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Yes. I thought about reviewing it, but realized I had very little positive to say. You'll notice that I generally only review things that I like, for two reasons: 1) it's very easy to slag things off, and 2) everyone who makes an album is more talented than me, so why should I slate it.
I will say this: like 'em or lump 'em, Queesryche refuse to do what is expected of them. I suppose that means that they are indeed 'artists'. The new record sounds like your dad trying to 'get down' with the kids, however.The Power Of The Riff Compels MeComment
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A lot of the kids I spoke to at a festival this year struggled to call Priest 'metal' because it's too melodic! I guess what would have been 'extreme' in the '80s is now the mainstream as far as metal goes, and the scream/shout vocal style is the norm (although there are as many ways of doing that as there are singing).
In Baz's case, I guess I mean 'poppier' in the sense that it is very hooky. Which is good, as it suits him. 'Angel Down' was a lot more full tilt - he did a lot of screaming on it, which over-cooked some of the tunes.The Power Of The Riff Compels MeComment
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Malefice – Awaken the Tides.
Listening to this disk conjures up a number of adjectives – ‘competent’, ‘solid’, ‘workmanlike’, ‘decent’ – which are both adequate, and in adequate. Adequate in the sense that they express the fact that Malefice do little more than express the current mould of post-metalcore heavy music; and inadequate in the sense that to note that they do so is not criticize them for it. Indeed, for all there are no surprises on ‘Awaken the Tides’ – the British metallers’ third album – it is a riot! The title track in a thrash-tastic pummel with hard-core aesthetics; ‘Delerious’ is darkened metalcore; and ‘Baying For Blood’ is an impassioned blast of Lamb Of God style brutality. So far, so good. But the band, whilst certainly absorbed in the modern metal scene, does not really have its own sound. Thus the thrash-with-pop-sensibilities of ‘Moments’ smacks of later-day In Flames; and ‘Flood of Red’ and ‘Dead in the Water’ are generic metal plodders. The best thing here comes when the band push themselves into experimentation. ‘The Day The Sky Fell’ is awash with soft/heavy dynamics, melodic and emotive vocals, and space between the players which make it sound huge – when they paint in shades other than aggression, Malefice are onto something. Not every band can be a paradigm shifter, and we should not dismiss Malefice for being part of the pack. This is a well produced, well played, and very heavy blend of modern metal.The Power Of The Riff Compels MeComment
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I always picture Sebastian Bach at a crossroads with the devil trading his brain for an amazing voice.
I would totally understand the 'kids' being repelled by the image of Priest, I was cringing like fuck last time I saw them, spandex in your 50s FFS but I hope that they can still appreciate a melody.Comment
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Alkaline Trio – This Addiction
Before it became the lens for mumbling, awkward, drenched-in-black adolescents to screen their view of life through – and consequently placate the misguided notion that to experience sorrow, even faux sorrow, is to be somehow more alive – emo was a vibrant extension of punk, an extension which channelled punk’s passion to insular targets rather than outward ones. Alkaline Trio made a slew of records which exemplified that potential, before going all grown up (read: expansive and overblown) in later records. ‘This Addiction’ attempts to capture their initial spark, and does so with some success. ‘The American Scream’ is cinematic post-punk for a new age of discontent; the oddly Men At Work sounding ‘Off The Map’ perfectly captures the terror of the post-arguments lull; and with its knowing wink to The Misfits ‘Dine, Dine My Darling’ proves that emotive content doesn’t have to come at the expense of humour.
Sure, there are some misfires. ‘Eating Me Alive’ tries to force synths into crusty angst, and fails; and ‘Dead On The Floor’ and ‘Draculina’ feel like Alkaline-Trio by-numbers. But in the presence of the title track – a beautifully twisted love song – all can be forgiven. Alkaline Trio are a band who deliver b-movie cool and sincere emotion in a manner void of overkill or melodrama, and ‘This Addiction’ is a damn fine record. The problem with looking back, however, is that you’ll never quite re-capture your former self. Consequently, for all ‘This Addition’s’ promise, it falls short of those early golden albums.The Power Of The Riff Compels MeComment
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I firmly believe these guys peaked with Maybe I'll Catch Fire (which came out around 10 or 11 years ago) and have been treading water ever since. I mean, the follow-up to This Addiction is an acoustic covers album (Damnesia) of their own material.
Maybe I'll Catch Fire was as good (and in places, better) an album as Husker Du ever put out. For some proof of this, I offer a track from that album called "She Took Him To The Lake."
PLAY LOUD!
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen HawkingComment
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August Burns Red – Leveler
‘This song is music to my ears and is a new production on an old stage’ (Internal Canon)
Pretty much sums it up: over the course of their career, ABR have injected a much needed dose of ingenuity and emotivity into the increasingly staid scenes of post-hardcore, metalcore and extreme metal. Jamming the hulking power of metal into post-hardcore reflexivity, the band deliver something more than 12 focussed slabs of brutality – these songs relate to one another and hang together as an album. That’s so often the difference between good and great, and it sets ABR apart from the pack. Similarly refreshing and impressive are the simply staggering set of lyrics delivered here: beyond the staid angst and malevolence of the misery competition which is modern metal, ABR construct songs around provocative and emotive images which, quite frankly, propel their music to another level without overpowering it. Words act like an additional instrument, and it’s played poignantly here.
They also cram a lot of music into each song whilst managing to keep control of the reigns. Opener ‘Empire’ is pure brutality on the ‘enth’ level, bridging one foot in the euphoric aggression of hardcore and another in the pomp and majesty of heavy metal. ‘Internal Canon’ is an equally frenetic assault, but the range of tempos employed prevents from becoming an inviscerating but forgettable WHHHHOOOOSH delivered by many extreme groups; and ‘Division’, with its off-kilter rhythms, pulverizing percussion, shifting structure and enflamed vocals, is a 5 act play in 4 minutes. Anyone in possession of doubts that extreme metal can do moving should listen and learn – the band’s treatment of their faith on ‘Boys of Fall’ and the title track is also anguished and heartfelt, whatever your views on divinity.
What ultimately sets ‘Leveler’ apart is ABR’s ability to maintain the balance of the beauty and beast. The choking heaviness of ‘Poor Millionaire’ definitely fulfils the latter; whilst ‘Carpe Diem’, with its subdued intro and alt.country interlude, embraces the former. You quickly run out of superlatives, and picking the superior tracks is like looking for the best looking girl at a supermodel convention : ultimately pointless. What we have on ‘Leveler’ is a special band on special form.The Power Of The Riff Compels MeComment
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Did you hear the new Mastodon CD yet Binnie?
Sounds pretty fucking good so far... Imagine the best parts of Sabbath, Soundgarden, AIC and throwing them in a blender with some Floyd and a bit of The Beatles (don't know why, but I felt it in the music)... that should give you a good idea of what you'll get when you listen to 'the hunter'Last edited by Mr Walker; 10-05-2011, 12:11 PM.Comment
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Oh man, I've been obsessing over it. Mastodon are so talented it must makes lesser bands cry.
I'm currently absorbing that record, plus the new Opeth record, and the new Machine Head record. They all very important records in their own way.
My ears are hurting at the moment!The Power Of The Riff Compels MeComment
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From the vaults: Bleeding Through – This is Love This is Murderous (2003)
Released some 8 years ago, TILTIM has proven to be one of the most influential metalcore albums. The reasons for this are twofold: 1) the richness of BT’s sonic tapestry, which combines throaty guitars, wild soling, atmospheric synths and multiple vocals into something tight, focussed and on permanent ‘KILL’ mode; and 2) the band’s willingness to eschew the machismo of most metal lyrics in favour of raw nerves and broken minds. The result was an album which subsumes ‘heavy’ in both senses of the term.
The tortuous rumble of broken love still seething on ‘Revenge/Seek’ makes for uncomfortable listening, and the hyper fast beat down of ‘Love Lost in a Hail of Gun Fire’, with its post-hardcore welding of multiple sections in a song structure which continually mutates, sees the band almost wrestling the listener into submission. Elsewhere ‘Number Seven With A Bullet’ evokes early Avenged Sevenfold, smashing Maiden-esque gallops into breakdowns, and ‘Sweet Vampirous’ sounds like a punch-drunk death metal band. It’s invigorating, overwhelming stuff. It’s not all plain sailing, however. The Slipknot-isms of ‘City of The Condemned’ and ‘Mutilation’ allow the sign of the times to creep through, and the death metal postering of ‘Shadow Walker’ feels out of place. But, these mishaps aside, we are still in the presence of a minor classic here. BT’s use of massive hooks and gripping rhythms ensures that their heady brew of extreme metal never pushes beyond the boundaries of palatability – that is quite a delicate line to tread. At their expansive best – witness ‘Murder By Numbers’ and ‘Dead Like Me’ – they evoke a whirling menace of groove which reminds us exactly why metalcore gave heavy music a deserving kick up the ass almost a decade ago. Why did anyone listen to Killswitch Engage when this was on offer?The Power Of The Riff Compels MeComment
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Exciteable he may be, but he's not stupid. He's proven very good at surviving in the business, and had carved out a decent enough career for himself post-Skid Row. There were plenty of good singers in hair metal, but most fell by the way-side in the '90s.......
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