Album Review: Killswitch Engage- Incarnate

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This is the first album that I’ve been anticipating all year. A few years back when Killswitch announced that Jesse was back in the band, it got me very excited. Disarm The Descent was a great way to welcome Jesse back into the fold. Now on this new album Incarnate, the band have stepped it up in a huge way. Taking a cue from their masterpiece Alive Or Just Breathing, the songs on the album get deep lyrically and musically they are taking chances, expanding on the melodic metal sound they helped to bring to the masses. One of the biggest things I’ve noticed on this album is Jesse’s voice. His screams are more direct and menacing in his delivery of the lyrics, while his clean singing voice has gotten better and better over the years. His range and emotion while singing is a true stand out amongst the talented musicians. One of my favorite songs “Embrace The Journey…Upraised,” really has the feel of the Alive era, but this song brings it in a different way, adding more ambience to the song, making it more epic by nature. Not to mention the positive outlook in the words. “Quiet Distress” is similar to the Times Of Grace project that Jesse and Adam have on the side. Its acoustic setting and dual vocals really drive home the message of the song. “Just Let Go” is another emotionally charged song that sees Jesse bare his soul a little more. “Strength Of The Mind,” is a classic Killswitch song, that will get the crowds going when they play it live. The song “It Falls On Me” is one of the most epic songs the band had ever put out. This is my favorite song on the album as of this writing. I hope it becomes a fan favorite and they include it in their setlist rotation. For those looking for a real head banging track “The Great Deceit” is the song you want. Closing out the album is “Ascension,” a song that sums up the entire album lyrically.

Incarnate is an album that will leave you feeling a sense of hope and positivity. One of the things I look for in bands is the ability to write strong lyrics that have depth and meaning. Jesse Leach has done just that and then some. He has bled his heart and soul out on this album. Since I first heard his voice and lyrics, I’ve been a fan of his. Not to take anything away from what Howard Jones did with the band, but Jesse has always been the voice of the band for me. If Killswitch carries on with the direction they went with Incarnate, they will have many more years of longevity to come.

 

Killswitch Engage- Incarnate:

Worst Cover Songs: Five Finger Death Punch (The Animals)- House Of The Rising Sun

I have no idea why some bands insist on covering such classic songs, only to ruin them in the end. Not to mention when the band in question covering the song is horrible. With that in mind I present to you all a horrible rendition of The Animal’s classic “House Of The Rising Sun” done by an absolutely horrible band, Five Finger Death Punch.

 

Five Finger Death Punch- House Of The Rising Sun:

 

The Animals- House Of The Rising Sun:

Amazing Albums: Massive Attack- Mezzanine

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I remember the day I bought Massive Attack’s Mezzanine very clearly. I was at Tower records and was browsing through the aisles and came across this very peculiar cover. It looked like one of the bugs from Starship Troopers. Needless to say, this made me curious as to what this could be. So I took it up to the counter and the guy working told me I made a wise choice. And what a choice I made. Mezzanine is an album that expands the dark undercurrents which had always been present in Massive Attack with textured and darker tones that features abstract and ambient sounds.Subtly drenched among the songs, lies deep influences of The Velvet Underground, The Cure and hints of John Bonham’s ferocious drumming. On an interesting note, and I think this helps to play into the darker vibe of the album, is that while making this album there was quite a lot of tension in the group causing one founding member to leave after the album was completed.

The album begins with a brilliant one, two, three, four, five punch of the songs “Angel,” “Risingson,” “Teardrop,” and “Inertia Creeps,” and “Exchange.” As the album moves on from that point it takes a step back into the darker corner. First with the dramatic “Dissolved Girl,” and then with “Man Next Door,” which features primitive beats, a catchy melody and soulful singing. As the album continues, the psychedelic atmospheric vibe continues to guide the songs through to the end.

There is something truly hypnotic about the way the album flows. Mezzanine is one of the best albums to come out in the last 20 years. It’s also an album that belongs in every music fans collection. So if it’s been a while or you’ve never heard Mezzanine, take the time to get acquainted with it, you’ll thank me later.

 

Massive Attack- Mezzanine:

 

 

Op Ed: Stone Temple Pilots Take A Break

The wounds are still fresh and the scabs haven’t even begun to form. Now is not the time. Since Scott Weiland’s passing late last year, the surviving members of Stone Temple Pilots have taken it upon themselves to continue on. On one hand I totally understand their need and want to get back out there, but it’s just too soon. Their failed attempt to move on while Scott was still alive was atrocious. Their picking of Chester Bennington was awful. Have you seen the footage of it? I mean seriously, what are you guys thinking? The clips that I saw just showed Chester trying to emulate Scott all the way down to dying his hair pink, and swaying and moving on stage just like Scott would. Not too mention that Chester’s voice is too high and sounds nasally. It’s as though they created a tribute band already with the addition of Chester. At least when the band took a hiatus in the 90’s, the guys had the decency to start a new group under a different name. Remember Talk Show?

With enough time, I think that people would welcome an STP return. Look at Alice In Chains. When Layne passed away, they all did their own things and came back when enough time had passed. Granted there were quite a few doubters, but those that took the time to see the new Alice, saw that it’s a breath of fresh air that does the band justice. Jerry, Sean and Mike found the right guy in William DuVall. And now people are loving what William has done for the band.

What I’m saying is that now isn’t the time to get back out there. Let the people have the chance to get over Scott’s passing. Dean, Robert and Eric take some time and do something else. By getting STP going again, you are tarnishing the memory of what a great band you were. All people will think is that who ever you pick to sing for the band, it isn’t Scott and won’t come close. Start up Army Of Anyone again. I’m sure Richard Patrick from Filter would be down to get that rolling again. Or just start a new band and call it something else. You can play a few songs from your STP catalog, but don’t make an entire set from it. With enough time the wounds will heal enough for you guys to get the band back together with the right person.

As it says in the song “Creep”… “Take time with a wounded hand, cause it likes to heal.”

Album Rank: Filter

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Filter is about to release a new album called Crazy Eyes. So naturally that has put me in a Filter mood as of late. I recently went back and did a full catalog listen of Filter and have come up with an album ranking of their releases from not their best work to the best.

 

Anthems For The Damned:

 

The Sun Comes Out Tonight:

 

Crazy Eyes:

 

The Trouble With Angels:

 

The Amalgamut:

 

Title Of Record:

 

Short Bus:

Band Of The Week: InAeona

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The band of the week feature is my absolute favorite category to write on my site. Not only do I get to discover new music, but I get to share that all with you. This week I present to you InAeona. This three piece from Boston combines epic and eerie melodies with space rock, post metal and bits of electronica (mainly from the ambient/industrial side). The band themselves have been at it for a while, developing their sound and gaining a passionate following. Their latest release Force Rise The Sun, is ferocious in its intensity and delivers an astounding amount of hope and passion. I had the pleasure of seeing InAeona a few months back when they played with Sidewave (a favorite of Audioeclectica’s), and their live show was intense and striking. InAeona is a band that needs to be on everyone’s radar. They really have the chops and package to really deliver a blast of rock that is needed in today’s music climate.

InAeona- Force Rise The Sun:

 

InAeona- Soldier:

 

InAeona- Sun|Moon:

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/inaeona

 

 

 

 

Underrated Albums: Sparta- Threes

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One of my favorite things to do is take a day and listen through a bands entire catalog. Yesterday, I was looking for something to listen to and out of the corner of my eye I saw my Sparta collection. So naturally I grabbed all three albums loaded them up in the stereo and proceeded to emerse myself in Sparta’s catalog. Their first album Wiretap Scars has already been established here on Audioeclectica as an unsung masterpiece. Their second album Porcelain is a somber album that takes a little while to really get into. But the album that really wound up striking a chord with me was Threes.

All the songs on this album present a refreshing sense of the band. Vocalist Jim Ward admits he was heavily influenced by Radiohead recording Threes. In the softer parts of the songs you can hear Thom Yorke in the vocals. Whatever it is he is singing, it’s always very passionate. One thing I noticed about Threes is the atmosphere of the album. It’s not the ambience that made Wiretap Scars special, but instead it brings out a new kind of ambience full of gloominess, suffering and other emotional pain. Songs like “Untreatable Disease,” “Crawl,” “Unstitch Your Mouth,” “Erase It Again,” and “The Most Vicious Crime,” all fall into that solemn category.  The first single “Taking Back Control,” is a classic heavy song for Sparta. Other stand out tracks include “Atlas,” “False Start,” “Red.Right.Return,” and closing track “Translations.”

If there is one critique about the album as a whole is that the production is a little too slick. In a way you can tell that the producer tried to expand upon the production sound that helped to make Wiretap Scars sound so good, but used too much compression. Sparta would go on to take a very long break after Threes. They reunited in 2012 for a short tour and also released a new song called “Chemical Feel,” which is equal parts Wiretap era and Threes. Sparta, while only having three albums, really left a quiet mark on the times of the early 2000’s expansion of post-hardcore. I really feel like they still have enough in them for one more solid album. Granted that will all have to come after this current At The Drive-In reunion. So take a listen to Sparta’s Threes and you’ll hear what I’m talking about.

 

Sparta-Threes:

 

Sparta- Chemical Feel:

 

 

 

 

List: Best Three Piece Bands

I’ve always been intrigued by bands that have 3 or less members. Sure some of them when they play live add members to fill out their sound, but the core remains those three people. So with that in mind here is a list of the best three piece bands. Note This list is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

Beastie Boys
Cream
Thin Lizzy
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Chevelle
Depeche Mode
Green Day
Black Map
Rush
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Failure
ZZ Top
Motorhead
Nirvana
Silverchair
Wild Throne
High On Fire
Placebo
Primus
Dinosaur Jr
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Muse
The Melvins
Sigur Ros
The Police (Even though Sting is a douche)

Soundtrack Only Songs: Nine Inch Nails- The Perfect Drug

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I can’t believe that it’s been almost twenty years since I first heard Nine Inch Nails song “The Perfect Drug.” Not only that but it’s also been almost twenty years since the release of David Lynch’s film Lost Highway, in which “The Perfect Drug” appeared on. There is an intriguing story that explains how Trent Reznor and David Lynch made this happen. Trent had been after David Lynch to direct a video for Nine Inch Nails, but it never seemed to work out. Not long after the success with his work on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, Trent got word that Lynch was interested in having him do the soundtrack for Lost Highway. And the rest is history. On a fun side note, Trent finally got David Lynch to direct a video for Nine Inch Nails a couple years back. The song “Came Back Haunted” off the album Hesitation Marks had its video directed by David Lynch.

 

Nine Inch Nails- The Perfect Drug:

 

Lost Highway Soundtrack: