New Music Report – April 23, 2021
I’m a bit late again cause I actually thought I had more to go off of with new music for last week week, but I guess releases are still getting pushed back, so we’re pretty light on actual releases, but this one is still really good and the singles this week have been INCREDIBLE and honestly, I feel like that’s more than made up for the otherwise light week. And, if nothing else, the new releases for this current week (next week’s post) are well worth the wait.
Left to Suffer EP – With such a light week for complete releases, it’s easy to be a bit disappointed with just a single EP, but holy fuck do these guys stuff a lot of content into just 21 minutes. Don’t let its length fool you, this is absolutely not an album to sleep on. Left to Suffer are one of those bands like Bodysnatcher or Crystal Lake that sort of skirt the line between metalcore and deathcore, with crazy technical riffs and intricate syncopated rhythms you expect from metalcore bands, with the absolutely heft and brutality of deathcore. And with that fusion of genres, it opens up a huge spectrum of sounds to work with and Left to Suffer have really taken advantage of them all, turning around with some incredibly creative and diverse songs. Not to mention all the unreal features on this album (including Ryo Kinoshita from the aforementioned Crystal Lake). It’s crazy really, I know it’s a short album, but it really feels like they packed an LP’s worth of material in here. Like I said, don’t sleep on this one.
The Mars Volta – First off, before anyone gets too excited, this isn’t a new release. I’m going to keep this kinda of short cause this only technically counts as new music. This is basically a compilation album of all the early demos and such from De-Loused in the Comatorium. Now, De-Loused happens to be one of my all-time favorite albums, so getting a peak into some of the bones that turned into such a brilliant piece of music is honestly pretty special. Now, I will say it’s given me a newfound appreciation for all the production work and development that went into the final product, but you get this sort of raw feeling with these demos that are sort of a spiritual bridge between At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta. This is one of those things that I’m going to listen to once or twice, just for the experience, but it will never hold a candle to the actual De-Loused. Nor is it supposed to, frankly, and that’s just fine.
Singles/Albums – The Devil Wears Prada (Metalcore), Imminence (Post-Hardcore), Our Last Night (Post-Hardcore/Metalcore), Wristmeetrazor (Screamo/Metalcore), Chemical Brothers (Electronic), Kaonashi (Metalcore), Sleep (Stoner metal), An Autumn for Crippled Children (Post-rock), Attack Attack (Just the worst, jfc), August Burns Red (Leveler re-recording with Ryan Kirby), Lustmord (Dark ambient)
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New Music Report – April 16, 2021
This week was a very cool one for new music. Another week of very diverse releases, and while I must admit, there weren’t any releases here that I was anticipating would make my own person Album of the Year list, I walked away very impressed. I also recognize that any of these three albums that I covered this week could very well wind up at the top of someone else’s. These are all very significant bands making very good music. Not to mention the very promising new singles from Gojira and If I Die First. This was a big week for music, and I’d highly recommend checking out any of these, especially The Armed, if you’re looking for something really unique.
Hail the Sun – I totally understand all the hype around this band, and conversely, I totally understand how all these swancore bands can start to blend together after a while. They all have their unique qualities, but over the years, it seems like they all blend together more and more, sharing members, touring together, etc. and after all that, their sounds kind of meld together into one. And for all practical purposes, that’s kinda what happened here. I still love this band, don’t get me wrong, they’re a perfect blend of Circa Survive and Dance Gavin Dance, and on paper I feel like I should be more overwhelmed with this album. However, I still feel like Wake was their highwater mark. It was the most unique and fresh, and at the time, it was fairly revolutionary. But now, this is nothing new. If you like swancore, you’re going to love this album, but I hesitate to say it’s a gamechanger. Very good? Yes. But not truly remarkable.
The Armed – So first thing’s first, The Armed aren’t necessarily a band, they’re more a “collective” so to speak. Their members are constantly shifting, and the origins and main creative input of the band remain a mystery as a result. The only real consistent feature here is that Kurt Ballou of Converge and God City Studios, has produced all of their albums. And that’s a heavy endorsement alone. At the end of the day, over 19 musicians contributed to this album (including Ballou), and man, does it sound like it. This album is, by design, pure chaos. It’s an insane mix of hardcore, noise, and art pop. It’s fantastic. It’s a challenging listen, but man, is it good. It’s all crushing bass, droning synthesizers, relentless drums, and dissonant melodies, it’s a fucking trip start to finish. It hardly makes any sense, but in the sort of way that it’s a very artistic application of utter nonsense, and I love it for that.
Cannibal Corpse – Now, I feel at this juncture I should admit a gather grievous atrocity; I don’t really follow Cannibal Corpse that closely. I know they’re an essential death metal band, and I’ve dipped my toes into their discography on several occasions across their three-decade career, and I’ve always liked what I heard. They have always been that band that was consistently there. As long as death metal existed, so would Cannibal Corpse. And I suppose that made it easy to not only take them for granted. So, this is the first time I’ve really sat down and listened to the band with a more critical ear, and man, was I impressed. This album also marked a rare turning point for the band after the absolutely insane arrest of their guitarist in 2018. And I suppose I expected a bigger turn, but it’s hard to shake one of the most reliable bands in heavy music. Cannibal Corpse are the essence of death metal. You know what you’re getting with this, and it’s as good as ever.
Singles/Albums – Gojira (Metal), Clowncore (EP, Absolute chaos), Spectral Wound (LP, Black metal), Endseeker (LP, Death metal), If I Die First (Screamo), While She Sleeps (LP, Metalcore), Silverstein (Post-hardcore), Bodysnatcher (Deathcore), Fear Factory (Nu-metal), Foxblood (Post-hardcore), The Offspring (LP, Dad punk), Trash Boat (Pop punk), Burial Waves (members of Pianos Become the Teeth, Post-hardcore/Post-rock), Wolves at the Gate (Metalcore/Post-hardcore)
New Music Report – April 9, 2021
This week’s music could not possibly be more diverse. And actually, that’s partly a warning for anyone that follows my spotify playlist, going from Balmorhea to Mouthbreather and We Were Sharks to Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy is… Jarring. But I’m leaving it for effect. That said, I’m super impressed with everything I’ve heard this week. Zao and Balmorhea are both contenders for my top 10 Album of the Year list for very different reasons, and we’ve got a bunch of singles this week to give us a lot to be excited about, like that new AFI album which sounds like it’s gonna be very chill and very, very good. So yeah, enjoy the ride this week, there’s a lot of weird stuff in there.
Zao – This name may be a huge throwback to some of you. Zao were one of the underrated pioneers that laid the groundwork for what would be the second wave of metalcore alongside more household names like Poison the Well or Hopesfall. And while most bands from those days have faded away, Zao came back with one of the most impressive second winds that I’ve ever seen. I want to say that this album will feel familiar, in a way it does, it sounds like that incredibly nostalgic early-00s metalcore but manages to not feel dated and in fact feel fairly innovative by turning the tempo down and infusing some sludginess into the fuzzy, distorted vocals and absolutely relentless drums. And the result is explosive; this is an incredibly heavy and incredibly well written album. Zao truly is a band that aged beautifully, at no point does this take on a genre-gone-by sound immature, in fact it might be my favorite thing they’ve done in their 32-year run. And I simply cannot stress how impressive that statement is. This album is an absolute 10/10. One of my absolute favorite albums so far this year.
Balmorhea – Initially, when I sat down to listen to this album, I started comparing it to the Those Who Ride with Giants album from a few weeks ago. They’re both peaceful, beautiful, melancholy post rock, so it sorta made sense. And in that light, I felt like it didn’t really stack up, it wasn’t quite as grand or cinematic, it didn’t feel quite as full. But the more I revisited this album, the more I realized that was exactly what it was supposed to be. Where TWRWG ebbs and flows with great crescendos, Balmorhea gently unfolds. It doesn’t so much build a soundscape for the listener to experience, but it creates a space. It fills some of that space with quiet but stunning melodies and leaves the remainder for the listener to lose themselves in. it’s a very calm and restful experience; exquisitely beautiful in its execution, while being incredibly mindful of how the audience plays a part in their music and enjoys the same space as every single note does. In that sense, the music becomes whatever you want it to be, and every moment of that is wonderful.
Singles/Albums – Mouthbreather (Hardcore/Mathcore), Light the Torch (Metalcore), Silent Planet/Fit for a King (Crossover, Metalcore), AFI (Alt rock), Devil Sold His Soul (LP, Post-hardcore/Screamo), Red Fang (Stoner Metal), Crossfaith (Metalcore), We Were Sharks (Pop punk), Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (LP, Slam/Death metal), Termina (LP, Progressive metalcore), Osiah (Deathcore), Our Hollow, Our Home (Metalcore), Throne (LP, Blackened death metal), Carnifex (Deathcore), Left to Suffer (Deathcore)
New Music Report – April 2, 2021
I’m a bit late on last week’s new music post, I’ve been out of town, but I’ve got a bit of downtime so I’m getting caught up this morning. I didn’t want to let it go too long though cause week’s music is very interesting and both of them pretty much flew under the radar, which is sort of surprising. These two releases are very different than the stuff you’ll usually find here, so if you’re looking for metalcore or anything like that, check the singles section. That said, these are two very, very interesting, very artistic releases that I’d say are worth the experience alone.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – The name alone here should give you an idea of what to expect with this release. Godspeed have been legends in the post rock community for more than two decades now, with masterpieces like F# A# Infinity which was quite literally the soundtrack to the end of the world, as it was used to score the film 28 Days Later. And their doom and gloom, post-apocalyptic music has always been incredibly vivid and cinematic, making every listen an all-encompassing experience. After the return from their hiatus, however, it felt like there was a certain spark missing from their music, it was still very good, but it was missing a bit of the somewhat intangible magic that made F# A# Infinity feel like you were sitting through an entire movie. But their newest album, G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END! Is the closest thing I’ve heard to them being able to recapture that sound, especially the second half of the album which culminates in one of the most moving tracks the band has ever written.
BRUIT < – Wow, what an experience this album is. And actually, it’s incredibly appropriate that I’m reviewing it at the same time as Godspeed. BRUIT a French post-rock/electronic band that captures a lot of the same sort of vivid, cinematic magic you get with GY!BE, but in a more contemporary and somehow even more daring sort of way. Not to say they’re better, but for a debut album this is an incredibly jarring and impressive piece of music. It’s truly amazing, honestly. It runs everywhere from full on ambient to utilizing trap and drum and bass beats very tastefully over strong, thought-provoking post rock leads, neo-classical melodies, and magnificent soundscapes, transporting the listener from wherever they are, right into this beautiful, dark, masterpiece of an album. There is honestly so, so much to be said about this album but I fear none of it will do it justice, this is an album that really needs to be experienced and indeed lived to be able to understand the true magic that’s been captured here. (Note: I’m not sure this is available on Spotify, so it won’t be on my playlist until that gets sorted. It is on Bandcamp though)
Singles/Albums – Architects (Orchestral B-side/Dadcore), Zao (Metalcore), The Armed (Noise punk), Chris Turner (Oceans Ate Alaska drummer, Solo work), Aviana (Metalcore), Tetrarch (Progressive nu-metal?), Amon Tobin (Trip hop), Manchester Orchestra (Indie), Perturbator (Synthwave)
New Music Report – March 26, 2021
Man, this week was a full week for new music. Also, pretty diverse too, which is always really fun. A few specific things of note this week: The Those Who Ride With Giants actually came out last week and I just found out about it but it’s way too good to not cover. Also, out of all the music that came out this week, the thing that stuck with me the most was probably the SeeYouSpaceCowboy/If I Die First collab single. It’s basically a perfect interpretation of 2005-era emocore for 2021. It’s incredible, so definitely don’t miss that one. As usual, I’ve been building a Spotify playlist with all the new music I feature every week, so if you’d like to listen along, check out the link below.
Genghis Tron – If you told me that I’d be getting new music from Genghis Tron in 2021, first off, I wouldn’t have believed you, but I also definitely wouldn’t have expected it to sound like this. But honestly, the progression of their sound makes absolutely perfect sense. Their frenetic cybergrind of more than a decade ago has evolved into an incredible and surprisingly peaceful electronica driven post rock sort of experience. Which, I know, when you put the two genres next to each other makes no sense at all, but it’s accomplished in a way that only Genghis Tron could pull off. No matter what they sound like, they’re still blazing a trail. But as time passes and tastes mature, I think it’s safe to say the majority of Genghis Tron’s original fanbase will have made their way towards this sort of sound on their own and are absolutely going to appreciate this incredibly creative, complex, and frankly beautiful piece of music from a band that I don’t think anybody thought they were going to hear from again.
Those Who Ride With Giants – Oh my god, this album is absolutely gorgeous. Every truly great post rock album is a unique experience; a journey that you can fully lose yourself in. The best ones, in my opinion, are the ones that take you from the very first note, telling a story like a good book but with no words. And in that story, like all good stories, there are key thematic pieces and storylines, ebbs and flows, chapters and movements, all fully enveloping you. These always feel very different than a traditional album with lyrics, which of course, can also tell a story; conveying these sorts of thoughts and emotions with only instrumentals is a difficult thing to do, but when done right, it speaks a universal language and can take you so far without saying a thing. And this is precisely what this album accomplishes. It’s a peaceful loneliness that’s calming and fantastic. This album is truly beautiful and left me completely speechless at the end. And it’s been on repeat since then. I couldn’t recommend this more.
The Drowned God – I feel like these guys have been released about 15 singles for this 10 track album, but I do have to say, each one of them was very interesting and very exciting, so I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time. It’s kinda hard to pin these guys down to a single genre. In fact, I think it’s easier for me to find bands to compare them to. At immediate listen they reminded of a weird mix of Envy and The Body (who I reviewed a couple months ago). So, I guess it’s like a mix of noise, screamo, metalcore, with a bit of black metal sprinkled in, as is the trend these days. But despite these comparisons, they still remain remarkably unique. And I think that individuality made the album even more captivating. I honestly don’t think this is going to be one of those albums that goes on to create a new sound or spark a musical revolution. But the chaos is incredibly charming and it’s exactly what it needs to be.
Eternal Void – This is another strange one actually. Like, I guess they’re metalcore – progressive metalcore, to be more precise – but not in the way that you’d think. It follows the basic formula of super technical metalcore, but it’s not quite as polished. The vocals are grittier, everything sounds more chaotic, there’s more going on all at once and it feels less organized but also more organic because of it. That ultra-polished metalcore can honestly get a bit old sometimes. It feels a little formulaic and at the end of the day, kinda ends up losing some emotion in favor of tedious technical proficiency. Every once in a while, an album like this is exactly what I need to hear. It sounds like Eternal Void had something to say, and this album was the medium to do so, rather than needing a vehicle to deliver breakdowns and tweedly riffs. Which isn’t to say it isn’t technical or heavy, it is, but it feels like there is a purpose to it all.
Singles/Albums – SeeYouSpaceCowboy/If I Die First (Collab single, Emocore/Mathcore), The ’68 (LP, Noise Punk), Mars Volta (De-Loused demo single), Monuments (Djent), Gojira (Metal), Cannibal Corpse (Death Metal), August Burns Red (Metalcore), Ghost Iris (Metalcore), Beartooth (Post hardcore), Tilian (DGD solo project), As Everything Unfolds (Post hardcore), Lotus Eater (Numetalcore), Above, Below (Progressive metalcore), 1782 (LP, Doom metal), Immerse (Post hardcore), Death From Above 1979 (Indie Pop)
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