Music Reviews of Metal, Grindcore, Death, Prog-Rock
Band Spotlight
Chiodos
Perhaps no one can explain the sheer ferocity and timid quietness it is better than when vocalist Craig Owens says “we don’t want to let the kids down” when discussing the group’s intense vocals live at shows. Well they never let a single kid down with their vicious assault on the ears and grip on the jugular...
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Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker
Converge - No Heroes
The Graduate - Anhedonia
Death By Stereo - Death Alive
Comeback Kid - Broadcasting
The Snake The Cross The Crown - Cotton Teeth
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The Geeks - Every Time We Fall
Limbeck - Limbeck
WinterKids - Memoirs
03.09.2007 by J-Sin
Music Reviews of Metal, Grindcore, Death, Black, Thrash, Progressive Rock
From the Shallows — Beyond the Unknown Buy it at Amazon
Thudding fast double bass kicks, melodic finger picking scattered across all the guitars, and sick vocals make From the Shallows entrance on their debut “Beyond the Unknown” an unforgettable one. Produced by Joey Sturgis who’s known for his efforts with the Devil Wears Prada and Gwen Stacy, “Beyond the Unknown” is a thrash metal meets deathcore fist fuck unlike any you’ve ever heard. It’s only a matter of time before all the metalcore kids realize that this is the direction they should be headed with its mammoth breakdowns and incredible guitar solos.
- J-Sin
Sixx: A.M. — The Heroin Diaries Buy it at Amazon
Nikki Sixx still sucks. Or is that 'suxx'? About his life as a drug and alcohol abuser while he was still famous playing in Motley Crue, the soundtrack to his book is just an E! True Hollywood story that no one really cares about set to bad music.
- J-Sin
Crionics — Neu Throne Buy it at Amazon
Polish black / death metal group once again unleash a torrid array of doom-riddled and twisted mayhem. Formed in ’97, Crionics have been blitzkrieging the universe of extreme metal with a vision of domineering sludge, grindy rhythms, and a cacophony of chaos whirling around. Whiplash inducing percussion is matched by a vomiting mass of wretched vocals and Vader-esque guitars. Loud and ever evolving, Crionics’ “Neu Throne” is a mighty one that they alone can claim the royal rights to. I won’t even get into how intense the production of this gem is.
- J-Sin
Entombed — Serpent Saints Buy it at Amazon
I have to admit, I was quite eager when I heard that Swedish Grammy-award nominee Entombed was about to unleash another album upon us. European death metal pioneers Entombed once again up the ante in the metal world with their crushing guitars and orchestrated songwriting. One of the few bands that can sound truly heavy when they slow everything down or when they add piano to the equation. Loud open mouth guttural vocals smack you upside the cranium and they finish everything up by employing incredibly fast double bass punishments. Fuck yeah!
- J-Sin
Terhen — Eyes Unfolded Buy it at Amazon
Blackened death metal that hits a steady fast gait and never looks back, Terhen boasts gothic edges and melodic undertones that is as crazy as it is sick. “Eyes Unfolded” may only have five songs but the length is almost 54 minutes of twisted blackened gold. Crushing guitars are armed with thundering percussion and gnarled vocals so evil, it drips blood and puss.
- J-Sin
Fall of the Leafe — Aerolithe Buy it at Amazon
Progressive metal giants Fall of the Leafe churn out prog hits with wonderful abandonment. Melodic vocals stretch overtop of “Aerolithe” without nary a strain. Vicious guitars slay while the bass and rhythm section are steady and thoughtful. Great songwriting makes Fall of the Leafe a band that you’ll want to pay attention if you consider yourself a prog-metal fan.
- J-Sin
Caina — Mourner Buy it at Amazon
Sickly twisted black metal that is experimental and avant-garde in a way that makes “Mourner” profoundly different from the slew of corpse-painted Neanderthals. Andrew Curtis-Brignell, a 20-year old musician from the U.K. is the sole force behind this dark ambient nightmare of coalescing noise and abstract harshness. Surreal visions that will haunt your every move are bludgeoned with droning distortions that wail about Hell.
- J-Sin
Destroyer Destroyer — Littered with Arrows Buy it at Amazon
Sometimes when I’m cruising down a street and I have no idea where I’m going, I wish it was “Littered with Arrows” rather than littered with spent Starbucks and Budweiser containers. Destroyer Destroyer almost does me a favor on their latest ear-buster with a crusty grind explosion of chaos. Sounding as if their favorite pet was anally raped and then bludgeoned to death in front of them at the tender age of three, Destroyer Destroyer perhaps might come across as caustic but I’m certain that somewhere within their blackened hearts they remember how to feel empathy though they certainly do not express one iota as they combust with an energy unfelt since Coalesce last stepped foot on stage.
- J-Sin
Rose Funeral — Crucify Kill Rot Buy it at Amazon
“Crucify Kill Rot” doesn’t sound like a very pleasant thing to name your debut album. But when you’re an extreme metal band from the middle of Ohio, it’s essentially what your existence is all about. Filthy guitars snarl and bite at your heels as you race into the darkened hallways of doom-riddled anthems that Rose Funeral composes. Bruising percussion leaves a lasting mark with blood streaming all around the wounds that the vocals shred into your soul. Technical death-core in the vein of the Black Dahlia Murder or Necrophagist. Fuck yes!
- J-Sin
The Angelic Process — Weighing Souls With Sand Buy it at Amazon
Disturbing and rich discordant harmonies with a determined fiat of dominating metal. Droning ambience and post-rock explorations make this pandemonium-inducing heart-wrencher live up to all the hype that is sure to surround it. Harking from the indie rock central hub of Athens, Georgia, The Angelic Process compose suffocating stoner drones with tribal rhythms, and the disemboweling extremism of post-Neurosis mayhem. This album will leave you with a sense that heaven and hell might not be too far apart.
- J-Sin
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