED to buy it. Your ears will thank you for this amazing music that you have reintroduced to them, not any of that modern hardcore shit that has been coming out.
Check out some in studio footage of the instruments in action for The Powerless Rise, from AS I LAY DYING’s highly anticipated Metal Blade release. This album has been receiving a ton of attention, and you had better pay attention, too!
I'm really happy that Italy has started to be noticed for their metal music that they have been putting out and not just for their delicious food. STIGMA has risen from the depths of the most horrorifying grave and brought the "horrorcore" with them. Journey into the Tales From The Crypt fanatics as they take you on the horror-filled album of Concerto For the Undead, which I reviewed and loved! Don't be too scared now.
Matt Haines (HeadbangHere.net): How did Stigma come up with their style of “Horrorcore?”
Stefano ‘Vlad’ Ghersi (STIGMA – vocals): It all started from our common passion for the world of horror! I was sick of writing lyrics about personal matters and wanted to create concepts around our favorite horror themes, this is why we did a first one on early '900 legendary horror movies on our debut album "When Midnight Strikes!", then a second one about "Tales From The Crypt" on our brand new "Concerto For The Undead"!
Matt: What influenced your decision for this “Horrorcore” and what inspired the Tales From The Crypt cover art?
Vlad: As I said we love horror, but at the same time we love the fact metal is all about don't taking things to seriously, at least for us! All we want to do with our music is letting people having a good time while listening to our songs, both on the album and at shows, that's it! Being a concept based on stories taken from the originals comics we wanted to extend the theme to the artwork as well, luckily enough one of the best metal artists out there is an italian guy called Corefolio Design, we got in touch with him and worked hard to give an artwork worth your money as much as the songs in the album. We're really happy with the final result, you shall actually get the stories behind every song watching the artwork which I think it's a great way to make the concept complete.
Matt: How have you all come together musically and write Concerto for the Undead?
Vlad: I started this band nearly ten years ago and from that time we tried to mix our hardcore background with death metal influences. "Concerto For The Undead" is the result of all the experiences we had so far, it's a great picture of the band and the evolution our sound had through the years!
Matt: Has the following expanded since signing to a label and being represented over seas?
Vlad: We signed to Pivotal Rockordings nearly three years ago and at that time we were only an italian band playing shows in their home country and willing to work hard to get out of here, two albums later we got the chance to play all around Europe and we're finally ready to do an important step into trying to make a living out of what we do. This new album will come out in Australia as well, through STOMP Entertainment, and in Japan, on Doom Patrol Foundation, so now our music is distributed worldwide and we can finally try to tour those countries as well!
Matt: How did you guys want to change your music and style from When Midnight Strikes! to Concerto from the Undead?
Vlad: "Concerto For The Undead" literally came out from the weak points of our debut album, we sit in the practice room and talked about things we didn't like in "When Midnight Strikes!", then jammed out the first ideas and went on from there.
We wanted a more live oriented record, with catchier but more technical songs and I personally wanted to give more room to the hardcore choruses I didn't have the chance to put on out debut, as well going deeper into the horror theme with my lyrics. I think we accomplished those objectives, we can obviously get better but this is definitely the best record we've written so far!
Matt: Is there a U.S. tour in the future to bring “Horrorcore” here?
Vlad: I really hope so, we have no certain plans yet, but we'll work hard to get there, that's for sure!
Matt: Who are your musical influences that have helped you be the artists you are today?
Vlad: Our common influences are bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, August Burns Red, a bit of Darkest Hour, UK top acts Sylosis and Viatrophy, then everyone in the band has different personal influences as well, so the result is just a meltin pot of everything!
Matt: Are there any funny stories from tour that you just have to tell everyone that you talk to?
Vlad: There are sooo many! Our German photographer always says: "It's not STIGMA if it's not a fucking mess!" and he's definitely right, we experienced nearly everything, from being kicked out from a young girl house in the UK who gave us a place to crash without telling this to her parents, to playing at 3 am in a stadium in southern italy right after the headliners (soulfly), because of several delays in the bill of the festival. with police coming on stage to stop us ahah!!
Matt: Any closing words that you want to leave your fans with?
Vlad: I hope you guys will give a chance to "Concerto For The Undead", we worked really hard to write this record and honestly think it's worth your time and money! Hopefully see you all soon in the US!
Check out STIGMA’s first hit single, “Prove You Are A Man!”, off of their 2010 Pivotal Rockordings release, Concerto For The Undead.
EVERY AVENUE is an upbeat pop punk band with a lot of style. They’ve got a good amount of groove, catchy hooks, and vocalist David Strauchman has a great voice, and he isn’t afraid to let it all out with force. Seriously, this pop punk / electro punk / blah blah blah punk trend is huge. The kids just absolutely love it, but there’s only so much of it a metal man like I can take, but EVERY AVENUE makes it work for me on their sophomore Fearless Records release, Picture Perfect. They’ve really matured as a band, and you can easily tell they’ve expanded their songwriting into other areas of the spectrum.
The band seems to start off at their best with the album opener “For Always, Forever”. The song is soooo catchy, and equipped with a great message though no matter the hard times we go through, we need to go for the best but no matter what, we will make it out alive. We can always look back on these moments, but it’s our hearts we must follow. EVERY AVENUE really portrays this vision pretty good, and gets you singing along at the same time. You can just hear the emotion the band puts into the song, and “For Always, Forever” really puts that sense of good feeling into you. Following closely behind the aforementioned track in the catchiness category, “Tell Me I’m A Wreck” is another song that gets you singing along. The vibe of “Tell Me I’m A Wreck” is great, and it’s just one of those forward thinking moods that makes you feel really good inside. Lyrically, the song is about those people that always look at the negatives (which every normal human being has some sort of negatives), but instead we need to look into the positives of a person, because that is where one’s true and unique beauty will shine. I really dig Strauchman’s vocal delivery on this song, and I think he’s at his strongest when he expands his vocal range like this, going from softer in the verses to louder with those anthem driven pipes in the chorus. The rest of Picture Perfect plays its part in the picture linking together real life situations with great melody, and EVERY AVENUE sure seems to know what they’re doing.
These guys do have potential, and I’m excited to hear what’s next. Hopefully EVERY AVENUE continues to get louder, louder in a sense of songwriting, not volume, of course. Picture Perfect is still a solid release, and definitely worthy of your attention.
Check out the official music video for “For Always, Forever”, off of their latest Fearless Records release, Picture Perfect, and again, make sure you go down every avenue of EVERY AVENUE!
