Tag Archives: music

Infinite Potential

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Another band causing me to re-think my opinion of them recently is Northlane, with their new album Singularity proving to be a prime example of what a band can do with some hard work and dedication. Listening to Singularity and comparing it to their last album; Discoveries, it’s obvious that the bar has been set much higher this time around, and what’s even more obvious is how much they’ve cleared it. This album has awesome heavy sections, beautifully crisp softer moments, lyrics that would make even the most tripped out existentialist lose their shit and overall you’re just gonna want to jump around and break stuff. Singularity is a testament to the progressive metal genre and the Australian music scene, and seeing as it reached #1 on the iTunes charts, I think most would agree.

Everything to do with this record is an improvement on Discoveries. I’ve never been an avid fan of Northlane, but I did kinda enjoy the sound established on their first full-length. But I’ll be fucked if I can remember a single stand-out phrase or riff or anything from all 40-odd minutes of it. Save perhaps for “Dispossession”. It’s not a bad album, it’s just not a particularly memorable one. This is where Singularity really trumps it’s predecessor. I’ve only been listening to it for a week or two now and it’s already stuck much harder in my mind than anything from Discoveries.

Another factor that’s been greatly improved is the vocals. Adrian Fitipaldes has a strong guttural sound that you probably wouldn’t expect from such a mangy-looking kid. His cleans aren’t too bad either, but they’re not really a focal point. Which is fine, because they’re used infrequently and very effectively. One main point of discussion about this album as a whole though is the lyrics. Adrian writes some really out-there shit. It’s really hard trying to single out just one phrase to use as an example here, but I particularly like this section from “Worldeater”:

Now I hear the voices of an ancient race
Peering through the veil of time and space
Emerging from the void I am reborn
I see the world for what it really is
Distorted visions of heaven
I have discovered there’s hope in my heart
For I am One

So there’s a very small taste of the wonderful lyrics contained within this album. It’s great to see a band with such verbal creativity, especially one that shares a label with the likes of Deez Nuts.

As for the instrumentation, everything is really tight and mixed well. The riffs are mostly quite interesting, the harmonies are nice and as an overall package it works great together. Some moments are catchier than others but generally each song is powerful and involving.
I would reccommend Singularity not just to fans of Northlane, but to any fan of heavy music in general. There’s plenty of depth to be found here, and it warrants several replays.

8/10

It Never Ends

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This is it. This is Bring Me the Horizon’s turning point. They’ve finally managed to produce an album that doesn’t make me want to puncture my own lung. Quite the opposite in fact; Sempiternal is an album I would actually listen to again. For enjoyment. This is a stellar achievement on BMTH’s behalf, as their back catalogue is less appealing to me than bleeding out in an alley from my recently punctured lung. I absolutely love it when you can hear a band progressing sonically from one album to the next. And considering their last 12-track tragedy, which currently holds my worst score to date, I am practically overflowing with satisfaction at the sound of this band’s progression.

The first track (“Can You Feel My Heart?”) opens with a pretty annoying little dance beat which makes me feel like I’m in any number of shitty clubs that my friends always try to make me go to, but everything is pretty much uphill from there. After that you’ve got track 2; “The House of Wolves”, which might just be the best song I’ve ever heard from Bring Me the Horizon. “Empire (Let Them Sing)” is also a really good pump-up sort of song, with some nice shout choruses in it to get the crowds going. If you’re anything like me though, you’ll find the tracks that are lacking are the singles. When they first released I found myself expecting a whole lot more… which eventually came in the form of the rest of the album. In any case, “Shadow Moses” and “Antivist” are in my opinion, severely uninspired compared to the rest of this album. It’s not a big deal because the rest of the album is solid, just momentary dips in creativity.

Never sticklers for technicality, the formula for this album is simple and catchy. Bring Me the Horizon’s recipe for success seems to be that of less is more: their riffs and melodies are simple, which is why they stick so easily in your mind. It goes to show that sometimes just having a memorable phrase or pattern trumps complexity when making a good song. An updated part of that recipe however, is the vocals. Oli Sykes is actually making a concious effort to sing notes now. His clean vocals are by no means amazing, he pretty much only uses them in the very quiet sections of the album, but he’s hitting the right pitch and he really doesn’t sound all that bad. His screams though, are top notch. His technique has improved significantly and it’s good to see that he’s actually trying to better himself now. A big part of what makes this album such an achievement is the fact that Sykes’ vocals don’t sound so much like a 14 year old girl with a sandpaper-lined throat anymore.

If you’re already a fan of Bring Me the Horizon, you’ll love Sempiternal. If you’re not a fan, then like me this might just be the album that makes you think twice. Sempiternal isn’t so good that it makes me forget about their previous stains on the music world, but it does clean up some of the mess.

7/10

A challenger appears!

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A friend of mine has just decided to start a music blog, where he plans on posting album reviews of his own. He’s already published a track-by-track review of Northlane’s Singularity, an album I aim to review soon myself. So before you get my opinion, head on over and check out Robert’s page: Hollowbody Reviews.
But then come back and read my review, because I’ll get jealous.

Dillinger’s new song prances into my heart

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After what seems like an eternity of teasing and waiting, The Dillinger Escape Plan finally unveiled the first single from their upcoming album One of Us is the Killer today. The track is called “Prancer” and in typical TDEP form it’s a veritable shitstorm of chaos and unbridled brilliance. You can buy it from iTunes now.
One of Us is the Killer is set to be released on the 14th of May.

In other news, I haven’t posted anything for so long because my hard drive has been corrupted for a few months now, and I haven’t gotten around to fixing it up yet. As a result of this I haven’t bothered with much new music lately because I have nowhere to store it. In any case I’m going to try and post some new reviews soon regardless, so stay tuned.

The Next Level(er)

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Instead of reviewing a new release, this time around I thought I’d quickly talk about one of my favourite albums, because I can; Leveler by August Burns Red. Released last year, it’s an amalgamation of musicality and awesomeness, and much like the band as a whole, it stands as a pillar of innovation and overall excellence in the metalcore scene. In the midst of a sea of cookie-cutter acts that overload their songs with the same, tired old formula laden with boring structure and recycled breakdowns, August Burns Red are one of the very, very few bands getting this genre right. They improve themselves with each successive album, and Leveler is the epitome of their collective efforts so far.

Every song from beginning to end is a stand-out performance, from the superbly executed Latin-esque passages in Internal Cannon, to the massively climactic breakdown at the end of Poor Millionaire and everything in between, Leveler is bursting at the seams with face-melting riffs, spine-tingling vocals and bone-shattering beats and rhythms. The production quality is also superb and everything is simply tight as hell. Musicality-wise, every member of the band is very technically proficient with their respective instruments. Leveler contains some of ABR’s best riffs and ideas to date, and every section and passage sounds like considerable thought went into it. Equally impressive are the lyrics, which portray some pretty meaningful messages as well as just sounding absolutely kickass, thanks to frontman Jake Luhrs’ incredibly powerful roars and hair-raising screams. I can’t even pick out a couple of especially good songs, because they’re all so equally brilliant.

Coming off the back of Constellations, Leveler was a perfect progression of sound and is by far my favourite August Burns Red album, and one of my favourite albums of all time. If you consider yourself a fan of heavy music and you haven’t listened to this album, you are sorely missing out, and it’s about time you experienced the overwhelming achievement that is Leveler.

I also highly recommend getting the Deluxe version, as the extra 4 tracks (including an acoustic version of Internal Cannon and a MIDI version of Empire) are more than worth it.

More Like House of Gold & Boners (Part 1)

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Stone Sour have never released an album that didn’t immediately become my favourite album for at least a couple of weeks. House of Gold & Bones Part 1 is no exception. Once again Stone Sour has proven that they are a force to be reckoned with, and that it is definitely Corey Taylor’s stronger band. Same goes for Jim Root. Seriously, if you still think Slipknot is their best project, fuck you. As with their 3 preceding releases, House of Gold & Bones Part 1 is a fantastic example of diversity and creativity that has something for everyone.

The album kicks off with the track “Gone Sovereign”, which acts as a brilliant opening song, and leads into the anthem-like “Absolute Zero”, which has a few sweet hooks that are sure to stick in your head. The album as a whole is pretty damn catchy, actually. Each track is bound to have at least one line or passage that you’ll find yourself repeating over and over in your mind for a long time after the album finishes. There’s also a hell of a lot of substance and variety here. Stone Sour can cover all sorts of song styles, from ballads to hard-hitting metal tracks. Track 4, “The Travelers, Pt. 1″ for instance, is eerily reminiscent of “Bother” from their self-titled first album, an excellent ballad and one of my favourite songs. And then there’s “RU486″, which is an absolute killer of a song, with immensely kickass riffs and some spine-tingling roars from Taylor. The rise and fall of intensity throughout the album is dramatic and effective, almost akin to that of a musical or rock opera.

As a concept album, it’s also the sort of release that’s best experienced by playing it all from start to finish. It’s a journey, and one that everyone should take part in. As part of Stone Sour’s catalogue, this record is really something of a defining moment in their musical lifetime. This is the album where they refined their sound to an impeccable point. As if their last 3 masterpieces weren’t enough, they have now officially cemented themselves as serious contenders in the rock/metal genre. It’s their biggest milestone yet, and the best part is it’s only a couple of months until Part 2 is released.

You have absolutely no excuse for not listening to this album right now.

9/10

Is that a new update? Nah, can’t be.

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Yes I know it’s been months since I did anything on this site and you all forgot it existed, but shutup because this album demands your attention.

Troubled Coast has been one of my favourite new discoveries that I’ve made this year, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating their newest album, Awake and Empty, since I first started listening to them. After waiting in suspense for all this time, my hopes were pretty high, and I’m glad to say I haven’t been let down. Awake and Empty is an excellent release, and certainly a worthy addition to any hardcore collection. Troubled Coast do a great job at setting a tone, which in this case is mostly bleak and moody, but not to such a degree that it just devolves into depression. The music is really emotionally charged, particularly when it comes to the vocals. The lyrics are passionate and Mike Scornaienchi does a terrific job of switching between singing and screaming to suit the dynamics and mood of the music. By knowing when to use vocal distortion, rather than just screaming the entire time, the more powerful sections stand out that much more and create more of an impact. This makes for some great climaxes on the record.

Apart from the vocals, there’s also some wonderful riffs and melodies to be found, and every band member executes their parts brilliantly. The delayed guitar effect is used quite a lot, particularly in the first half of the album, but it works so well you won’t mind anyway.

Overall, Awake and Empty is one of the most sincere works of art you’re likely to experience this year, and if you don’t pick it up you’d be sorely missing out.

8/10

The Ghost Inside: Get What You Give

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Straight off, I can say that Get What You Give is The Ghost Inside’s best album to date. It’s more polished, thought out and executed than their past albums (which were well done in the first place), and each song is bound to leave you with at least one catchy line or melody that will stick in your head after hearing it. Interestingly enough, Jeremy McKinnon (vocalist of A Day to Remember) was the producer for this album, so he’s much better at that job than he is at writing lately. He’s done a great job of directing the recording and bringing out the best in the band, particularly Jonathan Vigil.

There are no dull moments on this record, and the band have maintained their trademark style of emotionally-charged, insightful lyrical themes accompanied by aggressive instrumentation, with emphasis on fast, melodic-based riffs. Clean vocals have also been included for the first time on a Ghost Inside record, and they don’t sound forced or like they were some afterthought that was thrown in at the last minute. They sound like they belong there, and they complement the music nicely. New drummer Andrew Tkaczyk also does an excellent job at replacing K.C. Stockbridge, laying down some truly bone-crushing beats.

Each song is brilliantly constructed and strikes the perfect balance of phat riffage, brutal breakdowns and haunting melodic sections. The result is a massively energetic mixture that is sure to cause more than a few circle pits and out of control moshes. It also doesn’t hurt that the track “Face Value” contains a vocal cameo from Andrew Neufeld (frontman of Comeback Kid).

Get What You Give is an absolutely gripping album from beginning to end, and not one moment of it feels forced or fake at all. It’s a genuinely personal release, and the fact that you can feel that vulnerability and emotion in the music makes it that much more satisfying to listen to. The instrumentation is awesome, the lyrics are honest, relatable and powerful, and as a whole it makes for a memorable experience, and one of the best heavy albums of the year.

8/10

What did you think of Get What You Give? Let me know by leaving a comment!

A quick piece about an upcoming hardcore band: Memorial Avenue

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Memorial Avenue is one of the most recent bands to try their hand at the local hardcore scene. Having already released a 4-track EP (entitled Saviour), and most recently a new single called “Denomination”, they’ve shown that they’re not afraid to get some work done. For the moment they’re taking small steps, but there’s no reason that these guys couldn’t be moving on to bigger things within the next year or so.

Their music is emotionally-charged and mostly melodically-based. They just played their first live gig last Friday, and their next one will be June 24th at St. Mary’s.
So if you’re interested, head on over to their facebook page and see what you think:

http://www.facebook.com/MemorialAve