Thursday, March 31, 2011

New Morbid Angel album



Alright guys, once again this one's gonna have to be quick and simple 'cause I have prior engagements (and no, it's not JUST getting high and playing Dead Space), but this is still too cool of news to not report. Earlier today, Metalsucks gave us the scoop on a brand new album from the legendary Morbid Angel, their first since 2003's Heretic. Entitled Illud Divinum Insanus, the new album will be the first (and possibly only) to feature the mighty Tim Yeung (Divine Heresy, Vital Remains, Decrepit Birth, etc.) on drums. I say "possibly" because Pete Sandoval is still recovering from the back surgery he had a while ago, but there's no official word on whether or not his departure is permanent. Now don't get me wrong, Tim is one of my all time favorite drummers, the dude's a fucking monster behind the skins, but as with Kevin Talley and Six Feet Under I can't help but feel that he's a little bit overqualified for the job. Morbid Angel may have been one of the first bands to start using blast beats and all that stuff that we pretty much take for granted on a regular basis, but their drums have always been more like a faster Cannibal Corpse, whereas Tim Yeung's drumming falls more into the category of "holy shit, are you absolutely positive that's not a drum machine?" I personally don't think this is a bad thing, I like it when old school bands adopt newer, younger members who make them play faster and sound more modern, but I guarantee with a band as long-standing as Morbid Angel there will be plenty of elitist purists who won't accept anything that isn't Pete Sandoval. Time will tell as to whether or not they'll be able to get their heads out of the mid-Nineties, but in the meantime I'm still very excited to hear what these death metal veterans have in store. Illud Divinum Insanus is set to drop in America on June 7th via Season of Mist Records, and I'm sure there will be plenty of shows announced shortly before or after it comes out. I know I would definitely be interested in seeing a Morbid Angel show, I wonder if they still bloodlet on stage...? Oh well, gotta run, stay cool everyone.

-BK

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

New Hate Eternal song

Alright guys, this one's gonna be a quickie, but it's still exciting, kinda like a BJ from your high school crush. Earlier today, Hate Eternal unveiled a new track from their highly anticipated upcoming album Phoenix Amongst the Ashes, and while at first it seems like it's not as heavy as the rest of their stuff, once you give it a listen or two you'll realize that this is true, but that's because there's much more going on here than we're used to. Hate Eternal has pretty much always been America's answer to Behemoth, a band that is all about nonstop balls-out brutality at breakneck speeds, and don't get me wrong that's great, it's why I got into them in the first place, but this time around the band is really stretching their musical muscle. The music is much more atmospheric and ambient, almost melodic (in fact it pretty much is melodic), but then Erik Rutan's roars and Jade Simonetto's inhuman blasts come in and balance everything out, and this happens sporadically throughout the song. See for yourself as we present the song "Haunting Abound".

http://www.metalblade.com/hateeternal/

I think it's safe to say that May 10th is a date that needs to be marked down on everyone's calendar. Phoenix Amongst the Ashes will be available then via Metal Blade Records, and don't forget that Hate Eternal are going to be headlining one of the best tours this summer. Looks like these guys have a hell of a summer ahead of them, best of luck dudes. Tell your friends about this article on Twitter and all that jazz, and keep tuning in for more cool things.

-BK

Monday, March 28, 2011

Two for one special: new vids from Protest the Hero & Wormrot

I was going to do two separate articles for these two videos, but then I got to thinking, why not be lazy and efficient? After all, this is 'MERICA! So just for you, we have two brand spanking new music videos from two bands that are both great, if for completely different reasons. First up, fresh off their newest release Scurrilous, we have mathcore maniacs Protest the Hero giving us the track "C'est la Vie". Everything sounds like Fortress 2, but that's not a bad thing at all. In fact, that's actually what most of us were secretly hoping for in the first place. There's not much else I can say, the shit pretty much speaks for itself, so here it is, courtesy of Metalsucks.

http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/03/28/exclusive-video-premiere-protest-the-heros-cest-la-vie/

And next, all the way from good old, uh, Singapore, we are also very excited to announce the release of a new video from one of my favorite grindcore bands, Wormrot. Their last album, 2009's Abuse, was some of the most top quality grind my friends and I have ever heard, and with the release of their last couple of new songs, we felt confident that the new album was going to be just as good. Unfortunately we still have to wait until May 3rd to know for sure, but in the meantime the band have released the first official video from the album, for the song "Spot a Pathetic", and it's just as Wormrot-esque as the others. Obviously this is a good thing, so see for yourself below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpGLXau0RVQ

The live footage just reminds me that the Philly show for these guys on their upcoming tour is 21 and over, so I won't be able to go. Note to booking agents: just because someone's too young to drink doesn't mean they don't listen to the bands you're booking. There needs to be more all age shows, dammit! I'm almost 21 so this isn't going to be a problem for me much longer, but I promise you I'm not the only one, and there will always be more with the next generation. Take that to heart, people. That's all for tonight, be safe and stay brutal.

Yes, I know that's a contradiction, get over it.
-BK

New Bloodsoaked album



Happy Monday, everyone. Hope everyone had a fun weekend, but it's time once again to pretend to be a metal news site, so let's get this shit going. To kick the week off, there's some exciting news in the world of the one man North Carolina death metal machine Bloodsoaked, aka Pete Hasselbrack. As of last night, he announced that he is due to enter the studio within the next couple of weeks to begin recording his third full length, The Death of Hope. For those who don't know, Bloodsoaked is one of what many consider to be the Big Three of one man bands, alongside Putrid Pile and Insidious Decrepancy, and with good reason. 2009's Sadistic Deeds, Grotesque Memories was an instant underground hit, garnering him enough attention to get not just one, not two, but THREE music videos on Headbanger's Ball. I can't tell you how happy I was to finally see the monotony of hair-core and Hatebreed videos broken when it first happened. Unfortunately MTV has still kinda kept up that tradition of only playing boring trendy videos with occasional gems thrown in, but Bloodsoaked has continued to break faces the world over, and needless to say I'm very excited to hear what Mr. Hasselbrack has in store for us this time around. For a taste of the new material, check out this video of a recent jam session below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1m55tVbrWg

As of this writing there is no word yet on whether this anonymous drummer is a new member or if he was just there for the purposes of that particular rehearsal, but either way I wouldn't be disappointed. Hasselbrack has done two albums already that sounded fucking dirty even without a drummer, and if this guy ends up joining the band then great, he's really good too. Only time will tell, but in the meantime if you liked what you heard, here's one of the videos I was telling you about that saw its fair share of airtime on Headbanger's Ball not long ago. It's my personal favorite, from the Sadistic Deeds, Grotesque Memories album, entitled "Rotting In Filth".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbDGgpbrmDA&feature=fvst

This album, as well as his first, Brutally Butchered, are available now via Comatose Music, and I strongly suggest you get them both. Leave your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more.

-BK

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Breaking news: Circle of Dead Children announce big lineup change



We interrupt your regularly scheduled Youtube and porn session Saturday afternoon to bring you this bittersweet news about Pennsylvania deathgrinders Circle of Dead Children. Less than an hour ago, the band announced that they have said their goodbyes to guitarist and founding member Jason Andrews. Andrews has been with the band for more than a decade, so this certainly comes as a shock to any and all fans of the band (myself included), and worries of the band splitting up were certainly not unjustified, but luckily the band went on to say that this is not the case. The split was amicable, and long-time bassist Drew Haritan has stepped up to take Andrews' place. As for Haritan's replacement, the band also announced that they are recruiting an outside party that they call a "long-time friend and Pittsburgh metal/punk veteran", named only as Brooks. Well Mr. Brooks, you certainly have your work cut out for you, but if Circle of Dead Children has faith in you, then Mosh Rebellion does as well. The band also said that rather than letting this whole situation get them down, the new lineup has them feeling invigorated and they're already working on a follow up to last year's Psalm of the Grand Destroyer, which you guys may remember from my Best of 2010 list. I know I'm excited, and you should be too, because CODC is one of the unsung heroes of grindcore and extreme metal. Horns up to Jason Andrews, best of luck to you sir, and to the rest of Circle of Dead Children for soldiering on through some potentially very trying times. Can't wait to hear the new tunes, and you can bet they'll be up here when they're unleashed. And now you may resume your day, ladies and gentlemen.

-The Baby Killer

Friday, March 25, 2011

New Melechesh video

It's been a pretty slow news day today, but there is one cool thing, and that's a brand new music video from Melechesh to start your weekend off. The video in question is for "Grand Gathas of Baal Sin", my favorite Melechesh song hands-down, and although it's a pretty standard performance video of the band playing the song in various Middle Eastern locales, it's still a great song, and the editing makes the whole thing still feel very exhilarating. Almost as exhilarating as their live show, even. Not quite, but almost. Check it out below at Blabbermouth.net:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=155833&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blabbermouth+%28Blabbermouth.net%27s+Daily+Headlines%29&utm_content=Twitter

Love it. Melechesh's newest album The Epigenesis is available now via Nuclear Blast Records, and if you haven't gotten it yet you're missing out on some quality black/thrash metal, my friend. Have a great weekend everyone, see you soon.

-BK

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Oh yeah, Skeletonwitch have a new drummer, too

I was actually going to put this one up yesterday, but two things happened simultaneously. First I ran out of time, and then I forgot about it completely until just now. But as is so often the case, better late than never, so off we go. A couple days ago, Skeletonwitch announced that their old drummer Derrick Nau has decided to quit the band in order to direct his focus on art school. This is obviously kinda sad, because losing a band member under any circumstances is mega-lame, but Nau and the rest of the band have assured that it was an amicable split, and it's not like he's leaving the band to go do some stupid lame solo project that we'll never hear from ever again. Yes, I'm talking about you, Kristen Randall. Why don't you stick to what you're good at and show us your tits again. And in any case, Nau's departure doesn't mean the end of Skeletonwitch, because they've already announced Tony Laureano as his replacement, and he's awesome. He's done fill-in jobs for bands like Dimmu Borgir, Nile, Malevolent Creation, Angelcorpse (damn, that's a throwback), 1349, God Dethroned and more. Basically this guy's the Kevin Talley of, uhhh... drums... wait a minute, I fucked that up. You get what I mean, he makes a living drumming for awesome bands (and All That Remains), and now he's in Skeletonwitch, who are also awesome. In their statement, the band said that Tony is scheduled to play with the band "for the foreseeable future", including their next record and their upcoming mini-tour with 3 Inches of Blood (ffffffffffffu-!), the dates for which can be found over yonder. As per usual I won't be able to see them, but this is a fucking crazy lineup, and it's their first tour with the new drummer, so get your tickets if they're coming to your neck of the woods. In the spirit of that tour, smoke weed and hail Satan!

-BK

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Exhumed announce summer tour



Well this is a tr00 tour if ever there was one. For the first time in years, the underground death metal legends Exhumed are poised to do a headlining North American tour, and they're bringing Macabre, Cephalic Carnage and Withered along for the ride. I can already smell the alcohol and B.O., so this is definitely going to be a show to check out if it's coming to your area, although OF COURSE IT'S NOT FOR ME BECAUSE NO COOL TOURS COME TO PHILADELPHIA ANYMORE EVER!!!!! Seriously guys, what the hell, I like Exhumed too, and I'm sure there are plenty of other people in the Tri-State area that do as well, why don't we get one? Oh well, for those of you who are lucky enough to live somewhere else, here's all the info you need to know.

…with Cephalic Carnage
July 17 San Diego, CA Ruby Room
July 18 Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse
July 19 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
July 20 Denver, CO The Marquis Theatre
July 21 Merriam, KS Aftershock
July 22 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
July 23 Urbana, IL The Canopy Club (as part of Central Illinois Metalfest)
…with Macabre, Cephalic Carnage, and Withered
July 25 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Bar
July 26 St Paul, MN Station 4
July 27 Winnipeg, MB The Royal Albert Arms
July 28 Regina, SK The Exchange
July 29 Edmonton, AB Pawn Shop
July 30 Calgary, AB The Distillery
July 31 Kelowna, BC Sapphire Nightclub
August 1 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theater
August 2 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
August 3 Portland, OR Branx
August 4 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
August 5 Sparks, NV The Alley
August 6 Las Vegas, NV The Cheyenne Saloon
August 7 Hollywood, CA Key Club

While I go pout about this, Tweet it to your friends and all that jazz. Remember, my Twitter name is @6baby6killer6, and also remember that if you guys can get that number of followers up to thirty we'll tell you what your super-secret awesome grand prize will be if we can get to fifty. Spread the word! And before I go, I'd like to say one more thing. Sadly, it was announced this morning that Frankie Sparcello, the bassist for one Exhorder, passed away. No details were given, and I'll admit, being the youngster that I am Exhorder was a bit before my time, but regardless it's always sad to lose a fellow headbanger, so our thoughts go out to him and his. Horns up to Frankie, rocking that great stage in the sky, RIP.

-BK

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Yet another new Anaal Nathrakh song!

I don't know about you, but my day just got a little bit brighter, which is kind of ironic, seeing as this new song I'm about to share is very dark and bleak and angry. That's okay though, because those three adjectives add up to Britain's premiere black metal duo Anaal Nathrakh, a band that I'm not shy about sharing my undying love for, so you can imagine my excitement when the band unveiled a new track from their upcoming full length Passion earlier today. The song, called "Paragon Pariah", is just as Anaal Nathrakh-esque as anything else they've put out, so by that logic alone it's awesome, but it also has something else working in its favor. The band's last album, In the Constellation of the Black Widow, was absolutely brilliant, no doubt about it, but everything sounded very heavily layered, like everything was being played through a guitar amp with the gain turned up, so while it was inhumanly brutal, it just didn't sound natural. However, this is not the case this time around; the track sounds very clean and crisp, but no additional effects are thrown in this time, so it actually sounds like a band playing their instruments. Except that band happens to be Anaal Nathrakh, and as such are naturally inclined to write the most evil-sounding music our generation has ever heard. Seriously, I cannot compliment these guys enough, I often think of them as our generation's Slayer, at least in the sense of  how evil and menacing they are in comparison to their peers (which, as we all know, by today's standards is a daunting task to say the least). Check out the link below to go to the Deciblog and listen to "Paragon Pariah" in its entirety.

http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/streaming-anaal-nathrakh-paragon-pariah/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DecibelMagazine+%28Decibel+Magazine%29

Aaaaarrrgh I really want this album to come out right meow! Passion is set to hit stores in the US on May 23rd, be sure to mark it on your calendars, because if this song (as well as the last one) is any indication, this is probably going to be the next contender for our Best of the Year list. Leave your thoughts on the new song in the comments, and stay tuned for more later.

-BK

Monday, March 21, 2011

Cosmo Lee is leaving Invisible Oranges



It is with mixed feelings that I bring you this news about one Cosmo Lee, editor and proprietor of the highly reputable metal blog Invisible Oranges. Mr. Lee announced earlier today that as of September of this year, he will be permanently retiring from the blog, stepping down and handing the reins to anyone who thinks they are up to the task. Offering the job to literally anyone is a pretty radical show of faith, but he seems confident that there are people out there who are ready and willing to take on the huge amount of responsibilities that go with it. Of course Cosmo said he would teach them everything they needed to do and oversee them until he sees fit to leave it in their hands, so I think he just might pull it off. As to exactly why he's quitting, the biggest reason seems to be his lack of a personal life as a result of all the daunting tasks required to maintain the site, and I can't say I blame him. I know I'm interested to see what new changes are in store for this long-standing site, and I'm sure that if the people who take Lee's place have his seal of approval then they'll almost certainly be for the better. Here's wishing Cosmo Lee the best of luck in his future endeavors, and if you haven't checked Invisible Oranges out yet click the link above. It's like our blog, but way better. Stay tuned for more.

-BK

Friday, March 18, 2011

Evile to begin working on new album this weekend



Damn, Evile just don't seem to ever slow down, do they? Despite the untimely death of their original bassist Mike Alexander a couple years ago, the British thrash heavyweights haven't stopped once, putting out a second record and doing seemingly endless touring, and last night Earache Records announced that the band is set to enter the studio this Sunday to begin working on their third full length. In his statement, guitarist Ol Drake said that they plan to be in the studio for about a month or so, and the album will have approximately ten new songs for all of us to windmill and circle pit to to our hearts' content. Russ Russel, the producer behind Evile's last album Infected Nations, is set to work with this new monster as well, so this is going to be one to keep your eye on, folks. Obviously it's going to be a while before we hear anything else about this, but a new Evile album is an exciting prospect nonetheless, and knowing their work ethic I think it's safe to say we can expect this new CD either later this year or early next year. Evile also have a string of scattered UK dates this weekend and this summer, check them out here if you're in the area, and also for any nitty gritty details I may have skipped over in this article. Have a great weekend everybody.

-BK

Thursday, March 17, 2011

New Napalm Death song

Alright my fellow grind freaks, this one's for you. Napalm Death have been working on their new album for some time now, the followup to 2009's instant classic Time Waits For No Slave, but until today this was just words on pages, a distant light at the end of a long tunnel. But at long last, that light is a little bit closer, and if this new song is any indication, that light is shaping up to be very bright indeed. In case you couldn't tell by now, the new song, entitled "Legacy Was Yesterday", is fucking killer, just as much as any other Napalm Death song. The music is well written and has a genuine structure like the last few albums, but Barney Greenway's vocals are more of his distinctive shouting and roaring, so in this particular case everything ends up being a sort of middle ground between the band's new and old sounds, which any Napalm Death fan knows isn't a bad thing at all; these guys are the godfathers of grind, and no one does it better. For what will quite possibly be the best two minutes and fifteen seconds of your day, head on over to Metalsucks and check it out. The song is set to be released as part of Decibel Magazine's ongoing Flexi series, so if anyone out there has a, uh, Flexi player (?), and is subscribed to Decibel, you yourself will be in possession of this song very soon. You lucky, lucky duck. And speaking of Decibel, if anyone who reads this works for/with them, tell them I'm still waiting on MY fucking subscription, which I've had ordered since Christmas! Good thing they're one of the best metal mags around, or I'd be pissed by now. Anyhow, tell all your friends about this cool new Napalm Death song on Facebook or Twitter, and keep doing all that silly stuff we keep telling you to do (following us, follow me on Twitter, etc.), 'cause I'm just gonna keep nagging you until you do it. Happy St. Patty's day everyone, get effed up.

-BK

What happens when hardcore dancers fuck with real metalheads

So I stumbled upon this video the other day, and chances are you've probably seen it by now. However, I think that if one looks beyond the video itself, one can see the underlying themes relating to hardcore dancers vs. moshers. For the sake of argument, let's say the bully is a hardcore dancer, and the fat kid is a mosher. The hardcore dancer antagonizes the much bigger metalhead by throwing some punches, bobbing up and down, and throwing some more punches, obviously trying to start a fight. Like a true metalhead full of humility, the metalhead merely tries to avoid confrontation... until he is pushed too far. The little antics of the hardcore dancer eventually get to him, and BAM, he gets put on his ass in the most hilariously easy way possible.

Long story short, don't throw fists in the pit with us metalheads present unless you want this to happen. Please fucking watch this, it's priceless.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Devin Townsend and Children of Bodom to tour the US this summer

To top off an afternoon of great news in metal, Metalsucks announced earlier today that Children of Bodom and Devin Townsend are set to tour the United States together sometime this summer. This may not be the heaviest or most brutal tour of the summer (that award as of right now still goes to Hate Eternal), but I'll be damned if it doesn't sound like a blast. I've seen Bodom once before a few years back, and Devin Townsend is, well, Devin Townsend, so if anything this will be the kind of show you go to to get wasted with your friends and jam out all night. No actual dates have been announced yet, so whether or not it'll come around in time for me to actually be old enough to drink when I go to the show (and I mean "when", not "if") remains to be seen, but either way this is still exciting news and promises to be a good time. What I'm actually most interested to see is which one of them ends up headlining, because both bands are well-known enough to pull it off. To get into the spirit of it (and to fill out space, since I seem to be saying everything I wanted to say in like three sentences lately), let's keep the theme going and check out a couple videos from both of the aforementioned bands. First up we have the title track from The Devin Townsend Project's last full length Addicted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpfPpxjEhb8

Man, if that isn't spacey then I don't know what is. Is it industrial, is it nu-metal, is it djent maybe? Who the hell knows, Devin kinda does whatever he wants. And even if you don't like this particular band, there's always Strapping Young Lad, who surprised the hell out of me with how heavy they turned out to be. And even if this is a little too Hot Topic for you (no one would blame you, honestly), there's always Children of Bodom to look forward to; even their weakest offerings like Are You Dead Yet? are still heavy as balls and have a few cool songs on them, and their live shows are incredibly energetic and a ton of fun. Here's one of my personal favorite Bodom videos, from their 2003 classic Hatecrew Deathroll, entitled "Needled 24/7":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8GycF2idTM

Don't forget, Children of Bodom's new album Relentless Reckless Forever is out now, featuring the single "Was It Worth It?". I wonder how many people have used that song title as a joke for buying the album by now? I'm not saying you shouldn't get it, I did, I'm just saying there are a lot of douchebags on the Internet, and if I can think of it then they certainly can. Oh well, like I said any and all dates for the tour will be posted as soon as they're made available, and until then keep tuning in for more and spreading the word.

-BK

Stu Block (Into Eternity) joins Iced Earth

"Oh hey look at me, I'm already awesome but I think I'm gonna go join Iced Earth now too". Dick


Well now, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting this. It would appear that Iced Earth's long-time vocalist Matt Barlow is quitting the band for a second time once they finish their European tour this summer, and his replacement is none other than Stu Block from Into Eternity, one of my favorite vocalists of all time. Matt Barlow is a fantastic singer, and we're all sad to see him go (again), but I honestly couldn't think of a better replacement for him. As with Kevin Talley and Six Feet Under, Stu seems to be almost overqualified for this job, because while Iced Earth is known for their powerful singing and falsettos, the guy can also growl and scream just as good as any other death metal vocalist, and Iced Earth doesn't do that, like, ever. But even still, this is obviously very exciting news for fans of either band, and to add more happy news, this doesn't mean that Into Eternity are breaking up anytime soon, so Stu will be pulling double duty for two of the coolest melodic metal bands of all time, or at least of our generation. Plus, Into Eternity just announced that they've hired a new drummer as of last week, so no one was really worried about that in the first place. I'm already giddy with excitement for any new recordings/tours with Stu on vocals, so this is definitely something we're going to keep a close eye on. Before we wrap it up, here's a couple videos from the two bands in question, starting with a live video for one of many of Iced Earth's claims to fame, "The Burning Times":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWoQdYB1smU

See that, I think one of the reasons why Iced Earth are so good is because they're one of those rare bands that are actually better live than they are on CD. Stu's definitely got his work cut out for him on this one, but I believe he's up to the challenge, and you know I'm a cynical bastard, I don't gush out compliments like these to just anyone. If you don't believe me, check out the music video for "Timeless Winter" from their 2006 opus The Scattering of Ashes, where you get to see the full extent of his vocal capacity. And the rest of the band aren't exactly pushovers either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nQ4ZR-NI6A

Let us know if you're as excited as I am about all this in the comments below, and remember to share the article, make a profile to follow us and keep telling your friend(s) about us, spread the word as much as you can. The rebellion started with us, but it's up to you to keep it going strong. Right, there's your Hollywood action movie line for the day, I think we can call this an article. Tune in later for more, we're not done yet.


-BK

New Hate Eternal album



We've got some very exciting news today guys, lots of cool announcements in one day. We've got a lot of shit to cover, so get comfortable. Our first piece of awesome news coincides perfectly (as suspected) with Hate Eternal's upcoming headlining tour this summer, by way of a brand spankin' new album. That new album, titled Phoenix Amongst the Ashes, is the long anticipated followup to 2008's Fury and Flames. It's safe to say that Erik Rutan and the boys had their work cut out for them, but Metalsucks has assured that it's some of their best material to date, so we'll find out when the record drops on May 10th via Metal Blade Records. Rutan can't seem to shut up about it on Twitter either, so if he's excited then I am. To get us in the spirit for the new album, here's two videos from their past two albums. First up is "Bringer of Storms" from Fury and Flames:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNcwrLVA4pY

And second is one of my personal favorites, the title track from their 2005 epic I, Monarch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESbqky0i8-8

Suck it. Check out the article linked above for the dates for Hate Eternal's North American summer tour with Origin, Vital Remains and Abysmal Dawn, and tune in later for more exciting tidbits.

Hail Stan
-BK

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

New Noisear video

You guys may or may not remember Noisear from when I reviewed their new album Subvert the Dominant Paradigm last month. A few days ago, Relapse Records announced the premiere of a new music video from that album for the song "The Last Spark of Resistance", and although it's one of the cheapest videos ever (the whole thing is one big picture/video montage), it's also kinda badass. I'm not usually a fan of videos without the band in them, but in this particular case the simplicity of it actually works in its favor. As I said before, the whole thing's just a mashup of video clips and pictures of natural disasters, destruction and anarchy, a.k.a. the source of inspiration for every grindcore band in the history of the known universe. Plus the whole thing's less than a minute long, so this is pretty much as DIY as it gets, kinda like something a metalhead kid would do as a presentation for a class project. In any case, it's still a sweet song, so check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eF7KPRjTPs

Subvert the Dominant Paradigm is out now via Relapse Records, and the label has also let it slip that Noisear are currently working on booking a full US tour in the near future to promote the new album, so we'll definitely keep you guys informed on that.  Leave your thoughts on the new video below, and keep tuning in for more fun stuff.

-BK

Oh fuck, I can't believe I forgot Cerebral Bore are doing a US tour



Wow, I kinda dropped the ball on this one. I've said numerous times that Cerebral Bore are one of my new favorite bands, and have written more than one article about them on here, but I totally spaced when they announced a while ago that they're finally returning to the good old USA for the first time since releasing their stellar debut full length Maniacal Miscreation. Well, better late than never, right? The tour will also be filled out by Insidious Decrepancy (whom we featured many moons ago in an episode of Shit Hardcore Kids Wish They Could Play), Trifixion and Merciless Precision, and will see them playing all across the south and west coast for the first couple weeks of June. Tour dates and lineups are as follows courtesy of Earache Records:

May 31 - New York, NY - Port 41 Club (CEREBRAL BORE only)
June 02 - Dallas, TX - TBC
June 03 - Houston, TX - Walter's On Washington
June 04 - San Antonio, TX - Zombies
June 05 - San Angelo, TX - Steel Penny
June 06 - Lubbock, TX - Diabolos Live
June 07 - Amarillo, TX - EBGBS
June 09 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
June 10 - Las Vegas, NV - Las Vegas Deathfest, The Cheyenne Saloon
June 11 - Las Vegas, NV - Las Vegas Deathfest, The Cheyenne Saloon
June 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Que's Bar and Grill (no INSIDIOUS DECREPANCY)


In case you were wondering, yes I am extremely upset that there aren't any dates near me, but there's always next time, and that shouldn't stop you from checking out this absolutely killer lineup if it's coming anywhere near you. Cerebral Bore will be reissuing Maniacal Miscreation on Earache Records this May to coincide with this tour, and I've heard rumors of bonus material being included, so definitely be on the lookout for that even if you already have the album, and if you don't, you don't know what you're missing. If anybody's going to this show and has some writing chops maybe they'd like to send us a show review at moshrebellion@yahoo.com? Just some food for thought, we need to start branching out and cover shows that aren't just from the Tri-State area (and the occasional Seattle show from Black Valor). In any case, keep tuning in, and thanks again to everyone for helping us get to ten thousand reads, keep that shit up. Share this article on your Facebook and/or Twitters, and don't forget you can follow me on Twitter at @6baby6killer6. Keep the rebellion alive, dudes and dudettes.

-BK

Mosh Rebellion has hit a milestone! 10,000 Readers!

Today is a great day, ladies and gentlemen, for today is the day that Mosh Rebellion received it's 10,000th visitor. Can I get a group "fuck yeah!" Seeing as this blog began late last October and has received minimal  advertising (with the exception of Metalsucks and Heavyblogisheavy), I consider it  a great achievement to have stable enough readers to reach this number of visitors. Special thanks to the Baby Killer and all the other writers for keeping this blog alive with (somewhat) regular posts pertaining to all of our hatred for hardcore dancing. Another special thanks goes out to the seventeen blogspot followers we have, and this is a reminder that you get a special surprise if we can get to fifty, so tell two friends to follow, and they'll tell two friends to follow, and so on and so forth.

The rebellion is still going strong, so expect some new surprises for all you dedicated readers including exclusive news, interviews, and more. Feel free to leave comments below, click the little facebook button to the right to share, and share the rebellion! Here's to another 10,000, and hoping we stay around for 100,000, which we can only do with YOUR help. Stay fucking brutal and true.

- Mosh Rebellion

Monday, March 14, 2011

Show Review: Rotting Christ, Melechesh, Hate, Abigail Williams, Lecherous Nocturne, I Am the Trireme, Hadean Reign & Centralia, March 10th in Trenton, NJ

Happy Monday, everyone. Sorry about leaving you guys high and dry for articles the last few days, this show was actually the cause of that. Y'see, it was on a Thursday night, and the following weekend was the more or less mandatory recovery period for a really good show, so here we are. This review isn't going to be as long as it should be, because as per usual I ended up missing a couple of the bands, but I'll do my darndest. There's still plenty to talk about though, so let's get this underway.

After a little bit of parking confusion (yeah, Trenton sucks for parking, by the by), we got to the Championship Bar and Grille just in time to catch the first band, Centralia, wrapping up their sound check. I'll be honest, I had my doubts about this band at first, because they're old school, traditional black metal (basically Burzum wannabes), and the fact that their corpse paint was done with permanent markers didn't help either, but they actually turned out to be pretty fun. They were well aware that they were the first band of the night playing a tiny venue in the middle of the ghetto, so they didn't take themselves too seriously and just had fun with it, which made it more fun for everyone else. Many laughs were had, from the Sharpie corpse paint, to the frontman throwing his guitar and kicking over a bunch of drums at the end of their set, to all the between-song joking (my personal favorite was "This next song is called 'Satan's Dick Cheese'"), and they got to open up for a bunch of other rad bands, so in the end they still get bragging rights. Oh yeah, and I don't know how much this counts for but their bassist is a girl, so that's cool too.

After the scattered gear was cleared off the stage, Hadean Reign was up next. I'd heard a couple songs from these guys online and they were pretty cool, so needless to say I was quite interested to see them live. Unfortunately, their set ended up being pretty much the lowest point of the whole night, but not because of their music. They played just fine, but what I didn't realize was that while they do have cool riffs and solos, Hadean Reign also has a tendency to play breakdowns (and an occasional slam, but that's okay), and a few dancers showed up to do what they do best: make everyone else uncomfortable. When there weren't breakdowns the music was actually really heavy, but inevitably a breakdown would start and the same two kids would start cartwheeling and spin kicking, eventually running into both me and Mr. Mosh Rebellion himself. At first things seemed a bit tense because the one dancer got pushed away violently and eye contact was made, but the next time it happened I was the one who got kicked, and that's when the kid apologized and put up the white flag, showing that he was one of the few cool dancers who didn't want to hurt anyone. Maybe my pacifist stoner nature rubs off on others, who knows? After that the rest of the set went without a hitch; no fights broke out, the dancers started minding their surroundings more, and everyone was happy. Despite the breakdowns Hadean Reign still played some crazy shit, they're definitely worth checking out.

Next up was the band that I seem to be unable to shut up about lately, I Am the Trireme. The last time I saw these guys they totally killed it, so I had high hopes for them this time around. They didn't get quite as strong of a reception this time, but they still played great, and like last time they got the first real pits of the night going, even if it was only briefly. The highlight of their performance, at least in my opinion, was immediately after they played "I Am Many", when vocalist Jay Briscoe apologized to the audience for the obscene amounts of breakdowns in that song. I'm pretty sure a few kids actually got offended by this and walked out, but the rest of us laughed, cheered and applauded enthusiastically. If you want a taste of I Am the Trireme's stellar live performance, check out the video of them performing "Beyond the Waking World" and "I Am Many" here. Seriously, watch this video and tell me these guys don't have the potential to be the next Dimmu Borgir. Sadly the video cuts out just before Jay's apology to the crowd, but you still get to hear those two badass songs ("I Am Many" starts at 2:38).

After IATT wrapped up, it was time for the big bands to take the stage, and first up was Lecherous Nocturne, by far the heaviest band on the bill. From the second they started playing, it was nothing short of pure annihilation. They ripped though songs like "Just War Theory", "The Divine Wind" and "We Are As Dust" with ease, wowing us all with their insane riffs, furious blasts and throat tearing vocals. There wasn't really much moshing to speak of (this was a constant problem the whole night actually), but when they played their last song their vocalist Jason Hohenstein got the crowd worked up with something they called "Blood For Plastic". The objective was simple: mosh like a motherfucker nonstop for the entire duration of the song, and whoever the band deems worthy at the end wins a free CD. Needless to say a lot of people got into it at first, but it quickly came down to me and two other not-exactly-small gentlemen duking it out. Unfortunately my cardio isn't exactly up to snuff, so despite my valiant efforts I ended up throwing in the towel and someone else got the CD, but I'm still proud of myself for trying and going further than almost everyone else. Later on that night I actually got the opportunity to hang out with and talk to a few of the guys from the band, and as it turns out they're all very level-headed, laid back, funny guys with lots of great advice, be it about touring, playing your instrument or just life in general, so if you ever get the chance to talk to them be sure you do, they're great guys.

Once Lecherous Nocturne wrapped up to well-deserved enthusiastic applause, there was a heightened sense of excitement in the atmosphere, because it was Abigail Williams' turn to play. After an extremely drawn-out sound check, they finally started playing, and from the beginning to the end they absolutely killed it. As per usual there wasn't much moshing, save for Jay and Joe from I Am the Trireme doing their best to get a pit going throughout the set, but the crowd response was still enthusiastic to say the least. The band didn't play much from the In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns album, sticking primarily to the newer material, but that didn't do anything to hinder the deafening applause and chanting from the crowd. Ken Sorceron also worked the crowd really well between songs, talking about how it was Abigail Williams' first time playing in Trenton and how much better the vibe was than other venues like the Crocodile Rock in Allentown (and he's kinda got a point, it's pretty much impossible to find weed there if you don't already have any). After what felt like hours of headbanging and horn throwing, the band finally wrapped up to a thundering chant of "One more song, one more song". Sadly the time restraints didn't allow for an encore, but they still kicked plenty of ass and set the bar high for the rest of the night.

After Abigail Williams finished, it was high time for a smoke break and some fresh air, so we ended up missing Hate's set, but to be perfectly honest, other friends later remarked that they didn't play that well, and the band members were all corpse painted up so I didn't have very high expectations for them anyway. No disrespect to Hate of course, but it is what it is.

We did however make it back in plenty of time for Melechesh, a band that I was positively giddy with excitement for. Of course when I say we made it back in plenty of time, I mean they took so fucking long setting up and sound checking that we could have waited a good half hour more and not missed a single thing. But when they finally did start playing, the place was an absolute madhouse. They had the most pits of the night by far, and those who weren't moshing were either fist pumping (the cool way, not the gay Jersey Shore guido way) or headbanging like there was no tomorrow, myself included. The crowd response was so enthusiastic that Ashmedi himself remarked that it reminded him of the old days in the underground, which was naturally met with more cheering and an enthusiastic pit once the next song started. They played songs from all throughout their discography, which was good for me because I really only know a couple songs from their newest album The Epigenesis, so I got to experience more than just "Grand Gathas of Baal Sin" firsthand (although they did play that song as well, and it was awesome). By the time they wrapped up the whole band was all smiles just like everyone else, because there was an unmistakable feeling that we had all just made history together, our generation finally getting a taste of what the underground was like back in the good old days. Make no mistake, a Melechesh show is an absolute must-see.

After another break outside (complete with another deep, intimate conversation about life on the road with Lecherous Nocturne), I went inside to catch Rotting Christ's performance, but at this point exhaustion and headaches were starting to make their presence known, and whoever mixed the band's sound didn't do a very good job so they kinda sounded... well, I hate to say it, but terrible, so we ended up deciding to beat some of the traffic and head home. Maybe next time, RC. Either way, it was a great show, and many fond memories were made that night. I'll definitely be going back to Champs the next chance I get, and you should too if you're in the area. Check out all the bands I've mentioned here too, I may not have liked every single one of them but there's definitely a little bit of something for everyone on this lineup, so don't just take my word for it. Take care everyone, tune in for more later.

-BK

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Bet You Didn't Expect These Guys To Play Breakdowns

We all remember that this whole blog stemmed from our hatred of all things HxC, right? It's been a while since we've talked about something that isn't actually news, but something has come to my attention recently, and I'd like to see what everyone else thinks about it. We all know bands like Suicide Silence, Emmure, The Acacia Strain and all those other bands are more or less obligated to play obscene amounts of breakdowns, it's pretty much their lifeblood. But what would happen if the bands we always stick by, the super heavy, super brutal tr00 bands, the ones we proudly name when we're discussing "real" metal, suddenly managed to sneak a breakdown past us? Would we all yell Cryptopsy and start gathering pitchforks and torches (for the record I actually like the new Cryptopsy), or would people generally be cool with it as long as it doesn't become a constant for that band? Well, that's what I aim to find out, so here's a few examples of songs that are by probably the last bands you would expect to include blatant breakdowns in their songs. Let it be known now that I don't dislike any of these bands, or even the songs that I'm about to show, I'm just remarking that they caught me totally off guard when I first heard them.

Behemoth- "The Reign ov Shemsu-Hor"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FfQHe3P4aM

(Breakdown starts at 2:09)

This is the one that caught me off guard the most. It's pretty much a proven scientific fact that Behemoth is one of the single heaviest death metal bands on the planet, a band that most would say shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as the word "breakdown", but this part sounds like it was ripped right out of an I Declare War song. Granted it's still heavy and beefy enough to make your balls shrivel, but a breakdown is a breakdown is a breakdown. And to think that this is on the same album as some of the songs that have made Behemoth famous, like "Demigod", "Conquer All" and "Slaves Shall Serve". Then again, I guess if you're going to play a breakdown you might as well play it like this, because as far as breakdowns go this is actually really good, and the rest of the song is just as fast and evil as any other Behemoth song.

Vital Remains- "Savior To None, Failure For All"




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pri9RYtUPo


(Breakdown starts at 2:40)

Alright, this one's a little easier to swallow. It's still very much a breakdown, but it doesn't last for very long, and Dave Suzuki plays his signature shredding leads over a good portion of it. This is something that I think deathcore bands could stand to learn a lot from: if you absolutely must play YET ANOTHER fucking breakdown, at least have the other guitarist doing something else over it, like a solo or a cool riff, don't just whore the chugga-chug chug over and over again with both guitars, it's fucking exhausting that way. In any case, I was once again extremely surprised to see a legit death metal band, one generally held in very high regard, suddenly busting out a breakdown, and once again on the very same album that made them famous. However, in this particular case I actually kind of like what the breakdown does for this song. With their lightning fast blast beats, tremolo picking and shredding solos, Vital Remains' brand of blackened death metal is pretty much America's answer to Behemoth, but this breakdown is something of a brief respite from the madness, and with songs that often exceed seven or eight minutes in length, that counts for a lot more than you might think.

Pantera- "Slaughtered"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZI24UQUvuo

(Breakdown is at the beginning of the song)

We all know that Pantera is famous for their constant grooves, the kind of riffs and beats that you just can't help but bob your head to. In fact, most people also know that Pantera has lots of songs with parts that could be considered breakdowns, most notably at the end of "Domination". But nobody seems to mention this song when they're talking about that, and this song is probably the best demonstration of it. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this band and this song, but there is no way that's not a breakdown. For the safety of the person I'm about to talk about I won't use any names, but I have one friend who is a devout Christian and is really big into the Christian metalcore/deathcore scene, and when I showed him this song he said, and I quote, "Oh man, I could totally two-step to this". There you have it, a self-proclaimed hardcore dancer agrees that this is a genuine, bona-fide, two-steppable breakdown, written by none other than Pantera. Do you need any more proof than that?

Fleshgod Apocalypse- "In Honour of Reason"

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

(Breakdown is at the beginning of the song... again)

Alright, seriously, defend it all you want, that is a fucking breakdown if ever there was one. The first time my friend ever played me this song, I was seriously getting ready to tell him to turn it off and put something else on, because I literally thought he was showing me the new Born of Osiris song or something. Fortunately the awesome kicked in about ten seconds later, and I've been in love with Fleshgod ever since. I'll admit, the pattern is insanely complicated and I have no idea how they managed to memorize and synchronize it (ooh nice rhyme, didn't see that one 'til after I typed it), but the fact is they're only playing the open E string the whole time, so it's a breakdown no matter how you slice it. Normally I would say it might make more sense to have something like that happen in the middle of the song, but in this case it works out nicely, because it's a bit of a fakeout. It's like they're getting it out of their system early, so that when it's over they can stop and yell "PSYCHE!" and then play awesome death metal for the rest of the time. Now that's something I'd like to see a band do at a show, if anyone's reading this who's in a band that regularly plays shows, you can have that idea for free. Send us a video or something if you do, it'll be a good laugh.

Right, you get the point. As I said in the beginning, I'm not trying to demean any of these bands at all, they're some of my all-time favorites, and one breakdown isn't going to change that, I just felt that these specific songs needed to be addressed. Leave your thoughts on all this in the comments below, Tweet about it, Facebook it, whatever the fuck you nerds do on the Interwebs these days. Make sure you make yourself a blogspot profile and follow Mosh Rebellion as well, don't forget that we're trying to bring the number of followers up to fifty so we can do a little something special for you guys and gals. Tell you what, if we can get it to thirty, we'll tell you what it is, and then we'll see if that's enough to put us over to fifty, in which case we'll actually go through with it. Sleep with one eye open, kiddies ;)

Metallica reference FTW
-The Baby Killer

Hate Eternal announce US summer tour dates

Whoa


Holy fuck nuggets Batman, this is quite possibly the single heaviest tour we've ever announced on this blog. Seriously, when I first saw the lineup, the only words that came out of my mouth weren't even words, but a string of babbling that made me sound like I was having a heart attack, which wasn't too far off. In any case, Hate Eternal has announced a headlining North American tour with Origin, Vital Remains and Abysmal Dawn, and I think it's a safe assumption that this is pretty much going to be the heaviest tour of the whole summer. I would say the whole year, but it's happening in July and August so there's plenty of time for another tour to come around and blow our minds, but this is going to set the bar pretty effing high, that's for sure. The tour is most likely going to coincide with their new album, their first since 2008's crushing Fury and Flames. I've had the good fortune to see Hate Eternal live twice now, so I can personally vouch for their furious live shows. And the other bands aren't exactly pushovers either, so I'm getting the feeling someone's going to get hurt at one of these shows, and I mean BAD. Like a Dethklok show kind of bad. It's gonna be fucking awesome. Dates are as follows:

06/15 Emo’s – Austin, TX
06/16 Sorority House – Amarillo, TX
06/17 The Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO
06/19 The Clubhouse – Tempe, AZ
06/20 The Key Club – Hollywood, CA
06/21 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
06/22 The Alley – Sparks, NV
06/24 Studio Seven – Seattle, WA
06/25 Rickshaw Theater – Vancouver, BC – CANADA
06/26 Lake City Bowl – Kelowna, BC – CANADA
06/27 The Distillery – Calgary, AB – CANADA
06/28 Pawn Shop – Edmonton, AB – CANADA
06/30 The Exchange – Regina, SK – CANADA
07/01 Royal Albert Arms – Winnipeg, MB – CANADA
07/02 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
07/03 The Annex – Madison, WI
07/05 Reggie’s Rock Club – Chicago, IL
07/06 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH
07/07 Wreck Room – Toronto, ON – CANADA
07/08 Les Foufounes Electriques – Montreal, QC – CANADA
07/09 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
07/10 Santo’s Party House – New York, NY
07/11 Sonar - Baltimore, MD
07/13 The Oasis – Charleston, SC
07/14 Firestone Live – Orlando, FL

Unfortunately for me there appears to be no Philly date, but I'll totally be road tripping to the Baltimore date, this is a show that can't be missed in my book. Be sure to get your tickets if this tour is coming anywhere near you. Tell us if you're going or not, or any past experiences seeing these bands in the past in the comments below. As always, stay tuned for more, and stay brutal.

-BK

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

New Unexpect song!



Well, this is certainly exciting. Just a few minutes ago, the Canadian avant-garde wizards Unexpect finally released their first new song since 2006's In a Flesh Aquarium, and it's just as mind-fuckingly ridiculous as any of their previous material. But then again, what else did we expect, they're fucking Unexpect (pun not intended). Entitled "Orange Vigilantes", this new song pretty much sounds like everything from the last CD, but I don't mean that in a bad way at all. Playing all sorts of crazy, jazzy bits and not knowing the definition of the term "song structure" has always been Unexpect's claim to fame, so it's actually good to see the band sticking to their tried and true formula. There seems to be a lot more emphasis on the violin this time around, and the overall production sounds much beefier than before, so in a way they actually sound a bit heavier now, which is obviously a very good thing. But then again, I've only listened to it twice now, and my fellow Unexpect fans can attest that you can listen to an Unexpect song thirty times and still find something new. "Orange Vigilantes" is available for listening and downloading at the link below, check it out for yourself.


Damn, I'm not even high (yet) and that shit's already messing with my head. The band has promised more updates about the new album in the coming days, so be sure to add them on Facebook to keep up with them, and we'll be sure to put articles up about them accordingly as well. Tell your friends about this on your Facebook or Twitter with the "share" button, and be sure to add me on Twitter at @6baby6killer6 for up to the minute updates on new posts. Leave your thoughts on the new song below, and keep your eyes peeled for more, ladies and germs.

-BK

Kamelot announce US tour


As some of you may or may not have figured out from my Dragonforce comment in my recent I Am the Trireme EP review, I'm actually somewhat of a closet power metal fan. When it isn't cheesy as hell it tickles my fancy for powerful melodies, and power metal bands almost always have disgustingly good lead guitarists. As such, I was very excited when Metal Injection announced earlier today that Kamelot is once again returning to the US, and while two of the three supporting acts are underwhelming at best, I'm super excited to finally see Kamelot live, and they're also bringing The Agonist along for the ride, a band that I'm also a huge fan of. They're one of the small handful of really good deathcore bands (if you can even call their newest album deathcore), and I've seen them once before, so I know they're going to put on a great show as well. Plus, no one can deny that their vocalist Alissa White-Gluz is one of the sexiest girls in metal. Great vocalist, too. The dates for the tour, which also includes Blackguard and Alestorm, are as follows:

8/26 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
8/27 West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
8/28 Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
8/30 New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theatre
8/31 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
9/2 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
9/3 Quebec City, QC @ Imperial
9/4 Toronto, ON @ MOD Club
9/6 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
9/7 Detroit, MI @ Blondie's
9/8 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
9/9 St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
9/12 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
9/13 Portland, OR @ Peter's Room
9/15 West Hollywood, CA @ House Of Blues
9/16 Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
9/17 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
9/18 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
9/20 Dallas, TX @ Trees
9/21 Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
9/23 Orlando, FL @ The Club At Firestone

Awesome, now I officially know the first concert that I'm definitely going to this summer. I'm sure there will be plenty more to come, but either way I'm certain this one is going to be a blast. Be sure to get your tickets when they come out if this tour's coming to your area, unless you hate fun. Tune in later for more, kiddies.

-BK

Friday, March 4, 2011

So All Shall Perish Unveiled a New Track Today...

And it's unsurprisingly brutal. Holy shit does it kick ass. Even though I counted two full-fldged breakdowns in the song, I fucking love it. ASP has always been one of those bands that stand far above the others in their Deathcore genre, and this track is no different. I can't fucking wait for this full album.

Listen to the track here, and tell us what you think of it.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Since when are Those Who Lie Beneath awesome?



A few minutes ago, I was lounging about on my couch as per usual, skimming through my DVR'd episode of Headbangers Ball to see if there was anything good on. There haven't really been any good videos lately, and with the exception of this one that I'm about to talk about/show you, today was no different. This is actually a pretty good story, so get comfy.

The episode wasn't even off to a good start, because it was hosted by Attack Attack (barf) and featured videos from bands like them, Asking Alexandria, Darkest Hour and various other mehh-core bands, and then about halfway through I saw the name Those Who Lie Beneath flash across the screen as I was fast-forwarding. At first I had every intention of just proceeding as normal, but then I noticed that the one guitarist just so happened to be wearing an Immolation shirt. Now I know it's not unusual for deathcore bands to take themselves too seriously and think that they're not 'core just because they have a Cannibal Corpse shirt somewhere in their closet, and I have even opened for Those Who Lie Beneath with my old band at one point, and I didn't like them then, so why should I bother with them now? But alas, I couldn't deny that my curiosity was piqued, so I rewound back to the beginning of the video and pressed Play, and the next thing I know, this happened.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgScn5tvLV8


Wait a second, gravity blasts? Slams? Crazy shredding solos? NO BREAKDOWNS?!!? When the hell did this happen? When I saw Those Who Lie Beneath no more than a year or so ago they were just another trendy lame-core band with a little more guitar solos than usual, and now they're, like, really good, or at least this song is. As you can see, there are a few slams and chugging riffs, parts that come close to sounding like breakdowns (especially towards the end), but when you stop and look at what they're playing, you'll soon realize that there is actually not one single breakdown in this entire song. I may be overreacting a bit, but I'm seriously floored by how quickly this band has improved, and I'm currently in the process of downloading their new album An Awakening in the hopes that the rest of the songs are as good as this one. I'm not sure what to expect from it, because I don't want to do too much wishful thinking and then end up being disappointed. Expecting a complete one hundred percent turnaround in the space of just one album is a stretch at best, and a lot of their tour fliers are still with bands like Chelsea Grin, And Hell Followed With and Within the Ruins, but at the same time everything I keep reading about them seems to agree with me, describing them as "pummeling death metal" and "new-age, beefy death metal like As You Drown and The Red Shore", so this really could go either way. I'm excited. And as of now I'm a couple songs into the album, I'm going to go ahead and recommend you pick up An Awakening, available now via Rise Records. Don't forget to share this article on your Facebook and Twitter, and also go ahead and click those ad things on the right side of the screen, we actually get like three cents every time you do, so help us out. If we make some money we just might be able to do something with this little blog of ours. Stay tuned and stay brutal.

-BK

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Album Review: I Am the Trireme- Unholy Divination

Dude... that's fucking cool


I was going to do a quick article about how Dragonforce have found a new lead singer, but then I remembered that I seem to be one of about eighteen people who still like Dragonforce, so fuck it. Now you know, and now we can get on with this review. This review is going to be a retro one, because this EP actually came out sometime last year. Unholy Divination is the newest offering from the Philadelphia-based melodic blackened death outfit I Am the Trireme, a band that we featured in our most recent show review. As I've said before, I'm pretty biased towards these guys since they've been friends of mine for some time now, but that doesn't make the music any better or worse, so let's do this.

From a musical standpoint, the band has improved vastly since their last EP Viatica. There were some good songs on that one, but for the most part it was still pretty much a breakdown-heavy chug fest. There are a few breakdowns on this one too, but they're much more spaced out this time, and keep in mind the band has been working on new material since this, and vocalist Jay Briscoe has personally assured me that they've more or less dropped breakdowns from their songs entirely. Pus, even with the breakdowns the music here still sounds massive. The riffs are fast and ominous, the solos are great, even the synthesized orchestration sounds epic, and I'm not usually a fan of MIDI orchestras. The only slight drawback is the drums, but we'll get to that later. When you put all of this together, the end result is something that's equal parts melodic and brutal, like a slower Abigail Williams. Many skeptics might lump them in with Winds of Plague, and that's not an unfair accusation with the breakdowns, but rest assured, I Am the Trireme still wipes the floor with bands like them. I defy any of those wannabes to match Joe Cantamessa's scales and sweeps, you will lose. Top all of that off with thought-provoking, blasphemous themes and you've got the basic idea of what I Am the Trireme is all about.

On the other hand, there are a couple hiccups along the way. To go back to the drum comment I made earlier, the problem isn't a lack of talent, but consistency. The whole album is pretty much custom made for fast, consistent blast beats and double bass, but more often than not the drums are either (in my opinion) too slow, or don't stay fast for long enough. A perfect example is the first track "From Beyond the Waking World" (not counting the intro track); it starts off with a lightning fast drum fill and immediately goes into this menacing, ominous tremolo picked riff, and then you would think the drums would come back in with super fast blast beats, but instead it's just a disappointingly slow double bass rhythm. This sort of thing happens all throughout the EP, or sometimes the snare track isn't loud enough so you can't tell if he's still blasting or just playing double bass. It's such a huge disappointment too, because the crazy fast stuff that you can hear makes those parts sound infinitely better. I'm telling you, if their new drummer (oh yeah, they got a new drummer since they recorded the EP too) can tighten up and maintain his intensity with the new material, this band could be the next Fleshgod Apocalypse. The only other thing working against them is the slightly annoying breakdowns, but like I said, the new material is completely two-step free. These guys are thinking brutal, not br00tal.

8/10

Despite the few minor complaints I mentioned, you should definitely pick up Unholy Divination if you're looking for some really good, forward-thinking local metal. If any of you are in the Trenton, New Jersey area next week the band is opening for Rotting Christ, Melechesh, Abigail Williams, Hate, Lecherous Nocturne and other cool black metal bands at the Championship Bar & Grille on Thursday, March 8th. I made damn sure to get my ticket the last time I saw them, and you can expect a full review of the show shortly thereafter. Hit I Am the Trireme up on their Facebook for show dates and tickets, and while you're at it share it on Twitter or whatever. God, I hate talking about Twitter so damn much. Before we go, here's one of the songs from this EP, called "I Am Many". It's not my favorite one, but it's a good example of what I was talking about; take a listen and imagine how much better it would be with less breakdowns and more blast beats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlZwp5YNJz4&feature=related

See you next time, bros and lady-bros.

-BK