Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Sorry for the complete lack of updates I've had my computer crash about 100 times in the past 3-4 weeks, and its been hell trying to do anything on the computer, randomly I've gotten reviews up, and I'm sorry to all those that are waiting... For the moment I have nearly 50 CD's needing to be reviewed.

Rest assured I will be returning to reviewing here very soon... I have a new computer being assembled however it might be another couple of days to a week until I get back to it full force. Reviews have been slow going the past few weeks because of my problem with my computer. I've lost an assload of reviews from computer crashings. Though again... I am very sorry and hope this doesn't stop you from sending material or checking back with the site every now and then to see whats going on.

Therefore for my update today I have compiled a list of albums I have been thoroughly enjoying so far from 2007... Now obviously I haven't heard everything so far released in 2007 its safe to say ive only heard a small portion of whats been released throughout the year so far.

As of right now I am enjoying the following albums immensely so please take the time and check out a few if not all of them you wont be disappointed.


A
Aborted - Slaughter & Apparatus: A Methodical Overture
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Akercocke - Antichrist
Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde
All Out War - Assasins In The House Of God
Almost Is Nothing - Ways To Spend The End Of Days
Architects - Ruin
At The Throne Of Judgment - The Arcanum Order
B
Bad Religion - New Maps Of Hell
Behemoth - The Apostasy
Beneath The Massacre - Mechanics Of Dysfunction
Bergraven - Dodsvisioner
Big Business - Here Come the Waterworks
Birdflesh - Mongo Musicale
Blackfield - Blackfield II
Blood Tsunami - Thrash Metal
Boys Night Out - Boys Night Out
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
Busdriver - Roadkillovercoat
C
Carnal Forge - Testify for My Victims
Cephalic Carnage - Xenosapien
Countach - As the Crow Flies
Crionics - Neu Throne
D
Darkest Hour - Deliver Us
Dekapitator - The Storm Before the Calm
Demiurg - Breath Of The Demiurg
Despised Icon - The Ills Of Modern Man
Devil Sold His Soul - A Fragile Hope
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
Disbelief - Navigator
Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History in Rust
Drawn And Quartered - Merciless Hammer Of Lucifer
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
E
Eluvium - Copia
Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty
F
Feast For The Crows - When All Seems To Be Burned
From Autumn To Ashes - Holding A Wolf By The Ears
Funeral - From These Wounds
G
Ghosts Of A Fallen Age - Rumors Of The Secret War
God Is An Astronaut - Far From Refuge
Godless Crusade - Dawn Of The Last Day
I
In Vain - The Latter Rain
J
Jesu - Conqueror
K
Kamelot - Ghost Opera
Killwhitneydead - Hell To Pay
Killwhitneydead - Nothing Less Nothing More
Kinski - Down Below It's Chaos
Kongh - Counting Heartbeats
Kotipelto - Serenity
L
Laethora - March of the Parasite
Lifelover - Erotik
Litmus - Planetfall
M
Manes - How the World Came to an End
Maserati - Inventions For The New Season
Masterplan - MK II
Minus The Bear - Planet of Ice
Mithras - Behind the Shadows Lie Madness
Monstrosity - Spiritual Apocalypse
Moonsorrow - V: Hävitetty
Moving Mountains - Pneuma
N
Nahemah - The Second Philosophy
Neurosis - Given to the Rising
Nile - Ithyphallic
Nox - Ixaxaar
O
Oxbow - The Narcotic Story
P
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Paradise Lost - In Requiem
Pg.Lost - Yes I Am
Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb
Pinback - Autumn Of The Seraphs
Poison The Well - Versions
Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet
Portugal The Man - Church Mouth
Pro-Pain - Age Of Tyranny - The Tenth Crusade
R
Requiem - Premier Killing League
Reverend Bizarre - III: So Long Suckers
RJD2 - The Third Hand
Rush - Snakes & Arrows
S
Sage Francis - Human The Death Dance
Sarpanitum - Despoilment Of Origin
Shining - V:/Halmstad
Sigh - Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien
T
The End - Elementary
The Fall Of Troy - Manipulator
The Flesh - Firetower
The Fucking Champs - VI
The Number Twelve Looks Like You - Mongrel
The Red Chord - Prey For Eyes
V
Virgin Black - Requiem - Mezzo Forte
W
Waltari - Release Date
Weedeater - God Luck And Good Speed
Whitechapel - The Somatic Defilement
Winters - Black Clouds in Twin Galaxies
Woe Of Tyrants - Behold The Lion
Worlds End Girlfriend - Hurtbreak Wonderland
Y
Yakuza - Transmutations

Tuesday, July 31, 2007


The Fire The Flood - Truth Seekers
Style: Hardcore/Metalcore
Running Time: 28 Minutes and 38 Seconds
Label: http://www.nosleeprecs.com


This album came out of left field for me, I truly didn't see it coming. When 'Truth Seekers' was popped into my CD player, I thought for sure I'd be in for a bland attempt at metalcore with mixings of death metal and I was pleasantly surprised within the first 15 seconds of the album to not be greeted by At The Gates-esque riffs. The music contained on 'Truth Seekers' is lacking innovation sure, but its also not a complete dive into mediocrity, yes it does get fairly boring near the end of the album but perhaps I just wasn't in the correct frame of mind for an entire album of ferocious hardcore. The bass kicks are deep and full, the guitar work is exceptionally simple, yet abrasive enough to give off the vibe or essence of being the work of a truly dedicated hardcore band.

When deciding if you'd enjoy this album, take to mind bands like Coalesce and Botch with a little bit of Nora and Norma Jean thrown in on the heavier breakdown-ish moments that all have thrown into their brand of chaotically charged hardcore.

Though The Fire The Floods album 'Truth Seekers' may be lacking in deviation from song to song, its not necessarily a bad thing (from time to time) for this brand of chaotic hardcore. The amount of passion felt behind each of the songs is almost more than enough to carry each one individually through passages of stuttering guitar work and heavy as balls breakdowns. But that's just not enough to take this album into the realm of 'above the pack' type bands.

At times The Fire The Floods effort does seem a bit stagnant, as felt when the album gets towards its ending tracks. The feeling is mainly due to the lack of, as stated before, deviation between songs. You almost feel like you've been hearing one song for about 20 minutes towards the end of 'Truth Seekers' which is really not something you want to hear. Yes, the album works well if you're in the mood for repetition and emotive screaming, but if you're not completely in the mood for that, 'Truth Seekers' just leaves you feeling depressed a little. It's still a fantastic album with enough stuff thrown in for every fan of hardcore, it just reaches a point of non-movement at the end. The Ten minute long closer "The Blizzard" is on the clock only four minutes and about 30 seconds of actual music, the rest is a long drawn out passage of what seems to be crowded market bantering behind dissonant chords being strummed on what sounds to be an acoustic guitar. Along side that, theres also the beating of some sort of hand drum, bongos... something and a little bit of a conversation at the tail end before the second 2 minute long song breaks in with a fury.

Overall The Fire The Flood have done well with 'Truth Seekers' it's just too bad that at the end of the day, its not entirely a great listen if you're in the wrong mood. I can see this band being very well received within the hardcore community, even if only for the Coalesce and Botch leanings of their music. But for me it got boring too fast, its only about 20 odd minutes of actual music, with 6-7 being random sounds, the albums already too short to throw that sort of experimenting into the mix, it just didn't seem to work completely in the long run for The Fire The Flood.

Score: 5.5/10

Monday, July 30, 2007


Beneath The Massacre - Mechanics Of Dysfunction
Style: Technical Death Metal
Running Time: 30 Minutes
Label: http://www.prostheticrecords.com/


Beneath The Massacre sparked everyones intrigue in 2005 with the release of their EP titled 'Evidence Of Inequity'. Since then many a tech-death fan have been awaiting a full length from these Canadian blasters. Listening to 'Mechanics Of Dysfunction' is an exercise in keeping focused, while sometimes the songs blend together as nothing but an unrelenting assault, there are moments sprinkled throughout this full length that change pattern, whether its an all too quick breakdown, or when the guitars and drums take their moment (even if its 10 seconds) to shine above all the rest of the chaos.

That's just what this album is too, chaos in musical form. From the opening blastings of "The Surface" to the ending of "Sleepless", the last track of this fantastic release, Beneath The Massacre takes you for an energetic technical romp that just doesn't seem to let up in its ferocity.

Throughout 'Mechanics Of Dysfunction' the songwriting and playing feels far too mature for these youngsters on the scene. I mean one would truly expect this sort of unrelenting maelstrom of technicality from veterans of the genre, but not necessarily from a first full length for a newer generation type band. With that said, its great to hear these newer era technical death metal bands going completely balls out on their first attempts. Many fail (many hardly had a chance), but with Beneath The Massacre they seem to shine above the pack of so many vying for a spot on the tech-death throne.

At times the album does feel a bit too much, which can most likely be attributed to its continual assault on the ears. What's meant though is that, at times, 'Mechanics Of Dysfunction' seems too focused on being a showcase in amazingly fast drum work and seemingly robot like precision on the fretboard than an actual ten song album. In all honesty though, it works for Beneath The Massacre completely, and after this 30 minutes of technical wankery, I'm sure that more than a few people set down their guitars and just screamed 'FUCK!' as they realized that they couldn't match the speeds or insane fretwork. Not only that but casual drummers must be trying their damnedest to match the intensity and precise footwork thats featured within 'Mechanics Of Dysfunction'.

Overall the album has no honest on the top faults, it's a fantastic slice of technical death metal with all the fix ins that leave tech-death connoisseurs mouths agape and watering. The breakdowns all feel fluid to the movement of the songs, and work well along side the counteracting jarring technicality that Beneath The Massacre bring to the table. The production is solid, every instrument is more than heard in all its glory and showcased very nicely. Great album completely, a tech-death freaks wet dream in all its abrasiveness.

Score: 9/10

Tuesday, July 24, 2007


Zero In On - The Oblivion Fair
Style: Rock
Running Time: 57 Minutes and 36 Seconds
Label: http://www.locomotiverecords.com


As much as rock music turns most people off these days there are select few bands that spark an interest, and thankfully Zero In On happens to be one of those bands after hearing 'The Oblivion Fair' they've made a clear and concise statement to their being. It's sometimes refreshing to hear a band just power through their songs with a little more feeling despite how rehashed their music might be. Maybe the 'feeling' that I'm referring to is more so with the way the vocals are done, but maybe, despite its mediocrity, the music itself is just simplistic and catchy enough to make you want to listen.

Nearly an hour of music is present on 'The Oblivion Fair'. Half the album seems to be more drawn out songs lasting anywhere between four and five minutes with an almost atmospheric effect being thrown in with passages of guitars randomly drawing out with repeated chords. The other half of the album are shorter, faster songs that showcase a band that feels comfortable in both elements of atmospheric beauty and fast bass work heavy songs. Thats right you read it, the bass on 'The Oblivion Fair' can actually be heard in the mix, and quite well in fact, you hear the twanging away at the strings on nearly every song. It seems that Zero In On really wanted that bass presence to overlap a lot of the other instrumentation going on at points. With good reason it seems though that the bass is present over top of others, always hypnotic and driving the tones that emanate from the instrument are clear and bring a great new layer to 'The Oblivion Fair''s 14 songs.

As stated earlier the vocal work is done with emotion, and feeling... in an odd way they remind me of 30 Seconds To Mars but not quite as distinguishable. Zero In On is a Swedish band, so obviously the language barrier here would probably be the cause for the almost slurry vocal passages found on 'The Oblivion Fair'. At times it's very hard to understand what vocalist Elias Bertini is saying at all, for instance in the song "Queen" I really didn't know that he was shouting the words "Queen" it honestly sounds like "Queer" and that made me laugh a little. Immaturity aside, Zero In On show a lot of potential to be a great band, and with a release like this under their belt already its weird to think that not a lot of people honestly know of these guys outside of the European countries. As I write this review though for 'The Oblivion Fair' it must be noted that this is Zero In On's 04' record, their newest CD is titled 'Pillow Talk'.

'The Oblivion Fair' is catchy as all get out, songs will get stuck in your head whether or not you want them to, the song writing is fantastic and all around 'The Oblivion Fair' exudes a beautiful sound of mediocrity that can only slake the thirst of true rock fans. I've enjoyed 'The Oblivion Fair' thoroughly but I am by no means a true rock fan, merely an occasional listener. Zero In On has impressed me though and I look forward to hearing more from these guys in the future as the quality can only go up from here.

Score: 7/10

Wednesday, July 18, 2007


Almah - Edu Falaschi

Style: Metal/Power Metal
Running Time: 42 Minutes and 21 Seconds
Label: http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/


Power Metal... It's something that irks and intrigues me, there are few bands that I can stomach, the cheese factor has to be low though. Fortunately for Almah's 'Edu Falaschi' the cheese factor of it rarely hits on that annoying level of "holy crap... this is hilariously bad". More balls behind the music and less behind the microphone seems to be the motto of most power metal with the operatic vocal styling reminiscent of 80's hair metal minus the androgyny of its members. Featuring somber moments of truly beautiful song work and guest work from some members of some very well known bands. Almah really hits all the right notes with 'Edu Falaschi' and it makes for a great album overall.

42 minutes pass fairly quickly when listening to 'Edu Falaschi' yet all the songs stick with you at the end of that near 3/4 of an hour. There are few songs on 'Edu Falaschi' that leave bad tastes in your mouth, 3rd track in "Forgotten Land" has a Queensrÿche feeling to it though the random jumping from fast paced 2nd in track "Take Back Your Spell" to "Forgotten Land" hardly fits it feels really thrown in the top for no good reason. Every song surrounding "Forgotten Land" is fast paced and fierce, while this track just sticks out somewhat like a sore thumb on the album. Sure it sounds great, but it feels weird in its place. Moving on though, the rest of 'Edu Falaschi' hardly suffers from that moment of "what the hell" thinking of song placement.

Guest work on a solo album sometimes defeats the purpose of it being a 'solo' album, unless its an entirely new direction. For Angra vocalist Eduardo Falaschi its not so much a departure from his norm but 'Edu Falaschi' takes on a feeling of something different. Fortunately thats a good thing for him, and the album. Featuring guest appearances from members of Queensrÿche, Kamelot, Nightwish, Stratovarius and Dr.Sin its hard to imagine this album being bad. Theres not any instrument that really sounds of place for the entirety of the album, and even when Almah slows down the ferocity is still there and biting back with thunderous drum work and driving guitar lines weaving in and out of fretboard squeals.

Almah has most assuredly created a great album with 'Edu Falaschi' with fantastic production values. Though awkwardly titled after its vocalist, every wrong point is virtually canceled out by stunning musicianship and great song writing and long lasting hooks that you'll be humming all day long despite feeling like a cheese ball for doing so.

Score: 8/10

Friday, July 13, 2007


Caina - Mourner

Style: Acoustic/Black Metal/Experimental
Running Time: 1 Hour 7 Minutes and 2 Seconds
Label: http://www.profoundlorerecords.com


Once in a blue moon, man stumbles across something that defies description, something so truly awesome he can only sit and stare, mouth agape, as he takes it all in. Caina’s 2007 release 'Mourner' is such a thing. Why? Because it’s terrible.

Seldom does music evoke such passion. Usually, this is a sign that a song or album will last forever and stay relevant despite its age. 'Mourner' is the second album from Caina, released on Profound Lore, and I doubt it will be hailed as anything more than awful. None of the songs on the album possess any sort of coherence, and will arbitrarily shift from slow acoustic guitar play to generic metal screams and growls. Perhaps the most irritating facet of the music are the long sections of nothing but distorted guitar static. There is no excuse for drawn out passages of nothing, and they only serve to further alienate anyone who might listen to it. The one track which shows any sort of promise is the final installment of 'Mourner', “Wormwood Over Albion”. The first three minutes are actually listenable and sound exceptionally good when compared to the rest of the album. Maybe the 53 minute steaming pile prior to it was an attempt to present the first 3 minutes of "Wormwood..." in the best light possible. Mission accomplished my friend. There is a “hidden” track nearly five minutes beyond the end of the initial song, but it’s nothing special.

After some recollection over the nearly wasted hour, it occurred to me I may not have been in the proper state of mind to appreciate 'Mourner'. I can only imagine that “heavily medicated” is the ideal level of consciousness, but I digress. In the end, 'Mourner' remains highly inaccessible and I would rather drink bleach from a fire hose than listen to it again. Not recommended.

Score: 1/10


Birds Of Avalon - Bazaar Bazaar
Style: Rock
Running Time: 41 Minutes and 27 Seconds
Label: http://www.volcoment.com


Birds of Avalon are a curious group of performers. Formed in 2005, the band features two ex-The Cherry Valence members along with several Raleigh musicians, all of which come together produce an exceptionally familiar sound. Their recent effort, titled 'Bazaar Bazaar', smacks of old school rock, complete with steady beats and not-quite-clean guitar.

A first listen will have you questioning the May 2007 release date, as the music feels eerily reminiscent of rock from the late 60s. Many tracks, feature intros with whimsical and seemingly lazy ambience featuring heavy guitar distortion and a rhythm section which pays homage to jam bands of yore. Alternatively (ha), other songs showcase straight forward rock and roll with guitar solos full of feeling. The music is certainly likable and somewhat catchy. Several tracks characterize the sound of the album, and provide a taste of things to come. “Set You Free” is certainly a stand out, with a driving beat and memorable chorus, and is easily the strongest song on the album. Another great track comes at the end of the album by the name of “Lost Pages From the Robot Repair Manual”. Another song with solid direction, it takes off quickly and takes you with it, starting with muddy distortion giving way quickly to old school riffing and never really slowing down. Despite these high points, 'Bazaar Bazaar' ends up not quite filling the rather large shoes it attempts to wear. “Taking Trains” is a song trying to be too many things at once, and the shorter purely ambient tracks prevalent throughout seem like filler in a CD with only a few solid tracks.

'Bazaar Bazaar' is definitely worth a listen, if only for the feel. Naturally, some tracks are weaker than others, but the band is relatively new and they show promise. For a first record, 'Bazaar Bazaar' is good but does not approach greatness. Whether or not Birds of Avalon eventually achieve this remains to be seen, but 'Bazaar Bazaar' is interesting enough to let that be a possibility in the future.

Score: 6/10

Wednesday, July 11, 2007


August Burns Red - Messengers
Style: Metalcore
Running Time: 48 Minutes and 16 Seconds
Label: http://www.solidstaterecords.com/


Tossing the new August Burns Red record 'Messengers' into my CD player, I took a chance with Solid State Records that I hadn't taken in a while due to their usually lacking releases. While 'Thrill Seeker' really did thrill me (no pun intended) in a lot of ways 'Messengers' has taken the cake for pounding rhythms, crushing guitars and overall fantastic work for sophomore full length album releases this year. Leaving you chomping at the bit, August Burns Red tease you in and out of songs with playful fretboard work and booming drums that counter well the music. Can an album like this, revitalize a scene ? No... of course not, but it can certainly set a new bar for this genre in terms of mastery of a sound.

Spelling it all out, there are 11 songs here. Some featuring melodic interweaving of intricate lines, some being more straight forward assaults on the stereo. Some even featuring awesome bass drops, its good to see bassists get a chance to bring their instrument to the front of a breakdown, or before a melodic passage. Most, if not all feature chunky breakdowns that are heavier than ever. The rhythm section of this band has kicked it up a notch from slightly crushing to full on brutally competent attacks. Vocal work on 'Messengers' rarely strays from the raspy scream we've grown accustomed to with August Burns Red. When it does stray from standard formula though, it takes a less than clever direction that doesn't honestly hurt the album in the slightest bit. The vocals take charge through shouting passages of gang vocal work and through spoken word bits that add an emotion to nearly every song they are added to. The gang vocals work perfectly at the exact right times, and they sound as if they fit the songs perfectly when used.

50 minutes of technical guitar workings, line after line, riff after riff of awesome fret work(admittedly I'm a sucker for great guitar riffs, being a guitarist myself). Fanboy-ishness set aside though, 'Messengers' is a fantastic release with all the workings of a great album. Standard in many ways, it may be, but damn if you can fault it for that you certainly wont find much else wrong with it at all. I certainly can't fault it much for it smelling of other bands and other solid release because music is all about changing up what you've heard before to make it your own. And because there may be some parts within 'Messengers' that feel like back work of other bands, on the whole 'Messengers' feels like it was carefully constructed and thrown together with ease for all who churned it out. Though many bands suffer the much dreaded "Sophomore Slump" August Burns Red has certainly proven that adage to be completely wrong for their case.

'Thrill Seeker 2' it is not, but its still a great release from a band that has shown promise since their first EP 'Looks Fragile After All'. Completely devastating in heaviness, and neck snappingly groove laden. The booming of every double bass kick, of every bass drop, of every lower growl and even the breakdowns add a seemingly new feeling to 'Messengers'. Carrying the torch can be hard though, August Burns Red should be ready for the next upcoming fighters for their slot on metalcores top Ten list for the year.

Score: 8/10

Angel Corpse - Of Lucifer And Lightning
Style: Blackened Death Metal
Running Time: 36 Minutes and 30 Seconds
Label: http://www.theendrecords.com/


Bands break up... it's a natural thing to want to take a break from the same people day after day. Angel Corpse broke up in 1999 and its been a little over 7 years since a full length from them was released(minus the odd assortment of rare tracks/comp singles/live songs etc etc). Is 'Of Lucifer And Lightning' still the same old Angel Corpse ? Why of course it is... but does this newly reformed Angel Corpse meet the grade when it comes to what they've put out now ? The Answer is no... not entirely at least. Everything on 'Of Lucifer And Lightning' sounds like Angel Corpse plays like Angel Corpse but just doesn't feel like Angel Corpse.

For 36 minutes we are treated here to fairly uninspiring work. Guitars that are competent but grating at times, drum work that gets lost in the shuffle completely, and vocal work that doesn't necessarily stand out like it used to for vocalist Pete Helmkemp. If you've got John Longstreth behind the kit, you definitely want him to stick out, powerhouse that he is behind that kit. Unfortunately for him, his drum work gets lost behind the overbearing guitars, which seem to be brought up in the mix so much more loudly than any other portion of the album. Riff heavy, and creatively technical at times, yeah... but I'd like to be able to make out the other instruments just as well.

From opener "Credo Decimatus" I already knew that the album was going to be muddy production wise, and to be honest I expected it wholly with previous work in mind. But just how muddy it sounded after this small, fast intro ended puzzled me.

Musically the guitars are, as I stated, creatively technical in their work, but at times it just feels like parts were thrown in on a whim to get the song over with. The whole album really feels that way, after this long of a wait for a new album from Angle Corpse I wasn't expecting this honestly. Expectations go a long way with a band that has been gone for a while, especially when previous material has showcased them to be an amazing band with talent and flair for their respective genre. Not delivering on expectations of fans can't be reason enough for a bad score though. In complete honesty fans of Angel Corpse are going to eat this up... they've waited long enough to not be unimpressed with it. But for those who have taken our time listening to this album and not just gobbled it up as something only fantasized since 'The Inexorable' was embraced in their CD trays, other opinions have been formed of such a lackluster release.

For everything the album has done wrong, theres no denying that Angel Corpse know what they're doing, and truthfully they had to be happy with this to release it after such a long time. The band by no means has lost their touch, they just have slept on it for so long that its lost all feeling, like a hand that simply will not wake up that you need to shake and smack for a while to get that feeling back. The same can be said about Angel Corpse... If they stick around this time, they will most assuredly shake off that seven plus years rust. And hey, at least they're back to fill us with satanic metal, even if a little boring after such a long wait.

Score: 5/10

Saturday, July 7, 2007


Fatal Smile - Neo Natural Freaks
Style: Hard Rock
Running Time: 41 Minutes and 50 Seconds
Label: http://www.locomotiverecords.com


Hard rock... are you scared yet ? You should be, honestly Fatal Smile's 'Neo Natural Freaks' made me sick to my stomach listening to it. The only real saving grace of this entire CD is the musical accompaniment which occasionally has some stellar work. But for the most part remains pretty bland and contrived.

Album opener "Neo Natural Freaks..." (and yeah, they put the "..." after every songs title) is just absolutely horrendous lyrically, hackneyed rhyming schemes "freak" to "geek" , "cool" to "fool" et all. The rest of the album features the same horrible writing techniques rhyming too much in ways that just feel absolutely retarded. Trying to make it through this CD without laughing too much was an honest feat of amazing strength for me.

Guitar work here is pretty much barre chords with an occasional lead that seems familiar, though I can't place most of what I'm hearing with any specific band setting the trend for using it but its all really been jumbled together of bits and parts we've heard 100 times before. The albums main selling point is that this is a solid straight forward rock album. I can't deny that it is just straight forward hard rock. Theres nothing on this album that screams as anything else, theres no real experimentation with the genre to make Fatal Smile really stick out as a new being that hard rock has to deal with. Even the albums artwork can be picked on featuring slogans like 'Premium Blend', '100% Proof' and horrible looking tribal artwork that you'd be likely to find on the next Godsmack release.

'Neo Natural Freaks' has tried so hard to be the album that you need that it has just simply failed on all levels. Musically theres great moments and theres less than spectacular moments that leave you wondering what the hell that sound just was. Theres a real overuse of synthesized vocals sounding like robots/machines of some sort and it never works to the effect of any mood setting through any song. All of the songs are, for the most part, too upbeat for these sounds that feel completely out of place within the songs. Almost like they were meant to be Queensrhyce-ish in their attempts at setting the stage for a concept on the song.

In truth, I just couldn't get past my biased feeling towards this album off the rip, the songs lack deviation from one another, and sound very similar put side by side. The writing is laughable at best, and it seems like every songs title was ripped straight out of the song, and as the song opened they just had to let you know what song they were playing, as if they were playing the entire album live for you. Bottom line the album just wasn't my bread and butter, couldn't find myself ever really being into this and as for everyone else, listen to that first song "Neo Natural Freaks" and imagine that repeated TEN more times.

Score: 2.5/10

Destroyer Destroyer - Littered With Arrows
Style: Grind/Metalcore/Noise
Running Time: 30 Minutes and 26 Seconds
Label: http://www.goodfellowrecords.com


Starting us with something that sounds vaguely reminiscent of The Number Twelve Looks Like You while not as long song wise usually Destroyer Destroyer's debut release on Goodfellow Records reminds us that there are still bands out there capable of pulling off great releases that are just completely out of the norm. You could compare Destroyer Destroyer with the likes of TN12LLY, Vessels Cast From Crippled Hands, and Converge realistically speaking they are an amalgamation of all three. Combining Converge's brooding hardcore with TN12LLY's more chaotic moments and high pitched shrieks and this is all a compliment to their jarring rhythm section.

Not exactly a mind fuck of an album but one that will leave you scratching your head, 'Littered With Arrows' throws everything it can at you in 30 minutes of music. Screeching guitars that venture into being chaotically beautiful when songs like "Off The Beaten Path" take a break from the shrieking and play melodically into a building ambiance. Though these moments are few and far between and abrupt in passage on 'Littered With Arrows' the albums more chaotic moments are what really defines the band.

Starting the album off with a near minutes worth of twangs and pangs "Trial" gets you prepared for the aural beating that your ears are about to take as "A Golden Technique" rings out for nearly two minutes of scathing vocal pitch and heavy bass work. For the most part every song is pretty non-identifiable as a whole but there are parts of many songs that just leave you going 'wow, where the hell did that come from'. Theres enough stop start riff work here to make your mouth water and enough technical variation to make your stomach feel queasy. In a good way Destroyer Destroyer rape your ears and leave them ringing when the albums over, but in that sense, they also leave you wanting to hear this album over and over again, craving that technically jarring playing that just cascades over this entire album.

While after a few minutes the headache inducing shriek of vocalist Jamie Schnetzler gets annoying, the deeper screams that accompany these high pitched vocals really work well within the frame of every song they are featured in. The vocal work, regardless of how annoying it is on occasion, makes for a great sound that accompanies the music contained on this album very well and honestly I don't think any other style would have fit this music so well. Both chaotic, both brilliantly working together to create harsh devastating tones.

Bottom line here, your ears are going to be destroyed by the time 'Littered With Arrows' is over, but in every high pitched shriek, in every stop start rhythm moment, in every beating of that double bass kick to your head Destroyer Destroyer make you a fan. Discordantly beautiful and refreshingly zany compared to a lot of sub par releases this year, Goodfellow has made a great pick up of these Oklahoma boys and 'Littered With Arrows' is a fantastic album.

Score: 7.5/10

The Minor Times - Summer Of Wolves
Style: Hardcore/Metalcore
Running Time: 41 Minutes and 28 Seconds
Label: http://www.prostheticrecords.com/


Repetition, repetition, repetition did The Minor Times copy their own selves ? I could swear that the main riff used to start opener "+++" was the same riff in "Truth About Insomnia" off of their 'Chris Chambers Never Misses' Ep. Oh well, what we've got here is a mix of mathy stop start riffage with some less convenient out rhythms that rely on more melodic picking to keep the flow. Seemingly the only thing that has really changed for this band in the move from Level-Plane to Prosthetic is the production value of their album.

The first thing people will really notice about this disc is that the band has obviously had more time to do what they want, throwing into the mix some awkward experimental stuff to go along with their more precise mathy mid-paced chug. Theres not much, musically speaking here, that stands out as its own creation, relying heavily on its predecessors of the mathy/noisy hardcore genre. Certainly one can't blame them for aiming high with their music, and they do achieve quite a good slab of work that reflects those elite few bands of the past that we can all cite. To be truthful though, while being a good sophomore full length release, 'Summer Of Wolves' lacks actual song writing skills still, much like their last album 'Making Enemies'. The Minor Times throws around its weight as just an aggressive band hoping that it will carry every song, unfortunately sometimes this just doesn't work for some of these songs.

There are parts of the album that do stick out though, and not like a sore thumb, more like actual progression. When The Minor Times decides to kick into a melodic overdrive they do it well, with style and great performance sounding every bit as enthusiastic as their most aggressive moments. Middle album track 'This Is The Blues' really puts this entire CD into a new field, taking a more Poison The Wellish approach to cutting out the whole metalcore onslaught to the ears. Instead in its nearly nine minutes, you are treated to about five minutes of heavy chugging that doesn't prepare you for whats about to jump out. At the 5:16 mark a whole new Minor Times throws you for a loop adding a great keyboard line that they actually use to their benefit. Wrapping guitar lines swirl around this keyboard line that continues on through the bands "Na-na-na-na's" ending the song with a fading out that works perfectly just as the fade in did. Immediately following this song, the same old Minor Times kicks you in the face and demands that you listen to them shouting in the very Sean Ingram-y vocal styling that is delivered all throughout 'Summer Of Wolves'

All in all, 'Summer Of Wolves' displays an almost new The Minor Times that, because of a bigger budget has had more time to experiment with their music allowing new sounds and new soundscapes take control of their songs. While it doesn't always work and sometimes feels out of place or out of their comfort zone completely after their usual aggressive attacks, it still is there, and in doses feels great to hear. The only fault I can find is the sounds-like fault, way too much of it is here on this disc, like their previous. They do pull it off well, but its still unoriginal, powerful... but just unoriginal. Great disc for those seeking out aggressive hardcore and metalcore, but boring for those seeking a more varied foray into hardcore.

Score: 7/10

Friday, July 6, 2007


Witch's Hat - Mastery Of The Steel
Style: Rock
Running Time: 36 Minutes and 50 Seconds
Label: http://www.emergencyumbrella.com


Rock, you bet your ass. Fantasy rock... where'd everyone go ? Witch's Hat plays an interesting meld of rolling rock songs with a bit of fantastical imagery/song writing thrown in. 'Mastery Of The Steel' blows by quickly in nearly 37 minutes. While I can't exactly say that this is the best album I've ever heard, it is however the first real fantasy rock album I've had experience with and for that maybe I'm just in over my head with this release and reviewing it. But I know what I like and this isn't exactly it. But it's not exactly awful either... its fairly enjoyable at times.

For 37 minutes you're treated to Ten songs of great songwriting, but awkward lyrical content. Rolling through tales of medieval heroes, vampires, and aliens its hardly something for everyone, but for those that are still clamoring for the times of old when bands used to actually have shows and made you feel the music wholly in your chest while listening Witch's Hat has that sort of aesthetic appeal. While aurally, sometimes, unpleasant with the synth sounding very out of place at the exact same time, the synth builds another layer on the songs that just requires you to have a better ear for melody.

For all the bad I can say about the lyrical content and how cheesy it feels, theres equally something good I can say about the music contained within 'Mastery Of The Steel'. It seems that Witch's Hat revels in the fact that they have created something so awkward in a lot of senses calling to mind bands like Tenacious D, Spinal Tap, and Goblin Cock. Musically it blurs some lines between just straight up rock and dance floor pop rock songs. Relying on fairly simplistic guitar work that rumbles out through your speakers that sometimes delves into the territory of shredding leads. Also relying heavily on bass work, like in the song "Supply And Demand" where the bass just twangs out for the entirety leading the guitar work to back it up instead of vice versa. Vocally its somewhere between Iron Maiden's warbling but hardly as high in pitch, Dio's rocking , and Tenacious D's fantastical work of being completely out of left field and unnatural.

Bottom line Witch's Hat has created something very interesting, and something that not everyone will definitely be a fan of, but if given the time I could see them falling in line with all of the aforementioned bands' best works.

Score: 5.5/10

XDeathstarX - We Are The Threat
Style: Hardcore/Metal/Straight-edge
Running Time: 35 Minutes and 58 Seconds
Label: http://www.facedownrecords.com/


Three vocalists, thunderous drumming, rumbling guitars all in a nice straight-edge hardcore package. Though the album has been out for a while it's still one hell of a strong album. XDeathstarX's 'We Are The Threat' is a 36 minute gauntlet of ass kicking including 11 songs that feature some straight up hardcore/metal with some death metal/thrash vibes going on at times. Drum work that never really paces too fast, nor too slow, seemingly mid-paced all throughout, still clever and well formed to the music. Guitar work that throws its weight around from genre to genre mixing styles quite well. Vocals that scream at you to listen and pay attention to whats going on with this album. Question here is, can you distinguish three vocalists that scream in a similar style/vocal tone ? I can't but it still works to their advantage that I can't.

It all works very nicely for XDeathstarX throughout 'We Are The Threat' and theres not a part of this album that felt contrived in any way. Sure they were trying to be heavy, but thats just a given with hardcore so fault can't be laid on that portion of the disc. Where I do find fault is that there doesn't seem to be an honest need for three vocalists... maybe they were just trying to separate themselves from the hordes of hardcore bands by adding some more power behind the mic but they're all indistinguishable individually. While they don't all stick out vocally coming through your speakers, it's not exactly bad because the style used by all three just fits very well with the music contained on 'We Are The Threat'.

Speaking of the music it's hard to ignore the guitar work on this album, its breakdown heavy yeah and, its also all over the place stylistically speaking. Starting with your standard down tuned rolling through songs like opener "Where's Your Faith Now". Moving into territory where the brakes are applied and the guitar is allowed some lead time like in "We Are The Threat", throwing in some maiden-esque riffage (though not tripled up in the same way obviously). The traditional gang shouted vocals on hardcore albums that have become all too welcome at times of heightened intensity on any song have become something different for XDeathstarX. For the most part they throw in the same gang shouted vocals we're used to but on songs like "The Great Opiate" they open it up to singing back those gang vocals.

For the most part 'We Are The Threat' stands on the heels of many great bands that have come before them, but XDeathstarX seems to be taking it to a new level. A level of heaviness, while remaining melodically inclined and spiritually connected, as the majority of the lyrical content is intent on glorifying God and urging those who aren't connected to join in religion. While we don't really need more bands like this, at times like in the songs "The Great Opiate" and "We Are The Threat" one has to admit that XDeathstarX have created something rather catchy and are devout in their beliefs.

Bottom line, these guys are doing something we've heard already but they are tightening up the traditional sound and giving tough guys a run for their money. Solid album, rehashed for the most part with other bands' innovations but still very solid for hardcore.

Score: 6.5/10

Wednesday, July 4, 2007


A.W.A.S. - Hope
Style: Death Metal
Running Time: 38 Minutes and 19 Seconds
Label: www.opengraverecords.com


Whats on tap; Death Metal with Christian themes... Metal for Jesus ? I just can't get too behind this musically. By no means is 'Hope' absolutely horrible or anything, but its so blandly done that I lose interest about 10-15 minutes into the album. If your bread and butter is thick death metal with little to no technical ambition then A.W.A.S. should be right up your alley.

A.W.A.S. is a pretty standard death metal band, they rely on very thick guitar tones and blasting drums. Very little is different about each song, most leading into the next sounding vaguely familiar riff wise and pattern wise. In fact I couldn't even distinguish the beginning of the album again when it was cycled over on repeat. The album leads off with a small build up of drums and what seem to be horns sounding like an epic intro that quickly ends. Leading us to first song "Your Choice" this four minute long song sets the pace for this entire album, short blasting passages with fairly mid-paced riffing swirling around. Very little technical improvement is made throughout the rest of the album. Theres an occasional thrash passage that features a solid lead riff or two but where this album really goes wrong is on the drums.

I don't know how this got put out with drums sounding like one of those little monkeys pounding the two cymbals together. While certainly not a big budget release, and I'm sure that doesnt help with production, you'd at least want the entire album base to be built around something that sounds fairly decent as a base thats the drums job. The snare sounds fine, the cymbals and bass kicks are what sound horrible, maybe it was a miking mishap or something but the double bass work sounds really low almost not audible in most of the songs. For near 40 minutes the band stumbles their way through Eleven songs, ten of which actually feature instrumentation. The last of which happens to be a song called "Saved" which blows by in one minute and ten seconds with an actual fury that wasn't heard on the album from its other tracks. Which really made it a welcome song to hear at the end of the album.

Though 'Hope' would have been much better if every song on the album showed as much promise as the last song, therein lies my problem with rating this. There was really no point of this album up to the end of it that was honestly enjoyable, religious overtones aside, musically it just wasn't that great. But that end song, that end song, showcased a very nice change and hopefully with more time A.W.A.S. will develop their sound around what works most definitely best for them, the blasting raw fury found in "Saved" would be a good start for them.

Score: 4/10

Tuesday, June 26, 2007


Herrschaft - Architects Of The Humanicide
Style: Black Metal/Industrial
Running Time: 22 Minutes and 32 Seconds
Label: http://www.code666.net/


Let me first say that before I heard Herrschaft I was not a fan of any bands with industrial tendencies. With that being said Herrschaft's 'Architects Of The Humanicide' may just have changed my opinion a bit. While 'Architects Of The Humanicide' threw me for a loop completely it was a pleasant surprise to hear this album away from all the metal thats usually blasting from this stereo.

To begin the album starts with song 'Rise To The Humanicide' which builds in about 1 minute of buzzing and beeping to an almost Techno (Electro for some) sort of beat with sinister sounding vocals thrown over top. When 'Rise...' ends second track 'Apogee' crunches in and delves into a thick soundscape of programming and synth driven riffs. The album doesn't change much from that vibe though. Much of 'Architects Of The Humanicide' is fueled on by the synth wrap around guitar work, but a good base is formed by the vocal styling of M.X.. Which seems to be a mix of really processed and effected vocals with a snarling almost completely black metal delivery.

As the album progresses in time, the songs get longer and a little more complex, adding female vocals and sometimes allowing the guitars to be brought to the forefront of the music instead of relying solely on following the synth around like a lost child. Closer 'De Flammes Et D'ombres' really raises the bar for the entire E.P. and builds a very nice crescendo to the end of its six minutes that ends the album perfectly. At the end of it all though this very short five song E.P. from these French industrial black metalers serves as a very fine effort for Code666 Records. They always seem to be putting left field releases out and this is absolutely no different for them.

'Architects Of The Humanicide' is a very solid E.P. and really leaves you wanting more from Herrschaft.

Score: 7/10


Blinded By Faith - Weapons Of Mass Distraction
Style: Death Metal/Melodic
Running Time: 44 Minutes and 15 Seconds
Label: http://www.galyrecords.com


Maybe opening your album with the sounds of planes crashing into the World Trade Centers really seemed like a good idea to set the mood for a darker sounding melodic death metal album. In all aspects though it just feels wrong to have to bring that up to achieve your theme. To be quite truthful the album could have started without that and Blinded By Faith still would have had a release that was quite decent.

For melodic death metal it's a little hard to stand out in a crowd. Every thing is a little redundant and boring these days, and very few bands release solid efforts that move anyone to feeling something new of the genre. Blinded By Faith have released 'Weapons Of Mass Distraction' to an over populated scene rampant with stagnation and barely any technical movement beyond whats been achieved already. By no means are they pushing the boundaries of melo-death, but at least they're not completely boring in their attempts.

Guitars that seem to, out of nowhere, kick into overdrive and speed through some intricate passages of short technicality. This technicality plays well in the back of the music but when brought forth through solos its evident that the solo work is pretty substandard, sounding like very bad fretboard wankery that seemingly leads nowhere. Vocal work that ranges out of the norm at times, and drum work that sets a very nice canvas for everything to lay on. Theres nothing much here that you wouldn't be familiar with already, and to be perfectly honest its not a bad feeling of familiarity. Though on occasion the vocals bothered me, ranging in and out of screaming/shouting/clean sung and deeper not quite guttural sounding moments. The very same vocals felt refreshing at times though when they were dropped completely and set aside for some spoken word, or female vocal work.

In 44 minutes Blinded By Faith have ran headlong through eight real tracks and two intro/outros. While the intro/outro tracks do absolutely nothing for me it's obviously felt elsewhere these were necessary tracks that needed to be on this release. All in all though for as familiar as 'Weapons Of Mass Distractions' is I can't say that I'm thoroughly disappointed or really awe-struck with this release. Albeit no technical achievement whatsoever from what we've really come to expect, still a very solid release.


Score: 6.5/10

Municipal Waste - The Art Of Partying
Style: Crossover Thrash/Hardcore
Running Time: 32 Minutes and 8 seconds
Label: http://www.earache.com/


32 minutes of blazing thrash about partying. The only question I would have is, can you stomach something like that ? If your answer happens to be yes, then Municipal Waste have just the album for you. 'The Art Of Partying' displays a knack for catchy rhythms and shouted choruses that anyone can sing along with. The only flaw though is that after the half hour of music is over, you will most likely sit there and go 'how did that one song go?'. Despite being completely solid musically 'The Art Of Partying' suffers from being completely forgettable. It's unfortunate that it is that way, but after the CD was over I couldn't place the songs in my head with the way that they actually sounded.

There are those bands that everyone goes wild about simply for harking back to a time that the listener will never forget... or never got to experience themselves. Municipal Waste happens to be one of those bands that people have gone crazy about, can we say its for the mere fact that Dave Witte is behind the kit or, is it honestly because they have a revitalized sound and have some rather humorous lyrical content ? I can't think of another band that I've honestly just laughed at lyrically (that hasn't deserved it) , and by no means is that bad here. As the music builds to climaxes within these 15 songs the lyrics just bring a completely new level to them. Shouting them out is always fun and when it's all said and done I've remembered more of the lyrics than any certain musical part throughout 'The Art Of Partying'.

There are few passages within 'The Art Of Partying' that actually stand out as being better than the last and every song seems to kind of lead to the next with no real change in formula. Sure no one really needs to experiment too terribly badly with every new track, it would just be a bit refreshing to hear something no one was expecting. That being said theres also some fine guitar work here and there that really creates a nice frame for the vocals to hang on pitch wise. Vocally theres not much outside of shouting, which is generally expected from the genre, and it totally works throughout the whole of 'The Art Of Partying'. Another stand out feature (next to the lyrical content) of this album is the drum work, while fairly simplistic for the majority of the album, its little subtleties like a few blasting sections and rolling double bass kicks that feel very welcome when heard.

As I said though, its unfortunate that Municipal Waste has put out a solid album that just doesn't seem to be too remarkable but it will most certainly suit their fans' craving for a new album.

Score: 6.5/10

Tuesday, June 12, 2007


Diskreet - Infernal Rise
Style: Technical Metalcore/Death Metal
Running Time: 26 Minutes and 2 Seconds
Label: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

As bands continuously blur the lines of metal there will inevitably be those that, in the wake of an obvious overabundance of a quick fad, jump right in to lay their 'claim' to the same crap we've been hearing. Claiming a new and different sound is something not many bands can do, and certainly after hearing 'Infernal Rise' by Kansas' Diskreet i can't honestly say this is a refreshingly enjoyable album but where they lack inventiveness the band supplies impeccably strong orchestration.

Instrumentally speaking here on 'Infernal Rise' theres an awful lot of work going into songs. Taking you through blazing technical passages and then throwing you for a , honestly, quite predictable breakdown Diskreet toss your ears around like a rag doll. It's all over too quickly but the abruptness of it is what almost makes it good. If you had to sit through an hours worth of blast beats and technical onslaughts, you might get quite bored. The way Diskreet do it is simply making it short and sweet, to the point, if you will.

While the musical work on 'Infernal Rise' isn't completely on point constantly, the more mosh worthy moments of this album make for an interesting listen. The fact that they've thrown in absolutely pointless movie quotes makes some of the songs feel completely devoid of a real emotion behind them. Maybe they were trying to build an atmosphere for you through these clips but in doing that it seems as if whatever the clip was trying to convey mood wise just couldn't be done lyrically. Couple this with the fact that the drums throughout 'Infernal Rise' sound like tin cans being beat on and you've got enough ammo to kill this album completely. The insane fretwork and rhythmically crushing slower passages can't save this album completely. The drums are a base for most bands and when your drums sound like they've either been processed to hell or you're beating on tin cans in the booth, you can't honestly get into the music lying over top of that sound. It's hard to give a bad score to a band that shows a bit of stylistic promise, however I must in the true nature of reviewing music site lack of originality for the score that Diskreet deserves.

Score: 5/10

The Handshake Murders - Usurper
Style: Technical Metalcore
Running Time: 32 Minutes 20 Seconds
Label: http://www.goodfellowrecords.com


As innocuous as Metalcore is these days, very few bands can honestly put out an effort without it being rife with absolute stagnation for the genre. Is it a dead genre and are people beating a dead horse ? Thats for you to decide in all honesty. Every year there are more bands playing the same breakdowns and same open D's everyone has become pretty used to by now. Some bands break the molds and unfortunately for The Handshake Murders they aren't doing anything too spectacular on this release. 32 minutes of Meshuggah-esque stop and start riffage with little to no real innovation or change to the pattern. These songs feel like they would be right at home on the next A Life Once Lost record, with very little change and who knows maybe ALOL heard this and went 'Shit they stole our gig...' But I digress, the music is rather uninspired end of story.

There are more than a few times on "Usurper" where The Handshake Murders display a rather uncanny knack for sheer aggression within their music. To be quite honest the entire album is heavy as a really heavy thing... but when The Handshake Murders entire rhythm section syncs up and the albums intensity is at its height you can't help but at least bob your head a little to the beat. For as stale as the riffing is there is no real fault in displaying your influences on your bands collective sleeves. However relying too heavily on your predecessors musical inclinations rather than creating your own will site a bit of fault in most peoples eyes.

Not much can honestly be said about this release its fairly repetitive throughout and honestly I made it through the album three times in a row thinking i was listening to three or four songs. It gets rather boring about four to five songs in and though the intensity is still displayed from time to time, it's just not enough to save the sinking ship that is The Handshake Murders first full length album "Usurper".

Score: 4.5/10