Trip Lee - The Good Life

Sometimes it only takes one song to get you hooked on an album. Normally that track isn't one of the last cuts on an album. But for Trip Lee's The Good Life that was the case.

I was listening to The Good Life and I was honestly enjoying really enjoying the record. Solid hip-hop that is just as good if not better than anything on the radio. The Good Life has a place among any of Trip Lee's secular contemporaries. But the instant that For My Good (featuring Jai) started playing I stopped what I was doing to see what track it was. When it finished, I hit repeat. While The Good Life is full of great tracks, For My Good is the first track that stood out as fun. The beat is upbeat and the hook, which Jai sings, is super clever and catchy. It's hip-pop goodness from start to finish. A radio single that is destined to be a hit.

There are tons of great tracks on The Good Life outside of For My Good. The title track features J.R. and Sho Baraka and kicks the album off on a really strong note. I'm Good featuring Lecare, iLove, Take Me There featuring Jimmy Needham, and Good Thing featuring Leah Smith are all killer tracks.

The Good Life is a solid hip-hop record and really pushes Trip Lee into territory where big things good be on the horizon for him. A stellar record all around.

The Meltdown 73

New music from P.O.D., Demon Hunter, Trip Lee, and more.

Demon Hunter - True Defiance

Demon Hunter is a band that gets better with age... Or with member changes. The writing combo of Ryan Clark and Patrick Judge helped to push the band to a new height on The World Is a Thorn. The band has gotten better with each record and my expectations after The World Is A Thorn were high.

And True Defiance doesn't disappoint. The album kicks off with Crucifix. I'd argue it's the best album opener Demon Hunter has had yet and the band has had some killer album opening tracks. Right from the start you can hear Patrick Judge really stepping up his game in the guitar department. Well Ethan Luck brought guitar solos to the band, Judge is a pure metal guitarist and his solos on True Defiance are solid and tasty.

God Forsaken is a track that I think fans who weren't thrilled about The World Is A Thorn will really connect with. The ballad side of Demon Hunter is back in full force on True Defiance and God Forsaken shows that great melody that Ryan Clark has always been able to deliver with DH. Unlike The World Is A Thorn, it's the ballads that really standout on True Defiance. Tomorrow Never Comes is a beautiful song. Judge's solo the leads the track off is amazing and the song is just haunting enough to give it that something special that past DH songs like Carry Me Down had. Dead Flowers is an absolutely amazing track that closes True Defiance perfectly.

The trash elements from The World Is A Thorn are still on this album and there's an element of modern metal that Demon Hunter hasn't explored before this record. It's another stellar record in a great discography. Demon Hunter continues to expand and craft metal in new ways without losing what makes them such a great band.

The Meltdown 72

New music from Britt Nicole, Mxpx, Lovedrug, and the Burial.

MxPx - Plans Within Plans

I remember the first time I heard Mxpx. In junior high I would tape G-Rock and watch it Sunday mornings before heading to church. I remember seeing the video for Punk Rawk Show. Punk rock was introduced into my life and MxPx would become a staple in my musical life.

It's a little hard for me to be biased on a review of an Mxpx record. The band has been one of my favorites for over 15 years. While some records in the bands discography I enjoy less than others, there's not an album Mxpx have released that I don't like and enjoy.

The bad's last full-length, Secret Weapon, felt like Mxpx was re-energized and rejuvenated. The band's last ep, Left Coast Punk, was the best music the band had released since Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo. Plans Within Plans is far better than both of those records and sounds like Mxpx is in their prime again.

Aces Up kicks the record off strong with what I'd call a typical Mxpx pop punk classic. Screw Loose is a short fast punk song that jumps right into Nothing Left. The Times has a great bass intro. Best of Times and Lucky Guy are the best hooks on the record. Far Away, the album's first single, is just a killer, punch you in the face punk song. Nothing's Gonna Change reminds me a lot tracks from The Ever Passing Moment.

13 tracks clocking in at just over 35 minutes. Each song just as good as the last. There's no filler on Plans Within Plans. Mxpx have delivered a stellar record and their best record since Slowly Going The Way of the Buffalo. Ever track is a hit and this record is enjoyable from start to finish. After one listen the songs sound familiar and I found myself singing along.

Plans Within Plans is Album of the Year material.

The Burial - Lights and Perfections

I was a huge fan of The Burial's debut ep The Winepress. With a change in vocalist though I wasn't really sure if I would enjoy Lights and Perfections. And honestly, my first listen through wasn't too impressed.

Maybe I wasn't listening closely enough the first time through because Lights and Perfections is a metal masterpiece. The Burial bring a brand of technical death metal that rivals any of their peers. The guitar work is flawless. Well it might not be new ground musically, it's done right!

It's tracks like Pearls; The Frailty of the Matter, Wisdom; The Gateway of Liberty, and Shackles and Embers that make this such a great record. The provide just enough melodic diversity in the guitar work that keeps Lights and Perfections from getting stale. The Burial know how to craft great metal tunes that are interesting. Elisha Mullins vocals are strong and any one worried about the vocalist change shouldn't be.

Lights and Perfections is a brutal metal record with just enough melodic undertones in the guitar riffs to keep it interesting. The best metal record of 2012 for sure.

Leaders - Now We Are Free

I've said numerous times that I'm a fan of melodic hardcore and any band that sounds like Misery Signals is ok in my book. Insert Leaders, the newest addition to the Facedown Family.

While Leaders has elements of melodic hardcore in their music, it's not really fair to throw them into that category. Now We Are Free feels much more like a straight hardcore record than anything else. The Intro (Overture) and songs like Instance and Te Necesito are great melodic hardcore tracks. But Leaders is a hardcore band true and true.

No We Are Free is heavy all around. The guitars smack you in the face on each and every track. Leaders is another solid addition to the Facedown Family and hardcore fans will love Now We Are Free.

My issue with the album is that while it's a good hardcore record and a solid listen, there's nothing super special about it. There are no sing-a-longs, or catchy hooks. And yes, the record is heavy, but there's a lack of diversity. The melodic elements are nice but few and far between.

It's a good debut from Leaders and a solid hardcore record but the album just doesn't have that special something that makes it a great record.