All That Remains, a metalcore band from Massachusetts, announced the title of their upcoming album, The Order of Things, which is due out in February. The Dec. 12 announcement was made via their website.
Vocalist Phil Labonte “quietly” released the first single of the album, “No Knock” by offering a lifetime pass to all shows to whoever could find its audio on the internet. After leaving a virtual trail of clues, the winner posted the link to the new song, “No Knock” on Nov. 15.
Although no other details or track listing have been revealed, pre – orders for The Order of Things will began on Dec. 15, and can be done so through the band’s website.
In This Moment has come a long way in their colorful music career. On November 18, Black Widow, the band’s fifth studio effort will be released. Each album from 2007’s debut Beautiful Tragedy, to their breakthrough 2012 album Blood have all been very different from one another. So what direction did Black Widow take?
The album starts off with a short little intro track called “The Infection” then goes into the recently released single “Sex Metal Barbie.” This track is a very awkward track. The combination of riffs, popish-like sound, dubstep beats, and silly lyrics do not blend well at all. It’s hard to grasp to hear In This Moment release this kind of sound. When Blood was released, the combination of Metal and Dubstep was done very well. On “Sex Metal Barbie” it doesn’t work. Producer Kevin Churko did not do a good job with this track at all.
The next track “Big Bad Wolf” is great track. It has a heavy, Nu Metal sound to it. This is definitely a track that finally got me hooked on this album. This has frontwoman Maria Brink going back to the more angry, heartfelt vocals we used to. And “Dirty Pretty” is a decent track.
The title track “Black Widow” again goes back to the similar poppy overproduced sound that “Sex Metal Barbie” had. It’s a shame. Maria Brink is just oozing with talent, her vocals shouldn’t have to be produced at all. Makes you miss her raw singing and screaming vocals on Beautiful Tragedy.
Brent Smith of Shinedown makes a guest appearance on the track “Sexual Hallucination” Hearing them sing together is absolutely mesmerizing, so another high point on this album. It has a pop beat to it still, but the vocals of Maria Brink and Brent Smith mesh so well that it doesn’t matter.
Lead single “Sick Like Me” is a pretty solid track. One of the heavier tracks of the album, this track reminds us how talented In This Moment is when the band is clicking on all cylinders. “Blood Creature Poster Girl” is a charming track as well.
“The Fighter” is an absolutely beautiful track. It features Maria Brink using her powerful voice over piano and string arrangements. Definitely the best track. It takes you back to the days of 2008’s The Dream.
The album continues with some good tracks with “Bones” and “Natural Born Sinner” then it segues with “Into The Darkness” which serves as an intro to another great piano ballad “Out Of Hell.” At the end, Black Widow finishes heavy with “Turn You” before closing track “Rib Cage” kicks in to end it on a high note.
Overall, the album has some very low points from the band. It’s clear in some tracks they’re trying to move toward a more poppy sound. It is also disappointing that there are no guitar solos from Chris Howorth. Chris is a brilliant guitarist and a hell of a song writer. It’s a damn shame this album did not highlight his talent more. However, it is still an, In This Moment album, and there are some fantastic songs mixed into the album. So it seems lop-sided. It’s a blend of great songs and some head scratching songs mixed throughout the album. That falls clearly on producer Kevin Churko and the band making the switch from Century Media Records (who have been a staple of some great metal bands) to the mainstream Atlantic Records may have played a key role in the output of the sound of Black Widow. Moving forward it will be nice to see the song writing process return solely to Maria Brink and Chris Howorth like it was during the time of their earlier albums and away from Kevin Churko. People who are expecting the old In This Moment sound will be in for quite a shock when listening to this album. Even people who are expecting Blood Part 2 may have their hopes too high. But nonetheless, a fair album from In This Moment which would make this easily the weakest entry. This album could have done so much better if you take out some of the “pop” tracks that are infused in it. Take those out, and you have a solid album.
After a contentious break-up in 2009, a two-year hiatus (through 2011), a skeptically received announcement about a new lead singer (in 2012), and then another two years waiting for new music, LIVE has finally delivered a new album. Officially released on October 28, The Turn contains almost 50 minutes of sound that’s similar enough to old-school LIVE to satisfy the faithful, but with an edge that’s sure to win over new fans.
LIVE’s signature sound in the 1990s was a unique blend of spiritually inspired lyrics with alternative rock sound. Now, focusing less on the faith, love, and water that seem to constantly flow through the old albums, The Turn digs up a darker, harder twist — and also includes a few references to fire. “Siren’s Call,” focusing on the torment of losing oneself to another, seems to be in direct opposition to “Dance with You” (1999) which presents getting lost in love as a graceful experience.
The harder side of LIVE isn’t necessarily a new thing; earlier songs such as “White, Discussion” from Throwing Copper (1994) or “Lakini’s Juice” from Secret Samadhi (1997) both have a darker feel with a sound best described as “hollow.” Songs from The Turn, such as “6310 Rodgerton Dr” could be seen as progressions of those earlier sounds.
The lengthy delay following the departure of original frontman, Ed Kowalczyk, and the addition of Chris Schinn allowed time to thoughtfully redefine LIVE. The time was well spent. The Turn presents a good balance between LIVE’s original personality and the new chemistry produced by Schinn, Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer, and Chad Gracey, the other founding members of the group.
Offering up 11 tracks, The Turn is a great comeback album. “Natural Born Killers” in particular tells a good story; “The Way Around Is Through” offers good advice and “The Strength to Hold On” will hopefully someday be performed by LIVE with the support of an orchestra.
Key Tracks: Natural Born Killers, The Way Around Is Through, The Strength to Hold On
Max Cavalera seems to be a man who can never rest. After years of touring with Sepultura to forming Soulfly, Max has teamed up for the third time with his brother Igor to bring Cavalera Conspiracy’sPandemonium. November 4 the album was dropped via Napalm Records. Cavalera Conspiracy had a lot of momentum with the previous record Blunt Force Trauma. So how did this one pan out?
Opener “Babylonian Pandemonium” may be the heaviest track of 2014 and sets the tone for the entire album. Definitely heavier than anything that anything Max Cavalera has ever released. Absolute brutality that even puts Sepultura’s Arise to shame and in terms of heaviness, it’s a fist coming straight at you. No other way to put it.
The Cavalera brothers have taken grindcore and thrash to a whole new level. The track “Bonzai Kamikazee” continues exactly what the previous track brought and by far, some of the most insane drumming from Igor Cavalera. I always believed that Igor was always the X-Factor. It seems that Max always brings his best material when his brother Igor is there behind the kit. My only complaint about this album is that it seems to have buried the bass. However, on the track “Scum” we get a bass intro from Nate Newton. But the album has so much heavy guitars and drums it’s damn near impossible to hear the bass.
My favorite track, “I, Barbarian”, is a suitable title for a song with such eerie guitar solos and riffs from Mark Rizzo and Max Cavelera. But the breakdowns make it much more fun to listen and bang your head to. The following track, “Cramunhão”, has Max’s best vocal performance. It’s hard to believe at his age he can still bring such monster vocals to the table. The last track, “The Crucible”, is a really awesome closing track. The album has two really kick ass bonus tracks “Deus Ex Machina” and” Porra” (which has a Roots flavor to it).
Mark Rizzo’s best work on this album has to be the track “Insurrection”, which has the most guitar solos. The album really centers around the Cavalera brothers, but “Insurrection” gives Rizzo the spotlight. Maz Cavalera and John Gray produced the album and while the production is good, not great, is that it is so damn heavy that some of the bass seems to be buried, but the vocals and guitars sound great and the drums really stand out.
Overall, Pandemonium is a heavy album that is meant to be played loud and by far, Cavalera Conspiracy’s heaviest album and definitely in the conversation as the heaviest album of 2014. Fans of early Sepultura will be pleased.
After consuming Dopapod’s fourth studio effort Never Odd or Even a few times I started to feel a kinship with that moth lead guitarist/vocalist Rob Compa sings about in “Present Ghost” – the albums lead track. Unlike most releases of late, it ruled my brains mental music player for days without rest. End to end the 9 (+1 hidden) track piece has no dead air, no filler, no bathroom songs and more peaks and valleys then the beautiful Upstate NY terrain. This is music that goes beyond simple listening and invites your other senses to an emotion filled rager (w/ free tequila!). It’s happy, sad, spooky, mysterious, and ecstatic all in one prettily packaged jewel case.
“Remembering is everything! Everything! Everything!”
The ‘pod’s music, like many of their peers, is impossible to pigeon-hole into any sort of simple description . This is genre-non-biased music by definition – a conglomeration of every influential mentor on four musician’s lives. Like Mr. Compa says – remembering is everything – to transcend ones predecessors one must appreciate their crafts in their own original way. Influences are rife throughout N.O.O.E – the “Empty Spaces” (Pink Floyd) like breakdown in lead track “Present Ghost” – the Zappa like guitar and organ harmony in “Like a Ball” – the Cream sludge rock bookends on quite probably the world’s only honky-tonk jazz instrumental: “Hey Zeus (Que Pasa)”. Even Hollywood gets a nod here with the Poindexter infused peaks of the aptly titled “Nerds” which – beyond an amusing spoken part – only contains the repeated lyric “No words”.
“They just don’t like sing that much, there’s like no words”
It would be remiss of me to exit this review without mentioning the absolute high point of an album full of them. Track 4 – the mysteriously titled all instrumental “FABA” – takes back the sadly overused word “epic” to its original meaning. Despite containing elements of jazz, funk, rock, and electronica this nine minute piece is closest to a classical composition – as if Mozart and Anastasio smoked a giant blunt and made a hippie opus for the ages. Put simply – it fucking rocks. All of it rocks, get on this album, it’s the best 10$ you’ll spend this year.
According to the band’s website, Echo of Miles will be a 3-CD collection of demos, covers, B-sides, instrumentals, and unreleased tracks chosen by lead guitarist Kim Thayil. “Storm” opens up with a catchy riff from Thayil before he delves into heavier shredding. Matt Cameron throws in an assault of tight drum fills while Ben Shepherd lays the bass line.
Chris Cornell‘s voice, one of the most recognizable in the grunge world, is also featured on the newly dropped track produced by Jack Endino. One of seven previously unreleased songs to be featured on the new set of discs, Soundgarden recorded “Storm” this past May in Seattle. The first album of the set—Originals—includes “Storm,” fellow new track “Kristi” and 16 other Soundgarden jams. Covers, the second disc, also will have 2 new tracks while disc three, Rarities, features 5 previously unreleased jams out of 15 instrumentals, remixes and demos.
Click here to purchase the prerelease of Echo of Miles. More information can be found on Soundgarden’s website.
This past Wednesday, the instrumental wizards in Consider the Source dropped a bomb as they released a stream of the first installation off their new EP World War Trio, titled “Put Another Rock in That Bag”. The release is a six-part, 25-minute impeccable composition that showcases that band’s talent in new and interesting ways. The overall vision and thought-out structure shines in the smooth transitions and its careful ebb and flow of energy. At the risk of sounding cliché, this is a prog-opera with hints of jam, metal, Middle Eastern, and a fusion of other genres into an emotional and dramatic epic. If this band wasn’t unique enough, this album puts them in a category all their own and pushes some serious musical boundaries.
These three gentlemen have stepped outside of the songwriting box and are delving into composer-level status with their vision. The juxtaposition of beauty and fierce aggression propels at the same time it slows down for the view. This tease, and I use that loosely as it is still 25 minutes in length, will lead to a huge anticipation for parts two and three of this album series.
The ONLY way to listen to this album is from start to finish as it tells a tonal story through vivid language, rife with patient punctuation. If you liked this band before, you’re going to love this direction as they’ve found their calling and have created something truly beautiful. If you’re going to cheat your ears out of this masterpiece though, at least take the time to listen to “Put Another Rock in That Bag IV,” which is simply powerful and moving. No band in the jam scene has ever had the balls to step outside the circle like this album does and this song is the climax.
As the album comes to a close, the band circles back to the opening theme. How else would you close something of this magnitude? By tying it all back to the origin and closing the circle, the band leaves you wanting to start the journey again. Absolutely beautiful.
The album can be streamed in its entirety right here and I would strongly recommend taking a listen. Additionally, I got the chance to sit down with the group at Night Lights Music Festival back in September and we talked about the upcoming release, their influences, and a few other things. Check out the video below from our friends at Buffalo.fm.
The band is set to play the new album in its entirety tonight in Albany at their album release party. Tomorrow night they’ll be making their way across the state to play a show in Buffalo at Waiting Room. If you still need tickets, you can grab some for Albany here and Buffalo here.
It’s hard for some bands to take an extended break and make their comeback with the same fire and passion they had the first time around. They’re fighting against the naysayers who claim they’re just making a quick buck off the name and legacy of the band and the pressure of a fan base salivating for new songs. Enter At The Gates.
Their new record, At War With Reality is the first studio album in 20 years for the Gothenburg metallers. And talk about pressure? They’re known as the chief innovators of an entire sub-genre of metal music. Having inspired an entire generation of bands from Unearth to Lamb of God and pretty much every other early 2000’s metalcore outfit. Their riffs have been long heralded as the defining sound of the Swedish melodic death metal scene. So when a band with this kind of pedigree decides to get back in the studio after a couple of decades away, all eyes are on them.
The band picks up where they left off. Not succumbing to the modern trends of metal, At The Gates’ At War With Reality is true Swedish melodic death metal. The big catchy riffs are front and center. It’s almost as if they’ve sent notice to all the students of their sound, letting them now class is back in session. The masters of their genre are back doing what they do best.
Now there comes a downside with that. Unfortunately as good as they are at their craft, the record does sound a bit outdated to modern ears. If you didn’t grow up with this sound, younger fans might just pass them off. And if they’re unfamiliar with their work they might claim they’re ripping off the very bands they inspired. And unfortunately perhaps time has passed them by. You have to give them a ton of credit for making their kind of record but I couldn’t help myself from being bored half way through listening to it. Sure the musicianship is fantastic and some of the riffs stick out more than others but there’s this layer of ‘sameness’ to it all. Songs just kind of blend in to one another and I had to check my music player more than once to see if I was listening to the same song still or not.
It’s a shame because these guys were once kings of the metal scene. And I know a lot of die-hard fans will eat this record up and proclaim it album of the year but it just isn’t doing it for me anymore. I listened to so much of this kind of music that maybe I burned myself out on it. I can’t say it’s a bad record at all. And it’s not as if the time I spent listening to it for review purposes will be the last time I hear these songs, I just can’t give it the universal acclaim that everyone else is giving it right now. Some songs like “Upon Pillars of Dust” and the title track bring the ferocity you expect but they’re surrounded by so much filler that even standout tracks don’t really standout much.
The production is top-notch and everyone is on point technically. Vocalist Thomas Lindberg sounds as good as ever. He has that harsh scream that radiates anger but also has a clarity about him. No pig squeals or death gurgling noises here. The record comes off very much as a guitar player record as most Swedish metal does. These guys worship at the altar of the riff and it shows. Guitar players everywhere will have a ton of fun picking apart these songs as they have with the band’s entire back catalog.
At The Gates are fully back in the fold of the metal roster after spending the years following their reunion as a touring only band with this release. Fans will be pleased with what they hear. The band doesn’t take any weird twists or turns or rely on any gimmicks. This is their sound and that’s it. But At War With Reality is unfortunately at war with blandness. If you love the Swedish sound you will love this. If more modern melodic death metal like Black Dahlia Murder is your speed, approach with caution but for all you know, you might fall in love with a new favorite.
Key Tracks: Upon Pillars of Dust, At War With Reality
At The Gates will be touring the United States next spring as part of the Decibel Magazine Tour with Converge. You can purchase At War With Realityhere.
Six years after their last album, 2008’s All Hope Is Gone and down two members, Slipknot is aiming for the jugular with .5: The Gray Chapter. Following the tragic death of bass player Paul Gray who was said to be a chief songwriter in the band and the unceremonious firing of drummer Joey Jordison, Slipknot find themselves in an uncomfortable spot. Surrounded by controversy and dealing with fan backlash after the band made a major style shift following their second record Iowa, can Slipknot once again reclaim their place at the throne of the metal kingdom?
The first single released from The Gray Chapter, “The Negative One”, had fans rejoicing that the band was back to their roots. Slipknot started off as a noisy, percussion driven, chaotic band that took the metal rule book and didn’t just throw it out the window but lit it on fire and blew it to pieces with a shotgun. However, starting with their third album Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses), the band started to introduce a more melodic texture with ballads and songs fit for mainstream radio. This caused many fans to blame lead singer Corey Taylor’s radio hard rock friendly side project Stone Sour for the style shift. Slipknot always had the brutal speed-freak hyper aggression on every album but more and more of their sound was changing and the ratio was starting to become more 50/50.
Now, getting back to how this ties into the new record. If that first taste of The Gray Chapter had you hoping for Iowa 2.0, I’m sorry to tell you it isn’t the case. This record feels like a direct link to Vol. 3, completely bypassing All Hope Is Gone, which was the bands more experimental effort. But does that mean it’s a bad record or it isn’t a “real” Slipknot album? Far from it. But at this point what is a “real” Slipknot album? Going by their overall catalog they now have more albums that sound like the hybrid heavy/melodic sound we’ve been used to for the past decade than the first two off the wall records that launched them to superstardom. If that’s the case, The Gray Chapter is the most “real” Slipknot record to date.
If you’re still holding a candle for the first two albums, hoping they’ll ditch the “Stone Sour crap”, I hate to break it to you but you’re missing out. The Gray Chapter knows when to dial up the hatred and spew out a diseased metallic headbanger but also when to slow things down a bit and let emotion shine through. Corey Taylor knows how to sing beautiful melodies with agony and disgust in his voice and he showcases that multiple times on The Gray Chapter.
However, even though the band has struck a balance, that doesn’t mean the album doesn’t come off as disjointed. It’s almost as if no thought was given to which order the songs will appear. But when you think about it, there isn’t an album Slipknot has done where the songs flow from one to the next. But what the band has done, which more need to do, is not front load the record. Far too often these days all the best songs are found at the beginning of the album. The Gray Chapter does have some issues with “filler” but great songs are found at the beginning, middle, and end sections of the album.
And speaking of great songs, Slipknot has brought some absolute monsters on this one. “The Devil In I” is hands down one of the best songs the band has ever written. It will be a live staple until the band dissolves and is a strong contender for not just best metal song of the year, but the overall best song released this year. Other stand out tracks include the sonic haymaker that is “Custer”, the fantastic opening ballad “XIX”, and the Paul Gray tribute “Skeptic”.
The only serious downside to the record aside from some forgettable filler songs is the production. The songs seem to lack a fullness that older records had. Even when you crank the volume it just feels like something is missing. Whether it’s a lack of punch in the drums, or missing bottom end, the songs feel like they needed a bit more time in the mastering portion of production. It’s a shame because every other record before had a tremendous sound to it. But The Gray Chapter has almost a demo like feel to it. As if we aren’t hearing the final product.
Slipknot have changed as a band. No doubt about it. But that doesn’t mean they’re a lesser band than they used to be. They’ve never stopped experimenting even when they find a formula that works. This should be lauded by the fan base, not condemned for not sounding like records that are over ten years old. Slipknot never forgot their roots, they still know how to bring the pain. But they also know how to bring the emotion, depth, and maturity that defines a legacy. With the addition of The Gray Chapter to their discography, Slipknot has made the case to be a Rock And Roll Hall of Fame contender when they become eligible for induction.
Some would say that good music is fast, or energetic, or any other adjective to describe their favorite band. While some of the fastest guitar players in the world have notoriety based on their immense talent, other bands have an amazing knack of sparking an emotional response for listeners. Beartooth, on a lyrical and musical level, brings out this idea — that even if an album is simple, it can still be “good.” Especially in the metal and hardcore community, where ‘shredding’ guitars have quite the prominence, this may be a foreign concept, but some of the best metal records of all time still capture an emotional response, no matter what exactly the musicians are doing. Beartooth’s debut album, Disgusting, is a prime example.
The driving sounds of the music kick off into the leading track, aptly titled “The Lines,” a sad song about an addiction. The album came out in June, but its sounds are just now making rounds. The music is simple, but quite interesting. It will please fans of old hardcore, such as Black Flag; it draws influence from a more brash act such as Slipknot (especially “Body Bag”), as the band has mentioned; and the emotional melodies are reminiscent of bands like Linkin Park, Falling Up, and other powerful alternative acts (“In Between,” “Sick and Disgusting”). Overall, Disgusting should be praised as a strong debut and will be enjoyed by a wide variety of people both for musical and lyrical content.
“We are the sons/We are the daughters/The generation of disorder,” Shomo screams toward the end of the first track. These lyrics alone give rise to the tensity of the rest of the album. Many of the words, written by Shomo, surround personal struggles which many can relate. “Beaten in Lips,” Shomo said, is about child abuse. “This is for the kids with the beaten in lips/Whose parents try to shut them up using their fists/Keep living loud and proud/They never can hold you down.” But don’t let select positivity fool you. That same track further encourages said victims to “wipe the walls with kerosene,” and notes that “this is the sound of your children revolting,” before the rest of the band launches into a rhythmic assault.
On a musical level, this album is not dynamic. It is in your face. It is loud and vulgar. It is an example of how to write an emotional melody (especially on the chorus of “In Between”) while adding enough angry chaos through noisy dissidents close to obnoxious leads at some points. Rhythmically as well, Disgusting approaches a high level of integrity as it boarders — in a few spots in progressive influenced patterns, whereas some of it is simply fast and fight – starting. For an example, check out “Relapsing.” Further, one of the best tracks on the album for its quality, musically, and lyrically is “One More.” It’s the anthem of the album and could be enjoyed by even those who despise this genre.
From an overall view, Disgusting is a strong debut. Shomo’s gifts as a producer, lyricist, and musician are clear, but the band has room to grow. We’re looking forward to seeing this promising band evolve.
Key tracks: The Lines, In Between, One More
The album can be purchased on iTunes, in stores, and from the band.
All That Remains, a metalcore band from Massachusetts, announced the title of their upcoming album, The Order of Things, which is due out in February. The Dec. 12 announcement was made via their website.
The album starts off with a short little intro track called “The Infection” then goes into the recently released single “Sex Metal Barbie.” This track is a very awkward track. The combination of riffs, popish-like sound, dubstep beats, and silly lyrics do not blend well at all. It’s hard to grasp to hear In This Moment release this kind of sound. When Blood was released, the combination of Metal and Dubstep was done very well. On “Sex Metal Barbie” it doesn’t work. Producer 
Max Cavalera seems to be a man who can never rest. After years of touring with 
The band picks up where they left off. Not succumbing to the modern trends of metal, At The Gates’ At War With Reality is true Swedish melodic death metal. The big catchy riffs are front and center. It’s almost as if they’ve sent notice to all the students of their sound, letting them now class is back in session. The masters of their genre are back doing what they do best.
The first single released from The Gray Chapter, “The Negative One”, had fans rejoicing that the band was back to their roots. Slipknot started off as a noisy, percussion driven, chaotic band that took the metal rule book and didn’t just throw it out the window but lit it on fire and blew it to pieces with a shotgun. However, starting with their third album Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses), the band started to introduce a more melodic texture with ballads and songs fit for mainstream radio. This caused many fans to blame lead singer Corey Taylor’s radio hard rock friendly side project Stone Sour for the style shift. Slipknot always had the brutal speed-freak hyper aggression on every album but more and more of their sound was changing and the ratio was starting to become more 50/50.