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.
CHELSEA GRIN, a deathcore outing from the land where fun goes to die (also known as SLC, Utah), has grown (in)famous since their Cesarian section birth in 2007, which divided the Extreme music listening world in two camps: Those who loved CHELSEA GRIN and dug their chugtastic formula, and those who wished an untimely death upon GAZA’s fellow townsmen. I remained impartial, since they haven’t proved themselves worthy of capital punishment, just court jesters in the realm of Deathcore. Boasting two albums and an EPs all in 5 years leads to a lot of rushing, recycling and no time to actually, y’know, write good songs. A challenger by the name of Jason Richardson, hailing from Progressive Deathcore contemporaries BORN OF OSIRIS has joined the ranks, playing guitar better than Ziggy. Could this be the redemption this band needs to go from drab to fab? Could the title of this EP be a sign that they’re done writing the same breakdown over and over, and are willing to push their limits to uncomfortable, but ballsy places? Let’s begin, and mind your head.
“The Second Coming” opens up with some cheesy strings, and a breakdown that sounds as though it was written for BORN OF OSIRIS’ newest release, The Discovery. In fact, the keys, synth accents, and twinkles that decorate the breakdowns like hood ornaments on a tank are telltale signs that Mr. Richardson had a lot of say in how this album was written. It’s almost a note-for-note clone of something that came from BORN OF OSIRIS’ more forgettable tunes, but that’s still a major step up for CG, who were once content to write the wimpiest breakdowns known to deathcore. Speaking of breakdowns, I’d be a fool not to mention that those have actually improved vastly. Where they were once monotonous interrupted chugging, on this track they allow more room for the low end to come in and provide punch. I always said CG would be better if they wrote heavier breakdowns at least. Maybe they read my Christmas letters.
Up next is the track that was released as a promotional tidbit to get everyone excited, “Lilith“. Having heard this when it came out, my feelings were mixed, as this track starts out directly aping their peers SUICIDE SILENCE in every arena, from the vocals to the tempo of the riff and drums that kicks in at about 50 seconds. It’s a bit of a drop in quality for the time being, until Alex’s clean vocals came in. Yes, you heard that right, and if you hadn’t already checked it out, do so at once. Like their pals in ALL SHALL PERISH, BRING ME THE HORIZON, and EMMURE, they’ve decided to break the vocal monochromaticism and inject some soul. Surprisingly enough, they’re not too bad, and the sweep behind them is well written, and not stolen from an earlier song, like so many of them are. Overall, they were wise to put this track out first, even if it doesn’t display the proficiency they keep locked away tighter than a Mormon virginity.
“S.H.O.T.” immediately opens with a jumpdafuckup, proving old habits die hard. Shortly after that nonsense they come back to the BORN OF OSIRIS worship, only to run headfirst into another everybody-fuckin’-bounce, and repeat as needed for pain. CHELSEA GRIN have always liked to tease with being able to play their instruments but then subsequently ignite a bro mosh. This track toggles from melodic technical noodling to wifebeater chugs. Take my pick as to which I liked better.
The opening breakdown to “Confession” sounds like it was written for them by a collaboration between No Time To Bleed-era SUICIDE SILENCE and OCEANO. Pure laziness takes the stage here with some left/right trade-offs and a of sweeping behind the plainly bored breakdown. Following that is what I swear is a splice from the beginning riff of AFTER THE BURIAL’s “Berzerker”, and then another uninspired frat boy chug. Remember, kids, CHELSEA GRIN are actually decent musicians, they’re just part of this ADHD generation. I’m only reviewing an EP, but it feels like that moment in the middle of an album where the band seems painted in a corner of their own good ideas. Vocalist Alex’s vocals aren’t usually particularly good, but it feels like he’s half-assing this song. I can practically hear them phoning in their lunch order by the end.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is CHELSEA GRIN’s pop song (quite literally), and once again, we’ve made The Discovery our main course, gentlemen, and women. Can’t forget the women, that’d be sexist. From this track I get an odd J-Rock vibe, namely bands like D’ESPAIRSRAY and PHANTASMAGORIA, as well as that of a Christcore band by the name of FOR TODAY when they start getting hymnal. It gets a bit repetitive at around the 3 and a half minute mark and if it were shorter, it’d be a perfect celebration of their… evolution. After that is a remix of “The Human Condition”, which is a track I never particularly cared for, and if anything it just sounds even worse, so not exactly essential listening. I suspect they only threw it in so the album would end on a heavier note, but sometimes, like the time honoured sport of coitus, it’s better to go out soft.
THE VERDICT: Ripping off others more talented are in their field and stumbling on gold is what some do best. Just ask Jim Theis.
Perhaps more than any other metal related thing in 2012 except for the now complicated BLACK SABBATH reunion, I have been looking forward to a full-deal MACHINE HEAD tour. I have been one of the lucky few to have seen the band do a rare headline show in the last five years, but it hasn’t been nearly enough. I even needled Dave McClain about it in an interview with him last summer and he was a good sport about it. The success of The Blackening (Roadrunner) brought a lot of good opportunities to the band and they never got to strike out on their own. Well they have more than made up for that with a solid lineup and the 8th Plague Tour. Tonight’s show at the Worcester Palladium was part of an extensive run of what promises to be the start of many more shows for US fans this and future years.
Since the original openers RISE TO REMAIN dropped out due to lineup changes, fans were treated to longer sets by the openers instead of a replacement fourth band. This was especially appreciated by me in the form of a longer set by DARKEST HOUR, one of the best live bands around. Following up last year’s solid album The Human Romance (eOne) with the relentless roadwork they are known for, they always put out a total band effort as a live prospect. Tearing the lid off the night with the opener “The World Engulfed In Flames” the band presented themselves as more than worthy. Front man John Henry is one of the best there is at ruling the stage and connecting with the crowd. Coming back with “No God” from the excellent Eternal Return album was a good choice and the crowd was digging it. I consider DH to be the fathers of modern metalcore, something they have never shied away from, but evolved towards a more mature unit over time. Special props go out to fill-in drummer Timothy Java (DEAD TO FALL) covering for the recently departed from the band Ryan Parrish. Replacing a mainstay and a beloved by the fans personality is a tough job, but Tim did well. I also have to single out Mike “Lonestar” Carrigan who can handle a six-string on the level of the headliners. They burned through their set quickly and although I was bummed they missed a few standards I love to hear they closed up strong with “Doomsayer”. Realistically this band shouldn’t be the opener on this or very many tours anymore, unless they want to. They are that good.
Set List:
The World Engulfed in Flames
No God
Savor the Kill
With a Thousand Words to Say but One
Violent by Nature
Love as a Weapon
Your Everyday Disaster
Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)
SUICIDE SILENCE was up next and they had a ton of heads in the house. Although I find them to bit a bit formulaic in their style, they always put on a terrific live show and tonight would be no different. The build up to their entrance on the stage was intense and they arrived as you would imagine to a roaring crowd. Opening with their hit “You Only Live Once” the pit opened up and people were off and running. Front man Mitch Lucker has a commanding presence and kind of looks like he is conducting a symphony of chaos by really emoting how the music and lyrics make him feel. You can see why so many people are down for this band of deathcore acolytes when you watch Mitch and then see the crowd react back to him. The band tore through some of their best known songs like “Wake Up”, “OCD”, “Lifted” and “Smoke” which Mitch dedicated to the weed lovers in the house. Perhaps taking out a page from the HAEBREED playbook, the band has figured out how to make their songs more memorable with sing-a-long lyrics, although a touch more angry and less positive. Still, you have to give it to them when it comes to fan engagement and I nearly thought they would tire out the fans before the main event. Perhaps even including Lucker the top talent in the band if drummer Alex Lopez whose razor sharp robotic playing calls to mind the speed and tightness of original FEAR FACTORY skinsman Raymond Herrera. In the end their songs tend to blend all together to me between the slow groovy breakdowns, too many bass drops and the never varying screams of the singer. Yeah, I’m all set for seeing these guys for a while now. Entertaining to the last, despite the over-long set.
SUICIDE SILENCE is all about the high energy live show.
Set List:
Intro (March to the Black Crown)
You Only Live Once
Wake up
Unanswered
OCD
Bludgeoned to Death
Slaves To Substance
Lifted
Smoke
Disengage
Fuck everything
No Pity For A coward
At last it was time for the big dogs to come out. The stage looked cool with a blend of the Unto The Locust (Roadrunner) artwork, plus a massive video screen that stood about twenty-five feet tall by my estimate. Fog filled up the venue and as the lights went down “I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)” began to play over the PA. The first hint of the awesomeness of the night happened as the screen looked like it was bleeding! What it was bleeding out was the MACHINE HEAD logo crest. This was great and built up the drama even more as the band took the stage the band took their spots to the still full building (I was worried the SUICIDE SILENCE kids would bolt). The four man crew took their places and readied for war. As the intro of the song died down and the massive chords kicked in it felt like a total rush as the stage was awash in red lights. When Robb Flynn sang the open verse of “I……Am….Hell” there was a a gnarly vocal effect and a ton of reverb that made his voice sound monstrous. It was a little over the top, but it did set the tone for what was to follow. After the opening grooves the band did what they do best: open up a can of whoop ass with their take on modern neo-thrash inspired jams. The interplay between the guitar tone of Flynn and Phil Demmel and the crushing beats from McClain was in essence the pure sound of the band. “I Am Hell” is kind of a mini-greatest hits all in one song, at least as thread you can pull from their early career to more recent times. What a killer way to start off a long, loud night!
Robb Flynn readies for musical war.
Coming back with another new song “Be Still And Know” was cool. The Demmel penned song is equal parts progressive and thrashy, but best of all it has amazing melodies. To hear the entire crowd sing it loudly was chilling. Demmel and bassist Adam Duce really mesh well with Flynn on the vocal harmonies. Flynn is of course at the height of his powers as he leads the charge. It’s not really a comeback story for the band anymore as much as it is whether they are the best American metal band these days or not. They certainly must be counted in the conversation. Coming right back with the track that started this entire era for them, “Imperium” was another good call. The video screen played accompanying visuals to each song and the ones for this song were perfect.
Adam Duce is the glue that holds the band together.
“Beautiful Morning” was up next and was also sick. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that every voice in the crowd was singing these songs from 2004 and beyond with a passion and a lust like they were tracks of the first album. Next up was MH concert favorite “The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears” or beers as Flynn likes to say these days. I was hanging with some of my fellow metal scribes and mused aloud that I still love The Burning Red and Supercharger and would still love to hear those live. I may be in the minority with that one, but as a fan I never cut and run on this act. The single “Locust” was played next with the excellent video playing behind them. Despite the catchyness of the chorus, the song’s breakdown/ending riffs are heavy as hell. “This Is The End” may be the most purely thrash song the band has written, especially the breakdown and solo riffs. The song over is just crazy with thrash, shred, prog and even some black metal influence heard. McClain needs to get mentioned more regularly when discussing the finest drummers in metal. He not only plays tight and is a great song writer, but he still beats heavy as hell in this age of light hitters and guys dependent on triggers. “Aesthetics of Hate” was started off by a chant of “DIMEBAG….DIMEBAG” and was also strong. Oddly enough you could tell who the real old-school fans were during “Old” as few heads really new the words of this essential song in the bands catalog. As great as these recent albums have been and as proud of their resurgence as I am, Burn My Eyes still stands unmatched to my ears. This new ear of fans of the band need to learn their history better. Finishing this segment of the show there were powerful takes on “Darkness Within”, “Bulldozer”, the classic “Ten Ton Hammer”, and “Who We Are” with all of the faces from the crowd in the opening video segment. The band played almost all of the new album and despite the novelty of it, I think it would be neat to hear the entire thing live someday.
Epic!
After leaving the stage briefly and returning to a chant of “machinefuckinghead!” by the crowd, the band played a horns worthy encore. After a gut wrenching take on “Halo” it was time for “Davidian”. One last good circle pit, the classic pinch harmonics, a lot of headbanging grooves and the crazy crowd was spent after almost two straight hours of the final performance.
Set List:
I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)
Be Still and Know
Imperium
Beautiful Mourning
The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
Locust
This Is The End
Aesthetics of Hate
Old
Darkness Within
Declaration
Bulldozer
Ten Ton Hammer
Who We Are
CARNIFEX is a band I have had an up and down relationship with. Kind of like the hot, but troubled chick you know you need to steer clear of. Too bad you are already sucked into her crazygirl vortex. CARNIFEX is like that. Initially I didn’t really dig them, but I saw them live and came a way really impressed. I think my main bone of contention is that the band straddles the line between death core (which they are and do well), but actually have the skills to play some interesting tech death or even straight up deathmetal if they wanted to. Then I heard last years Hell Chose Me and was a little more intrigued. Saw them again live last spring and I said to my self ‘Whoa! These guys have improved a lot!’ Now with the release of their new album I am ready to dive in and see if these guys can live up to the considerable hype around them.
Opening with a chugging dirge, “Deathwish” is basically an intro track and begins like many CARNIFEX songs before it. Really blasting off with track number two, “We Spoke of Lies” the song is a little more interesting and really intense. Vocalist Scott Lewis has really honed his vocal style over a few albums and now possesses a tempered snarl of growls. Short, angry and to the point the song blasts away with speedy beats and blacked guitar riffs. This is certainly a step up for the band. The breakdowns and bass drops are still here, but so far not over-emphasized as much as the past. “A Grave to Blame” follows next and begins with a sick blast-beat and cool string skipping riff. Lewis again barks at the moon like mad. The are even some cool old school death metal type riffs here that you might find on an OBITUARY or IMMOLATION album. Cory Arford and Ryan Gudmunds create some of the sickest riffs and licks around on this album and have also improved. There is even an effort to allow bassist Fred Calderon to shine a bit more. Shawn Cameron brings the pain on the drums, but also provides some neat keyboards work recalling the sound of DAATH. “Dead But Dreaming” is another good song. Although by this time the album is sounding a touch formulaic (a holdover gripe of mine with these guys) the track is quite solid. Killer beats and grooves crush eardrums until the breakdown part. Then there is an impressive blackmetal riff or two they will surprise you. “Creation Defaced” features more of Lewis’ bestial lower register and faster tempos. There is even a cool interlude in the song that was from out of left field. “Dehumanize” has more crazy riffing and inhuman double-kick tempos. The title track is also very strong, with stout deathcore aesthetics. Lewis’ performance is certainly the best thing about album. He just dominates every song. The ending wave of riffs is impressive by any standard. Other top tracks include “Wretched Entropy” and “Curse My Name”. As much as I feel CARNIFEX has improved overall I think they are still missing a crucial ingredient, variety. Still, if you love deathcore you can totally stomp a bro out to in the pit to these songs.
Dropping an EP in between albums is becoming de riguer of late in metal. They are always a good bet to trying out new material, throwing down on some covers and testing out new members mettle in the studio. For WHITECHAPEL that have achieved the trifecta with all of those goals and the results are good. The limited edition Recorrupted EP will tide fans over until the next record drops likely later in 2012. In the meantime the band found time to hit the studio and stretch out for some experimentation, as well as hand some tracks off for remixes too. Still on the road behind 2010′s A New Era of Corruption the band is still killing it out on the road and growing into the monster they have become as a vaunted live act.
The new track “Section 8″ opens the EP and after a slick backwards recorded drum beat the song kicks off and crushes like the band is known to do. Frenetic and urgent, the bands brand of violent deathcore is on display and in full effect. The patented three guitar attack is maximized for ultimate groove and creativity. In addition to standout vocalist Phil Bozeman, new addition Ben Harclerode just slays in his recorded debut with the band. His blastbeats are true and he has the right amount of prowess to power this visceral enterprise. The future looks bright for the band after losing the talented Kevin Lane. Over all the song falls somewhere between their original death metal style and pushes a little further out from where they have been hanging their hat. This is perhaps a sign that the band will incorporate more death and be less “core” on their next release. The second cut is the deepest and a cover. Lots of bands cover PANTERA and I for one am damn happy not to have to hear one more cover of “Walk” for a change. By doing “Strength Beyond Strength” in their own style and not just another rote, note for note attempt at greatness they have earned some new respect from me. They did a solid job with Bozeman sounding possessed and evil and the track itself is legit. Next up are the two remixes. “Breeding Violence (Big Chocolate Remix)” is firmly in the dance/dub-step genre and while it sounds interesting it totally neuters the heaviness of the track. I’ve no quarrel with dub-step leaking into metal here and there when it is done right, but this seems a little gratuitous for this band. “This Is Exile” gets the remix treatment from Ben Weinman from THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and is a touch more interesting than its predecessor. This re-imagined track reminds me of the old WHITE ZOMBIE or FEAR FACTORY remix albums in 1990s when the songs would undergo a wholesale, but still interesting and heavy changes. I think for this kind of band that approach just works better. The real surprise of the record comes with the closer, an acoustic version of “End of Flesh”. It definitely show cases the underrated abilities of Ben Savage, Alex Wade and Zach Householder. I even heard a tiny bit of “Beck’s Bolero” in there and little Spanish guitar influence as well. Nice job.
WHITECHAPEL drops a new EP, but are really swell guys in spite of the brutal music they make.
THREAT SIGNAL pulls no punches lyrically or visually with their messages.
For album number three Hamilton, ON veterans THREAT SIGNAL decided to up the ante considerably. Ratcheting up their writing and chops by several leagues the band has evolved their take on modern melodic metal to new heights. It’s heartening to see bands still care about their growth as artists in this cookie cutter day and age. It is not enough of to just keep getting heavier (although they have), but to expand on your original ideas as a band without jumping on trends and losing who you are. Produced by Chris “Zeuss” Harris, the results are definitely made to shine.
Kicking off with “Uncensored” the band displays it’s trademark slick rhythmic riffing and thrashy beats. Their sound has always been a mix of melodic modern sounds of bands like ALL THAT REMAINS, DARK TRANQUILITY and SOILWORK with precision drumming of say a FEAR FACTORY. Combining all these elements the band has always had a cool style, but has now refined all of those elements greatly. As always vocalist Jon Howard’s angry screams and melodic singing are a highlight. Guitarists Travis Montgomery and Chris Feener lay down a torrent of chords and licks. Just from this first track you can see how the band intended to rise over their previous efforts. Second cut “Comatose” is an uptempo piece with slick double-kick heavy drums and slicing riffs. Howard again kills the vocal track and you really feel his anger and dismay in the lyrics. Bassist Pat Kavanaugh often chips in some additional backing screams. The chorus of the song is one of the best moments of the entire album and calls to mind the sweeping grandeur of KORN. “New World Order” is another angry political diatribe and the thrash/melo-death type riffs definitely have a Swedish flavor to them. “Trust In None” is a little too focused on melodic enterprise. It certainly is catchy enough to be a break out cut amongst the bruisers. Back on the right path with the single “Face The Day” the song is energetic and crushing. In addition to some nifty keyboard parts there are some otherworldly death growls found here. Alex Rüdinger really crushed on the drums on this song and the entire album really. “Fallen Disciples” is a brief instrumental with the riffs right out of the Peter Wichers playbook. “Disposition” follows next and is blazing fast, killer track that is terrific. From the remaining tracks “Buried Alive” is the most compelling with some outstanding shredding by Feener. The band has turned in their finest effort to date and I look forward to catching them on the road this fall.
THREAT SIGNAL ought to be smiling after completing their new album.
Metal Army caught up with THREAT SIGNAL front man Jon Howard on the eve of the release of their new, self-titled album. As always Jon is candid, passionate and able really to get deep about many topics beyond music.
MAA: Please tell us about writing and recording process of the new self-titled album?
JH: We used the same process to write this record as we did our previous releases. A song would start by either Travis, Pat or Chris tabbing their idea into a computer program called guitar pro. This allows us to send the song files back and forth to each other so we can all add ideas to the tab. When a song is complete in guitar pro we’ll record the music then I will write and track vocals. We never jam on ideas or work things out in the rehearsal space together, we all live very far away from each other so the songs come together over the internet. We went down to Planet Z Studiosin Massachusetts to track the record with Zeuss. His set up was perfect for us, there was a band house, and the studio was right next door. It was a very relaxing non-stressful process mainly because of how well we were prepared and how great his set up was. The whole record was tracked in about a month.
MAA: The band has upped the ante on the songwriting considerably. What was the inspiration behind that?
JH: When we spoke about writing a new record, we said we needed to create the heaviest, darkest, most technical sounding record we’ve ever done. We basically just put everything we had into this one to make peoples jaws drop, make them say ‘what happened to THREAT SIGNAL?! This shit is insane!’ (laughs) I think the frustrations with life in general fuel our passion to make a really heavy record. We basically said fuck everything, lets get brutal.
Jon Howard tears it up with THREAT SIGNAL last fall at The Palladium in Worcester, MA.
MAA: How does the band balance writing the extreme heavy riffs you do and still keep things very melodic sounding?
JH: That’s just our style! I guess because we write ‘riffs’ not just chugging on low strings, we use the whole guitar. Every song on this record has melody somewhere in the song, weather it be vocally, or musically. I think its very important for a song to have melody even if its one of the heaviest pieces of insanity written. Take our first song for example, its very intense with blast beats and break downs, but I managed to put a melodic part into the middle. Its just something we’ve always done and will always do.
MAA: What has Chris Feener and Alex Rüdinger brought to the table for this record?
JH: Without them this record would not have been possible. Alex brought a really intense drum style to the music, he wrote every single drum part on this record. It was great because I would sometimes be stuck on an idea, then Alex would write his part, then my ideas would just change around and fly right out. This is the first time in our history that we’ve had a drummer so dedicated and so anal about his playing and writing, its great. Chris brought in a very unique style of playing as well. This is a guy who adapts very well to the style he’s playing but incorporates elements from his other influences as well to make things interesting and original. Chris wrote two full songs on this record, contributed riffs and wrote half of all the solos. He was a major part of writing this record. Actually every member of this band wrote and recorded on this album, I’m very happy to say that.
This is the only picture on record of the band smiling.
MAA: The lyrics are very political on this album. What are some of your influences in that area?
JH: Basically the world and how I see it. I ask a lot of questions. When I see something on TV or I hear something I immediately start questioning if that is true or not. There are a lot of lies and conspiracies in this world and it’s hard to trust anyone or anything other than yourself. I really got into issues like famine, war, disease, hate crimes, gang violence, greed, corruption, terrorism, and so on. Basically I’m saying that this world is fucked and that we need to change our ways or we are all doomed. There is hope, but we need to stop spreading hate and violence, its fucking disgusting.
Few in the game can match Howard's lyrical intensity.
MAA: The band self produced Vigilance but went with Zeuss this time around. What was that experience like?
JH: Having Zeuss as a producer worked out very well actually. We demoed every single song for the new record before entering the studio with Zeuss, so we were very well prepared. When Zeuss heard the songs he was able to point out certain parts to improve because it was very fresh to his ears, he would hear things that we didn’t notice. Also as an engineer he found the tones to make this band sound very big and very heavy. Zeuss worked like a machine honestly, he was very dedicated and put long hours in. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to track this record.
MAA: What is on tap for touring plans in the near future?
JH: Looking at some touring in Europe next year as a support band, I should be able to announce those details soon. As for US, we have a few ideas, but nothing solid yet. Its been tough for us honestly. We really want to tour and get on the road, but there is a lot of competition and its hard to get on tours. Basically it all revolves around numbers unfortunately. So buy our record if you want to see us on the road!! Thanks soooo much!
SUMMER SLAUGHTER was back this year for our annual dose of death metal colon cleansing and skull raping pleasure. Some argued publicly that the lineup wasn’t as great a years previous, while others thought this was a can’t miss show. Always a good value (amount of quality bands for bucks) and a good time was surely going to be had at this show once again stopping by at the Worcester Palladium. I got to the venue early and settled in for a hot, busy day of coverage.
Another great show at The Worcester Palladium, in Worcester MA of course!
WITHIN THE RUINS was the first band of the day and kicked things off in style. Since they are from the area they had a nice response and many heads in the house for the early part of the day. They play a mix of death core and tech death and was good way to warm up the crowd. They played two new songs off of their new EP Omen (Victory Records) “Controller” and “Infamy”. Both songs are pretty fast and heavy with “Infamy” being the most impressive. Then the finished up with “Versus” and “Invade” and went out strong. Those who doubted this band was choice enough to open the show only need have been present today to be proved wrong.
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE- played one of the sickest sets of any band.
One of the bands I was most excited to see was FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE. I had caught the end of their set just briefly a few months back and I was stoked they were on this bill. I was not so stoked that they went on so early in the day. As the stage was being set up for the band I could feel the excitement on the floor building and I knew I wasn’t the only one thrilled to see these guys. As the lights went down a big cheer went up and smoke filled the stage. The band came out to a piped in intro music and took their places. Then as they began to play “The Violation” all hell broke loose. The pit opened up wide and the first crowd surfers of the day left their feet. Meanwhile the band just slayed with their perfect mix of symphonic death metal. “In Honor of Reason” rained down terrific guitars riffs, insanely fast blast beats and inhuman piano and other synth parts. Best of all the band’s theatrics took it up to another level of cool which was not equaled the entire day. Tommaso Riccadi’s vocals were ridiculously heavy and offset nicely by bassist Paolo Rossi’s clean singing. The entire band shredded away and left the crowd stunned. They were easily one of the top bands of the entire tour and I can’t wait to see them this fall open for DECAPITATED.
Set List:
The Violation
In Honor of Reason
The Egoism
Thru Our Scars
OCEANO front man Adam Walker keeps the crowd moving.
In between the bands I ran around conducting some interviews and as I heard the opening strains of OCEANO’s “Ending Intellect” I wrapped up my business and flew down the back stairs of the venue to the photo pit. OCEANO was killing it, every member of the band rocking their jocks off. The crowd was really into it and their high energy death core set and it was a good change up from FgA. Vocalist Adam Walker is one of the best front men in the game, just really active, jumping all over the stage and constantly keeping the crowd amped up. The crowd seemed to enjoy all of the choreographed breakdown parts and bass drops that the band employs and they are as fun as any band on the bill. The entire band was very tight and played well, especially guitarist Devin Shidaker. Songs like “Viral-ReAnimation” and “Weaponized” went down well with the crowd and the closer “District of Misery” brought the house down.
Set List:
Ending Intellect
With Legions
Viral Re-Animation
Empathy for Leviathan
Weaponized
District of Misery
I missed most of AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK’s set list as I was busy interviewing bands again. This bummed me out since when I got back in the venue they were on stage and killing it big time. I caught the last two songs “My Fears Have Become Phobias” and “Hester Prynne”. Both songs are slabs of chaotic tech death and death core. I felt like they have a lot of talent and heart based hearing these few songs. They wound up being a bit of an underrated surprise on the bill for me and I will need to check out more music by them in the future. I will catch their entire set next time they come to my town.
John Gallagher continues to hold it down, forever strong in DYING FETUS!
Since I find POWERGLOVE totally unenjoyable I fled the venue briefly in search of air, water and my late arriving metal buddies. I honestly couldn’t believe between set up, the actual playing time and breakdown how much time these ass clowns were on stage for, sucking up precious time from DYING FETUS. Sucking, I would soon find out being the operative word. Right as my peeps made it into the venue, the mighty FETUS took the stage as usual like a musical tornado. The now fully packed venue rocked as the band blasted through “Homicidal Retribution” and “One Shot, One Kill” in rapid succession. I know that these tours are arranged often by record sales, but at this point this band needs to be one of the top names on the bill, and not just in respect anymore. There are few bands as entertaining and consistent as these Maryland death metallers. John Gallagher just murders guitars dead with his technical, ferocious playing style. He is an absolute wild man of a performer too which makes him mesmerizing to watch. “Shepherd’s Commandment” was equally vicious and brutal led by bassist Sean Beasley on vocals. I have seen DF many times as an opener and early day band it was nice that they got to play more than five songs and so tracks like “Descend Into Depravity” and “Praise the Lord” were even more neck breaking and awe-inspiring than usual. As always Trey Williams is just a monster on the drums and easily the best of the day. That is a serious compliment considering all the talent on this tour. As they plowed through several more songs I realized I was witnessing the best set I had ever seen by the band and they are just now reaching the height of their powers. After playing “Pissing in the Mainstream” Beasley announced they were going to play “Kill Your Mother, Rape Your Dog”. Just then someone ran on stage and told the band they were out of time. The band apologized and the crowd immediately started the “bullshit, bullshit bullshit!” chants. All I could think of was FUCK FUCKING POWERGLOVE!
Set List:
Homicidal Retribution
One Shot, One Kill
Shepherd’s Commandment
Descend Into Depravity
Praise the Lord (Opium of the Masses)
Your Treachery Will Die With You
Grotesque Impalement
Pissing in the Mainstream
Love him or hate him, Chris Barnes doesn't give a shit. Because he's Chris Barnes bitch!
It would be impossible for most any band on any tour to follow what just transpired. SIX FEET UNDER seems to have as many fans as detractors. Front man Chris Barnes has put down a solid career post-CANNIBAL CORPSE, even thought frankly I have never been a big 6FU fan. They always seemed to be missing a special defining element to me and perhaps unfairly, they could never really live up to Barnes’ storied past. The recently reconstituted band hit the stage with authority and a cheering crowd. That was cool and of course Barnes himself looked maniacally pleased by the reception. The band launched into the CORPSE classic “Stripped, Raped and Strangled” and they seemed to be feeling it. For his part Barnes stalked the stage with his gaggle of dreadlocks and a pissed look on his face. He did a decent job on the vocals as you would expect, but perhaps age is catching up to the man since his high screams we a little off the mark. Next up was “No Warning Shot” which was cool, the band firing on all cylinders. Aside from Barnes the lone long term 6FU member was guitarist Steve Swanson who played great and looked like he was having fun. The rest of the band guitarist Rob Arnold (CHIMAIRA), Matt DeVries on bass (also from CHIMAIRA) and drummer extraordinaire Kevin Talley ( DAATH, many others) also looked like they were having a blast. The band tore through a set of 6FU hits mixed with another classic CC song, “Hammer Smashed Face”. As for Barnes, who helped pioneer the genre for death vocalists it was a mixed blessing. Some of his animal squeals and high screams I could live without, but his lows were on point and he performed like a hungry contender, not a champ past his prime. Rob Arnold and Barnes are writing the next 6FU album so that development bares watching.
Set List:
Stripped, Raped And Strangled
No Warning Shot
Revenge of the Zombie
Feasting on the Blood of the Insane
Victim of the Paranoid
The Day the Dead Walked
Seed of Filth
Human Target
Hammer Smashed Face
Up next was DARKEST HOUR who are always great live. They had to cancel their appearance this spring at the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival 13. It’s all good since DH has always delivered live and been a stalwart act in the scene. They have played multiple times on this tour and even they aren’t really death metal (just influenced by it) they always hold their own. Coming on stage to the intro music of “Terror Nocturnus” the band peeled the lid off wit the first full song “The World Engulfed In Flames”. Again you might not think that melo-death inspired metalcore could follow some of the hardest and best names in death metal, but DH tore it up. The pits on the floor were enormous and even though some people weren’t digging it, many were caught up in the mania too. Stepping back in time for the Deliver Us album “With A Thousand Words to Say But One” upped the ante considerably. Fluid melody lines, fierce drumming and great dynamics, all capped off by John Henry’s killer vocals and performance. As one of the more veteran bands on the tour they really know how to put on a show. Playing one hit after another like “Sadist Nation”, the new single “Love As A Weapon” and “Convalescence” they put on an intense and strong show. Just like every time I have ever seen this band, it is them and everybody else. Closing with the epic “Doomsayer” you would have thought they were the headline band the way the crowd cheered when they left.
The great John Henry of DARKEST HOUR has an OZZY moment!
Set List:
Terror Nocturnus
The World Engulfed in Flames
With A Thousand Words to Say But One
Savor the Kill
The Sadist Nation
Love As A Weapon
Your Everyday Disaster
Convalescence
Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)
Phil Bozeman dominates!
Just a few months back I saw WHITECHAPEL co-headline with local deathcore kings THE ACACIA STRAIN. Even though the same venue was packed and sold out that night, I wasn’t crazy about the show. Still, WHITECHAPEL is one of the more exciting bands in death core, so I was a little weirded out by that night. But fast forward back to tonight the band had a ton of heads in the house, as many as any other band. Just a few years back these guys were lower on the bill so clearly the respect they have been given here is impressive. Meanwhile they hit the stage and immediately kicked in to the anthemic “Breeding Violence” and the entire floor erupted in one big pit. Vocalist Phil Boezman leads the charge and the crowd was hanging on his every word and action. The band reeled off songs in rapid fire succession like “Possession”, “The Darkest Day of Man”, “Reprogrammed to Hate” and “Death Becomes Him”. Bozeman just stalks the stage from side to side and is a crazed mad man on the mic. The bands three guitar attack works best live and generally the rest of the band performs in equal measure to Bozeman or at least tries to. I basically figured out what my deal was with the band. I think away from too many similar bands WHITECHAPEL falls into a zone of a death core band capable of true modern death metal excellence. I’d prefer less bass drops and calculated breakdowns myself, but you can’t fault them for going to the well on what seems to move their fans. However, when they played “Vicer Exciser” from Somatic Defilement you hear the old, more straight up style of the band and wonder if they will ever step back in that direction. The closer “This Is Exile” might have gotten the biggest reaction of the entire show, leading me to believe that this band will eventually headline this tour, further cementing their legacy.
Set List:
Breeding Violence
Possession
The Darkest Day of Man
Reprogrammed to Hate
End of Flesh
Unnerving
Death Becomes Him
Vicer Exciser
Eternal Refuge
This Is Exile
After a long, exhausting day THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s banner was unfurled and the remaining faithful death metal fans let out a cheer. At this point I was pickled from exhaustion and watched the remainder of the show in the balcony. As the stage was readied for the band that was lower down on the bill just a few years back, I thought of my conversation earlier in the day with front man Trevor Strnad. He talked a lot about the history of death metal and how hard the band has been working to get to this place and time. I’m really proud to see them come this far and when you talk to fans of TBDM, they are too!
\m/ We are not worthy! \m/
Opening up with the ripping track “A Shrine to Madness” the band made it abundantly clear that they were not to be fucked with. Strnad as usual was a veritable madman on stage who is focused on audible carnage and tons of fun. I don’t think any band in the scene has as much fun playing a show as this band and it is always one of the best elements of their ethos. Tearing through a deep and well honed set of tracks like “Everything Went Black”, “A Vulgar Picture”, and “Nocturnal” the crowd went apeshit for these modern classics. Guitarists Brian Eschbach and Ryan Knight (ARSIS) have really built up a fine connection with one another. They trade licks and solos like nobody’s business and they give the band its foundation of melo-death inspired goodness. “Malenchantments of the Necrosphere” of off the excellent new album Ritual (Metal Blade) just slayed! Monster drummer Shannon Lucas was a beast on this and every song performed on this night. Although this track is relatively new, it should never come out of the set for its evil quotient. Other top tracks dropped left and right like “Statutory Ape”, “Necropolis”, “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse” and former set closer “Miasma”. This just shows how deep the bands back catalog is becoming and how epic a set this was. At the end of the night it all comes back to Strnad as the leader of this band that has indisputably ascended to the upper echelon of modern death metal. Closing out their set and the arduous night with the feral 1-2 punch of “Unhallowed” and “Funeral Thirst” they finished up strong and catered to their oldest and most devoted fans. I’ll be looking forward to next years’ Slaughterific show!
Trevor Strnad says talk to the hand- the Satan hand!
Set List:
A Shrine To Madness
Everything Went Black
A Vulgar Picture
Nocturnal
Moonlight Equilibrium
Malenchantments of the Necrosphere
Statutory Ape
Necropolis
Carbonized in Cruciform
What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse
Deathmask Divine
Miasma
I Will Return
Blood In The Ink
Unhallowed
Funeral Thirst
Well it was a matter of time, wasn’t it? With all of the genre bending and mashing together of styles of music lately someone was going to dip their deathcore into someone’s rave music. Similar to spandex clothing for women just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you always should. Although this is nothing truly ground breaking in general (see also: industrial music in the early-1990s for the roots) few bands have really dived in the deep end of the pool splicing these two styles like THE BROWNING. They have achieved a true split of modern metals step-brother style and funky electronics and dance beats in a cool way that doesn’t seem fad-ish or contrived. So get your glow sticks out because we’re gonna party like it’s 1997!
“No Escape” starts off with electric ear candy, synthesized riffs, sound effects and bass drops all in just the first thirty seconds of the song. The dirge like main riff announced the song like a boxing match MC and I have to say it got me unexpectedly pumped. The screaming vocals of front man Johnny McBee has a sound that fills your ears. He conveys a definite feeling of anguished dread in spite of the happy electronic sounds going on (which McBee also provides). A chirpy dance beat intrudes on the song for a breakdown before the original death core sludge-y riffs comes back in. “Not Alone” is a touch more straight forward. Another urgent keyboard part introduces the main theme while guitarist Collin Woroniak plays some minimalist core riffs and chords. There are some haunting keyboard sounds and more of McBee’s guts spilling vocal harshness. Drummer Noah Robertson plays equal parts industrial battery and traditional drums with his beats and it works well. Once again an uptempo part comes in as a prelude to a breakdown. I like that the music flips back and forth like a light switch, perfectly tempered for today’s short attention span kids. “Bloodlust” comes next and is very heavy on the 1990s rave beats and trance sounds. Then it gives way to the crushing main riffs and blasting double-kick drums that make up the head-nodding verses. Robertson again pushes and pulls the tempos back and forth, creating a vortex like effect owing as much to ARMIN VAN BUREN as it does to AL JOURGENSEN. McBee again produces some exciting extra-musical parts as well. “Standing On the Edge” seems to be the best representation of the band in that it is the most outright heavy track in terms of riffs, but laced with the smoothest keyboards too. Fans of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and the lighter side of BORN OF OSIRIS will like the trance motifs that melt into the beatdown parts. The breakdown is sure to be a hit amongst the “bro” crowd too with its slow burn feel. The title track is equally tough with an evil main riff that switches between guitars and keys. Like most of the tracks on the album they are short, to the point and chock full of sound and fury. Some of the other standout tracks here are “Ashamed”, “Living Dead”, “Tragedy of Perfection” and “I Choose You”. THE BROWNING will not be everybody’s cup of tea. They tend to get a little repetitive on multiple listens and rock the bass drop a bit too much for my personal taste. However, you have to give them props for being adventurous and bold enough to pull this type of music off. I suspect we will be hearing about them more in the future.
THE BROWNING: They may look serious, but their music is heavy, trippy and fun!
A brand new CHIMAIRA video has made its way online and it’s called ‘The Year of the Snake’. This comes from the new album, ‘The Age of Hell’, that will hit stores tomorrow courtesy of eOne. The song is certainly one of the best track on the effort and I would even venture to say that this is one of CHIMAIRA’s best songs of their career. It’s absolutely crushing!
Other good news coming out of the camp is that CHIMAIRA has announced tour plans in support of the new album. The band will hit the road to headline throughout North America with support from IMPENDING DOOM, REVOCATION and RISE TO REMAIN. That is 50% of awesomeness that, for me at least, outweighs the 50% of bands I don’t care about on the tour. No dates are announced yet, but when they are we will let you know!
