NYS Music 20​17

Tag: Album Review

  • Hearing Aide: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong ‘PIZAZZ’

    Once you fall down the rabbit hole and begin obsessively following the “Jam Scene” you quickly take note of which bands are the real deal and which ones will soon become another fourth-tier festival causality. Since their birth in 2009, Baltimore natives Pigeons Playing Ping Pong have quickly pulled themselves up the ropes and show no signs of slowing down. Progressing from simply a name you saw on the line-up of nearly a dozen festivals and hearing about them for Phish after-shows to headlining their own two-set shows and establishing an obsessive fan-base of their own (often referred to as “The Flock”), PPPP has secured a spot in the rank of bands you absolutely must see if they are within driving distance (eight hours is driving distance… right?). With the release of their new album PIZAZZ on October 20, the band solidifies that they are here to stay and only getting better with age.

    PIZAZZIf you’ve ever been fortunate enough to catch a show, then you already know how much energy this band has at all times. For the right person, a PPPP show is the equivalent of running a 5K on acid. Prior to your first show I would recommend going to the gym three times that week to prepare for the number of funk-driven convulsions your body will encounter. While it is often difficult to translate what a band can achieve in a live setting to a studio album, PIZAZZ is about as close as it gets. This is the essential “dancing your ass off in the kitchen while cooking dinner and you’re so into it you don’t even notice your roast has burnt” kind of album. It is genuinely fun, with each track offering a different form of exhilaration to keep the listener engaged. It is often difficult to choose music that satisfies every guest’s tastes when throwing a party, but with PIZAZZ you are guaranteed a bridge that will keep everyone satisfied and may even inspire a few hallway dance circles.

    The album starts off hot with its first single “Fun in Funk” which epitomizes what the band and album is all about. The lyrics are playful and self-aware, but musically it is clear that they are not messing around. While “Fun in Funk” has already debuted live, like many other tracks from the album, the studio version is cleaned up and polished, while not at all overproduced. The second single “Something for Ya” follows keeping the energy going, but after listening through the album a couple of times you realize that they could have release almost any other song as their second single and it would fit. The album flows like a well-thought out 11-song set. As you reach the end of the final track, the mystical “Poseidon,” you have the urge to let out a little yell and clap for a couple of minutes until they come out for an encore. While we will have to wait a bit for the encore, this album is certainly one you will listen to over and over until it comes.

    Key Tracks: Fun in Funk, Something for Ya, Poseidon

  • Hearing Aide: Deadrider ‘Reaper’

    Living in Central New York, you will find some great talented musicians lurking at your favorite dives and music venues. Oh yes, these creatures still exist and they seek out souls to join their ranks. The energy and the aggression in the material these bands crafted will have it become as if it was forged into your DNA! A perfect example that the music scene in my hometown is still  baring teeth is no other than the mighty and destructive Deadrider! With their 2017 album Reaper, you will join the ranks of  the CNY  metalheads!

    deadriderDeadrider is a heavy metal and thrash inspired group containing the talents of John V Bustos (lead singer/lead guitar), Antonio Labbe (drums), Michael V Visconti (guitar and backing vocals) and Mike Losert (bass). If you go to the local shows in the area, I bet you will meet these rocking dudes! With so many great influences on the album from the late 80s and early 90s, the best track that encompasses these elements would be the track. “Heavy Metal Deadride.” With amazing guitar work  with searing guitar solos from both Bustos and Visconti , your ear will pick up the how the track is deeply rooted into bands like Anvil and early Iron Maiden days. With a dangerous cocktail of power and aggression, this jam becomes a whiplash worthy type of track; prepare for bangovers! The melodies are infused with g-force speed and allows this piece to come alive. It will eat you up! The vocals will create a fire in your blood as if it was your last ride. Ready for their last ride and hot damn it makes it addicting. With such speed you can see this element on other tracks on the release like “Brainwashed” to keep you windmilling for days.

    What I love most about Deadrider is the hints of thrash in their material. Let me tell ya brother, I love my thrash as much as I love my crafted beer. One of my favorite tracks to give me my thrash fix is the necksnapping “Skulls and Bones.” This thrash based track with neck breaking riffs will have you sore for days! The drums are wild and sparadic and it fits the overall approach of this song quite well. This will make you pick up your feet and mosh as if your life depends on it. Losert brings that nice old school 80s bass tone to it. Labbe with his great approach and dynamic style, really allows the lower and bottom end in great form. This allows both the bass and drums to shine like a sword after it is folded into the perfect weapon. Show no mercy when this song is blasting.

    The band’s track “Iron Angel” is one hell of a catchy grooved based tune. With the mindset of the end is coming towards the listener and your possible enemies, it really feeds that urge to have destruction take hold. If Venom had a bastard son, this would be the track! This one is indeed for the metal fans of the all or nothing type of attitude. It is one my personal favorite tracks on the album. Along with “Through The Trenches” the added variable of the formula to this album of fighting to the last breath will  make this your go to release to get pumped before the show. Like pumped and ready to scream!

    Reaper has the fix for that raw thrash and old school heavy metal approach that will fill any bar and music venue in the area! I would rate this album 5 out of 5! Check them out on Facebook and their website.

    Key Tracks: Iron Angel, Brainwashed, Skulls and Bone

  • Hearing Aide: Incantation ‘Profane Nexus’

    Death metal has many faces, much like the seven headed beast that rises from the sea! It can have the speed and ferocious nature of a great white shark, thrashing while tearing the flesh apart without mercy! Or the infernal beast can take a sickening slow approach. Slowly filling your body and soul with dread as you gasp for air! Yes, the genre has taken many shapes and forms. One of the most recent incarnations, has risen from the depths of the nine circles once again. This demonic beast is known to those as Incantation from Jonestown, Pennsylvania. They have unleashed the most disgusting of all unholy sounds with their latest release Profane Nexus (released via Relapse Records). Let us delve into the hellish world of death metal, but with severe caution in this album review.

    Incantation 'Profane NexusProfane Nexus is the follow up from 2014’s Dirges of Elysium ( released via Listenable Records). With this latest release mixed and mastered by Dan Swano at Unisound  Studios, most known for helping the Swedish death metal scene with such groups like Entombed,  you can bet already the album will have that filthy muddied sound we love to drown ourselves in. The album starts with the blistering guitar works from McEntee and Lombardozzi on the opening track “Muse.” With the familiar down tuned style of the band, it contains both groove orientated soundscape combined with clearly mastered technical skills of both guitar players. You can feel the riffs gorge on your remnants with each passing second!
    If you need something for those blasphemy outings, “The Horns of Gefrin” shall be your unholy hymn of choice for you then! Severn (drums) will have you begging for the barrage of intense and unforgiving dynamic display he is showcasing in his drumming to stop before your skull cracks open! He will bash your head in with a smile on his face. Incantation is most known for their more sludge driven type of death metal much like Autopsy and Disma. The track “Incorporeal Despair” brings that sudden sensation of dread and suffocation to the album. McEntee’s vocal approach will make you feel as though he is speaking from the deepest parts of the abyss. Dragging through the river of Styx you shall find Sherwood as your ferryman as he plays  the most blood curdling  bass riffs, cracking your soul in half!
    Even throughout the many band changes in regards to  live performance members, the name Incantation shall reign forever in the death metal world from the past, present, and the future! I give this album an 8/10. Check out the band’s site to order, and sample the album, Relapse Records online store,  and of course check out your local record store to see if they can supply you with this perfect dose of death.  Remember boys and girls, hail the goat!
    Key Tracks: The Horns of Gefrin, Incorporeal Despair, Ancients Arise

  • Hearing Aide: Wintersun ‘The Forest Seasons’

    With the seasons being so diverse in their nature, many find comfort with each emotion they bring along with them. The cold bitterness of winter as wildlife and forestation finds rests, the welcoming embrace of spring when life resurrects again, summer brings the heat to keep our spirits filled with fire, and fall the season of beautiful changes and wonderful spices. Much like the four seasons, metal has the ability and beauty of melding together all sorts of aspirations. Only a few groups have been able to incorporate these elements to make  masterpieces in our time.  It has been five years since the 2012 release of Time I (released via Nuclear Blast Records), which pushed boundaries which a metal band should sound like. With much anticipation of the latest album from Wintersun, The Forest Seasons (released via Nuclear Blast), the musicians of this ever changing and growing tribe has without a shadow of a doubt created another masterpiece that will stand throughout time. This band is no other than Wintersun! With their third studio album under their belt, it is time to give into nature and give this album a proper review!

    Back in January 2017, Wintersun announced they were finished recording the newest album and you can bet the metal community was set on fire. Through every metal forum I was on to my Facebook feed, the flavor that everyone wanted to taste the most this year was Wintersun. Upon them releasing this album, you bet metalheads world wide were eating this up like the mead from Thors goblet! The first track of the album, “Awaken From The Dark Slumber (Spring),”  opens up with such galloping force, it will overtake you in mere seconds. Jari Mäenpää (vocals/guitar) has the perfect mold for beauty and relentless attitude with both his clean vocals and growls. Mäntysaari  joins Mäenpää on guitar to help propel the song on an ever ending journey of soaring guitar riffs as well as very delicate yet masculine precision. Much like many great progressive metal bands, such as Dream Theater and Symphony X, you will find the guitar work is mesmerizing as much as the lyrical content. The visual of dreams fading and life not returning back to the lands, this track will take you on a brand new journey of rebirth and darkness.

    What I adore most form the boys in Wintersun are the elements they bring across the spectrum into all of their material. Pulling influences from folk metal, black metal, power metal, and progressive elements to craft a very unique sound that many tried over the years to copy, but failed doing so. With such huge amounts of inspiration from previous projects they have done like Ensiferum for example, they know how to make the influences work as one. The track which really builds upon the many musical backgrounds of the members is “Eternal Darkness (Autumn).” This song is so over the place, yet the band knows exactly how to bring it altogether. Koskinen adding some more bass along with Mäenpää (also drum programming), they give it a very sinister sound with a hint of sorrow hidden in the wall of sound they have created. It has the power symphonic feel of Dimmu Borgir while giving it such a technical sound, it blows your mind! This track is made for the black metal type of fans as well the symphonic metal camps. The tremolo picking is so fast it is face melting. If I can suggest you listen to any track by itself to get the main idea of the album, you should blast this one when you can. You will not regret it, I promise!

    With such a huge amount of production they used on this album you see some great vocals on the choir pieces with great vocalists that worked with Tyr, Children Of Bodom, and Moonsorrow for a couple of  examples. What gives this album even more of a  mystic vibe to it are the liner notes giving those who had the most hands on this album  their own seasons. Mäenpää (winter), Mäntysaari (spring), Koskinen (Autumn), and Hahto (Summer). This album carries all the best elements of what metal and what musicianship should be crafted as. It gets a 10/10. Go check out the album on the band’s page.

    Key Tracks: Eternal Darkness (Autumn), Awaken From The Dark Slumber (Spring), Loneliness (Winter)

  • Hearing Aide: Venomous Maximus ‘No Warning’

    Over the years, Black Sabbath has been known to create not only the metal genre as a whole, but  also inspired so many sub-genres  from the roots of all things heavy.  Because of the wall of sound and the occult themes, many fans were mesmerized by that approach and set out on pilgrimages to create their own form of occult rock. From bands like Candlemass, Angel Witch, whom brought the sound of wicked laced lyrics in their songs, to groups like Electric Wizard who brought the evil overtones with immense amounts of 60’s influence drug speak,  it is fair to say Black Sabbath has given birth to so many great bands over the years with their influence. Among the children of Sabbath, we have Houston’s Venomous Maximus.

    venomous maximus no warningThey started casting evil incantations with their debut album, Beg Upon The Light (released 2012 via Occulture), the band was eagerly accepted in the doom underground. Now it has been two years since their last spellbound of a record Firewalker (released 2015 via Shadow Kingdom Records). They came back from the crypt to cast one more feverishly dangerous of an album, No Warning (released via Shadow Kingdom Records), the doom rockers have once again unleashed hell and we love it!

    No Warning is the third studio album from the band. The formula of New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) with the elements of Black Sabbath,  this album hits you where it matters most. With Beg Upon The Light single “Give Up The Witch” we have the continuation of the story with “Return of The Witch.” Much like from the debut album, the vocals will  have your skin crawling with excitement. Higgins (vocals/guitar) still sounds like an ominous banshee which you do not want to meet in a dark alley. Such a deep and very melancholy style of vocals, one will find themselves caught in the beauty of the darkness of the lyrical themes. With tracks like “All Of My Dreams” and “Pray For Me”  displaying the most powerful of vocal creation, you will without a doubt be putting these tracks on repeat while you let the night take you away.

    The band really knows how to make catchy songs while keeping that metal attitude alive. With Higgins, Larson (guitar/synth/backing vocals), Diles (bass), and Draungardy (Drums/percussion) working like an unholy covenant, the songs they create will have you banging at your next black mass! My personal favorite songs which I feel have the best girt type of mood would be “No Warning” and “Spellbound.” With such energy you will fall in love with Draungardy drumming and bass playing from Diles to penetrate into your mind the end of days is nye! It really will make those fans of Sabbath and Candlemass really feel as though the two groups made a Rosemary Baby and is offering the craft to the world! With the guitar work of Higgens and Larson working as one being, the 80’s guitar style is very clear in the tracks, with soaring guitar solos, but still carrying that doom induced dread that even the dead can enjoy rocking out to!

    I have always been a huge fan of doom and occult themed bands. In fact it is one of my favorite genres of all time to enjoy with friends in the graveyard back in my youth. Doom metal will continue to haunt the underground and the passion for all things ominous. The genre will continue to be a favorite of the metal underground. With No Warning your passion will only grow with the genre and the band. This fine specimen gets an 8 out of 10 from me.  You may go to the band’s bandcamp to get the album or Shadow Kingdom Records website. Get it out and may the spirit of the witch grace your ears!

    Key Tracks: Return Of The Witch, Pray For Me, All Of My Dreams

  • Hearing Aide: Haakon’s Fault ‘Waning Gibbous’

    New York City based progressive rock band, Haakon’s Fault, has recently released their brand-new EP, Waning Gibbous. Despite the four-track project’s shortness, the band’s style and skill level is well showcased, combining elements of both wailing and grunge guitar offset by the entrance of a clean vocal by lead vocalist, Harry McNamara.

    The EP’s opening self-titled track, “Waning Gibbous,” acts as an inviting introduction to the project. The song’s lead guitar riff captures and heats up the track to soon be cooled down by calming vocals. Despite the hot and cold nature of the track, it catches on fire with a piercing guitar solo that secures focus and desire to listen to the next three songs.

    Waning Gibbous continues with a variety of sounds, followed by the second track, “Wicked World.” The track’s opening riff tells listeners to fasten their seatbelts. They’re on for the ride. With tints of hard-country, “Wicked World” symbolizes the versatile nature Haakon’s Fault has with their music.

    Moving onto “Save Us” and then “Higher” Waning Gibbous provides an easy listening atmosphere for all listeners of music. It is very rare that a project is able to appeal to audiences of different genres while still remaining true to their sound. Haakon’s Fault is an example of a band that makes prog rock listenable to everyone. Their new EP stabilizes the thought that everyone, no matter the age or music sensibility, is able to rock.

    Key Tracks: Waning Gibbous, Save Us, Higher

  • Hearing Aide: Diluted ‘Never Fit In’

    We all know there are bands that ladies just dig, and groups with  lyrics that can get the booty shaking while keeping it gritty enough for the guys to be able to pump their fists to as well are even better. You know there is a band that many of us can enjoy when we want a party type of sound. There is one band from Rochester, NY who can supply such great tunage. Who is this group that promises nothing but good grooves and chaos? Diluted of course my dear friends! With their EP, Never Fit In, you will find yourself dancing and shaking more than the time you tried to reenact the bar dancing scene from Coyote Ugly! Let us get this album review in full swing boys and girls!

    dilutedThe first track off this album “Better Living Through Hennessy” goes from 0-60 in less than 2 seconds into the album. The guitar styles of Helmer and Coffey will take you by storm. Their funky yet hardcore approach for this track is nothing but full of life! You will have yourself singing along with the lyrics while moving those two left feet of yours. Let me tell ya, nothing beats a good old fashioned song you can find yourself singing to in the car.  This song is one of those jams I can see the whole venue singing along to with a couple drinks in hand!

    If you like groups like Faith No More, who has a nice little mix of rap flow blended with some great punk related attitude, the track “Hipster Helmets & Harpsichords” will make those feet of yours go manic! I really enjoy this track from the get go!  Like seriously digging it with my whiskey right now! The vocal approach by Mulligan and Coffey reminds me of the glory days of my youth with such bands like Neurosonic and Skindred. Excellent destructive vocal execution  fused with modern hip-hop type of lyrical construction made this song stand  out the most to me personally.  The most fascinating part of this track is the communication between West (drums) and Kimak (bass), which really lays down the foundation for the energy of this sweet tune!  The beat is never lost and you can really swing your body to it all the way through! This will be the jam the ladies will be losing their minds to. Look out fellas, we have some bonafide lady killers on our hands!

    Now this album has some great party songs on it, but it also contains great heavy tunes like “Sledge Hovercraft.” Much like the other tracks on the EP, it has a great flow with both the lyrics and musicianship. You can tell the boy’s formula is spot on with this gem! The screeching sound of the vocals on the track will make you bang your head! If you want some Red Hot Chili Peppers type funky style with your hardcore music, but want to be mad as hell at the same time, well this track is for you. This song is made for the guys hands down. If you get drunk enough and want to start a bar brawl, this will be your theme song for the ring.

    Over all there are so many other great tracks on this album from Diluted. I wouldn’t think I would find myself enjoying a band like this, but I am hooked and I cannot stop blasting this. My fingers are starting to bleed from pressing the repeat button so many times! Go out and buy this sick product of jams! 4 stars out of 5 for sure! Go check out their page. You will not regret it, I promise you!

    Key Tracks: Better living Through Hennessy, Sledge Hovercraft, Hipster Helmets & Harpsichords

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7EeFtvvxkU

  • Hearing Aide: Intrepid Travelers ‘Everyday is Your Birthday’ EP

    One of New York State Music’s 87/90 bands, Intrepid Travelers, is set to release their EP Everyday Is Your Birthday on Thursday June 29th. The CD release event will be in their hometown of Buffalo at Buffalo Iron Works.

    Everyday is Your BirthdayBirthdays: those special “holidays” that allow individuals to celebrate another year of existence with family and friends. Birthdays carry a different connotation depending on which birthday it is, and perhaps when you reach a certain age, you start to dread that once ever so special day. But overall, birthdays are meant to be positive and enjoyed, and this collection of songs through artistic composition and improvisation shows that each day must be celebrated like a birthday.

    The band, who only formed in 2013, has had their fair share of touring experience, and this EP features “studio cut versions that have been in live rotation for over a year, [that] have been rearranged…to fit a studio sound.” Each of the recordings “were done live, except for vocals which were overdubbed.”

    The first track “Destinesia” has a great groove that sits right in the pocket with almost a bossa nova bass line from David Neimanis throughout the song’s A section. The keyboard/organ sound is dense and adds a richness to the track. “Dark Disease” intersperses a beautiful instrumental ballad that works to elicit a state of peace by the listener. The melodic to and fro of the guitar is well-written and well-textured. The changes in this song are made known by a unison set of eighth notes that up the tempo and bring in the vocals. The last few minutes of the track features Brian Calisto on guitar with some tasteful improvisation, strongly supported by the keyboard. Everything comes full circle with a recapitulation of the ballad theme.

    “On Inside” has rhythmically unison instrumental lines that are quirky and pleasantly dissonant. The best part of the song is when the last quarter where it morphs into a full swing groove with a solid walking bass line. In “Funnel,” the song begins with a nice build up, starting with just piano on the off beats, layering drums, guitar, then bass. Drummer John Fohl does a great job setting up the hits in this song. There’s a wide gap here between the vocal harmonies featuring as much as an octave between parts. This could be a little tighter intonation wise, but overall it’s a good way to create a fuller sound. “Maddy & Anna” is the funkiest track on the EP, where you can hear the inspiration for the EP’s title with the line: “cuz every day is your birthday.”

    The writing throughout is quite impressive properly balancing the main themes and progressions with sections devoted to improvisation. The song sections are quite diverse within each track, but it’s easy to follow the musical layout with their repetition of certain sections. The band self-identifies their writing genres as funk, jazz, rock, and psychedelic which are all evident in this EP. The guitar and keys are really given a chance to show off their written and improvised material with full support from the bass and drums.

    Intrepid Travelers wrote the music and lyrics for Everyday is Your Birthday, and also created the album artwork- both front and back. The back of the album features bright colors, sprinkles, a slice of Birthday cake, and the track names in bubble letters. This perky design screams “joy” and “celebration” in terms of a birthday. The album’s front cover is a chocolate chip cookie cake, arguably one of the best kinds of cakes. The lighthearted artwork reinforces the EP’s title and brings some visual continuity to the aural contents inside.

    The EP was produced and engineered by Ryan Press and Packy Lunn in Buffalo, NY, and it was artistically mastered by John Arbuckle at Room 7 in Sea Cliff, NY.

    Key Tracks: Maddy & Anna, Dark Disease

  • Hearing Aide: Escaper ‘Skeleton Key’

    Brooklyn-based band Escaper recently released their debut album, Skeleton Key. Escaper consists of Will Hanza on guitar and vocals, Johnny Butler on saxophone, Adam Ahuja on keys, Jay Giacomazzo on bass and Andrew Nesbitt on drums. This seven track album takes listeners on an unpredictable stroll through exploratory tones, multicolored rhythms and colorful melodies full of airy notes that leave songs wide open for improvised jams to be interjected during live performances. A unique element to this record is that the band laid down all the tracks in one day, with one take each, at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, NY. Each musician simultaneously played in separate rooms, beautifully capturing the raw essence of a live performance.

    The first track, “Skeleton Key, Pt. 1,” eases listeners into the album by playfully winding back and forth between light, jazzy beats and kaleidoscopic intonations. Picking up the energy, “Mutiny” lays out the vibes with heavy drums, deep bass and extended guitar notes that wrap around jazz infused keys and saxophone tones that linger on the edges of euphoric spaces, creating a relaxed mood for the listener.

    “Lighthouse” throws out crunchier funkadelic rhythms, begging the listener to sway back and forth to the beat. Punchy keys start out this refreshing track before flowing into a combination of jazzed out saxophone and trippy guitar. Once again, deep bass and tight drums keep the musicians in line throughout the melody. The fusion of so many genres puts Escaper into a unique category, blurring the lines between the jazz and jam scenes.

    A slow building “Night Crawler” is fully stocked with short bursts of brisk notes that tap dance their way through the tune, picking up varying musical elements that effortlessly move around the sweet-sounding melody. “Narwhal” glides around smooth jazz beats that flow on the edge of picturesque tones merged by the guitar, sax, and keyboard.

    The album wraps up with “Skeleton Key, Pt. 2” in a way that highlights breathy sax and a splashy guitar/key combo before an energetic “Castles” brings the music to a close. Overall, this debut album is filled with fluid compositions that will come alive during live performances due to the spacious range left open for improvisational play. A solid package of laid back, uncomplicated tunes that seamlessly run the gamut from jazz to jam with  touches of psychedelic grooves that will ease any listener into a relaxed mood.

    For more information regarding Escaper and their new album, along with tour dates, please visit their official web site.

  • Hearing Aide: A Fitting Revenge ‘Tempus Fugit’

    Ever since my first local show experience in my hometown of Syracuse, N.Y, I was addicted to finding local bands. The one thing us New Yorkers know best is how to make our own brand of metal. Look around in the Central New York area and you will find some of the most talented bands you can find from Ire Clad, which has some of the best mixture of Black Sabbath’s doom approach mix with some of the hard rock vibrations of Soundgarden, and Vile Tyrant who continues to liberate the black metal underground with their melodic approach to the genre. New York bleeds metal! To present my case, I give you this album review of A Fitting Revenge’s album, Tempus Fugit. I now have the floor!

    a fitting revengeA Fitting Revenge is based out of Rochester, N.Y. We have Ledwing Hernandez on both guitars and vocals to bring the battlecry, Chris Xu on guitar to help bring the groove back to the mosh floor, Chandler Moran on bass to make your skin vibrate with excitement, and Aaron Smith on drums fueling the fire with his sonic attack behind the kit! Tempus Fugit is a deadly cocktail of groove and melody. The track “Cured of Faith” has some of the best groove induced execution I have seen in recent years. The band’s influences really show here. From the vocal approach much in the style of Randy Blythe, from Lamb of God, to the very catchy riff playing similar to Dimebag Darrell, the band still gives this track some NY style flavor. Hernandez’s vocals are just murderous and carries very well with the intricate drumming of Smith; by far my favorite track from the group. Moran’s bass playing will make you pick up your feet as Smith’s sounds the battle drums! Prepare for a moshpit for this one!

    Even with the intense amount of aggression, you can still find some of the best melodic material from A Fitting Revenge. The track for me that screams out to in this manner is the beautifully constructed ‘Quiverfull’. The guitars harmonize very well on this song. Xu and Hernandez really have that chemistry to make this song hit hard. It is like taking a punch from Tyaon; yes including the ear biting! The fingering and precision is remarkable. Not even once when I was this demon did they lose my attention on this track; superb. Extremely catchy and melodic, it will have you begging for more as Hernandez’s guitar soars and compounds the solos with no struggle. The bass playing of Moran is spot on as it helps propel the emphasis of the bottom end of the song with the help of Smith’s very technical playing to keep that neck of yours breaking!

    These musicians are extremely talented in what they do. With the aggressive tracks, like “Cured of Faith” and “Quiverfull,” and the melodic tracks, like the instrumental “Neuromancer” and “Wintermute,” the band no doubt has mastered their craft. In my opinion you should check out this band if you need a groove fix for your collection. I give this album 5 out of 5 horns. Go to the band’s links below to show your support!

    Key Tracks: Cured of Faith, Quiverfull, The Noose