Radiohead - King of Limbs

Based off my twitter feed I knew that Radiohead’s new album was brilliant…. Or terribly boring. And after giving the record several spins I have to lean towards boring. In Rainbows was so good and left such a huge impression that King of Limbs couldn’t really live up to being that good.

Coming off two solid alternative albums, Radiohead has gone back to their more electronic sound on King of Limbs. The songs are bad and the album is really warm. But there’s a repetitive nature to the songs that starts to drone on.

The perfect example is the album’s opening track, Bloom. The track is only just over minutes long but feels like it goes on for eight or ten. I found myself looking at iTunes more then once listen through the album to see what track I was on, only to discover it was still track one.

Morning Mr. Magpie and Little by Little are my favorite two tracks. Both have interesting little guitar riffs and have enough movement and change for me. But overall, all the tracks are too similar to each other and if you’re not deconstructing and breaking down each track, giving a real critical listen, you’ll get bored.

King of Limbs isn’t a bad record; it’s just not that interesting a listen. Music nerds and Radiohead fans will find something to love but after several listens, it still doesn’t grab my attention.

The Meltdown 22

New music from Darkest Hour and Mogwai. As well as tracks from Blindside, Living Sacrifice, Lovelite, and the Letter Black.

Wolves at the Gate - We Are the Ones

There's been a lot of hype for Wolves at the Gate over the last 2 months and so I decided to check out their new ep, We Are the Ones. And I'm not sure I buy the hype.

My first thought is a general statement on music altogether. I'm a little tired of intro tracks in metal genres. It's not offensive and most of them are fine pieces of music. But almost always the intro track adds nothing to the album and isn't relevant to anything that happens after.

We Are the Ones starts off with such an instrumental intro (also the title track) that is just a drone and a voiceover. It's fine but again, doesn't do enough to make it a viable start to the album.

The rest of We Are the Ones is your average modern post hardcore record (think To Speak of Wolves). It's never super heavy or technical and it's never super catchy or memorable. Heralds is the best song on the album. It's the most poppy and accessible track on the record, which makes it the most memorable song. The album closer, Oh the Depths is a solid song that reminds me a lot of Underoath's latest album.

We Are the Ones isn't the most original album you'll hear all year but it's a solid released with some nice songs. Wolves at the Gate deserves to be signed and people should check this ep out.

Darkest Hour - Human Romance

Being from the Washington DC Metropolitan area it should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan of Darkest Hour. I spent a lot of time at the Otto Bar in Baltimore seeing Darkest Hour live. Every one of their records is solid. So I was excited to pick up Human Romance, the bands first on new label E1.

Human Romance doesn't disappoint. Darkest Hour play metalcore as metalcore was meant to be played. Human Romance is heavy. There are no breakdown and no clean vocals.

The guitar solos are clean and well placed. The songs are never one tracked and each track enough sonic changes that the album is enjoyable to listen to. Human Romance avoids being a modern metalcore record where breakdown after breakdown and formulaic screamed verse, clean sung chorus, screamed verse becomes tiresome and boring after a couple of tracks. There aren't guitar solos on every track so the solos that happened are enjoyable. The guitar work overall is very clean, each riff and lead line lending itself to the song.

Human Romance is an album that will translate well live. Te songs move in such a way that will get crowds going as mosh pits turn into circle pits and then everyone stops moshing to scream along.

If you're a long time fan of Darkest Hour, like me, you'll have no problem enjoying this record. If you haven't listened to Darkest Hour this album isn't a bad one to pick up. Fans of As I Lay Dying and Haste the Day will love this album. Human Romance hits on every level. A great metalcore album in a genre full of stale bands.

Goodbye Top 10

So I'm making a couple site changes. First, I'm cutting the Tuesday top 10. It was fun while it lasted but it's a pain to keep coming up with top 10 lists and I honestly don't have the time to devote to researching and coming up with cool lists. Occasional lists will pop up but no more weekly top 10.

In replace of the Top 10 I am going to start running a weekly spotlight on bands/labels new and old for you to check out. So be on the lookout for that.

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

I’ve been trying to put words to how I feel about Mogwai’s Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. And I’m having a hard time. The record is awesome and at the same time not as awesome as I was hoping. The Hawk is Howling was a great record and I was hoping Mogwai would continue in that vain. And while Hard Will Never Die has some of the elements that were great on The Hawk is Howling, it’s a step in a different direction.

Hardcore Will Never Die is the simplest Mogwai album to do. The songs are overly complex; instead most keep to a simple melody line. The songs are some of the most beautiful songs the band has written ever. Mexican Grad Prix is a fun track, with a catchy synth line, and a vocal line that reminds me of Air. Rano Pano, San Pedro, and George Square Thatcher Death Party are all kill post rock tracks; the best songs on the album.

My issue with the record is because all the songs repeat patterns and riffs, you tend to feel like you’ve been listening to the same song forever. The songs don’t sound the same, but if you’re not paying attention, you’ll check and make sure your music player isn’t on repeat.

Over all Mogwai have produced another outstanding record. A great post rock album that should be enjoyed.

Stryper - The Covering

One of the first posts on this blog was a live stream of consciousness piece of my thoughts on the, at the time, new Stryper record, Murder by Pride. I didn’t really have nice things to say about the album.

So Stryper is back with the Covering, an album of cover songs that influenced the band in their early days. An album full of 70’s and 80’s hard rock/metal songs is right up Stryper’s ally and it’s a return to form for the band and I say good job.

The hard rock/nu metal influenced Stryper wasn’t really a band I was digging. So a return to the 80’s glam metal sound is a great move in my mind.

While not every song is a favorite of mine (Carry on Wayward Son) the album is full of great covers and no track strays far from the original. The best track on the album is the cover of the Black Sabbath classic Heaven and Hell. Oz Fox really makes the guitar solos on the track his own and he shreds. I’ve always loved Breaking the Law and hearing Stryper do it is awesome. There’s nothing new to the song but the cover is solid.

The lone original song on the album, God, is actually a good song and the best song Stryper has written in 11 years. It’s a return to 80’s metal and not the band trying to produce hard rock songs for the radio like they did on Murder by Pride.

If you are looking for a new spin on classic songs, this isn’t the record for you. Stryper stays very true to the original on all the songs. Yes, you can just download God on iTunes (and you should if you don’t want the covers). But it’s a solid album and Stryper fans will love this album. If nothing else, the Covering shows just how awesome a guitarist Oz Fox is.

The Meltdown 21

New music from The Famine, Overcome, Cold War Kids, Ace Augustine, and DJ Will

Fix: The name of the new DJ Will ep is Heart Seeker. Not Heat Seeker.

Fix 2: I really wasn't paying attention yesterday. Call to Preserve's Hope for the Fallen is from the record From Isolation, not Unsinkable.

The Famine - The Architects of Guilt

Can I admit something? I wasn't a huge fan of The Raven and the Reaping. As an old school fan I was really hoping that the Famine (whom featured 3 members of Embodyment) would be releasing Embrace the Eternal part 2 and the Raven and the Reaping had no chance at pleasing me.

Exit Kris McCaddon; enter Nick Nowell and the Famine's new record The Architects of Guilt.

The Architects of Guilt is brutal. Not only in sound but also in lyrical content. While I don't find the artwork as disturbing or evil as most people (and I guess the bands point about cultural desensitization lives on in me) the artwork does reveal what you're getting into when you listen to this album.

The New Hell kicks the album off and sets the tone for the listener that this is a new direction then The Raven and the Reaping. The speed is gone. Well not gone, but lessened. Ad Mortem musically has elements that are similar to songs from The Raven and the Reaping.

On the production side, Architects of Guilt is more to my liking. While the drums are still sampled, the machine gun style drumming that plagued the Raven and the Reaping is gone and that's fine with me. While the album might not appear to be more technical but slowing the songs down, it gives both drummer Mark Garza and guitarist Andrew Godwin more range to show their skills.

The constant speed is replaced with more technical drumming. The guitar solos have a lot more range on this record. While there still isn't really an emphasis on bass, Jonny Richardson does bring more in the low-end department then was featured on the bands debut.

My minor issue is with vocalist Nick Nowell. His lows growls are fantastic and he has more range then McCaddon had. But his overall vocal sound is at times unpleasant for me to listen to. It's not a hindrance to the record and doesn't ruin anything. It's just my minor issue.

Overall the Architects of Guilt is a fantastic record. Every song is hard hitting and this is the darkest christian record I've heard in a long time. Nowell's lyrics don't pull any punches as he uses his platform to speak against issues in the church that bug him. He doesn't pull punches.

If you like technical death metal this is an album to pick up. If you weren't super into the Famine's debut I recommend giving the Architects of Guilt a listen. It's a great step in the right direction. Is it deserving of the perfects scores I've seen... It's really close. A must have for metal fans.

Top 10 Most Influential Albums

I'm going personal with this weeks top ten and giving you the most influential albums in my life. These aren't my favorite albums but the ones that impacted me the most.

10. Steve Reich – Music for 18 Musicians

Music for 18 Musicians really changed what I thought about music. Discovering this album at 21 at a profound impact on how I wrote, record, and listened to music. It’s so simple but it’s always beautiful and never boring. The simplicity of small changes to a simple melody line played for an hour really blew my mind. Everything I’ve done musically in the last 5 years has come out of hearing Music for 18 Musicians.

9. Jesse and the Rockers – T.I.N.

Jesse and the Rockers was my first punk rock love. T.I.N. was a record the catapulted me into punk rock and skateboarding.

8. Brainwashed Projects – The Rise and Fall

It’s not a well known fact but I love hip-hop. Brainwashed Projects wasn’t the first hip-hop album I loved and they weren’t my favorite hip-hop group (although Pigeon John would later become my favorite) but The Rise and Fall was an album that I really dove into. I could listen to it for hours on end, dissecting the beats, the rhymes, everything about that album. It fueled my love for hip-hop.

7. Joy Electric – The White Songbook

I was already a Joy Electric fan when The White Songbook was released. I enjoyed the upbeat, sugary sythpop that Ronnie Martin was putting out. But The White Songbook was different. There was a shift in the music styling of Joy Electric and my perspective on music and in particular the science of analog synthesizers. The White Songbook was another level of musicianship and song crafting. It was Ronnie’s peak performance.

6. Zao – Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest

Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest was the album where I became a full fledged hardcore/metal fan.

5. Brian Eno – Music for Airports

Music for Airports was my intro to ambient music and an introduction to a new musical world. Echo Broke Alone was born out of Music for Airports.

4. Rod Laver – Trying Not To Try

Trying Not to Try is still one of my favorite records to listen to. Yes, it’s “rapcore” but it had a huge impact on my life. The album is full of fantastic groves, and Rudy’s rhymes are nice. The album has a killer hip-hop feel and Trying Not to Try was the album that got me interested in rap music. Also, Joey Marchiano’s drumming on the album was and continues to be a huge influence in my playing.

3. Starflyer 59 – The Fashion Focus

Before the Fashion Focus I was a rock guy. Be it metal, punk, hardcore, alternative, or whatever, if it didn’t have loud electric guitars and banging drums I wasn’t interested. Even the first 3 Starflyer 59 record had huge guitar sounds. But the Fashion Focus introduced me to good pop music. It was a turning in my musical history (one that would see me abandon all heavy music for a period of time).

2. P.O.D. – Brown

Brown was my gateway drug into hardcore and heavy metal. The first time I heard Selah, I loved it. It was new to me. P.O.D. was a big deal in the Christian metal/hardcore scene and even though they’ve been reduced to a mainstream rapcore fad, back in the mid to late 90’s P.O.D. was a huge deal in the Christian underground scene.

1. The OC Supertones – Adventures of the OC Supertones

When I first heard Adonai, I was instantly a fan of the Supertones and the reason why this record is the number most influential record in my life is this was the album and band that really started my obsession with music. The Supertones got me to Tooth and Nail records and got me watching G-Rock, which led to punk rock and hardcore and metal and indie rock and spending days on end searching the internet for new bands and new albums. At the age of 12 my life was changed by this album.

Hawk Nelson - Crazy Love

Hawk Nelson has been a busy band since hitting the scene. Crazy Love is the band’s 5th album in 7 years. But their quantity hasn’t always meant quality. Yes, Hawk Nelson has released songs that I enjoy and albums that are nice albums to listen to, I’m never blown away by. Crazy Love is much of the same.

Having given the record several spins, on various listens I have different opinions. My first listen through I enjoyed the record. But late into the day yesterday I found myself bored and not into Crazy Love like I had been earlier. This morning the album has hit me as both good and underwhelming.

On the one hand Hawk Nelson has recorded their two best songs yet for this album. Your Love is a Mystery and Crazy Love are really catchy songs with great keyboard lines and both are a nice new spin on Hawk Nelson’s sound. There are a couple of nice songs (Skeleton, One Shot) the rest of the album just doesn’t work for me.

Tally-Ho feels like a forced short pop punk song, like something that’s expected from the band. LAX is Hawk Nelson’s attempt at hardcore and it’s a tragic song. Somebody at Tooth and Nail should have stopped this from being on the record. The emo/punk songs become tiresome and the slower heartfelt songs never grabbed my attention.

A few nice moments but a lot of Crazy Love just misses. Hawk Nelson’s brand of emo/pop punk just doesn’t work for me. When they brand out do something different (Love is a Mystery and Crazy Love) it works out great. But too much of Crazy Love is what we’ve already heard from the band.

Red - Until We Have Faces

The hard rock/radio rock genre is a tough one for me. 75% of the genre is just some form of rehashed Pearl Jam songs and it’s terrible. And this is where I put Red. A band that was fine for the style of music they played but nothing I was into.

So I expected to like a song or two on Red’s latest, Until We Have Faces, but overall I figured I wouldn’t like this record. And while Red isn’t a very technical band or aren’t the heaviest act to ever grace the scene, they do what’s important. They write killer rock songs.

Until We Have Faces works because it’s an enjoyable listen and the songs are all good. 12 songs and each one is just as good as the last. There’s no filler.

The album kicks off with Feed the Machine, which has an almost standard nu-metal guitar riff, but it gets your head bobbing. The albums first single, Faceless (which the band absolutely murdered when they rocked it on Conan), is another catchy, hard-hitting rock song. Let It Burn, Not Alone, and Best Is Yet to Come are all killer ballads. The title track, Until We Have Faces, has a needlessly long intro and the song itself is on the short side but the track is a nice heavy outro to a killer record.

Whether it’s a balls to the wall rock song or a low key ballad, Until We Have Faces delivers on every level. It’s the first surprise record of the year. Red has created a start to finish great album. I highly recommend giving this one a spin.

And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Tao of the Dead

The last time I picked up a Trail of Dead album was 2002’s Source Tags & Codes. So I wasn’t sure what to expect with the band’s latest, Tao of the Dead.

Gone is the chaotic sound that Trail of Dead once had but not the nature. Tao of the Dead is a beautiful rock album. Introduction: Let Us Experiment is a crescendoing piece that moves into Pure Radio Cosplay, a driving rock song which ends with a reprise of this beautiful circus keyboard riff from Introduction.

Tao of Dead is both beautiful and an odd circus. Summer of All Dead Souls is another beautiful rock song and then Cover the Days Like a Tidal Wave is an odd narrative that meshes into more circus keyboard riffs. Fall of the Empire is sounds like it could’ve been a softer b-side from Mastodon’s Crack the Skye.

And while each song has its own feel the album isn’t disjointed or difficult to listen to. The flow of the album is smooth and is a real easy listen. When the keyboard comes in on Pure Radio Cosplay Reprise, it’s refreshing and familiar.

While the album’s final track, Strange News From Another Planet (5 tracks combined into one) is a little long winded, the album overall feels very short and I found myself instantly hitting play again when the play album was finished playing.

Having only ever listened to one Trail of Dead record before it makes it easier to say this is my favorite. Concept records can be tricky but Tao of the Dead is an excellent album start to finish.

The Meltdown 1.20

Past and Present show featuring classic and new music from Switchfoot, MxPx, Zao, P.O.D., Skillet, and more. Plus brand new music from Echo Broke Alone

Top 10 Favorite Reunions

It's been a big couple of years for band reuniting. In honor of Overcome's reunion album here are my top 10 favorite.

10. The OC Supertones

The Supertones were the band from my youth that really started my complete obsession with music. They announced a handful of shows in 2010 and I was super excited to go and relive the Supertones one last time. While prior commitments kept me from seeing the band, I was still jacked up for the shows.

9. Overcome

Overcome was a band that I was excited for the reunion although a little disappointed that Jason Stinson wouldn't be the bands vocalist. Although having heard the new album, this is a great reunion.

8. Focused

Focused was another of the original SFHC bands that I was excited about. Too bad they've only played on the west coast..

7. Unashamed

Unashamed was my favorite of the old school Tooth and Nail hardcore bands and I was excited to hear the announcement of their reunion. Their twitter and facebook pages have been silent lately.

6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor

I just bought my tickets to see GY!BE in DC and I'm excited. I saw them at 930 Club on their final tour and I'm super excited to see them on their reunion tour.

5. Bleach

Bleach is band that I have found memories of. Just great alternative rock and any new music or shows from them is awesome.

4. The Juliana Theory

The Juliana Theory were a band that I never actually got to see live while they were around the first go around, so when they announced a handful of shows in honor of the 10th year anniversary of Emotion is Dead I knew I had to see them. Philly wasn't too far and it was totally worth it.

3. Sunny Day Real Estate

I was actually fortunate enough to see SDRE live before they broke up but getting to see them at 930 Club with the original line up playing songs from their first two albums... Awesome!

2. Further Seems Forever

I went a little super girly emo when I heard that Further Seems Forever was reuniting with Chris Carrabba on vocals. The Moon is Down is one of my favorite albums.

1. My Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine announced 2 shows in New York and when tickets went on sale, I bought one. Drove up to New York the night of the show and drove back when the show was done. Seeing My Bloody Valentine was awesome and a dream come true. I wish they would play more US shows.

Overcome - The Great Campaign of Sabotage

So before I got to listen to Overcome’s return album, the Great Campaign of Sabotage, I read some other reviews of the album. And I was shocked at some of the reviews I’ve read. I’ve read a lot of negativity towards one of the godfather bands of the spirit fill hardcore genre. To be fair, I’ve been a fan of Overcome since When Beauty Dies was released in 97 and so maybe blind love for old school hardcore is clouding my vision.

So from the reviews I’ve read there have been two main points of negativity. The first is that the production on the album is bad. By bad production I’m assuming people are talking about the drums. Note to young hardcore/metal fans, that’s what real recorded drums sound like. While by modern comparisons the drums sound abrasive and raw, it helps keep Great Campaign of Sabotage sounding like an Overcome record. It sets them apart.

The other complaint I’ve read about the vocals. Apparently new vocalist Thomas Washington is too much of a one trick pony for the modern metal fan. I didn’t realize that not have a super dynamic range in hardcore was something that hurt the quality of an album. But again, this might be something I don’t mind because of my love for old school hardcore.

As for the record… I love it! The Great Campaign of Sabotage is the type of album that contributed to my love of hardcore and metal in the first place and it’s nothing that I dislike about modern metal.

Right out of the gate, The Great Campaign of Sabotage is more metal then I was expecting, although Jason Stinson said this album would please both Overcome and Indwelling fans (Stinson’s death metal band after Overcome broke up). While the solos aren’t the most technical, the mesh into each song uniquely, not always fitting in a space or time that seems like it sound work, but each one finds its way to make the songs come alive. And as far as the one pitch vocals through the entire album… I don’t understand that complaint. While Washington’s vocals don’t have a lot of dynamic range he does find a way to mix hardcore screams and death metal growls.

Musically Overcome hasn’t changed a whole lot since Immortal Until Their Work is Done. While there are more metal elements on the Great Campaign of Sabotage, the album has an extremely old school vibe to it, and from that angle I can see why younger metal fans might not like this record. There are no breakdowns, there are no clean singing vocals, the songs don’t follow a verse/chorus/verse progression, the solos are true death metal style solos, the drum tracks are the real recorded drums and not triggered samples.

The Great Campaign of Sabotage is a great record. It’s the first album of the year that has potential to be a favorite of 2011. As an old school hardcore fan who is constantly bitching about the state of modern metalcore, Overcome has delivered a record I instantly connect with and instantly love. Well some fans might be turned off, old school fans should love this record and Overcome fans will not be disappointed.

Cold War Kids - Mine is Yours

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with the Cold War Kids. Well… I guess I should say love/don’t get relationship.

The latest from the Cold War Kids, Mine is Yours, is the same old grab bag that I’ve come to expect from the band. While musically Mine is Yours is consistent and the band has done a good job of song selection, I don’t find the quality of each song to be on par. While the band has always written and released great songs (Hang Me Out to Dry, Hospital Beds, Audience), I’ve never felt like they’ve put out an album that was start to finish, a complete, good album.

And Mine is Yours is the same. The songs that are great are great songs that reach out and grab your attention. While the rest of the album isn’t bad, there is a noticeable drop in quality.

Finally Begin is the first moment of the record that’s really an attention grabber. It has a Maroon 5 kind of vibe, really upbeat and the hook is as catchy as any song you’ll hear all hear. The next moment is Skip the Charade which has that same good times, upbeat tone that Finally Begin had (although less Maroon 5). Broken Open sounds like a track from Cold War Kids debut full-length. The last track of real note is the album’s closer, Flying Upside Down.

Outside of that the album really doesn’t do much for me. And I guess I’d say I’m not a Cold War Kids fan… The album is still an enjoyable listen and I’ve given it a dozen spins in the last week. But other then the 4 songs I mentioned, nothing stands out as awesome. A nice listen for sure but not the record of the year.

Top 10 Favorite Metal/Hardcore Vocalist

I’m giving a shout out to my favorite metal/hardcore vocalist this week. Let’s go.

10. Scott Kelly – Neurosis

Scott Kelly is doom/stoner metal.



9. Karl Schubach – Misery Signals

Karl has a killer deep scream.



8. Bruce Fitzhugh – Living Sacrifice

Living Sacrifice changed for the better when Bruce took over vocal responsibilities.



7. Greg Puciato – Dillinger Escape Plan

Greg is a cross between a hurricane, a tornado, and Mike Patton. Crazy dude.



6. Ryan Clark – Training for Utopia/Demon Hunter

I was a huge TFU fan and I always the chaotic nature of the music and Ryan Clark’s screams. It took me years to really get into and appreciate what he’s done with Demon Hunter but I’ve gotten there. Not only is he a great screamer but the dude can sing.



5. Ronnie James Dio – Dio/Black Sabbath

R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio. The Legend.



4. Chino Moreno – Deftones

Chino has some crazy screams and one of the best singing voices in all of metal.



3. Howard Jones – Killswitch Engage/Blood Has Been Shed

While I like Blood Has Been Shed, Howard’s work in KSE has been so much better. Howard is probably underrated as a metal singer.



2. Cory Brandon – Norma Jean

Cory Brandon is by far my favorite metal vocalist at the moment. His work in Norma Jean has been incredible and it’s only gotten better with every record.



1. Daniel Weyandt – Zao

Dan is my all time favorite metal vocalist as Zao is my favorite metal/hardcore band. I have yet to hear anyone come close to Dan’s vocals.