New Music Report – Apr 17, 2020
Ok so I was late this week, sorry about that guys, but there are a few SUPER heavy and very impressive releases this week, so better late than never. Once again, The Acacia Strain is the coolest band of 2020. But there’s more to check out, for sure.
The Acacia Strain – We’re now on the third installment of surprise EPs from The Acacia Strain, and they’re starting to make a little more sense. We have D, E, and now, C, and when you piece the album art together you can see a progressive decay of the landscape, supported by a music decay in both theme and tone. So, I reckon we’re going to get A in three weeks’ time. Figuring out the process behind this is honestly just as interesting as the music itself, I’m loving this. I’ve said this with every single one of these reviews, but The Acacia Strain are absolutely killing it this year, I can’t think of another band out there that’s keeping things this interesting. It’s cool piecing an album together like this, it really lets you devote a lot of time to processing each song, and these two are both big ones. Which of course is funny since one song only clocks in at about a minute long, but man, does it hit hard in that minute. It is hands down one of the heaviest tracks TAS has ever written. The second track “I breathed in the smoke deeply it tasted like death and I smiled” is a dragging, sludgy, epic tune, reminiscent of their EP from December, It Comes in Waves, which is a personal favorite of mine. I really loved this installment of the series; so diverse, heavy, and captivating, and managing that breadth of sonic delivery in just two songs. I can’t wait for the next one.
Enter Shikari – This one was… Interesting. Enter Shikari have always had some weird elements to their albums and a lot of interlude-y tracks and electronic-driven hooks and breakdowns, and this is kind of the same, but it all feels less organized. Conceptually, it’s kind of all over the place, and a lot of the tracks didn’t flow very well. There’s also a stark contrast between the first and second half of the album, which was intentional, but the second half is WAY better, which probably wasn’t. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are SEVERAL singles that are huge standouts, and the album is diverse enough that those standout songs are going to be different for everybody, so this is definitely worth checking out to find those songs for yourself. But as a cohesive album, I think it feels scattered and disjointed.
The Black Dahlia Murder – Holy shit. Honestly, there haven’t been too many TBDM albums that have really been able to hold my attention. They’re an incredible band, but the only album of theirs that I ever find myself revisiting is Nocturnal. The rest kinda have that death metal drone where all the double kick and guitar shredding starts to sound monotonous. But again, holy shit. This is some of their best work to date. It’s incredibly heavy, incredibly technical, and thankfully, incredibly interesting.
Silent Planet – This only sorta counts, they released an instrumental only version of The Night God Slept this week. So it’s not anything new, exactly, but it’s still very good. And as I’ve said before, this band will ALWAYS deserve support.
Read MoreNew Music Report – Apr 10, 2020
There are a few notable releases this week that are either very, very cool, very impressive, or some combination of the two. Nothing quite as remarkable as last week, but still some albums that are absolutely worth paying attention to.
Azusa – This is a cool one. This is a “supergroup” of sorts, featuring the bassist from The Dillinger Escape Plan, former members of Extol, and the singer of a German indie pop duo called Sea + Air. Turns out she also used to play in a punk band and has a pretty gnarly scream. While it may seem like an odd grouping, bands like Dillinger and Extol have never really let themselves be restrained by any boundaries, so it really just makes sense. But how could an indie pop singer hang with members of two of the most aggressive bands of all time? Well, turns out she can hang just fine. Her juxtaposition of energetic clean vocals and absolutely brutal, grating, tension-filled screams is incredible. The whole band just exudes this massive energy that’s really fascinating to listen to.
Sparta – Yes, THE Sparta. The Jim Ward Sparta. The other piece that fractured off of At The Drive-In after their split that lead to The Mars Volta. It’s been 14 years since their last album, and at the time – while they were never quite as ground-breaking as The Mars Volta – they left an indelible mark on the post-hardcore scene with an incredibly clean, artistic sound. Now, as I said, it’s been 14 years; musicians grow, sounds change, etc. so this isn’t quite the same thing as Wiretap Scars, but it’s still a wonderful nostalgic trip with one of the most underrated post hardcore bands of all time.
Dream On Dreamer – This is kind of a tough one. These guys have always been a pretty good band, but unfortunately, they had a very clear high point, and haven’t quite been able to live up to that since. A couple months ago, they announced that this would be their farewell album, and with that you always hope they are able to end of a high point, leaving you wanting more, like The Dillinger Escape Plan or The Chariot, but instead we get a decent album that feels a bit rushed, and definitely feels like the end of a band with not much else to say.
Rotting Out – This album goes hard. The first release from Rotting Out in 7 years proves they’ve still got plenty of energy and aggression left, and honestly, that’s really all want from a good, old SoCal hardcore band. The music itself hits super hard and the lyrics are generally thoughtful and always catchy, with its fair share of gang vocals cause every good hardcore album needs gang vocals. This is a fun, hard-hitting, rowdy ass album that’s a really exciting addition to this week’s releases.
Read MoreNew Music Report – Apr 3, 2020
This week is HUGE. I’ve been looking forward to this one for quite a while now. These past few weeks have been full of good music, but they really all felt like opening acts for this week. It’s absolutely stacked with big releases, all of which are really very diverse, as well, which keeps things interesting. If you’ve been bored during this quarantine, this should keep you occupied for a little while.
August Burns Red – Full disclosure, this is like 80% of the reason why I’m so excited for this week’s releases. Don’t get me wrong, everything else is awesome, but when the undisputed kings of metalcore put out a new album, you should pay attention. I’m actually not actually sure these guys are capable of writing bad music, but I can already this is gonna be a classic. First off, it’s got the hardest hitting opener of any ABR album; this is undoubtedly the heaviest album this band has written. But it also has this wonderful balance of the rawest vocals we’ve ever heard from Jake Luhrs paired with some of their most refined hooks. Not to mention riffs for DAYS. It lacks some of the progressive elements of Rescue & Restore in favor of strong, classic metalcore that I just love. I can go on for days, but this album just made me feel really, really good. This is a fucking gem.
Cabal – Cabal haven’t quite made a mainstream impact stateside just yet, but they definitely have a loyal following willing to sing their praises whenever possible. I’m one of those people. This band is incredible and are only now starting to get the attention they deserve. They’re a really unique style of incredibly heavy, sludgy deathcore. And I know “sludge” and “deathcore” fundamentally don’t really belong together, but when you hear it, it just makes sense. It really doesn’t get much heavier than this. This album is also chock full of incredible guest features, like Matt Heafy from Trivium and Jamie Hails of Polaris. I highly recommend this one, this band deserves all the attention they can get.
Purity Ring – Man, I love The Purity Ring so much. They’ve always been my favorite of all the chillwave/electropop bands. Probably cause they were generally darker, more hypnotic, and more melancholy than most of their contemporaries. And this album actually compounds on that. There are fewer pop hooks, and more ambient, deep, minimalistic soundscapes, giving it an even more bleak and eerie backdrop to the shimmery vocals. It may not be a jump to the mainstream, but I’m loving this direction.
Emancipator – Whenever people ask me who my favorite DJs are, I always tell him, “I don’t really listen to electronic music, except Emancipator.” He has been my caveat for years now. That said, I’ve kind of fallen off recently, the newer releases just didn’t have the same feel that I loved from Soon it Will be Cold Enough or Safe in the Steep Hills. But this new album is really incredible. It’s got the same beautiful, almost tangible soundscapes; it almost feels like you’re living each of these songs, like if you close your eyes you’re there; in it, experiencing it. And it’s the most peaceful, relaxing feeling in the world. And that’s what I’ve always loved about Emancipator.
Singles
Umbra Vitae – This band is just a fucking powerhouse. It’s the death metal project fronted by Jake Bannon from Converge, featuring members of Job For a Cowboy, The Red Chord, and Hatebreed. This really expands on the elements of metal that we have always heard in Converge, given the proper stage to breathe. You can always tell that, while Converge isn’t technically a metal band, it’s always been a big part of their influence, and now we get to hear Bannon’s personal interpretation of that in full. It’s rad. This full length is going to be great.
*Note* Bury Tomorrow – I was really looking forward to their new album, which was supposed to come out today, but it has since been pushed back to July 3rd. So expect coverage of that at a later date.
Read MoreNew Music Report – Mar 27, 2020
I missed my new music post on Thursday cause I was doing that DJ stream, sorry about that. But here you go! We’ve got a few really impressive releases this week, especially the singles. Next week is going to be a very big one though, so stay tuned.
Wake – This was another surprise find, I came across this album earlier this week and was immediately blown away by the pure talent and songwriting ability of this band. They were originally kind of cornered as a crust/grind band, but they’ve managed to shed the constraints of that, or really any genre, as it turns out. And the result is an absolute showcase of what metal as a whole is capable of. It’s an incredibly refreshing album with an unpredictable yet cohesive build throughout. Incorporating atmospheric and doomy elements into their furious, grind-driven roots to create a deep, diverse soundscape that is captivating from start to finish. This album is brilliant and incredibly underrated. Definitely check it out.
Brian Fallon – Brian Fallon’s solo efforts post-The Gaslight Anthem have all been a very interesting exploration of the deeper parts of Americana. Some of them were more successful than others. In fact, as of late it almost felt as though he was just checking the block. This one is definitely an improvement over the others. It’s worth a listen as a laid back, folk driven album. But all said, I’ll still take The ’59 Sound.
Nine Inch Nails – To be completely honest, I don’t listen to NIN, nor did I listen to this surprise double album. But I realize that it’s a very significant release, and so I want to make sure people know about it.
Singles
August Burns Red – The last single before the release of their new album, “Paramount” is arguably the strongest one yet. This single was the first one that made me fully feel confident that this album is going to be an absolute banger. ABR can’t actually write anything bad, so the other singles weren’t bad, but this one truly rips.
END – These guys are the best kept secret in hardcore. A supergroup featuring members of Counterparts, Fit For an Autopsy, Shai Hulud, and Dillinger Escape Plan, they’re just as heavy as this lineup would indicate. This band is absolutely fucking brutal, and they picked up where they left off with their 2018 EP with this heater of a single paired with the announcement of their upcoming full length album.
New Music Report – Mar 20, 2020
With pretty much everybody under some degree of isolation at this point, and naturally the best way to keep from going completely insane is with some new music. There are really only a couple albums of note this week, but they’re both big ones, even though one is less than 9 minutes long. They’re both on very different ends of the metal spectrum but I’d highly recommend checking both of them out.
The Acacia Strain – I feel like I’m repeating myself cause this is the third time I’m saying this about The Acacia Strain since December but HOLY SHIT this incredible. This week we get another surprise EP from The Acacia Strain, E, which is presumably another installment in their series of releases that spell out DEATH and combine to make their new full length. This keeps up the brutality from D, with a deep, grinding groove that carries throughout the two song release. It also features a perfectly placed guest spot from Jess Nyx of Mortality Rate, adding even more dynamics to the tension and dissonance felt throughout not only this release, but D as well. Definitely give this a listen, the final product of these releases is going to be something spectacular.
Heaven Shall Burn – These guys have really been sticking to the formula for ages; they’re still putting out fresh sounding albums that are following the tried and true early-00s melodeath-inspired metalcore formula that was absolutely huge nearly 20 years ago. And it’s really cool to see someone carrying that style into the modern day, but honestly I wasn’t sure if I could sit through a 100+ minute double album of that stuff without getting bored. But man, somehow, they pulled it off. You’re not going to get anything revolutionary with this release, just some very well done old school metalcore/melodeath by tenured experts of the subject. I definitely enjoyed this one.
Alkaline Trio – I honestly love modern era Alkaline Trio. Obviously, I love the classics, but I feel like their last few have objectively been some of their best. It’s a more mature rendering of their sound that everyone has fallen in love with for more than 2 decades now, with a really polished execution of songwriting ability and their signature “sounds happy with really dark lyrics” style. And while this is a short release, it’s always a treat to get new Alkaline Trio. If you like My Shame is True-type Alk3, you’ll love this one.
*Just a note about the Acacia Strain EP, I know these are surprise EPs and neither the band nor any music blogs have been talking about these before their release, I don’t know if there’s some sort of media embargo or anything, but I figured since I’m making this post for like MAYBE 10 people it didn’t matter. If someone happens to know the band and think they would feel otherwise, let me know and I’ll stop talking about them.
Read MoreNew Music Report – Mar 13, 2020
Time for this week’s new music post! Not too much to talk about honestly, but the two albums I do go over are both very, very impressive releases.
Invent, Animate – And the metalcore heaters continue to roll in for 2020. In the past, I’ve had trouble getting into this band, I’ve listened to their albums a bunch, but nothing could ever stick for me, it was like when you read a page of a book and then realize you didn’t take in a single word that you just read and have to go back and do it again. This album is WAY different, there isn’t a single dull moment, every track is spectacular; it’s all incredibly technical and arranged very well – it reminds me a lot of Erra – and the vocals, previously a low point when compared to the stellar instrumentals, finally stick out in a very strong and meaningful way. This is going on repeat for a long time.
Code Orange – I’ve taken issue with Code Orange’s super 2hardcore4u image as of late; they really don’t need to take themselves quite so seriously, and it’s kind of detracted from my enjoyment of their music. But I can’t really ignore this album, this one goes super hard. It’s got some very strong NIN vibes at times, and definitely capitalizes on the kind of industrial metal sound that’s been gaining steam through bands like Northlane. It’s not for everybody, but I’m a fan. The album sounds a little disorganized at times, and not in a good way, but overall this is a very impressive – and very heavy – album.