Album Review

Album Review: Interstelar- Resin

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I’m quite fond of the “Stoner Metal/Rock” genre. There is enough “heavy” in the music to go around, and there is the slowed down element as well that brings it all together. Bands like Black Sabbath and Down have it down to a science and their formula has been imitated for many years now. Some bands though bring out something more than just the sludgy slowed down metal. Interstelar, a band that has been a previous band of the week, just released a new album entitled Resin, that brings something more to the table. Their blend of Sabbath and Down branded rock is mixed very well with added inspiration from The Cult and Corrosion Of Conformity. Tracks like “siLO,” “Resin,” and “Behold,” really hone in on the stoner vibe. Then there is a song like “High Horse,” that adds soothing and sweet melody, along with a vibe that puts you at ease. Lyrically the songs are on a different plane all together. They range from the social climate of today to everyday things in life, and it’s done in a way thats not intrusive or off putting, that it takes away from the mood of the music. Interstelar know how to make this genre their own and expand upon it. I “highly” recommend you take a listen to this album and hear for yourself.

 

Interstelar- Resin:

 

https://www.facebook.com/interstelarLA

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

Album Review: Aeges- Weightless

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One of the bands that are carrying the torch for rock music today is Los Angeles’s Aeges. Their new album Weightless is chock full of riffs galore, pulsating rhythms, and great melodies that will leave you tapping your feet, and singing along. The thirteen songs on the album lead by first single “Another Wasteland,” are energetic, catchy, and full of passion. In a day and age where singles are more and more popular, Aeges have released an “Album” that deserves your attention. They have managed to combine influences of straight ahead rock, a bit of prog rock, and a dash of post-hardcore, to create this album. Songs like ” Weightless,” “Save Me,” “All Of Me,” “Another Wasteland,” “What If,” “Better,” and “Drying Out” are all stellar tracks that really drive home what I mentioned above. The production on the album as well allows each member and instrument to be heard.

Aeges have been at this for a while now. Weightless is their third full length album. With each release, they keep getting better and better. If Aeges is playing in or around where you live, I strongly suggest you go check them out and pick up this album when you are there.

Overall Rating: B+

 

Aeges- Weightless:

Album Review: Night Verses- Into The Vanishing Light

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When I first heard Night Verses, I thought that this is one of the bands that is much needed in today’s stale music climate. Their debut album Lift Your Existence was an album full of epic proportions that really left a mark on me. The album is still in constant rotation in my stereo. So when I heard that Night Verses were in the studio working on their follow up album with Ross Robinson, I became even more excited about this band. The end result of their collaboration together is an album that is full of passion, inspiration, diverse music that pushes genre boundaries and vocals that are raw and powerful.

Into The Vanishing Light is an album that will take you on a journey just as a full album should. The more you listen to it all, you pick up on different things and feelings. After my first listen the flow of the album seemed to be a little disjointed, but after a couple more listens, it all began to make sense. The first track “The Future As History: I Love You Dead,” is a mood setter alright, that is set against a bit of a schizophrenic vocal delivery, but done with so much passion. The next couple songs emit pulsating music all the while a moody etherial vibe. By the time “Dialogue In Cataplexy” hits you know you are in for a ride with the way it plays out as a song with complexity and seriousness. As the rest of the album moves along the path of the journey certain songs like “Panic and Pull Your Heart Out” and “Blue Shades Of The Sun” truly leave a lasting mark. The closing song “Phoenix III” is a great encapsulation of the album and what the band has evolved into.

Night Verses have created an album that emits true artistry and vision. Singer Douglas Robinson really goes all out to ensure the words and messages come across as real and true as possible. Musically drummer Aric Improta is an absolute inspiration behind the drums. His use of time signatures and percussion adds so much more to the music. Guitarist Nick DePirro’s riffs, structures and skill is brilliant. It’s all tied together by bassist Reilly Herrera’s thunderous yet gentle playing. Working with Ross Robinson really helped to push the band to realize their potential as a band. Into The Vanishing Light is an album that separates Night Verses from their peers in the genre. I’d even go as far as to say this album could be a blueprint for the genre just as the Refused’s The Shape of Punk To Come became. Night Verses are here and deserve your undivided attention.

 

Night Verses- Into The Vanishing Light:

Album Review: Moving Structures- Awake

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A while back I made the band Moving Structures the band of the week. During that time they were in the midst of working on their debut full length. Well it’s now out and it is tremendous. When you are an instrumental band, the ability to connect with listeners and invoke feeling without vocals and lyrics is not easy, but Moving Structures are one of the few bands I’ve heard to be able to do just that and then some. There is something truly remarkable about the melodies and tones that they use to get you to feel something more than usual. The power of not having vocals makes you think and delve deeper into your senses. The twelve songs on Moving Structures’s debut Awake, take you on a journey that allows the listener to grasp their intentions all the while making it something that transcends the genre. With bits of prog, ambience, and rock, Moving Structures have released an album that can become a new blueprint for instrumental bands to learn and expand upon.

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/awake/id1121348813

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/2o2DkwFqaMIay5KEq43rP8?platform=hootsuite

From The Band:

http://www.movingstructuresband.com/merch/vne40w8ilppyimcs9qdfoeq8no0o9e

By: Brian Lacy

Album Review: Filter- Crazy Eyes

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When you think of the band Filter these days, I would guess two songs come to mind, “Hey Man Nice Shot” and “Take A Picture.” One would think they have moved on from their early more industrial side of things, considering the last album didn’t really have any of those elements. Well Filter have just released a new album that harkens back to the Short Bus era and adds a bit of a modern approach. The new album Crazy Eyes is very influenced by the early days of Filter and a bit of Nine Inch Nails Broken era. Richard Patrick is back and angrier than he’s been in a long time. Armed with a band that helps realize his vision and tests the limits of electronic and industrial tones, the new album is one that stands out amongst the bands catalog. Songs like “Nothing In My Hands,” “Pride Flag,” “Take Me To Heaven,” and “Welcome To The Suck (Destiny Not Luck)” are complete standouts on this record. On a fun note Danny Lohner helped write and produce the song “City Of Blinding Riots,” which is a song that will be a great in a live setting. There is also an instrumental called “Under The Tongue” that is very Nine Inch Nailsesque in a good way.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Richard and he says “this album is a bit more reckless dangerous and quirky.” He also mentions that this incarnation is one of the most passionate version of the group since the early years.  He also goes on to say that “this album should be triumphant in its anger.” While the album is full of anger, social commentary, honesty and a DGAF attitude are very prevalent themes throughout. Filter have come back to their roots and it’s very fitting in a time when music is getting stale.

Filter- Crazy Eyes:

Album Review: Deftones- Gore

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After 20 plus years as a band and now 8 albums in, where do you go? Deftones have never been a band to play it safe. They shake things up every now and then, showing the band is constantly evolving. Their new album Gore is a prime example of a band maturing and expanding upon its influences. It’s nice to hear a band like this take chances and try new things, but the end result isn’t all that pretty. Gore has a flow to it that is makes it seem more like a collection of songs rather than an album. There are a few songs that are absolute standouts on this record. Songs like “Hearts/Wires,” “Phantom Bride,” and “Rubicon” are the best the album has to offer. “Hearts/Wires”  should have been the first single released. Chino sounds vulnerable and focused on this song. There are great harmonies as well that take it up a notch or a few. As of this writing my favorite track is “Phantom Bride.” Jerry Cantrell guests on the song, providing a guitar solo that fits ever so perfectly with the vibe of the song. The song is also one of the the most heartfelt songs on the album. Chino shines on this, as well as the rest of the band. Other songs that caught my attention are “Prayers/Triangles,” “Acid Hologram,” and “(L)MIRL.” There is something very etherial to these songs. They expand upon the Deftones more “ambient” side.

Part of the problem with the album is the production and mixing. It’s very disjointed. The drums are buried in the back and don’t have the sense or urgency that fans of the band have loved for many years. There is a “raw” element to this album and I get it, but it’s just not done well at all. I understand why they didn’t want to continue on the path that they laid with Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokon, but they seemed to have strayed a little too far on this one. The end result is that this album will definitely be one that grows on you with time. This is not to say that you won’t enjoy Gore, but it will for sure be one of the albums in the bands catalog that songs get skipped on a lot.

Scale of 1-10: 4

Deftones- Gore:

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:

Album Review: Nevermen- Nevermen

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Mike Patton has been one of the most consistently busy frontmen/singers in music for the past 15 years. His projects from Faith No More, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, Fantomas, etc have been fan favorites for many years. Now he has joined up with Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio and Anticon Records founder Adam “Doseone” Drucker in a very adventurous and experimental project called Nevermen. Shockingly the groundwork for this group was started over 7 years ago, when Adebimpe and Drucker would get together and ” crank space heaters in a cold warehouse that was marked for demolition, pour whiskey, run tape and beat on everything from doors, pipes, floors, and chests. They jammed on keyboards and drum machines, fashioned poems from tour memories and newspaper stories. The material would then be chopped up and made into songs then sent to Patton.” Each song has something different to offer listeners. The 3 gents of this group add their own flavor to the songs all the while trying out things that would normally be out of their comfort zones. The sheer amount of talent that each posses is astounding, yet the album doesn’t quite live up to their previous accomplishments. The end result is an album that was created by three very talented individuals that wanted to try something for themselves. While there are some moments that shine for example the song “Tough Towns” has a cool trip-hop vibe and the slow, dramatic swell that emerges from the quiet hum of closer “Fame II the Wreckoning, which contains some introspective as to what holds the group together, “One day might you get to the flame of what you are.”

Nevermen is a group that still has a way to go until they find their “sound.” The die hard fans of Mike Patton will probably enjoy this, while the casual listener might get lost in what this is all about. I can say this though, it’s very refreshing to have people like these 3 guys go out on a limb and try to create something that is drenched in the attitude of we are doing this for our love of music and art. Nevermen isn’t trying to be something that it’s not.

 

 

Nevermen-Nevermen:

 

Album Review: Hidden Amongst Us- Ugly

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If there is one thing these days that I really enjoy is when a band throws out the traditional rules, taking all their influences and make a record for themselves. On Hidden Amongst Us’s new EP Ugly, these guys have taken their love of 90’s rock specifically the “grunge” era and added a bit more melody to their already raw sound to do just that. The results are six songs of solid melodic heavy rock. Hidden Amongst Us is another of the bands that I featured during the early stages of Audioecelctica, and they have really grown as a band. This release shows their cohesiveness and willingness to do what it takes to make music with substance. In the past year as well, the band added another guitar player, thus allowing them to expand upon their sound and make it fuller. On Ugly, they accomplish that and then some. Songs like “Another Day,” “Can’t Take Anymore,” and “Bled Enough” show their evolution as songwriters, and the added dynamics in the band. This is definitely the right direction for the band. Take Ugly for a spin, and you’ll hear what I mean.

By: Brian Lacy

Album Review: He Whose Ox Is Gored- The Camel, The Lion, The Child

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A while back I wrote a band of the week piece about a band from Washington called He Whose Ox Is Gored. They have fast become a band that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed since I found out about them. Their influences of multiple genres have allowed them to experiment to zero in on just what their sound is. I coined them as doom-gaze for their love of doom metal and shoe gaze. Now they have just released their debut full length The Camel, The Lion, The Child. This album is epic by nature and pulls you in with each song. The band has really found their stride especially with songs like “Oathbreaker,” Crusade,” and “Cairo.” There is something aggressive and heavy to the songs, but on a deeper level. Lyrics are scarce yet meaningful, and the band lets the music do the talking, just like how Isis used to do. Another thing that I’ve noticed in the progression of He Whose Ox Is Gored, is that they have really adopted more melody into their songs. Rather than it being a wall of noise, there is a balance between the heaviness and the more delicate nature of some of the parts, especially with the keyboards. The album was mixed by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis) and Randall Dunn (SunnO, Earth) and it really shows. This album is a great leap for this band, and it’s only the beginning of where they can go from here.

scale of 1-10: 9

https://www.facebook.com/hewhoseoxisgoredseattle

http://hwoig.com/

By: Brian Lacy