Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Adestria - "Chapters"
3/26/12 Razor & Tie Records

I don't know much about California's Adestria, but I stumbled upon one song, liked it, and bought their debut album "Chapters". My first impression of this band after a few minutes listening, was that they reminded me of a mixture of All That Remains and Killswitch Engage, which is a very good thing.

When this band is heavy, they're HEAVY, they involve some keys in their songs which can either make or break an album, but I think they execute it perfectly. Their metal vocals are great, whether they're screaming or growling its spot on. They do however use clean vocals a lot, which personally I never like in my metals, but they do it in such a way that doesn't make me frown. Their breakdowns and guitar work are solid and keep me interested throughout the whole album. "The Odyssey" is probably the best song on "Chapters", while "Outsiders" has a nice flavorful taste of hardcore in it which was a great addition. "More Than You Know" shows the softer side of Adestria (maybe too soft?), but 3 minutes in they go back to the brutality. They end the album with "Scarlet Letter", a powerful song with an even more powerful ending. This song has some female vocals, as does "Whiskey For The Soul" and one or two others, which work very nicely.

This band will definitely make a rise in the metal world in the next year or so, I enjoyed this album, and although I'm biased because I don't fully enjoy clean vocals, I'm sure most other listeners will. "Chapters" is a good mix of genres, with death metal and post hardcore, it'll make for a good listen for all metal fans.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Friday, March 23, 2012

The Metal Alliance Tour @ The Worcester Palladium
3/22/2012

My ears are still ringing and I smell like PBR, must mean another loud night out in Worcester. The Metal Alliance Tour rolled through town this week, and it was a breathe of fresh air, we've been lacking in the concert department lately. The lineup was great with bands from diverse genres, and a second stage of local acts as well. From death metallers Job For A Cowboy and Impending Doom, to the high vocals and thrash-esque party that is 3 Inches of Blood, this was a very fun show.

The local bands were great, The Summoned closed off the second stage and they were awesome. With a very spastic sound and great stage presence, they were fun to watch. Moving down to the main stage, Impending Doom had a great set, playing mostly older songs and some new ones from their latest album "Baptized In Filth" (reviewed below). 3 Inches Of Blood followed and they also have a brand new album out, they opened with their newest track "Metal Woman", and played such favorites like "Battles and Brotherhood" and "Deadly Sinners". 3 Inches of Blood always put on a great show, I've seen them many times and still get excited whenever I see their name on a bill, same goes for Impending Doom. If you ask me, the first 2 bands didn't get enough time, I'm pretty sure they got 25-30 minutes, which to me isn't enough but they made sure they filled every second with greatness. Job For A Cowboy hit the stage next, and WOW, they always steal the show. They opened with "Entombment Of A Machine", which is a GREAT song and a great way to open their set. They have a new album coming out on April 10th entitled "Demonocracy", so they played a few new tracks and they were rich in JFAC heaviness. After Job For A Cowboy the crowd needed a nap, but there was no time to rest with Dying Fetus about to destroy our eardrums even more. Everyone loved Dying Fetus, and they sounded really great, but as far as visuals go or 'putting on a show', that's not really their thing. They're very old school in that sense, they come, they rock out, they leave, WHICH ISN'T A BAD THING. A huge fan favorite came on next, The Faceless, they always put on a great show and mix their set-lists up with new songs, old songs, fast songs, and slow songs. The crowd loved them, went nuts, and some even left after their set. Why leave before the headliner comes on?! Devildriver exploded onto the stage next, with an hour or so to play, and plenty of songs to fill that slot. Much like the past 5 bands, their set was also comprised of oldies and new goodies, pleasing everyone's ears. They opened with "End Of The Line", and although a lot of people left the Palladium before Devildriver came on, you wouldn't have known by the movement and noise coming from the floor. Once their set was over and the fog settled, many pleased metal fans made their way towards the exits.

The Metal Alliance Tour contained many great bands from different genres of metal, and brought out plenty of metal heads (although the attendance wasnt too high, everyone enjoyed themselves no matter who they came to see). With Job For A Cowboy, Devildriver, and The Faceless being the fan favorites, and 3 Inches of Blood and Impending Doom sharing new music and putting on great shows (as usual), this was a very successful night at the Worcester Palladium. Next stop, the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.....

March 22nd, 2012:

The Metal Alliance Tour w/ Devildriver, The Faceless, Impending Doom, 3 Inches of Blood, and many more @ The Worcester Palladium. To see more, go here.

Or go to www.massmetal.net

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Impending Doom - "Baptized In Filth"
3/13/2012 E1 Music

Impending Doom, the christian metal band that sounds NOTHING like a christian metal band. They released "Baptized In Filth" off of E1 Music, which is their fourth release to date. They're heavy, they're loud, they're deceiving, they're great.

This album sounds very very angry to my ears, a much darker release from their past few albums. "For The Wicked", "Chaos Reborn", and "Angry Letters To God" are the angriest and loudest tracks on the album, oozing with pure aggression to the "non believers" and general population. Within one listen I can tell, this band is pissed! Pissed and slightly sympathetic and worried. The track "Absolute Horror" is a much slower and mellow song, but its still heavy and fantastic. This album has a slightly different sound than their last few releases, but that initial Impending Doom flame and sound is still there, and we can hear it. The opening track, "Murderer" , encompasses the album as a whole, involved both their new and old sounds. Then towards the end of "Baptized In Filth" we come across "My Light Unseen", and I'm not entirely sure where this song fits on the album, or why its playing right now, but it is. It isn't an awful song, but, it doesn't belong on this album, or in Impending Dooms arsenal, and left a sour taste in my mouth.

"Baptized In Filth" definitely sounds different for an Impending Doom album, and while it isn't as great as "The Serpent Servant" or "Nailed. Dead. Risen", its still a heavy album, and majority of the songs please the Impending Doom craving. The band is evolving musically and lyrically and still write great metal jams, and if you ever get a chance to see this band live, DO IT!!!!!!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

February 29th, 2012:

August Burns Red w/ Texas In July and Silverstein @ The House Of Blues in Boston

To see more, go here!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Veil Of Maya - "Eclipse"

2/28/12 Sumerian Records

First things first, here's where the band got their name from. NOW, this is Veil Of Maya's fourth album, and they are definitely Chicago's finest. This album has everything you enjoy from this unique band, a roller coaster of time signatures, ridiculous over lapping riffs, and head bobbing greatness. Get ready for 30 minutes of the most unique and fun metal on the shelf.

It opens with an eerie intro which explodes into exactly what I was hoping to hear, classic Veil of Maya. Majority of this album is exactly what you'd expect with a few twists and tweaks, but if you already have a great (and different) sound, why bother changing it?! With "Divide Paths", "Punisher", "The Glass Slide", and "Vicious Circles" showing the already great and heavy side of VOM, songs like "Winter Is Coming Soon" and "Enter Dreams" show the evolving side of the band with a little bit of a different sound. The title track is an excellent, and slower instrumental song with great usage of the double bass drums and has a very jammy feel, and (in my opinion) would've been perfect as a closing track. I don't care if 'jammy' isn't a word, its the best way to describe the vibe. The album ends "With Passion and Power", a track that could have been on VOM's first or second album, these fellas haven't lost their sound one bit, and that's a good thing.

"Eclipse" keeps a solid pace and flow throughout the whole album, the band pumps out the same style and sound we all love, yet keeps it fresh and exciting. They've perfected the art of metal and musical entertainment as a whole, and for that, my ears are thankful. LISTEN TO VEIL OF MAYA.

T.R.A.M. – “Lingua Franca”
2/28/12 Sumerian Records

Let me introduce you to my new friend T.R.A.M., they are a delicious ‘supergroup’ fusion from different realms of music. Adrian Terrazas (The Mars Volta) on saxophone, flute, bass clarinet and percussion, Javier Reyes and Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders) on guitars, and Eric Moore (Suicidal Tendencies) on drums. “Lingua Franca” is their debut album, and even though it’s just about 30 minutes in duration, it’s packed with awesomeness. If you’re a fan of metal, jazz, thinking outside the box, Animals As Leaders, The Mars Volta, or….music in general, you’re going to love this album.

Firstly, a lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue. Music perhaps?

Recurring words I found in my notes: Groove, jazz, sax, jam, music theory, perfect, sex.

Right when you start listening you can hear the heavy influences from all the bands involved in this group, which makes for a great mixture and final product. “Seven Ways Till Sunday” is a very jazzy, slow groove, jam session, quite possibly one of the best jam sessions of all time. They add some soothing female vocals in this track, as well as “HASS Kicker” and “Inverted Ballad”. One of the more unique tracks “Consider Yourself Judged” is very jazzy and sporadic, yet it stays on course and makes for a great great track and musical experience. The next track is “Endeavor”, and it couldn’t be named anything more appropriate for the sound. The guitar parts on this track specifically are very Animal As Leaders-esque. And might I add, some awesome flute work! Then we stumble upon “HASS Kicker”, very slow and mellow, the sexiest track on the album, slightly reminds me of the quieter side of Pink Floyd for the first 2 and a half minutes, then it reverts back to the sound that we’ve been enjoying for the past 3 tracks. “Hollywood Swinging” is a very jazz oriented song, and while it tapers down at the end it uses vocal harmonies as an instruments and it’s fantastic and very different. We’ve come to the end with “Inverted Ballad”, a slow song that closes off the album and incorporates all of its members, instruments, music theory, and elements perfectly. You can literally fell the song saying goodbye to the listener, and all you want is another track…..two….or ten.

I’m not fully sure how to describe this album or this band. It’s a fusion, an experience, a musical journey, a melting pot, its….perfection. I hope to hear A LOT more from T.R.A.M.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

February 17th, 2012:

In Flames with Trivium and Veil of Maya at the Worcester Palladium.

To see more, go here!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Animals As Leaders - Weightless

11/8/11 Prosthetic Records

If you haven’t heard any Animals As Leaders yet, SHAME ON YOU. This progressive metal threesome is from Washington DC, with creator Tosin Abasi (formerly from Reflux) guitarist Javier Reyes, and drummer Navene Koperweis. They play 8 strings, they blow your mind, and they're a very unique and excellent band, end of story! Weightless is their Second album off Prosthetic since they formed on 08, and a much anticipated one at that.

Recurring words I found in my notes: Spastic, finger tapping, perfect, melodic, heavy, aggression, seizure, experimental, crunchy, emotions, talent.

The first track, "An Infinite Regression", is a finger tapping frenzy which leads into a melodic metal rendition that is parallel with the intro, they give you a slight break a few minutes in with just enough time to catch your breath before the rest of the album begins. "An Infinite Regression" keeps your head bobbing the whole way through, and I’m certain that the rest of the album will do exactly the same. They seem to be adding new elements to their writing with tracks "Odessa" and “Do Not Go Gently” but still have the same writing and sound that we know and love, and they display that in “Somnarium”, “Earth Departure”, (the most experimental and beautiful song on the album), “Cylindrical Sea”, and a few others. “Cylindrical Sea” displays all 3 of their talents and strong points, it stays with the premise of being crazy, yet sticking to a route and plan throughout. Towards the end, “Espera” hits, and for a short song it is packed with many emotions and moods, it’s executed perfectly and segues into “To Lead You To An Overwhelming Question”. This is one of those songs that you think to yourself “I want to see them play this live!”, and to me, it sums up the album as a whole. Then we get to the title track, which is pretty much AAL in a nutshell. If a friend were to ask, “What does Animals As Leaders sound like?”, I’d tell them to pop on track 11. Great recipe for a song, evokes every emotion possible, and a great way to lead out of an album and into the final track "David", a very mellow outro, saying goodbye to the listener, and if you weren’t a fan already, then you definitely are now.

“Weightless” is a great AAL album, and a great metal album. They’ve progressed since their first album, added some more techniques, while keeping the good old ones in here as well, a great sophomore album. Despite being instrumental, which is one of my favorite aspects, they evoke just as much and accomplish just as much as bands with multiple singers and members. AAL always leaves you wanting more, whether it’s the end of a riff, song, or album, we've all got the hunger. LISTEN TO ANIMALS AS LEADERS.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Carnifex – Until I feel nothing

10/24/11 Victory Records.

Carnifex was an old English term for a public executioner that would execute people from the lowest ranks of life , seems fitting right? “Until I Feel Nothing” is the fourth full length album (third off of Victory Records) for these San Diego death metallers, and it’s as heavy as they come. Like all delicious Carnifex, they mix low tuned guitars, guttural vocals, cymbal abuse, and snare blasts, to make one great listen.

Recurring words I found in my notes: Fast, in your face, aggressive, low, gritty, consistent brutality, dark, gritty, loud as hell, fast as hell.

The album opens with an eerie intro, probably the music you'll hear on your descent to hell, involving some keys and the traditional Carnifex ingredients of breakdowns, ridiculous drum work, and terrifying vocals like "FUCK THE WORLD" that'll slap the beard off your face. The tracks that follow are a great audible way to show you what Carnifex is all about, from "Wretched Entropy" to the title track, they’ll suck you in and keep your ears happy and listening. "Never Forgive Me" shows their skills and true colors and adds a touch of orchestrated beauty towards the end, while keeping to their darkness (as always) and screaming “Don’t bother calling my name, I’ll be watching the world decay.” The title track (ironically) is the summary of the whole album, and band even. Very aggressive and in your face much like all of Carnifex's art, and the next few tracks seem to follow suit. With "A Grave To Blame" being the grittiest track on the album, and "We Spoke Of Lies" being the loudest and fastest, they both lead in to the final track "Deathwish", which is the perfect ending to an assault of an album.

“Until I feel Nothing” is 30 minutes of perfect Carnifex, pure eardrum abuse, and aggression. The guys are really going back to their roots yet still keeping it fresh, which is exactly what fans want and feed on. Even before flipping through the lyrics book, from your first listen you can tell this is about their disgust with the condition and state of the world and its occupants and their hatred towards both. This album is another great addition to your metal library, from a great band. LISTEN TO CARNIFEX.