New Music Report – March 5, 2021
Apologies for the delay on the new music post this week, it’s been an exceptionally busy week at work. As a result, there are a few albums that I really enjoyed but haven’t been able to devote the time to writing a full review of. The Wolf King, Mork, and Gulch/Sunami albums were all very, very good and definitely worth checking out. But I feel like I covered two of the more notable albums this week, even if one was… disappointing. I’ll be back on schedule next week, so stay tuned.
Brand of Sacrifice – Haha oh my god, this album is insane. As I’ve said before, I’ve had a very interesting relationship with deathcore. I guess it just gets stale easily; it can become very formulaic and repetitive if artists aren’t really pushing yourself to write something unique. But lately I’ve been coming around and Brand of Sacrifice is an absolutely perfect example of how innovation and creativity can really bring out the best in a genre that took me forever to truly get. The first thing everyone ever says about any deathcore album is how heavy it is, so I’ll get that out of the way: this is incredibly heavy. I cannot overstress how heavy it is. But there’s so much more to it, it’s one of those albums with incredibly complex rhythmic structures, all moving at a million miles a minute, it feels like your brain is working in overdrive to process all the sensory input you get from a single song. It’s exhausting to listen to, but in a good way, it feels more like a rewarding challenge than a burden. It’s so much more than breakdowns and blast beats. It’s a truly unique experience in a genre that isn’t always known for being fresh and exciting, and that alone is worth checking out.
A Day to Remember – I try not to write bad reviews, but this entire album is just a god damn disaster. After being postponed from the original release date back in November 2019, and seeing countless other delays, the new album is finally here. Initial delays were blamed on album art issues, then further delays were blamed on the pandemic, but about a year and a half later, I have to say, the result is incredibly lackluster. It’s very clear what they’re trying to do, they’re trying to bridge the gap from their signature easycore sound to more radio friendly rock. They absolutely defined the genre with 2009’s Homesick and have been able to hold up admirably since then. Nothing has been able to quite reach the bar set by Homesick, but they were still putting out great albums. This isn’t. Honestly, it just sounds like fill in the blank radio rock. Literally any band could write these songs and they could get played on your local rock station, it doesn’t matter that it’s A Day to Remember, which is the disappointing part. They’ve gutted a very special band and turned it into something incredibly bland and forgettable.
Singles/Albums – Wolf King (LP, Blacked hardcore), Mork (LP, Black metal) Tigers Jaw (LP, Emo), Zao (Metalcore), Gulch/Sunami (EP, Hardcore), Mental Cruelty (Deathcore), Elitist (Metalcore/Djent), Being as an Ocean (Post hardcore), The Armed (Noise punk), Void of Vision (Numetalcore), Atreyu (Buttrockcore), Knoll (LP, Mathcore), Spill Canvas (LP, Indie rock), Escape the Fate (Post hardcore), Chevelle (LP, Radio rock from 2003), Wolvennest (LP, Weird experimental sludge/black metal), Bog Wizard/Dust Lord (Split, Doom/Stoner metal), Acid Mammoth (Stoner metal)