New Music Report – August 13, 2021

Posted by admin on Aug 13, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

I know I’ve been kinda behind on these recently and this is a stacked week with a lot of music to cover at once, but honestly, I’m just so damn excited about every one of these releases, I can’t wait to talk about them. You know a week is packed when legendary bands like Sepultura and Quicksand are stuck in the honorable mention section. Speaking of, the Mouthbreather (mathcore) album I was talking about a few months ago finally dropped today but I didn’t have space to cover it, so please check that out too. Also, The Killers have a new album out and they did a song with Phoebe Bridgers? Ok, so I’m getting carried away already, I’m not actually going to waste any more time, I’m just gonna get straight into it.

Lorna Shore – We all remember “To the Hellfire”, I’ve never actually seen a deathcore song gain so much universal hype, so quickly. And honestly, it was completely deserved. Aside from being unspeakably heavy, it was incredibly complex, well written, technical, and just a very well-done song by a band that is incredibly talented but has seen its fair share of setbacks. It was an amazing return to form, and I’ve been so excited for this EP ever since. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I stayed up late on a Thursday night to listen to an album right as it dropped. I know it’s only three songs long, but holy shit, what a fucking album. I was expecting “To the Hellfire” to be the centerpiece and the rest to just sort of be filler to hype up the main single, but every second of this EP is just incredible. Again, it’s more than just heavy, it’s got captivating composition, novel blends of synths and choirs that are the most well-done example I’ve heard in blackened deathcore, ripping guitar solos, and Will Ramos vocal work is second to none. They hit it out of the park with this EP and I can’t wait for a full length.

Captives – I’ve been championing this band for years now. I came across the first EP they put out in 2019 as a small, unknown British band with next to zero fanbase in the United States. I can’t remember the last time I heard a band go from 0 to 100 so quickly and break out onto the scene, completely unknown, with such an incredibly well written debut album. Since then, I’ve been watching these guys build themselves up through the UK and Europe waiting for their shot in the States. But after they signed with Sharptone, I got to see them garner the attention they deserve nearly overnight with more well written post-hardcore in an era where, unless you’re associated with Dance Gavin Dance, it’s getting hard to break through in the genre. And I couldn’t be happier for these guys, not only because they’re getting the chance they deserve, but they’re getting the resources to put out more incredible music and get it in front of more people that are sure to love it. If you’re a fan of the cleaner and more technical post-hardcore like early Hands Like Houses, this is the band for you, please check out this album.

If I Die First – This is one of my favorite new bands that I’ve discovered this year, and in the oddest way, the best thing about them is that they don’t sound new at all. This is the new-ish project from Travis Richter and Derek Bloom of From First to Last, with a few younger musicians like Lil Lotus. And the result is a perfect blend of early-00s era screamo/emocore/post-hardcore, combined with a fresh take on what the genre is capable of with help from the younger generation. The result is honestly fucking brilliant. I love this band so much. I’ve never had something bring me squarely back to my high school days while still managing to sound new and fresh. This isn’t purely a nostalgia trip, and that’s a very important point here. When you’re very clearly trying to emulate or reimagine a specific sound, it’s easy to get labeled as a novelty act, trying to recapture a moment long past. But that isn’t the case here at all, and I think that has a lot to do with the blend of fresh new voices combined with some of the experts that shaped the genre years ago, and they execute it perfectly.

Slaughter to Prevail – Honestly, the fact the deathcore is becoming a semi-mainstream thing now is so weird to me. It’s even weirder that this movement is, at least in part, lead by a Russian deathcore band who are leading the charge through YouTube? I don’t know, 2021 is weird. I’m glad such extreme genres are starting to get some more recognition though. And honestly, this isn’t strictly deathcore, it’s more like… nu-deathcore? Which is a new word, I’m pretty sure. I can’t say I enjoy these guys as much as Lorna Shore or some of the other incredible deathcore bands out there like Shadow of Intent and so on, but they are crushingly heavy, I’ll give them that. I know there’s a lot of hype behind these guys, and I can’t really tell if that’s the social media hypetrain making them too gimmicky or if they are genuinely a really good band. But I do know that I enjoyed this album, even if it’s only in a fairly superficial way, I know there isn’t a lot of depth or even really creativity going on here, but sometimes you just want meathead breakdowns and chugging caveman riffs, and that’s exactly what you get with Slaughter to Prevail.

Fawn Limbs – The rest of these bands have honestly been pretty easy to describe. I know exactly what they are, I know what they sound like, and what they’re trying to do. This one, however, is a complete mindfuck. And that’s precisely why I love it. This album is so, so strange, it’s this weird mix of super chaotic mathcore and like, experimental ambient, post metal, and some sludge. It’s really cool, but also really hard to picture. Those two sides are basically polar opposites on the metal spectrum and it’s kind of hard to imagine how the two could go together, but it’s the diversity that makes it so special. It’s supposed to be jarring, it’s supposed to be challenging, and it is. It’s kind of perfect. Like, last night I went out for dinner and had watermelon wrapped in some salted, cured ham. That sounds like a challenging taste, right? Such polarizing taste profiles competing for the same bite. But the breadth of the taste spectrum that I was experiencing is what made it so special. And that’s kind of exactly what’s going on here, this is watermelon wrapped in ham. If that makes sense.

Singles/Albums – Unreqvited (LP, Blackgaze), Mouthbreather (LP, Mathcore), Sepultura (LP, GENRE), Quicksand (LP, Post-Hardcore), Spiritbreaker (LP, Metalcore), Ice Nine Kills (Hot-Topic-Core), The Zenith Passage (Tech Death, feat. Members of The Faceless), Earth Groans (Metalcore), Hawthorne Heights (Post-Hardcore), Eidola (Post-Hardcore), Trivium (Metalcore), Crown the Empire (Metalcore, feat. Courtney LaPlante), War of Ages (Metalcore), The Killers (LP, Rock), Adventure Club feat. Rory from Dayseeker (EDM)

New Music Report – August 6, 2021

Posted by admin on Aug 13, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

Oh man, it took me forever to track down all the singles for this week. There are even a few that I had to omit from this list in the interest of space. But man, what a busy week, it’s really cool to see so many great singles coming out, it speaks volumes for the albums that are going to be coming from these bands later this year. I think the last part of this year is going to be absolutely packed with incredible releases, so definitely keep an eye on these lists, and in the meantime, definitely check these singles out.

Ov Sulfur – This album is gnarly. It’s kind of a mashup of several different genres at once, a bit of deathcore, a bit of old school metalcore, a bit of thrash, and a bit of straight up hardcore, and the result is honestly really fucking cool. Also, pretty damn heavy too. I suppose you’d expect this sort of thing though, cause Ov Sulfur is the new project of former Suffokate vocalist, Ricky Hoover. It’s just an EP so it’s hard to get too much of an idea of what a complete full length album would sound like, but it definitely feels like they’re cramming a ton of content into an EP; it feels longer than it is. Of course, the downside to this is that, at times, it feels a bit busy, like there’s a little TOO much going on, too many different sounds trying to compete for a limited amount of time and space. But that’s also sort of something that’s just endemic to extreme metal in itself, so it’s hard to knock it for that. When it comes down to it, when we’re looking at a debut album for a band, even one with such an acclaimed vocalist, we’re dealing with something seriously impressive here; this album absolutely rips.

Lingua Ignota – It’s so hard to explain Lingua Ignota, it’s a mix of folk, neo-classical, and just some crazy, heavy, emotional themes and sounds. The most apt word to describe this, is ‘intense’. Everything else stems from that. This is a crazy, dark folk masterpiece, composed with traditional Appalachian folk instruments, and featuring members of deathgrind band, Full of Hell and avant garde noise metal band, The Body. I mean, how fucking cool is that? It blends these folk roots and crazy metal musicians with operatic and classical melodies and the resulting album is just incredibly powerful. It’s such a truly unique experience that it’s really hard to convey what this album feels like, so unique in fact that it doesn’t even feel anything like her last album, but man, is it worth experiencing. This sort of thing isn’t going to be for everybody, it’s deeply experimental and challenging, but worthwhile for anybody willing to give it a shot to experience something straneg yet incredibly profound.

Singles/Albums – Brand of Sacrifice (Deathcore), Frontierer (Mathcore), Full of Hell (Deathgrind) Archspire (Tech Death), Dying Wish (Metalcore), Wolves in the Throne Room (Post-Black Metal), Underoath (Metalcore), Purity Ring (SynthPop), The World is a Beautiful Place (Post Rock/Emo), Deafheaven (Shoegaze), Sleep Token (Post-Hardcore), Sentinels (Metalcore), Spiritbreaker (Metalcore), Waking the Cadaver (Death Metal), Memorist (Post-Hardcore), Wage War (Metalcore), Don Bronco (Post-Hardcore/Alt Rock)

New Music Report – July 30, 2021

Posted by admin on Aug 13, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

This week here was a pretty light week, as it turns out. Like I said last time, things are really looking to pick up around mid-August, which means we’re still getting hit with a ton of new singles from upcoming releases that are all really, really good. But conversely, we’re left with a kind of light week for full releases. But it’s a big one for old school easycore fans, with Chunk! No, Captain Chunk’s first album release in six years, so even on the light weeks, there’s something to look forward to.

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! – Time is weird, I’ve seen so many waves and iterations of pop punk, I’m not even really sure what it is anymore. It existed for a while and it was a bit of a catch all term, then it fell out of fashion, then it had a big resurgence in the early 2010s with bands like The Wonder Years and The Story So Far, and now Machine Gun Kelly makes pop punk? And it’s kinda weird to figure out where easycore fits in there because it was always kind of part of the pop punk scene but it also sort of operated autonomously. And thankfully, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk is doing just that, cause this all feels very familiar and I’m really into it. I’ll be honest, I avoided these guys for years cause I think their name is really stupid, but now I’m glad I gave them a shot. There’s a lot of complexity and melody to this album, in a way that’s missing from a lot of easycore albums, but it still maintains that quasi-pop punk bounce that’s just a ton of fun. There’s a lot to like about this album and I’d recommend anyone, new fan or old, check this out. I still hate their name though,

Singles/Albums – King Woman (LP, Doom Metal), Jinjer (Metalcore), Phinehas (Metalcore), Rivers of Nihil (Death Metal), Shadow of Intent (Deathcore), Thrice (Rock), The Plot in You (Post-Hardcore), Turnstile (Hardcore Punk), Telle (Pop, Feat. Mindy White of Lydia), We Butter the Bread with Butter (Post-Hardcore/Electronicore), The Voynich Code (Prog Metalcore), Employed to Serve (Metalcore), The Bronx (Punk)

New Music Report – July 23, 2021

Posted by admin on Jul 29, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

I know I’ve been kind of off schedule with my new music posts lately but I’m kinda digging this posting two updates once every two weeks thing. At least for now, mid-summer is always a kind of slow time for album releases, so it just kinda makes sense to do it this way. At least for the next few weeks, I’m tracking 8 releases for August 13^th, so I’ll probably break things out into individual weeks again then. Anyway, a couple really interesting releases this week that I’d highly recommend checking out, stay tuned for more soon.

Sleeper Waker – This band is sick, they fit in very well with the new wave of metalcore bands with some more technical, almost nu-metal-y elements like Silent Planet, Northlane, etc. Of course, in that same vein, that means it does make it a little harder for them to stand out amongst contemporaries that are frankly incredible. Which makes my summary of this album a little weird. It’s incredible, it hits so hard, the concept is pretty cool, and the musicianship is unreal. I love this album. But in a sea of other new technical metalcore bands (some of them are using the label post-metalcore, but I’m not ready for that one just yet) it almost becomes forgettable simply because of the incredible level of musicianship and mastery of the genre. It’s so good, but it draws within the lines almost a little too well in a way that I know Silent Planet and others won’t. So, I’ll spin this album until the new SP album drops and be perfectly happy about it.

Capstan – This album is so weird, it’s trying to be SO many different things at once, and I can’t necessarily say it’s bad at it, but it’s a lot to process. One second, it’s like, djent, another its pop punk, another it’s a weird electronicore breakdown. Very strange. But I kinda dig it. I guess the average here would put it somewhere within post hardcore. Now, this isn’t like one of those albums that’s just chock full of several very diverse and eclectic sounds, it’s more like a compilation of several distinct genres, but somehow it never really sounds messy. Some of the transitions can be a bit jarring, but for the most part they accomplish the blend remarkably well. I’m actually really shocked at how good this album is cause on paper it should be pure chaos. But the guitar work is phenomenal, the vocal work is top notch, and the pop hooks interspersed among metalcore chugging is incredibly well written. Again, no idea how this makes sense, but this really is a remarkable album.

Singles/Albums – Coheed & Cambria (Prog Rock), Quicksand (Post-Hardcore), Between the Buried & Me (Progressive Metal), Spirit Breaker (Metalcore), Hawthrone Heights (Post-Hardcore feat. Brendan from Counterparts), Carnifex (Deathcore), Bullet for my Valentine (Metalcore), Venues (Metalcore), Attila (LP, Metalcore, this isn’t going on my playlist, sorry), Descendents (LP, Punk)

New Music Report – July 16, 2021

Posted by admin on Jul 29, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

So, this week is an interesting one, but like, not in a good way. There were a bunch of good singles this week, including the best Underoath song since Lost in the Sound of Separation came out, but the albums I covered were largely disappointing. Not bad, mind you, just disappointing. So you know, check em out, draw your own conclusion, but definitely check out the singles.

Times of Grace – So, this name may sound familiar to like, two of you. This band is presumably named after one of my favorite albums of all time, Times of Grace by Neurosis. So, they’re off to a good start already. You may have heard of the members too, they play in this little metalcore band called Killswitch Engage, plus the drummer from Envy of the Coast who is quite possibly the most underrated and overlooked drummer of all time. If you don’t believe me, check out Lucy Grey. Anyway, onto the album, how is it? Well, it’s alright, it verges on forgettable, and doesn’t really stack up to either its namesake, or the member’s work in Killswitch, but both of those are incredibly lofty bars. It’s kind of just a more radio friendly Killswitch Lite. So, you know, it’s not bad, it just feels like you can get more substance from the latest Killswitch album, which was fantastic. Still worth a listen if you’re a big Jesse Leach and Adam D fan, though.

Bulb (Misha Mansoor) – This is actually pretty good timing cause I’ve been on a huge Periphery kick lately. Now, it’s important to note that this is definitely not a Periphery album, but it’s still always cool to get new music from Misha. Obviously, it’s technically incredible, this man is a hell of a guitarist and a great producer as well. But I suppose on the opposite side of the spectrum, this kinda feels like the sort of thing that is going to be covered by amateur djent guitarists on YouTube until the end of time. It also sort of felt like one big ad for Misha’s guitar pedals and sample packs. But despite all that, it’s still fucking awesome. It’s not like anything this dude writes is every bad, but this really was an enjoyable listen. He played around with melodies, technical proficiency, and truly interesting production enough to make it really seem like a genuine album. So for anyone that wants a super shreddy but also very interesting instrumental album, this is worth checking out.

Singles/Albums – Memphis May Fire (Metalcore), Crystal Lake (Metalcore), We Came as Romans (Metalcore), Underoath (THEY’RE BACK BABY), LLNN (Post-Metal), Opeth (Blackwater Park 20^th Anniversary Reissue), Imminence (Post-Hardcore), Fit For a King/August Burns Red (Collab Track), Crippled Black Phoenix (Post-Rock)

New Music Report – July 9, 2021

Posted by admin on Jul 14, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

This week was kind of a busy one with lots of very strange and very remarkable releases. I’m going to be honest, a lot of this was overshadowed by the return of Structures. I know it’s just an EP, but man is it a big deal. It’s so cool to see bands like this returning and putting out new music again. I’m assuming it’s all a result of the pandemic, but whatever caused it, I’m grateful for it.

Structures – I know this is just a 15-minute EP, but I cannot overstress to you just how big of a deal this is. Structures came onto the scene over a decade ago and really wrote the book on how heavy djent could get, and the diversity that the genre could encapsulate. It was so, so much more than just crazy guitar riffs and mind-bendingly complex breakdowns, there was substance to it; complexity, diversity, very clear influences from different genres like hardcore, and man, did it just blow everyone’s minds. So, when they announced a new EP about a month ago after a 7-year hiatus, the hype was incredibly justified. And despite all the time that’s passed, and a leaned out lineup, Structures are still firing on all cylinders. If anything, this new EP, which features guest vocals from heavyweights like Brendan Murphy (Counterparts, END), the band crosses the whole spectrum of technicality into everything from djent to hardcore to nu-metalcore and just about everything else you can think of, all in about 15 minutes. It’s brilliant, just as everyone expected it to be.

VCTMS – I’ll admit, this is one of those bands that always felt like they were around, but I never really paid proper attention to. They’ve been churning out music with alarming regularity, but there were a few pieces that just made it not quite stick with me for whatever reason. And at this point, I’m still hesitant to say I was missing out, but I’m glad I finally tuned in for this new album. Now, this is definitely riding the wave of the nu-metalcore trend that’s happening right now and I understand that definitely isn’t for everybody, but these guys have managed to do it remarkably well, and in a way that actually seems like it can appeal to a broader audience whereas most bands within this sub-genre were kind of one trick ponies, playing to a very specific crowd. If you’ve ever had any passing interest in this band, this is the release to pay attention to.

Berried Alive – This one is a mixtape so I’m going to keep it short. I’m gonna be honest, this dude is kinda like Bilmuri for me, I honestly have no fucking idea if this is a joke project or not. It’s this weird spot where the guys making it are SO talented but the whole idea of the project itself is so fucking ridiculous it’s hard to tell. But this shreds HARD. Definitely check this out.

Singles/Albums – Trivium (Metalcore), Ice Nine Kills (Metalcore), Phinehas (Metalcore), Fallfiftyfeet (Mathcore), Wolves in the Throne Room (Black Metal), Lantlos (Blackgaze), Fawn Limbs (Mathcore), Memorist (Metalcore), Everyone Dies in Utah (Metalcore), TheCityIsOurs (Post-Hardcore), Vuvlodynia (Deathcore/Slam), Mayhem (EP, Black Metal), Sentinels (Post-Hardcore), Don Bronco (Alt Rock), Telomere (Post-Hardcore)

New Music Report – July 2, 2021

Posted by admin on Jul 14, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

Well, I’m running late again, but these past few weeks have done a number on me, but I’m doing my best to catch up here. Honestly, I can’t say I really mind stacking these weekly reviews like this though. At least in the case of this week’s worth of music, it’s really given me a chance to sit down with everything and really take it all in, and I’ve come away with a deeper appreciation for these albums because of it. I like the quick turnaround to keep everyone up to date, but the two albums I cover for this week are really very, very special, and deserved a few extra spins before I tried writing about them. Also, check out the singles from Eidola and BTBAM.

Born of Osiris – As I said, one of the benefits to me getting a bit behind schedule is that it gives me a chance to go beyond first impressions and really get a chance to get familiar with an album and see how it sits after a week or two and a good number of listens. And man, has this album gotten a good number of listens. This is absolutely one of the standout albums of the year for me, even after the initial luster had a chance to fade. First off, I’m not entirely sure how BOO decided that progressive metalcore needs saxophone, but I’m very glad they did. But beyond that very interesting but well executed inclusion, the whole album is an exercise in phenomenal technicality and songwriting ability. So many bands tend to lean one way or another, and I have to say, I’m in no way impressed with bands that are technically proficient but can’t write an interesting song to save their lives, but BOO have done an amazing job combining both elements into a masterclass of heavy music. Not that that should come as a surprise to anybody, but I cannot stress enough, this album is brilliant.

Year of No Light – This band is very cool, but they’ve mostly flown under the radar, even in relative terms with the post-metal scene, which largely flies under the radar in the first place. To give some context for this band, I discovered them back in 2012 when they released a drone album that was their creative interpretation of a soundtrack for the 1932 German movie, Vampyr. So, they’re a bit strange, but I love them. This new album continues some of those drone and ambient elements, using them to build a dark, eerie tension through the album, while layering them with more traditional post metal. Many post metal bands pride themselves on being the loudest bands out there, but Year of No Light is, in many ways, the embodiment of the opposite of that mantra. They carry their weight in the notes not played, and calculated moments of magnitude. This is a very, very special band, and I truly hope this album is appreciated as much as it deserves to be.

Singles/Albums – Eidola (Post-Hardcore), Between the Buried & Me (Prog Metal), At the Gates (LP, MeloDeath), Bilmuri (Live, Post-Hardcore), Fit for An Autopsy (Remaster, Deathcore), Turnstile (EP, Hardcore), Signs of the Swarm (Deathcore), Lil Lotus (Early-00s Pop Punk), Capstan (Post-Hardcore), We Butter the Bread with Butter (Electronicore)

New Music Report – June 24, 2021

Posted by admin on Jun 28, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

This past week was a very big one for good new music. In addition to the frankly excellent albums that I review below, there were also a few singles that I feel like are worth calling out by name so everyone can get a chance to check them out. Caskets, Make Them Suffer, Fawn Limbs, and ExitWounds are all the specific standouts from this week. There were also way more full-length albums than I had the time to cover that came out, but for sneak peaks of all of this music, be sure to check out my Spotify playlist linked below.

Amenra – I LOVE this band. I try to show this band to as many people as I can but it’s honestly such a strange, intense, niche sound that I don’t really expect too many people to get. It’s a bit hard to pin these guys down, they’re kind of post metal, kind of sludge, with vocals that are an emotional, shrieking combination of hysterical black metal and feral hardcore. And the result is absolutely unique, there really isn’t any other band out there quite like Amenra. Their live shows are presented as a sort of sermon; an intense, almost religious, cathartic experience, and their music has the ability to really draw the listener in to this whole experience, and feel the full breadth of this emotion, whether they’re seeing it live, or listening to it in their car. It’s an incredibly special thing to be able to accomplish and these guys do it time and time again. With strong builds, incredible tension, oppressive weight, and animalistic release, it has everything, and even if this sort of sound isn’t your thing, it’s impossible to not be able to identify with the emotional weight they convey. I cannot possibly recommend this band enough.

Beartooth – I’ll cut straight to the point, I did not think this album was going to go this hard. I thought Caleb Shlomo and Beartooth were working their way towards a more radio-friendly hard rock like Memphis May Fire did for years (and recently rectified on their newest single), and I wasn’t expecting a ton of really interesting music from this one. But man, they took a hard turn, this album goes way harder than anybody expected it too. It’s still hook filled metalcore with lots of clean vocals, but it’s super rowdy, very heavy, and tons of fun. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a huge amount of cheese to this album that’s just impossible to ignore, but I don’t think you’re supposed to. It’s meant to be raucous and brash and a little corny at the same time. But the difference is there’s more than enough actual substance to back all of this up and it leaves the listener with an actually very interesting and very complete album that’s heavier than it has any right to be, and I’m here for it.

Singles/Albums – Carnifex (Deathcore), Fawn Limbs (Mathcore), Caskets (Post Hardcore), Make Them Suffer (Metalcore, feat. Courtney LaPlante), Eighteen Visions (Metalcore), Light the Torch (LP, Metalcore), Lotus Eater feat. Oli Sykes (Nu-Metalcore), Withered (LP, Grind/Death Metal), ExitWounds (Metalcore), Darkthrone (Black Metal), Employed to Serve (Metalcore), Scale the Summit (LP, Prog Metal), Left IV Dead (Prog Metalcore)

New Music Report – June 18, 2021

Posted by admin on Jun 28, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

Ok, so I’m running behind again. Same deal this time, immediately following this post (for 6/18), I’m going to post the new music post for this past week, then I’ll be back on schedule again. I feel bad getting behind though, cause this week was absolutely stacked. The Bossk album was fantastic, of course, but the singles from Sleep Waker, Sleep Token, Ov Sulfur, Teeth, Jinjer, Lingua Ignota… Frankly, most of them, were all just fantastic. If nothing else, definitely check out those that I just listed though, they’re all very very good artists making very interesting music, and they’re all very much worth the listen.

Bossk – I’m willing to bet the majority of you have never heard of Bossk before. That’s totally understandable, post metal in general is an enigmatic and often overlooked genre. You’ve got the big buys like Russian Circles or Neurosis but Bossk never really put their name on the map in the same indelible way. But that isn’t to say they haven’t been one of the underground staples of the genre for over 15 years now. But while the household names have been churning out walls of sound, Bossk has always been following their own path, making music that’s far more experimental, with influences ranging from black metal to trip hop. It isn’t always easy to follow, but if you do it’s an incredibly deep and rewarding experience. And this album is another step up in the complexity and meandering stark soundscapes. It requires a certain amount of patience to be honest, and the result is a bleak, atmospheric, monster of an album. And if that sounds like your sort of thing then this band needs to be at the top of your list, immediately.

Singles/Albums – Sleep Waker (Metalcore), Sleep Token (Metalcore), Ov Sulfur (Deathcore), Capstan (Post-Hardcore), TEETH (Metalcore), Jinjer (Metalcore), Lingua Ignota (Neoclassical Darkwave), Alustrium (LP, Death Metal), Decayer (EP, Blackened Death Metal), Brojob (Deathcore), Scale the Summit feat. Courtney LaPlante (Prog Metal), Fear Factory (LP, Industrial Metal), At the Gates (MeloDeath), Bullet for My Valentine (Metalcore), Black Lotus (Progressive Deathcore)

New Music Report – June 11, 2021

Posted by admin on Jun 18, 2021 in Featured | 0 comments

Lots of cool new music last week, and it’s actually all pretty diverse too. Now, I’ve probably said enough about that Lorna Shore single but man, I’m still getting over it. But aside from that, there have been a ton of really quality albums that came out this week. From my oldest favorite band, AFI, to a newer band, WristMeetRazor, that are still scratching that nostalgia itch by doing brand new justice to an old sound that I grew up on. Plus, some more deathcore cause that’s just been cranking out lately, and I’m certainly not complaining.

AFI – AFI was actually my first real favorite band. Back when I was like 11-12 years old, I somehow came across The Art of Drowning, which had just then been released and the band completely changed my life. I’m fully convinced they paved the way for probably about 80% of my personal music tastes. And if you showed that 12-year-old Hogan this album, he would have HATED it. But 20 years later, both AFI and I have grown up quite a bit (mostly), and now, in 2021, I have to say this album is just about perfect. Gone are the hardcore, horror punk, goth rock, whatever days of AFI, and they’ve settled into a sort of post-punk masterpiece which has been the clear destination of their trajectory for a long time now whether anybody realized it or not. It’s the perfect manifestation of an AFI in the present day, with its members in their 40s, and the Days of the Pheonix behind them, so to speak. The whole thing has made me rather nostalgic and I’m sure I’m going to be stuck in the AFI discography for a while but for now, the new album has been steadily on repeat, and much as they were for me back in 2001, they’re still the perfect, reliable soundtrack for me here in 2021.

WristMeetRazor – Speaking of nostalgia, here is another one of the bands leading the screamo revival that I’m absolutely in love with right now. They don’t have as much of the chaotic mathcore elements of SYSC but it’s sort of like the more straightforward If I Die First sound, which is hardly a problem. It reminds me of that very specific sound from the early-00s that combined the energy of hardcore, the heavy At-The-Gates-Core brand of metalcore riffs and breakdowns (think early Atreyu, Eighteen Visions, Bleeding Through, etc), and the drama of post-hardcore and punk, all rolled into one crazy amalgamation of music that was absolutely perfect for the time. And as it turns out, it’s pretty damn perfect for today too. I’ve said this before, it might be partially nostalgia-driven, but I swear these newer bands reimagining this sound are doing a PHENOMENAL job making it sound fresh and frankly I can’t get enough of it. If you remember when Warped Tour was at Nissan Pavilion, this band is for you. Bonus points too, riffing on that hyper-localized reference, they’re a local DC band as well, and I’m always down for supporting local music.

Distant – I have been absolutely spoiled by good deathcore lately. It’s actually a pretty new thing for me too, there was a good long while there where deathcore just didn’t do it for me. I know the genre got a little stale for a while there, but these bands out there these days have been killing it. It’s so much more than relentless double bass and who can write the heaviest breakdown, it feels like there’s some real substance and diversity in the sound. Bands are switching it up and bringing in influences from black metal, death metal, metalcore, hardcore, etc, and it takes what is, frankly, a fairly one-dimensional genre, and adds some dynamic flavor to it. Distant have been doing exactly that. Now, I still stand by what I said, and I think that Mental Cruelty album is one of the best albums I’ve heard all year and kind of edges this one out, and I think the Lorna Shore EP might just take them both out. But new music is certainly a good thing, and I have to say, this is a very good album by a very good band and is definitely worth checking out.

Singles/Albums – Lorna Shore (Blackened Deathcore), Structures (Progressive Metalcore), Amenra (Post-Metal), Deafheaven (Post-Punk/Shoegaze), Times of Grace (Sludge Metal), Fear Factory (Industrial/Nu-Metal), Chunk! No, Captain Chunk (Easycore, if you miss good ADTR, listen to this), The Dead Rabbitts (Metalcore)