New Music Report – December 11, 2020
Well, this is it, folks, this is the last of my new music posts for 2020. This is more or less the last week that will feature any notable releases for the remainder of the year, so I’ll be taking a few weeks off. I hugely appreciate every single one of you that’s read these, talked to me about new music, or discovered some new bands through my posts. I’ll pick these back up in January when the new releases start rolling out again, and in the meantime, I’ll be back in a week or so with my Top 10 list from the year.
Inspirit – This is a big one, I’m gonna need you all to bear with me for a second while I explain this. A little more than a decade ago, I was living in Boston playing in a post-hardcore band and there were two bands in particular in the Boston music scene that everyone loved universally: Therefore I Am and Vanna. This band, as it turns out, is literally Vanna from that point in time. If put the Boston music scene from the late-00s into a time capsule, and opened that time capsule up in 2020, Inspirit is what you would get. This is the 2006-ish Vanna lineup with the 2006-ish Vanna sound. They’ve made no attempts to modernize their sound or pander to any contemporary standards. They just made good, classic metalcore with strong vocal hooks, just as we enjoyed it back then, and it turns out, I enjoy it just as much today. Sure, I’m sure it’s partially due to some nostalgic value, as it will be for anybody that’s missed classic Vanna all these years, but there is an undeniable charm and honesty that comes from these songs that feels lacking in today’s hyper-technical, hyper-produced metalcore, and even for that alone, I love it.
Deftones (remix album) – Ok well, what can really be said about White Pony? It’s one of the most monumental albums of all time. So, choosing to remix it on its 20th anniversary was, well, both a no brainer and a bit of a risky move. On the one hand, everyone loves this album, and any opportunity to revisit it is certainly a welcome one. On the other than, what are the chances that songs like “Passenger” and “Change” can actually be improved upon, especially two decades later. I believe that songs are not only representative of the musicians, but also the time they were created, and White Pony really could have only existed in the year 2000. So, even with big names like Mike Shinoda, Squarepusher, DJ Shadow, Phantogram, and Purity Ring remixing these almost untouchable works of music, it wasn’t a sure thing. But did they miss the mark? I guess that’s a subjective answer. “Passenger” is one of my favorite songs of all time. Do I think Mike Shinoda improved upon it? No. Do I appreciate the new perspective on a song that means so much to me? Absolutely. And I think that’s the takeaway. This doesn’t improve upon White Pony, it simply allows you to look at it through a new lens, and I think for that, it’s worth a listen.
Singles – You know how I’ve been saying for weeks that I don’t usually talk about singles then proceed to talk about singles? Well, these are two of my favorite bands and I can do what I want.
Every Time I Die – God, what a fucking year 2020 has been. And the postponement of the new ETID album was another giant turd on a great big disappointment of a year. But man, are they coming in at the last minute to save the day. These two new singles prove that they really are one of the greatest bands out there. ETID may be my favorite band so I’m very, very biased here, but these new singles; holy shit, dude. Not only are these absolute rippers, but the production value is the best we’ve ever heard from the boys, Goose’s drumming fits the band perfectly, and the on top of all that, the band are still out there willing to keep experimenting with new and adventurous compositions. As a result, these singles are a very enticing taste of what’s to come. Now here’s hoping we can get our shit together in 2021 so we can get the new album and I can see these guys live again. In the meantime, check out the livestream they’re doing this Saturday (12/19).
Cult of Luna – Speaking of 2020 being a disaster, this was the last band I got to see live, I’m actually wearing a Cult of Luna hoodie right now. So, I’m awfully fond of these guys too. I honestly wasn’t expecting new material from them so quickly after their absolutely incredible 2019 album, A Dawn to Fear, but here we have the first single off their upcoming EP. “Three Bridges” is an epic, almost 9 minute long sludgy, post metal masterpiece. It feels like a continuation of A Dawn to Fear, but very much its own piece moving into a new, grander direction. This is fantastic, and now I’m VERY excited for the new album.
Read MoreNew Music Report – December 4, 2020
The new music is still getting a bit slim as we reach the end of the year but this past week was still pretty cool. I don’t want to cover all these, but in addition to the music I covered, we also got new music from Evanescence (single), Deftones (remix single), Hollywood Undead, Goldfinger, and Rammstein (remastered album). Which, if nothing else, is more proof that time is meaningless cause that shouldn’t all be happening in 2020. Now on to the albums I actually want to talk about.
Sigur Ros – This album is a massive, incredible experience. This is a recording is their first true orchestral work, which they live premiered back in 2002 and finally recorded for listeners everywhere. There’s honestly just so much to say about this record, it’s featuring Icelandic post rock legends, Sigur Ros, who are, of course absolutely, brilliant and need no introduction, plus the Reykjavik choir and the orchestra from the Paris Conservatory, showcasing music composed to tell the Medieval Icelandic legend of an apocalyptic banquet. I mean, how fucking cool is every single detail of that? And honestly, when you lay it all out like that it’s kind of hard to actually appreciate the magnitude of the thing. It’s like trying to imagine what a billion of something looks like; all of the pieces are so large and magnificent it’s almost impossible to comprehend what it would actually look – or in this case, sound – like. But let me tell you, it’s just as grand and amazing as your think it could possibly be, perhaps even better. This is an incredibly captivating and beautiful piece of music, and I definitely encourage everyone to check it out.
Annisokay – Well, technically this album release got pushed back to the end of January, but they fucked this up monumentally so I’m writing about it now as a warning. Understandably, many bands have delayed album releases this year in hopes that later on in the year, they can start playing shows again and actually promote the album and maybe make a little money. In theory, this makes sense. It’s never worked though. PVRIS, New Found Glory, Lamb of God, Bury Tomorrow, etc, all of them pushed back their album releases, ALL of them leaked before the original release date anyway. It never works. Now on to the music itself… Honestly, it’s equally as disappointing as the botched album release itself. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Kingdom of Giants album, and about how it had some solid hooks but had no real substance. That’s exactly what happened here, this album is generic, store brand metalcore to the point where it was just completely bland and unappealing. They tried to follow the textbook a bit too closely and they lost any soul their music would have otherwise had. I had high hopes for this one, but it just didn’t hit right.
Singles – As I’ve said before, I don’t really cover singles often unless they’re very special, but this week we’ve got three of them, and I really feel like I should at least mention them all.
Spiritbox – I really fell in love with Spiritbox this year, they’re really at the top of the game in terms of songwriting, lyrics, technicality, everything, really. This is basically the polar opposite of “Holy Roller”; this song isn’t heavy at all, but it’s absolutely crushing and truly gorgeous.
Captives – This is my absolute favorite unknown band to share with people. They’re a UK band that has perfected what a post hardcore band should be in a way that I haven’t heard since early Hands Like Houses or self-titled era Emarosa. They just signed with Sharptone Records so get ready to hear a lot more from them.
Architects – I know they’ve been making the slow descent into butt rock, but honestly, they deserve it. Architects have been defining metalcore for more than a decade now. And now they’re doing the same thing with heavy mainstream, I respected it but wasn’t a huge fan at first, but this new single is genuinely good.
Read More
New Music Report – July 3, 2020
New Music Report – June 26, 2020
New Music Report – Feb 21, 2020
I made a goal for myself to make one of these posts every week, and while I’m especially busy today, I missed last week, and I really don’t want to get too far behind. Also, there has been some really incredible music coming out these past few weeks that I feel is absolutely worth talking about. So, excuse the rushed nature of this post, but hopefully this gets everything back up to speed.
Polaris – If this is how things are getting started in 2020, metalcore is going to have a hell of a year. The Mortal Coil was an amazing record, but could, at times, feel a little monotonous. This isn’t like that at all, you can immediately feel a strong progression, with a much more captivating and dynamic sound. It’s a very interesting, well written album, with brutally heavy moments alongside instantly catchy hooks. I’m a huge fan of this album. Polaris really knocked this one out of the park. I’d say it would be hard to beat, but with the albums coming out later this year, who knows.
The Amity Affliction – Ehhhhhhh… I’m not feeling this one. I want to say it’s ok for incredibly uninspired and generic metalcore, but it really isn’t. It’s a boring album that’s simply unfulfilling. I’ve never gotten worse breakdown blue balls than I did listening to this album. Especially juxtaposed alongside the new Polaris, it’s just a forgettable album, unfortunately.
Previous weeks (2/7 & 2/14)
The Wonder Years (Acoustic EP) – Alright let’s face it, it’s The Wonder Years, so it’s good. That said, I think I prefer the first Burst & Decay as a whole package, but there are some brilliant moments on this EP.
Envy – Envy, for those unaware, is the renowned Japanese screamo band that have broken down language barriers by making powerful and emotional music. All their music is in Japanese, so I think it’s fair to assume most of us won’t understand them, but you can still feel them, and man, is there a lot to feel. Furthermore, this album might just be their best yet, I’m incredibly blown away by this one. This is definitely one worth experiencing.
Loathe – This album came out of nowhere but it’s incredible. It’s definitely metalcore but calling it just that is doing the album a major disservice. It’s combined with a lot of ambient elements and more to make it a deeply complex album. It’s kind of what happens when a metalcore band listens to a lot of Deftones; very heavy but still melodic and ethereal. Check this out, definitely.
Sylosis – The lead singer/guitarist has been playing with Architects for the past few years and that’s really the best way to describe it. It’s like that but more calculated and technical, and with fewer bleghs haha. It’s very good, I was really impressed.
Singles
Currents, Silent Planet, Polaris, Invent Animate, Bury Tomorrow, and Alazka all put out singles in the past two weeks. M E T A L C O R E 2 0 2 0.