Panopticon

Anticipated Albums: Thoughtcrimes- Altered Pasts

In today’s world of heavy music, it takes a lot to get my blood pumping. There are so many generic boring wannabe type metal bands out there but, in the end, they really just don’t get it. Thankfully, some bands in heavy music do get it and the end result for those are aces above the rest. A while back I heard of a new band/project that peaked my interest and now their full length album is upon us. Allow me to introduce you to Thoughtcrimes. This band is absolutely badass. Their sound is a bit of hardcore mixed with metal (but not “metalcore”), a bit of groove and just the right tinge of melody to give it that extra bit of oomph to capture you. Produced by Mike Watts, the 11-song album is an unrelenting kick to your face while at the same time daring to challenge you. The three songs released so far including “Panopticon,” “The Drowning Man,” the most recent “Keyhole Romance” are superb, with the latter being one of the more ambitious songs the band has written yet. Throughout the album (yes I’ve heard it and I will save a full review till closer to release day), you find yourself more and more immersed in what is happening. The bits of ambience are seductive, then the pummeling of riffs and rhythms take you on a whirlwind. Thoughtcrimes is one of the bands of today that not only should be one of your favorite heavy bands but those “other bands” I mentioned at the beginning should be taking notes from these guys on how to do it right!

PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM HERE!!!!!

Keyhole Romance:

Panopticon:

The Drowning Man:

Bands That Should Come Back: Isis

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There is a saying that it’s best to go out on top, and in 2010, Isis did just that. Having released a great album Wavering Radiant, the guys in Isis decided to go their separate ways. Over the course of their career they released quite a few albums, EP’s, and splits. Two of their albums 2002’s Oceanic and 2004’s Panopticon are genre defining albums and regarded as classics in heavy music circles. Isis was a band that helped to expand the genre in which Neurosis and Godflesh made. Their use of conceptual themes in their lyrics made the albums stand out even more especially Panopticon. During their live shows the use of lights mixed with the rhythmic nature of the songs and the use of ambient sounds made their live show a truly intriguing experience. I was lucky enough to have seen Isis on their final tour. All the members have since gone on to other projects. One of the most prominent of those project is Palms which features 3 of the members of Isis and Chino Moreno of Deftones. All in all Isis was truly a great band that still had so much left to share with the world musically. Only time will tell if there will ever come a time when they will reconvene and form again.

 

Oceanic:

 

Panopticon:

 

By: Brian Lacy