Ethan Luck - Wounds and Fears EP

At one point Ethan Luck announced that he was working on a ska/reggae record, so I wasn't sure what to expect from Wounds & Fears. Luck has done it all. Punk, ska, metal, rock. Luck's even had a country western band that performs metal covers. So Wounds & Fears could've contained any number of things.

Wounds & Fears is a pretty impressive country western record. Where Bret Detar has leaned toward the americana side of country and Mike Herrera is playing punk influenced country, Luck has delivered a true country western record. It's classic sounding and well done.

A Bullet For the General has tons of western influence but it's a great surf rock instrumental intro. My Only Home is a tried and true country song. Everything feels like there's a slight rockabilly influence but there's no denying that Luck can write country western songs.

Wounds & Fears is an extremely enjoyable record, even if you're not a fan of country. It's good to hear an artist step away from his comfort zone and deliver such a high quality record.

You can download Wounds & Fears at http://ethanluck.bandcamp.com/

Five Iron Frenzy - Engine Of A Million Plots

10 years ago Five Iron Frenzy called it a day. Two years ago the band returned. And for two years, myself (and countless others) have been waiting for Engine Of A Million Plots. Each new song released has been a glimmer of the great things I've been hoping to hear. Seeing the band was a great experience, and the album is finally here.

With all the expectations and hope I had for Engine Of A Million Plots, I was worried I'd be a little disappointed. But Five Iron Frenzy doesn't disappoint. In fact, the band has delivered their best record to date. The band picked right up where The End Is Near left off and blows that out of the water. It's the most mature the band has been musically and lyrically there's still the balance of hard hitting and biting commentary and spiritual openness.

The lush warmth of the guitar tone that opens up the record on Against A Sea of Troubles is completely new to FIF and the song plays like a ska version of an indie song from 2000. It's a beautiful rock song and it's a great reintroduction to the world. It's different but it's everything that was great about Five Iron Frenzy. So Far has a great hook and super catchy melodies. Zen and the Art of Xenophobia is a fun FIve Iron Frenzy "punk" song. It's biting social commentary is what we've come to expect from the band and the video for the song is great! Someone Else's Problem might be the only true "ska" song on the record. A dark, reggae influenced track showcases the band diversity. While Battle Dancing Unicorns With Glitter shows us that Five Iron Frenzy isn't afraid to still have fun. Into Your Veins is my favorite track on the record. A solid driving song, with a strong hook.

It's not the Five Iron Frenzy I remember. It's better. The band has matured and worked hard to deliver a well crafted album that old fans and new ones will find themselves drawn to. EVerything I loved about the band is on Engine Of A Million Plots, and so much more. From top to bottom, the album is strong with no weak tracks or missteps. It's easily the band's best work yet. I only hope there's more to come.

Lecrae - Church Clothes 2

Off the heels of one of the greatest christian hip-hop records ever released, Lecrae comes back with Church Clothes 2. The original Church Clothes was Lecrae giving fans a preview of a slight shift in style that would come on Gravity. Church Clothes 2 doesn't feel like Lecrae is trying to reintroduce himself. It's more of a change to do whatever he wants. There are old school beats, experimental beats, new school beats, and even some rock steady/reggae thrown in.

Lecrae tackles the theme of selling out and having given up being a big hip-hop star to preach the gospel. It doesn't come across as bitter or arrogant but as a mission statement. That nothing is mroe important to him than lifting up the name of Jesus. Lecrae also tackles a bunch of social issues lyrically. Church Clothes 2 features guest appearances from B.O.B., Derek Minor, Propaganda, Paul Wall, and more.

The beats are tight and the songs are strong. It doesn't have the same punch that Gravity did, but it's a mixtape. It's a great mixtape and as always, Lecrae delivers songs that are strong lyrically but fun to listen to.

You can download Church Clothes 2 for free at http://www.datpiff.com/Lecrae-Church-Clothes-2-mixtape.544619.html

Living Sacrifice - Ghost Thief

Let the metal onslaught continue!

There was no doubt in my mind that Living Sacrifice's eighth full-legnth, Ghost Thief, was going to be anything but great. Since Reborn, the band has done nothing but release great metal record after metal record. And since reforming, the band's focus and commitment to creating quality metal records has been evident.

Ghost Thief picks up where The Infinite Order left off, and then destroys it. Ghost Thief is faster and more aggressive than the band's last couple of albums, without losing the grooves and intricacies we've come to expect from Living Sacrifice.

Screwtape is the most "metalcore" I've ever heard Living Sacrifice. The song is riff filled and the riffs carry through every structure of the song. And Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter) lending his vocals to the hook really help drive the song. It's still a great thrash metal song and no one will be comparing Living Sacrifice and Attack Attack based on this track. Ghost Thief and The Reaping are classic Living Sacrifice songs, both sound like they could have been written around the same time The Infinite Order was written. The riff the drives Straw Man is super melodic and is something I don't think I've ever heard Living Sacrifice do. (Yes, Perfect was a super melodic song, but the riff on Straw Man is way more melodic than Perfect, even if the song is heavier at times).

American Made has a great opening riff that reminds me of classic Tourniquet songs. The breakdown and change of timing halfway through the track is fantastic. Lance's drumming on Before is amazing and really creates a heavier layer under the song. Despair is old school, classic, thrash, Living Sacrifice. Everything about the song sounds like an updated version of the band's self-titled debut.

Ghost Thief is one of this year's best record. Living Sacrifice makes great records. And if their status as metal legends was in jeopardy, Ghost Thief will expel all doubts and will firmly cement Living Sacrifice as one of metal's best!

The Meltdown 2.16

New music from Living Sacrifice, Kye Kye, Lecrae, Impending Doom, Ethan Luck, and more.

The Meltdown 2.15

New music from Five Iron Frenzy, Everything In Slow Motion, Lecrae, My Epic, and Beautiful Eulogy.

Better Off - (I Think) I'm Leaving

There are people who say emo like it's a curse word. And I get that. If emo invokes thoughts of Fall Out Boy, skinny jeans, and swoop haircuts, I understand the hatred. But emo brings to my mind bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, The Promise Ring, Mineral, Braid, The Get Up Kids... You get the idea. Emo brings to mind the post-hardcore, right out of high school version of myself (before emo got MTVized).

Very few bands pull off emo the right way these days. Better Off's first ep (as the band Friends) was a throwback to fun early 2000's emo/pop punk. A name change was sure to bring a new focus and a new sound.

Better Off's full-length debut is a beautifully crafted emo record. Late 90's emo. The good kind.

Songs like The Price Is Never Right, A Fool Walks Into a Bar, Letting It In/Making It Go, and Inside with their familiar rhythms and melodies that seem welcoming. Or tracks like Sick, Sad Sons, Keeping Watch, and Next Step Is Out The Door  with their punk tinged influence. Even the great, slightly off kilter rhythms in 1991 (Alive) remind me of the great emo bands of old. The album closer, Garden State of Mind with it's upbeat verse and chorus before going into a beautiful extended instrumental outro (American Football's Honesty, anyone?) is just the perfect way to close out this gem of a record.

When nostalgia hits, it's nice to know that there are new bands making great records that fit in a catalog of what was so good about the late 90's. (I Think) I'm Leaving is a great record.