Abigail Williams - In The Shadow Of A Thousand Suns

Abigail Williams is a metal/death/core turned epic/black/death/metal band from Arizona. The band has a very turbulent history, having broken up for about 6 months in 2007 after releasing the promising 'Legend' EP on Candlelight Records, only to reform with a fractured lineup. I was a fan of 'Legend' and was kind of disappointed that they had broken up, but was kind of anxious about their return with all of the controversy surrounding the band. They have seemingly overcome those obstacles however, and have put together a debut album entitled 'In The Shadow Of A Thousand Suns' that has again been put forth by Candlelight Records.

Anyone familiar with Abigail Williams' previous material will be pleased, or maybe not, to hear that this sounds pretty much as you had imagined. Continuing to push away from their roots as a metalcore band, 'In The Shadow...' is a black metal infused assault of melodic death metal that is a constant barage of epic instrumentation and blast beats. They have done well taking themselves out of the awful mediocrity of the deathcore genre, with a much more traditional black/death metal sound, though some of those old influences creep in from time to time. Not so painfully however.

It's a well written album. For having a steady stream of semi-long songs and them not getting boring, that is a great achievement. A lot of bands tend to end up going nowhere with longer songs, but Abigail Williams' melodies and progression are consistently engaging and moving. I think that the real star of the Abigail Williams show is their keyboard player Ashley Ellyllon. Aside from me harboring a crush on her, she is a great pianist and orchestrator.

Her pieces of instrumentation stand out above most of the rest of the content on this album, and without her contributions, I do not think that this would be much of an album to listen to. That is not knocking the rest of the band, as the album is performed masterfully for the most part. The drums are pummeling, the guitars work, the production is flawless, the vocals are not always something I would consider great, but they fit, the keyboards are really what holds it all together in my opinion though.

I'm sure you will see a lot of people spew a lot of negativity about this band and this album, but I just don't see that. I really like this record and I am happy to see that Abigail Williams have come through all the strife of their past to put together a good record. It is not the defining album of new metal or anything, but it's a great album that fans of this style of music should check out.

Abigail Williams on MySpace
Candlelight Records
Abigail Williams : Candlelight Records Store

Ghostlimb - Bearing & Distance

Ghostlimb is a melodic hardcore band from California who I've recently begun to listen to. They've put out one full-length on Commodity Fetish Records in 2007 and they released their second album 'Bearing & Distance' earlier this year on Level Plane Records.

'Bearing & Distance' is a mostly solid record, having not heard their first album I can not give an observation of improvement or stagnation, but it's a good sounding record. It's very fast for the most part, very aggressive and loud hardcore with some thrashier and metal accents that work pretty well in the body of this work.

The songs are mostly on the short side, which is a good thing when dealing with this kind of music. Things are straight forward and they don't waste away and go nowhere. The album has good flow until the poppier sound in the song 'Laughter' comes on, followed by the similar ending of 'Bridge Above The Water', I think these songs sound out of place for the most part on this record and kind of brings down the momentum that the first chunk of the album builds up so well.

Ghostlimb is yet another strong, solid band that isn't rewriting the rules of hardcore, but producing songs that I can get behind because I really like this music. 'Bearing & Distance' might not be an album that I will look back upon 5 or 10 years from now and recall as something that moved my life or anything, but in the here and now it's a fun listen. So if you're a fan of melodic hardcore, give them a shot and see what you think. I'll be checking out their older material very soon.

Ghostlimb on MySpace
Level Plane Records

Artist Retrospective: Hollywood

I remember the night that I first became aware of the band Hollywood still well. It was a show that I did not expect much from, I was there to support a friend who was putting on the show and to hang out with friends. There weren't many people there, maybe 20 people in a room that could hold a couple hundred.

It was a mostly unremarkable show. I was unfamiliar with the two bands that were touring. My friends assured me that Counting The Days were great and well worth the time so I was anxiously awaiting them. Nobody mentioned Hollywood. When they came on, they weathered bad sound and bad attitudes to put on the same show for 20 kids that they would've for 200. I gave them a large chunk of my money that night and became a big fan.

Hollywood is a melodic rock fueled hardcore band out of 'Music City USA', Nashville, Tennessee, that ended all too soon earlier this year.

Hollywood's contributions to the music world consist of two EP's, 'Brave Sounds' (2006) on Keepitcore Records and 'Starving Artists' (2007) on Thrashed! Records; They also released a split EP with Counting The Days (2008) on BurnBridges, an impressive collection for band as young as they were.

They were a band that worked hard, and wanted to get their music to as many people as they could. They managed to do several tours and gather a fan base that loved them. Not the largest fan base, but a group of people who really loved what they did as a band and respected them. I like to count myself among them.

Driving down to Nashville earlier this year gave me my second opportunity to see Hollywood, and on their home turf, and it was great. It was just awesome seeing them in their hometown with a bunch of kids just going nuts for them, they were definitely a band that deserved that and I was happy to see that they were appreciated. That performance just cemented my love for the band even more at that point, and several months later, I was very bummed out to hear that they had decided to call it quits.

I was sure that they were a band that was going to 'make it'. I was just waiting for them to blow up, and to see this happen, I was stunned. So when the final show was announced, my friends and I made plans to drive down to Nashville again to pay our respects.

So on July 15th, 2008, myself and 3 friends packed into a car and drove to Nashville to see Hollywood's final show. What follows is my most favorite show that I have ever attended. The excitement and energy that was in that building that night was insane. There were kids from all over to see this great band one last time.

Hollywood ripped through pretty much every song that they had, and the reaction was amazing. I don't think I've ever seen so many kids on a stage before singing along to every word that a band has wrote. It was a unity that I had never felt to that extent in hardcore before and I think that it's something I will always remember.

I remember hearing Patrick Flynn of Have Heart jokingly complaining about how they had to after that, and I'm sure that's the only time in the past year and a half that Have Heart has ever been so eclipsed by a band that played before them, but a better band could not have been found to have filled that role.

"In this city's streets, is where this city's heart beats"

RIP Hollywood 2004-2008

Hollywood on MySpace

Carpathian - Isolation

Carpathian is a band that has been getting a lot of press lately, and for good reason. Working hard to get to the top of the pile of Australian hardcore bands, Carpathian recently joined the Deathwish Inc. roster and toured with Shipwreck throughout Australia and New Zealand. Currently, they are on a short break before hitting up Europe for the second time with Have Heart and Cruel Hand. Not bad for a band from a continent with little reputation for producing notable hardcore bands.

'Isolation' is Carpathian's second full length, released originally by Resist Records in Australia and New Zealand, Deathwish Inc. brings this record stateside very soon, (Nov. 11th) and it is a band worth checking out.

'Isolation' is an undoubetdly powerful record, Carpathian's smooth blend of melodic hardcore and some heavier aspects of a metalcore act create an engaging listen that I'm sure a lot of people will find comfortably fit their listening tastes.

It opens up with 'Isolation', a brooding, building, intense track that goes into what I see as the best song on the album. 'Cursed' is pummeling attack that never lets up, the desperation and hate ring out with this song, and the guest vocals from JD of Shipwreck are a perfect accent to Martin Kirby's (Carpathian's vocalist) assault.Patrick Flynn of Have Heart shows up late in the album on the track 'Ceremony' to great effect, another great track amongst the 10 great songs here.

For the most part, this album is a freight train of aggression and emotion that moves along at a steady pace, but they aren't afraid to slow things down, and there are definitely some heavier moments on this record. These parts bring me back to bands like old Poison The Well for some reason, but not negatively. It's variety that works with this record and this sound. Carpathian, while not groundbreaking, have crafted a sound that is easily, at least to my ears, unique.

Overall, I think this is going to be one of the best albums of 2008. If you're a fan of hardcore in any respect, you would be doing yourself a disservice by ignoring this band or album. It's heavy, it's melodic, it's furious and it's moving. Check it out.

Carpathian on MySpace
Deathwish Inc.
Pre-Order @ Deathwish Inc Estore [11/11]
Resist Records

Weekly Roundup

Watch live music at home! (links valid day of show)
- 10/26 7pm PST - Bleeding Through, Stick To Your Guns @ Chain Reaction (CA) [watch it]
- 10/28 7pm CST - Ruiner, FC Five @ The Muse (TN) [watch it]
- 10/31 7:30pm PST - Have Heart, Blacklisted, Ceremony @ Chain Reaction (CA) [watch it]


Bits
- Comeback Kid robbed in Montreal [link]
- The Dillinger Escape Plan is writing a new album [link]
- Integrity and Vegas. will release a split EP later this year [link]
- Another video showcasing new Rise and Fall tunes [link]

Tours
- Trap Them touring all over throughout the end of '08 - [dates]
- This Is Hell and Gravemaker will tour in November [dates]
- Ruiner, FC Five, Deep Sleep Oct - Nov [dates]
- Blacklisted, Have Heart and Ceremony tour US Oct. - Nov. [dates]
- Trash Talk and Alpha&Omega will be touring in Oct. and Nov. [dates]

Upcoming
- Beneath The Massacre "Dystopia" 10/28 [pre-order]
- This Is Hell/Nightmare Of You split 7" early Nov [pre-order]
- Doomriders/Disfear split 7" early Nov [pre-order]
- Trap Them "Seizures In Barren Praise" 11/11 [pre-order]
- Carpathian "Isolation" 11/11 [pre-order]
- Poison The Well "I/III" 7" 11/17 [pre-order]

Surroundings/Pellinore - World Darkness split 10"

This was a pleasant discovery. I had never heard of either of these bands until the other day when I was ordering a bunch of stuff and saw this. I was initially drawn to it by the artwork, and as I went on to check out the two bands on this split, Surroundings and Pellinore, I was very excited.

The album description for 'World Darkness' uses the term 'dark hardcore' to describe these bands, and I think it's a pretty good fit. Both bands have a similar style but are distinctly different sounding.

Surroundings reminds me a lot of The Banner and bands like Trap Them, as they float between really slower parts and an assault of blast beats. Pellinore is really noisy fast hardcore that reminds me of a more determinedly evil sounding Trash Talk. Each band contributed 4 songs to this release, with Surroundings opening and Pellinore with the second half.

Surroundings' four tracks are a furious assault that never lets go even when things slow down. It's really heavy and it's really awesome. When it's fast, it's pummeling, when it slows down it's heavy, and they couple it all with melodies and ambiance and it's a very compelling, dark sounding listen. There are a lot of parts of very minimal music and noise, but they move things along rather than impede them as some bands do.

Pellinore on the other hand, apart from their opening track, is almost always going non-stop. They are a fast barrage of sound that doesn't mess around, their tracks seem over and done with all too soon, but their half isn't much shorter than the first half. It all sounds good and the bands play off of each other very well.

This is a split worth checking out, and two bands that are worth checking out. I will certaintly be going through their older material very soon.

Surroundings on MySpace
Pellinore on MySpace
Free Cake Records

Blues - Heavy Sci-Fi

Blues is a band I stumbled across very recently by mostly mistake, and I found that they were offering an EP for free to download and figured I would take advantage of that. Blues' history consists of two other EP's released last year, one on Corrosive Recordings and another on Rome Plow Records. 'Heavy Sci-Fi' is a self-released free EP because as they put it, 'music is meant to be heard', and I couldn't agree more.

Blues has a very interesting sound, it's kind of experimental post-hardcore sounding music with some more traditional twists thrown in and it works together pretty well. Vocals bounce between standard screaming, singing, and a kind of wail similar to something like The Blood Brothers except more tolerable.

The music itself is kind of ambient droning rock with some cool synths and electonica stuff mixed with a brand of hardcore akin to bands like Botch and Coalesce. It's really well put together, the song writing is pretty good throughout 'Heavy Sci-Fi's' 6 tracks with it being a pretty compelling listen. 'Warring Quotients' is my favorite track here, it's got a great kind of quirky sounding lead with vocals not afraid to follow. 'Space Between Spaces' is a very lonely sounding short synthy instrumental piece that reminds me of the sountrack for the game Metroid Prime (really great soundtrack). All six tracks here are very good, those stick out the most to me however.

I wasn't really expecting the quality to be that great on this, as it is free, but the recording quality of this is pretty fantastic. It's very clear sounding and there is a lot of range, and I especially love the bass tone on this record. It really makes sure that the bass isn't lost in this mix (which happens to far too many bands these days) and I really think it gives the whole recording a boost.

Overall, this is a great EP. Because it's free, it's THAT much better too. I think everyone should check it out for that reason, support bands who are down with doing stuff like this and get into a band that obviously works hard and knows how to write good music.

Blues on MySpace [download link there]
Corrosive Recordings
Rome Plow Records

Wholehearted - Reclaim

I was excited to finally get to hear this album as Wholehearted has been on my radar for quite awhile. I first came across this band a long time ago as one of many, many bands that would add me on MySpace, most of which I would deny for being awful, but upon listening to the material Wholehearted had up at the time, I was really into them. It was a sound in the vein of bands like Comeback Kid, Killing The Dream, This Is Hell, etc., which I'm very into if you hadn't noticed.

'Reclaim' is Wholehearted's debut full-length out on Volatile Recordings (out of their home in Wisconsin), and it is a great record espeically for such a young band.

Wholehearted isn't breaking down barriers with this record, but they're producing some awesome tracks. Wholehearted's sound is best described as somewhere between Killing The Dream and Dead Hearts. It's fast and melodic, but there are a lot of heavier parts and some nice sing a longs. 'Reclaim' starts fast and stays that way all the way until the last track for the most part and the album is solid the whole way through, no tracks fall out. It never gets boring, and when not doing anything really new, that's impressive.

If I had to nail down a particular criticism of the record, it would have to be the quality of the recording. I am not usually much of a person to critique sound, but I think that placed in the right hands this record could have been a whole lot more. The present recording is not bad, but it sounds flat and less dynamic than it potentially could. It's not unlistenable by any standard but it is somewhat noticable.

That minor gripe aside, Wholehearted is a great up and coming band and 'Reclaim' is an excellent stepping stone for them to gain a wider audience. If you're a fan of this style of music, I certaintly recommend this, and even if you're not, I think that there is something here for everyone.

Wholehearted on MySpace [purchase 'Reclaim' album here]
Volatile Recordings

Cruel Hand - Prying Eyes

Cruel Hand is a band that I was not very accustom with before checking out this release, I think I may have been familiar with the name of the band, but this was my first time actually listening to the band. The band apparently has released one other full-length before this in 2007 on 6131 Records entitled 'Without A Pulse', I will definitely be checking that out after this album, their first as an artist on the Bridge 9 roster.

Cruel Hand has a much more traditional sound than many of the bands that I usually listen to. It's loud and fast, and it swerves away from most of the hot points of the genre right now. It's straight forward, no tricks furious hardcore with riffing that brings me back to some thrash metal of yesteryear.

Overall, the record is solid as hell, with the only drawback being that some tracks tend to get lost on repeated listens as it mostly sounds like a lot of the same, but there are some definite standout tracks that I really get into, 'Life in Shambles', 'No Known Graves' and 'Dead Weight' especially. I think that track sticks out on the album, but it is definitely my favorite for that reason.

My only complaints I guess I would have to bring against this album are as mentioned, some tracks seem to get lost. I don't think the album would've suffered at all if a couple of the 12 tracks on this release were left behind.

However, this is a very solid release and it has me eager to check out their older material and try to see them live. Check it out.

Cruel Hand on MySpace
Bridge 9 Records
Cruel Hand : Bridge 9 Store

Comeback Kid - Through The Noise

'Through The Noise' is another DVD/CD release that came out very recently (I don't know if Victory is doing a whole bunch of these right now or something), this time featuring Comeback Kid, the superstars of the hardcore world. Comeback Kid needs no introduction to most people who will probably read this blog, it seems like everyone has loved them at some point in their exploration of loud music.

In my experience I saw a lot of people begin to ignore them when the original vocalist, Scott Wade, decided to leave the band in 2006. Since then, the vocal duties were taken over by then guitar player Andrew Neufeld, former vocalist of Figure Four. Not a lot of people were very happy with this change, though I never saw much of a difference between them when the first album with Neufeld on vocals was released in 2007, 'Broadcasting', and I found it to be quite the enjoyable album as a whole.

Much like I said with Between The Buried and Me's live DVD, this is definitely a release for the fans. The DVD portion of the release contains a bunch of stuff that people who have followed the band for awhile will appreciate. There is an hour long documentry tackling the history of the band, and then their is a live set filmed in Lepzig, Germany with an accompaning CD of just the audio from that recording.

The problem with this release as compared to BTBAM's is that you quickly realize that the energy of a hardcore show doesn't translate well into live audio format. Typically, hardcore bands are not that concerned with hitting every note perfectly every show, and when you're there, that is certaintly excusable because the energy of a show like that definetely makes up for those losses.

Comeback Kid definitely falls into that generalization. There is a lot of sloppy music on here and when listening to it without the video it just seems to bounce between really good and 'what the hell?'. The video portion is pretty good just because Comeback Kid shows tend to be intense from start to finish, and this 17 song set is just about every song that any Comeback Kid wants to hear.

Some minor irks I have, I don't really like Neufeld's improvization in some songs, and for the most part he doesn't even attempt to try sounding like the records, it's screaming almost the whole time, when on the proper records screaming is used minimally as emphasis not as a majority.

As with most other live albums, this is for Comeback Kid fans, and those who enjoy the band will certaintly want to check this out in some capacity.

Comeback Kid on MySpace
Victory Records
Comeback Kid : Victory Records Webstore
Amazon

Dead To Fall - Are You Serious?

(A part of a series of posts that will look back on 2008 albums that were well before NoiseBlog's birth)

Early 2008 saw the demise of one of the most celebrated and loved metalcore bands of the decade (feels weird being able to use that term to describe a band that I have enjoyed for a long time), Dead To Fall was a centerpiece to the metalcore explosion that took the early parts of the 2000's by storm. They never reached the heights of bands like As I Lay Dying, or Atreyu, but their appeal was hardly ever questioned in the whole of their existence.

They were a metalcore band with death metal tendencies birthed by kids with a hardcore mentality. Dead To Fall's sound was heavily influenced by the Gothenburg stylings of bands like At The Gates and In Flames with a hardcore flair and love for breakdowns. That was the Dead To Fall formula for many years.

2006's 'The Pheonix Throne' showed a stylistic change that reflected more a concern about song structure and crafting more abstract songs. This was due mostly to a large personel change within the band. The album was met with some opposition, but for the most part, it continued to expand the bands audience.

'Are You Serious?' illustrates another dramatic change in style that led to a 'rallying of the base' until the bands eventual demise. 'Are You Serious?' was for the most part a commentary on the stagnation of the metalcore scene, and a criticism of the things that many people have found bothersome for a long while. This is illustrated none better than by the first 'song' on the album 'Stupid?', which is a comical take on the process of writing a metalcore hit, ending with the chant of 'End this song with a fucking breakdown!'.

That is the basic idea of this record. They are stepping outside of the status quo of metalcore and making a fun record rather than something is serious and 'badass' sounding. While the lyrical content of the record was pretty lighthearted and fun, the music on the album is probably some of the best Dead To Fall produced as a band. There is a lot of imagination in the record and while some of it holds true to their metalcore roots, a vast majority of the record is very experimental in it's nature, and it's fantastic. They slow it down for the most part and really paint a vidid picture with the music.

This record came out a very shortwhile before their breakup in April and it's unfortunate because it is probably the most imaginative solid record they ever put out.

Dead To Fall on MySpace
Victory Records
Dead To Fall merch

Weekly Roundup

Bits
- This Is Hell interviewed on Maximum Threshold Radio last Saturday [link]
- Deathwish Inc. has released a free Fall sampler w/ 21 bands [link]
- Shipwreck AD posted a great tour diary from Europe/South Africa [link]


Touring
- Trap Them touring all over throughout the end of '08 - [dates]
- Crime In Stereo is touring the west with Polar Bear Club in October [dates]
- This Is Hell is touring the US with Four Year Strong, IATA and AL4W [dates]
- Energy is touring US in Oct before Nov tour with H20 and Bane [dates]
- Trash Talk and Alpha&Omega are touring in Oct. and Nov. [dates]
- Blacklisted, Have Heart and Ceremony tour US Oct. - Nov. [dates]

Upcoming Releases
- Beneath The Massacre "Dystopia" 10/28 [pre-order]
- This Is Hell/Nightmare Of You split 7" early Nov [pre-order]
- Trap Them "Seizures In Barren Praise" 11/11 [pre-order]
- Carpathian "Isolation" 11/11 [pre-order]

This Is Hell/Nightmare Of You Split 7"

This is an interesting project. This Is Hell is a melodic hardcore band from Long Island, New York... Nightmare of You is a pop/indie project from the same area. It is quite a contrast of music styles, but it begins to make sense when you realize that the front men of both bands are brothers. Travis Reilly fronts This Is Hell and his older brother of The Movielife fame, Brandon Reilly runs the Nightmare of You show.

The difference of styles is really interesting when listening to it.

The first half of this split is This Is Hell and it is as fast and furious as anything they have ever released. Their contribution are two unreleased tracks that were recorded during the recording of 'Misfortunes', which came out earlier this year. They sound very much like they were written in that same time frame, though it is obvious why they were not included with the rest of that record. They don't exactly sound like they fit in with that group of songs, they are great as stand alone tracks though. 'Cement Shoes' could be one of my favorite songs that This Is Hell has ever recorded, and 'Built Upon Grief' is an intense blast of hardcore with some melodic bits that are fantastic and it was a lot more than I was expecting with this release.

Nightmare Of You's half of the split is a little more difficult for me to nail down as I am pretty unfamiliar with the band in general. My experience with their previous material is pretty minimal, but I really enjoy what I hear here. It's a dark indie type of music that reminds me of England for some reason, like if the Beatles were moved forward in time to this point in music, their tunes would sound a lot like this. The first track, 'Dopesick Couples' is an acoustic track which is quite the contrast from the This Is Hell portion. 'You Don't Have To Tell Me' finishes off the split with an ambient indy rock ballad with some neat electonic stuff in it that is a pretty nice accompaniment to the rest of the music.

Bottom line, if you like either of these bands, you probably want this, and if you don't you should probably check out the bands anyway.

This Is Hell on Myspace
Nightmare Of You on Myspace
Run For Cover Records
Pre-Order [Early Nov. Release]

The Carrier - No Love Can Save Me

'No Love Can Save Me' is a quick, short look into what is to come from the Boston area hardcore band, The Carrier. 'No Love Can Save Me' is a 3 song successor to their first full-length, 'One Year Later' put out on Rock Vegas. This is The Carrier's first release on Deathwish Inc. and a potential prelude to come.

The Carrier is one of the many bands that is on the passionate melodic hardcore kick that many bands are finding suitable right now. It seems that you are either heavy, fast and violent, or you're a melodic sound wave of aggression right now in hardcore, and that is where we are.

The Carrier has the advantage of having chosen this style before some other bands have adapted it to their own, and anyone who has heard 'One Year Later' can expect what is on this EP. It is slow, it is fast, it's always passionate and sometimes epic sounding. The Carrier is a band that obviously wants their lyrics and message heard. The instrumentation often feels like an emphasis to the lyrics rather than the vocals feeling like an after thought like many bands of the genre. A welcome breath of fresh air into a genre full of stagnation.

There is not a lot of content on this EP, but what is there is pretty decent. The last track in particular sticks out, 'Epilogue: Forgivness' is a track packed with a very powerful ending that can surmise the feeling that you get from the tone of The Carrier's music... 'Forgive me destiny, this world has fucking destroyed me/this world has ruined your plans for me'. It is a hopelessness that isn't damning. It is not music that is wanting to drag you down with it, it's an anthem that is pushing you to overcome.

'No Love Can Save Me' is a powerful inbetween step for The Carrier and worthy your curiosity. Check it out.

The Carrier on MySpace
Deathwish Inc.
The Carrier : Deathwish Inc. Estore

Between The Buried and Me - Colors_Live

Last year Between The Buried and Me released one of the finest metal albums to be released in a long time. 'Colors' was a self described "65 minute opus of non stop pummeling beautiful music" and "adult contemporary progressive death metal" that was true to those words. The release was critically acclaimed and followed by an extensive tour in which they played 'Colors' in it's entirety, leading them towards the 'Progressive Nation Tour' with the powerhouses of modern progressive metal Dream Theater and Opeth.

Between The Buried and Me have made a large mark on the metal world since that time. They have been a relatively popular band in the metalcore world for a few years now, but the last year has really seen them take off with an audience that there music has not typically reached.

This summer it was announced that Between The Buried and Me would be recording a Live DVD/CD for 'Colors'. Fans were excited... This was a project for the fans. The fans will not be disappointed.

For the people who loved 'Colors'; this is THE version of 'Colors'. Anyone who has had the good fortune of witnessing this band play live knows that they are just fantastic. You would be hard pressed to find a band that has better musicianship and that can reproduce it this flawlessly live. Between The Buried and Me is not a band that relies on jumping around on stage to keep an audience captivated, they have a gift of writing music that grabs you, and when they play it live, you are never bored.

The DVD is absolutely beautiful. The camera work is smooth, the cuts are perfect and it is just engaging to watch. Granted, I have not watched a lot of professionally produced live music video, but I would gander a guess that this is some top notch work. Everything you want to see is shown exactly when you want to see it, and the camera work does an excellent job of accenting the music with it's choice of shots. There are some epic looking shots during some of the more emotionally grabbing pieces of music that are spectacular.

'Colors' is not the only thing on this DVD, there is a second set consisting of six older songs that do a great job of exemplifying where they have come from, 'Mordecai', 'Shevanel Cut A Flip', 'Backwards Marathon', 'Ad A Dglgmut', 'Aspirations' and a song that has become a staple of their live set, 'Selkies: The Endless Obsessoin'. It is a great gift to people who have been fans of the band for a long time. Other than the second set, there are a slew of bonuses that are worth checking out.

Basically, we have a stellar DVD of one of the finest albums written in recent memory. People who loved BTBAM and 'Colors' should defintely check it out. It is a release created specifically for the people whom have come to love, enjoy and support the band. People who do not like this band will not find much to persuade them here, but that's ok. Watching this DVD shows that BTBAM is one of the most sincere bands out there, and they have reached a very stable point in their careers as musicians. I cannot wait for what will come next.

Between The Buried and Me on MySpace
Victory Records
BTBAM : Victory Records Webstore
Amazon

Bishop - Drugs

Many kids are familiar with Bishop (Formerly xBishopx), and they seem like a band that you either love or hate. They put out their first full-length on Ferret Records in 2006 entitled 'Suicide Party' which was a hate filled, pounding, straight edge explosion full of breakdowns and lyrics that a lot of kids could really grab a hold of.

For the same reason that a lot of people like them, a lot of people don't. A lot of kids push them off as an ignorant tough guy band that only cares about how cr00sh the mosh gets. I think 'Drugs' is going to do a lot to challenge that perception of them (if those kids will even give it a fair shake).

It's obvious that in the time between 'Suicide Party' and 'Drugs' that Bishop (still straight edge) has really decided to take things in a more serious direction. 'Suicide Party' was over the top a lot of the time, and 'Drugs' isn't. The lyrics are not as inflammatory (but still loaded to the brim with hate and aggression) and for the most part, huge stereotypical breakdowns are gone. There are still tons of heavy moments on this album that those same kids will love, but there is a little more originality and maturity this time around.

That stands for the whole record. 'Suicide Party' could've been coined as cookie cutter to an extent and they have done a lot to alleviate that with 'Drugs'. There is a lot of variety on this album, every song tries to do something different and for the most part they succeed. I guess the sound of this album could be described as 'thrashier' than 'Suicide Party'. It certaintly has a different sound. Mean Pete still lives up to his name as being a mean sounding guy and his lyrics are still cutting and the intensity of 'Suicide Party' is still here, but to me, this just sounds like a more honest hardcore record.

I think that Bishop has a great oppurtunity here to expand their base of fans outside of just angry straight edge kids, and that many people who have wrote them off before will be surprised with this effort. From the fact that it's self-released (through Dead Truth Recordings) to just the new direction the music has taken, I hope you check it out.

Bishop on MySpace
Dead Truth Recordings
Bishop : Dead Truth Webstore

Beneath The Massacre - Dystopia

A little change of pace for the blog thusfar. Beneath The Massacre is a technical death metal/deathcore band from the great white north of Canada. I firmly hold the belief that their drummer is a robot. I also happen to think that they are a totally awesome band in a genre full of lackluster peers.

'Dystopia' is the follow up to their debut full length 'Mechanics of Dysfunction', which was released in early 2007 on Prosthetic Records. Beneath The Massacre is furiously fast technical death metal with huge breakdowns and deep, death metal standard, vocals.

I have been a fan of this band for awhile. They are not the most original band on the planet, but their music is tight and engaging. They don't get too bogged down with long repetetive songs, and they haven't succumbed to many of the gimmicks that other bands of the deathcore variety have.

'Dystopia' is much like most of their other material. Actually aside from the fact that the drums don't pound your brain into submission like on 'Mechanics', this album is essentially 'Mechanics 2'. The production in general seems more organic and less, well, mechanic and that definitely is a welcome change. 'Mechanics', to me, was just overwhelming with its sound. I couldn't get through the whole album many times even though I very much enjoyed it.

There isn't much that is unexpected for people who have listened to Beneath The Massacre in the past. They have re-recorded 'Never More' from their first EP 'Evidence of Inequity' which I'm sure some people will be excited about.

Overall, if you've ever listened to Beneath The Massacre, you already know how you feel about this album. If you're a fan, check it out, if not, you'll probably want to skip it.

Beneath The Massacre on MySpace
Prothetic Records
Pre-Order [Releases on Oct. 28th]

Energy - Invasions Of The Mind

Energy is a band that's been garnering a lot of discussion recently. They just signed a deal with Bridge 9 in May after touring their debut EP "Punch The Clock" for over a year. The band has made it's mark as a blend of hardcore and punk that is very reminiscent to what AFI sounded like before they were on TV.

After releasing an EP a little while ago, Energy has now released their first full-length and first full release as a part of the Bridge 9 roster. "Invasions Of The Mind" is roughly a half hour of sing along anthems and fast tunes.

Fans of Energy's older material will definitely feel at home with this release. They have not tried to change up their forumula yet. There are lots of 'whoooaaa oooh OOHs' and notes held for about a second longer than you would feel is neccesary. Energy fans have come to expect that, but for someone who was not a large fan of Energy before this album, it's not something that has completely sold me on their hype.

One of the big things in hardcore right now is to have an intense or ambient intro track to lead of your album with. For the most part only a few bands have done this very well (The Hope Conspiracy and Converge come to mind). The opening track of 'Invasions' is such a type of track, except that for the most part it is boring. It takes too long to get going and starts robbing the attention early.

Once the album gets going though, it is an enertaining listen. Tracks like "400" and "Contact" are songs that I feel really show Energy at their best. My problems with this album come from the long 'noise' or slow parts between some songs and the vocals grow tiresome to me after a short while. There is very little variation, what is a breath of fresh air early on, turns boring and grating later on.

I am not trying to knock the album though, this is a band that a lot of people like, and I think that people who liked their original EP will dig this, and I think that the overall sound is very accesable to a lot of people. The points of accesability may be the points that alienate some fans of hardcore and punk though.

Energy on MySpace
Bridge 9 Records
Energy : Bridge 9 Webstore
Amazon

Weekly Roundup

Bits
- Victims signed to Deathwish Inc. - [link] [music]
- Doomriders and Disfear will release a split 7" this fall - [link]
- Rise and Fall new material preview video - [link]

Touring
- Trap Them touring all over throughout the end of '08 - [dates]
- Crime In Stereo will tour the west with Polar Bear Club in October [dates]
- This Is Hell will tour the US with Four Year Strong, IATA and AL4W [dates]
- Energy will tour the US in Oct before Nov tour with H20 and Bane [dates]
- Trash Talk and Alpha&Omega will be touring in Oct. and Nov. [dates]
- Blacklisted, Have Heart and Ceremony tour US Oct. - Nov. [dates]

Upcoming Releases
- Between The Buried and Me "Colors Live" DVD/CD 10/14 [pre-order]
- Cruel Hand "Prying Eyes" 10/14 [pre-order]
- Trap Them "Seizures In Barren Praise" 11/11 [pre-order]
- Carpathian "Isolation" 11/11 [pre-order]

Barricade - Demons

Barricade is another band that was discovered on our chance outing to Nashville for a 3 day music excursion (reference to I Rise review). Barricade is a band that mostly stuck with us mostly because the band members resemblance to actual bears.

They are mean looking, they are hairy, and they are all large guys. Their bass player 'Pat Bastard' is also in a pirate metal band, and you don't cross pirates.

So to get down too it. Barricade is a mean sounding band. Their previous release "Be Heard" came out on Blackout Records in 2006 and it is chockful of negative, punishing hardcore. I won't say that is the best of albums... My listening experience with it was somewhat mixed. There were a few songs that I really liked a lot, and then the rest of the songs just felt like after thoughts.

Thankfully, their Eulogy Records follow up is nothing like that. It's still mean as hell, it's pissed and heavy, but the song writing this time around is much more solid. Barricade is not a band that is pushing the boundries of hardcore, but they are a band that fans of hardcore in the vein of Terror, First Blood, things of that nature.

While the whole of the album is very solid, I certaintly think that the first half is much stronger than the second. The first 3 tracks in particular are really good. 'Michelle' has an awesome anthem-esque sing a long at the end that I can imagine a lot of kids going nuts for. In general, I picture kids who like aggressive hardcore down with most of the heavy parts in this album, and I'm really excited to see these guys again just because I imagine the live show being good.

So 'Demons' isn't exactly the second coming of hardcore, but it's fun and angry, so I think it's worth checking out.

Barricade on MySpace
Eulogy Records
Barricade : Eulogy Webstore
Amazon

United Nations - Self-Titled

Following the hells of the Narrows discussion a post below this one, we have another super group of the hardcore and punk community. United Nations is Geoff Rickly of Thursday, Daryl Palumbo of of Glassjaw and Head Automatica. The rest of the group is only speculated, as they are all under contract for other record labels, so they cannot legally be promoted under the United Nations name. However, it is has been strongly hinted that Ben Koller of Converge fame is an acting member of the band.

This album is quite the ferocious debut. The album is fast and feirce with the occasional interlude of melody. Rickly, on guitar, and Palumbo are a deul vocal assault with Palumbo screaming and Rickly singing.

The music is a genre bender. The overwhelming feel is a noisey hardcore, but as above mentioned the melodies are reminiscent of Rickley's band, Thursday and the band is self described as grindcore. The style's are quite the contrast, but they fit together very well in the overall scheme of the songs. The lyrics, as to be expected, ride a political edge, with a message of anti-media and other 'liberal' ideas (not critisicm).

For the most part this is a solid album, there are a few songs that stand above the rest, when I listen to it, but nothing really gets lost. "No Sympathy For A Sinking Ship", "The Shape of Punk That Never Came", "Filmed In Front Of A Live Studio Audience" and the album closer "Say Goodbye to General Figment of the USS Imagination", which ends with a really great jazzy sounding piece, are the standouts on the album. I think these albums stand above the rest because they are the songs that really stick out, they don't sound like anything else on the album.

Overall this is a really great debut, and while the band hardly needs promotion after the MySpace explosion they saw when they first released this album, I think anyone who is a fan of loud music should check it out. They have a 7" coming out on Deathwish Inc. later this year, and I am very excited for it.

United Naitons on Myspace
Eyeball Records
United Nations : Eyeball Records Webstore
Amazon

The Banner - Frailty

Here is a band that I had never listened to before about a month or two ago. I admit I had wrote them off for being on Ferret Records which I had long ago wrote off as a label more interested in the next big thing than promoting sincere, quality bands (although I always have and always will love Every Time I Die). I became interested in this band after seeing them being related to or friendly with a lot of other bands that I tend to enjoy.

To somewhat ease my guilt of supporting Ferret Records, The Banner is a Holy Terror artist. Holy Terror is a collective of awesome artists such as Living Hell, Integrity, Rot In Hell, Ringworm and a slew of other awesome artists.

That brings us to 'Frailty'. First off, this album is one of the heaviest releases of the year in my opinion. Every piece of music on this album just sounds absolutely crushing. The guitars are very down tuned (this is apparently a new change for them), the drums are powerful, and the mix is an audio onslaught that I can't just help but love. The band hasn't quite graduated from genre canon breakdowns, but they don't sound played out in this release, they are probably one of the few bands left in this genre that these don't sound boring and it just keeps this already heavy album even heavier.

Secondly, as one could imagine seeing the association to Holy Terror and that collective, this is an evil sounding album. The riffs just ooze a feeling of horror. The lyrics are unrelentingly dark, bouncing between just plain stupid, to some really awesome collections of words and ideas. To be straight, this is a metalcore album, but it is a breed of metalcore that I think many fans of hardcore can easily get into. It's metal tinged hardcore if anything, and it is a powerful album.

It all works together as a whole, there are no cringe worthy tracks or any reasons to skip around, save perhaps for the little too long noise intro to "The Wolf" after the excellent "Welcome Fuckers" opening track (a dischordant folk guitar track that sets the mood of the album). 'Frailty' is an epic that delves deep into the dark side that everyone has in themselves, and I find it hard not to get pumped up every time I listen to this album.

The Banner have crafted one of the heaviest, most solid albums of 2008 in 'Frailty' and I encourage anyone who may have an interest in this style of music to check them out.

The Banner on MySpace
Ferret Records
The Banner : Ferret Records Webstore
Amazon

Narrows - Self-Titled 7"

Narrows is a band that any person who knows much about the hardcore scene can find a reason to be excited about. It is a hardcore supergroup composed of people from bands that are highly respected in the hardcore and metal scenes. Dave Verellen of Botch fame on vocals, Rob Moran of Unbroken and Some Girls, and Ryan Frederiksen from These Arms Are Snakes. These men are joined by Jodie Cox and Sam Stothers to round out the lineup.

It is easy to see why this band has gotten quite a bit of hype in their reletivly short existence. If you're familiar with the above mentioned bands, you can surely form a mental idea of what this EP might sound like.

The first observation I can make about this disc is that there is an overwhelming Botch resemblence. Overwhelming might be the wrong word because it sounds negative, it's not really. Verellen's vocals certainly grab someone who is familiar with Botch, and a lot of the chaotic guitars certainly don't fight that, but Narrows is not Botch II. There is very little in the way of crazy time signatures, and constant barages of dischordant riffing in this music, it is hardcore with a smattering of Botch chaos and Some Girls noise. It is a nice step in a different direction than what a lot of bands are putting out right now.

I really like it. It is only three songs long, but it definitely has me eager to see what will come with their full-length later this year on Deathwish Inc. I really suggest that if you like any of the projects that the members of this band were involved with in the past, that you check out this band. Or if you're just looking for something new or different to add to your music collection.

Narrows on MySpace
Deathwish Inc.
Narrows @ Deathwish Inc. estore
Amazon

Weekly Roundup

Here's a bunch of news snippets from recent music news. (This will become more fleshed out once I get a better idea of how I want to do it.)

Recording Notes
- The Hope Conspiracy is recording a new EP with Kurt Ballou @ God City Studios [link]
- Rise and Fall will enter God City Studios early in 2009 to record a new album [link]
- Poison The Well has announced 3 7" releases to preceed their new album in 2009 [link]

Tours
- Crime In Stereo will tour the west with Polar Bear Club in October [dates]
- This Is Hell will tour the US with Four Year Strong, I Am The Avalanche and A Loss For Words [dates]
- Energy will tour the US in October before hopping on tour with H20 and Bane in November [dates]
- Trash Talk and Alpha&Omega will be touring in Oct. and Nov. [dates]

Releases
- Crime In Stereo - Selective Wreckage [buy]
- Energy - Invasions of the Mind [buy]
- Ruiner - I Heard These Dudes Are Assholes [buy]
- Terror - Forever Crossing The Line [buy]

Upcoming Releases
- Trap Them - Seizures [pre-order]
- Carparthian - Isolation [pre-order]
- Between The Buried and Me - Colors_Live DVD/CD [pre-order]

As I said, this will be more organized and encompassing as I get better at this.

I Rise - For Redemption

I Rise is one of the most exciting young bands in hardcore right now. Coming from the hardcore breeding ground of Massachusetts, I Rise is a name that is quickly becoming recognizable to a lot more people in the hardcore scene. They have been touring their debut EP "Down" off 1917 Records non-stop since 2007 and have gained notoriety for their thoughtful lyrics and unique sound in modern hardcore. I Rise has a lot less in common with bands like Reign Supreme and Trash Talk, but a sound that harkens back to bands like 108 and even Rage Against The Machine.

The first time I saw I Rise was at a show in Nashville, Tennessee at an awesome venue called The Muse as a part of a 3 day bonanza of awesome shows that might have well been a festival. Some friends and I had driven the 9 hours down to Nashville for the first of those shows which was headlined by Have Heart and Down To Nothing and I Rise was hidden right in the middle of that 8 or 9 band lineup that night, and were an awesome surprise. That night I picked up "Down" at their merch table and have been a fan ever since.

So now, months after that, the debut LP "For Redemption" has arrived and it is a great album.

Immedietly someone familiar with the band can tell that it is I Rise, but at the same time it is evident that they have taken the effort to write a new record and not "Down" with more tracks. They are not trying to re-imagine the band, but they are just making a stand alone record. The lyrics are still fantastic, and the music is a little harder hitting and at the sametime there is a little more variety in this offering.

There are a few standout tracks on the album, "Status Call", "The Door" and "See No Evil" (feat. Aaron Bedard of Bane fame) come to mind immedietly. That is not to say the rest of the album is a slouch however, because that is simply not true. If I Rise haven't crafted one of the best albums of the year, they have at least crafted the most solid. In my hours and hours of listening to this album, I have yet to skip a track because I was bored of it, and I think that is proof enough for that assertion.

Do yourself a favor and check out I Rise on 1917 Records. One of my most favorite albums of 2008 so far.

I Rise on MySpace
1917 Records
I Rise : 1917 Webstore
Amazon

Welcome!

This is the beginning of hopefully something that I can keep going consistently. This is Noise Blog, where I'll cover interesting events going on in the arena of aggressive, loud music. A non-elitest look at what's going on in the music scene today, and a place to hopefully discover new bands or learn more about bands you may already be a fan of.

I am going to try posting daily in this, we'll see how long that lasts, but I hope to keep it regularly updated.

Find out more about ME through my other various social networking claims.
http://myspace.com/theepicoftyler
http://twitter.com/threexs
http://tylerjacobs.deviantart.com