New Music Report – May 6, 2022
I love getting surprised when I write these pieces. Sharing music with my friends has always been a big motivator for me when writing these, but in a selfish sense, I do it for myself. To force myself out there to find new and exciting upcoming bands that I wouldn’t have given a chance otherwise or find really strange releases that may have flown under the radar otherwise, and this week happens to have both of those types of albums. And it once again makes me incredibly glad I am proactive about finding new music, there’s simply so much out there to enjoy.
Wind Waker – Every year I get caught up by at least one album that’s really just commercialized metalcore with poppy hooks and clean vocals, and I admit they aren’t the most complex albums, but many are they catchy, and I sure do love them. This is that album this year. I haven’t been able to stop listening to this one. It’s not a revolutionary album at all, it’s just a lot of fun and I can’t get these songs out of my head.
Ibakari – This album is so wild, it’s Mat Heafy from Trivium and Ihsahn from Emperor with a few odd features like Gerard Way doing black metal vocals, and the result is basically just a modern interpretation of 90’s Opeth. And if you have any idea how much I love 90’s/early 00’s Opeth, you’ll know how big of a compliment that actually is. Usually, side projects are a little half baked, but when you’re as good as these two musicians, you don’t really half ass anything, and the result is really remarkable.
Singles/Albums – Upon a Burning Body (LP, Metalcore), Terror (LP, Hardcore), Silverstein (LP, Post-Hardcore), The Algorithm (Electronic/Djent), Cabal (Sludge), Suicide Silence (Deathcore), Thousand Below (Post-Hardcore), Stray from the Path (Metalcore)
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New Music Report – April 29, 2022
I honestly had plans to cover a few more albums more in depth this week, there are actually a lot of solid albums that came out, along with some great singles from bands like Bury Tomorrow and Distant. But sometimes, one album comes along and shines so far above the rest, I really feel like I should focus on that one to bring more attention to that specific piece of music, and that is exactly what happened this week. Before I even get started, go check out the Vagrants album for yourself.
Vagrants – I was not expecting this at all. I had heard some minor buzzing about this band and figured it was the usual self-promoted YouTube and Reddit hype. The singles were solid but didn’t really stick out to me too much but the album, that was an entirely different story. It’s honestly very hard to find good post hardcore these days that isn’t trying to sound like a Dance Gavin Dance rip off, and these guys pull it off brilliantly. It sounds like the progressive post hardcore bands from the late-00s/early-10s, which seeing as I played in one of those bands in that era, that sound will always mean a lot to me. These guys are not a band to miss, they’re signed to Equal Vision Records, but as of July, most songs on this album still only have 4 digit plays on Spotify. Hop on this bandwagon now.
Singles/Albums – And Hell Followed With (LP, Deathcore), Void of Vision (EP, Nu-Metalcore) Watain (LP, Black Metal), Goldilush (LP, ex-Darkest Hour), Bury Tomorrow (Metalcore), Distant (Deathcore), Our Hollow, Our Home (Metalcore), Rammstein (LP, Industrial Metal), Malevolence (Metalcore), Emarosa (Pop), Misery Index (Metal)
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New Music Report – April 22, 2022
Wow, what a week, not only do we get a new Northlane and BMD album, but new singles from both The Wonder Years AND Alexisonfire is incredibly special, and honestly not something I ever thought I’d see ever again. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good music out this week, but in my mind, those bands are nearly impossible to top. This is exactly why I always make sure I include singles as well; those are not worth missing.
Black Matter Device – The mathcore scene is so fucking exciting right now. Honestly, I never thought we’d be able to live up to the days of Dillinger Escape Plan and The Chariot, and hey, maybe we won’t, at least not from a popularity standpoint, but the underground bands pushing the scene relentlessly forward are so special. And Black Matter Device has earned themselves a spot right at the top of that conversation alongside bands like Callous Daoboys. This band is just pure chaos (this 14 track album only has one song over 3 minutes long), but they handle it with an unparalleled mastery of the sound. It’s not going to be for everyone, of course, but for any mathcore fans, this is an essential release.
Northlane – Alien was absolutely one of my favorite albums of 2019, it was a departure from the old progressive metalcore sound to a more nu-metalcore type sound, but they pulled it off brilliantly, and as much as I was unsure of the album at first, I couldn’t get it out of my head, it was brilliantly done. This new album leans into that sound even more, but to be honest, I’m not sure it stands out quite as much, it seems a little more monotonous, missing out of some of the major moments that you got with Alien. It’s still a good album, but I should have known Alien would have been incredibly difficult to top.
Singles/Albums – Bodysnatcher (LP, Deathcore), The Wonder Years (Emo/Pop Punk), Alexisonfire (Post-Hardcore), Tallah (Nu-Metalcore), Architects (Dadcore), Ocean Grove (LP, Pop Punk), DRUGS (Post-Hardcore), Static Dress (Screamo), Long Distance Calling (Post Metal)
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New Music Report – April 15, 2022
When you’re tracking as many releases as I do every year, it’s almost hard to get excited about too many of them. But there are always going to be those bands that I’m waiting years to hear more from, and those new releases are always very special to me, and this week I get one of those albums with Greyhaven, so please check that one out at the very least, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.
Greyhaven – Empty Black was one of my absolute favorite albums of 2018 and their follow up has been one of my most anticipated albums for years. Granted, when I heard the first singles, I have to say I wasn’t completely sold, but man, does the full album live up to all my expectations. It’s absolutely incredible, completely captures the vibe of Empty Black, and goes one step closer to filling the ETID shaped void in my heart.
Monuments – This is one of those albums that took me a few listens to really understand. It’s mostly just because there’s a lot going on here, this happens with a lot of djent albums, it’s more of a slow burn as you begin to find more and more details on what they actually did to make it so special but now that I’ve got it figured out, I can say with full confidence this album is phenomenal; incredibly technical, a perfect mix of catchy hooks and breakdowns, well placed guest appearances, and a tasteful amount of clean vocals. Very well done.
Singles/Albums – A Wilhelm Scream (LP, Punk), Undeath (LP, Death Metal), Greyscale Season (LP, Metalcore), Cancer Bats (LP, Punk), In Dying Arms (Metalcore), Machine Head (Metal), Within Destruction (Deathcore), Motionless in White (Dadcore)
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New Music Report – April 8, 2022
2022 has already been a big nostalgia grab for all us aging emo kids, but in the weirdest news for the year, Ville Valo of H.I.M. just put out new music and will be touring, so there’s that. Otherwise, bunches of great new metalcore out this week so that’s cool.
Health – Not gonna lie, I don’t listen to a ton of Health. I’ve seen them live and it was really cool, but I don’t really listen to them a lot. But this album, or the concept at least, is very cool, featuring a ton of collaborations ranging from Lamb of God to Poppy and yeah, it’s just as weird as it sounds. It sounds like, on the one hand, it could be a lot more creative, but on the other hand, it feels a little too chaotic to succeed. It’s a weird one for sure, but a cool listen.
Singles/Albums – Imminence (Metalcore), Upon a Burning Body (Metalcore), Stick to Your Guns (Metalcore), Viscera (EP, Metalcore), Father John Misty (LP, Pretentious Indie), Silverstein (Post-Hardcore), Thornhill (Muse Cover), Seek Harbour (EP, Post-Hardcore), Void of Vision (Nu-Metalcore), Dayshell (Metalcore), VV (Bam Margera-core), Eyes Set to Kill (Metalcore)
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