Benea Reach look to the summit, don’t quite make it.
One thing that I enjoy about the ridiculous amounts of bands that I follow, is that every now and then one slips through the cracks until they release new music. Then, I get to rediscover said band all over again. It’s like a birthday present that you get to open twice and be just as excited about the second time! Meshuggah were like this for quite sometime (they’ve recently, as in the past few years, made it into my regular rotation). Benea Reach are another one. I really enjoyed their last album Alleviat when I heard it back in 2009, but I never followed them. So, it came as surprise to me yesterday when there was a new video/song from the Norwegians on all the metal blogs.
The song, “The Mountain,” is a decent song. In fact, it’s a pretty good tune. Lots of heavy, a nice chorus and the video is interesting enough. Unfortunately, the song also plods a little and doesn’t have the same “umph” they used to. That said, I still found myself replaying it a couple of times and one decent song does not a great album ruin. So, I’ll look forward to their next slab of music. In the mean time, check out the video for “Mountain” below.
Benea Reach’s new one, Posession, comes out on March 22 via Spinefarm.
-Dan
And… we are back from the silence!
Oh, hey guys! Sorry it’s been awhile. We’ve been pretty quiet because, well, this happened (switch math for English):
And this happened (sort of):
And this happened:
It’s all good though. Because, uh, we are going to start writing again. Maybe. Until then, here’s some Meshuggah for you. Happy day!
*YAWN*
Oh, hey guys. Sorry, I must have fallen asleep while listening to the new All That Remains song. Man, remember when we thought this band was really cool and exciting? Good times.
-Dan
“dUg” Pinnick wants to know what you gonna do and make you sick.
It’s no secret I’m a fan of King’s X. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the follow up to their fantastic 2008 disc XV, but as with most of the really good bands, they don’t make much money and therefore wait a long time between albums. However, the three members of the band are really prolific artists on their own and have released solo albums in that time. Apparently, lead vocalist/bassist Doug (styled “dUg”) Pinnick has a new album coming out called Naked sometime in the next… whenever. And as such, he’s released a track from that album called, “What You Gonna Do?” in the form of a self-filmed music video.
And when I way self-filmed, I mean it’s himself holding a camera to himself while he lip syncs the words and spins around the room. It’s all a little too nauseating for my tastes and it makes me wonder just how high dUg was when he filmed it (the man is a well-known fan of the ganja). The song isn’t half bad though. Like most of his stuff, it’s got some heaviness to it, some groove, and while not the greatest thing ever, it is pretty fun. Check out the vid below and be on the lookout for Naked sometime in the future.
-Dan
Machine Head’s “Darkness Within” has a lot of heavy-handed symbolism
Machine Head debuted the video for “Darkness Within” off of last years excellent Unto the Locust last week. It’s one of the highest quality and biggest production videos of the bands’ career and showcases just how a “bigger” metal band can make great videos.
The video itself is chock full of some heavy-handed symbolism, though. From the images of the church, to the monks and the book of music notes, its not a subtle message. Much like the song, the visuals orchestrate the move from a religious faith to a life of decadence, to a faith in music (and oneself, I would argue). However, the end of the video, where all the band gets buried, leaves something to be desired. As the song is, for the most part, positive in its affirmations of finding faith in music, the video seems to reaffirm that life leads to one point; death. There’s a lot of cool stuff going on here and I could deconstruct it for days. Basically, score one for Machine Head in creating one of the most dynamic and cool videos of the year. I’ll never get why people don’t think this band is awesome.
Check the video below!
-Dan
Black/Death metal band members to appear in Hell documentary.
Christianity and metal have a long, contentious history. Some might posit that without Christianity then there may not have been a heavy metal genre (I think this is silly logic, but I get the reasoning). So it might seem oddly appropriate to talk about a documentary coming out this fall called Hellbound?, which seeks to showcase the varying views of hell in modern Christianity.
At this point you’re probably wondering why we are talking about this. On the movie’s about page, they list the likes of David Vincent, Glenn Benton, Necrobutcher and everyone’s favorite Orderus Ungus as appearing. I’m not sure how prominent any of these metal luminaries will be, or what they will say, but I thought it worth bringing attention to. This could either be really cool, or it could just solidify the statement that all metal bands are evil Satanists. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Here’s the teaser and the movie web page is here.
-Dan
New Gaza and some sort-of-The Human Abstract-y-band.
Well, I have successfully graduated from Graduate school. Huzzah! With that out of the way, here is the perfect celebration! A new Gaza track has debuted on Brooklyn Vegan. Titled, “Mostly Hair & Bones” it’s the deliciously dirty and caustic Gaza we all know and love. The track comes off their forthcoming new’un No Absolutes in Human Suffering, which is due on July 31st via Black market Activities. You should but that when it comes out.
In other news, this band Art By Numbers really wants to be The Human Abstract. The song, “The Man in the Box” (not to be confused for a cover of AiC’s “Man in the Box”) is honestly not that bad. I’d take it over another bro-tastic chug-fest any day, but am I alone in thinking that there might be too much shredding here? I love some shred, but if all I hear is “weddily-wee” over high pitched croon, I get a bit bored. Of course, I did just praise the three note Gaza track, so I guess my opinion is invalid. ANYWAY… Art by Numbers’ has an album called Reticence: The Musical coming out on May 29th. I’ll probably check it out because I’m always up for something remotely prog-y. I’m hoping they impress because I could definitely use a little Human Abstract-y music in my life.
-Dan
New Gojira track! Hey guys! IT’S A NEW GOJIRA TRACK!!!
This needs no introduction, because if you aren’t excited by the title, then you should go somewhere else. Might I suggest an Emmure fansite? Pitchfork is streaming the title track from Gojira’s new album, “L’Enfant Sauvage” and it’s pretty damn killer. It’s a new sound for Gojira, but not in a bad way at all! Check it out here to begin your weekend off on the right foot!
-Dan
Demon Hunter-True Defiance
Demon Hunter’s eponymous debut came out nearly ten years ago and this is significant simply because, at that time, the band was little more than a part time endeavor for the Clark brothers. Don and Ryan, formerly of the hardcore band Training for Utopia, had assembled a bunch of songs, put them together with some expert packaging, gotten a label involved and released it. I don’t think they expected the band to take on the type of life that it has, and despite not being a full time band ever in it’s history, Demon Hunter are one of the more recognized bands in the modern Christian metal scene.
All this is necessary to frame the space where True Defiance, the band’s sixth full-length, comes in. The aesthetic quality of Demon Hunter has changed immensely since their first appearance and True Defiance is another shift in the sonic qualities that the band engage in. The framework for the songs is still roughly the same as it was when they started; heavy parts mixed with melodic parts. Screamed/sung vocals meld together and the band are equally as comfortable presenting a ballad or a full force bruiser. It’s this last type of song that is much more prevalent on True Defiance.
Beginning with the auditory kick in the jaw of “Crucifix” and “God Forsaken” it’s clear that Demon Hunter want to make it clear they are a metal band. The songs are significantly influenced by Swedish melo-death, which in 2012 could be passe, but the songs sound energized and immediate, with some fantatic solo work. The solo work for the album is pretty top-notch throughout. While never being, say, Revocation distinct, it’s a great element that is never overused and always feels like it comes in at the appropriate elements.
The band play with their love of groove-metal on songs like, “Wake” and “This I Know” which wouldn’t surprise anyone who has listened to Demon Hunter for the past ten years, but it feels more impacting this time around. The band get ballad-y with “Tomorrow Never Comes” and “Dead Flowers.” “Tomorrow Never Comes” is particularly interesting as it feels very anthemic with some great lead work. It’s probably the best ballad type song the band has written and when compared to the much more standard and uninteresting “Dead Flowers” it really stands up as a great example of the band’s versatility.
True Defiance comes at just the right time for Demon Hunter and ups the quality of the songs far above the lackluster The World is a Thorn. True Defiance feels focused and purposeful, and while it was meant by the band to be listened to in stark contrast to what is popular in the metal world now, one can’t help but feel that there are still parts that are too, mid-2000’s ish. It’s not an innovative sound, but more of a refinement for the band and a good one at that. Ultimately, I don’t know if this will change anyone’s mind who has been apprehensive to Demon Hunter until this point, but as far as a solid metal album goes, True Defiance serves it’s purpose and does it well. It’s good to hear Demon Hunter being fun and engaging again, and that’s what this album does best. It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s a move in the right direction. Next step; write something that will really challenge the musical sensibilities of the time.
-Dan
Allegaeon- Formshifter
It shouldn’t surprise anyone who reads this site that we love Allegaeon around here. I am also a friend to bassist Corey Archuleta. I say all this as a full disclosure sort of thing because I think this album is brilliant! I’ll even go out on a limb and say that it might as well be one of the best albums of the year. And I say this all as a fan and lover of metal music. Because Formshifter is that good and is the kind of album that should launch the band into everyone’s radar.
Let’s talk about some mechanics first; the production on this album is top notch. Whereas one beef levied at Fragments of Form and Function could definitely be the low end thin production (treble heavy guitars and little to no bass), Formshifter lets all the instruments breath, giving plenty of space to the bass, vocals, drums and guitars. And Allegaeon is a guitar heavy band, which would make it easy to go the route of favoring the guitars, highlighting them in the production. Thankfully this is not the case and Formshifter, sounds full and impactful.
The song writing is immensely varied. From the more swedish inflected songs such as the title track which includes a very Tesseract-esque passage, to the low end yet incredibly melodic “Behold (God I Am),” the album shines without ever sounding like you are getting the same thing over and over again. The band reignite the classical influence with the closer “Secrets of the Sequence” and reignite their love of heavily melodic Swede infused melo-death with “Tartessos: The Hidden Xenocryst.” “A Path Disclosed” finds the band experimenting with some different time signatures and more progressive passages. “Twelve” may just be the heaviest song on the album with a focus on blast beats and detuned riffing that doesn’t sound stale and is a serious bruiser without losing the penchant for shredding. The semi-acoustic passage that breaks in halfway makes the case for the band’s continued evolution and shows that they aren’t just a one note group, and the reappearance of an all acoustic classical piece reminds the listener of this point even more so.
Allegaeon have outdone themselves with Formshifter. If Fragments of Form and Function, was their announcement, then Formshifter is the band’s statement that they are here and they will be heard. It’s a staggering work that never feels like it’s worn out it’s welcome. The songwriting is catchy, heavy, varied, and incredibly seasoned sounding. If Allegaeon aren’t on every metal listeners scope by the end of the year, then we all aren’t paying enough attention. Get this album, listen to it, tell your friends, and revel in it’s accomplishments. I’ll say it again; this should be one of the best albums of the year.
-Dan
So… there’s a “new” Dimebag song out there…
Hot on the heels of that “new” (re: old, never released) Pantera track “Piss” that came out last week, we’ve got a “new” (re: old, never released) Dimebag track. I wasn’t aware that there were any tracks where Dimebag was going solo, but hey it doesn’t surprise me. The dude was obviously prolific, what with Pantera, Rebel Meets Rebel, and all the guest solos he did over the years. The track is pretty fun and it should delight Dimebag fans (such as myself). Much like “Piss” it’s pretty clear why this wasn’t released during his lifetime; it’s not the crowning achievement of his songwriting or playing. It’s still a bajillion times better than half the stuff I get lead too or am subjected to on Facebook, so I’ll take it. Hell, I’d be stupid not too! And I’ll definitely take it over a hologram… er… did I just go there? Sorry.
Check out the song/promo for the new Dimebag skateboard (of which I am about as excited for as I am a bowel movement. Hey, I sucked as a skater) below.
Then, in case you didn’t see the video for “Piss” (or heard the track)… you know what to do!
Soen debut “Delenda” video.
The internet has been a buzz about this band Soen for awhile now. Being a band made up of such luminaries as Steve DiGiorgio (Death, a billions other bands) and Martin Lopez (Opeth), they create some great, complex but easy to get into prog metal. It’s been described as very much in the vein of Tool, and I’d agree. There is something slightly different about them, and I think this expressed wonderfully in the song “Delenda.” While the video is a simple performance type, it’s not boring and feels very appropriate to the music. The song itself is killer and it’s great to hear a slower track that still has that epic feel to it. Much like Tool or even Opeth, who I can hear both of in this song.
As far as I know, there hasn’t been a North American release for the debut album, Cognitive, yet so I don’t own a copy (this feels like a band who I need to won a copy of). However, as soon as I get a chance to listen to it, I might do a review. Feels like a long time since that’s happened, huh? Check out the video below.
-Dan
Demon Hunter’s Ryan Clark says; “making metal palatable for your average 14-year-old Bruno Mars fan is despicable”
In a guest blog for Audio Ink Radio (which I’ve never heard of, but that doesn’t mean much), Demon Hunter front dude and aspiring biker Ryan Clark talks about the current state of metal. There are some gems in the post, like the quote in the title, that just need to be talked about. So, here we go!
there has been a disheartening trend in recent years. I’m speaking of course about “metal” created by people that clearly have no respect for the genre.
Now, he says this right after name dropping Gojira, Mastodon and Soilwork as examples of metal done right. I think I get what he’s saying here, but I’m not sure if what he is saying works. He seems to be drawing a line between “false” and “real” metal that, in my postmodern addled brain, doesn’t exist. Anyway, Clark continues,
Now I’m not one to set a bunch of rules here, but I’m pretty sure the feelings of true metal lovers are fairly unanimous.
Hmmmm… if the feelings of metal lovers are fairly unanimous then why do we all want to start blogs? If we just agreed with each other all the time, then I guess I wouldn’t be here writing this and Metalsucks would be out of business. But, I get it Ryan. “True” metal lovers always have this unspoken… love? appreciation? appetite? for the music at large. Or something. ANYWAY…
Secondly, incorporating unique musical elements can sweeten an otherwise drab tune, but let’s not get carried away.
Agreed. Let’s start by not writing another DH ballad that just feels half-assed. Sound good, Ryan?
No one wants to hear a Russian techno beat and auto-tuned vocals come blasting in halfway through your breakdown like a drunken, blathering, half-dressed, college party girl exploding through the church doors, mid-sermon on Sunday morning.
Must… resist… tendency… to critique… run-on sentence…
If this kind of ear assault is a welcome treat for anyone, then calmly walk into your bathroom, look into the mirror, and convince yourself that metal is not for you.
Harsh, dude. Seriously, wouldn’t it be far more gracious and inviting to acknowledge that sometimes the lame bands of our youth lead us into better stuff later on? I’m not spinning this anymore, but I understand it’s brief place in my exploration of the heavy stuff. And I’ve got a huge appreciation for the old-school metal bands these days.
Ryan also takes a stab (I guess) at Underoath, which I don’t really get either. Unless he just thinks they suck these days, but I bet they ran in the same circles back in his Training for Utopia days.* Oh, well.
Anyway, this rant is brought to you by the guy whose band wrote this song.
All that said, I’m still excited to hear the new album. I have huge respect for DH because, guess what, they were kind of a transition band for me. Fancy that, huh?
-Dan
*Back in the days before Christian metal exploded to samesies proportions (you know, the 90’s), Underoath were borderline death metal/hardcore (or deathcore you could say) and Training for Utopia were really chaotic and inventive. Kind of like the precursor to Norma Jean and The Chariot. And they were both signed to Solid State.
Stream Meshuggah’s new album Koloss
Not much to say here, except that if you want to hear one serious kick in the ass metal album, you now have the option too. I know other sites have carried this story recently, but from what I’ve listened to of this album, it might be one of the tops of the year. You can go listen to the full album, which is out today, at the band’s i-am-a-leak website.
-Dan
Update: Jerry Gaskill is out of the hospital!
I know it’s been quiet here for awhile, but I wanted to share a brief update. Last week, King’s X drummer Jerry Gaskill was released from the hospital and is continuing his recovery at home. This is great news, of course! Now, he just needs to have a fast recovery so he can get to hitting the skins again. Glad to know you are well, Jerry!
Jerry victoriously heading home!
Have a great monday, all!
-Dan
Help out Jerry Gaskill of King’s X!
I haven’t spoken on King’s X drummer Jerry Gaskill’s recent health problems, mostly because I didn’t know what to say. The drummer of my favorite band EVER had a heart attack on February 28th and has been in the Intensive Care Unit since. So, my thoughts and prayers are definitely with him. However, Molken Music, who are basically King’s X record label for everything but “official new material” has seen fit to release a digital live album from their “Faith, Hope and Love” tour. It’s called Burning Down Boston, and you get an immediate download of the album when you donate $20 to help with Jerry’s medical bills.
I think this is a great idea, and not just because I love the band. Musicians often lack medical insurance, and especially bands on King’s X level who have to tour to make a living (or only when they can conceivably do so). I’m sure Jerry is in that position. So, I plan to do this and I would encourage everyone to as well. I mean, $20 may seem steep, but that’s like three days of Starbucks, or two six packs of a micro-brew. You all can go without, right? I know I sure can. Check out the video below, and you can download it,here.
-Dan
Becoming the Archetype talk new album!
Everything about this photo is awesome.
Personally, I adore Becoming the Archetype. Last year’s Celestial Completion, just missed my best of, too. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, you should and then dig into their back catalogue. It’s with that level of love that I came across thePrp’s articlethePrp’s article on BtA’s new happenings. Granted, it’s mostly about their impending remix album (which excites me about as much as a bowel movement does. Sorry guys), but the key nugget is when the band state that;
The focus of the next record is riffs that just blow you away with their heaviness and headbangability. Yes, I just made that word up.
If “headbangability” doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. All I can think of is a glorious mix of the mature songwriting of the BtA of now, and the balls-to-the-walls heaviness of Terminate Damnation. This is going to rule folks!
I wouldn’t expect anything this year (they haven’t even finished writing yet), but when it drops, I will be one giddy fan.
-Dan
Emmure; just as boring as ever.
Emmure released a video for “Drug Dealer Friend” recently and it’s one of the most insipid things I’ve seen or heard. Ever. Now, they’ve released a new song off their new album From Slave to the Game. Which is probably the stupidest album title I’ve ever heard. Anyway, the song, “Protoman” is not as completely misogynistic as “Drug Dealer Friend,” but it’s just as painfully boring. Maybe even more so. Anyway, if you feel like taking a quick cat nap, you can watch it below. Just don’t get too wrapped up in trying to figure out why ol’ Thanatos himself has such huge glasses now.
-Dan
Those are some sketchy “Blood Ties”
Today’s subject; Jungle Rot. The question; do you enjoy them? Jungle Rot seem like a band that I should get behind. I love groovy death metal, and that’s pretty much what Jungle Rot play. Groovy death metal. I mean, I love Chaos A.D. era Sepultura and Pantera as much as the next human being with good taste, but something about Jungle Rot’s love of that kind of sound doesn’t do it for me. I don’t know, when your song is 3:45 and it feels a lot longer, I think you are not onto something. There’s nothing terribly offensive about their sound, it just leaves me with a big ol’ bag of “meh.” The video for “Blood Ties” kind of does the same. It’s not wholly original, not memorable, and certainly not anything I’d promote as good videography.
I’ll pose the question to you, dear readers. Do you like Jungle Rot? Am I missing some key fact of why this band is awesome? Or am I totally right? Somehow, I doubt you all will get as fired up about this as you do about my snide comments towards The Browning. Check out Jungle Rot’s “Blood Ties” below, and leave us some feedback!
-Dan
Meshuggah don’t like looking down (it’s a new Meshuggah song!).
I first encountered Meshuggah when they opened for Tool in 2001 on the Lateralus tour. While my friends and family who were with me didn’t appreciate the style, mostly vocally, I loved it. It would take a few more years before I really, really got into the band, but since that time I’ve eagerly been interested in what the band are doing next. So, with their new album Koloss getting ready to come out in a month, they’ve released another track off the album. The song, titled “Do Not Look Down,” is a catchy piece of groove tastic death metal, Meshuggah style. If that doesn’t excite you, you’re probably more apt to listen to this instead. For the rest of us with taste… read on!
Grave Robber and filling up your space with blood.
Back in 2008 I went to the Cornerstone Festival, and saw this band called Grave Robber. They were pretty much a Christian version of The Misfits, but with the attempts at the theatricality of Gwar (on a really, really small and limited scale, and in truth it’s nothing like Gwar, but it’s the best comparison I can think of). It was a pretty fun show to watch and I subsequently went and bought the only CD they had out at the time and a t-shirt. Fast forward to 2012 and I find the band on good ol’ Spotify and realize they’ve got a few new albums out. After listening to them, I realized I needed to share some tunes with you all, in case any of you have a horror punk/semi-metal itch in you. Here’s a couple tracks. Enjoy!
-Dan
Impending Doom want you to hate them.
No, really. Vocalist Brook Reeves even says so in the bands new ditty, “For the Wicked” which comes off their newbie, Baptized in Filth (March 13th, eOne). As for the song… well… can’t deny the boys haven’t lost their fire for apocalyptic Christian lyrics. Unfortunately, this song is simply more deathcore chugga, chugga that goes no where. That’s my impression at least. Take a listen below.
On a related note, I really wish they would go back to this style;
Or better yet, THIS!
A man can dream. A man, can, DREAM!
-Dan
Veil of Maya and Enfold Darkness; new tunes for you!
Veil of Maya have hyped up the release of their new single for the past two weeks and today it is upon us. And… it’s good. Not amazing or anything, but pretty good. I really dig the melodic (re)turn they did for the majority of the song. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but there’s a really great sense of melody inherent in the track. Unfortunately, the band throw in a totally unnecessary id style breakdown after a nice keyboard passage. I think I’d much prefer the song to end with a fade out of the keyboards and some guitars. Then again, it’s not my song. Check it out below and let me know your thoughts!
And, if that wasn’t extreme enough for you, Decibel magazine has debuted a new track from Enfold Darkness, titled “Lairs of the Ascended Masters.” If you need a little tech-black/death metal in your veins, this will do the trick. I remember listening to this band a few years ago, but it didn’t stick. I’m not going to claim this as the best thing since sliced bread, but the song is pretty killer and the solo is crazy good. So, yeah I’ll be checking their new one out. Go over to Decibel to give it a listen. Veil of Maya’s Eclipse comes out 2-28-12 and I don’t know when Enfold Darkness are releasing a new album or if this will be on it. Both bands are signed to Sumerian, though, which means I’m going to be forced to buy both albums. Natch.
-Dan
The Omega Experiment; prog-happiness!
Heavy Blog is Heavy alerted me to the upcoming full length release from this band called The Omega Experiment. Due to the cool artwork, I immediately took a listen to the album teaser, and then proceeded to download the free EP. As I’m listening to this, all I can say, “hot damn!” This is some really, really, REALLY great prog-metal. The coolest thing though? There’s a huge Devin Townsend influence in the music, which you don’t really hear a lot of in prog-metal. It’s always nice to get something different. Be warned though, this band will not live up to your expectations; they will destroy them! Enough of my pathetic bantering! Listen to the band below and get some free music here.
-Dan
DC Metal Review 