Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Slam Spotlight Part 4



Rejoice friends, for slam is officially no longer underground, thanks to San Diego powerhouse Pathology. This band is particularly noteworthy for two reasons: first, they have two ex-members of prominent death metal bands in their roster (ex-vocalist Matti Way founded Disgorge, and current drummer Dave Astor was Cattle Decapitation's original drummer), and second, they managed to score a deal with Victory Records for their newest album.

Questionable choice of label, yes, seeing as their labelmates include bands like Atreyu, A Day To Remember and Emmure, and when the signing was announced I was naturally worried that this meant they would lighten up and become another mainstream deathcore act. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Rather than sell out, Pathology realized that with Victory behind them they had the means to devote a lot of time and money to crafting the best album they could, and by golly they did just that. The new album is just as jam packed with punishing slams, pounding drums and snarling gutturals as their last three, but with squeaky clean and crisp production value, and this video is a prime demonstration. From their newest album Legacy of the Ancients, I give you "Code Injection".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34bd9D8f3XI

Man, money never sounded so good. Unfortunately, Pathology have been going through some tough times as of late, from a van accident cutting short their stint on the Nile tour, to vocalist Matti Way and guitarist Tim Tiszczenko quitting, forcing the band to find fill-ins for said Nile tour. Also, Dave Pastor announced via Facebook recently that the band is now self-managed, so obviously worries of qualms with the label are abound. Luckily, none of this seems to have slowed them down one bit, because Dave also said that a new permanent vocalist and guitarist would be announced within the week, and the band also has a summer 2011 tour booked with Enthroned and Destroyer 666 (see poster below), so don't count Pathology out just yet. Have a good night everyone, see you tomorrow.


-The Baby Killer

This is pretty funny

A few days ago, the ever-entertaining dudes at Metal Injection put up a video of some dude making fun of a bunch of other dudes doing silly deathcore vocal covers. While it's highly likely that he's actually mocking all of metal in general, the video specifically targets deathcore and (briefly) distinguishes it from metalcore and death metal, and either way it's very funny. For lessons on how to look stupid, take a gander, and for various other metal-related news and vids, be sure to check out the rest of the goodies at MI.

http://www.metalinjection.net/tv/view/6071/deathcore-vocal-cover-video-how-to

Oh you silly, silly hardcore kids, if nothing else we can still say you never cease to amuse. Happy Tuesday everyone.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Show Review: Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Vital Remains and Devourment- November 20th in Philadelphia, PA

Last Saturday, the most brutal tour of the year made its way to good old Philly. I had seen all the bands on the bill at least once in the past, but never together at one show, so I knew tonight was going to be something special, and believe me friends, it was. Despite getting hopelessly lost on the way to the train station (thanks to the jerkoff who stole my GPS over the summer), I still made it to the Trocadero in plenty of time, and you could literally feel the anticipation as soon as the doors opened.

After a brief sound check, Devourment took the stage to thunderous applause and started things off beautifully. They sounded beefy and clear, and their set was comprised of songs from all three of their full lengths, including "Serial Cocksucker", "Fucked To Death", "Choking On Bile", "Fed To the Pigs", and closing with the classic "Baby Killer". What caught my attention the most during their set was their stage presence. While everyone knows that Devourment's music is awesome and they play their songs very well live, they're not known to be too energetic onstage, but this was not the case here. Mike Majewski and the gang were all moving around headbanging, rocking out, smiling and having a grand old time feeding off of the energy from the crowd. Their bassist Chris Andrews even went so far as to dive into the crowd after the last song, adding to the high spirits.

Despite the incessant chanting of "One more song," Devourment then cleared off to make room for Rhode Island God-haters Vital Remains. At the last Summer Slaughter tour these guys had a painfully short set, so I was really excited to see what they could do with more time. Ironically enough they only played four songs this time, but since VR are pretty much the Dream Theater of death metal with their eight-minute songs, this didn't seem to bother anyone too much. The lead guitar was a little low in the mix so it was hard to hear the solos, but they still rumbled through "Icons of Evil", "Devoured Elysium", "Hammer Down the Nails" and "Dechristianize" like it was nobody's business. In all honesty, this was probably the weakest band of the night and they still killed it, which should give you an idea of how good the show was. I've heard a lot of people complain that Vital Remains isn't the same without Glenn Benton on vocals, but if last night is any indication, they're kicking ass and taking names just fine without him. Let me tell you something: if you want to see the true power of metal, go to a Vital Remains show and watch as hundreds of people go completely silent, bow their heads and hold their horns up high while the venue goes dark and "O Fortuna" blares over the PA, all while the band is onstage looking up at the sky with genuine hate in their eyes. It's scary.

Next on the roster was Dying Fetus, and this is where things really started to get interesting. Both of the previous bands were very well received, but as soon as these guys started playing it was a madhouse. Their setlist was pretty long since they were the main support, and they used this opportunity to play a surprisingly large number of very old songs, going all the way back to their first couple EP's; songs like "Vomiting the Decaying Embryo" and "Eviscerated Offspring" to name a few. However, they still played plenty of their newer, more well-known songs like "Killing On Adrenaline", "One Shot One Kill", "Your Treachery Will Die With You" and "Homicidal Retribution", and they closed as always with their 70-second claim to fame "Kill Your Mother Rape Your Dog". I've seen Dying Fetus twice before this, and I'm still amazed at how much chaos the crowd manages to bring in just over one minute. As with Devourment, these guys were also much more energetic than usual, which only contributed to the frenzy.

So after Dying Fetus walked off to extremely enthusiastic applause, after what seemed like hours the lights dimmed one more time, and when Cannibal Corpse walked onstage the applause sounded more like an arena than the tiny Trocadero. They wasted no time and dove right into a set that spanned their entire twenty-plus year career. For all the old school fans, there were classics like "A Skull Full of Maggots", "Gutted", "Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead" and "Devoured By Vermin", and for the younger, more recent inductees, there plenty of newer songs like "Evisceration Plague", "Priests of Sodom", "Shatter Their Bones", "The Time To Kill Is Now", "Make Them Suffer", "The Wretched Spawn" and more. They played for a solid hour and a half, and although it was exhausting, neither the band nor the crowd slowed down one bit. We all anxiously waited to hear what song they would play next, and Corpsegrinder's between-song bantering kept everyone laughing and ready to start the pit up again at a moment's notice. And speaking of pits, when they finally closed with the classic duo of "Hammer Smashed Face" and "Stripped Raped and Strangled", the pit literally enveloped the entire floor of the venue; the sight of close to (if not more than) a thousand people moshing their hearts out at once is something that simply cannot be put into words. See for yourself.


When all was said and done, we all left knowing that great memories had been made. Making new friends, reconnecting with old ones, seeing and meeting the bands that inspire you, smoking a fat one and/or pounding back a few gulps of the hard stuff with good people, and just forgetting all your troubles for a few hours; it's all in a day's work for metal. This is the kind of show where the whole world shrinks to nothing but you, the crowd and the band, and there's nothing but the euphoria of the moment and the anticipation of the rest of the show. This is what we live for, and this is what those trendy, attention-whoring idiots will never be able to take away from us, no matter how hard they try.

Defend the fucking faith brothers and sisters, I love you all.
-The Baby Killer

Show Review: Nile, Ex Deo, Psycroptic and Keep of Kalessin- November 12th in Seattle, WA

        So the night started with two local bands, one was a bunch of middle aged drunk men who played something like groove-metal, not sure why they were on the bill but luckily we missed most of their set. Then the lead singer didn't want to get off the stage so they turned everything off. Then the next local band was pretty okay, definitely a step up. They were something like black metal if I remember right, some cool riffs and some people started to move. They played for about twenty minutes and then Keep of Kalessin was up. (Pathology should have been up, but were in a van accident and couldn't make it).
        I've never listened to the band or even heard of them, but they kind of sounded like Amon Amarth. Their website says "the best live band from Norway," but to be honest I didn't see the big deal. There was really nothing special about them to me, but they do what they do well. A mosh started, and with a show like this, there were no dancers anywhere and if they were to show up, they would be killed. So they played for a half hour and next up was a band I was there to see- Psycroptic!
Psycroptic

They started with and mostly played songs from Ob(servant), with the exception of "Lacertine Forest" and a new song that sounded pretty badass. "Ob(servant)" was the best song of the night for them in my opinion. I got super stoked for that and started the pit, such a good song. Then they ended with "Initiate" and that was that. I was pretty pissed at the amount of people moshing for them compared to Keep Of Kalessin, since Psycroptic had about half the people for some reason. One thing that sorely disappointed me was the lack of Jason Peppiatt. His vocals are so unique but fortunately for him and unfortunately for us he had a kid, nonetheless congrats to him! So since he has unique vocals, his replacement (Zdenek Simecek of Godless Truth) sounded lacking (he was good, but not as good), mainly because he didn't really do anything but lows. And seeing as this was the last tour cycle for Ob(servant), it'll be a while til they come back.
Psycroptic
The next band was Ex Deo. Not a lot to say about them either, damn near every song had the same equation: Sound clip, chant start, fast part, and slower epic ending. So for the first song I was like "yeah, this sounds pretty rad," but it got old quick and to the point where me and a friend just chanted for the whole song. Not a band I would go out of my way to see again.
Nile
        Then the headliners, Nile! Longest sound check ever, but it was worth the wait. They started with "Kafir!" and it was crazy good, just as the rest of their set was. More than half their set consisted of songs from Those Whom The Gods Detest. The bar emptied and all the drunk people came in to mosh. I got to the stage again so I yelled the words along with Karl, very fun band. My friend made his way to the bathroom and apparently there was a guy who got his teeth knocked out, their pit is no joke! For sure the most people in the pit the whole night. No encore or anything, but Karl stood around to shake hands and whatnot. Pretty good show, just wish they were with better bands.

-King of Those Who Know
Why do kids hardcore dance? Not even Karl Sanders knows




Monday, November 22, 2010

Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play: Episode 4



When the average person thinks of black metal, it's a safe assumption that they would think of bands like BurzumBathory, Emperor, Immortal or something to that effect. And since I'm not really a fan of old school black metal save for Emperor, I usually think of more melodic or orchestral bands like Dimmu Borgir, Ihsahn and Dragonlord. However, my point is, no matter what your interpretation of black metal may be, I guarantee the last band you'll see coming is Enfold Darkness.

To be fair, these Nashville natives lean more towards the technical death metal genre, but they are so convoluted with black metal influences that they end up becoming a perfect hybrid of the two. To get an idea of what they sound like, imagine Necrophagist suddenly falling in love with Emperor, chugging a case of Red Bull to double their tempo, and putting Dani Filth on vocals. Now before I scare any of you guys off with that last part, rest assured the vocals are not a detraction. While the vocals are very similar to Cradle of Filth's high pitched screams, Enfold Darkness uses them infinitely better. Rather than sounding tinny and screechy, Justin Corser's voice is resounding and powerful, giving the superbly orchestrated music that extra kick. Although they recently broke up (to my extreme disappointment), EF did manage to release one spectacular album on Sumerian Records, and this song is the highlight of the album. From their 2009 release Our Cursed Rapture, this is "Exaltations Part 1: The Entrance of Hecate". Prepare to be floored.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bTcphGqoZ0

Rest in peace, Enfold Darkness, you will be sorely missed. Hopefully the members from this band will go on to form other awesome bands, and if they do I'll be first in line to check them out. Definitely get this CD into your collection though, it's an absolute classic as far as I'm concerned. Stay tuned and keep the rebellion alive.

I heart you.
BK

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Kataklysm Tour Announced... Retaliate Against the Dancers!


Starting early next year, Kataklysm will be embarking across North America on their Spread the Venom Tour. I could never really get into Kataklysm, but I've seen All Shall Perish and Decrepit Birth multiple times and can vouch for their live performances.

I'm a bit worried though. Kataklysm and Decrepit Birth are more traditional Death Metal, but All Shall Perish and Conducting the Grave (whom my fellow writers think kick ass live) are undoubtably going to attract a bunch of douchebags to the crowd. Hardcore kids go fucking nuts for ASP so they're going to come in legions, ultimately ruining the pits for everyone.

Which is why if you go to this show, which combines true death metal and the best of deathcore, YOU MUST GET REAL PITS GOING.

If people are hardcore dancing during Kataklysm, knock them the fuck out of the pit. Same goes for Decrepit Birth and Abysmal Dawn. Let the kids have their playground antics during All Shall Perish (which fucking pains me) and Conducting from the Grave, unless they start crowd punching, in which case you should retaliate. 

As I said before, this show is going to heave great death and deathcore bands, which means both types of crowds will be there. This is when we show them we won't take their shit anymore. Take advantage of this tour, and feel free to tell me how it goes.

Dates:
2/24 Peabody's – Cleveland, OH
2/25 Reggie's Rock Club – Chicago, IL
2/26 Harpo's – Detroit, MI
2/27 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
2/28 Park Theatre – Winnipeg, MB – Canada
3/02 Starlite – Edmonton, AB – Canada
3/03 Lake City Bowl – Kelowna, BC – Canada
3/04 Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC – Canada
3/05 Studio Seven – Seattle, WA
3/06 Branx – Portland, OR
3/07 Slim's – San Francisco, CA (No ABYSMAL DAWN)
3/08 The Whisky – Hollywood, CA
3/09 Soma – San Diego, CA
3/10 Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
3/11 El Cien – Amarillo, TX
3/12 Ridglea Theatre – Ft. Worth, TX
3/13 White Rabbit – San Antonio, TX
3/15 State Theater – St Petersburg, FL
3/16 Volume 11 – Raleigh, NC
3/17 Jaxx – Springfield, VA
3/18 Alrosa Villa – Columbus, OH
3/19 Evening Star Music Hall – Niagara Falls, NY
3/20 Club Soda – Montreal, QC – Canada

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Show Review: Suffocation, The Faceless, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Decrepit Birth, and Fleshgod Apocalypse - November 13th in Allentown, PA

Last Saturday, my four buddies and I made a two hour trip to the Crocodile Rock to see the final stop of one of the most epic tours of this year. Things started out pretty slow due to the seemingly endless slew of medio-core local openers, with the exception of the Jersey band Grimus. I had seen these guys once before at a local show in Delaware, and while they are very breakdown happy, they have a very talented drummer, and they hate the douchebag tough guy dancers just as much as we do. Before one of their songs the vocalist even went so far as to go on a rant against them, saying "This song goes out to all the tough guy assholes out there who come to shows just to ruin it for everyone else. Go fuck yourselves!" Funnily enough, there was a group of about six or so dancers flailing it up for their set the whole time, and after he said this they all stopped and looked around like they were confused as to whether or not they should have taken offense to what had just happened, but once the breakdowns resumed they went back and did their thing.

Later, after what seemed like an eternity of sound issues, Fleshgod Apocalypse took the stage, and they decimated from beginning to end. Theatrics was the name of the game for this band, from beginning their set by blaring Beethoven's Fifth over the PA to the tattered conductor's suits they wore as their stage garb. However, they didn't sacrifice musicianship by any means. I had high expectations for Fleshgod, because their recorded material is nothing short of incredible, and they met those expectations beautifully. Both of the songs I wanted to hear the most, "Embodied Deception" and "Through Our Scars", were played, as well as several other songs from both their 
Oracles CD and their new EP Mafia. The only drawback to their set was how goddamn LOUD they were. Far be it from me to complain about a death metal show being too loud, but when I have a headache and I haven't even started headbanging yet, something's not right. But even still, they played great, and I got to meet their bassist Paulo Rossi when I bought one of their shirts. Nice guy.

Next up was one of my favorite live bands of all time: Decrepit Birth. This was my fifth time seeing them, and I swear they only get better every time. They're one of the few tech metal bands that not only play their songs almost flawlessly live, but also have very energetic stage presence at the same time. Their set list was actually switched up from other times where I've seen them; there were the 
usual suspects like "Diminishing Between Worlds", "The Infestation" and "Symbiosis", but they also introduced two songs from their new album Polarity that I had never heard them play before- the title track and "Metatron". As per usual, the crowd reaction was great. There weren't pits for every song, but when they did get going they were intense, and vocalist Bill Robinson doing his signature stage dive didn't help matters either. As an added bonus, when they played one of their songs from their first CD, Derek Boyer (Suffocation's current bassist) came out and did guest vocals, culminating in Robinson accidentally hitting him in the head with his microphone, to everyone's amusement. If you ever get the chance to see these guys in concert, do it. You will not be disappointed.

Unfortunately we missed 
Through the Eyes of the Dead, and the fault was partially our own. After Decrepit Birth started unloading and TTEOTD was preparing to load in, we noticed that more hardcore kids were starting to make themselves known, and also we were long overdue for a joint break, so we decided to sit them out. However, their new CD is top notch, so if they played any songs from it I'm sure they were awesome. The next time they're playing at a show I'm at I will definitely stick around for them.

After that, we made it back in just in time to see The Faceless wrapping up their sound check. The Faceless is another band I've seen multiple times, and like Decrepit Birth, they only seem to get more awesome every time, perhaps even more so because the first time I saw them they weren't very good at all. Before 
Planetary Dualitycame out, these guys sounded sloppy and uncoordinated, like they knew how to write and record complicated songs but not necessarily play them to an audience. However, that phase is long gone, and The Faceless are now just as impressive on stage as they are on CD. Their set was surprisingly short but still had all the essentials such as "Planetary Duality Pt. 1 & 2", "Xenochrist", "An Autopsy" and "Pestilence", as well as a new song from their upcoming album. The new song was a bit more melodic than one would expect from these guys, but it still had plenty of killer solos and riffs, so I'm interested to see where they're going to take things.

Last but certainly not least, after a long night of very talented bands, the death metal legends Suffocation took the stage to deafening cheers and applause. The crowd seemed to have thinned out a bit by this point in the show, but that didn't dull the intensity of their set one bit. After twenty plus years, these guys still know how to make everyone else before them look stupid and work a bunch of tired-out kids into a frenzy. Just when I thought everyone was going to stop moshing and assume the "headbang a lot, throw the horns and scream the words" phase, 
Frank Mullen would command someone to start it up again or to get a circle pit going for the next song, and they obliged every single time. Even I couldn't contain myself at one point and jumped in for a round despite my considerable headache. They played songs from all throughout their discography, opening with "Liege of Inveracity" and going right into songs like "Entrails of You", "Funeral Inception", "Blood Oath", "Infecting the Crypts" and many, many more. Another thing that many old school bands seem to fall victim to is lack of stage presence, but Suffocation don't slack there either. Frank, Terrance, Derek and crew all look like they're still having the time of their lives even though they've been doing the exact same thing for two decades. The highlight was when they brought all the vocalists from the other bands on the tour on stage at once to do guest vocals for "Funeral Inception", inciting yet another frenzy from the crowd.

Finally, after at least a dozen songs, Suffocation called it a night, and we all headed for home feeling deeply satisfied (splitting headache, fatigue and extreme thirst notwithstanding). We made new friends, cheered as a tiny, unassuming kid managed to fend off a dancer hell bent on fighting him, defended and won back the pit from the dancers for The Faceless and Suffocation, almost smoked out Bill Robinson, and basically made it a night to remember. Leave your comments below and share your experiences if you went to this tour or have seen any of these bands play at some point.


- The Baby Killer

Monday, November 15, 2010

Slam Spotlight Part 3



Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you all had a brutal weekend, but on the off chance you didn't your Monday night sure as shit will be, because the next band in this series, as far as this writer is concerned, is the end all be all of slam. They need no introduction, because anybody who knows anything about slam (or death metal in general) has at least heard of the mighty Devourment.

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, these guys are considered to be the reigning kings of slam by fans the world over, and with good reason. They were one of the first bands to start playing the genre as we know it today, and they got it down right from the get-go. Gnarly riffs, crushingly heavy slams, fast and precise drumming (with absolutely no triggers), vocals that sound like a demon on nitrous, and lyrics that will make you feel like a terrible person just for reading them; Devourment have had these down pat since their very first album. They may not have actually been the first slam band, that honor goes to Pyaemia as far as I know, but they were without a doubt the first band to take it to the level it's at now, and I have yet to hear any band that tops their balls-out, effortless brutality.

So now that I've finished stroking their egos (for now), hold on to something as The Baby Killer and Mosh Rebellion give you a slightly lesser-known but still amazing track from their 2005 masterpiece,
Butcher the Weak. Sit back and enjoy "Masturbating At the Slab", and while you're at it, tell me the 2:30 mark doesn't make you want to stage dive and attack the nearest living thing. I swear it gets me every single time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCwXXVlF3T8

So can you see now why I really, really like this band? I had the good fortune of seeing them on the Delaware stop of the California Blood Tour with Cattle Decapitation, Knights of the Abyss, Burning the Masses and 
Son of Aurelius (as reviewed by King of Those Who Know), and will be seeing them again on Saturday with Vital RemainsDying Fetus and motherfucking Cannibal Corpse in good old Philadelphia. Be sure to get your tickets to that tour if it's coming anywhere near you, and expect a full review of that show shortly thereafter. Until then stay tuned for new installments of Slam Spotlight, Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play, and articles from all the other writers.

Eat your veggies!
Baby Killer


Oh Noes! Hardcore Dancing has Infected Our Video Games!

This is really fucking funny. Some guys took footage of Assassin's Creed (not sure if it's the first or second one), set it to a song by As I Lay Dying, and made the NPC's flail their bodies around like morons, giving off the impression of hardcore dancing. The video is hilarious, and actually fairly accurate of the eloquence of hardcore dancing. Check it out here for some laughs, and pray no one watching this video decides to do this shit in real life.

Check Out Samples from the New After the Burial Album!

If you're anything like me, you absolutely love After the Burial. Yes, they play a plethora of breakdowns and appeal to the whole stoner, flat brimmed hat crowd, but their music is actually very intricate. The band makes use of complicated time measures and constantly changes their sound around (they have a song in the beat of pi for crying out loud). I saw these guys play with Born of Osiris and All Shall Perish (AKA the greatest deathcore bands around) around a year ago, and they absolutely blew me away, despite the majority of the crowd being total asshats. It's amazing to hear them play such complicated shit live. And they're a buncha young guns as well... these guys have a great future ahead of them.

Anyways, you can hear samples of every track on their new album over at Amazon. My personal favorite is "My Frailty," which I've heard in its entirety already (only through shitty live footage which leaked a few months ago), and I'm excited to see how the track holds up on the actual record. Overall it sounds like it's gonna be a fantastic album. November 23 can't come soon enough, listen to this great shit here.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play: Episode 3




I'd like to start this episode off with a question: why are there so many amazingly talented European bands that make American bands look stupid in comparison? Seriously, for every one really good American band there are easily three or four equally good (if not better) bands from Sweden or something, or in the case of the next band in this series, Scotland. That's right, Scotland. Until now, when Americans thought of Scotland, they only thought of extremely odd food, incomprehensible accents and kilts. But now, there's also Cerebral Bore, a band that has exploded onto the extreme metal scene within the last year or so.

While CB don't necessarily get as fancy with their technicality as other bands in their genre, they make up for it tenfold with their stellar songwriting and precision. Where other bands are content to just gravity blast their balls off and noodle around on the high notes all day, these guys write songs that are fast and brutal as all hell, but tasteful at the same time. There is plenty of super-fast blasting and tremolo picking, but it's all used sparingly to keep the music from becoming dull and cumbersome. Cerebral Bore really shine when they transition into simpler, more groove-oriented sections- even a slam or two- that are just begging for some drunk dude to start windmilling like crazy to them, and I'd be happy to oblige. Take a look for yourself and check out "The Bald Cadaver", from their new debut full length "Maniacal Miscreation".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWE9YmB8reQ

In case you were wondering, yes, that is a girl doing those disgusting vocals. Her name is Simone Pluijmers, aka "Som", and those of you who follow the rad dudes at MetalSucks may remember her from one of her YouTube videos that they featured a while back (http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/04/16/is-it-wrong-that-i-find-this-attractive/). Check out herYouTube channel to see more of her mad skillz, and definitely buy/download Maniacal Miscreation, because the whole CD is this good. Stay tuned for the next installment in both this series and Slam Spotlight real soon.

Horns up, bitches!
BK

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Album Review: Oceano - Contagion




So, as you may know, Oceano's new album, Contagion, came out recently. I decided to listen to it when I got home, and I can now say that I am a changed man.  Oh, and that's not a good thing.  Right after I finished listening to the whole thing, start to finish, I turned off the computer, put a gun up to my head, and blew a fucking hole in my head.  Granted I survived, but my fucking god I wish I hadn't.  This album isn't just bad, or even terrible; it's a motherfucking abomination. Holy shit, if I could take every minute of the time spent listening to that album, I would do something much less torturous instead, like rolling around in hot coals or chopping off my dick or something. 
           
Oceano's biggest mistake in making this musical abortion is that they tried way too hard to make it sound like their last album, Depths.  And if they didn't ,well fuck, it sure as hell seemed that way.  To start with, every song sounds exactly the same, (chugging riff, growls, breakdown, chugging riff, another breakdown, repeat like five times).  Seriously, I can't even keep track of how many breakdowns there are, and they aren't even good!  The opening song basically sums up what the entire album sounds like, and here's the link:


Notice the complete lack of talent and musical ability.  I mean, it's pretty fucking apparent right?  Oh yeah, and if for some reason your grotesquely mistaken self liked this one, then try listening to it another dozen times, because that's what's going to happen when you listen to the rest of the album.  What sucks even more is that I thought their previous album was pretty decent, despite it being a perfect example of generic deathcore.  This album only opened my eyes to how little fucking talent these guys actually have.  I guess that's the one positive thing that came out of listening to that garbage.

Herp durr... we <3 breakdowns

Well Oceano can learn quite a bit from this album, besides the fact that they suck and should be castrated.  One is that breakdowns do not make a fucking song.  I could probably count the times their guitarist used the top three strings on one hand, and that's terrible.  Another is that you should never make an album sound like one you previously released.  What's the point of putting out a new album if it sounds exactly like the one you put out two years ago?  And lastly, when you have a vocalist that can do nothing but growls, then its time to get a new vocalist. 

So, for my first album review of hopefully many to come, on a scale of 0 to 10, I give Contagion by Oceano a 1.5, which on my scale is really, really bad.  I'm actually impressed that I was able to get through the whole thing without vomiting out my asshole, and if you can do the same, then you deserve a fucking medal.  Until next time, this is Dingus hoping that you never ever have to suffer through this waste of time and energy.

1.5/10

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Slam Spotlight Part 2



Hola mis amigos, The Baby Killer's back to give you more music that would probably make your grandparents disown you for listening to. Today's band is generally regarded as one of the ultimate modern slam bands, and not just by yours truly. The band in question is San Diego's own Cephalotripsy, and when it comes to slam, these guys deliver in spades.

The thing that sets Cephalotripsy apart from their peers is their attention to detail. They know that there are a multitude of slam bands out there that sound almost exactly the same, and they found a way to stay true to the standards of the genre but still stand out. From frontman Angel Ochoa's instantly recognizable gurgle to songwriting that allows every song to sound just a little bit different than the others, this band stands head and shoulders above the rest, and for good reason. They know what the fans love and expect from them, but at the same time they're clearly not afraid to experiment and fiddle around with different ideas, and it pays off beautifully. Take a look for yourself; from their critically acclaimed (aka Sergeant D.-acclaimed) 2007 full length "Uterovaginal Insertion of Extirpated Anomalies", we humbly present to you "Intracranial Butchery".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETzddGq8oI

Sadly Cephalotripsy hasn't done much else since this, but not because they've broken up, but rather because all three members are keeping busy with their 
side projects. If you like what you heard, be sure to check out vocalist Angel Ochoa and drummer Forrest Stedt's side project Condemned (since it's basically Cephalotripsy 2), as well as Forrest's work in Texas gore masters Viral Load. Also guitarist Andres Guzman plays in Gortuary, another very talented slam band that will most likely get some exposure in this series in the future. Take care, and stay tuned for the new installments in this series as well as Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play very soon.

Sincerely,
The Killer of Babies

New Animals as Leaders Video!

Check out the link below to see the new Animals as Leaders video for the song "CAFO." This is arguably the best track of the bands self-titled debut album, so it's nice to see that the video doesn't suck ass. This band can truly shred like few other bands out there can, and the video (and song for that matter) is infinitely times better than the new joint from Oceano. I encourage you all to follow the link and check out the video for yourselves.

http://www.metalinjection.net/tv/view/5998/animals-as-leaders-cafo-video

Look at those fucking solos! Let's see those deathcore bands play this!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Good News Everyone!

Update: It's been confirmed! Mazel Tov Nergal!

Apparently, and I'm not 100% sure of this, Nergal (vocalist of Behemoth) found the match he needed for his bone marrow transplant. Hurray! If true, this is fantastic news. Nergal is one of the most talented vocalists in the industry. I've seen Behemoth three times, and they've always put on an amazing performance and had some of the best pits I've ever been in. I pray that Nergal makes it through his leukemia to tour again... the metal scene isn't quite the same without him. Below is my favorite track from the band, "Slaves Shall Serve." Crank it up, keep Nergal in your thoughts, and pray he recovers from his leukemia to keep great real metal alive! Post your favorite Behemoth songs in the comments below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oey85FGHOHc

I'm Cursed. The Worst Band I've Heard From Long Island May Have More in Common With Forrest Gump Than They Imagine

Oh Metalsucks, you are such a double edged blade. On one hand, you generously gave us a good deal of readers, and I regularly check your site for the latest in metal news. On the other hand however, you sometimes introduce me to some of the worst bands I have ever heard, such as these guys.

If you followed the link don't let your eyes play tricks on you, these guys actually label themselves as "gumpcore." Unsurprisingly they play a horrible mix of grind and slamming deathcore, full with "Bree Bree's" and samples from Forrest Gump. What the fuck. I understand the irony in playing Forrest Gump samples when most bands in your genre are sampling horror movies and snuff films, but honestly how long can you pull this shit off? It might be funny for one song, but to base an entire band around this concept is bound to fail. Especially if your music is shitty. Which it is.

Even worse, these guys are from Long Island. I think I might be cursed, because it seems shitty bands somehow follow me wherever I go. New Jersey doesn't have any metal scene outside of terrible deathcore and Waking the Cadaver, and now it seems the awful trend is following me to the Long Island area. Sigh... Oh well, check out the band if you'd like to hear the musical stylings Little Chocolate, Forrest, Indiana Jonas, Bobby, and John Ocean-O'Connor. And if you really want to get mad watch the video embedded on their myspace, full of pathetic hardcore dancers who seem unsure of when it's appropriate to dance. Thanks a lot Long Island, keep the good stuff coming!

Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play: Episode 2


Hello again my fellow haters of flat brimmed hats, The Baby Killer is here once again to offer you another breath of fresh air after drowning in neon orange Osirises and bright purple Sky Eats Airplane shirts. Let me ask you a question: when you think of Topeka, Kansas, what comes to mind?

...

Exactly. However, the heart of tornado country is home to the next band in this series, and it's fitting because these guys are the musical equivalent of an F5. I'm talking of course about the 
death metal titans known as Origin. They've been melting faces with their lightning speed and menacing tremolo picked riffs since the turn of the century, and in those ten years they have not slowed down one bit. In fact, they've only gotten tighter, and after the addition of their new vocalist Mica "Maniac" Meneke (of Ontogeny fame, for all four of you who have heard of Ontogeny), I personally cannot wait to hear what their next album will be like. But until then, we can satisfy ourselves with the video from their 2008 release "Antithesis", their fourth and final album with James Lee behind the mic. Brace yourselves for the musical assault that is "Finite". (Warning: any aspiring guitarists, don't be surprised if the sweeps starting at the 1:38 mark make you want to give up, I know it did for me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIMW0aHN0ks

Let's see them dance to that shit. Be sure to check in often for articles/videos from all the other writers too; I may be a workaholic when it comes to Mosh Rebellion but I'm only one of several writers who are just as dedicated and true. Take care, and make sure you don't end up looking like this guy.

Derp

Love,
BK

Saturday, November 6, 2010

End of the Week: What are You Guys Listening to?

It's that time again when Mosh Rebellion goes on a short hiatus for the weekend. But let's have a little recap to see what we accomplished this week shall we?

- I linked you guys to some unreleased Springsteen tracks. Not related to the blog in any way, but still quality shit.
- I premiered my new column "Video You Will Hate the Most of the Day" with two entries exemplifying how this hardcore dancing trend needs to stop, and soon
- The Baby Killer also premiered two new columns, "Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play" and "Slam Spotlight" by showing you guys the awesomeness that is Brain Drill and Abominable Putridity
- King of Those Who Know made his writing debut for the site by reviewing a Cattle Decapitation show. And he took pictures! Good man...
- Oceano released a new video. And it sucked.
- I announced a project I'm working on that requires your help in showing me your favorite bass tapping/general bass wankery riffs. I got some good suggestions, but need a lot more, so feel free to post in the comments below or email the site at moshrebellion@yahoo.com

And as with last week I want to know what you guys have been listening to. Here are some of my favorite tracks as of late.

The Acacia Strain - The Impaler
I shouldn't like these guys, I really shouldn't, but there's something about this track that never fails to pump me up. Granted this is pretty generic deathcore, but it is better than most of the other shit out there. The guys in the band look like douchebags and they probably are, but for the time being they're producing some top notch deathcore. Listen below. Check it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P6MUVnoLbk


Rings of Saturn - Embryonic Anomaly 
I haven't necessarily been listening to this, as much as the opening riff has been stuck in my head all fucking week. The band plays some top notch spacey tech-death, so if the Contortionist or the Faceless aren't cutting for you anymore, I highly suggest you check 'em out. Listen to the song below, it fucking kills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ENZrTJyXo&feature=related


Bruce Springsteen - Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
Goddamn I love Springsteen. It's a problem. I'm originally a Jersey boy so I'm pretty much required to love him, but his music is just so amazing. His voice... beyond words. I'll try to write less of him since he has absolutely nothing to do with this blog, but in these end of the week posts expect to see his name often. I've been listening to the acoustic version of this song off of Tracks, a collection of his B-sides, but I can't find it anywhere online, so the following version will have to do. It's pretty damn good, but I encourage you all to find the version I'm talking about since it's absolutely fucking amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFkryLe6xi8


So that's what I've been listening to. What about you guys? Post in the comments below...

Friday, November 5, 2010

So Oceano Just Released a New Video...

...and unsurprisingly it's awful. This is the epitome of cookie-cutter deathcore. Simplistic chug riff goes into breakdown goes into simplistic chug riff goes into breakdown goes into either another simplistic chug riff, or if they're feeling really adventurous, a slower offshoot of the same breakdown. And as if the song wasn't generic enough, the video contains cut-and-paste footage of the band playing against a dark backdrop with bright lights. Sometimes the video slows down (wowee!) or shows clips of a guy making a bomb, or something, and setting it at the foot of some congressional building. This is truly awful. Check out the video below if you're really compelled to give Oceano your time.

http://www.metalinjection.net/tv/view/5983/oceano-weaponized-video

I swear this shit is so easy to play the bassist could do his taxes while playing this song. Why doesn't Oceano realize that this whole deathcore thing is on a downhill spiral, and they should have stopped playing this music after their first album released. Through the Eyes of the Dead realized deathcore's time was short, which is why their new album is so much better than their old stuff, they made a change. This is getting me mad, I need some real, brutal, talented death shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kx74eXRPm0

Ah... that's much better... Expect a review of the new Oceano album from Dingus in the near future, and apparently he likes them, so it should be interesting.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Mosh Rebellion is Working on a Project, and He Needs Your Help!

Just to clarify, unless a post is credited to another author, you can assume It's been written by myself, going under the pseudonym Mosh Rebllion. So not only is it the name of the site, but it is my name as a writer.

Anyways, I started working on this project awhile ago, but I hit a wall. All I need you guys to do it point me in the direction of bands/ songs that have awesome bass parts. I'm talking bass solos, bass tapping, basically any sort of bass wankery in general, akin to stuff from the Faceless, Necrophagist, Brain Drill, etc.

So, all you need to do is post in the comments below your favorite songs/bands/albums that have absurdly good bass parts. When the final project is finished, I'll post it on the site, and as of now it's looking pretty good, but could be a lot better with your help.

So yeah, get to posting in the comments below. Any help is appreciated and it shouldn't take too long. And if you don't feel like posting in the comments, feel free to email the site at moshrebellion@yahoo.com.

Thanks for the help in advance guys!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Slam Spotlight Part 1

Greetings, friends. We all know that there is a huge gap between hardcore kids and metalheads, but in recent years I have discovered that there is one genre in particular that both sides can somewhat agree on, and it's not deathcore, but rather a little something known as slam. The phrase "simple but effective" is a picture-perfect definition of slam; the music itself is almost always based around a rather simplistic groove, focusing more on the sludgy, catchy beats of the songs than the actual riffs, but at the same time it is unrelentingly heavy, brutal and any other adjective you can think of to describe top notch death metal. Case in point: Moscow, Russia's Abominable Putridity. 




These guys are among the modern slam elite, setting the standard for pretty much the entire genre. Catchy, toe-tapping, head-bobbing beats that both dancers and headbangers can get into? Check. Shamelessly gory lyrics burped out with practically incomprehensible guttural vocals? Got it. I could go on for paragraphs on end talking about how awesome they are, but why don't you just check them out for yourself. From their 2007 release "
In the End of Human Existence", The Baby Killer and Mosh Rebellion give you "Blindfold Surgery".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeQN1hd7A6k

And there you have it folks, slam in a nutshell. Stay tuned for more videos like this, and for my second installment of "Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play" sometime soon. Until then, stay brutal, not br00tal, and be good to each other.

Love,
Teh Bby Kllr