Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Friday, May 24th, 2013
The Palladium, Worcester MA
Day Three:
Day three put the HARD in New England Metal & Hardcore festival this year. This was the No Sissies Allowed day. Observe.
Opening ceremonies were conducted by Seattle’s TO THE WIND, and they put on a good show, however unremarkable. Nothing bad to say, though I haven’t any accolades to shower upon them. After them, a whole big space of my doing nothing but bothering people and flexing my superb awkward swagger until THE GREENERY, a Long Beach skate crew whose singer has a bone to pick with the concept of stages, because separating yourself from the crowd is not punk.
 The Greenery’s new album “It’s Looking Grim” drops in June. Too fast, too furious, and it’ll make you wanna act a fool. The Greenery play a mix of Thrash, Hardcore, and straight up balls-out Punk that has the speed of CEREBRAL BALLZY, the rousing hardness of “Rotting Out”, and the obsession with boarding that connects the two. I certainly wouldn’t mind catching them again. One fun thing I learned from this set was that I may or may not have found the singer’s MOTORHEAD hat, which apparently went missing and was so painful of a loss that he dedicated a song to it. I invoke finder’s keepers law and am justified in my acquiring of this killer headgear.
I heard a bit of racket being made downstairs by Australia’s BEYOND THE SHORE, and went down to see what was up. Apparently the once passable I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN impersonators have taken a turn for the worse and don’t even bother trying to sound remotely interesting. That and a crowd of 20 people not throwing down to the chugs was enough to make you flaccid. Taking the stage after them were WAKING THE DEAD, a passable Crossover Thrash act, but nothing that made me rethink all of my once held notions of how it should sound.
 WAKING THE DEAD is led by MIKE CLARK (ex- ST/NO MERCY) Heading back upstairs, I intended to see what all the fuss surrounding WARHOUND was about. Seamlessly melding Hip-Hop and Hardcore can be done, and has been done. Just look to bands like CANDIRIA for an example of how to do it tastefully and with a steaze indefatigable. Warhound on the other hand, while not necessarily bad at what they do, take the more thuggish extreme of hip-hop, and not exactly the “Wu-Tang ain’t nuttin’ ta fuck wit” type, either. It’s certainly heavy and has that bounce, but the attitude is more funny than anything, even though you can tell they come from the mean streets of Chi-town and are un-ironic in what they’re talking about. For fans of DEEZ NUTS? (Editor’s note: Deez Nuts has fans?)
Following the hardest ever were TURNSTILE, who are also respectably hard, despite their name being a random object. I guess they like trains. They sure know how to get a crowd going, and even got some glorious pile-on action, which is a sign that the kids dig it. Following that was THICK AS BLOOD. By now you’ve probably realised I spent the majority of my day upstairs. It was more fun there, is all. Florida’s not a happy place. Just look at all the Death Metal bands that have come from there, as well as these hatemongers that got some fools crowdkilling early on. Music is passion, it’s true. I got a fist to the eye just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I gotta say, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. That set the tone for a fun set, oddly enough, even if Turnstile had a bigger draw, resulting in an oddly vacant floor in comparison. I got down. Local boys SWORN IN came on next and played a lot of heavy stuff, which makes sense since they have yet to write anything that isn’t. My seeing these guys was a long time coming, and I’m glad I finally got to. In a more packed setting, I imagine it would be far more satisfying, though their heaviness that errs on the side of a djent feel and the eternal wellsprings of anger held by their vocalist is massive enough when there’s room to practice your spinkicks.
I decided against my better instincts to go peek at THE PLOT IN YOU(terus). Generic trash, throw it away. I stand a greater chance of getting a nosebleed drinking a glass of water at home than I do standing in a The Plot In You pit. Luckily Remembering Never, though I’d not previously heard them, obliterated the thoughts of that horrible experience from my mind with their OG Metalcore swag. Having gone on a hiatus some years back, apparently it’s quite exciting that they’re doing things once more, and having seen them in action, I can say for sure that they’re a much needed breath of fresh air in a world where Metalcore means anyone suffering through a break-up. Clean sections sparingly used between punishing breakdowns, circle-pit parts that didn’t sound forced, and of course, the abundance of quotable lines that give the audience cause to shout along with all of their might. It’s inspiring, I say. For fans of Ligeia who are sad that they’re dead and drunk.
 Most of the early day on Day 3 was deathy hardcore bands and deathcore bands like I DECLARE WAR. Speaking of hiatuses (hiatii?) TRAPPED UNDER ICE made the announcement that they would be going on one in August of this year. I, not being a fan, am not taking the news too hard, but their legions of loyal pit warriors made this one count, with mic-rushes galore and rugged pit antics for those truly unafraid to emerged bruised in the name of Hardcore. TUI til they die. I’m sure they’ll be missed, but they’ll be back, and probably to more intense crowds than before. Whether or not they’re Metallica fans is a question we’ll have to wait to see answered definitively at another time.
 SICK OF IT ALL sold a special tribute shirt to NEMHCF co-founder Scott Lee. Thus concludes the upstairs portion of this programme.
After getting a little poster signed by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES (fo’ free, bless their hearts), it was time to witness some endless circles made by our favourite speed metal drunks in D.R.I.
 Hey Harold…I’m pretty sure Van Gogh wants his ear back, man.
How much can one really say about D.R.I. that doesn’t just boil down to “Ahh it was fast and people were running around!”? Because that’s basically what it is: an explosion of pure Crossover enjoyment that not even some fool wearing stripes and acting a fool (the wrong way, mind you) can ruin. They didn’t invent the circlepit (I think), nor did they invent the skanking run (or did they?), but since both are so synonymous with them, it was of course what one may expect to be the main flavour on this mosh smorgasbord.
 LOU from SICK OF IT ALL….. still undisputed! New York’s finest in SICK OF IT ALL are the ones that I personally attribute a lot of the modern day tuff guy hardcore to, but by Jove they’re fantastic. Old boy Lou hasn’t aged a day in their 28 years as a band, it’s incredible. Looking and sounding just as fresh as on record, the band delivered prime cuts like “Just Look Around” and “Step Down” like it wasn’t no thang. Sick Of It All was the rallying cry for all of the dads in the building, as the bald and aged among us were out in full force, circling as though this was their final day on Earth, and throwing down harder than some of the kids upstairs. It’s a sight to see, the geezers out to play. Sick Of It All? Nah, I could go for a couple more songs, please. It was all over too soon, but luckily the cycos in Suicidal Tendencies were up next for all of us who have a bone to pick with your polite society.
 You still can’t bring them down……… SUICIDAL TENDENCIES are the reason why Punks and Metalheads are on friendly(-ish) terms today, so thank them whenever you see a guy in a SLAYER shirt and a guy in a cut up CIRCLE JERKS shirt in the same pit not punching one another. They and D.R.I. essentially paved the way for Crossover and Metallic Hardcore of all types, so it’s a pretty big deal that they are once again sharing the stage. MIKE MUIR has aged physically, but his voice and attitude towards life have thankfully remained ever fresh and relevant since their self-titled LP released in ’83. Still cyco after all these years, anthems like “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow If I Can’t Even Smile Today?”, “Possessed To Skate”, “I Saw Your Mommy”, “You Can’t Bring Me Down”, and of course, the almighty “Institutionalized” still have the same punch that they did when they were first penned. The new line-up hasn’t changed a thing as far as their energy goes, as they’re just as vital as the group of youngsters that initially formed the band. The mini-speeches Mike made between songs were at once inspirational and wide-eyed and had a touch of the lunacy that attempting to play by everyone else’s rules brings on a free-thinking mind. I don’t exaggerate when I say I could listen to MIKE MUIR spoken word on how to subvert societal norms with the same interest as I would HENRY ROLLINS describe his interactions with strangers. Fuck with life regularly.
 It seemed like half the crowd was on stage for the big finish. In all, New England Metal & Hardcore Festival XV was a massive success. Hundreds, thousands even, from all over the world, including a crew that came all the way from Japan just to see Terror, all united in their love of heavy music. It’s a wonderful thing, and I wish all shows were this grand, if not quite as expensive. But fuck it, I got in for free because I’m cool. Cheers, fuckers.
Tags: CYKO MYKO, D.R.I., Day 3 =hardcore, Echoes In The Well Photography, i declare war, JFAC, job for a cowboy, Mike Clark, MIKE MUIR, NEW ENGLAND METAL & HARDCORE FESTIVAL XV, remembering never, reviews by Sean Genovese, Scott Lee, Sick Of It All, SUICIDALTENDENCIES, SWORN IN, THE GREENERY, thick as blood, trapped under ice, TURNSTILE, WAKING THE DEAD, WARHOUND
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Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
The Palladium, Worcester, MA
Day Two:
Due to the sheer volume of bands and out of consideration for the eyes and souls of any readers, I won’t get into great detail with any band that kinda sounded like all of the other bands or that I don’t particularly like. Or in some cases, missed either because I chose to because I’m boss status or various circumstances. Also, hello again.
This show got started with SAVING GRACE, who are a Christian (obv.) band from Australia that play some form of hardcore that is heavy. You can get down to it with relative ease. Following them were yet another Christian crew, albeit a little heavier, both sound and weight-wise, under the moniker THOSE WHO FEAR. They provided a little anti-sermon, which is much appreciated so you know you’re not being judged. Totality was neatly sandwiched between the two, but their unremarkable sound and downright silly pit action that resembled enthused leprechauns circling a pot o’ gold bore their almost being left out of this review entirely. Sorry, guys.
A time skip and a jump later, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY came out and encouraged the pitters and sinners to act a fool. One of the few true Deathcore bands currently existing as a legitimate combination of blasting Death Metal fury and Hardcore pit ignorance, FFAA have a lot to be proud of. For starters, they got to play the pre-party with REVOCATION, THE ACACIA STRAIN, and ABIOTIC to name a select few goodies. They can also be proud of the fact that they’ve got fans in both the Metal and Hardcore crowd going hard in the pit for ‘em as though the differences are non-existent. The set was spot-on, with cuts like “The Jackyl” and “The Conqueror”, and even a few new songs, ringing true and clear despite Nate Johnson’s apparent throat problems following an incident where he nearly swallowed his own beard. Hence, babyface Nate. Following these beasts were EAST BEAST, an up and coming crew of aggressors from (wild wild) Western Mass. Heavy, pissed off, but maintaining a sense of fun, I hope East Beast goes places with their churning breakdowns and rousing two-step sections.
The next band I witnessed, GLASS CLOUD, is well on their way to success, despite their part in the controversial “djent” movement. Boasting the guitar talents of TONY DANZA TAPDANCE EXTRAVAGANZA‘s (RIP) own Josh Travis, they’ve already got one musician that’ll provide the heaviness and dexterity that’s needed for a band of their type. Luckily the rest of the band is able to pick up their own slack, with tight drumming, tastefully layered melodies, and delectable clean vocals to go with the standard shouts and growls. I dug it. What I didn’t dig was the sound mix during TÝR, and unfortunately these otherwise fierce Viking warriors were sounding rather dull and neutered. I couldn’t stand to hear it for more than a minute and ran outside to socialize.
 TYR played great set suffered from a poor sound mixi Freeing us from the hordes of noisy Norsemen were THE CONTORTIONIST, bereft of their usual singer, Jonathan Carpenter (not to be confused with the director of The Thing, of course), but it mattered not, since the equally talented singer of LAST CHANCE TO REASON, MICHAEL LESSARD, stepped up to fill in while the band searches for a new singer, presumably American Idol style. Replacing Jon Carpenter, even temporarily, is a job that would make anyone short of BTBAM‘s TOMMY ROGERS nervous. Despite the pressure to stay on key during the melodic sections of “Geocentric Confusion” and “Holomovement”, he cut through them with the same ease as he would during “Programmed For Battle” or “The Linear”. Spot on, you couldn’t tell the difference, aside from his apparent nervousness on such a large stage. The band as a whole remained professional and broke it down with the heaviness we know and love (that breakdown in “Oscillator” gets more massive every time I hear it live), and regaled us with tales of space and the inner workings of the mind. Marvelous, would repeat.
 BATTLECROSS played upstairs, banged heads. Sadly not all progressive/technical Metalcore acts cannot be as rousing of the spirit as THE CONTORTIONIST, as their peers WITHIN THE RUINS so gladly demonstrated with their show of brute chugs and going-nowhere-fast noodles. They weedled too much on “Creature”, they attempted to even it out on “Invade” by adding in some random chugs, and “Elite” is just much more of the same palaver. It’s not impressive by any means, but it isn’t terrible, so I’ll just stick them with a solid “meh”. AFTER THE BURIAL are a band that has drawn many comparisons to the WtR crew, but I feel that their style and panache entitles them to the chugging and weedling that other bands simply cannot master. I eagerly anticipate their new album to be released on Sumerian Records later this year. The band simply cannot fail as a cohesive unit, blending polyrhythms with a mind-bending ease, crafting dizzying melodies and mosh parts with equal verisimilitude, and of course, lyrical splendour that lends to great quotability. From the brutality of “Berzerker” to the more heartfelt hitters “Your Troubles Will Cease And Fortune Will Smile Upon You”, they get the crowd moving in a way that WtR can’t; with passion. BORN OF OSIRIS were the final flagbearers of prog-leaning Metalcore for the night, playing a set almost exclusively made of songs from their most recent outing, The Discovery, the only exceptions being oldies (but goodies) “Rosecrance” and “Empires Erased”. Some sound difficulties made the second one difficult to recognize until some way through, but hey, it’s a killer tune. The fact that The Discovery is just about a perfect album saved the set from being wearisome, as playing only material from one release is often a bad move for any band to make, but hey, like I said, it’s perfection in sound.
ENSIFERUM took the stage next, but not feeling in a very folky mood, I made my way upstairs to let the Vikings return to the battlefield once more, and check out ALPHA & OMEGA. One particularly awesome thing I saw was FitFo’s guitarist Pat Sheridan tearing it up in the pit like a monster programmed to kill mercilessly. Other than that, not much to say. Following them were everyone’s favourite tuff guy crew to love/hate, the infamous TERROR. Boasting equal parts old-school Thrash circle-pit riffs and breakdowns to get stangry to in a flat-brim sports cap, Terror have been damn near unstoppable since their inception in 2002. Sure, SCOTT VOGEL may have (unnecessary) beef with THE GHOST INSIDE, and may have dissed Refused on their reunion tour needlessly, but there’s no doubting their power to get a crowd going. The stage was as full of rabid fans that were at once tearing at one another and sharing the space, shouting every word without fail, and also knocking out fools that weren’t with the program. The staff’s completely helpless when a band with TERROR’S draw plays upstairs, and that’s the Lord’s truth.
 TERROR’s “Live By The Code” is out now on Victory Records.
 THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN wrecked the stage and themselves. While I did not physically spectate THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and instead mucked about upstairs, what I heard was their normal grinding technical Calculatorcore fury, punctuated by mellow moments that provide eyes for an otherwise blind hurricane of extreme music outpouring OPETH played a really long set of cool songs with growls this time. Two and a half hours. I have no words for it, except damn that shit was dope.
 JONAS RENSKE from KATATONIA
 OPETH brought back the growls and the heavy songs!
Tags: after the burial, battlecross, born of osiris, Echoes In The Well Photography, ENSIIFERUM, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, goatwhore, Katatonia, NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FESTIVAL XV, Opeth, the contortionist, THE DILLENGER ESCAPE PLAN, THE GLASS CLOUD, tyr
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Monday, May 20th, 2013
The Palladium, Worcester MA
Day One:
This year marked the fifteenth anniversary of the famed New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. The festival is held annually at the Palladium in Worcester Massachusetts. Back in 1999 it started out rather small with only fifteen bands on one day. This year founder Scott Lee and the rest of the crew went all out with over fifty bands for a whole weekend.
The Festival was split into two areas; downstairs was occupied by the metalheads while the upstairs belonged to the hardcore crowd. The funny thing about this was that the bands I witnessed upstairs often sounded similar. While this was not a bad thing, it was different from the different strains of metal being blasted down below my feet. The crowds themselves even appeared to respond to the music in different ways. For instance, the people upstairs either stayed in one spot or did some of their best karate type moves in a pit close to the front. Downstairs there were people up against the rail headbanging with some jumping around. The real mosh pits would come later in the evening.
The big names started to play around quarter of four. Relative newcomers HOLY GRAIL took the stage at this time. In my review of Ride the Void back in January I gave them an A for creating an album that’s nearly flawless from beginning to end. The live performances of those songs certainly didn’t disappoint either.
BLACK BREATH came on next. The audience seemed to enjoy the set since it was obviously the kind of music they had come for. However, they did not seem as excited as they had been for HOLY GRAIL. The band was best described as having elements of thrash and death metal.
The first thing that those who have never seen SHADOWS FALL before notice is lead singer BRIAN FAIR’s lengthy dreadlocks. With a style like that concertgoers knew they were going to get a lively performance. Out of all the bands that had played, their set made the most use of lights.
 Dave Witte crushes it live for MUNICIPAL WASTE! A point of excitement for most was when thrashers MUNICIPAL WASTE took the stage. With a sense of humor like front man TONY FORESTA’s, who wouldn’t have a good time? To add to the fun of their set, it all ended with a shower of confetti. They were the only band of the night that could get away with it.
The most honored bands of the night started with an act that many argue should be part of the Big Four: EXODUS. Aside from having KIRK HAMMETT having been a member at the band’s beginning, they are also one of the bigger thrash bands to have come out of California. One reason why they may not be a part of the Big Four is that they don’t sound too similar to the bands that do make up the group. It may also be because they’ve had some major complications in their history. Despite it all, fans were calling out for them while the stage was being set up. During their set tables and seats were shaking like an earthquake was taking place. Song choices such as “War is My Shepard” seemed appropriate given how everyone felt about the Boston manhunt occurring that day. They played with constant energy and had a blackout at the end for a strong effect.
 ROB DUKES of EXODUS
As they said it themselves, EVERY TIME I DIE was there to provide the pure hardcore portion of the evening. They didn’t seem to generate as much excitement as EXODUS which made it tough for them to follow the act. Fortunately the audience’s energy gained as the set progressed. The players didn’t let the audience’s lack of initial enthusiasm affect them. In fact they were almost constantly jumping and headbanging in sync. Their act finished with them getting the audience to join them in a good old “U.S.A.” chant. Although I wasn’t familiar with them I appreciated their song choices and titles such as “Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space.”
 JAMEY JASTA and HATEBREED put on a great set!
There was a bit of wait for HATEBREED to come on but fans still had their energy. Attendees knew things were getting serious when a personal banner was used for their set. Although HATEBREED is considered hardcore by many I heard enough metal in them that qualifies them as walking the line between the two genres. They were certainly harder than most of the other bands that played that day. Right from the start the crowd was jumping. It was impressive to see the band manage to fit twenty songs including “In Ashes They Shall Reap”, “Destroy Everything”, and “Everyone Bleeds Now” into their hour long set.
 ANTHRAX played all of the seminal “Among The Living” album.
When the banner for ANTHRAX’s Among The Living was revealed the crowd instantly became excited. As promised, the band would play through the entire album but not each track consecutively. This year the album is celebrating its 26th anniversary. Some of the well known tracks from it are “Among the Living”, “Caught in a Mosh”, “I Am the Law”, “Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)”, “A Skeleton in the Closet”, and “Indians”. All these songs are reasons why many claim that it is the best ANTHRAX album. It is also considered their breakthrough and is currently certified gold. “I Am the Law” is notably based off the character Judge Dredd just as the man from “Among the Living” is based off of the main villain from Stephen King’s The Stand. “Indians” and “Caught in a Mosh” have always been audiences favorites to get their mosh on and who can argue with them? It seemed like the show was almost too big to be playing a venue the size of the Palladium.
 JOEY BELLADONNA of ANTHRAX
ANTHRAX fans know that big news was made fairly recently when longtime lead guitarist ROB CAGGIANO left to join VOLBEAT. For this appearance JON DONAIS of SHADOWS FALL filled in. Besides that, ANTHRAX didn’t play any differently than before. front man JOEY BELLADONNA still jumps around the stage like he’s in his 20s. Songs that were not from Among The Living included “March of the S.O.D”, “T.N.T.”, “Madhouse”, “Got the Time”, “I’m the Man”, and “Antisocial”. It was fairly surprising for them to do the STORM TROOPERS OF DEATH cover but a real treat for anyone who’s a fan of the band. “T.N.T” was a recent AC/DC cover from their newest album Anthems and a lot of fun. It would’ve been nearly impossible for them to leave without playing the others.
 SCOTT IAN and ANTHRAX closed out day one with a great show!
One of the highlights of the set had nothing to do with music but more of why the community of music is so great. An audience member had thrown a Red Sox hat at guitarist SCOTT IAN. He then asked the audience if they knew how hard it was for him to put it on considering he’s from New York. He did anyway and stated that it wasn’t about being a fan of a certain team but coming together in a time like this. All agreed and the band played on.
By Melissa Campbell
Tags: Anthrax, Black Breath, Boston Strong, Brian Fair, EVERYTIME I DIE, EXODUS, Hatebreed, holy grail, Joey Belladonna, municipal waste, NEMHCFXV, Scott Ian, Shadows Fall
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Thursday, May 16th, 2013
Invertia (Self-Released)
The rise of USBM’s popularity the last few years comes in many shades of gray and black within the once tiny genre. The voice of creativity of coming from new bands, both underground and mainstream has been impressive to say the least. Of course, all of these developments may cause some “trues” to lose their shit, and scoff at such a notion that any deviation from the original harshness from the fjords of the hinterlands deserves a lambasting. Hailing from New England, INVERTIA doesn’t conform to what black metal should sound like. Rather, they have created a clever blend of contrasting styles that seem to work together, irregardless of what the hipster purists out their may think.
INVERTIA call themselves Oppressive Industrial Black Metal, and they are most certainly not fucking around. After the wash of discordant sounds that opens up “Facility of The Feeble”, your ears are assaulted with music that lives up to the lofty self-proclamation. Careening, angular guitar riffs are matched with a scowling gravely rasp and straight up blasting drums. The song is over the top in every way that is good, if you are a fan of this music. “All Systems Fail” comes next and sounds like the bastard child of GORGOROTH (old) and some of the better lo-fi jaunts AL JOURGENSON has taken us on for the last thirty odd years with his different groups. The chorus is one of the more grim, yet undeniably catchy ones I have heard in a long time. There is a definite current of industrial flavor throughout these tracks, but never so much that it obscures the honesty of the writing. The band is also capable of some great sonic detours in the form of musiq-concrete, effects and sound-scape type stuff that really works well in context. The band is led jointly by DAvE, responsible for the “aNaLoG” part of the sound and TiM, who manages the ‘DiGiTaL’ side. Tracks such as “A Glowing of Gray” and “Situation Manipulator” are the true synergy of these two elements. “Crimson” is my favorite track on this album and the riffs are just technically insane and rough sounding all at once. The guitar solo is brief, but outstanding too. “Embracing the Grim” has a really old school BM tone and urgency, but also a thread of modernity to it. As if BLAKE JUDD had never discovered psychedelia, or IHSAHN had forgotten he knew prog rock. “Beasts of Prey” is another strong track that almost has an old-school death metal feel to it, but then the chaos kicks in brings you back to the center of kvltness. Other top tracks are the harsh “Perpetual Alert”, and the trippy epic finale, “Blasphemy Be My Name”.
INVERTIA is definitely a band we’ll be keeping an eye on to see what they come up with next. You can buy their music from the band in many places, such as their Bandcamp page.
GRADE: B+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: black metal, Blake Judd, Gorgoroth, Ihsahn, industrial, INVERTIA, Ministry, Oppressive Industrial Black Metal, USBM
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Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
Tears On Tape (Razor & Tie)
The first sound you hear when you listen to the opening of HIM’s new album Tears On Tape, is the popping of a cassette tape into an old boombox. Other than some hipsters and die-hard collectors, this sound will never be heard by many belonging to this current generation of music fans. In many ways, the reference to “tape” in the title is a microcosm of HIM’s entire career. The band is a throwback of sorts, not just to the goth rock and early industrial metal bands that inspired their formation, but also to a simple time when bands put an emphasis on song craft and atmosphere over flash. Tears is also a throwback musically to the more inspired work from earlier in the bands’ career. Some of this throwback feeling will even strike you should you look closely at the album artwork, which juxtaposes the familiar Heartagram logo with an Oroborus and other imagery.
“All Lips Go Blue” is easily one of the strongest opening tracks the band has ever had to start an album. It encompasses everything about the band that is great, and front man Ville Valo has never sounded better. Heavy, dark and groovy, musically it is the sound of grown up angst and longing. This song will also fit perfectly in the live set too. “Love Without Tears” is a bit lighter, modern rock fare, but still a very strong track. When Ville drops into his dark crooning voice, it sends the song to the next level. “I Will Be the End of You” gets high marks for good riffs and great lyrics. These songs make for a very strong opening salvo. The title track comes next and is pure ‘lighters in the air’ type stuff; just chilling to the bone.
Some of the other standout songs on the album include “Hearts at War”, “No Love” and “Drawn and Quartered”. At this point in their career, the band is not trying to reinvent the wheel with their music. Rather, they have turned in an excellent album that will continue to build on their legacy.
GRADE: B
By Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Goth Metal, goth rock, heartagram, him, love metal, Razor & Tie. goth, Tears On Tape, Ville Valo
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Monday, April 1st, 2013
Disarm the Descent (Roadrunner)
In what is hailed as one of the most anticipated albums of 2013, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE finally drops their comeback album with original vocalist JESSE LEACH. When you approach an album that has high expectations such as this one, it’s always interesting to see if a band, especially an established on can rise to the challenge. Not only has KsE turned in a great album, but one that will rank among their finest when their careers are over. If you loved Jesse’s first turn in the band, you will love this album. If you came on board with HOWARD JONES, you will find a lot to enjoy also. If you never liked this band in the first place…move along, nothing to see here and have a nice day.
The very first thing that will impress you about the album is how balls out heavy the band sounds, compared to the last batch of KsE albums. Either as a by-product of being rejuvenated by Jesse’s return, or if they were heading back towards a heavier style, it works. From the opening screaming howl of “The Hell In Me” and the main riff battering your ears, you can just feel the energy coming off the track. Jesse sounds terrific whether he screams or lets his great melodic chops shine. The song sounds exactly like it could have come off of Alive of Just Breathing for many reasons: killer riffs, Jesse’s voice, half-time breakdowns, great chorus etc. Even the lyrics are excellent, it is pretty much as flawless track. The song is over before you know it and you kind of wish it would go on and on.
“Beyond The Flames” keeps up the melodic Metalcore style of The End of Heartache with a cool driving guitar part and great vocals again from Jesse. The chorus is classic harmonized KsE vocals and the Melo-Death inspired licks the band is known for. The contrasting harsh vocals between Leach and ADAM DUTKIEWICZ are just golden. You can tell the band worked on these songs for a long time, because there are few redundant parts and little fat on these tracks if any. ADAM D’s track record as a perfectionist in the studio is also obvious from the crisp nature of the tracks. The mix was also handled by the venerable ANDY SNEAP (EXODUS, TESTAMENT, OPETH, ARCH ENEMY). “The New Awakening” ratchets up the heaviness again for its brutal opening, harmonized leads and blastbeats. The track also has the best guitar solos on the album and Adam D and JOEL STROETZEL kill it on just about every song. The first single “In Due Time” is solid, but actually the most straight forward song on the album. I recall hearing it the first time and hoping the entire album would be cut from this cloth. They certainly exceeded that hope. Either by way of its key or intensity, “A Tribute to The Fallen” sounds like the earliest work of the band. Backing death growl vocals, chugging and urgent riffs and a raw delivery that will take you back about ten plus years. “Turning Point” is just brutal and sounds like a classic MIKE D’ANTONIO/Adam D composition. “All we Have” is another evil ripper of a song. If they played this in a live setting, I can already envision the mosh pits and the bloodbath that follows. As gnarly as the begging of the track is, the chorus is pretty, but not too pretty if you know what I mean. “You Don’t Bleed For Me” is lone track that has the sound of the more recent KsE affairs. It doesn’t bring the album down, but it is a slight notch below all the rest of the songs to my ears. Fortunately “The Call” brings it right back to focus on the heavier aspects of the bands’ sound. Still, it’s a pretty catchy song which as to be expected from this album. Drummer JUSTIN FOLEY plays some over the top blastbeats on this song, but maybe goes to the well a few times too many. Perhaps people were expecting a re-do of the straight up melodicism of the TIMES OF GRACE album, but that is not strictly the case here. “No End In Sight” starts out with slow, head nodding grind and picks up the beat a little bit more over the course of the song. This is definitely a more mature KsE song. “Always” is the longest song on the album and is a much more laid back affair than I care for. I’m not crazy about the song overall, but it is fairly heavy and has some interesting choices in the writing. “Time Will Not Remain” closes things out in great fashion and rebounds a little bit from the previous few songs. For a final track it has all of the trademark sounds from the band that you want. This would be another song I’d like to hear live.
While far from perfect, the album’s strongest points make a case that this band still has a lot left in the tank and much more to say.
 KILLSWITCH ENGAGE: Same as it ever was…. GRADE: B+
By Keith (@Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Adam Dutkiewicz, andy sneap, blastbeats, catchy chorus parts, Disarm the Descent, drummer Justin Foley, great vocals, harmonized lead guitars, howard jones, joel stroetzel, Killswitch Engage, Melo-death inspired riffs, metalcore, Mike D'Antonio, roadrunner, Times of Grace, vocalist JESSE LEACH
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Friday, March 29th, 2013
Caught In the Grips (Self-Released)
 Sick album cover artwork! I have been anticipating this album since I saw the band open up for BIOHAZARD and MADBALL in upstate New York last year. It’s not every day that you are impressed with an upstart band with an old-school style. Northern New Jersey’s 96 is a band that plays to their strengths, eschews trends and writes good anthemic Hardcore. I saw an an entire skeptical crowd, be won over by their honesty delivery and cool live show. I suspect this album is just the start of bigger things for them.
“Had Enough” starts with a wave of sound that sounds like it was fired out of a cannon. All of the elements I enjoyed about the band were in play within thirty seconds of the first song. Great razor sharp guitar riffs will excite you and this band definitely puts their own spin on the music they grew up on. Vocalist COREY DONAHUE is still the star of the show with his furious delivery and thoughtful lyrics. Like many of the tracks here, the band says a lot without being repetitive or riding riffs too long. “Losing Grip” is a killer track with a punk sound and and metal backbone musically. It will make you want to slam all night in the mosh pit. Blink and you will miss it, “Darker Days” is a real throwback to the glory days of THE CRO-MAGS, WARZONE and YOUTH OF TODAY. Another song steeped in the tradition of the old is “Fast Money”. One of the things I loved about great hardcore back in the day was that it always taught you a lesson about life. The guys in 96 are not exactly wizened Sherpas, but they have enough street smarts and common sense to be sincere and not be too preachy. Other lighting quick cuts are “Hard Luck” and “Culture Shock”, which are no less impressive despite their short run time. My favorite track on the album is “Dried Up”, which has a distinct SUICIDAL TENDENCIES meets D.R.I. feeling that I can’t deny. Neat riffs, grinding grooves and a tasty guitar solo break made me feel as if I was hearing some 1991 lost Post HXCX masterpiece. Other top tracks are “16 Inches” and the epic closer “Rise Up”. The album goes by quickly at just over twenty minutes, but sounds strong on repeated listens too. 96 writes some catchy tracks with a lot of heart and soul. I’ll be excited to see them hit the road again soon and see where the journey takes them next.
You can buy Caught In the Grips from the bands’ Bandcamp page.
GRADE: B
By Keith (@Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: 96, bandcamp.com, biohazard, Caught In the Grips, hardcore, Hardcore Metal, madball, NYHC, old-school punk, Post HC, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES meets D.R.I., THE CRO-MAGS, Vocalist COREY DONAHUE, Warzone, YOUTH OF TODAY
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Friday, March 29th, 2013
Idle Hands (Victory Records)
Hailing from South Wales, UK is the band CONTINENTS, who play the kind of uncompromising, hardcore inspired metal that can take them far in the current scene of cookie cutter bands. It takes a lot to stand above the crowd and on your own two-feet these days, metaphorically speaking. By bringing the energy and the angst of old hardcore and a modern edge that borrows from Deathcore, Tech Death and a few other styles, CONTINENTS is a band that will get heads bopping and breaking at shows. Idle Hands has a very live feel to it, and the sound of a hungry band pushing their own limits.
Setting it off with “224”, the track swells like the onslaught of an attack on your ears. Great syncopated riffs and a killer beat kick things off right. This is a great little nugget of a track that would make for a good stage intro. The title track comes next and is really quite brutal. I like the angular, complex riffs and interesting shifts between Metalic Hardcore, sludge, punk, Deathcore and back again. Vocalist PHIL CROSS: remember this name well. In a few years time he is going to be mentioned along the same lines as PHIL BOZEMAN and EDDIE HERMIDA among others. He has a beastly growl, a great high scream, and a screechy sounding thing he does too. When contrasted with the gang vocals the band does, it works to great effect. “Pegasus, Pegasus” has a some great grooves in the verse and then the song takes a total left turn in to melodic Metalcore. And it works. The rest of the song is full of atonal licks and breakdowns. Phil changes things up and actually carries a decent melody. I can see this track being a big hit for them. “Inhale” has a slick urgency to its tempo and delivery. It almost sounds like a rabid animal breaking out of a cage, and has some of the best riffs on the album. Guitarists Darryl Sweet and Tom Weaver make sure to pummel chords with low-tuned authority, but deliver a lot of tuneful textures in every song as well. The track has another brutal/catchy chorus part that I liked. Drummer Duncan “Ken” Hamill makes the beat hot with his blistering kick drum work. I rather like his dry, not-overly processed sound, which bucks the current trend. “Land of the Free” is another hyperactive, killer track. It has almost a techno/industrial feeling to the beginning, before it slows down and grinds away. With many songs this short and to the point, it means a direct impact that cuts to the chase musically. The next track “Sheeps In Wolves Clothing” almost caught me off guard by sounding like Death Metal HATEBREED. The track is barely a minute and a half long, but it is great. I hope they play this one live. Following up that with “Regrets”, the band lays down another sick groove and rides it into your skull. The middle-section has some interesting off time riffing that is cool. Easily one of the top tracks on here. I wish at times bassist Dom Turner would get to step up and out a bit more, but he mostly holds down the low end of the riffs. “Loathe” is an intense instrumental, while “Trials” gives way to more aggressive, bruising staccato chords. I could do with a few less bass drops from this album, but I really I can’t quibble with them too much. The band has the good sense to not overdo them. On the plus side, they have done a good job incorporating other electronic ear candy into the mix. “Exhale” is another Punky, anthem and you can just imagine the pile on at the foot of the stage live. So angry, so brief. “Truth and Lies” switches back to the tried and true Deathcore, not unlike WHITECHAPEL and THE ACACIA STRAIN, until the refrain. “Lion’s Den” is a great closer. Lots of rage and tunefulness too, which is kind of the story overall on the album. CONTINENTS is a band unafraid to blend genres and step out of the mold. For that, I applaud them. It will be fun to see where they go from here.
 CONTINENTS: Ready for the big time. GRADE: B
By Keith (@Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: bass drops, bassist Dom Turner, CONTINENTS, Death Metal, Deathcore, Drummer Duncan “Ken” Hamill, great death vocals, grooves, guitarist Darryl Sweet, guitarist Tom Weaver, hardcore, Hatebreed, Idle Hands, metalcore, Metalic Hardcore, punk, sing-a-long gang vocals, sludge, the acacia strain, victory records, Vocalist PHIL CROSS, Whitechapel
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Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
Abandon All Life (Southern Lord Records)
Wow. Just wow. Words cannot describe the sheer brutality and audio-terror inflicted by California hate-crew NAILS on their third full-length opus. This album brings all of the hatred bubbling under every human’s seemingly still skin, and causes it to erupt with the force of Eyjafjallajökull. NAILS has flawlessly perfected their blend of the blasting Metalcore fury of TRAP THEM with the powerviolent swagger of CAPITALIST CASUALTIES and MAGRUDERGRIND, galloping D-beat in the vein of ANTI-CIMEX and RIISTETYT, a savage dose of thrashcore leaning that hearkens to fellow warriors EARLY GRAVES and TRASH TALK, topped with a classic Swedish Death Metal guitar tone like that of ENTOMBED and UNLEASHED. Taking influence from diverse, yet brutal sources, NAILS was born ready to destroy, and they have been quite successful.
2009′s Obscene Humanity and 2010′s Unsilent Death held you by the throat and didn’t let up until they were over, but now, they beat you with shovelfuls of hot coal. Last year’s split with SKIN LIKE IRON and revamped Obscene Humanity joints showed that they were doing anything, but lying and occasionally diverting energy to the upcoming LP. NAILS has a work-ethic that makes their brand of Hardcore so vital and punishing for the listeners, just how they like it. With Abandon All Life now unleashed on the world, no one is safe in the pit.
From start to end, NAILS has shown that yes, they can up the ante as far as violence goes. Pure American aggression was plentiful in previous releases, and rest assured, it’s the same blood-bolstered beast of old, but they’ve only grown more violent, and more willing to see death and destruction unfold before them. Their newly added guitarist Saba may have a lot to do with this increase in their merciless musical gnashing, as guitars were once solely on the shoulders of vocalist TODD JONES (ex-TERROR, ex-BETRAYED). Armed with another soldier to cover more killing ground, it’s game-set-match for your face.
I could sit here and describe all of the tracks, but it’d just become hyperbole relating to how the band will metaphorically kill you. Just know that you’re in for a ride, start to end, as the album wastes no time in opening with “In Exodus”, a punishing breakdown busting in the doors of your ears, and leads immediately into a furious grind section with Todd’s howls doubly vitriolic, and the drums crashing like thousands of buildings collapsing at once. It’s nuts how much speed and aggression NAILS can pack into a single track, and yet still do sludgier hits like the closer “Suum Cuique” justice in the same fashion. Even more amazing is how even though this is their third full-length outing of misanthropic grinding hatecore, we’re still eagerly anticipating the next ravaging. In short, this is some good shit, homie. They are currently on tour with XIBALBA and EARLY GRAVES, so I look forward to hearing how well you fare just being in the venue when
 NAILS may just have turned in the album of the year. Photo by Vanessa Harder. The Verdict: Fuck.
GRADE: A+
by Sean Genovese
Tags: Abandon All Life, Anti-Cimex, CAPITALIST CASUALTIES, Crust punk, D-Beat, Death Beat, early graves, Entombed, Hatecore, magrudergrind, modern Hardcore, nails, Obscene Humanity, powerviolence, RIISTETYT, Sean "That Black Metal Dude" Genovese, Skin LIke Iron, sludge, Southern Lord Records, thrash, TODD JONES, Trap Them, trash talk, UNLEASHED, Unsilent Death, xibalba
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Monday, March 25th, 2013
Fast Loud Death (Nuclear Blast Records)
When the listener puts on LOST SOCIETY’s debut album, Fast Loud Death, they hear a band that sounds like they`ve spent a few years on the scene. Maybe it’s a couple of 20-something guys who decided it was their turn to be the thrash scene’s most promising band. In reality, the band members’ ages range from 17 to 19. The band was signed by Nuclear Blast Records at the end of last year following a successful playing at a Global Battle of the Bands. It was at that moment that LOST SOCIETY’s music began to creep out of Finland and into other parts of the world.
The album as a whole is fast paced and full of non-stop action. It has just about everything a listener hopes to find in a modern thrash metal album. The cover itself is classic thrash art. Even though they may not be of age in some parts of the world, they can party just as heard as thrash revival titans MUNICIPAL WASTE. No songs even hit the five-minute mark; their longest track is just over four minutes while their shortest is barely a full minute.
“N.W.L.” is a powerful start to the album. “I’m coming at you” growls front man SAMY ELBANNA. The band is letting the listener know they’ve arrived and they’re here to stay. Hints of METALLICA can be heard on the track when it comes to their guitar sound, but they make it all their own.
“Diary of a Thrashman” is an obvious homage to OZZY OSBOURNE’s defining Diary of a Madman, a kind of status that the band may obtain in their future. There aren’t a whole lot of vocals or lyrics on the track; it’s mostly just pure thrashing. It might be the track where they most closely resemble MUNICIPAL WASTE. The main lyric is “I’m gonna get a drink now.” It’s the kind of song you’d expect to hear on The Art of Partying.
“Fatal Anoxia” starts off by Elbanna letting out a short TOM ARAYA sounding yell a la “Angel of Death”. That’s about the extent of the SLAYER resemblance though. The rest is the band members screaming the title at a furious pace that has not let up since the album started. They then culminate with the sound of heavy guitar work and crushing percussion noises fading out. It leaves the listener prepared for what may come with their next album. This is the kind of album that can be played on repeat until that time. After this promising start, LOST SOCIETY is sure to develop a more distinct sound and leave the forefathers of thrash behind.
 LOST SOCIETY: A bold debut release! GRADE: A-
By: Melissa Campbell
Tags: Fast Loud Death, LOST SOCIETY, Metallica, municipal waste, neo-thrash, nuclear blast records, NWOATM, ozzy osbourne, SAMY ELBANNA, shred, slayer, thrash, Tom Araya
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