I really enjoy doing these song battles. Getting to hear what song you think is best is always intriguing to me. Today I have a rather interesting song battle for you all. Both Nine Inch Nails and Pantera have songs called “Heresy” and both are extremely different. Personally I know which song I’d choose (I pick Nine Inch Nails) but, both are very good. Which one do you favor?
Nine Inch Nails- Heresy:
Pantera- Heresy:
Los Angeles is still a mecca for great bands. These days though you just have to search them out a little more. I’d like to introduce you to the band All Souls, a melodic, guitar-heavy rock band that is absolutely fantastic. All Souls finally formed in 2015 after many years of trying to get together. The band is made up of Erik Trammell (Black Elk, Brothers Collateral), Tony Tornay (Fatso Jetson), Antonio Aguilar and Meg Castellanos (Totimoshi, Alma Sangre). Their debut album was recently released via Sunyata Records (which is owned by Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, Mad Season and Walking Papers) and it’s stellar. There are hooks galore and constant grooves that don’t get tired or boring throughout the entire album. There is a bit of a desert/stoner vibe to the sound of the band that allows a bit of “space” to sway through the listening experience. After listening to the entire album, you not only want more but you’ll feel compelled to listen to All Souls again.
All Souls- Never Know:
Since the beginning of Audioeclectica, I’ve been able to share so many different bands with you all from all sorts of genres. And now I present to you The Armed. Based out of Detroit, The Armed have taken hardcore, punk, metal, ambience, and electronics to a whole other realm. The band have released 3 EP’s, 1 live album and 1 full length so far and are gearing up to release their second album Only Love on April 27. The new album was produced by Kurt Ballou and features Converge/Mutoid Man drummer extraordinaire Ben Koller. The first song released from Only Love, is called Witness and it will pummel your speakers and might cause an impromptu mosh pit. Check it out!
The Armed- Witness:
The Armed- Untitled (Debut Album):
The Armed- Spreading Joy EP:
The Armed- Young & Beautiful EP:
The Armed- Common Enemies EP:
It’s time for another new topic. This one will feature great music videos. There are so many great videos out there that deserve to be showcased. So, that’s what I’m going to be doing with this topic.
First up is the video for the Deftones song “You’ve Seen The Butcher.” This is seriously one of the coolest videos I’ve ever seen and it’s damn sexy too!
Check it out!
Deftones- You’ve Seen The Butcher:
Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach always seems to be doing something to keep his musical appetite wet. In addition to Killswitch he also is a part of Times Of Grace and this new project called The Weapon. The Weapon is a straight forward hardcore/punk band. This “new band” seems more like a fun project and pays homage to all their influences from the early hardcore/punk era. Check out the 2 song EP.
The Weapon:
Last year Black Mare released one of my top 25 favorite albums of 2017. The sheer brilliance, beauty and devastation that emits from Sera Timms is astounding. The album Death Magick Mother is draped in gothic sounds, dark poetic lyrics and vocals that draw you into a trance. Black Mare is a side/solo project for Sera, and a bit of a departure from the other bands she is a part of like Ides of Gemini, Black Math Horseman, and Zun. Musically Black Mare will draw you in like a Type O Negative album would. There are subtle nuances to each song that strike a chord while listening which takes your further down the rabbit hole. Songs like “Death By Desire,” “Ingress To Form,” “Babylon’s Fold,” and “Inverted Tower” all posses these qualities and then some. Sera’s songs “traverse hidden realms, fragments of dreams, submerged memories, and mythical imagery” which leaves those who listen completely entrenched in her psyche. Do yourselves a favor and listen to Black Mare and get lost amongst the beauty.
Black Mare- Death Magick Mother:
Death By Desire Video:
One band that I’ve always thought of as totally underrated is Will Haven. They never fully got their due when they came out. Hailing from Sacramento just like thier friends in Far and Deftones, Will Haven took a more aggressive approach to their music. I truly thought that when their landmark album Carpe Diem was released in 2001, they would have finally got their due but, sadly that didn’t happen. Though that album is widely accepted today as one of the most underrated and influential albums since the turn of the century.
Today Will Haven released the first song from their upcoming album Muerte (out March 23rd… PRE-ORDER HERE). This song entitled “El Sol” is blistering, epic and features Stephen Carpenter from Deftones.
Will Haven- El Sol (featuring Stephen Carpenter):
Will Haven- Winds Of Change:
Upcoming Will Haven Dates:
03/23 Sacramento, CA – Holy Diver (album release show)
05/04 Fullerton, CA – Programme Skate & Sound
05/05 San Diego, CA – Brick by Brick
05/06 Hollywood, CA – The Viper Room
06/23 Portland OR – Star Theater
The 80’s and synth driven music is coming back in a huge way. With the success of things like Stranger Things and EDM culture, it’s not surprising to see this new wave of 80’s influence peaking through. Let me introduce you to Wolf & Raven, a very 80’s synth driven group that seems perfectly stuck in the early mid 80’s. Their dreamscapes and pop sensible sound is reminiscent of something you might recognize from a movie like Real Genius or even Cloak and Dagger and dashes of the early era of M83. Wolf & Raven is made up of two brothers Chris and Anthony Greninger, who make up this dreamy synthwave group. Their new album Ace of Space, “was written with the idea to create a soundtrack that could have been used in an 80’s anime space opera; inspired by cartoons, video games, and movies, it has a wide array of influences to create an audible escape into a multi-layered musical world.” After hearing a few of the songs, this is a perfect description for what they are unleashing to the world. You can pre-order the album on vinyl HERE via Sofa King Vinyl.
Wolf & Raven- Ace Of Space:
I was going through my CD collection the other day and realized how many albums A.F.I. had. So naturally, I went on a listening binge of the ones I’ve always dug. Thus we are now at the point where I have made a ranking of all their albums (I’m not including EP’s or live albums) from worst to best. Let me know what your order would be.
I’m genuinely unsure as to what to think about any of the new songs from A Perfect Circle. This new song “TalkTalk” off their upcoming album Eat The Elephant (which comes out April 20, 2018), sounds like a rehashed song from Mer De Noms and a Puscifer song. The more I think about the return of the band, the more I think it took way too long for them to come back, granted this is just my opinion. I’m sure many people out there that listen to this song and all the others off their new album will really enjoy it.
