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.