New Music Report – May 29, 2020

Posted by admin on May 31, 2020 in Featured | 0 comments

I actually had a pretty solid list of releases for this week but literally all of them got pushed back (New Found Glory, The Killers) or the releases ended up being something completely different than I was expecting and weren’t really worth commenting on (Behemoth EP), or whatever. So I briefly ended up with nothing. That said, the FFAF/WCAR release I’m going to talk about was really neat and pretty unexpected, so this week isn’t a total wash. Next week is HUGE though, so stay tuned.

Fit For a King/We Came As Romans – This was very interesting. Basically, FFAK and WCAR came together and reimagined a few of their existing tunes and recorded a new version after swapping vocalists. I thought redoing “Backbreaker” was an interesting choice, but to be honest, I had very little faith that Dave Stephens (WCAR) would be able to do justice to Ryan Kirby’s (FFAF) vocals. Especially that 30 second scream at the end of the song. But man, I was wrong, he did a great job. This definitely isn’t a full scale release, but just a neat little collaboration that’s very unique to the times we’re living in right now, so it’s worth checking out.

New Music Report – May 22, 2020

Posted by admin on May 22, 2020 in Featured | 0 comments

Another somewhat light week for new music, though no less exciting. I’ve been looking forward to the second part of the Old Man Gloom double release for a while now. And of course, the new metalcore keeps pouring in this year, and I’m super happy about that.

Old Man Gloom – This is actually the second album they’ve put out in the past few months. When they recorded this last album, they recorded a whole second album that they kept secret. So, they released the “second” one first, shortly after the lockdown started, in anticipation of the release of this one. And they’re both spectacular. These albums are the band’s first in 6 years, and the first after the passing of their bassist, Caleb Scofield (also of Cave In). And honestly, after dealing with profound loss and the passing of time, it doesn’t feel like they’ve skipped a beat, in fact they’re hitting harder than ever. And whether that’s a reaction to the passing of Scofield, or the introduction of Newton’s songwriting, I’m not sure, but I’m here for it. It’s hard to pin down the sound of OMG, it’s sort of a sludge, doom, post-metal, space rock, noise amalgamation that makes a bit more sense when you consider the background of the members of this hugely under rated supergroup (Isis, Converge, Cave In, Sumac, Zozobra, etc). It really does sound like a very well calculated mishmash of all of those sounds. And if you check this out, do yourself a favor and listen to both albums.

Singles

Currents – Gah, this band is just so good. Literally the only thing good to come out of 2020 is metalcore, and with their new album coming out in two weeks, I think that’s about to be stepped up to a whole new level. All the singles that have come out for this album so far have pointed towards this being an instant classic.

Northlane – One more single that I want to talk about this week. It’s no secret that I was a big fan of Northlane’s somewhat experimental take on modern nu-metal with last year’s Alien, so it goes without saying that I really loved this single. I’m not sure who had to make the call to cut this off the album, but it must have been an incredible difficult call to make.

New Music Report – May 15, 2020

Posted by admin on May 15, 2020 in Featured | 0 comments

This week is another short one, but we got a few really solid releases and actually a bunch of really excellent singles too.

The Acacia Strain – Hoooooo boy, these keep getting better and better with each release. I seriously can’t get over how good this release is, and how cool the release schedule is for the album. This new installment in the DECAY album series – A – is presumably the second to last release in the series, and they went HARD on this one. This is an unrelenting barrage from The Acacia Strain mixes their metalcore and deathcore influences with grinding, sludgey choruses and brutal, emotional vocals. The genre-blending that TAS does is incredible, and this is a great example of it. This installment feels very much like what you’d expect from TAS, but at the same time, features two of the best songs they’ve ever written.

Lights & Motion – Lights & Motion is one of my favorite little-known gems. This is a one man project by a Swedish artist. His first album came out in 2013 and it was quickly heralded as one of the most impressive post rock releases in some time. Since then, he’s continued to develop his style of vast, cinematic post-rock and ambient into something truly polished and consistently impressive. Since his debut, he’s ventured fairly heavily into film scoring, and you understand exactly why as soon as you hear his music. He has a brilliant ear for giving life to instrumental music in a way that makes you feel the full experience of a movie just by listening to the album. This album is a beautiful experience all the way through, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Singles – There have been a lot of great singles this week, and I’m not going to talk about each one, but there are more than a few that are worth checking out like The Ghost Inside, END, Misery Signals, Protest the Hero, Slaughter to Prevail, and Sharptooth. There’s also a new Behemoth single but it’s fucking awful, don’t bother.

New Music Report – May 8, 2020

Posted by admin on May 9, 2020 in Featured | 0 comments

Well, it was bound to happen. Ever since the Coronavirus shut down the live music industry, people have been wondering whether the same would happen to the release schedule of new studio albums. And there have been a few here and there, but this week marks the first time it’s happened to a high profile album that I’ve been tracking, personally. I was very much looking forward to talking about the new Lamb of God album this week – every single was pointing towards this being a real invigoration of their sound, so I was really looking forward to it, but it looks like we’re waiting another couple months. That said, there are still some highlights this week, so please check them out.

Actor|Observer – I know I rarely mention singles, and if I do, I throw them in at the end, but these guys are homies of mine and this is my post, so I can do what I want. It also helps that this new single is INCREDIBLE. I’ve been following these guys for years, since back when I lived in Boston 10 years ago, but man, this is one of their best. As always, the vocals are profoundly emotional, powerful, and dynamic; traits that perfectly emulate the intricate and beautiful written post hardcore instrumentals that make up foundation of the track. There’s something deeply human and real about everything A|O releases, filled with a raw, soul baring honesty that’s carried them through their entire career, and indeed through this song, as well.

Petals for Armor – This one was actually really neat, this is Hayley Williams’ solo project, and it’s a kind of indie pop/electronic sound that you’d hear from bands like PVRIS and such, but with a bit more of a unique twist. This is very obviously a Hayley Williams’ project, you can hear her influence that you’ve come to expect from Paramore, but there’s something more playful and personal about this. Petals for Armor has given Williams’ the agency to play with new ideas – both musically and thematically – that she would not otherwise have had the opportunity to work into a Paramore song. The result is a really fun record, nothing game changing, but genuinely fun and well written, I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

New Music Report – May 1, 2020

Posted by admin on May 2, 2020 in Featured | 0 comments

It’s officially been a week now, and I’ve had the new Dance Gavin Dance album on repeat nonstop, but thankfully, with every passing Friday, there is always a new reason to switch things up and try something new. Which is exactly why I make these posts in the first place really. And while we move away from the chaotic, silly post hardcore of Dance Gavin Dance, we get a diverse helping of dark, heavy, emotional music this week, but they all approach it in a very unique way, so there’s a little something for everyone here.

Umbra Vitae – This is the debut release from the death metal supergroup featuring Jake Bannon of Converge and members from The Red Chord, Job for a Cowboy, and Hatebreed. And it is JUST as brutal as it sounds. It harkens back to more old school Converge with much more apparently death metal tendencies; riddled with absolute chaos at all times and packing a nonstop emotive punch that is basically guaranteed by such a star studded lineup. There are so many occasions of supergroups falling short of expectations where the pieces are truly greater than the whole, but this is simply spectacular. This album is heavy, mean, and extremely satisfying death metal. It’s not going to redefine the genre, but this is definitely what you get when some of the best and brightest names in metal music get together to make something very, very heavy.

An Autumn for Crippled Children – It’s hard to pin these guys down, a lot of people call them post-black metal which I suppose is a suitable catch all for this type of sound, but they combine elements of shoegaze, darkwave, dreampop, laid over a foundation of black metal-esq structure and tones. And this album truly is a bit of an amalgamation of everything, and the result is pretty cool; the atmosphere is dark, brilliant, and dreamy – draped over the typical blast beats and coarse, shrieking vocals with an aggressive helping of reverb you’d expect with black metal. It’s an interesting journey, one that I really happened to like, I’ve always enjoyed this band. However, I feel like those that check it out because of the “black metal” label will be disappointed. But black metal purists are the worst anyway, so just enjoy yourself, and enjoy this really remarkable, diverse album.

Boston Manor – Honestly, at this point in Boston Manor’s career, I was expecting a shift away from their traditional sound to a more subdued “alt rock” sound like Neck Deep did (sorry Neck Deep fans), but this album was a really nice surprise. This may just be because it’s still shiny and new, but I’m already enjoying this more than their last album, which if I’m completely honest, didn’t really resonate with me all the well. This is another band that’s kinda hard to tie down with a genre, featuring some pounding rhythms and clear punk influences and now pushing some electronic experimentation. This feels like a real exploration of what the band is capable of, and personally, I really enjoyed the trip.

Killswitch Engage – Unfortunately, the average music listener doesn’t really have a very long attention span these days, but that is also precisely the reason why we have a surprise EP from Killswitch Engage. This EP is made up of B-sides leftover from the recording of Atonement. And for those that have listened to that album, they know exactly the caliber of music that made the cut. But whatever the reason may be that these were left on the chopping block, these are still spectacular songs in their own right. This EP is a charity release, with a name-your-price option with all proceeds being donated to the COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund, so if you’re able to, definitely check this out and support a good cause.

New Music Report – Apr 24, 2020

Posted by admin on Apr 23, 2020 in Featured | 0 comments

This is another VERY big week for music. I mean, it’s big for Dance Gavin Dance alone, but there are several other very high profile releases this week that are worth your attention, so take a look.

Dance Gavin Dance – Whenever DGD puts out a new album, it pretty much puts an end to the debate for Album of the Year for a lot of people. And honestly, because of that, I’ve been wanting to find reasons to dislike DGD lately; they’ve basically put out the same album five times now, but somehow it still feels fresh and interesting. This definitely isn’t a revolution of the “swancore” sound, but instead it’s another step forward in the progression of the band that has come to redefine post hardcore over the past decade, raising the bar yet again. As much as I wanted to find fault by a band that’s put themselves up to such a high standard, I really just can’t; what a remarkable album. 10/10, go listen to this now.

The Used – Whenever someone mentions The Used, everyone is always going to think about their self-titled album and In Love & Death. But those albums are at least 15 years old now. They helped define the angsty sound of the mid-00s, but you always want to see a band push themselves forward. Most everything else they’ve done since those early efforts have been good, but always lived in the shadow of the good old days. And really, I can’t say this one is any different, BUT this is also one of the best albums they’ve put out since those two. This is a stellar effort from a band that has certainly been through some rough patches, and it’s nice to see them come back to form.

Ulcerate – What a huge record this is. These guys are some of the absolute kings of the atmospheric metal genre, which I understand has sort of gotten a bad rap lately thanks to all the half-baked bedroom projects, but this is some top tier, incredibly powerful, emotional, and rich music. Each track feels gargantuan standing on its own, and the whole album almost insurmountable but incredibly captivating at the same time. The album is a journey, and a lovely one filled with a wide expanse of soundscapes and dense atmosphere. This sound may not be for everyone, but if you want to give it a shot, this is one of the best examples of it around.

Trivium – Trivium were huge back in the early-00s; back when the new wave of American metal was hitting full swing, and more mainstream bands were really running with the melodeath sound and transitioning to full on metalcore. And Trivium were one of the best ones to ever do it. And as the sound continued to evolve, Trivium kept plugging away, putting out hits that continue to push the boundaries of the sound that they helped shape. Admittedly, I stopped paying attention for a while, but this new album has brought my right back in. it feels familiar, but still fresh; not just a rehash of a nearly 20 year old sound. I really enjoyed this one, and it’s inspired me to a trip back to look at some of the other Trivium albums I’ve overlooked over the years.

Danzig Sings Elvis – Honestly, I’m not gonna listen to this, but I’m happy I live in a world where this exists, and I want you all to know about it too.