album reviews
Reviews of albums old and new from iconic artists and up and coming musicians alike.
All That Remains - 'Victim of the New Disease'
Formed in 1998 in the booming east coast metalcore scene All That Remains is a five-piece metal-core band from Springfield, Massachusetts. Started as a more melodic death metal style side project of then Shadows Fall vocalist Phil Labonte and Guitarist Oli Herbert. The band has since evolved from its melodic death metal roots to one of the forerunners of the 2000’s wave of metal-core. With the release of their second album This Darkened Heart and the addition of now longtime guitarist (and Oli Herbert student) Mike Martin, this group really started to help form what we now know as metal-core!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Album Review: State Champs - 'Living Proof'
State Champs album Living Proof has a slightly different sound than their previous releases. During my first listen, I found the new style a bit unsettling. It sounds more “produced,” and “shiny,” and contains more “open space.” Far too often, the vocals take over and the instrumentals take a back seat. This takes place during quite a few verses throughout the album, and although strong instrumentals do certainly kick in during a lot of the choruses, I just can’t help feeling that too many verses are missing something. Now, I am not saying the album lacks quality guitar because there are some great guitar parts, but the guitar just seems to be used in a different way.
By Nathan Richer7 years ago in Beat
The Ocean—Phanerozoic I: Palaezoic
The Ocean (or sometimes known as The Ocean Collective) was founded in 2000 by guitarist and songwriter Robin Staps. The often referred to collective based on in their first two years as a band they went through something like forty members outside of Staps. It seems like it took the full two years to make their first established line up and dropping their first album “Islands/Tides” which was one thirty minute song which would establish themselves as a very progressive post metalish band. This was followed by an instrumental EP called fogdiver released on Make my day records but did not truly become the band you hear today until in 2005 they signed to Metal Blade records, subsequently releasing Fluxion and Aeolian.
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
A Review of Joyce Manor's Fifth Studio Album
I think one of the most cop-out arguments when someone doesn’t like a band’s new record is because they say all their music sounds the same. Despite that, I’ll be honest in saying I definitely would think of Joyce Manor’s early work in that same light. Cody definitely stepped outside of that bubble and their most recent record, Million Dollars to Kill Me, followed suit.
By Kacie Riordan7 years ago in Beat
It Came from BandCamp Volume 1
When doing three hundred and sixty-five albums in three hundred and sixty-five-day challenge I have heard a lot of odd things on the old Bandcamp. So I started to think, hey some of these are pretty good! But not a lot of these get much exposure, so I am starting monthly list and micro-review of a few of my favorite three or four finds from the dredges of Bandcamp!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Into Eternity—'Sirens'
Formed in 1997 Into Eternity is a five-piece Canadian progressive metal band from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada by Tim Roth, Scott Krall, and Jim Austin. Over their long time as an active band, they have gone through a long list of members and have released five albums in 1999’s Into Eternity, 2001’s Dead or Dreaming, 2004’s Buried in Oblivion, 2006’s The Scattering of Ashes and 2008’s The Incurable Tragedy leading up to this album Sirens. The line up for “Sirens” features the only original member Tim Roth long time members, bass player Troy Bleich, and drummer Bryan Newbury are joined by new members in guitarist Matt Cuthbertson and a lead vocalist Amanda Kiernan who started as a touring member and came on full time for this album. This album is seemingly their comeback album after nearly a decade since their last album was released, always known as a unique and interesting band from the late 2000’s how will they fair in this all but a completely new landscape of metal? Let us dig in and find out!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Hate Eternal - 'Upon Desolate Sands'
Hate Eternal is a death metal band from Saint Petersburg, Florida that was formed in 1997 by Guitarist, Vocalist and renown death metal producer Erik Rutan (formally of Morbid Angel). Upon Desolate Sands is the band's seventh album and fourth on Metal Blade following other releases on this label including Fury & Flames, Phoenix Amongst The Ashes and a follow up to the techy affair that was Infernus. On the note of techy, Upon Desolate Sands is a relentless blur of tech fury somehow contained in a space that somehow feels like you are within a sandstorm. So put on your brutal goggles as we wade into this sandstorm upon the desolate sands!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Horrendous—'Idol'
Formed in 2009 Horrendous is a former four-man old school death metal band turned progressive death metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With three out of four founding members in co-guitarists and vocalists Matt Knox, Damian Herring, and drummer Jamie Knox old fans will still get staples of the writing quirks of the first few albums. Now with the relatively new addition of bass player Alex Kulick adding his own take and bass flare to the overall sound. Before this release, they had three full-length albums in The Chills, Ecdysis, and Anareta that was upon checking a lot more death metal than any kind of prog that people might think of. Idol is their first release on their new record label Season of Mist and is a large departure from their old sound in the best way, a change like this can show how a band can truly evolve from their roots to something impressive. So let us venture in and see how far Horrendous has progressed towards or even beyond their Idols shall we?
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
