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.
Official verdict on the album: pretty darn good. There are still breakdowns, but the fast/heavy/tech parts are so damn good that they totally make up for it
ReplyDeleteDude, I go through the same shit every time I watch my DVR'd Headbanger's Ball. Every week it's the same "(insert you favorite made up genre)-core" videos and lately a sprinkling of Hatebreed and Crowbar. I cannot wait until this Attack Attack style bullshit goes away. It's overproduced garbage. Watch any of the videos of them and their imitators and see if they show them playing their instruments. It's all formulaic song structures and pro tools'd to hell. GAH!... I could go on and on.
ReplyDeleteMTV has one hour, once a week to get it right and they consistently fail. Just no clue. But I agree, the Those Who Lie Beneath video was a pleasant surprise. I don't necessarily have plans to run out and buy it, but I definitely said to myself, "wow, this is the most brutal thing on the Ball in a looong time"
Should I care that MTV blows at understanding what is really happening in metal? Should I be upset that they tailor the Ball to an age group that cannot stay up late enough to watch it (DVR owners excluded)? No. I know where to find the videos I want to watch. But they are poisoning the youth. For the most part, the young ones are too stupid to know that the shit MTV feeds them is fucking garbage. Many of us are guilty of allowing MTV to do it to us at some point in our lives. I just hope that once the fad passes, it will serve as a gateway drug for a new batch of real metal fans.
Uhhhh dude I think we need to get you a column on here, this is like the fourth time in a row you've commented on something and it's been just as elaborate and well-worded as any of our articles haha
ReplyDeleteWell that is a flattering comment to be sure! And if it wasn't for the fact that I am swamped with work trying to finish grad school in the next few months, I would probably try to find out how serious you are. But given the fact that I know I would dedicate a lot of time and effort to a column like that, I just cannot afford to do it right now. So for now, why don't I just keep posting comments for the next few months, and then we can revisit the idea when I have a PhD and my life in order? haha... At that point I can imagine posting under some wonderful moniker like Dr. Decrepit (the possibilities are limitless!!!!)
ReplyDelete