ALBUM REVIEWS!; New Music From Pillbuster, Arceye, Asking Alexandria, Witherscape, The Lumberjack Feedback, Night Demon, Psychic Teens, Serianna, Black Water Rising, Panzerchrist, Dead, We Butter The Bread With Butter; August 13th 2013
Not a lot of new music in the rock & metal world at all this week, but since there was so much I missed last week, I figured I'd go over that stuff instead, which includes material from Arceye, Pillbuster, and Night Demon, plus the long awaited "From Death To Destiny" from modern metal stars Asking Alexandria!
But alas, this week shall not be ignored, for we nonetheless have some great stuff from Panzerchrist, Black Water Rising, and Psychic Teens! New music from Rosetta is streaming as well through MetalSucks.com, be sure to check that out as well.
âPillbusterâ by Pillbuster
Released August 06th 2013
    âPillbusterâ is a stonerâs secret wet dream, complete with classic blues-driven jams, heavy laden sludge, trippy undertones, and just a thick hard sound that can still let loose when need be. It starts off like a monolith, dripping with fat grooves and feedback, alone generating enough power to fuel a small plane. And to think, thatâs only the opening. Every track hits with its own little bits, with â5th Helena Driveâ delivering a droning hard rock sound, âRecoveryâ steaming with Black Label Society soul and grit, and âCoincideâ reveling in stewy guitar parts. The writing is simple, but great, with solid hooks and lots of aggression channeled quickly, and everything is produced to give off great crunch without reeking with noise. What Pillbuster have done here is create a really solid rock album, and then make it heavier, perfect to jam along to, and even perfect to light one to and simply relax with a beer. And god damn, that bass. So fucking heavy.
âAt First Lightâ by Arceye
Released August 06th 2013
    From the very start Arceye slams you in the face with death metal tinged thrash, with progressive undertones cloaked by an abrasive nature and downright fire. To put things simply, âAt First Lightâ is one of the heaviest metal albums of the year. Arceye paints pictures of fear and agony with a barrage of progressive riffs and echoed drumming that pummels like a jackhammer, coupled with lyrics of devastation, heartbreak, anger, and pure sin. Its all the death metal tropes, but smarter, and with a few cute tricks thrown in to add on to the progressive undertones previously mentioned, the coolest being a beautifully laced acoustic section in the beginning of âI Silently Waitâ, as well as the combination of droning cymbals and silence to create tension that channels aggressive metalcore without abandoning the death metal power. Arceye have made an already angry genre even angrier, and their definitive album as a result.
Rating: 4.5/5 (Incredible!)
âFrom Death To Destinyâ by Asking Alexandria
Electronicore/Alternative Metal
Released August 06th 2013
    Asking Alexandria joins the ranks of several generic metalcore acts that will be forever ridiculed by the metal masses unless youâre a âswagfagâ or a teenage girl, but god damn it, they deserve some justice, so Iâm here to say that while they may not be fantastic, they finally show potential on âFrom Death To Destinyâ. Seriously. With influence from 80âs metal icons Bon Jovi and Mötley CrĂŒe and even a touch of modern electronic music and Slipknotâs indulgent rage, Asking Alexandria manage to pack some decent hooks, some decent lyrics, and even some decent riffs. There is actually a lot less metalcore this time around, with more of a focus on synths, big choruses, and alternative melodies, and this makes them a better band as a whole. They appear smarter, more mature, and as a whole, the music is far more interesting, with âMoving Onâ packing a great Stone Sour meets Bon Jovi chorus, âThe Death Of Meâ gleaming with electronics, and âUntil The Endâ packing a solid guest spot from Howard Jones. The occasional use of auto-tune is a letdown, as are the sometimes cliched lyrical themes, but in the end, this is still Asking Alexandriaâs smartest record to date, and packs some of their best songs.
âThe Inheritanceâ by Witherscape
Progressive Metal/Gothic Metal
Released August 06th 2013
    Dan Swanoâs latest project is a tad stranger than the titanic death metal of Bloodbath, instead settling along progressive music, gothic metal, doom metal, and occasionally even post-metal. Lots of clean melodies with occasional growls, often only for contrast, coupled with gothic chords arranged in very weird yet silky patterns. But hey, it fucking works, as Dan swings through different techniques and ideas to back it all up, using that previously mentioned contrast to create tension, attitude, and genuine beauty at times. While this is the basic blueprint for the album, the songs themselves are extremely distinct, with âAstrid Fallsâ pumping out dark experimental metal, âDying For The Sunâ taking influence from old-school prog rock with cheesy keyboards, and âDead For A Dayâ delving into atmospheric melodic death metal, like a strange hybrid of Alter Bridge and Dreamshade. As a whole, Witherscape stands apart from anything Dan has previously done, and feels as genuine as it is weird. If youâre looking for something REALLY different, Witherscape has you covered.
âHand Of Gloryâ by The Lumberjack Feedback
Released August 06th 2013
    Instrumental doom is a tricky genre to sell to anyone, even to a metal loving freak like me, but The Lumberjack Feedback have a few tricks up their sleeve, one being their absolutely massive, sludgy sound. Riffs collide and grind, dragged with blasts of fuzz and pure gloom, setting a direct tone given a direct heartbeat thanks to the bands second trick, their percussion. The Lumberjack Feedback actually has two drummerâs, for those you who donât know, and the both trade off each other with grace and precision, almost as if theyâre communicating with their instruments to channel layers of dark power. It brings to mind the working dynamics of Candlemass, Helen Money, or more appropriately, instrumental jazz works, but more controlled and far heavier. This entire package creates something fierce and unpredictable, though one could argue that it lacks context and direction due of rhythmic change and of course vocals. That aside, The Lumberjack Feedback add a loud edge to a fairly droning and difficult genre to swallow, one that fans of instrumental doom will appreciate despite its general lack of originality.
âNight Demonâ by Night Demon
Released August 06th 2013
    âNight Demonâ is the EP that old school heavy metal fans have wanted for so long. I know little of Night Demonâs previous work, but this EP stands as proof of their talent, worshipping in NWOBHM classics like Diamond Head, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Angel Witch, and splashes of Paul DiâAnno-era Iron Maiden. Guitars in that regard are what you expect; crisp, speedy, and brimming with hooks, backed up some strong clean vocals and complete thumping rhythms. Everything just sounds great, fueled with the kind of energy that created this genre that we love so. Is this the most original release out there? No, it isnât. But its one of the most entertaining, as it brings so many packets of metal full throttle, in just a short EPâs worth of time. Again, I know little of Night Demon, but this EP has convinced me to find ouy more, and I personally suggest you do the same for a nostalgic blast of classic rock and metal.
âComeâ by Psychic Teens
Released August 13th 2013
    Bordering the lines of post-rock, punk, and gothic rock, Psychic Teens is channeling a lot of dark energy, and âComeâ shows them fleshing that sound into a matured monolith. Layers of pure noise build up for an unleash of metallic fury, backed up with the subtly poetic wails of Larry Ragone, who rages right in your face channeling the presence of Johnny Rotten himself. The end result is a very loud and noisy album, but not a stupid one, as Psychic Teens continues to build layers with gothic riffs and static percussion. Hooks are not common, often buried underneath guitar fuzz, but Psychic Teens can still ring you in on the strength of the guitar work along, as it lets out so much rage, and even the few hooks are pretty good, the most notable being on âLESSâ, which explodes right off the bat before devolving back to violent energy. Psychic Teens took a relatively simple sound and added so much to it through the use of layers, and peeling them back to understand this becomes a true joy, as their combined darkness envelops you.
Rating: 4.5/5 (Incredible!)
âDefine Meâ by Serianna
Released August 13th 2013
    Unfortunately Serianna disappoints again with âDefine Meâ. Whereas before they kinda sounded like generic metalcore, now they DEFINITELY sound like generic metalcore, with all the clichĂ©d liberal lyrics, âpersonalâ themes, constant thumpy breakdowns, and super simple tabs. Should I even go on? I mean really, you should already know what to expect at this point. So instead of pointing out the obvious bad of being âgeneric metalcoreâ, lets focus on the good. For one thing, Serianna has some decent melodies. The delivery on them is less than impressive, but at least there was some effort put into it, and there are moments of silence at times that let the lyrics resonate and take effect, backed up then by a barrage of noise. It sounds simple, but many bands fuck that up, so credit to Serianna for accomplishing at least that. Guitars are thick too, heavy and constant with great percussion. Itâs all ultimately precise and well performed, but again, itâs so generic. The writing is poor, the sound mix is chunky, and the constant use of breakdowns sucks. Take what you will from that, but if you donât like metalcore, âDefine Meâ certainly wonât change your mind.
âPissed & Drivenâ by Black Water Rising
Released August 06th 2013
    Despite their crispy southern-fried coating, Black Water Rising resembles a more traditional hard rock band in terms of basic writing and execution, like a simple-minded mix of Audioslave, Texas Hippie Coalition, and Black Label Society. The end result drips with classic rock nâ roll attitude, with soulful hooks, swirling grooves, and grainy blues-tinged soloâs. Bass is really heavy in the final mix too, giving the album a very natural feel that more than suits the aesthetic of Black Water Rising. However, youâll be shocked that heavy bass is the only true constant factor, as Black Water Rising adapts more influence from the other bands mentioned above, whether it be the anthemic edge of âLast Man Standingâ, or the fast sludge of âThe Allure Of Self Destructionâ. Writing stays relatively simple despite the changes and they handle it all well. Performance wise, I personally wouldâve liked gritty vocals, something with the rough patches to match this blues heavy mix, but thatâs more of a nitpick on my part, as âPissed & Drivenâ delivers strong rock at a strong pace.
âThe 7th Offensiveâ by Panzerchrist
Released August 13th 2013
    Panzerchrist has been tackling death metal with the tropes and themes of war since their inception in 1993, with touches of black metal insanity and an overall sense of fury. Chords are impatient, charging into battle with long bursts of frenzied soloâs, contained rage, and genuine power, and Panzerchrist handles it all just fine as always. Everything is performed well, and the writing is strong for what it is. But thatâs really it. This is what Panzerchrist has done for years now, and by this point, there are tons of bands out there with this exact same style and aesthetic, following the same tropes all the way to the end. If youâve listened to any other Panzerchrist album in your life, or any album that fits into the ever-growing war metal genre, you know what to expect, and me personally, I donât really like listening to the same stuff over and over for 20 years. That aside, the music is really good, but donât expect a massive work of epic proportions.
Released August 13th 2013
    From start to finish, âIdiotsâ is actually a solid album, but stands as a testament to the fact that Dead is quickly becoming dry for ideas, and sometimes the performances themselves are mixed in the fray. Guitars are straight up empty, just uninteresting in every aspect and only here for the sake of noise. The same can be said for vocals, which come off as distant voices that are rarely heard. When things get interesting is when the drums and bass come into the light, because the way those two interact is simply great. The bass rumbles, the drum echoes with cutting ambience, and together they sound wholly dynamic. It came to a point where I listened to this ONLY for bass and drums, and stopped paying attention to the rest of it. The writing has some progressive undertones as well, creating a very simplistic but notable influence from mathcore, as rhythm and sludge is calculated for effect. Its clear that Dead is still relying on their influences and their rhythm section for support, and that needs to stop in the future, but for now, âIdiotsâ is suitable as it is.
"Goldkinder" by We Butter The Bread With Butter
Neue Deutsche HĂ€rte/Death Metal
Released August 13th 2013
    "Goldkinder" marks a pretty signifigant change for We Butter The Bread With Butter, as they've completely abandoned their deathcore origins for a German industrial style akin to the likes of Rammstein, but with slight death metal influence. One could argue this is electronicore, but its not just that has changed, its the genuine structure and writing style of the band. Songs sport chunky industrial riffs, hardcore welps, trippy melodies, and genuine weirdness, again channeling Rammstein. Its all strange but supported with strong lyrics, a great sound mix, and a wide variety of other influences. Unfortunately, sometimes a song drags along thanks to some ungodly bad auto-tuned hooks, and even keyboards sometimes fall behind as simply accompanyment, playing single notes and chords. Using the sound effect of a camera in 'Krieg Aus Gold' is especially lame and pretentious given the modern's world love for snapping photo's of fucking everything. But hey, when "Goldkinder" gets things rolling, its hard not to enjoy all the weirdness.