The Demonstration - Accidents with Intelligence
With the drummer, bassist, and guitarist from this band all contributors to the almighty Killwhitneydead attack, The Demonstration come with automatic interest for yours truly. An interest further peaked by my enjoyment of 2006’s Existence album on Tribunal Records. Sadly and immediately noticeable, these guys have made some changes. I don’t know if it’s new vocalist Zach Messick, or new guitarist/vocalist Rob Gabriella, but one of these guys has a singing style unsettlingly similar to the fag from Linkin Park. Not the fag that raps but the other fag, the whiny one. Other than this, Accidents with Intelligence is a solid helping of Metalcore with all the fixings, but it’s a pretty big hindrance. One that stains all but a salvageable EP’s worth of material here. I don’t even mind the softer clean vocals, but the Linkin Park scream-singing is downright unbearable. A band with this much talent and raging heaviness capability should not be putting out albums where a Third Eye Blind cover is the most memorable cut. The aforementioned salvageable EP: “A Very Calculating Snake,” “Car Rides,” “We’re All Alone, We’re All Lonely,” and “Character Flaws.”
(0) Comment(s)
Daylight Dies - Lost to the Living
Not a whole lot has changed since this band’s Tribunal debut, and not a whole lot needs to. Why mess with perfection? This band have a patented, instantly recognizable sound comprised of spine-tingling harmonies, morose, despondent melodies, distinctly woven structures, spacious heaviness, and just the right amount of Katatonia worship. Too slow to be Death Metal, too fast to be Doom, and too good to give a fuck what you call it. This is the musical embodiment of disappointment, loss, and pain, with a subliminal vibe of hope (the greatest pain of all). The band did change vocalists prior to their last output, and throughout Lost to the Living (moreso over the latter half of the album), Nathan Ellis showcases his clean singing abilities for the first time. Very impressive, very professional, very smooth, and downright Akerfeldt-esque. So successful one has to wonder if the future will in fact yield change for this band. The abrasive Death Metal vocals perhaps becoming the secondary weapon of choice on releases to come? As for now, another solid, depressing, nearly flawless album from a band that has established nothing less as their standard.
(0) Comment(s)
Darkane - Demonic Art
Not to discredit the talent of drummer extraordinaire/hired gun specialist Peter Wildoer (Pestilence, Arch Enemy, etc…), but Darkane fucking blow. Always have, and apparently always will. I thought a new vocalist might save them, but this new douche is even worse than the old douche. Still the same annoying bark, but now with occasional Power Fag clean voice. There are definitely more dynamics to their songs than I can ever remember before, but it’s not like they have written an actual memorable song in ten years. Still a sub-Haunted, Nu-Thrash salad that no amount of dressing could save.
(0) Comment(s)
Dark Fortress - Eidolon
Even though this German Black Metal troupe have been at it for 14 years, my only prior exposure to them was a very mediocre Katatonia cover (“Endtime”) on a very mediocre Katatonia tribute CD (December Songs). Well, after listening to Eidolon on and off for about three days now, the only word that comes to mind is, you guessed it… mediocre. It’s not that it’s terrible. They do have a better sound, production, and approach than about 90% of the Black Metal I hear these days, but it’s not very memorable. Recycled bits of Emperor and Mayhem stirred in with second rate Dimmu Borgir and Naglfar just doesn’t cut it.
(0) Comment(s)
Warrel Dane - Praises to the War Machine
I’m not the right guy to be reviewing this. Let’s get this out of the way. I don’t like Prog, I don’t like Power Metal, I don’t like Nevermore, and I don’t like Queensryche, which is what this frontman from Nevermore’s solo album sounds like to me. Modernized Queensryche. Hooray. I want to spend $15 on that. There is a cover of “Lucretia My Reflection” on this album that makes the original Sisters of Mercy version sound like Swedish Grindcore by comparison. Look, what aging homosexuals listen to behind closed doors is none of my business, but I don’t want any part of it. I’ll leave it at that.
(0) Comment(s)
Cryptopsy - The Unspoken King
There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding this album throughout the Metal press. I think it’s time I cleared the issue. It is not because this new Cryptopsy album contains clean vocals that everybody’s tearing it to shreds. It’s because the clean vocals fucking suck! If it was halfway decent clean singing, most probably would not have a problem with it. It’s not even the much maligned clean singing from new vocalist, Matt McGachy, that ruins this for me. It’s the fact that Cryptopsy no longer have the ability to write memorable material anymore. I was ahead of the curve, I gave up on this band after hearing their last piece of shit, Once Was Not. A scatterbrained, over-the-top clusterfuck of a mess furthermore desecrated by Lord Worm’s pitiful, short-lived attempt at a return. Look, when you start your career with two flawless Death/Grind masterpieces as these guys did, there’s nowhere to go but down. Whisper Supremacy and And Then You’ll Beg were pretty good albums, but now it’s clear the well has gone dry. The talent is still there, as the more nostalgic moments of The Unspoken King undoubtedly indicate, and Flo will always be the drum-god, but perhaps it’s just time they tear down and rebuild.
(0) Comment(s)
Coredust - Past Lives
Worthless, pointless, useless, aimless, meaningless Nu-Thrash/Heavy Rock that is void of style, approach, ideas, direction, or heart. I have heard harmonica solos with more depth.
(0) Comment(s)
Chrome Division - Booze, Broads and Beelzebub
This ain’t no circus and I sure don’t need no clowns.
(0) Comment(s)
Chainsaw (Poland) - The Journey Into the Heart of Darkness
A chainsaw is a pretty brutal tool. Just ask Tony Montana or those stupid fucking kids who always get lost in Texas. I don’t think a band that sounds like Winger should be allowed to name themselves after such an intimidating potential weapon. When you think of all the proper inanimate objects they could have used to more adequately suit their sound… Butt Plug, Tampon, Rectal Thermometer, Assless Chaps, Adult Diaper, Jon Bon Jovi Autographed Poster… they could’ve been a lot less misleading if they’d wanted to.
(0) Comment(s)
Page 111 of 388 pages « First < 109 110 111 112 113 > Last »
