My Best Of 2013

2013 was in my opinion a great year for metal. I am not going to do a list, but will highlight some of my favorite albums or songs from the year. So let me start by throwing out a couple of “best of” songs. First I would have to say “In Due Time” from Killswitch Engage’s new album Disarm the Descent was an amazing start to Killswitch’s new endeavor with their new, old singer Jesse Leech. The album as a whole was great. Very melodic, but had the aggression of classic albums. Jesse’s voice seamlessly went from growling to clean vocals bringing a new life to the band and songs. My next song pick, “Blood like Cream” off of Red Fang’s Whales and Leeches is so addictive and catchy that it could possibly be stuck in your head for most of 2014. From start to finish, the album delivered pure party hard rock and roll.

As far as albums go, this year saw quite a few thrash metal legends coming out with great live albums. Metallica had Through the Never which was a spectacular display of their live abilities and also acted as a soundtrack for their movie. The album spanned their whole career, which was great to hear classic songs like “Hit the Lights” with newer songs such as “Cyanide” and everything in between.  Metallica never missed a beat packing full blown metal in a 2 cd set. Kreator and Testament who are also both thrash metal legends in their own right both came out with live albums spanning their careers which made you feel like you were literally at the concert.

Some of my favorite albums this year all happened to be by classic death metal bands. I may be partial to death metal, but these albums kicked some serious butt. Where to start is hard, but we will start with Autopsy’s The Headless Ritual.  The songs were straight up death metal, with a hint of doom mixed in. Suffocation’s new album Pinnacle of Bedlam was so brutal, it left you breathless. I could listen to this album over and over. I also liked the fact that the album came with a making of DVD which was pretty cool to watch the process. Exhumed and Immolation both had great albums, so if you love death metal as much as me, they are defiantly worth a listen.

Okay, on to my pick for the “Best Album of 2013” and the winner is…. Alright it’s a two way tie. Both albums were by bands that haven’t put out an album in years and both came back with a vengeance. I loved both albums a lot, but for different reasons. Let’s start with Gorgut’s Colored Sands. Every song on the album was pure death metal, well with the exception of “The battle of chamdo” which is done by an orchestra. Luc Lemay, the mastermind behind the music, did not miss a beat bringing his style of technical death metal to each song. Every song is great and worth listening to over and over again. I really enjoyed “Forgotten Arrows” and the title track “Colored Sands” very much. It also helps that I saw them play live this year and met Luc Lemay. He was very cool and charismatic which added to the greatness of the album.  Now for my other pick, which if you’re a metal fan, most people will agree with. Carcass’s new album Surgical Steel was an amazing display of metal greatness. Again it is an album you can listen to straight through over and over again. Each song has structure that makes them individual metal hits.  One of my favorite songs on the album “The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills” has a chorus that you will find yourself singing over and over again. Not bad for a band who hasn’t made an album for quite a while. They are touring next year, so if you have a chance to see these songs played live, do it. I know I am sure going to try and see them. The best part of that too is Gorguts are also touring with them.

2014 list of albums that are supposed to come out will make next year’s “Best Of” really hard. So far, I heard Slayer, Napalm Death (the godfathers of grindcore), Tombs, Mastodon, Opeth, and Behemoth are coming out with new albums. I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited, especially for new Slayer and Napalm Death. That’s just a small list of bands who are releasing new music, I’m sure there will be many more great albums no one even knows about yet. So this concludes my 2013 blog and I’m looking forward to new albums and some great concerts to blab on about next year. Hope you enjoyed it and continue to follow my rants next year.

Slayer / Gojira / 4 Arm Concert

                I might have died and went to heavy metal heaven. About 15 years in the making, but I finally witnessed, experienced, and absorbed the ALMIGHTY SLAYER. The venue was perfect, the crowd was energetic, pumped, and the sound was amazing. The night started with the thrash metal band 4 Arm, who were obviously influenced by Slayer. Horns were raised, fists were pumping right from the first note. They were defiantly not a bad way to start the night.

                Gojira took the stage next. I have their live DVD The Flesh Alive and it’s nothing compared to physically seeing them live. The guys from France sure do know how to rock out an arena. If it wasn’t for Slayer coming on next, I probably could have watched them play all night. Joe Duplantier sounded great, full of energy and enthusiasm. Songs like “L’Enfant Sauvage” and “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe” were just killer. Their whole set pummeled you to a point of no return. That slide Duplantier does on his guitar is mesmerizing. The band sucks you into their world, and to be honest, not a bad place to be.

                I have been listening to Slayer since High School. For years, seeing them live has evaded me. November 30, 2013, the wait was finally over and it was worth the wait. Would I have loved to see Hanneman (RIP) or even Lombardo?  Yeah of course, but both Holt and Bostaph are no slouches to the Slayer camp. Tom Araya’s vocals were like the Titans crashing down upon us, absolutely brilliant! The chorus for “War Ensemble” is still ringing in my head. Kerry King’s live performance is everything I imagined, but oh so much more. He and Holt destroyed the crowd with face melting riffs that only Slayer can do. I felt like a little kid in a candy store when Season in the Abyss’s “Dead Skin Mask” came on. Even if you wanted to sit still, you couldn’t, some part of you was rocking out. Heck, there was even a kid in a wheelchair crowd surfing. I thought the banner they did for Hanneman was awesome; it was a great tribute to a great guitar player. They closed their set by playing their killer classic “Angel of Death”. The set was so amazing, it flew by. Before you knew it, the lights came on and the show was over. But I can tell you this; it will forever be embedded in my head how great the show was. SLAYER NATION LIVES ON!!!!

Live Albums: Passion Of The Show

Live albums, you either love them or hate them. I have had many conversations with different people about live albums and what it comes down to, is I love them. Yeah a studio album is polished up, but something about the raw energy of a live set is just amazing. You receive what the band was actually trying to say in the album, your auditory system is getting the passion within the music. Okay, so there is a little talking between songs, it might be an introduction or a small bit about what the song means, heck it could just be a little speech to get the crowd or listener fired up for what they are about to play, but overall the albums tend to be an in depth look into the soul of what the band is like live. Many great bands have come out with live albums over the years. Metallica, Kreator, Machine head, Testament, Meshuggah, and Death are just a few to name off the top of my head. Within the past couple of months I have purchased Kreator’s Dying Alive, Metallica’s Through the Never, and Testament’s Dark Roots of Thrash. Two things you can gather from that small list, first is YES, I still buy physical copies of albums (I’m a sucker for flipping through the booklets) and second, thrash metal has had a constant stream of live metal albums coming out. Live albums are also a great way of getting a band’s collection of what some would call their greatest hits. Where else are going to get Metallica’s classic “Hit the Lights” and “One” on the same album. You can feel the crowd’s energy surging through each track.

 

When I listen to Kreator’s live version of say “Phantom Antichrist” I feel connected to the show, I can visualize it in my head. The band has to be on their game for studio versions. The Testament album has some great combinations of old songs, as well as new songs. “Trial by Fire” is a rock solid old school head banger while new gems such as “Native Blood” literally have you off your seat and ready to mosh. I really enjoyed Dark Roots of Earth, so to hear songs from that album, as well as older stuff is awesome. Some, if not most live albums you can buy a version that has a DVD of the actual show with it.  Gojira’s The Flesh Alive CD/DVD combo is great. Not only do you get a great live CD, but two different DVD’s with concert footage, as well a documentary of behind the scenes footage. I absolutely cannot wait to see them live myself when they tour with the Almighty SLAYER.

           

Red Fang: Whales and Leeches Album Review

Red Fang’s new album; Whales and Leeches brings a new meaning to bang your head. The album is 11 tracks of pure energetic rock and roll. If you do not find yourself at the minimum bobbing your head, get your ears checked!!  As they say in the song “Blood like Cream”: “Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up” and that’s how the album should be approached, at maximum volume. As of right now, “Blood like Cream” is my choice for Best Song of 2013. The album as a whole is great, definitely in my opinion going to be on a lot of lists for 2013 metal and hard rock top albums. With songs like “No Hope” and “Blood like Cream” how can you go wrong? Sing along choruses, riffs that have you dancing, and vocals that grind away at your ability to not head bang. Not bad for four guys out of Portland, Oregon!!

 

Horns Up For Halloween

Halloween, the greatest time of year! The decorations, the scary movies, the costumes, but most of all the music, nothing goes together better than metal music and the greatest holiday in the world. So here is a look of songs, bands, and albums that come to mind when I think Halloween. Please feel free to add to this list with anything I might have missed or forgotten.

                So let me start with a not so metal band, but the kings of sci-fi and horror. I am talking about none other than the Misfits. From their Glenn Danzig days to present they represent rituals, movie monsters, sacrifices, and the holiday itself. Their new cd which consists of only one original member, Jerry Only deals with zombies; “Twilight of the Dead” and “Land of the Dead”, Frankenstein’s monster; “The Ghost of Frankenstein” (Which happens to be one of my personal favorites), mummies, vampires and werewolves. The Misfits have stayed true to their path for many years. They also put on a killer show.  Only’s bass guitar looks like a skull, as well as the microphone stand, and the show is nonstop Misfits songs delivered with enthusiasm and energy.

                Force of Evil, which is pretty much Mercyful Fate minus King Diamond did an album which focused on horror movies. The album Black Empire has songs that focus on Leather face from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Candyman, to a song that pays tribute to the master horror author Steven King. If you are looking for an old school metal feel with a horror movie twist, this is the perfect album for you.

                Metal music fits the Halloween tradition so well, even without trying. Death metal and black metal are proof of that. Horror and gore are what a lot of death metal bands prided themselves on. Look at Deaths first album; Scream Bloody Gore!!!  Zombies anyone? Even when they went more real world, it was still scary stuff. It doesn’t hurt that they were one of the greatest death metal bands to ever grace a stage. Cannibal Corpse is another fine example of horror and gore. Who needs music when you have Gory album covers, much Like Cannibal Corpse does. It also helps their music is gore infested metal!!!  Iced Earth even has an album called Horror Show that puts all the classic horror movie monsters into songs. Who doesn’t want to hear a song about Dracula, or better yet, The Creature from the Black Lagoon?

                Ok, now onto everyone’s favorite subject, ZOMBIES. Who doesn’t love zombies? Heck, even my 2 ½ year old loves zombies. What better way to pay tribute to the living dead than by putting out a whole EP album dedicated to the flesh eating monsters? That’s what exactly The Devil Wears Prada did. Their Zombie EP is a 5 song sledgehammer to your face. The songs include sound bites like a shotgun blast, chainsaws, and even have a public service announcement warning the public of a zombie outbreak.  This album is great if you’re a metal fan, but even better if you’re a zombie fan.

                I could go on forever about what bands tie in great with Halloween and horror, but I’m going to conclude here and hopefully people chime in with some of their favorite Halloween or horror themed albums.

Carcass – Surgical Steel; New School Feel By An Old School Band

Carcass’s new album Surgical Steel is a death metal album every metal fan dreams of. It has speed and aggression, but also comes full blast with melody involved. We could spend the whole time arguing which prior Carcass album was the best, but let’s get to the point, this album is awesome. For a band we thought we would never get new music from, Jeff Walker and Bill Steer brought the goods!!! The album has songs that are, in my book, going to be instant classics. “The Master Butcher’s Apron” is dark and aggressive, definitely a stand out track. “The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills” has to be one of my favorite songs on the album. The opening track “1985” sort of gives the album an epic beginning to lead you through the rest of the album. You could almost certainly see yourself singing the chorus, especially “6,0,2,6,9,6,1”, which no one seems to have any idea what it means, but it works! On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this album a 6, it’s that good. Long Live Death Metal!!!!!

The Return of Gorguts concert and Colored Sands Cd Review

First off let me start by saying Luc Lemay of Gorguts is one of the most approachable, energetic, and passionate people I have met. Before the Return of Gorguts show even started, he was selling shirts and albums, but it just wasn’t that. He was shaking hands, taking pictures (something I unfortunately didn’t do because my camera on my phone sucks), and basically thanking anyone who would listen for coming out to the show. The venue was small, but it was perfect for that intimate Gorguts experience. The band was touring for their new album Colored Sands, their first new album in 12 years. Man, is the album a killer and as of right now one of my favorites for 2013. The opening track “Le Toit Du Monde” starts the album with some heavy riffs and is one of 3 new songs they played last night. The song is just straight out cool because it has the heaviness, but at points he makes it sound like he is distant and ambient. Then the technicality of the song kicks in and just leaves you breathless. The band also played “An Ocean Of Wisdom” and “Forgotten Arrows”, both adding to an unforgettable show. The album title track, which was not played, is Luc Lemay showcasing his all-around musical abilities, as well bringing on the crushing power of his technical death metal. The album even features a track that is strictly a symphony called “The Battle of Chamdo” and after hearing it, you will definitely be ready to throw on some old school armor and battle it out.  The album is worth listening to once, twice, a couple hundred times, and well at least twice a day. The album is amazing, the concert was unforgettable, and Luc Lemay is a cool guy in a great band.

Useless Ramblings of a Metal Head

                Napalm Death, “The Godfathers of Grindcore” and Death with mastermind Chuck Shuldiner, the “Father of Death Metal’ are just a few examples of bands setting the trend of future metal. Also these are two of my favorite bands. Both bands have gone through many different lineup changes, but have withstood the test of time. It’s unfortunate that there will be no new Death songs, but what they have are etched in history. I could go on for hours why Napalm Death’s lead Growler Barney Greenway should be President, but what it all comes down to is, he sings for Napalm Death!! Metal has had its ups and downs, its dry periods, in the end it always comes back with a vengeance. Look at all the old school death metal bands coming back with new albums. Carcass for example, or how about the return of Gorguts, who I might add I am excited about seeing them play classics and new material live. Metal music has some of the greatest live experiences. It’s the raw energy you see expressed through the bands and the music they play. Thinking back to all the bands I have seen over the years still amazes me. Ozzy shooting a giant water gun, Greg Puciato kicking over the microphone stands and climbing anything in site, the fire of Rammstein, it just amazes me what some bands will do and capable of.

                There are still many live metal bands I have yet to experience and some I sadly never will; for example seeing the original lineup of Slayer or Metallica. Don’t worry my loving wife; you’re not the reason for the original Slayer lineup. Jeff Hanneman was a thrash metal genius. Metallica’s late Cliff Burton bass playing skills and overall musicality were just amazing, just look at the solo off of Kill ‘Em All. I read the book on Cliff Burton “To Live Is To Die” and if you’re an early Metallica fan, I highly suggest reading it. What he brought to thrash metal will never be forgotten, at least by true fans and hopefully passed on to generations to come.

                One of my favorite things about metal is there are so many different categories of metal, each with a bunch of bands that are unique and amazing. Death metal, thrash metal, doom metal, grind core, classic metal are just a few examples. It’s definitely cool when bands combine different elements into their style. Take for example Volbeat who have a combination of rock, country, and death metal. The have songs with guest musicians from Mercyful Fate, Napalm Death, Kreator, and even King Diamond himself, which adds to each of their albums and the uniqueness of the songs. There are even bands that add traditional folk music to metal such as Finntroll and Eluveitie. How about a symphony? Bands like Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septic Flesh have both used this element in their music and quite successfully.

                What it comes down to is metal music is exciting, original, and never ending. As long as bands keep coming up with original ideas and the record labels keep printing the classics, we as metal fans should be golden! Keep those horns raised and music loud!!

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Where Opera Meets Death Metal

Nuclear Blast records have released another whirlwind of a record, this time by Fleshgod Apocalypse. With so many influential bands on that label, such as Meshuggah (one of my personal favorites), Scar Symmetry, and Kataklysm, it’s no surprise great records come out on a regular basis. The album simply titled Labyrinth combines Fleshgod Apocalypse’s death metal with a symphony in the background. Some songs even feature an opera singer. From what I read, the theme of the album is about finding yourself in the maze of life. Back to the music, it has some haunting qualities to it when you combine the orchestra instruments, the opera singing, and the growling death metal vocals. The guitar work is as solid as death metal music goes. The drums at the beginning of “Under Black Sails” make you think you’re getting ready for battle and songs like “Minotaur”, “Pathfinder”, and “The Fall Of Asterion” will make it hard for you to not drive excessively over the speed limit while head banging along. All in all a great cd and the entire atmosphere from the extra instruments just adds to the appeal of it.

Death Metal – Alive and Kicking in 2013

With new albums from some of Death Metals finest, it’s hard to believe death metal ever died. Let’s begin with Chris Reifert’s horror themed Autopsy and their new album The Headless Ritual. It is incredible that Chris pulls double duty drumming and vocals, especially with such a fast paced band. The album has some great riffs throughout, but what makes this album stand out for me is the fact that they go from break neck speeds to full on doom metal. An example of how they do this is in the album opener “Slaughter at Beast House”. About half way through the song it slows down to an almost sludge pace and some incredible doom vocals follow, only to pick up speed again towards the end. With song titles like; “Coffin Crawlers” and “When Hammer Meets Bone” you know they mean business. I was not too familiar with the band prior to this album, but once I started to look them up, I was excited to find out Chris was the drummer for Death’s Scream Bloody Gore album and you can tell he brought his Death influences with him when he left the band. The album is great and I would suggest it to any death or doom metal fan.

Another great death metal released this year was Immolation’s Kingdom of Conspiracy. The album is straight up 10 songs of unrelenting, unforgiving death metal. The album itself is a political album which singer/bass player Ross Dolan is quoted from a Metal Blade interview stating the theme is “ about real conspiracies, it’s about people conspiring every day to do very bad things, evil things in the name of greed and self-preservation”  Finer, Sam (14 May 2013). "Immolation (Ross Dolan) Interview". Metal Blast. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

Now to move onto one of my personal favorite death metal albums of 2013; Suffocation’s Pinnacle of Bedlam. No matter how many times you listen to this album, you cannot escape the raw energy and intensity. I like how the guitar sound varies throughout and even how the beginning of “Sullen Day” starts off a bit slower, and then kicks in. Frank Mullen’s vocals are just brutal and Terrance Hobbs just nails the guitar parts. The version I bought came with a short making of DVD which showed the album making process and what went into getting this album to where it needed to be. It was a great addition to an already great album. As brutal as this album is, the slow breakdowns add character to the songs that just top off the album. Get this album; it will defiantly be worth it.

 

 

Finntroll Bring A Whole New Meaning To Horns Up With New Album Blodsvept

Finntroll’s new album Blodsvept is a cross between metal and evil circus music. They combine classic death metal vocals with instruments that range from the traditional guitar, bass and drums to a horn section and whistles, keyboards. The band itself is from Finland, but all the lyrics are sung in Swedish, which does not at all take away from the album. It adds to the mysticism of the songs, which on this album range from evil troll beast to witches. The title track which in English translates to “Shrouded in Blood” opens with an evil beast growling, and then the song kicks into action. Vreth, the vocalist, reminds me a lot of the singer from Rammstein, I don’t know if that’s because I don’t understand a word they sing or their approach is similar, but regardless it works. Songs like “Rosetts Kung (King of the Cairn)” and “Hyxbrygd (Witch’s Brew)” are just two examples of standout tracks on this album. When “Rosetts Kung” starts you’re not sure if you want to dance or mosh and “Hyxbrygd” has a video that just exemplifies how out there and crazy this band is. The album as a whole is great and I would highly suggest it. They will be touring in the US and Canada in November and December, so hopefully I can experience the live version of many of these songs.

The Dillinger Escape Plan : One Of Us Is The Killer Album Review

Energetic yet spastically controlled chaos are just a few words that come to mind when describing The Dillinger Escape Plan’s new album: One Of Us Is The Killer.  Ben Weinman’s style of guitar playing is very prominent, upfront aggressive and technical on this album. At one point he makes it sound like a hoard of angry bees swarming while Greg Puciato growls along. Each of their albums matures throughout their career, but while some stand out more than others, it can’t be denied that as a metal band, they are moving forward.  The song When I Lost My Bet has a video that showcases just how wild and imaginative they are. To truly fully experience Dillinger, you should see them live. The energy packed into each song comes out in the form of climbing amps and jumping off, to knocking equipment over, to all out running around like a lunatic. To me, the standout tracks are the title track One of Us Is the Killer, When I Lost My Bet, Prancer, and Nothing’s Funny. I like how they can go from complete all out speed and aggression, to a slowed down groove that Puciato sings along to. I actually heard one person say the songs on this album gave them anxiety because they were so loud and aggressive which to me is a pretty cool review of the album.

Children of Bodom - Halo of Blood

Children Of Bodom’s new album Halo of Blood is Bodom doing what they do best; fast, technical metal with a gruff vocal approach. Children Of Bodom is a Finnish Extreme Metal band who got their name from the mysterious Lake Bodom murders in Finland that happened in the 1960’s.  I am definitely enjoying the album. The song “Dead Man’s Hand on You” has a great opening with keyboards and the slow tempo is not typical of them, but was a great mid paced song that added a doomy atmosphere to the album. It gave you a break from the break neck speed of the other songs. For me the stand out songs, besides the above mentioned were the title track “Halo of Blood” and “Transference” which has a cool video to go along with it if you check out their website. If you’re familiar with Children of Bodom, this album won’t surprise you too much, but has some more mature qualities that their last album Relentless Reckless Forever lacked.  I would suggest checking it out if you’re a fan of technical, crazy fast speed metal with a death metal flare.

Killswitch Engage- A New Beginning

Killswitch Engages new album, well not so new, it came out April 2, 2013 with their new, but old singer Jesse Leach is indeed a new beginning. They came out with a purpose, something to prove. Each listen to this album showcases their determination to stay a powerhouse in the metal scene. The album seems focused, but defintly has that raw energy the last album lacked. The song “In Due Time” will have you addicted within seconds and I’m sure on repeat. The chorus is as catchy as they come. Jesse was there for killswitch’s first album and it’s kind of bittersweet that after Howard Jones departure, the band has come full circle with the return of Jesse. In the song “the new Awakening” he sings the line “I would rather burn than fade away” and on Disarm to Descent they show no signs of burning out.

My Abbreviated Version of “A Best of 2012”

I wanted to share some bands, songs, and albums that people should check out. Let me start with what I considered the best song of 2012. Baroness’s song “Take My Bones Away” from the Yellow disc of the Yellow and Green Album is such a catchy and completely addictive song, with a chorus that just grabs you. The guitar riff that begins the song and rocks on throughout is so irresistible, you can’t stop listening. This is a song you can listen to multiple times in a row and still get something out of it. Decibel put their album as the No. 2 album of 2012.

A couple of 2012 albums that I want to throw out there were Barren Earth’s The Devil’s Resolve and Swallow the Sun’s Emerald Forest and the Blackbird.  Mikko Kotamäki does vocals in both bands and can go between clean and a death metal growl fluently. The Devil’s Resolve is Barren Earth’s 2^nd full length album and hopefully the 2^nd of many to come. The album was a great cross between Death metal and Doom metal. Songs like "The Rains Begin" and “Where All Stories End” play like epic tales of doom and sorrow, all packaged in a melodic death/doom metal package. The song “Cathedral Walls” off the latest Swallow the Sun record incorporates a mostly clean vocal sound and a little growl and a guest female vocalist named Anette Olzon. Also on the album is the “Labyrinth of London (Horror Pt. IV)”, the 4^th installment of their horror songs. The first one was “Swallow” (Horror Pt. I) off their The Morning Never Came album, then came “Don’t Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2)” off their Hope album. The 3^rd installment was “Lights on the Lake (Horror Pt. III)” off their New Moon Album. All four songs are different and unique in their own rights. The songs are Doom metal songs from their first notes to their last. Swallow the Sun is a band that should get more attention and one I would love to see live.

Meshuggah’s 2012 album Koloss was a force to be reckoned with. It was technical, intense, and brutal in every aspect of metal music. Jens Kidman’s vocals are fierce and you can feel his intensity in each song. I had the opportunity to see them live last year and their live show lives up to, if not surpasses their albums. Kidman looks evil with his many facial expressions throughout their set, as well as the amazing light show that went along with the songs. Songs like “Do Not Look Down” and “The Hurt That Finds You First” are simply pure Meshuggah and pound like a jackhammer through your head. The band as a whole is incredible and to experience it live is something any metal fan should do. Check out their live DVD Alive and their video for “Demiurge”.

Feel free to comment and tell me what you think or add any bands you think are important to you or the metal scene.

Dark Tranquillity - Review of upcoming album Construct and why you should check it out!

I first heard about the band Dark Tranquillity from the book “Choosing Death”. In the book author, Albert Mudrain writes how the original singer Anders Friden went on to sing for the Swedish Death Metal Band In Flames and how guitarist Mikael Stanne took over vocal duties. The band is said to have a Gothenburg sound or in other words a more melodic death metal sound which was popular in Sweden at the time. Again the band popped up in the July Issue of Decibel Magazine issue 105 discussing their new album Construct due out May 28^th, 2013. So curiosity got the best of me and being a big fan of In Flames, I went out and bought their 2005 album Character. The album was exactly what I was looking for, it was very melodic, great growling vocals, with some clean ones at times and really the band seemed to grasp what a melodic metal band should be. The key boards did not overpower the songs, but gave each song a cool rhythm for the guitars to chug along to.

On to their new album Construct, which after hearing some of their older stuff and listening to some of the new album, I am very excited to get. The song "Uniformity" has a video that promotes it, and it was a great choice for a single or at least a video. The song starts with the keyboards kicking in full blast giving the song melody that resonates throughout the whole track. The album has a great mix of clean and growling vocals and Stanne shows he can growl with the best of them on songs like "The Science Of Noise" and "For Broken Words". What I love about his vocals is you can understand what he is saying without taking away the gruffness of his sound. I suggest if you do not know anything by them, check out the video for "Uniformity" and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Go out and get your copy of Construct May 28^th!!

 

Death To All Tour 2013

On April 27, 2013 I had the pleasure of attending the Death To All Tour featuring the Human-Era lineup of Death; guitarist Paul Masvidal, bassist Steve DiGiorgio, and drummer Sean Reinert. Guitarist/vocalist Max Phelps had the job of filling the very big shoes of Chuck Schuldiner .

The show started with a band called Anciients from Vancouver, Canada. I couldn't wait to see them and they lived up to my every expectation. I only discovered Anciients a short time before I found they were going to be on the tour and now after seeing them live I am a true believer in their music. The set was filled heavy riffs that shook the room and made you feel the emotion of each and every note. They have a death metal feel with a progressive stoner/doom quality that brought each song to life. I couldn't of asked for a better way to start the night.

Old school death metal juggernauts Exhumed came on next. They took us on a pummeling journey through old and new songs which covered every aspect of metals true form: DEATH METAL. They have a new album called " Necrocracy" due out sometime this year which based on their set, I am definatly going to get.

Now for the main course, the reason everybody went to the show. We are all paying tribute to "The father of death metal" himself, the late Chuck Schuldiner. His dream is carried on in his honor through the band members he collaborated with. This years line up help make one of death metals most pivotal albums; Human. With the help of Max Phelps they played songs from the first four Death albums. The set started with a precision version of " Flattening of Emotions", which right from the first note you knew the night as a whole was going to be spectacular. About nine songs in, there was this inspirational tribute video to Chuck followed by none other than "Zombie Ritual" Any song with zombie in the title or about zombies has to be awesome in my opinion! Being a bass player myself, I am going to be a little biased and say Steve DiGiorgio was on fire!!! As a whole the show was simply amazing and I cannot wait to see how they top it next year.
          Chuck Schuldiner May 13, 1967 - December 13, 2001

2013 New England Metal And Hardcore Festival

On Sat. April 20th, I attended the NEMHF with Opeth as the headliner. The show was amazing with many different genres of metal playing. Of all the bands that played I would have to say I enjoyed Katatonia, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Opeth the best. Katatonia was the supporting band for Opeth and rocked. The set was a little shorter than I would of liked, but they played an amazing set.  Jonas Renkse looked like Cousin It with his hair in his face, but still sounded great.

The Dillinger Escape Plan have to be one of the most energetic bands out there right now. It was a toss up who was more wild and crazy between singer Greg Puciato and lead guitarist Ben Weinman. Puciato had the roadies earning their money that night knocking down and throwing microphone stands, jumping off amps, climbing anything he could get on and kicking anything in his way. He ended the set in a stunning fashion by throwing the high hat symbol into the bass drum. The energy was just amazing and if you ever have a chance to experience them live, definitely do it!

Dillinger was a hard act to follow, but Opeth pulled it off. Mikael Akerfeldt said from the beginning he's not as energetic as Puciato, but what he lacked in energy he made up in raw talent. The set went from progressive rock to growling death metal. They varied the songs so it wasn't a whole set of one or the other. For those of you who like their more progressive songs, they started the set with "The Devils Orchard" from their Heritage album. He switches back and forth between clean and growling vocals with very little effort. The show was simply amazing!

The Beginning

I wanted to start this blog as a way for people to share their love for music, specifically metal music, with each other. I enjoy music so much, its a passion that I can't seem to get enough of. I love waiting for my next issue of Decibel magazine to see what's new and see articles of bands I love. I recently discovered podcasts where people geek out over the music they love. Getting a new cd is an experience that excites me each time. Its a visual experience as well as a listening one. The booklet if done right is just as creative and exciting as the music. My goal with this blog is to share my thoughts on new and old music as well as learn about new bands. Hopefully people will enjoy it! Feel free to leave comments.