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Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance - 90%

1/10/2014

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Positives for this release have to do musically, not lyrically. I think that the "raw" sound in the guitar category was quite suitable and translucent. Finally a Darkthrone release that doesn't flip me into the realms of oblivion musically speaking. For the most part, the vocals were quite odd and didn't exhibit much intensity as I've been accustomed to. These 2 guys put together some great guitar melodies both clean and crunch, not simultaneously, just overall. It makes the album easier to get into. The tempo changes aren't subtle, they really aren't exceptionally vast either. I found that the combination of the music, vocals, production and uncompromising guitar riffs seeded the album greatly.

Variety in the vocals make the music more simpler to really get into. I like the fact that they toned down some and aren't all about extreme aggression, they have evolved and this release is commendable. The leads however are quite distasteful, and a good thing that they're for the most part kept to a minimum. I think that if the band took out all of the lead guitar work, the overall album would be held in higher esteem from me. So that is the reason for taking off some points from the overall album. I dig the variety in the vocal department though. It's not just scream filled with high pitch ends to the core, it's highly varied and likeable.

The drums were right on key with the guitar riffs, though they weren't in the greatest in terms of technicality. It encompasses the "raw" sound, but the snare can be quite ignoble. Not to set a complaint in this department, it's quite an ignoble claim to make, yet we're looking at reality here. I mainly found the guitar concoctions to be the most excessive flowing of rich and fresh melodies. Total thrash sort of tone of the axe seemingly falling into a blackened/thrash sort release kind of in the vein of Devian (RIP). Every track on this album contains a variety in the vocal department. Nothing really THAT brutal in terms of hoarse sound, some of it is actual "singing."

Definitely one of the top albums of 2013 in metal at least. A lot of originality in songwriting style and an album that's not filled with just blast beating galore like a lot of bands nowadays. Seems to drown out the music, those kind of bands at least. However, I'm just saying in general that they've worked hard on composition, something fresh and a great overall sound in the recording. Things seemed to flow on this one, with no things out of balance in terms of tempo changes, vocals and "raw" sound. Amazing that only 2 members for the band that really created something pretty monumental.

If you haven't heard any tracks off of this one, then utilize YouTube and see if there are any songs available before you go out and buy the album. But I'm supremely confident that on multiple listens and insight into the album labeling the peaks and valleys to the release. I'd say that overall, that this is an album not to miss out on. Definitely one that will blow your hair back. Best not to focus on the lyrics to this album since they aren't very strong in that department. I think that if they put a lot of emphasis on their writings, it would be more savvy to my palette. But the music is just outstanding! Get it ASAP!
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Destruction - Spiritual Genocide - 80%

1/10/2014

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An uprising concoction of better than average riff-writing here, contrary to their predecessor "Day of Reckoning." The electric flame blows you away in the music and well thought out musicianship with this one. They really emphasized back-up vocals alongside Schmier, plus the aggression is all there for an awesome thrash metal output. It was solid all of the way through, not just a few tracks, but overall a good sound quality to the recording. There were some contributors to the lead department i.e. Harry, their ex-lead guitarist. Mike totally is inept in the lead department. Destruction should know by now that incorporating competent lead guitarists is a must, otherwise it takes away from the magic put into the guitar-work.

The lyrics were more thought out than previous albums and it wasn't the main focus about the total anti-christianity on here, they put in some pride in this department, so the words fit in nicely with their efforts to make a total annihilation musically speaking. My contention is that they backed up their words nicely to blend into the harsh lyrical conceptual viewpoints. They mainly seemed to focus on music that's not borrowed from the past, just aggression unwittingly ousted in their songs here on "Spiritual Genocide." Totally uncompromising release as pretty much every Destruction release ever put out. The overall intensity is super high, their emphasis on back-up vocals make "Spiritual Genocide" more likeable and uncompromising.

I can't see anyone's viewpoint knocking this album, I didn't find it boring, I found it totally diverse. Production was definitely positive and well mixed amassing each guitar, vocal and drum in synchrony. Schmier leads the vocal department and seems very inspirational with Mike dishing out fast riffs and thick crunch tone distortion that simply kicked ass. The music that he came up with here is like no other Destruction release. He didn't fall behind on his part leading the way with the writings the music simply kicked butt and was entirely uncompromising. His aggression fit the vocals and the drums were right on cue and way solid. Possibly one of their best drummers here of all time. Even though I thought highly of pretty much all of their drummers except for Tommy during the earlier days.

I think that the band stressed a lot of things here musically speaking and they really needed to make a comeback with "Day of Reckoning" falling into the mediocrity department. This is what's found on "Spiritual Genocide": purely new hardcore thrash based sound tonality and really a great conglomeration of madness when they put everything together on this release. They needed to up it with their 21st century writings to match that of other bands such as Sodom, which they sure as hell surpassed "Epitome of Torture", Sodom's latest. This one simply blows it away. However, Testament did a great justice than this one on "Dark Roots of the Earth", but "Spiritual Genocide" emphasizes more on rhythm guitar that will just leave you in awe. Kind of like some construction done to amass the thrash metal output here.

I always favored Schmier over all thrash metal vocalists, his voice doesn't have a whopping effect on change over the years, but I think that he does the band justice ever since their return to the thrash metal community in I think early 2000. What's best on here overall are these points which I tried to make clear: originality, aggression, strong lyrical topics, great production, appropriate back up vocals along with Schmier's main vocals, Mike's well constructed thrash metal guitar crunch sound and mixing that featured a definite impact on the all encompassing effort on all of Destruction's effort here. They really needed to up the aggression which they did and those lead guitars by Harry were well put together and don't kill the album's integrity.

I didn't find that any song on here was boring or lacked in any respect, every track here was kick ass, and don't listen to the naysayers dropping this album in a negative fashion. It is totally uncalled for because there were balls on this one, hoping that their next release will oust this one even more so! But for now, it's going to stand in their discography as one of their finest newer release that hasn't been reviewed enough to spread the word about the albums integrity. If you've been following Destruction for a long while, definitely check out the song "Carnivore" and you'll hear the aggression, the aura of the album and that song they did a YouTube video for. So judge for yourself to see if it all makes sense with this text I've been uttering about the album. Definitely worth checking out!
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Soulfly - Savages - 85%

1/10/2014

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1st album that I've owned by this band, was interested because I figured that if it is Max Cavalera's band, they must be GOOD. Not to seem biased, but since he was the frontman for Sepultura alongside his brother for years, his own band I concluded I'd give it a try! I was not disappointed at all really and since the focus was on groove/thrash metal, that sparked my interest in them. After hearing this latest CD some times now, I thought that everything seemed to fit together-the music, lyrics and genre(s). There really wasn't anything that I disliked about this release, it is at the top of the list for best albums in 2013.

That I felt so strongly about because it's wholly creative and original not to mention an album to "chill" to. The lead guitar work was also good and well played out on that aspect, it wasn't in any way half-assed or just annoying executions, there was real talent here that Max recruited, not to mention playing with his 20 year old son now on drums. Amazing production, thickness in the guitar riffs (I'd say they're in B-tuning). Not really overtly aggressive songs with exceptions of course. Ultimate creativity in the songwriting, lyrical concepts, vocals and mixing. The fact that they're on Nuclear Blast says something great which is another reason why I picked this out to try.

Everything seemed to fit together and the concept of pure hatred wasn't the only goal I think Max wanted on this album, I also think that the focus was originality in the music alongside lyrics that people could relate to. I'd have to say that the backup vocals/guest vocals fit the album quite well. Some of the music was really atypical though, giving it more of an aura about it which brought about more depth. There wasn't a song on here I disliked. All of the music and vocals I enjoyed immensely. A very groove-laden release and definitely a CD that's well worth hearing. If this sparked some curiosity in my review, YouTube "Cannibal Holocaust" and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

The thickness in the guitar is what stuck with me and Max's vocals seemed more higher pitched than what I was used to on Sepultura releases that he was on. I actually like his voice here more than on Sepultura, which is quite a thing to say regarding the album. Definitely good to have variety in the vocals so that you're not stuck hearing monotonous screaming or low bellowing bouts it's a little bit of both on here which is another reason why I like this release. No regrets here, the musical compositions are just so darn creative and expansive. Max definitely remains high still on the creativity factor.

Savages will hit you hard with heavy guitar work and tempos that are simply awe-inspiring. I don't think that this one you'd get bored with, like I said, a mild metal album with a modicum of fast tunes, mainly just riffs that'll just knock you on your ass. Totally awesome work here and the band needs more recognition with this one because Max does a great job at coming up with music and lyrics that really rock! It'd be great if they stick with this kind of style because it really is an album that deserves more praise. Definitely not a sell-out at all, a balls out release with great riffs. Get it and you may come to the same conclusion!
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Hypocrisy - End of Disclosure - 85%

1/10/2014

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I'd say that this one hits the melodic death/doom metal genre given the atmosphere of it. The keyboards make it into an eerie, sort of gothic vibe and the vocals go well with the music. A lot of really slow tempo songs and entirely melodic and depressing. I suppose Peter's aim is to hit the cosmos with his sci-fi lyrics and guitar riffs that bleed on a deathly doom mixture. The whole album is really filled with songs that just crush minus the aggression factor. I think that the guitars/keys/production sound quality was superb and no complaints on those ends. The music is what's key to me on a release, but if I could relate more to the words, I'd appreciate the album more.

This one is a total "B" rating. I think that the most intrinsic points of the album are the combination of death-like vocals mixed with screaming plus the crunch tone on the guitars are riveting. It sets it aside from newer bands that are in the melodic death scene. There really were no super high intensity guitar playing or much lead guitar work, just mainly rhythm backed up by the atmospheric keys. There wasn't a song on here that I disliked, I think all were an invigorating, epic and melodic guitar with degrees of utmost sound aura. I think that this was the main focus Peter's concept for the album was to be.

The production quality was in the superior category as usual and everything seemed to fit together nicely. Horgh from Immortal is behind the set on this one. An excellent effort by all musicians. I'd say the high points of the album was definitely the music in general, nothing too innovative here though, however, nothing that was overtly striking. Some good tracks to check out are the title-track and "United We Fall", but I'd say pick any track off here and it's good melodic death. The riffs didn't stick with me that well, but on repeat I seem to hear everything little thing that's different that I didn't hear before.

End of Disclosure is a laid back melodic death/doom release with excellent atmospheric work (as previously discussed) and it deserves to be looked into. For me, the highlights are the guitars. They're so epic and lucid, with a conglomerate of melodic guitar to the core. This one though is like a transformation for the band. They've really mellowed out as age does, but still the music is quality. There are tremolo picked licks (which encompass a lot of the release), bar chord heavily muted chunky sounds and an immense doom with those keys in the background.

Be sure to YouTube those tracks and judge for yourself how this album sounds to you. I think that it's quite good, just a little bit short of a masterpiece. I didn't like the lyrics much though, I think that the sci-fi words aren't thought provoking enough to me. But the music is just so darn good which makes up for the lack of ingenuity in lyric writings. Definitely an album to check out because musically it's original and mild. Nothing too intense, just mainly atmospheric. Peter I think was shooting for something good here in the songwriting portion, but if he could've made the lyrics easier for the listener to relate to, I would've given it a higher score. However, pick it up!
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Warbringer - IV: Empires Collapse - 75%

1/10/2014

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A definite step up from their last 2 annoying releases, but still average due to production quality, unoriginality, alongside vocals that are quite annoying yet again. The rhythmic structures are more creative than the previous 2 albums, however, the production is such to where it seems like they recorded this in a garage, a tad bit up from that. The aggression factor still remains which is good, though I would've liked to get a lyric sheet enclosed. That was absent so it is hard for me to be able to see if I would be able to at least have a modicum amount on what their concepts are lyrically, not just guessing what the vocals are spewed out, but it's lacking.

About the actual thrash based music, Warbringer sounds like Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" riff-wise and production-wise. The leads were above average, so that's good, though I'm not hearing a whole lot of superior creativity on this release. I think that if the production was tighter, it would've given the album much more justice than what was recorded yet again on this album. The guitars contained an incredible amount of distortion spewed forth in that respect, tempo changes, nothing hostile in terms of drastic changes, but there are points to where you'll hear some clean tone on the songs, not much though.

I think that they were a step up from their previous, though the sound quality just needed to be better. It might've been their aim to have another raw produced output, but I don't care for that. The music wasn't strikingly impressionable, better and more thought out from previous albums, still needs stronger more memorable riffs. Since there were no lyrics coming with the album, it was hard to combine it with the music so it all makes sense in an intelligible aspect. The fact that this was void annoyed me so it wasn't as enjoyable to listen to and be able to identify with. I did appreciate the fact that they're average musicians trying to better themselves.

What was irritating the most were the vocals. They were screaming based, but just got under my skin. I think that they need a replacement if they want listeners to be able to appreciate the music alongside the voice. If they ditch their vocalist and find someone that enhances the quality of what comes out of your speakers, it'd have more people able to enjoy what they've put out with their efforts. I'm not saying change their style of music, just get someone who's a better representation of their thrash metal riffs. All of the songs had their ups and downs in terms of keeping me listening to the album, but I think that they still need to be more creative.

This whole album I think was just generic, musicians pressing to move forward, but still lacking in a sense that they need modification to the songwriting. If a band is looking to stay in this thrash metal genre, be original, don't go after sounds that reflect a lot of influences and sound like them. Yes all bands have their influences, I'm just saying that the music is just like that of old Metallica with that raw sound. It just is a repeat and continuation with that. If other people don't notice that, it's okay because I do! This was average thrash metal with music that didn't stick to me at all. I thought a lot about them experimenting, though they still need more originality.
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Psychopathic Daze - Ride This Bullet Home - 95%

10/10/2013

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I'm not a huge fan of metalcore so to speak, however, there are bands that play the particular genre and wind up baffling me. This band is one of them. Not that I'm overtly fond of all of the different changes in the vocal department, but the guitar riffs and overall intensity/vibe are totally there. I would have to say that I was totally impressed with the originality in a metaphysical sense, the structure/tuning of the guitars make the heaviness overtly thick and massively spellbinding. I haven't heard any sort of metalcore that I have liked in the past, however, I'm eager to get future releases. I'll sum it up to you in what's to be explained here in detail.

The heaviness of the crunch tone guitar is what makes the overall sound of the album very heavy, yet a times there are tempo changes where you would hear some clean tone segments which kind of makes the album and songs wholeheartedly diverse. There weren't much lead guitar work that's extensive, but that's besides the point I'm trying to make out here. Aesthetics is a wide field in a philosophical sense, and music would be a form of aesthetics, since it is a form of expression, human expression in this way gets a jolt of creativity alongside originality. This band just crushes its' fellow competitors simply because they have mastered the form of metalcore uniquely and imaginatively.

Production was solid, crisp, capturing the heart of the music without any lapse in instruments getting unheard. The vocals range between that in like Fear Factory via 'Demanufacture' and 'Obsolete' (1995 & 1998 respectively), but I'd say that there are more instances of clean, heavy throat (which dominates) and high end screams. Seriously, this band captures all forms of sounds in riffing and tempo changes with such candor, it's very admirable. I was thinking to myself "oh no, not metalcore", but have changed my view since they not only esp-out to metalcore, they also throw in a taste of death metal in a way, just not AS extreme.

Each track has different luminosity and overall the band doesn't borrow anything from other bands, all of their compositions are in summation to their metaphysical sort of creativity. No other metalcore act has illicit riff structures that this band portrays, at least not from what I've heard from other acts for example Lamb Of God or Killswitch Engage. I don't like either band for my own reasons. However, Psychopathic Daze has this admirable sound to it and is supremely higher above these other bands even though the others have been around longer. The music is the highlight, but the vox seem to juggle around the heavy sounds and in some instances augment the music.

Yes I was highly skeptical about my opinion on metalcore in general, but if you're into metal and don't like this, I'll eat my jabber on this review. No other metalcore act can surpass what you hear on this EP. Even though we're not talking full-length yet, but I'm supremely confident that it has a ton of innovative ideas shown in the musical sense. I'd have to admit there's a load of talent here, not just guitarists slapping riffs together and juxtaposing it to just be sold-they actually take pride in their outputs and level off the competition to destroy their opponents. Own this today, it's worth your weight in true, full grade metal passion.
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