Review: blessthefall - Witness (2009)

I covered blessthefall's debut back in July and might as well have given it four out of five stars. Eh, maybe four and a quarter. I praised the metalcore sound, the hard thrashing and the melodic interludes in between. The couple songs that strayed a bit away from the aggressive turned me off a little, but not enough to dissuade me from ever listening to the album again - unlike my sentiments for Finger Eleven. Those guys are just terrible.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand - Arizona's blessthefall has returned with their second album, Witness, and it starts off great. Thick riffs coupled with loud, anthem-like screams make up the intro-track '2.0,' which crossfade into 'What's Left of Me,' a song almost on par with His Last Walk's 'Message to the Unknown.' Crazy screaming side-step with clean lyrics while insane guitar picking rages in the background. The track has a kick-ass, almost dreamy bridge sequence, before predictably melting into a heavy conclusion. Kick - ass.

'To Hell & Back' is catchy with its delivery and keeps the intensity from dipping. All fans across the globe will headbang to this song simultaneously. And then the Earth will explode.

The lead single of the album, 'God Wears Gucci,' has both a head-scratching title and the makings of a great song. A catchy, melodic chorus; double-bass kicks that my stereo system would die for; amazing fret-work in the background (Frisby and Lambert have not and will not disappoint); and a great synthesis between Bokan's clean singing and fierce screams.

'Hey Baby (Here's That Song You Wanted)' is another consistently good song and the album's title track, which follows, begins with the heaviest intro on the whole disc thus far. I hearken back to when I first heard 'Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad' rock my car stereo and how my nose nearly bled all over my uniform cuz of the insanity.

'Last Ones Left' reminds me slightly of another good act, Saosin, in the song's delivery. 'Five Ninety' opens with a wicked drum-solo and 'We'll Sleep When We're Dead' uses a sort-of synth-style opening that is adds a little variety to a heavy metalcore album.

If you haven't noticed, the album is very consistent in just about all aspects. It's heavy - full of screams and double-bass kicks, and thick riffs with a lot of talented fingers maneuvering along the necks of these guitars. There might be some people docking points due to a lack of variety, but in this day and age, it's hard to be unique and try new things. If you ask me, why try something new and risk wasting time when it could be spent on something you know you like, you know other people would like. I apply that to food - and music, apparently. The formula BTF developed with their debut worked to great effect - so they're back. They crank up the intensity a little, but keep the formula almost unchanged, which shouldn't warrant any complaints. Disturbed is still the same after all these years; Slipknot has evolved into a mesh of their second and third album's, which isn't new to the ears of those who know all their work already - I could go on, but you get the idea.

I conclude by mentioning that this album is available for pre-order currently and will be available for purchase October 6th. Whether or not I get lucky and win a copy in the various contests I have entered, I will still own this CD - one way or another. If you're a metalcore fan, I suggest you follow suit.

Listen to the album on mySpace! | Amazon

YouTube: Murmaider II

Just a little bit ago, I created The '97 Supreme's YouTube channel. On that little strip of cyberspace, I'll be uploading music and music videos as I gather them, all to promote released or soon-to-be released material. Our premiere will be Dethklok's 'Murmaider II.'

Review: Dethklok - Dethalbum II (2009)

I haven't reviewed the debut release from pseudo-metal band Dethklok yet and for that, I apologize. But seeing as how it is the highest charted death metal album in this history of the Billboard 200 industry, I think it's a safe bet that a lot of people already know the CD kicks ass. And it does. So what should one expect from the sequel? Even more epic metal good-ness.

Dethalbum II is appropriately named. It is a sequel to the first Dethalbum in that it is heavy, heavy metal. But something I noticed off the bat was that I was hooked to this album. It is significantly heavier and I'm sure if no one knew better, they'd think the band was comprised of real people... which it is, of course, but you wouldn't think all of this originated from an animated series. At any rate, just because this music is presented via a brutal (and hilarious) cartoon doesn't mean it has to conform to the same silliness. The show is nuts in one manner while the music is nuts in its own.

Each track on this album is great. When I say great, I mean incredible. The face-melting opener 'Bloodlines' and the ear-hammering double-bass kicks of 'The Gears' is a solid an introduction as any. The music is relentless and inconceivably awesome. What I was afraid of happening was after the first few tracks, the album would fall into a sort of repetitive lethargy. But on the contrary, as the album progresses, I felt like I had to keep on listening - up until the very end. I couldn't but remember the enigmatic way in which the band enraptures the world in the animated series. They got me! They got me just the same way!

'Burn the Earth' is a solid track that must be listened to. 'Laser Cannon Deth Sentence' is heavy as hell and the way 'The Cyborg Slayers' opens reminded me of Children of Bodom for seemingly no reason.

'I Tamper with the Evidence at the Murder Site of Odin' does two thing. One: it references the All-Father of my favourite mythology and Two: it kicks my ass.

'Murmaider II: The Water God' is a highlight on the album, but keep this in mind: it's not the only one. You shouldn't reach this track until you've heard the eight before it. You'll appreciate it that much more. And if you even searched for Dethklok on the internet, you've come across 'Murmaider' and you'll instantly recognize the opening riff and even some of the lyrics as they echo the checklist from the first song. Bad-ass.

'Comet Song' comes on next to break you into even tinier pieces after 'Murmaider II's assault and 'Volcano' is a perfect closing track to this great album.

Dethklok is presented through five metal-heads in the animated series Metalocalypse but the band is comprised of three real people. These three people have created better metal than some fully staffed, full-fledged bands that may have existed longer than the series has. This is a feat and a huge accomplishment. The "band's" sound has been slightly redefined, e.g. the vocals are not as low or as growl-like as often as the first album, but these gentle expansions have allowed the music more room to grow and evolve.

You will notice a difference between Dethalbum II and the first Dethalbum - and you will love it.

Adult Swim | MySpace | Amazon

Review: Threat Signal - Vigilance (2009)

Threat Signal's back with their sophomore album, Vigilance, after knocking off my socks with their debut album, Under Reprisal, which I showered with praise in a review back in July. Going in with high expectations, since Under Reprisal is (in my "rational eyes" LOL) a near-perfect album, I double-clicked the first track and after a short introduction, 'Afterlife' bursts and is instantly a song I'd love to see this group perform.

I'm taken aback, though, by Howard's instant use of "clean" vocals. I go back to Under Reprisal and click 'Rational Eyes'. Screams; deeper, growling vocals; thicker riffs - what's going on here? I go back to 'Afterlife' and the changes between albums are instantly apparent. Not to say the change is bad, but it's obvious to me now that I was looking for an Under Reprisal Pt.2.

Moving on, the track has a catchy chorus and, though it's very different compared to the last album's opener, it's still a solid song. 'Through My Eyes' has more of those semi-clean vocals, but this track sounds a bit more like the Threat Signal I know and love.

'The Beginning of the End' opens with Howard's trademark scream and is a fast-paced track, and the following 'United We Stand' opens similarly, with a melodic chorus and airy-feeling vocals from Howard lifting you to a kick-ass solo that echoes the same style as Under Reprisal's 'Inane'.

'Beyond Recognition' keeps the same tempo quick, with relentless drumming and fun guitar riffs. 'Another Source of Light' throws me for a loop, though, with a solid introduction, but horrible vocals that sound nothing like Howard - more like a mix between him, a high school kid with a cold and that one dude from Linkin Park. This is only until the chorus, though, which is good. The song's conclusion is great, as well, and if it weren't for those damn verses, this song would be killer.

'Hate Machine' has a cool little riff forty seconds in, but 'Severed' sounds just like 'Hate Machine' in that both songs practically open the same. 'Lost' opens with a great acoustic piece and 'Revision' gets props for its opener, as well.

What sucks is that after a while, the album gets repetitive and I know it isn't because of the genre because I listen to a lot of liberties that're taken in heavy metal and there are many that are executed brilliantly. Under Reprisal is a prime example of that.

Basically, my expectations for Vigilance were not completely met. It's a decent album with a few good songs, but if I want Threat Signal uninterrupted and completely enjoyable, I'm going back to Under Reprisal.

Homepage | MySpace | Amazon

Review: Crossbreed - K.E. 101 (2009)

Finally, at long last, Crossbreed's K.E. 101 has finally been released. Back in May, when I wrote the review to their debut Synthetic Divisions, I was foaming at the mouth since their next CD was supposed to release maybe a week or two later. It goes without saying that it never happened and that K.E. 101 was pushed all the way to September 15th after they went all summer announcing September 1st. But it turns out that only the CD will be released on the 15th and that the digital copy on iTunes was still on track for the 1st. So here I am with my copy of K.E. 101. So after all the waiting, ever since I fell in love with their demo of 'Nothing' back in 2007, has Crossbreed lived up to my expectations?

You bet your ass they have.

The album opens up with a crowd of fans chanting and screaming Crossbreed's name before dissolving into the first track via a sweet electronica beat. After the techno, the song unloads into the industrial metal I've been waiting for. With double bass kicks, sweet guitar riffs and awesome screams belting the song's namesake, 'Kill Everything,' I'm more psyched than ever. 'Hollow' opens strangely, with some creepy-sounding chanting, I might add, before leading into a solid track with an awesome bridge sequence.

'Nothing' has changed significantly since I found the demo years ago, but I could have been blind and not known what track I had clicked on and still recognized the song as soon as it opened up. The song is awesome. The screaming continues to be a selling point for this band. But the drum work and the guitar riffs are like fancy packaging tape on this package. It all works so well, I'm rather suspicious. More on that later...

'Emote' is worth mentioning, and 'TB Not' is a bad-ass track, as well. 'The Calling' and 'End of Days' continue the trend, being far from disappointing, but let me hit on the next song.

OK. The best part: Crossbreed actually did a cover of Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition.' I know, right? When it started playing, I about fell out of my chair laughing AKA ROFL. But it's a great cover and is very unique since it's still by a heavy industrial band. But it's still a great song and oughta be on the radio as a single.

Following 'Superstition' is 'Saints of Grey,' a song I knew was gonna kick ass after hearing it on the band's mySpace page. And guess what? I was right - it kicks ass. 'Control' slows it down a little before 'Beg' finishes the album off strong - just like how it started.

So my message to any readers: if you like Crossbreed, liked their first album, and would like to see what they have to offer this time around, do it. K.E. 101 does not disappoint. That last part applies to all who haven't heard of the band. Crossbreed has delivered a solid album with an eclectic mix of industrial metal and electronica. Florida should be proud.

Homepage | MySpace | Amazon MP3

Upcoming Releases: Three Days Grace - Life Starts Now (2009)

Three Days Grace's third studio album, Life Starts Now, will be released on September 22nd. Attached is the album art and track listing.

1. Bitter Taste
2. Break
3. World So Cold
4. Lost In You
5. The Good Life
6. No More
7. Last To Know
8. Someone Who Cares
9. Bully
10. Without You
11. Goin' Down
12. Life Starts Now

Upcoming Releases: blessthefall - Witness (2009)

blessthefall's sophomore album, Witness, is prepping for an October 6th release. Attached is the album art and track listing.

1. "2.0"
2. "What's Left of Me"
3. "To Hell and Back"
4. "God Wears Gucci"
5. "Hey Baby, Here's That Song You Wanted"
6. "Witness"
7. "Last Ones Left"
8. "Five Ninety"
9. "We'll Sleep When We're Dead"
10. "Skinwalkers"
11. "You Deserve Nothing and I Hope You Get Less"
12. "Stay Still"

Singles: Breaking Benjamin - "I Will Not Bow"

Breaking Benjamin is back and they're still good. The single "I Will Not Bow" reminds me of everything right they have ever done: all-encompassing clean vocals; some quick, deep screams; a melodic chorus; driving riffs.

Their fourth album Dear Agony is due out September 29th. My recommendation: go get it.

MySpace | Fan Site | Wikipedia

Singles: Five Finger Death Punch - "Hard To See"

Five Finger Death Punch has another album coming out in September and with the release of their first single, "Hard To See," I'm heavily leaning toward purchasing the Hardcore War Is the Answer package at their band-merch site. Yeah, it's 80 big 'uns, but so what? I got a job.

Anyway, the single is a great mix of screams and melody with an awesome solo and a great tempo. The track feels like it's always moving forward without so much a pause or hesitation.

FFDP's second album War Is the Answer is expected to drop September 22nd. To look into the great packages you could own, and all the stuff that would come with the disc, click the link.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH "WAR IS THE ANSWER" PACKAGE

Visited: Rockstar Mayhem Fest 2009 (RECAP)

Saturday was my return visit to Dallas for Mayhem Fest. Headlined by Marilyn Manson and Slayer, I honestly had a bad-ass time.

After a couple hours of tail-gating, Riley and I used the pre-order (PIT!) passes I bought earlier in the year to get us in the gates an hour before everyone else. Immediately, I went to the Jaegermeister stage. No one was there yet, so Riley and I parked it right on the barricade. We were ready to go.

The Jaeger Battle of the Bands winner, Adakain, opened up on the stage and kicked ass. I bought their CD and will give you a review later on. Anyway, Adakain owned - simply put.

We stayed put at the Jaeger stage. On the Hot Topic stage "next door," there was Behemoth, Whitechapel, Cannibal Corpse, Job for a Cowboy, and Black Dahlia Murder - all a little too heavy for me. So we stayed at the Jaeger stage and waited for God Forbid.

I saw God Forbid back when they went through Lafayette and they rocked back then. Being so close this time around, I had an ever better time. Their setlist included 'War of Attrition' off their new album, Earthsblood; 'The Fallen Hero' off Constitution of Treason and a some even older stuff from Determination.

Following was All That Remains, promoting their latest album Overcome. They began, though, with 'This Calling' from Fall of Ideals and darted back and forth between their 2006 release and their 2008. Great setlist, by the way, the closer being the popular 'Two Weeks.'

I stepped out and watched Trivium from the back so I could stand in line to get autographs from Killswitch Engage. Mission accomplished, baby.

Bullet for My Valentine opened on the main stage and Riley and I were barely a few yards from the barricade. Their setlist included 'Hand of Blood,' '4 Words To Choke Upon,' 'Waking the Demon,' and a brand new song. When Killswitch played one of their new songs early this year at Music as a Weapon, they released a new album not six months later. It's been over eighteen months since Bullet's Scream Aim Fire released, so maybe we don't have much longer to wait for their next album to hit the shelves. Also, during 'Tears Don't Fall,' I broke my cherry and got in a circle pit. Fucking awesome.

Killswitch Engage rocked just as hard as they did at Music as a Weapon, playing 'End of Heartache,' 'Rose of Sharyn,' 'Fixation on the Darkness' and 'Reckoning,' off their latest album.

I have never listed to Slayer before. I knew they had been around for a while, but I didn't know it was closing in on thirty years! For an hour, the metal act possessed the crowd Riley and I were shit-deep in and we were pummeled. The one song I did recognize they closed with: 'Raining Blood.'

I had never seen Marilyn Manson live before that day. He was waited on hand and foot, tossing microphone stands and beer bottles and spitting the beer out at us with a scowl. Yet there we were, screaming for more. His setlist included 'Rock is Dead,' 'Sweet Dreams,' the new 'Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon' off High End of Low and 'Disposable Teens,' sang in memory of Pantera's Dimebag.

The show was great and I stand by my kick-ass decision to get pit access this year. I only wish I had done so last year. I would have died to have seen Slipknot as close as I did Manson.

For access to my Flickr page with more images from the show, click on this!

Visited: Rockstar Mayhem Fest 2009

Riley and I took off yesterday morning at around eight o'clock and headed for Dallas to revisit the Superpages center for the now-annual Rockstar Energy Mayhem Fest. We went last year when Slipknot and Disturbed headlined and I pre-ordered this year's tickets back in February, I think, cuz I knew we were gonna want to go again. I'll post pics and videos as soon as possible, but lemme say that we had a fucking blast. Recap of the event next post.

Rockstar Mayhem Fest 2009

Image provided by Wikipedia.

Upcoming Releases: Threat Signal - Vigilance

A quick reminder that Threat Signal will be dropping their second album, Vigilance, on

September 8th in North America. Attached is the album art and track listing provided by their

mySpace page.

01. Afterlife
02. Through My Eyes
03. The Beginning Of The End
04. United We Stand
05. Beyond Recognition
06. Another Source Of Light
07. Hate Machine
08. Severed
09. Lost
10. Revision
11. In Repair
12. Escape From Reality
13. To Remember

MySpace

Upcoming Releases: Chevelle, Rob Zombie, Shadows Fall, etc.

Nothing puts me in a better mood than discovering that some of my favourite acts are putting out new material soon. Just last night, I compiled a small list of bands I'll be keeping my eye on as they prepare releasing their latest material in the coming months. It is as follows:

- SOiL will be releasing their fifth studio album (second with new-ish vocalist AJ Cavalier), titled Picture Perfect on October 20th of this year. Their last album, True Self, was released over three years ago.

- Deftones has a new album waiting to be released, titled Eros, which was set to be released earlier this year, but due to a near-fatal accident that almost claimed their bassist, the album was put on hold till October. Currently, it's been upgraded to an indefinite hold. Their official page stated "although those songs will see the light of day at some point, we collectively made the decision that we needed to take a new approach... with Chi’s condition heavy on our minds while doing so."

- Crossbreed, an act many people have probably never heard of, was supposed to release their second studio album K.E. 101 a few months ago, but due to some label issues, the album has been slated to release on September 1st.

- Rob Zombie will be releasing another album in October, hopefully. With all of his films being in a state of release or development or whatever in between, I wouldn't be surprised if something gets in the way of his music.

- Powerman 5000 will be releasing their sixth studio album, Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere, tentatively on October 6th.

- Three Days Grace has their third studio album, Life Starts Now, prepped for a September 22nd release. The first single from the album, "Break," will undoubtedly hit airwaves soon.

- Muse has a release, titled The Resistance, planned for a September 14th release. A whole track listing is available on the album's Wikipedia page and the total run time of the disc is six minutes short of an hour. Not bad.

- Shadows Fall is looking to release their next album, Retribution, on September 15th. Their sixth studio album features a guest spot from Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe.

- Chevelle will be releasing their next album Sci-Fi Crimes soon - September 1st.

- Breaking Benjamin has been working on their fourth album, Dear Agony, and has been preparing that for a September 29th release. The first single, "I Will Not Bow,' will be released August 17th.

- I was reluctant to add this, but someone out there might care. Pearl Jam will be releasing their 128th studio album, Backspacer, on September 20th.

Review: blessthefall – His Last Walk (2007)

Blessthefall is a group of young adults from Arizona who came together to crafted some great friggin’ music. I found them on MTV2 late one night, sitting in my buddy Dietrich’s apartment, when their video for ‘Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad’ aired.

I was floored. The song opened strong, carried strong, and finished strong. I was so impressed, I flipped open my phone and downloaded the song from my cellular provider’s music store as soon as the video was over. It wasn’t long after that I got my hands on the full album.

‘A Message to the Unknown’ opens the CD and is brutal as hell. Screams and melodic vocals with double bass kicks and all sorts of heaviness around it come together to form a perfect song. I was amazed at how well a band could hit the mark like this. The energy overflows and this was just the first song!

The aforementioned ‘Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad’ opens just as strong as ‘Message…’ and is just as solid. I said earlier that when I first heard the song, I was impressed as hell. The song is so good, I can throw it in my playlist every now and then on my commute home and I’ll never skip it. Double bass kicks litter the track, sandwiching the vocalist’s (Mabbit) incredible screams. An elevated guitar solo for a bridge connects the opening end of the song to the equally intense ending, with more double bass kicks and a ferocious outro. Absolutely amazing.

‘Higinia’ is heavy just the same, with an intense anthem (“You will not die!”) and screams abound. The energy is preserved from the first two tracks and you wonder if it will ever fade. But do you want it to? I didn’t. So far, so good, right? So why does it still happen anyway?

‘Could Tell a Love’ is where the energy – nay, the insanity, begins to dwindle. It’s still heavy, with screams and great riffs, but Mabbit’s melodic work begins to eclipse his screams more in this song and it is here where we begin to see a shift from the metalcore to the post-hardcore.

I kind of have mixed feelings toward ‘Rise Up.’ The tone shifts away (but not completely away) from the heavy screaming and more toward those clichéd, angst-y sounding vocals that I am far from a fan of.

‘Times Like These’ dumps the sound of ‘Rise Up’ and echoes ‘Could Tell a Love,’ with alternating screams and… how do I put this, better melodic vocals.

‘Pray’ has an impressive acoustic thing going before a bad-ass electric riff takes over and ‘With Eyes Wide Shut,’ though reminding me of ‘Rise Up,’ is a unique and quiet by comparison ballad.

‘Black Rose Dying’ is worth mentioning, but the closer, ‘His Last Walk,’ is a brutal assault on your ears with some bad-ass choir singing (reminds me of chant music) in the background as Mabbit’s screams slowly fade away.

I used to think the first couple tracks were the album’s only high points, but for the most part, blessthefall’s debut album is spot on. They are much better as a metalcore group and I think they should keep it heavy from now on. If the whole disc was ‘Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad,’ sure I might say something about variety (which this album surely has, in spades) but being “too metal” is never a bad thing, especially when it’s mastered so well.

The band has a new singer and, apparently, has finished work on their follow-up album, due for release sometime this fall. We’ll see what happens.

Wikipedia | MySpace | Amazon

Review: Blinded Colony – Bedtime Prayers (2007)

I don’t know how I happened upon Blinded Colony, but I do know one thing: those damn Swedes know how to make music.

The band’s second studio album starts off pretty quick and I am reminded of another favourite from Sweden: Soilwork. The sound of the introductory ‘My Halo,’ guitar-wise, sounds so much like Soilwork it’s not even funny. But I loved “Sworn to a Great Divide” so who gives a shit? Anyway, ‘My Halo’ is a great track. It’s heavy and full of screams and melodic choruses.

‘Bedtime Prayers’ is probably my favorite track off the album. I had this crazy thought enter my mind when I first heard this song: the lead singer, Schuster, sounds like the Three Days Grace guy, Adam Gontier. ‘Bedtime Prayers’ opens with a Soilwork-sounding riff and clean vocals by Schuster that sound just like Gontier. Of course, when the screaming starts, I was reminded that this wasn’t that other awesome band and I began to wonder what 3DG would sound like if they went more metal. I guess we’ll never know.

Anyway, the song is great and so is the rest of the album. Each song has a perfect blend of powerful screams and clean vocals, with catchy, but familiar, riffs, inspired by Sweden’s more internationally known acts, In Flames and Soilwork. If you’re a fan of Sweden and their unique style of melodic death metal, add Blinded Colony to your wishlist.

Homepage | MySpace | Amazon

Review: The Autumn Offering – Requiem (2009)

I picked up “Fear Will Cast No Shadow” last year and, for the most part, I thought the CD was OK. I didn’t know much about TAO before McChesney, apart from the single ‘Embrace the Gutter,’ but I thought as a “metal” group, TAO was OK and that “Fear Will Cast No Shadow” was mediocre at best. They were good enough, though, to warrant my interest in their follow-up, “Requiem.’” I picked it up a couple weeks ago, loaded it up and was surprised.

The album starts off with ‘Curtain Hits the Cast,’ a heavy song with side-by-side vocal tracks: one clean and melodic, the other growling and awesome. The song has a catchy opening riff and a bad-ass drum sequence and guitar solo in the bridge. ‘Narcosis’ carries the torch, with an opening solo and all-pervading double bass kicks. The track has a great down-tempo bridge and continues the side-by-side dirty/clean vocals that ‘Curtain’ had.

‘Venus Mourning’ opts to alternate the melodic singing and McChesney’s growls rather than have the two play on top of each other. The song opens a little slower and feels like it might be closer to a metal-ish ballad before McChesney’s clean singing yields to his screams and the pace picks up a third in. McChesney’s clean vocals pick up again in the middle of the song, but with the double-bass kicks in the background, I wasn’t sure what kind of song I was listening to. He could have done all screams instead and it would have worked just as well. The breakdown at the end consists of a piano track, some light drums and a slighty distorted (read: raised treble, lowered bass) vocals.

The rest of the CD carried the aforementioned torch all the way to the end without missing a beat. The album is much better than ‘Fear Will Cast No Shadow’ – it’s heavier, harder, grittier, louder, darker… y’know, better! If you didn’t like ‘Fear…’ as much as you thought or wanted to, give The Autumn Offering a second chance and pick up ‘Requiem.’ If the album has any shortcomings, it’s the overall time: not even forty minutes. All of the songs are great, and maybe some of them sounded better short of three minutes as opposed to being dragged out to four, but expect to change CDs sooner than you might have expected – especially if you have a longer commute.

Wikipedia | MySpace | Amazon

(Image provided by Victory Records)

Review: Threat Signal – Under Reprisal (2006)

Threat Signal debuted a few years ago with “Under Reprisal,” a masterpiece if I do say so myself. Threat Signal is an experience second to none and, when compared to all 285+ artists in my personal library, no one comes close. Echoing my sentiments for Sweden’s Scar Symmetry, I cannot find anyone else to match the ferocity of Canada’s Threat Signal.

The opening track, ‘Rational Eyes,’ is an in-your-face assault, mixed with hard riffs, great screams, great drumming, and great melodic vocal work from lead Jon Howard. Yes, it’s melodic death metal, which is quite possibly my favourite genre and this CD is quite possible my one favourite out of everything I have.

‘As I Destruct’ opens like an off-time mess (no qualms here!) and ‘One Last Breath’ opens with a shotgun blast before unloading its melodic beauty through your speakers.

‘Seeing Red’ is a fun and quick song but it’s the fifth track, one ‘A New Beginning’ that I vote the best track on the album. Not just because it’s the first song I heard from them on their mySpace, but because it’s perfect. Opening with a light intro, the real meat of the song is Howard’s screaming and the thick riffs behind him. The track is 4 ½ minutes of delicious goodness, with hard bass thumps that will rock your trunk if you have a good set-up in your car.

Following is ‘Counterbalance,’ another damn good song, and after that is ‘Inane,’ a close tie for first when it comes to the album’s greatest song. Clocking in at over six minutes, ‘Inane’ is all screams until around 2 ½ minutes in, when the vocals end and the guitar work by McKnight and Rich Howard take over. The outro is over three minutes long and is all solos and riffs. Each time I listen to this track, I question my vote for best song.

‘Now’ and ‘Faceless,’ while good, are somewhat forgettable for me. ‘Haunting’ is a great track but mainly because the demo I heard of it before I purchased the CD stuck with me so well. The closer, ‘When All is Said and Done’ is simply magnificent.

Threat Signal debuts strong with “Under Reprisal,” which I consider one of the greatest works I have in my collection. The band, though, has suffered quite the line-up change in losing their guitarist McKnight and their drummer. We’ll just have to wait and see what the band has to offer when their follow-up, “Vigilance,” drops this August.

Homepage | MySpace | Amazon

Review: Darkest Hour - The Eternal Return (2009)

Darkest Hour is phenomenal. 'Deliver Us' is a bad-ass CD, with a kick-ass opening (Doomsayer), some bad-ass singles (Demon(s), Ethereal Drain, Paradox with Flies) and some wild cover art. Going back to 2005, I found something just as bad-ass: 'Convalescence.' And with 2009 here, Darkest Hour is keeping the two-year gap between releases a-going with their newest addition, 'The Eternal Return.'

One thing you'll notice is that D.H. hasn't lost a thing. None of the band's appendages have grown numb over the years; all the blood is flowing as it should and the group is as united as ever. The disc is, from start to finish, loud, hard, heavy and kick-ass.

The other thing you'll notice, upon completion, is that there are no intermissions. In 'Undoing Ruin,' you had the acoustic instrumental 'Pathos' and the heavier instrumental, 'Ethos.' In 'Deliver Us,' you had the T.S. Eliot-themed 'Light at the Edge of the World.' In 'Eternal Return,' you have no breaks, no instrumentals - only a collection of ten hard-hitting songs, complete with great solos, catchy riffs, insane drums and the signature vocals of one John Henry.

The disc opens strong with 'Devolution of Flesh' and 'Death Worship,' and the strong 'Tides' follows with a time-change and a kick-ass solo in the middle. The even stronger 'No God' follows and is phenomenal, with a distinct intro, heavy verses and a great bridge segment that preceeds that signature melody you heard in the beginning of the track.

'Bitter' is quick bridge between the first half of the album and the second, but don't interpret that as if the tone or the sound of the disc changes. Nay, the heavy keeps coming and continues till the very last second of the kick-ass 'Into the Grey.'

Darkest Hour is a one-of-a-kind group and, simply put, a master of the metalcore genre. I have two words concerning their latest release: buy it.

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Review: DevilDriver - Pray for Villains (2009)

My only experience with DevilDriver was with 'Last Kind Words' and it wasn't even as far back as 2007, when the album came out. It was a year later when I played 'Clouds Over California' on Rock Band for 360. I got the CD, listened to it, and liked it for the most part. I didn't consider myself a fan or anything, but it was something I'd listen to if I wanted. Now, having gotten my hands on their newest outing, 'Pray for Villains,' you can call me a fan - because this CD kicks too much ass for one to handle.

I listen to it today while I was at work and I listened to the rest during my thirty-minute commute home. I'm not going to break it down song by song like I usually do due to the intermission between work and the drive and home, but I will due what I can to convey to whoever reads this that the new album, when it drops July 14th, is a must-have for any metal fan out there.

The disc is hard and heavy and it was the last few songs, namely 'Bitter Pill,' 'Teach Me to Whisper,' and the closer 'I See Belief' that stuck out the most, probably because of the strange ability the tracks have to induce headbanging. The double bass kicks, for some reason, is what lifts each track to the peaks that they achieve. Not to disregard the talent of everyone else in the group, but it was bass that prompted the headbanging and the joy I felt for another job well done, (that being locating solid, kick-ass music).

If you liked 'Last Kind Words,' you'll love 'Pray for Villains.' If you like metal at all, you'll love 'Pray for Villains.'

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Review: Lamb of God – Wrath (2009)

Lamb of God was never someone I considered listening to growing up. When Slipknot’s Volume 3 was released, it was the heaviest thing I had in my library. I was 17 going on 18 and I was still all about pop rock, modern rock, mainstream rock and Stone Temple Pilots.

If you’ve been following any of my reviews, it’s obvious my tastes have evolved. Lamb of God entered my line of sight one fateful night when I was playing Guitar Hero with a friend. I enjoyed playing the song on the game, looked up the band, loved the actual song more, bought Ashes of the Wake, loved it. Bought Sacrament, loved it. When I heard Wrath was on its way, I freaked. When it came out, I got it.

And I love it.

The introduction, ‘The Passing,’ is surprisingly acoustic. Acoustic? On a LoG CD? I had to make sure I didn’t buy something else by mistake. By that time, the first thirty seconds had passed and the signature sound of Lamb of God was there: in the guitar riffs, the drums. That signature style and sound was there and I was enthralled. If this is the opening, what else could be following?

A lot. ‘In Your Words’ explodes and is one of my favourite songs on the album. Opening with a drum roll and an incredible scream by Randy Blythe, ‘In Your Words’ is obviously a loud, angry tirade against the music industry (or a literal cash cow with sickly tits, I dunno).

After the majority of the song plays, the song explodes again at 3:25. As if the song has gone full circle, Blythe belts out another scream and the song carries itself for a minute or so, hard and heavy, before finally fading out.

‘Set To Fail’ follows and is signature Lamb of God. Heavy, chock full of screams. I don’t know what the fuss is over Blythe’s “semi-clean vocals” in the chorus. So you can understand what the hell he’s saying a little easier. Who cares?

It’s not until ‘Grace’ that my interest is piqued again. Opening similar to ‘The Passing,’ (as in it’s not unrelentingly brutal for at least a few seconds), ‘Grace’ unloads. It’s catchy, heavy, and on Big Joe Mix 2009. Have I been putting off explaining that this whole time? I’ll get to it eventually.

‘Everything to Nothing’ follows in the same vein. It’s a bad-ass assault, deviating from the Lamb of God norm only in the quick pace with which Blythe sings/growls his verses.

From start to finish, Lamb of God’s seventh studio album is brutal, unrelenting and far from disappointing. Speaking only for myself, it continues a trend in which only two songs per album since Ashes of the Wake stand out the most: 'Laid to Rest' and 'Omerta;' 'Walk with Me In Hell' and ‘Redneck;’ ‘In Your Words’ and ‘Grace.’

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