Sound Writer

2011 HBG- Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave

2012-02-01T23:40:00.001-08:00

Sections:
-Introduction
-Rock
-Hip Hop
-Melodeath/Thrash/Sludge Metal
-Electronic
-Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal
-Alternative/Indie Rock
-Progressive
-Hardcore
-Death Metal
-Black Metal
-Ambient/Post-Rock
-Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave
-Folk- Coming Soon
-Doom Metal- Coming Soon
-Experimental- Coming Soon

Actual gothic music is unfortunately past is golden age, but that’s not to say that it’s a dead genre. As evidenced by the following 10 albums, there is plenty to like about contemporary gothic music. Whether you like your music beautiful or brutal, there’s something here for you.

Acylum
Karzinom

Acylum’s Karzinom is an album of dark industrial beats, morbid lyrics, and some truly great atmosphere. Despite the over-the-top subject matter, there’s a lot of subtlety to the music. The beats change far more than the usual for EBM (electronic body music), which makes Karzinom is far more interesting than most other albums in the genre. Acylum keeps things unpredictable and even maddening, and the strained vocals give this dark album another haunting layer. There’s even legitimate emotion here, especially on the masterful “Angel.” As far as industrial music goes, Karzinom is one of the year’s best albums, and while it’s not necessarily accessible, it’s good enough to be recommended even to those who have know idea what EBM is.

Autumn’s Grey Solace
Eifalian

While Autumn Grey Solace incorporate darkwave, gothic rock, and ambient into their sound, their influences really aren’t all that important. Eifalian isn’t so much a unique album as it is a really beautiful one. Much of the music is very simple, just unintelligible female singing over slow atmospheric riffs and light drumming, but the way that Autumn Grey Solace’s sound comes together is capable of putting any listener in a trance. It’s just beautiful atmospheric music, almost hypnotic at times, and it’s simple pleasure is what makes ethereal music so appealing. Again, it’s nothing especially different, but Eifalian is effective at what its does, and it’s a very enjoyable listen.

Aythis
The New Earth

Aythis’ The New Earth is the intertwining of cinematic and gothic sounds. That works both for and against it. Much of the music is exceptionally beautiful, but too much of the album sounds like extended interludes or a film score to visuals that don’t actually exist. When it works it’s excellent, and thankfully it works more often than not. The more fleshed out songs are strikingly gorgeous, and the cinematic ambiance makes them epic sounding as well. That’s not an easy combination to have, but tracks like “Silvery Night” really do blend epic theatrical sounds with a more subtle beauty. It certainly has its flaws, but anyone looking for a beautiful darkwave or neofolk album will find a lot to like here.

Collide
Counting to Zero

Few artists balance harsh and beautiful sounds as well as Collide. The noisy production contrasts perfectly with the gorgeous female vocals, and Counting to Zero only farther expands on what makes Collide such an outstanding duo. That contrast still works, and more than a decade after they became minor critical darlings with Chasing the Ghost, they still find ways to add to their sound. Producer Statik is never afraid to try new things, and once the music finds its groove he’ll add in surprising new elements, all of which work well within that aforementioned contrast. Simply put, Counting to Zero is a beautiful album, and it’s an intense album. It also happens to be an extraordinary mix of darkwave and industrial, and an album that should definitely be listened to.

Gedankenrasen
Innere Apokalypse

Varied, almost to a fault, Gedankenrasen’s Apokalypse is an album that has elements of just about everything in modern gothic music. There are a few tracks are either pure darkwave, industrial, or gothic rock, but the strongest moments of the album come when Gedankenrasen pulls out all the stops and creates music that I can genuinely say is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Take the track “Angst,” for example. The heavy wobbling synth beat is downright maddening, and the German blackened growls are raw and intense. Then add in the subtle yet beautiful violins, and you’re left with a song that encompasses everything that gothic music should be. While nothing else on Apokalypse quite lives up to that, there are some pretty interesting experiments that are worth hearing. While it’s great to hear so much variety, it becomes clear where Gedankenrasen’s strength lies. The intense moments are easily the best on the album, and when that intensity fades the lower energy tracks simply aren’t as strong. Still, much of Apokalypse is excellent, and at its best it’s what gothic music is all about.

Seventh Harmonic
Garden of Dilmun

From great compositions to excellent operatic vocals, Seventh Harmonic’s third album is exactly what a neo-classical darkwave album should be. Its dark and haunting atmosphere is made using a mix of strings and hard drum beats that are mostly played at a slow pace. That pace rarely picks up, and while a few of the songs build to nothing as a result, most of the music on Garden of Dilmun is better for it. This is exceptionally beautiful work, and it’s rare to hear classical music used so well with contemporary gothic sounds. If you’re looking for a great darkwave album, or even a great modern classical release, then the latest from this all-female group is an excellent choice.

Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows
Have You Seen This Ghost?

The always interesting Sopor Aeternus released two albums in 2011, the better of which was the ultra dark and experimental Have You Seen This Ghost? It’s a weird album to say the least, with creepy vocals reminiscent of Devil Doll, as well as dark gothic instrumentals with a heavy classic influence. It all makes for a wildly entertaining album that ranges from being incredibly silly to legitimately serious, often doing so quickly without being too abrupt. It’s almost like a gothic Devin Townsend album in that sense. The music here is consistently unique as well. Few songs sound alike, yet all of it forms a cohesive package, and one that any fan of gothic, darkwave, or experimental music should listen to.

X-Fusion
Thorn in My Side

X-Fusion is the rare harsh EMB producer who puts subtlety into his sound, and his beats are more intense and have more longevity as a result. The vocals are mostly distorted screams, which is typical for the genre, but most of X-Fusion’s music shows a willingness to mix in elements from outside of his genre. Again, all of this comes without losing the aggressiveness that makes the genre appealing to begin with, and outside of Psyclon Nine I’m not sure there’s any other aggrotech artist I would recommend more to newcomers than X-Fusion. The reason I’m referring to the artist and not the album is that Thorn in My Side really is just more from X-Fusion. Everything you could say about his past albums can be said for this one as well. Yes, the sound was more, well, original the first time around, but a lot of the subtleties have been polished. It all comes out in a wash, and in the case of X-Fusion more of the same is really what you’d want.

You Shriek
Somewhere Between (Heaven & Sorrow)

There aren’t many quality synthpop albums being released these days, so You Shriek’s Somewhere Between (Heaven & Sorrow) really stands out. This is an atmospheric album with some catchy melodies and a ton of variety. Tracks like “Well Enough Alone” are pure catchy pop music, while others like “No Heroes” and “Heaven & Sorrow” border on darkwave. The variety works both for against You Shriek. The album will often bounce around from style to style, never letting the listener get used to a specific sound. Instead, Somewhere Between sounds like a modern band recreating as many different subgenres of new wave as possible over the course of an album. What makes it work is the quality of the individual tracks, as everything on You Shriek’s album does justice to their influences, even if nothing here is all that original.

Zola Jesus
Conatus

After two excellent EP’s in 2010, Zola Jesus has returned with a solid full length album. Conatus is somewhat inconsistent, and only at times lives up to Zola Jesus’ potential. After her breakout EPs, that’s a bit of disappointment. Still, the vast majority of Conatus is very good, highlighted by her incredible singing voice reminiscent of the legendary Siouxsie Sioux. Her compositions are ambitious, and when everything comes together it’s nothing short of incredible. “Vessel,” for example, is a beautiful atmospheric masterpiece that perfectly blends together Zola Jesus’ vast array of influences. Most of Conatus is sort of darkwave, sort of industrial, sort of post-punk, and definitely experimental. It can all get overwhelming at times, and even with Zola Jesus’ powerful voice some the ballads can get repetitive. Still, most of it works, and the amazing highs make Conatus a great listen.

2011 HBG- Ambient/Post-Rock

2012-01-13T03:15:00.001-08:00

Ambient music and its more rock-influenced cousin, post-rock, had many great releases in 2011. Established greats returned with new albums that didn’t disappoint, plenty of newcomers added their new ideas to the mix, and a few old favorites even returned to form. More so than ever before, ambient music is appealing to wider audience, and 2011 had plenty of albums that should appeal to anyone who enjoys the simpler and slower side of music.

Explosions in the Sky
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

I admit that I came into Take Care, Take Care, Take Care expecting more of the same from Explosions in the Sky. Their last album was solid, but there was a feeling that this band may have taken their sound as far as it can go. While Take Care… doesn’t necessarily reach the heights of their best albums, it has a surprising amount of diversity that takes their established sound in interesting new directions. It keeps the band’s blend epic and often beautiful post-rock, while adding subtle indie rock elements. “Trembling Hands” is the most obvious example of this, as it incorporates looped “ooh”s over a kind of post-rock/indie hybrid instrumental. It sounds strange at first, but the song builds into a fairly epic conclusion (albeit one that comes a little too soon). Things like that appear all over the album, often in more subtle ways. The structure of the more pure post-rock songs isn’t always what one would expect, especially from a band that many have criticized for their often predictable song structure. The conclusions aren’t always as epic as they’ve been in the past, and the chaotic and emotionally draining moments of past Explosions in the Sky aren’t as prevalent here. It’s a trade-off, and one that might silence a few of the band’s critics. For fans of Explosions in the Sky, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care is a solid album that isn’t as much of a journey as The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place or Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever, but Explosions have changed their sound enough to keep things interesting while still maintaining much of what garnered them followers in the first place.

Farewell Poetry
Hoping for the Invisible to Ignite

When it comes to lyrics, there has also been a debate about its relation to poetry. Farewell Poetry don’t exactly take a side in that debate, but they certainly relate to it. Hoping for the Invisible to Ignite is as much performance poetry as it is post-rock. Jayne Amara Ross is the poet, and she reads her work over ambient post-rock that wraps itself around the words. The focus is on the poetry, and the instrumentation changes to fit the words and subsequently build with them. The two parts are never at odds, and the tension they create are a product of both working together. The work as a whole it haunting, beautiful, and interesting, and it’s the type of album that can be analyzed both as poetry and music. The case can be made that the poetry has become lyrics in the way that it’s used, but there’s definitely something different going on here. I can’t say I’ve ever hard music and lyrics that relate so well, and it’s interesting to hear an album that focuses on the words and builds the music around it. Regardless of how its classified, Hoping for the Invisible to Ignite is an incredibly unique work of art, and one that deserves the attention of any music lover.

Grouper
A I A

Released as a double album on vinyl and separately as individual albums digitally, Grouper’s A I A: Dream Loss and A I A: Alien Observer are distinct stylistically, but work brilliantly together. The first part, Dream Loss is full of fuzzy drone ambiance and is far heavier than fans of Grouper’s more melodic Dragging a Deer Up a Hill might be used to. Still, Liz Harris’ vocals are beautiful, albeit used more as background in Dream Loss, but the music ends up being a dark and uneasy wave of ambient beauty. The second half, Alien Observer is catchier and more vocal-heavy while still building on the drone-aspect of the first half. Each part is great on its own, but as a whole A I A is something special. The way that everything comes together after 75 minutes is extraordinary, as there’s a full spectrum of varied, emotional music on display, and it’s simply gorgeous from start to finish. This is one of the best albums of 2011, and an essential release for anyone with a passing interest in ambient music.

Jacaszek
Glimmer

Ambient fans can rest easy. After a hugely disappointing follow up to the wonderful Treny, Michael Jacaszek is back on the right track. Glimmer picks up right where Treny left off, with muddy ambient tunes that are complex and uneasy while being oddly soothing at the same time. This comes from Jacaszek’s exceptional layering, as he creates a powerful background atmosphere where slow building electronic, drone, and acoustic sounds can form over it. It sounds like two distinct tracks being played over each other, but they way they match up and eventually form into one cohesive sound is nothing short of incredible. Jacaszek also plays with volume in ways that a noise musician would, ranging things from near silent to full volume, and changing volume quicker than the music. When all is said and done, Glimmer is an outstanding album. This is the type of ambient release with tons of depth and subtlety, and it sees this talented musician heading in the right direction once again.

Jesu
Ascension

With his self-titled debut in 2004 and the masterful Silver EP in 2006, there was a time not too long ago when Jesu looked to be the future of ambient music. His blend of so many different types of heavy ambient sounds was both original and powerful, and even somewhat accessible. After a string of disappointing albums since, it’s somewhat of a surprise to see Jesu return with an album that can be compared to his early work. Don’t get me wrong, Ascension is not the best album Jesu has made, but it’s easily the finest work of his since Silver. Ascension is not a return to the all-purpose ambient sound of early Jesu, but instead a simpler and more focused effort. There are shoegaze elements, as well as heavy metal and drone elements, and they mix in such a way where the tracks sound like cohesive, well constructed music, and less like a barrage of individual sounds and influences. Ascension just oozes atmosphere, and while it may be a simpler take on Jesu’s sound, that’s all for the better. This is a beautiful, well refined album, and it makes this talented artist worth listening to again.

Julia Holter
Tragedy

It’s always strange to hear ambient music that is legitimately catchy. Tragedy by Julia Holter is a catchy ambient album, but more importantly it’s a great one. This is the kind of original album that should appeal to ambient listeners, while introducing new listeners to the beauty of atmospheric art. Holter has drawn comparisons to Grouper, mostly due to that aforementioned catchiness, but it’s more that she’s one of the few others to actually pull off this type of sound. The influences on Tragedy are quite different from Grouper, as Holter pulls less from drone and heavier ambient and more from classical and chamber music, which makes for an interesting contrast to the low vocals. The vocals may seem out of place at first, but it really does work well with the music. Again, that contrast is important, as it allows the atmosphere to become more varied. There’s both light and dark here, and often the vocals bring out the darker side of Tragedy. Overall, this is a multi-layered work of art, and an exceptional ambient release that is both unique and accessible.

Long Distance Calling
Long Distance Calling

Long Distance Calling’s self-titled third album is slightly more streamlined than their first two. There are moments where the music is almost indistinguishable from the average post-rock band, and that’s certainly disappointing. However, when Long Distance Calling works in their progressive, psychedelic, and metal influences, things get a lot more interesting. Thankfully most of this album has those in some capacity, and as a result each song becomes progressively crazier as it moves along. This isn’t necessarily post-rock that you feel an emotion connection with, although there are moments that come close, but instead post-rock with some solid riffs and atmosphere. It’s great to hear progressive solos transition into the traditional post-rock sound, and even when parts of Long Distance Calling seem familiar and even boring, there’s always something around the corner to redeem it.

Maybeshewill
I Was Here for a Moment, Then I Was Gone

The problem with Maybeshewill has never been in their post-rock sound. At the core of their music lied a beautiful, extremely well executed take on the genre. It’s been the other stuff, or more specifically how the other stuff fits in with the post-rock foundation, that hasn’t always gone right. With their third album, Maybeshewill have removed the “other stuff” from their sound. Gone are the samples, the vocals, and the electronic influences. What you’re left with is a far more focused album, and one that still does things differently enough from other post-rock albums to make it stand out. The songs here are more aggressive and build at a faster pace than most other contemporary post-rock, and this works to the album’s advantage. There are still beautiful moments, heavy moments, and stunning climaxes, but it’s done in a much shorter package. This is not an atmospheric epic, so much as a collection of individual songs that are technical, varied, and just so happen to share the structure and sound of bands like Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and God is an Astronaut. To some, I Was Here For a Moment, Then I Was Gone may be seen has an original band conforming to the masses. In some ways it is, but what remains is a well above average post-rock album that does what it does very well.

*Shels
Plains of the Purple Buffalo

Plains of the Purple Buffalo is a post-rock/ambient album completely unconcerned with being beautiful or pretty. This is a rough, sludge-y album that may have some lighter melodic moments, but gets a lot out of the heavy riffs it builds towards. There’s a great deal of atmosphere, although *Shels surprisingly deals with the atmosphere better during the heavier parts. *Shels also use of an interesting array of instruments, and while Plains of the Purple Buffalo is certainly a post-rock album that goes from light to heavy, the type of light and heavy is very unique for the genre. Few albums have the unpredictability of this one, and while not every moment is great, Plains of the Purple Buffalo has many awe-inspiring parts that make the rough spots worth enduring.

Tangled Thoughts of Leaving
Deaden the Fields

One of 2011’s most original albums and overall best debuts, Deaden the Fields is a very promising first release from Tangled Thoughts of Leaving. This jazz-influenced post-rock album is absolutely crazy, taking the structure of post-rock and introducing some very interesting sounds to the mix. The jazz influence is at the forefront, but there’s also progressive rock, metal, and tons of avant-garde music. At times the tracks can sound like experimental electronic pieces with noises that sound like something from a Satanicpornocultshop or The Residents song. Not all of the songs progress well enough, notably when parts stop and drastic new sounds are introduced at odd times, but for the most Tangled Thoughts of Leaving do a solid job of condensing a vast array of influences into songs that build logically.

2011 HBG- Black Metal

2012-01-07T09:04:00.001-08:00

While it’s been part of the “extreme metal” section in the past, black metal had such a good year in 2011 that it needed its own category. Much of this is due to the rise in atmospheric black metal, a subgenre that combines the core sound with post-rock, shoegaze, and ambient music, but there were plenty of great traditional, symphonic, and even melodic black metal albums released in 2011 as well. Here are 10 of the best.

An Autumn for Crippled Children
Everything

Stylistically, Everything is a big change from An Autumn for Crippled Children’s debut last year. That album, Lost, was a unique and powerful black and doom metal hybrid. Everything is a more typical “blackgaze” album, as the doom metal influences are a lot less prominent this time around. This might be a disappointment to fans, but thankfully An Autumn for Crippled Children have made a great album that stands a cut above the vast majority of the many other atmospheric black metal albums released in 2011. The atmosphere here is really strong, and the balance between beautiful and brutal is nearly perfect.

Anaal Nathrakh
Passion

Uncompromisingly brutal, the part-black metal, part-death metal, part-grindcore Passion is an album that is every bit as creative as it is heavy. Anaal Nathrakh’s sound has always been fast and heavy, but on Passion the group is more consistent than they’ve ever been. Every song is a sonic assault that takes elements from just about every form of an extreme metal. It never settles, as even the drums constantly switch from snare-heavy black metal to blastbeats. The vocals switch between high and low growls, sometimes as often as every syllable, and it all makes for some chaotic and truly unpredictable music. Everything that Anaal Nathrakh do has been done before in some capacity, but the way that it all comes together on Passion is heavier than just about anything else in metal music.

Chthonic
Takasago Army

One might not think that a black metal album influenced by Taiwanese folk music would be accessible, but that’s exactly what Chthonic have accomplished with Takasago Army. On first listen the oriental folk elements may be the most noticeable aspect of the music, but that’s really not the main part of Chthonic’s sound. This is a symphonic black metal album through and through, and it’s a damn good one at that. Few albums manage to at the same time be as cinematic, brutal, and catchy, and what’s more is that the symphonic core of the music does not compromise the more extreme parts of Chthonic’s sound. This is symphonic black metal that works, both as an accessible starting point for newcomers to black and death metal, and as something truly unique for established fans of extreme metal. Takasago Army is unlike any other album released in 2011, and cements Chthonic’s place as one the most innovative artists in modern metal.

Deafheaven
Roads to Judah

Deafheaven start their first full length album off with what may be one of the finest extreme metal songs I’ve ever heard. The epic 12 minute “Violet” starts out purely ambient, builds towards a solid few minutes of post-rock that is beautiful while still being heavy, and then goes absolutely insane. The drums subtlety get faster and more snare dependent until it finally reaches full on black metal status. That’s when the vocalist belts out a powerful growl, and by the way, the beautiful ambience of the intro is still there. It’s rare to hear “blackgaze” or atmospheric black metal music that is so good at every aspect of the sound, especially in terms of how the tracks progress. By the end of Roads to Judah, Deafheaven have taken the listener on a journey. This is an album that builds on Alcest’s sound, adds some hardcore punk influences, and makes the heavy moments far heavier. It’s a near perfect blend of the “lighter” French blackgaze that know how to create beautiful music and build their songs, and the heavier atmospheric black metal that takes brutal music and mixes in some shoegaze and post-rock sounds. Deafheaven definitely borrow a lot from their influences, but the way they piece them together is simply incredible.

Fen
Epoch

Fen’s Epoch is pretty standard atmospheric black metal, at least in terms of style. Quality-wise, Epoch is towards the higher end of the spectrum. It came out in February, and with the incredible year of atmospheric black metal that followed, it’s hard for not to get lost in the shuffle. But black metal fans who missed out on Fen’s sophomore release earlier in the year should go back and give this one a listen. For all the experimentation that came with the genre in 2011, it’s great to hear a band that sticks by their influences and makes a heavy atmospheric album that lets the black metal dominate the sound. And in terms of black metal, Fen plays their sound expertly. They have a raw, heavy sound with just enough post-rock parts to keep things from getting repetitive. Again, it may have been overshadowed by bigger and ultimately better albums, but Fen’s Epoch was the first great atmospheric black metal album of 2011, and it’s a very solid take on what would become a defining subgenre in extreme metal over the next ten months.

Oakhelm
Echtra

Oakhelm’s Betwixt and Between was a promising debut. Its follow up expands on that foundation, and is one of the best and most unique black metal albums in a year filled with many great releases in the genre. Oakhelm play a heavy and at times beautiful style of atmospheric black metal, and they mix in some prominent folk elements for good measure. While the combination was unique and exciting the first time around, here it’s become fully realized and truly spectacular. Most of the tracks are of epic length and switch between raw heavy riffs with blackened screams to some of the most gorgeous and well-implemented ambient music in any atmospheric black metal album. Most of the individual parts of Echtra aren’t extraordinary though. If you’re familiar with contemporary black metal, especially in the Northwest scene, you’ve heard the metal side of Oakhlem before. It’s the way that everything comes together that makes this album great and worthy of any metal fan’s time.

Oranssi Pazuzu
Kosmonument

Technically speaking Oranssi Pazuzu do play black metal. They just play a very strange style of it, and one that makes Kosmonument as likely to appeal to experimental listeners as it is to black metal fans. Across the course of the album there are heavy psychedelic influences, as well as elements of doom and sludge metal, making this a sort of weird experiment that maintains the raw nature of its black metal core. The growling is strong, the riffs are big, and there’s even some heavy bass that is rarely heard in black metal. While Kosmonument is not as focused as their debut album, Oranssi Pazuzu have made another unique work of art. Not all of it works, and as one might expect the psychedelic influences don’t blend perfectly. Still, they get it right the majority of the time, and while bands like Nachmystium and A Forest of Stars have received critical acclaim for their form of psychedelic black metal, Oranssi Pazuzu do it far better than either.

Vreid
V

Old school black metal with modern production, Vreid’s V is an album that embraces the evolution of the black metal genre without losing its roots. The music has a raw and gritty sound mixed in with serious melody and even a few atmospheric parts. This is an album that can be utterly brutal in spots, and then transition into softer segments. There will certainly be black metal purists who won’t be able to get over the melodic parts and the decent production values, especially considering Vreid has connections to the more traditional black metal band Windir, but V is an easy album to recommend to anyone who likes the classic blackened sound and doesn’t mind a more modern take on it.

Wolves in the Throne Room
Celestial Lineage

The fourth album from Wolves in the Throne Room isn’t all that different from the first three. The band had a phenomenal debut with Diadem of 12 Stars, polished their sound with Two Hunters, and are now on cruise control. However, more Wolves in the Throne Room is hardly a bad thing. Even with the rapidly increasing number of atmospheric black metal bands out there, no one plays it quite like Wolves in the Throne Room. They continue to play black metal with folk and shoegaze influences, and unlike a lot of atmospheric black metal albums, the influences are almost completely interconnected. Even the softer moments still have a hint of black metal in them, and Celestial Lineage is better for it. The thing is, even with the long tracks, Wolves remains one of the most accessible extreme metal bands out there, and it’s hard to imagine any metalhead not finding something to like about their music. It’s heavy, unique, and each song is very well constructed. So while Celestial Lineage is nothing new for Wolves in the Throne Room, their sound is far from tired, and both established fans and metalheads yet to give them a listen will find an enjoyable album here.

Woods of Desolation
Torn Beyond Reason

Torn Beyond Reason comes just shy of being the perfect atmospheric black metal album. This dark masterpiece is filled with punishing riffs, desperate screams, production that makes the sound more raw without taking away from the music, insane melody at times, and some of the greatest atmosphere black metal has ever seen. Its only issue is variety. After the first couple songs the rest can get predictable, but when the sound is this good that may be for the best. This is atmospheric metal that perfects the balance between heavy and beautiful, and even with its flaws it’s one of the 2011’s most essential metal albums.

2011 HBG- Death Metal

2012-01-04T03:12:00.001-08:00

Death metal had such a huge year in 2011 that for the first time ever the subgenre has its own category separate from other forms of extreme metal. It goes without saying that death metal isn’t for everyone, but anyone who likes their music as brutal as possible had a lot to love about the past the year.

Benighted
Asylum Cave

Asylum Cave opens with what may be the greatest intro to any metal album ever. From the first 30 seconds, it becomes clear that this French band has a great sense of humor and knows how to make some insanely heavy music. Benighted have all but perfected their form of deathgrind, and it’s amazing to listen to incredibly brutal extreme metal that is this fast and heavy without being sloppy. Asylum Cave does start to lose steam near the end, but the first half is some of the best and heaviest music death metal has to offer, and even at its worst it’s still heavy enough to be entertaining. This is hardly a work of high art, but it’s the rare album that can satisfy any metalhead’s lust for brutality.

Fleshgod Apocalypse
Agony

Fleshgod Apocalypse released a promising debut with Oracles in 2009, an album that combined some solid brutal death metal with light symphonic elements. On Agony, Fleshgod Apocalypse have upped the symphonic parts while still keeping the brutality intact. It’s a very good death metal album at its core, and the more prominent symphonic elements make it more chaotic and even heavier. The thing is, symphonic music is a natural fit with death metal, as the sound is heavily influenced by classical music to begin with. Adding keys, operatic vocal sections, and string instrumentals make sense and fit better than one might expect. The way they’re used is not as powerful as on Septic Flesh’s The Great Mass, a symphonic death metal album released earlier in 2011, but Agony is still great on its own merits and definitely worthy of any death metal fan’s time.

Flourishing
The Sum of All Fossils

Flourishing’s debut album is one the more varied albums in the death metal genre. The band plays with tempo exceptionally well, creating an album that works when fast or slow. There are times when The Sum of All Fossils sounds like sludge metal with blackened growling, but just as often they are play fast and technical death metal with typical vocals for the genre. What remains consistent though is the brutality of the music, which is aided by some strong atmosphere and spot-on lo-fi production. This is a very solid album, and one that can recommended to any fan of extreme metal. If their debut is any indication, Flourishing are definitely a band to watch for in the future.

Kartikeya
Mahayuga

Kartikeya’s Mahuyuga opens with a short intro that goes from ambient music to death metal to Middle Eastern folk. When the actual songs start, it seems at first like the intro was a tease. The death metal is high quality, certainly, and sounds like a cross between Behemoth and Strapping Young Lad, but 3 minutes into the second track the real genius of Mahayuga starts to show itself. That solid death metal song turns into Mongolian folk with chanted vocals, and the album just gets crazier from there. Kartikeya have very strong Middle Eastern influences, and they put it to great use. There are plenty of pure death metal moments, all of which are great, but much of the music has their oriental influences fused directly into it. The songs here are heavy, unique, and even beautiful at times, and it makes for a very interesting listen. Mahayuga ends with an epic four-part closer that ranks among some of the weirdest and overall best music I’ve heard this year. If you like death metal, oriental metal, or avant-garde music in general, Kartikeya have crafted an album that you should absolutely check out.

Mitochondrion
Parasignosis

Mitochondrion’s Parasignosis has its flaws, but when I look back on the most memorable albums of 2011, it’s hard to ignore this one. The band’s raw blend of atmospheric death metal is sometimes too raw for its own good. It can be like listening to an early black metal album, only with death growls and more technical instrumentation. Parasignosis is completely overwhelming in parts, as the technicality of the instrumentals and the raw production and atmosphere are often at odds. Still, there are parts of the album that make up the rough spots. This is just a ridiculously heavy album, and even while it may take a few listens to absorb all of the different parts, what’s here is unlike anything else I’ve heard in the death metal genre. Parasignosis may be the heaviest album released in 2011, and with the ridiculous amount of great extreme metal albums from the year, that’s no small accomplishment. With its problems, it’s somewhat hard to fully recommend Parasignosis, but it also needs to be done. The highs are just too good and the album is just too heavy for it to be ignored.

Obscura
Omnivium

Technicality is one aspect of death metal, but it’s far from the only thing that makes the genre appealing. Most technical death metal albums forgo the brutality, and more importantly, the passion that comes from it, in favor of technical wankery. Obscura’s Omnivium is an exception to that rule. Here is some technical death metal with awe-inspiring musicianship, but a great deal of passion to go along with it. Everything here is heavy, and the way that complicated instrumentation works with the varied songwriting is nothing short of brilliant. Obscura take their cues from jazz and progressive metal, and in a way Omnivium feels like a modern update to early Atheist and Cynic albums. It needs a little more variety before it truly belongs in the same category as those, but it’s the closest tech death has gotten in some time. It’s rare and oh so satisfying to hear a death metal album be technically complex while still having great songwriting around it. Parts of it are even melodic, and certainly accessible compared to most other death metal albums. Omnivium is an exceptional release, and absolutely essential for metal fans.

Owl
Owl

A stunning original debut album, Owl’s self-titled release is one of the best metal albums of 2011. Owl play atmospheric death metal, similar to the popular “blackgaze” or atmospheric black metal that has become popular of late. However, the difference between the black and death metal is key, and a very difficult one to pull off. This is an incredibly dark and raw album, and it’s sometimes hard to believe that the death metal riffs and growls work so well in such a dreary atmospheric setting. The music is technical, epic, and depressing all at once, and while the last track goes on far too long (30 minutes), the first four are near-masterpieces that are unlike anything else in contemporary metal.

Septic Flesh
The Great Mass

Heavy, brutal, and unapologetically crazy, Septic Flesh’s The Great Mass is one hell of an album. This symphonic death metal masterpiece contains some of the heaviest metal imaginable, and blends it with strong progressive and symphonic elements. There are brutal death vocals and instrumentals, as well as violins, flutes, and some help from the Filmharmonic Orchestra and Choir of Prague. It should be overwhelming, but the way that Septic Flesh build their music is chaotic yet never random. This is the soundtrack to going mad, and the music remains unpredictable throughout. What more is there to say about The Great Mass? This is an incredible tour de force of death metal, and it’s a masterpiece that absolutely must be listened to.

Sonne Adam
Transformation

Sonne Adam is a new band with an old sound. Transformation is an impressive traditional death metal album, complete with raw vocals, lo-fi production, and dark and heavy instrumentation. It’s sort of a throwback to early 90’s death metal, but it manages to stand out. Even two decades after this style of death metal surfaced, it’s impressive to hear a death metal band be so heavy, so raw, and so enjoyable. The riffs are slower than in modern death metal, and there’s certainly a case to be made that “slow and heavy” is the way to go. Transformation is certainly for fans of old-school death metal, but with the possible exception of Bloodbath there hasn’t been a band in the last decade who’s re-created this sound in such a powerful way. It’s raw, it’s heavy, and it’s great.

Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All

Listening to Ulcerate’s The Destroyers of All can be an overwhelming experience. Much like Meshuggah, Gojira, and other all-purpose extreme metal bands, Ulcerate throws just every form of heavy metal into their sound and somehow makes it work. Through the course of each 6+ minute track, Ulcerate plays incredibly technical and brutal metal with elements of death, black, sludge, and thrash mixed in. It’s an all out heavy metal assault, but it’s also the type of music that just begs to be headbanged to. Few albums pull off metal as heavy as this, and for fans of heavy metal The Destroyers of All is a treat.

2011 HBG- Hardcore

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This section is comprised of the best hardcore punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, deathcore, and screamo albums of 2011. For those who aren’t familiar with those terms, just know the following 10 albums have lots and lots of screaming.

Ära Krâ
Ferne Tage

Powerful, beautiful, and emotionally devastating, Ära Krâ’s debut is one of the year’s best albums in any genre of music. This is an incredible first album, and it’s hard to imagine what Ära Krâ may be capable of in the future. Stylistically, the music is very unique with elements of hardcore punk, atmospheric black metal, and post-rock. All of it comes together perfectly and with a great deal of emotion. There are certain albums that just seep passion, and Ferne Tage is one of them. The content is dark, yet still beautiful, and it manages to create a distinct and absorbing atmosphere. Most of the vocals are screamed, and the instrumentation can build from ambience to extreme metal, but does so at a leisurely pace. By its end it’s hard not be exhausted listening to Ferne Tage, and that’s a good thing. It’s an emotionally draining album, and as a result it’s definitely not for everyone. However, anyone who likes to sit and truly listen to their heavy music will find a one of a kind experience, and again, one of the absolute best albums of 2011.

Born of Osiris
The Discovery

I’ve heard solid deathcore before, even a few great EP’s. However, Born of Osiris’ The Discovery is the single best pure deathcore album I’ve ever listened to. This is proof that mixing death metal with hardcore can work, and screams and breakdowns aren’t completely incompatible with death metal. The vocals vary between high and low screams and death growls, although not all are well done. It’s good that none of the specific styles stay for too long, and the constant changing only adds to the intensity. The Discovery is likely an album that will be enjoyed more by hardcore/metalcore fans than death metal purists, and that’s fine. This is really a metalcore album with legitimate death metal influences and some well implemented progressive and atmospheric sounds. Born of Osiris have crafted a chaotic mess of an album, and I mean that in the best way possible. If you’re an open-minded death metal fan I would recommend giving this one a chance, but more than anything it’s an essential release for fans of heavier hardcore music.

Defeater
Empty Days & Sleepless Nights

Empty Days & Sleepless Nights shows two very different sides of Defeater. Some of the songs are heavy hardcore tracks complete with heavy riffs and punk screaming. Those are solid for the most part, and Defeater do a good job of building the songs and giving them some variety. The other half of Empty Days & Sleepless Nights is much softer. There are four acoustic ballads, all of which are surprisingly good. Even without the screaming, Defeater still put a punk edge into the softer tracks. The lyrical themes are similar throughout the album, namely a loose story about a family dealing with their life post-war. The acoustic tracks all come at the end, after 35 minutes of hardcore punk. This makes the theme of the record all the more powerful, hearing anger followed by grief. Empty Days & Sleepless Nights is a complete album, and a great sophomore release from a band quickly gaining the attention of punk fans everywhere.

Jesus & Paka
Duality

The first time I listened to Duality, the debut album from Jesus & Paka, it took only about a minute for me to realize that this duo has come up with one of the most unique sounds imaginable. With that being said, it took quite a bit longer for me to realize that this album was more than just a unique experiment. Jesus & Paka play acoustic screamo. Yes, you read that right. This album has powerful punk screams being delivered over borderline-flamenco acoustic guitar parts. It’s hard to believe that this style works, but it does, and quite brilliantly at that. This whole thing would fall apart if the vocals were lackluster, but thankfully the screams are forceful, and they are only intensified by the acoustic instrumentals. The guitars are fast enough to work with the music, but they put a powerful emphasis on the vocals that makes Duality an incredibly emotional record. This is one of the most unique albums of 2011, and it’s also one of the best.

La Dispute
Wildlife

Wildlife is not an album that be critiqued at a technical level, and that’s what makes punk music so great. This is an album of pure emotion. Every word that comes from the vocalist’s mouth is said, screamed, and sung with passion, and the same can be said for every note of the guitar. Wildlife is just intense and beautiful in the most heartbreaking of ways, and it’s the kind of album that’s exactly what emo could be if you removed all of the stigma and commercialism. That is to say, this is a punk album with real emotion, and it makes for a powerful and at times difficult listen.

Protest the Hero
Scurrilous

Protest the Hero is a band that makes incredibly complicated music sound simple. Parts of Scurrilous are nothing short of ridiculous and borderline overwhelming. You’ll hear the vocalist screaming over guitar shredding, chaotic drum beats, and melodic backing vocals. Other times high singing will occur over chugging hardcore riffs and breakdowns, and instruments will sometimes transition to new parts seemingly without regard for what the other parts are playing. What sounds like a guitar solo will start in the middle of a verse, and the instruments will slow down in the middle of another. It shouldn’t work, but somehow Protest the Hero manage to pull it off, and the moments where everything does come together bring a much needed rest to chaos. All things considered, Scurrilous is really pretty accessible. It’s a testament to the band’s songwriting that such crazy compositions can work, especially at a level where the music can appeal similarly to fans of hardcore and progressive metal.

Pulling Teeth
Funerary

Pulling Teeth’s Funerary feels like two different hardcore albums packaged into one. Both are great, but in different ways. The first half is a loud, fast, and chaotic collection of straightforward hardcore punk songs. The latter half is slower and basically sludge metal with punk screams. Again, both work, and they show a tremendous amount of variety. The instrumentation ranges from slow and heavy sludge to fast and sloppy punk to technical metal and even melodic in the solos. It’s an interesting mix, especially in the latter half, and it makes for an incredibly strange and rewarding listen. The vocals won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, even amongst hardcore fans, and the screaming isn’t as powerful as it could have been. The sloppy screams work well with some parts of the music, but occasionally it stands out too much. For the most part though, Funerary is a unique hardcore album that works, and it’s a great album for punk fans and metalheads alike.

Raein
Sulla linea d'orizzonte tra questa mia vita e quella di tutti

Makers of some of the most creative and emotionally-charged screamo out there, Raein have returned with an album funded by fan donations. In a lot of ways, this is a return to Raein’s roots, as the music is simpler and closer to their influences than any of their albums before it. The vocals are a mostly powerful screaming, with a few spoken sections, and the instrumentals are similar to influential modern screamo bands like Saetia and pageninetynine. There’s a lot of variation in the instrumentals, both in style and mood, and the music stays interesting throughout as a result. Unlike the aforementioned bands, Raein refrain from moments of pure chaos. The music is certainly emotional, angry, and devastating, but it all stays pretty steady and even accessible as far as screamo albums go. Sulla linea d'orizzonte tra questa mia vita e quella di tutti isn’t anything new for hardcore punk, but it’s a very solid album nonetheless. It’s certainly recommendable for those with interest in screamo, but even newcomers to the genre might want to give this one a try. It’s available as a free download on Raein’s website, and it’s definitely worth any music fan’s time.

Todos Caerán
After Dark

While many hardcore bands keep their songs short and to the point, Todos Caerán take the opposite approach. After Dark is cinematic album with long tracks, instrumentals that sound like post-rock at times, and spoken storytelling that eventually turns into screams. It’s definitely for a different type of listener than those who prefer short and intense music, but those who are more patient will find an ever changing album that is successful at building the quiet into the loud. It’s no surprise to learn that Funeral Diner are a primary influence, as that style of hardcore screaming over part-post-rock part-punk instrumentals is in full effect here and done very well. After Dark is a very impressive album, especially for it being the band’s first full-length release. If this is any indication, Todos Caerán have a bright future ahead of them.

Trap Them
Darker Handcraft

Fast, loud, and heavy, Trap Them’s Darker Handcraft is everything a crust punk album should be. That’s not to say that Darker Handcraft is just a crust punk album though. There are straight up rock ‘n roll riffs, used in a way similar to that of Kvelertak last year. Many of the songs are short, and are just brutal segments without intros or outros. That structure is common in punk music, but hearing something as heavy and brutal as the music here makes it all the more powerful. The longer (3+ minutes) tracks are also straight to the point, although the “death ‘n roll” parts are more prominent on those. Trap Them are a crust band that do things a little different and a lot better than most of their contemporaries. If you buy one crust punk album in 2011, you can’t go wrong with Darker Handcraft.

2011 HBG- Progressive

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Despite a few disappointing releases from established bands, progressive rock and metal had huge years in 2011. So huge, in fact, that this turned out to be the most contested category in this year’s guide. A whopping 7 out of 10 albums received a score of at least 3.5 out of 4. Needless to say, prog fans have a lot of great albums to choose from here.

Cormorant
Dwellings

Cormorant’s second album is bigger and better than its predecessor in a number of ways. Having discussed music with Arthur von Nagel, there’s no doubt in my mind that he could be a great critic. His taste is deep and varied, and he draws influences from many great underground rock and metal bands. In Dwellings you’ll hear bits of black metal, melodeath, and lots of progressive metal, but there are subtle hints of post-rock, avant-garde, gothic rock, industrial, and many, many other types of music. There’s simply a lot to Cormorant, and they blend everything together seamlessly. Again, part of what made Metazoa great was the shock of hearing so many subtle influences incorporated into a large and heavy sound. While that’s still there on Dwellings, some of the excitement is gone. Cormorant’s sound is far more polished this time around, and while for the most the part that’s a good thing, it does lose some of its raw power in the process. That balances is tricky when black metal is a major part of the sound, and those are really pretty minor issues. Dwellings is another outstanding release from Cormorant, and it’s as distinct as it is varied.

Devin Townsend Project
Deconstruction

Devin Townsend’s third album in his “project” series will be the most familiar of the bunch to fans of his previous work. Stylistically, Deconstruction is reminiscent of Ziltoid the Omniscient, complete with a crazy story and Devin’s unique sense of humor. There’s an all-star guest list here as well, and while all do an exceptional job, Deconstruction never really settles into a groove because of it. The story doesn’t work all that well, which is disappointing considering how well Devin has done comedic concept albums in the past. Ultimately though, both of those are minor flaws. The real meat here is the music, and that’s where Deconstruction shines. Devin is still a ridiculously talented musician, mixing some of the best growling and clean singing found in heavy metal music. The songs are mostly long and epic, and combine many of Devin’s heavier influences. No, it’s not quite Strapping Young Lad, but it is the heaviest record Townsend has been a part of it in some time. This is “Heavy Devy” and a more progressive Devin rolled into one, and on that level it works perfectly.

NOTE: Devin Townsend Project also released a more mellow album Ghost in 2011. While it is not quite as good, it is absolutely worth listening to, and is offered as a package with Deconstruction.

Flaming Row
Elinoire

Flaming Row’s first album borrows heavily from established metal opera projects like Ayreon and Avantasia. Much like what those bands do, Flaming Row has a great amount of guest singers who play characters in a story told over progressive metal music. The vocalists are mostly excellent, and there’s a good mix between male and female singing and even some growling. The story is the real strength of Elinoire, however, as this tragic tale is the best I’ve heard from an album like this since Ayreon’s The Human Equation. The storytelling is captivating from the start, and Flaming Row quickly prove to be much darker than their counterparts. Elinoire is familiar in a lot of ways, but it’s also a very polished and well constructed debut album. Again, it’s not quite up to the level of Ayreon’s best, but it’s every bit as good as Avantasia and the lesser Ayreon albums.

Haken
Visions

After a great album in 2010, Haken have returned with an even better release a year later. Visions is an absolutely breathtaking collection of melodic, heavy, and epic progressive music, and it cements Haken’s place as one of the premier prog bands in music today. Haken draw influences from both classic and contemporary progressive rock and metal bands, and they blend together different styles of progressive music well. There are beautiful melodic moments, as well as heavier ones, but there’s a constant symphonic element that can be found throughout. They make great use of synths without overusing them, and it’s Haken ability to take touches of other prog bands and combine them into a unique and concise package that makes them such an enjoyable band to listen to. Visions is a very strong album, and it’s an essential listen for any fan of progressive rock or metal.

Leprous
Bilateral

Leprous’ Bilateral is a largely experimental prog metal album that never loses sight of its human qualities. Throughout its avant-garde weirdness and constant styles changes, there is a consistent sense of passion to the music, and it’s great to hear both sides of progressive music work together so well. Former Emperor frontman Ihsahn makes an appearance, so it goes without saying that parts of Bilateral are heavy. There’s also a great deal of melody here, often found within the same sections, but there are truly beautiful segments as well. There are also plenty of crazy avant-garde parts, but none sound forced. The record flows incredibly well, and as a whole Bilateral is one the most ambitious and overall best progressive albums of 2011.

Myrath
Tales of the Sands

Myrath’s third album sees the band progressing into a polished and complete progressive metal group. On Tales of the Sands, all aspects of Myrath’s sound come together to make catchy and unique pieces of music. The instrumentals range from symphonic to the standard crunching metal riffs, and the vocals are usually high pitched and would fit well in a quality power metal band. However, what sets Myrath apart are their oriental influences, specifically in their use of Arabian folk. It would be one thing if the band just played progressive metal and then transitioned into oriental sections, but Myrath do a lot more. The two styles are blended together seamlessly, and neither overpowers the other. There are a few songs that forgo the folk influences, which is strange because when used they are prominent part of the music. The songs without oriental sounds don’t fare as well, as the strong vocals can’t carry the entire load. The pure prog metal riffs just aren’t all that interesting, so it’s a good thing that most of the tracks are able to work with both parts of Myrath’s sound. Overall, Tales of the Sands is easily the best Myrath album yet, and it’s a very solid and mostly unique progressive album.

Orne
The Tree of Life

Influenced by early progressive rock bands, Orne have created a varied and often beautiful contemporary reimagining of 70’s prog rock. The difference is that Orne are have learned from how the genre has evolved throughout the years, and as such their album is focused and devoid of jamming or segments that don’t advance the music. The heavier parts are built up to in logical ways, and the album feels concise as a result. And while the band is clearly based in classic prog, they aren’t afraid to mix things up. There are some clear folk elements, as well as some male and female harmonies that are beautifully executed. The whole album has an atmospheric feel to it, and the spoken word sections add to that, even for those who ignore the rather uneventful story. Taken as a whole, The Tree of Life is a long, but never boring, album that borrows from its influences while bringing new ideas to the table. It’s the kind of album that progresses as it goes along, and prog fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

Steven Wilson
Grace for Drowning

Steven Wilson, best known as the frontman of Porcupine Tree and half of Blackfield and No-Man, has returned with his second solo album. This one bears little resemblance to 2008’s Insurgentes, and is instead a straightforward prog rock album that sounds right out of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Grace for Drowning bears a striking resemble to King Crimson and other early progressive bands, and as such it embraces parts of Porcupine Tree’s music without sounding like a true PT album. If you like progressive rock, you’ve certainly heard similar albums to Grace for Drowning. It has the usual mix of soft ballads and heavier instrumental showcases, often both in the same track. Wilson is a solid singer and guitarist, but his biggest strength remains as a songwriter. That’s what makes Grace for Drowning a worthwhile listen, as the familiar sounding parts are weaved together in ways that pay tribute to classic prog while still sounding new in the process. Grace for Drowning is far from Steven Wilons’ best, but it’s good at what it does, and for fans of classic progressive rock, this two-disc epic is a treat.

Sun Caged
The Lotus Effect

As a melodic progressive metal band, Sun Caged is often compared to Dream Theater. I’m not sure those comparisons are valid, as Sun Caged is far less technical and more varied than the classic New York prog band, but that’s a good place to start when recommending Sun Caged. And to be clear, this band is definitely worthy of a recommendation. Their latest album, The Lotus Effect, mixes acoustic and symphonic elements into Sun Caged’s melodic progressive metal sound, which makes the music that much more melodic. The vocalist will remind many of James Labire (again, from Dream Theater), but he lacks the range necessary to compete with him. In reality, the vocals are fairly standard for progressive metal, but they fit the music well. What really makes The Lotus Effect a great album is the sheer epic feel that runs throughout. The songs are mostly long, with the finale being almost 25 minutes, but they never get boring. Even with a fairly simple style, Sun Caged manage to build the songs in logical and interesting ways. This makes The Lotus Effect a consistent and enjoyable album, and that’s not something that can be said for most melodic prog.

Wolverine
Communication Lost

Removing the growling from their sound turned out to be a great decision for Wolverine. Communication Lost is a much lighter album than past releases from the band, but it’s easily the group’s best album yet and one the best albums of 2011. The songs are incredibly varied and well written, and include a wide range of instruments and influences. There are still some heavy moments, and the vocals match the style of music well, subtlety changing from high and melodic to rough and low. There’s also a great deal of tension here, and it’s amazing how quickly Wolverine can shift from the beautiful to the powerful and back. This is great melodic and atmospheric progressive music that exists somewhere in between hard rock and metal, and it’s the kind of record that shows an equal amount of talent in the instrumentation and songwriting. Communication Lost is a truly outstanding album, and while some of the heavier segments from past Wolverine are missed, what’s here is excellent from start to finish.

2011 HBG- Alternative/Indie Rock

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The term “indie” is now being thrown around to describe basically any form of contemporary alternative music. Major label bands with no indie rock influences are being marketed as indie bands, and it’s getting harder to tell what exactly the genre is at this point. For that reason, indie and alternative rock have been put into the same category for this year’s guide. In terms of quality, alternative had a less than stellar year, but there were still some good albums that had to be left off the list. Here are 10 great alternative and indie rock albums released in 2011.

Cake
Showroom of Compassion

Compared to their contemporaries, Cake have always been the “mature” part-comedy part-alternative rock band. While Ween were crude, The Presidents were random, and Weezer were full on pop parody, Cake were the more simple and sophisticated of the lot. Their music is simple but wildly unique and creative, and their lyrics range from parody to literary references. Showroom of Compassion is the first Cake album in seven years, and it shows the band growing as musicians. Some alternative fans may be put off by its almost avant-garde oddity at times, especially on tracks like “Teenage Pregnancy,” but listeners who embrace Showroom of Compassion’s mix of the weird and the accessible will find Cake’s best album since Prolong the Magic and maybe even the most consistent album of their career.

DeVotchKa
100 Lovers

DeVotchKa don’t do things a whole lot differently than other indie rock bands. They just do it better. 100 Lovers is a little country, a little gothic, and a little poppy, but the sound it forms is sort of a purer, more polished version of contemporary indie music. The vocals will be especially familiar to indie rock listeners, but there is a beautiful atmosphere to the instrumentals that creates a nice contrast between the clean instrumentation and rough vocals. There are beautiful moments, as well as some heavier rock ones, and the music remains catchy and varied throughout. There are also a lot of different instruments being used, and used as more than just novelty. These includes a full arsenal of string, woodwind, and brass instruments. One of the heavier songs, “The Man From San Sebastian” even uses an accordion in the main riff. If you like indie rock, 100 Lovers is definitely an album worth checking out.

Elbow
Build a Rocket Boys!

Build a Rocket Boys! takes Elbow’s sound to a more theatrical level. The results are mixed, as the pseudo-operatic vocals, large harmonies, and orchestral arrangements sometimes distract from the indie rock that Elbow has perfected over the years. However, that core sound is still there, and occasionally Elbow’s ambitious songwriting pays off. Unlike a lot of indie bands that sound forced, the passion of Elbow can be heard throughout. Even amongst the often cluttered instrumentals, there is a strong human element that shines through, and that makes this a treat to listen to.

Portugal. The Man
In the Mountain in the Cloud

Portugal. The Man’s major label debut is every bit as good as their independent releases. Much like on past albums, there is a theme to In the Mountain in the Clouds, and stylistically the album is very different from anything the group has done before while still retaining distinct elements of the sound. The vocals are still high and mostly in falsetto, but the music this time around is largely influenced by 70’s psychedelic pop. As such, there are tons of catchy melodies, atmospheric arrangements, and plenty of psychedelic sounds littered throughout the album. It’s maybe a little simpler than past records, but it’s still Portugal. The Man. That is to say, the music is catchy, creative, and even experimental. Portugal. The Man continue to progress, and while In the Mountain in the Cloud is far from their most memorable release, it’s one of the best and most original indie rock albums of the year.

Radiohead
The King of Limbs

While shorter and less revolutionary than many fans were expecting, Radiohead’s The King of Limbs is nonetheless a great album. Stylistically, it has more in common with Kid A than In Rainbows, as most of the tracks are closer to electronic than rock. Radiohead are quite good at that though, and there are some real highlights here. “Give Up the Ghost” makes great use of layering to create a haunting and atmospheric sound. The single “Lotus Flower” is also exceptional, and strikes a perfect balance between being a catchy rock song and a sort of Flying Lotus-inspired dance track. Moments like those could only be created by Radiohead, and even though it’s not as consistent as what we’ve come to expect, this is 35 minutes of quality and occasionally excellent music.

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
Mirror Traffic

After the sonic jam-fest that was Real Emotional Trash, Stephen Malkmus and company have returned with a slower, more laid back, and more straightforward indie rock album. Mlalkmus is best known as being the frontman of legendary rock band Pavement, and Mirror Traffic is the closest the Jicks have gotten to matching Pavement’s sound. In a way that’s a little disappointing, as the Jicks were just beginning to find their own sound, one that was heavier and more chaotic than Malkmus’ former group. Mirror Traffic is still a smart and focused album though, and it sees a more mature Stephen Malkmus dealing with political and social issues in a way that only he could. It’s hard to say where the Jicks will go from here, but they’ve made another solid album, albeit a much a tamer one than fans might expect.

Thurston Moore
Demolished Thoughts

Demolished Thoughts is a very interesting album from the frontman of Sonic Youth. The music here is far from being noise rock, as Moore has taken a mellow and contemporary approach. Most of the guitars are acoustic, although it’s far from a singer/songwriter record. There are plenty of other instruments used, including different types of string and percussion, and Moore’s rough voice still has the same passionate feel as it does in Sonic Youth. Despite being mellow, Demolished Thoughts has a heavy feel to it, and any beauty it creates is dark and melancholy. It shows a different side of an incredibly creative and talented musician, and it’s quite possibly the best album Moore has been a part of in well over a decade.

TV on the Radio
Nine Types of Light

While slightly more mellow than past TV on the Radio albums, Nine Types of Light is an artistic triumph and a natural evolution for the band’s sound. There are numerous subtle touches that reward careful listening, and it’s catchy and unique enough for those who just want a straight up rock album. The album starts with the incredible “Second Song,” which opens slowly and builds to an epic atmospheric ending. That song is one of the best of the band’s career, and it’s far from the only highlight on Nine Types of Light. The album as a whole progresses brilliantly, and a movie that TV on the Radio released online shows an alternative order for the tracks that makes the music progress in a different but equally interesting way. It’s clear that a great deal of time and attention has been put into making Nine Types of Light, and it’s paid dividends. This is a varied and consistently entertaining rock album that cements TV on the Radio’s place as one of the elite creative forces in music today.

The Twilight Singers
Dynamite Step

One of the best storytellers in rock music, Greg Dulli has outdone himself with Dynamite Step. The latest from The Twilight Singers is a dark and beautiful work of art that is catchy and emotionally gripping in equal measure. Dynamite Steps revels in atmosphere, mostly of the dark variety, and it has a more varied and complete sound form the entire band. This is an album that doesn’t just rely on Dulli’s voice and lyrics to convey its story, but has some strong instrumentation and interesting arrangements. Subtle touches like string instruments being introduced in the background halfway through a song and changes in how the vocals are filtered make this a deep album musically, and the same attention to detail can found in Dulli’s lyrics. This is a great album and the best yet from The Twilight Singers.

Wild Flag
Wild Flag

Wild Flag may be the closest Sleater-Kinney fans ever get to a new album from trio. For some it’s enough just to hear Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss together again, even if Corin Tucker’s trademark vocals are nowhere to be found. Others will have a hard time looking past the Sleater-Kinney similarities and will loose interest in this new project quickly. What’s here is far too similar to classic Sleater-Kinney to avoid the comparisons, but Wild Flag is still worth a listen for any indie fan. The music is aggressive in all the right ways, and Mary Timony does an adequate job of filling Tucker’s void.

2011 HBG- Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal

2011-12-18T05:35:00.001-08:00

While these subgenres of metal are often combined with each other, power, symphonic, and folk metal all had very different years. Power metal was well represented and included a return to form by one of the genre’s biggest fans. Symphonic metal had, well, Nightwish, and folk metal had a number of outstanding releases in 2011.

Anubis Gate
Anubis Gate

Instead of hiring a new vocalist after the departure of the second singer, the progressive power metal band has decided to let bassist and backing singer Henrik Fevre handle lead vocal duties. It may seem like a strange choice, but it’s probably the right one for Anubis Gate going forward. Fevre has a strong voice, albeit one without a ton of range, and he works well with the melodic riffs and fast solos on the band’s self-titled release. There’s not as much variety here as on other Anubis Gate albums, but the sound that the band works with, a pretty even mix of progressive and power metal, is entertaining throughout. If you like melodic metal, Anubis Gate’s latest is definitely worth a listen.

Charred Walls of the Damned
Cold Winds on Timeless Days

Featuring three former members of Iced Earth, including ex-vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens, Charred Walls of the Damned are a power metal band with a surprisingly heavy and original sound. Their guitars are fast, the vocals are as powerful as fans of Owens have come to expect, but there are some a number of extreme metal elements that make Cold Winds on Timeless Days more than an Iced Earth-esque album. There are times when the band will break into pure thrash metal, and even borderline death metal. This makes their sound harsher and far more varied than their contemporaries, and that combined with the talent of the musicians make this one of the best power metal albums of 2011.

Dukhi Predkov
Terra Ursorum

There is something about Middle Eastern folk that just works with heavy metal. Russian metal band Dukhi Predkov embrace a wide variety of folk influences, and make use of a number of different instrumentals. Throughout the course of the album, the usual metal instrumentals are accompanied by string and woodwind instruments, as well as the mixing of both male and female singing and extreme metal growling. The sound can be overwhelming at times, and there are some segments that move on too quickly, but fans of folk metal looking for something new in the genre can’t do much better than Terra Usorum. This is as unique and varied of an album as anything folk metal has seen in years.

Iced Earth
Dystopia

Maybe the biggest surprise of 2011, Iced Earth have returned with a new vocalist and their best album in over a decade. Stu Block, former Into Eternity frontman, is an incredibly talented singer who’s chaotic style makes him a strange fit with a power metal band stuck in the 90’s. The combination works though, as Block as helped inject some life into Iced Earth’s sound. Instrumentally, there isn’t a whole lot that’s changed. The band still knows how to play their instruments, and there are some solid riffs, but for the most part its predictable without quite treading into boring territory. Again though, Stu Block, is the reason to listen. His vocal performance makes Dystopia into a far more unpredictable record, and one that is more entertaining than it has any right to be. It’s interesting to hear Block sing and scream over more steady and typical power metal, and Dystopia finds the right balance between familiar and experimental. It’s easily the best and most listenable album Iced Earth have put out in years.

Moonsorrow
Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa

Epic, heavy, and beautiful all at once, Moonsorrow’s Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maass is another great release from one of folk metal’s finest bands. There are essentially four songs here, all of which are over 10 minutes in length and are connected by unnecessary interludes. The songs all feel epic and incredibly powerful by the time they end, although it’s somewhat overwhelming to listen to the album as a whole. Each track sounds like the closer of an album, or even a full album condensed into 12-16 minutes. The music here is also noticeably heavier than most other folk metal, especially in the vocals. The vast majority are black metal growls, and there are moments where the music turns into pure atmospheric black metal. Those segments are the most memorable, but that’s in part because Moonsorrow build up to them so well. The folk influences are such a staple part of the sound that when removed in the middle of a long piece of music makes the pure black parts all the more powerful. The production is also influenced by black metal, namely in its lo-fi approach. This is unfortunate, as the non-black metal parts sound too constrained with that style of production. Finding the right way to produce is always tricky when combining so many different styles into a single track. So while it’s unfortunate, it’s easy to forgive and consequently recommend Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa.

Nightwish
Imaginaerum

If there’s one thing Nightwish cannot be accused of, it’s doing the same thing over and over again, contrary to what many of their fans want. Anette Olzon is the still the vocalist, and much like on Nightwish’s last album, she gives a solid but unspectacular performance that works for the direction the band has taken. This would be very different music had the more operatic Tarja Turunen stayed with them, and I admit that I’d be curious to hear what Imaginaerum would sound like with her. The focus here is less on the vocals, however, and more on the arrangements. This is some of Nightwish’s most ambitious work to date, and while it doesn’t come close to reaching its full potential, the strong moments outshine its shortcomings. Few other metal bands have the resources necessary to pull off an album like this one, as there are orchestras, choirs, and plenty of instruments not usually found in this type of music. Tuomas Holopainen has the vision to create a full orchestral album in the style of heavy metal, and this is more his work than any Nightwish album before it. Some of the non-metal elements are over-the-top and stick out too much to fit within Imaginaerum’s narrative, and as such it doesn’t flow as seamlessly as it could have. Still, there are moments when this ambitious piece of theatrical music works, and those moments make Imaginaerum worth listening to.

Primordial
Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand

Primordial only continue to evolve. The folk metal band mixes atmospheric black metal into their sound to create to epic and varied metal songs, and their sound only continues to become more refined with each new album. Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand is a powerful record that is both heavy and melodic, and has a beautiful dark atmosphere. The vocals are harsh while still being clear, and the instrumentals are varied and almost progressive at times. Taken as a whole, this is an epic and even breathtaking album, and it takes its folk metal influences seriously. You don’t need to be a fan of folk metal to appreciate this album, and anyone with an interest in atmospheric music should give it a listen.

Symphony X
Iconoclast

More Symphony X is never a bad thing. After a string of outstanding albums, Iconoclast is somewhat tame by comparison, but even Symphony X at their least progressive still makes for an incredible listen. The talent in this band is unreal, but they avoid simply showing off. The mix of progressive, symphonic, and power metal continues to work brilliantly, and Symphony X have a great deal of variety. The songs are fast and heavy while remaining melodic and even catchy at times. There are more keyboards than on their last album, Paradise Lost, but for the most part Iconoclast stays close to the sound of the that album. The first and last tracks are long epics, but nothing quite on the level of early Symphony X. That may disappoint prog fans, but anyone with an appreciation for power and symphonic metal, or even just heavy music with an insane amount of technicality will find a great album here.

Týr
The Lay of Thyrm

With power metal, there is a fine line between epic and cheesy. Týr is a band that has belonged to both categories, but The Lay of Thyrm lies fully in the former. This is an epic power metal album with fast and melodic riffs, tons of great solos, soaring vocals, and badass lyrics that blend fantasy and Norse mythology. This is the soundtrack to marching into a Norse battle, and it’s a hell of a ride. There are also strong folk elements here, and Týr does a great job of incorporating them into the epic power metal core without overdoing them. The Lay of Thyrm is an album that begs for headbanging, and it’s a reminder that fantasy themed power metal with high-pitched vocals can be epic and brutal.

Vintersorg
Jordpuls

Vintersorg’s Jordpuls is the a perfect example of what folk metal should be. It’s fun without being silly or over-the-top, and it’s catchy without being poppy. This is an album that puts an emphasis on both the “folk” and the “metal,” the latter being especially noticeable in the main riffs. Vintersorg also established himself as a more than capable singer, and he is a competent growler as well, but his real strength is as a songwriter. He takes most notably from black metal, but also from more melodic metal, and of course there are plenty of folk influences. Jordpuls is an album that a wide array of influences, and it never does the same thing twice. This is a largely unpredictable album, but not a chaotic or overwhelming one, and it’s easy one to recommend to metalheads.

2011 HBG- Electronic

2011-12-14T23:18:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret that electronic music is turning into a mainstream phenomenon, but the types of electronic that have been exposed to the masses make up a pretty small portion of what the genre can do. While dubstep and electro-house have elevated to the top of the charts, the quality electronic music in 2011 was found more in downtempo, trip-hop, and in plenty of albums that mixed multiple styles of electronic. After looking back on the many great releases of the past year, these are 10 I feel best represent electronic music in 2011.

Aes Dana
Perimeters

There gets to a point listening to Perimeters where you just have to sit back and close your eyes. Aes Dana has crafted a beautiful atmospheric album that tells a story through its varied and ever changing soundscapes. There is a great sense of motion here, as the songs will often have a constant drum beat while other sounds will pop in, create tension, and break it. The long, often cinematic tracks can last longer than ten minutes, and by the end a wide of variety of emotions have been displayed through an equally wide variety of sounds and influences. Elements of trance, ambient, industrial, and other forms of electronic are present, and they are used brilliantly. Aes Dana still has a way to go before catching labelmates Carbon Based Lifeforms, but fans of ambient electronic should take notice. This is a strong album, and one of the best electronic releases of 2011.

Balam Acab
Wander / Wonder

“Witch house” in its very nature is a dark genre of music. Anytime drone and darkwave make up the roots, you can be sure there will be a certain level of dark atmosphere. Wander / Wonder is a dark in spots, but it also has moments of light that contrast it. Much like its artwork, this is beautiful music that has been covered with dark atmosphere. Balam Acab perfects the atmospheric qualities of his music, making each side of the contrast blend together at the right times. The beats themselves are also impressive, as they sound like downtempo electronic being played through a filter. It can sometimes get repetitive, which is always an issue when working passively with ambient music, but for the most part the beats build enough to stay engaging. What ultimately prevents Wander / Wonder from living up to its potential is the inconsistent quality of the vocal samples. Many of the voices used are incredibly high-pitched, which sometimes works while other times puts too much emphasis on the vocals. With the incredible job of filtering that Balam Acab has done, the voices just don’t fit too much of the time. Wander / Wonder is still a very good album, however, and certainly a promising debut.

Beats Antique
Elektrafone

I’ve never liked the term “world music.” It’s too broad and says more about the location than any real aspect of the music. In the case of Beats Antique, however, that term is a necessary descriptor. Elektrafone is an electric album at its core, but it’s been injected with a heavy dose of “world” music. This ranges from Middle Eastern belly dancing to African jazz, and it works brilliantly. There’s not a lot of subtlety to Beats Antique’s music, as the influences are thrown right into the forefront. There are songs with afro-beat drums being played over dustep-like bass, and it helps that part of the music is performed with live instruments while others are sampled. Elektrafone is a lively and chaotic record, and that’s definitely a good thing. Beats Antique know how to play a wide range of music and mix it all together without one part dominating another. The music is heavy at times, melodic at others, and it all comes together to form a spectacular and utterly unique collection of songs.

Blue Sky Black Death
Noir

It is not often that an album leaves me speechless on first listen. More than ten listens later, I still can’t wrap my mind around the beauty that is Noir. Every listen brings out and more subtleties, to the point where I doubt there any producers in hip-hop or electronic music who put as many layers or think their music through as well as Blue Sky Black Death. Every sample, every note, and every sound is precisely placed and simply perfect. Stylistically, Noir picks up where Blue Sky Black Death’s last trip-hop album, Late Night Cinema, left off. The music is comprised of hip-hop beats turned into beautiful cinematic soundscapes, taking what DJ Shadow did with Endtroducing… and building upon that foundation like few others have. This the album every hip-hop fan imagined when they first heard what could be done with hip-hop production. Everything is perfectly clean, and the atmosphere of the music is indescribably brilliant. Subtle touches like a quick vocal sample, or the return of a sound previously used on the album, work to great effect to bring the album as a whole to life. This is not just a collection of beats, but a full cinematic piece of music split into scenes. I can’t recommend Noir highly enough. This is as good of an album as I’ve ever heard, and every lover of music deserves to hear it.

Cybo
Echoespond

Already one of the most extraordinary new producers in electronic music, Cybo has outdone herself with Echoespond. This is an album that could only be made by an artist who truly loves making music, and it’s an absolute treat to listen to beautiful atmospheric electronic music rich with the kind of passion found here. The music combines elements of Aphex Twin-like idm (intelligent dance music), industrial, ambient, and electro. Cybo has done a masterful job of weaving her influences together to create a truly unique and captivating sound, and her gorgeous vocals give the music an extra layer of atmosphere. Echoespond is the type of album that can be recommended to any music lover, even those without prior interest in electronic. It’s just a spectacular album from start to finish, varied and beautiful throughout.

Ghosts of Paraguay
Silent Souls

Ghosts of Paraguay sounds a lot like Burial, but that’s far from a bad thing. If there’s one dubstep producer to base your sound off of, it’s hard to pick a better one, as well as one more difficult to duplicate. Obviously Silent Souls doesn’t hold a candle to Burial's work, but that’s not to say that Silent Souls is nothing more than a poor man’s Untrue. The songs here are just as atmospheric, but in a much lighter way. There are some nice vocal samples, and some instrumental beats that are breathtaking. It goes without saying that Ghosts of Paraguay needs to branch out more if he’s going to continue this style, but it’s interesting to hear an upbeat take on ambient dubstep. And no, don’t expect any high frequency wobbles or “filthy” drops. This is dubstep in its more subtle and less popular form, and Silent Souls will appeal more to fans of downtempo electronic than wobble bass.

Long Arm
The Branches

It’s been proven time and time again that jazz and trip-hop make for a great combination. Long Arm’s debut album is one of the best examples of that in recent memory. The way that everything flows on The Branches is outstanding, as the lively and sample heavy trip-hop is aided by some gorgeous jazz sections. All of it mixes together smoothly, especially when the hip-hop drums, vocal samples, and jazz instruments come together. There are also moments of ambience that make for a nice contrast from the generally active main sections. Long Arm isn’t afraid to mix styles, but again, it all flows. It’s rare that a producer who mixes as many different types of music in a short amount of time does so with as much success as this one. It works because Long Arm keeps the jazzy trip-hop sound throughout, and while not every sound works as well it could have, he always has that to fall back on. Overall The Branches is a very strong debut album, and one of the most recommendable trip-hop/jazz hybrids out there.

Pogo
Wonderpuff

Already a favorite among electronic fans, Pogo has made a name for himself by creating beautiful electronic tracks with samples from famous (often Disney) films. It’s remarkable what this man can do with his samples, and Wonderpuff is a more subtle but undeniably impressive example of that. Pogo will use non-musical samples and incorporate it into the main melody. In the past it’s been easy to tell that all of the music is coming from the same source, essentially being remixed, but here the less recognizable sources make it almost impossible to spot without knowledge of how Pogo makes his beats. This may not give listeners the same satisfaction as his famous track “Alice,” but for the most part the music flows a lot better. Towards the end Wonderpuff does start to lose steam, as variety isn’t necessarily Pogo’s strongest attribute, but there’s enough high quality electronic here to earn a strong recommendation. Pogo is one insanely talented producer, and any electronic fan not yet familiar with his skills should start with his Wonderland EP and then give Wonderpuff a listen. As a whole, this may be his strongest work to date.

Stendeck
Scintilla

Stendeck first impressed me with his mixing of ambient and industrial on 2009’s Sonnambula. The way that the heavy industrial sounds clashed with the beautiful ambient soundscapes was brilliantly done, and unlike anything I had heard before. Scintilla is the latest from Stendeck, and while that contrast is still present throughout the album, much of it is more streamlined. This is really an IDM album, influenced as much by late 90’s dance music as it is industrial and ambient. It works well though, as Stendeck is clearly a focused producer who knows where he wants his music to end up. There’s never a moment where the music sounds forced, and everything builds naturally. That’s not an easy accomplishment, especially when you consider the stark contrast in light and heavy that’s found on Scintilla. This is the kind of electronic music that impresses on both a technical and creative level, and it’s the most consistent album of this great producer’s career. It may not make the same impression as his previous release, but it’s still an essential listen for fans of electronic and industrial.

Tycho
Dive

Tycho’s Dive is both upbeat and downtempo at the same. This is beautiful soft electronic music with a light atmosphere and strong psychedelic influences. Acoustic guitars, synths, and drum beats make up the bulk of the music, but Tycho takes them in interesting directions. It’s clear that Tycho has a wide variety of influences, and he does a commendable job of simplifying them into a straightforward and often strikingly beautiful package. There aren’t many surprises, but you can’t ask for anything more than gorgeous beats that are accessible to just about anyone. Dive isn’t necessarily a masterful album, but it’s the kind of record that any music fan can listen to and get something out of.

2011 HBG- Melodeath/Thrash/Sludge Metal

2011-12-13T23:46:00.000-08:00

While 2011 was an incredible year for metal music as a whole, these three genres weren’t quite strong enough to fill their own category. Melodeath is the dominant one here, but sludge and thrash have a few representatives as well. The “accessible metal” section from past years is no more, but I guess this one could have been called “moderately accessible metal.”

Arch Enemy
Khaos Legions

Arch Enemy have been doing pretty much the same thing since vocalist Angela Gossow joined the band. That’s not necessarily a band thing, as the group has made subtle improvements with each new album, and released some great albums in the process. Still, it’s probably time that they moved on and tried something a little different. Khaos Legions is quite a bit different, and some melodic death metal fans may simply not want to hear a more accessible thrash metal take on Arch Enemy’s sound. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but the music on Khaos Legions really works. The instrumentals are still melodic, but with more of a thrash metal base, and Gossow’s vocals are simply incredible. Every word that comes out of her mouth is clear, a rarity for growlers, and she sounds powerful on every track. Khaos Legions is a very good album, and a few of the tracks are downright brilliant. It may be more accessible, but it’s quite possibly the best album of Arch Enemy’s career.

Arkan
Salam

With the exception of the brilliant track “Origins,” Arkan’s oriental influences can be somewhat deceptive. They use Middle Eastern sounds in their intros and outros, but rarely incorporate them well into the main parts of the songs. It’s a good thing then that Arkan play a solid brand of melodic death metal. In actuality, Salem is a fairly standard yet solid melodeath album that occasionally builds into something greater. Fans of oriental metal with likely be intrigued, but not fully satisfied, while melodic death fans will find a pretty solid release with some interesting ideas mixed in.

The Black Dahlia Murder
Ritual

There was once a time when The Black Dahlia Murder were nothing more than a heavier and slightly more respectable metalcore band. That was a long time ago. After a string of solid albums, BDM have turned into a legitimate melodic death metal group, heavier than just about any other popular American metal band this side of Lamb of God. The vocals are chaotic without being messy, and they do a nice job of mixing high screams with some really strong growling. Guitar solos are also plentiful and excellent, and it’s pretty crazy that the band can go from different spectrums of heavy metal in a short amount of time without having it sounding forced. Ritual is a legitimately heavy album, and one that can be easily recommended to fans of melodeath and accessible metal alike.

Cipher System
Communicate the Storms

It is often assumed that melodic metal is more accessible than its “heavier” counterpart. Cipher System prove that this isn’t always true. Despite having some of the most melodic riffs you’ll find in heavy metal, Communicate the Storms is an absolutely brutal death metal album. It just happens to be melodic and even has a few clean vocals thrown in for good measure. It’s a great album, and I encourage those not into the heavier side of melodic death metal to give it a chance, but Communicate the Storms is really a record for metal purists who remember the Gothenburg scene and how heavy melodic metal could sound. The vocals, in particular, are brutal, as even the clean singing sounds strained and heavy. The growling mixes both high and low, and both have a punishing sound that wouldn’t be out of place in a brutal death metal record. All in all, this is one of the finest melodic death metal albums of the year, and it’s an easy one to recommend.

Ghost Brigade
Until Fear No Longer Defines Us

Part sludge and part melodic death metal, Ghost Brigade have one of the most unique sounds in modern metal. When a band mixes two genres as clearly as Ghost Brigade do, they must know how to play both, and it’s clear that the band has them mastered. The riffs are slow and heavy for the most part, and create the almost hypnotic sound that comes from the great sludge bands. As the songs start to build, the riffs become faster, and the way that Ghost Brigade play with tension is nothing short of incredible. Until Fear No Longer Defines Us is easily the best and most polished album of the band’s career, and it’s hard not to be impressed by what they’ve accomplished. This is a truly unique record that plays with polar opposites in speed and emotion to great success, and it’s one of the best metal releases of 2011.

Insomnium
One for Sorrow

Insomnium have their formula, one that really hasn’t changed for the last few albums, but it’s hard to complain when the music sounds like this. This is high quality melodic death metal with clear and powerful growling, and instrumentation that varies from brutal to downright beautiful. The clean singing isn’t the best that the genre has to offer, but Insomnium don’t overdue it. The singing does what it needs to do, namely offer a break from the harsh vocals, and again, it’s hard to complain when the rest of the music is so polished. One of Sorrow is a solid melodic death metal album that doesn’t try to reinvent the genre or Insomnium’s sound, but it does offer consistent and accessible melodeath for fans of the genre and newcomers alike.

Machine Head
Unto the Locust

Picking up where 2007’s The Blackening left off, Unto the Locust builds on the sound Machine Head nailed with that record. The songs are long, aggressive, and passionate, and even contain some progressive elements that should shock anyone who suffered through the band’s nu-metal phase. Machine Head are still angry, and thankfully still heavy, but they’ve matured. The vocals are a mix between Rob Flyn’s trademark guttural screams and clean singing that is just rough enough to fit with the music. Instrumentally, this is Machine Head, just a more varied version. There are still Pantera-like grooves and chugging riffs, but they never do the same thing for too long. They’re not afraid to mix things up and go into heavy sonic assaults or even melodic solos. If The Blackening was the album every Machine Head fan waited for after their classic debut in ‘94, then Unto the Locust is the kind of follow-up those fans should embrace. This is a heavy, largely accessible record that sees a mature and confident Machine Head building on what’s worked.

Mastodon
The Hunter

What can be said about Mastodon that hasn’t been said a million times already? This band is incredible on so many levels, and it’s hard to review one of their albums without sounding like an obsessed fan boy. The thing is that after listening to so many metal albums that try and fail to combine the heavy and melodic, and so many bands that show no progression between albums, it becomes all the more refreshing to hear an artist that has absolutely mastered what so many fail to do. Mastodon have their sound, but they’ve never made the same album twice. The Hunter is no exception, as Mastodon have traded the long prog epics from Crack the Skye and the story from the last three albums in for a straight-forward gem of an album that can only be described as everything Mastodon rolled into a concise package. The Hunter is heavy, melodic, accessible, unique, and just about everything a music fan could want. There are progressive elements, strong sludge influences, and bits of stoner and hard rock, all of which form a distinct and varied sound that continues to progress as the album wears on. The higher vocals are really the only regression here, as what suddenly became a strength on Crack the Skye is back to being a little too rough and not enough of a contrast to the lower singing. The Hunter may not definitively be the best album Mastodon has produced, but that’s really only a testament to the strength of their first four records. This is a fantastic album by a fantastic band.

Mortal Sin
Psychology of Death

Quite possibly the biggest surprise of 2011, old-school thrash metal band Mortal Sin have released a monster of an album. Psychology of Death comes 26 years after their formation, and it’s easily the most unique, heavy, and overall best album of their career. It reminds me a lot of Testament’s The Formation of Damnation from 2008, in that the sound is rooted in 80’s thrash, while adding strong elements of death and modern extreme metal. The result is a punishing collection of chaotic metal songs that prove there is still some life in old-school thrash.

Vektor
Outer Isolation

“Technical thrash metal” does not seem like a genre that would work. Granted, Vektor are far from the first to try this, but Outer Isolation may be the first in the genre to really show that thrash metal can be overly technical without losing the heaviness and passion that makes it worthwhile. This is a far cry from Slayer or Venom’s brutal rage, but Vektor have managed something to create an interesting album with an unruly amount of tempo and time signature changes. What’s important is that the music here is impressively technical, which is an obviously essential part of technical metal, and they do this without the usual wankery of the genre. There’s a fine line being impressive and obnoxious in technical music, and Vektor manage to stay on the right side of it. It’s hard to say whether thrash metal fans will embrace Outer Isolation, but I hope they do. This is really a pretty solid blend of thrash and tech metal, and it works a lot better than it has any right to.

2011 HBG- Hip Hop

2011-12-12T22:27:00.001-08:00

2011 has been another strong year for hip-hop. Despite a few major disappointments, hip-hop in 2011 saw a number of great releases from established artists and underground newcomers alike. After making some hard cuts, I’ve come up with what I believe to be the 10 best hip-hop albums released in the past year.

Atmosphere
The Family Sign

The Family Sign is a polarizing album, and one of the hardest albums I’ve had to grade this year. On one hand, The Family Sign contains some of Atmosphere’s best work, especially at the beginning and end of the record. It starts out with “My Key,” a remarkably beautiful tribute to the late Eyedea, and then proceeds to two equally powerful tracks in “The Last to Say” and “Became.” The lead single “Just for Show” follows, and while it may not have the power of the first three tracks, it’s an exceptionally well written song with a great lively beat. At this point, Slug’s lyrics and Ant’s beats (now featuring a full band to match their live show) are the best Atmosphere has ever been. That makes it all the more disappointing when the filler starts to set in. Slug’s incredible storytelling and passionate delivery descends into lazy and overly simple rhymes for a few tracks, and the beats start to become predictable and forced. While the album does have a few solid songs in the middle, it doesn’t really find its stride again until the third from last song. That’s when the jaw-droopingly beautiful side of Atmosphere shows up again, especially on the indescribably powerful “Something So” and closer “My Notes.” It would be easy to call The Family Sign a disappointment, just as it would be easy to call it one of the best albums of the year. The truth is, there’s a little of both here, but the former prevents this dark and deeply personal album from reaching the level of When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold or God Loves Ugly.

Beastie Boys
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

The first non-instrumental Beastie Boys album in seven years is a return to the fun and deceptively genius sound that both rock and hip-hop fans fell in love with so many years ago. Make no mistake about it though, this is a hip-hop album through and through, just one that only the Beasties could produce. The beats are largely synth-based and are equal measures hip-hop reimaginings of 80’s alternative rock and more straightforward contemporary electro. The raps are about what one would expect from the Beastie Boys, mainly simple back and worth verses with clever rhymes about largely unserious topics. There’s nothing revolutionary or anything especially mind blowing here, but it’s a lot of fun to listen to, and that’s ultimately all that you can ask for. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is an interesting mix between old-school and modern, and it’s one that any rap, rock, or pop fan should find entertaining.

CunninLynguists
Oneirology

CunninLynguists are a group that continue to evolve. It’s irrelevant whether their latest album, Oneirology, is as good as A Piece of Strange or Kno’s solo Death is Silent. Oneirology exists as its own entity, in its own dream-like world, and it’s a masterpiece in its own right. Dreams make up the subject matter, and while the storytelling isn’t as clear as it could have been, Kno’s beats are some of the best you’ll ever hear in hip-hop. The beats are atmospheric and dreamy, making for a perfect canvas for rappers Deacon and Notti (and sometimes Kno and guests like Tonedeff and Freddie Gibbs) to work with. It would have been nice to hear Deacon sing more, but it’s hard to complain when just about every song is brilliant. The lyrics are also not afraid to focus on the sexual side of dreaming, and the artists tackle it in an open and mature way. All in all, Oneirology is simply a fantastic record that stands on its own as another landmark album from the CunninLynguists crew, and it belongs in the collection of every hip-hop fan.

Death Grips
Exmilitary

Weird, aggressive, and as close as hip-hop gets to hardcore punk, Death Grips’ Exmilitary (released digitally for the amazing price of $0) is some of the most original music you’ll find this year. As such, Death Grips have divided listeners and will likely continue to do so. The music is loud and intense, and will simply be too much for even some open-minded rap fans. This is hip-hop that comes from an experimental and noise rock background, although that’s not a surprise considering Zach Hill from Hella plays drums. As is common with noise rock, many of the songs walk a thin line between brilliant and obnoxious, even to the point where the rapping becomes hard to separate from punk-like shouting. There’s something inherently interesting about Death Grips music though. Maybe it’s the crazy samples, maybe it’s the punk attitude, or maybe it’s just great to hear hip-hop taken to such an extreme level of experimentation. Whatever it is, Death Grips have created a raw collection of music that is unlike anything else the genre has to offer, and it needs to be heard.

Evidence
Cats & Dogs

“I’m on another level / I mean another label” proclaims Evidence on the DJ Premier-produced “You.” He’s right in both cases. Cats & Dogs is the first Evidence album to be released through Atmosphere’s Rhymesayers label, and the Dilated Peoples rapper and self-proclaimed “Mr. Slow Flow” has become one of the best flow-ers in hip-hop today. His rhyming is far more technical the average emcee, and he remains smooth in the process. While Ev has gotten better, part of what makes Cats and Dogs so great are the people around him. The all-star guests all put effort into their parts, and include the aforementioned DJ Premier, Raekwon, Ras Kas, Prodigy from Mobb Deep, Aesop Rock, Alchemist, Slug from Atmosphere, Roc Marciano, and Aloe Blacc. There’s just an insane amount of talent on this record, and Evidence does more than hold his own. He’s a relatable lyricist and a great storyteller, on top of being flat-out ridiculous at times with his “slow flow.” Cats & Dogs is an outstanding hip-hop album, and maybe the best Evidence has been a part of.

Ill Bill & Vinnie Paz
Heavy Metal Kings

The long overdue collaboration album between the artists on Jedi Mind Tricks’ “Heavy Metal Kings” is missing one important member. Stoupe, the former Jedi Mind producer is nowhere to be found, and in his place are a variety of different underground beat makers. Some try (and fail) to replicate Stoupe’s unique sound, but those who go with heavier heard-hitting material that doesn’t resemble a JMT beat are all the better for it. For the most part the beats work, but it’s a good thing that Vinnie Paz and Ill Bill have come into their own as quality emcees. Both are completely over-the-top in a heavy metal sort of way, badass and ridiculous without being gangsta or any other typical hardcore hip-hop personas. Some of the one-liners fall flat, and Vinnie’s “blap bap” sounds are overused, but for the most part both Bill and Paz are exactly what fans of the two expect them to be. Heavy Metal Kings is simply a fun album that is easy to enjoy and hard to take seriously. I also appreciate the heavy metal references, many of which are likely to go over the heads of pure hip-hop listeners, but metalheads who give this one a chance will find that these guys really know their metal history.

No Bird Sing
Theft of the Commons

No Bird Sing’s rock influenced instrumentals and distinct rapping may put off some hip-hop fans. That’s a shame because at the center of Theft of the Commons is an incredibly unique record that takes rap-rock in interesting new directions. The “rock” elements here are well implemented and never obnoxious, the latter being a trait of most that mix that rock with hip-hop. Instead No Bird Sing look to rock to add complexity to music. There are tempo changes galore, and as such, changes in energy and emotion that are reminiscence of what’s found in The Roots’ music. Also like The Roots, the lyrics are thought provoking and fit perfectly with the music. A few of the songs do follow the same pattern though, which is especially noticeable after “Night Lights” perfects the building and breaking of tension in No Bird Sing’s sound. That’s a small flaw considering how unique and intense Theft of the Commons is, and it’s easy to recommend to anyone appreciates truly original and powerful hip-hop.

Nujabes
Spiritual State

Spiritual State is the third full album and first posthumous album from the late Japanese producer Seba Jun. Jun, better known to the world as Nujabes, tragically passed away last year, and Hydeout productions have done a remarkable job of putting the finishing touches on his album. Unlike most posthumous releases, Spiritual State sounds finished, and shows the type of progression one might expect after the artists previous work (in this case Modal Soul and his work on the Samurai Champloo soundtrack). As is usually the case with Nujabes, the music is heavy on jazz samples, and it’s downright gorgeous. Most of the tracks are instrumental, but the usual Nujabes guests show up to deliver verses of varying degrees of quality. Cise Starr is good, Pase Rock is alright, and Substantial is bad, all par for the course. Modal Soul had a few strong guests, and while it’s probably for the best that Hydeout played it safe and kept to established Nujabes features, it’s hard not to wonder if we would have heard more varied verses had Nujabes lived. It does no good to play the guessing game though, and the fact of the matter is that Spiritual State is an absolutely beautiful album that is every bit as good as a third Nujabes album should be. It’s tragic and sometimes hard to listen to knowing that this will be the last we’ll ever heard from this incredible talent, but I wouldn’t discourage anyone from listening to this gem of instrument hip-hop.

The Roots
Undun

While it lasts, The Roots’ Undun could very well be their biggest achievement as artists. This gorgeous concept album is laced with thought provoking lyrics over beautiful mellow instrumentals, and it progresses in all the right ways. The story is well told and blends seamlessly with the music. It’s the type of thing that listeners may not be even notice at first, but will eventually let sink in. The problem is that the album is over far too early, and doesn’t really have a sense of closer. Maybe that’s intentional, as the album is called Undun, but it ends in a strange way that will likely leave its audience wanting more. After 35 minutes of hip-hop only The Roots could produce, the album stops everything and ends with some brief instrumental tracks. There’s certainly an argument for albums being concise, and there is no filler on Undun, but its lack of closure makes it less powerful than what it could and probably should have been. With that being said, I would recommend Undun to anyone with a passing interest in hip-hop. It’s spectacular while it lasts, and it’s one of the best albums of this legendary group’s career.

Tyler, The Creator
Goblin

“Hype has nothing to do with how an album turns out, and it’s irrelevant whether Tyler or Odd Future lives up to their hype. The fact of the matter is that they’ve become huge doing things their way, and I have to respect that. What matters here, though, is the quality of the music. Goblin is certainly not for everyone, in part because it’s so different from what else is out there, but also because it’s hard to stomach some of its readily apparently flaws. It’s hard to say whether the good and bad of Goblin outweigh each other, but it’s certainly something I feel like should be given a fair chance. There are moments of pure brilliance and creativity here, and I encourage any open minded hip-hop fan to give it a serious listen. I can’t promise that you’ll like it, but I doubt you’ll ever hear anything quite like it.”

You can read my full review of Goblin right here.

2011 HBG- Rock

2011-12-12T22:13:00.001-08:00

Indie rock continues to be the dominating force in rock music, but this section of the guide focuses on the heavier side of rock in 2011. Maybe it should have been called “hard rock,” but I feel like that narrows it down a little too much. Here you’ll find what I believe to be the 10 best punk (non-hardcore), psychedelic, garage, stoner, and general hard rock albums of the past year.

Ballo delle Castagne
Kalachakra

Italian rock band Ballo delle Castagne know how create atmosphere. Between the haunting Italian vocals, psychedelic instrumentals (including some gothic sounding keyboards), and progressive undertones, Kalachakra is a solid atmospheric rock album. At times Ballo delle Castagne channel their inner Pink Floyd to mixed results, but when the band puts the heavier rock at the forefront everything meshes quite well. “Passioni Diabolichi” might be the highlight, as it’s the most concise track and shows what this band can do when the atmospheric, progressive, and gothic elements combine. The way that the male and female vocals on that track work together is also stunning, and after hearing that it’s hard not to be disappointed by the slower pace and straightforward psychedelic approach of some the later tracks. Even then, much of Kalachakra works, and when it does it’s a very good psychedelic rock album with some serious atmosphere.

Black Lips
Arabia Mountain

I wrote in my review of the Black Lips’ Good Bad Not Evil that their sound is a difficult one to describe to non-fans. The same statement needs to be echoed for Arabia Mountain, another goofy garage rock album that is largely a quirky take on lo-fi rock music. Established fans will likely love it, while even the most open-minded newcomers might need a few listens to digest how the odd vocals mix with the laid back instrumentals. With that being said, the music is deceptively catchy, and Arabia Mountain stands out as music directly influenced by some of the bands modern indie artists are indebted to, while still having that sloppy sound that most “hipsters” won’t be able to get behind. Instead, Arabia Mountain is a quirky garage album for rock fans willing to embrace something a little different. Anyone who fits that description should give it a listen.

Dropkick Murphys
Going Out in Style

If you’ve heard Dropkick Murphys before, chances are you know what to expect from Going Out in Style. For those who haven’t, Dropkick Murphys play an aggressive yet mostly accessible brand of Celtic punk rock. They embrace every stereotype of Boston and Ireland, and go over-the-top without becoming corny. Like with their past albums, the music is catchy, fun, and has a hard edge to it, and they vary things up just enough to keep their sound fresh throughout. At this point, Dropkick Murphys have their sound, and they play it better than anyone else. There are no surprises on Going Out in Style, but it’s hard not to appreciate some quality Celtic punk.

The :Egocentrics
Center of the Cyclone

If you’ve never heard an :Egocentrics albums before, chances are you’ll expect a rough baritone vocalist to start singing at any minute. It never happens, and while it’s rare to see instrumental music work in a structure that calls for a vocalist, it’s probably for the best here. The riffs on Center of the Cyclone are raw and heavy, pure stoner rock influenced by Kyuss, and they build into more abstract and melodic sections before the stoner riffs return. The :Egocentrics have their formula, as this structure doesn’t change a whole lot on the album, but it really doesn’t need to. The riffs are simply great and are strong enough to be the center point, and the sections they build to are interesting and just varied enough. You know they’re coming, but you never know what exactly they’re going to be.

Fair to Midland
Arrows and Anchors

Best known for their minor radio rock hit “Dance of the Manatee,” Fair to Midland have returned with what may be the best hard rock album of 2011. Their style might be best described as a more melodic (and at times heavier) System of a Down, but there’s really a lot more to Fair to Midland than that. Arrows and Anchors is an incredibly diverse album that sees the band seamlessly blending legitimate heavy metal with progressive rock, acoustic rock, and just about every conceivable form of contemporary alternative and hard rock. All of it mixes to from a unique sound, and one that is much less of a mess than their first album. Throughout the constant style changes, Fair to Midland never lose the coherency of their music. It all fits, and while you never know what’s coming next, you learn to embrace the unpredictably, trusting that the band will somehow make it work.

The Horrors
Skying

It’s great to hear contemporary post-punk that embraces the past without trying to relive it. Skying is a post-punk album clearly influenced by the psychedelic rock of the 70’s and 80’s, but it’s also the type of album that could only be released in 2011. There are modern indie and shoegaze influences, creating a nice mix of accessible trippy rock that fuses just about every prominent style of psychedelic-influenced music since the 70’s. That’s not easy to do, and The Horrors do it quite well. The highlight has to be their vocalist, who does a nice David Bowie impression without sounding like a rip-off. That’s really what makes Skying great, not just in terms of vocals, but that the whole album borrows from their influences without outright copying them. This is distinctly The Horrors.

Puscifer
Conditions of My Parole

Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle)’s second album under the Puscifer name is considerably less experimental and perverted than the first. While I liked V is for Vagina more than most others, the change isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Conditions of My Parole is more of a straight-up rock album with some interesting twists and enough of Maynard’s humor to make it worthwhile to Tool and A Perfect Circle fans. This is actually a pretty solid release that falls somewhere in between a V for Vagina follow up and a new A Perfect Circle record. There are some quality female vocals here as well, making for a nice contrast to Maynard’s rough and distinct voice. It’s definitely for more established fans of Keenan, but there’s a reason this man is so well liked among rock fans.

Sahara Surfers
Sonar Pilot

The second album from female-fronted stoner rock band Sahara Surfers improves on the first in just about every way. The vocals are slightly stronger, albeit still mostly devoid of range, and the music is far more concise. If Spacetrip on a Paper Plane showed promise, then Sonar Pilot is where the band really puts it together. The riffs still pack a punch, ranging from bluesy melody to heavy crunches, and it fits together well. The female vocals are a great touch, even if they are mostly lower in order to fit with the music. And while the vocals may seem like an odd fit to some, the music here is really pretty accessible. If bands like Down and Clutch can attract big audiences, there’s no reason for rock fans to pass up Sahara Surfers. Sonar Pilot is an exceptional album, and it’s an easy recommendation for fans of hard rock.

Sex Church
Growing Over

Sex Church’s Growing Over is a record rooted in the past. The sound is pure 70’s garage rock and 80’s lo-fi, and that’s definitely not a bad thing. This fuzzy hard rock album nails the rare balance of noise and melody that few aside from Sonic Youth have been able to do successfully. Much like Sonic Youth, the music is harsh and perverse, but never to the point of inaudibility. For all it’s lo-fi sludge, Growing Over is a listenable record, and one that any rock fan looking for more original lo-fi, post-punk, and/or garage rock album should check out.

Witch Mountain
South of Salem

Just a few weeks ago I wrote about South of Salem as part of Sound Writer’s “Free Album of the Week(end)” feature. I wrote that this great album had just missed a spot on the Buyer’s Guide, and well, I changed my mind. After another listen, South of Salem is far too good of an album not to make the list. For those who missed that feature, Witch Mountain are a psychedelic rock and doom metal hybrid from Portland, Oregon. South of Salem is their second full length album, released a massive ten years after the first. Their sound is unique, while still maintaining somewhat of a retro vibe that should appeal to both fans of classic psychedelic rock and 90’s doom metal, and if you’re a fan of either I highly recommend checking this one out. The vocals really stand out, in part because they trade the usual one-note sludge signer for a varied female vocalist that isn’t afraid to test her range. It makes for a nice contrast to the sludgy instrumentals, and makes me think of what Jefferson Airplane would sound like if they played stoner rock.

2011 HBG- Introduction

2011-12-11T20:51:00.001-08:00

After another year of listening to far more music than any sane person probably should, it’s time for Sound Writer’s 2011 Holiday Buyer’s Guide. I started this feature in 2007, back when I wrote for a different blog, and I brought it over to Sound Writer last year.

Maybe “Holiday Buyer’s Guide” isn’t an accurate term for this anymore, as there really isn’t any correlation with holiday shopping other than it being that time of the year. What this “guide” really has become is a chance for me to look back on the past year and present what I think are the best albums of 2011 in an organized list. The sorting is by genre, and each genre or section will have 10 albums in it. All of these albums scored at least a 3 out of 4 from me, and many 3’s had to be cut in order to get this list down to 15 sections of 10 albums.

Yes, there will be 15 sections in the 2011 guide, up from 12 last year. They range from rock to hip-hop to electronic to various types of metal, and plenty more. Below you’ll find the schedule for Sound Writer’s 2011 HBG, including all of this year’s sections and dates or when they be posted.

As always, if you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me in a number of different ways: leaving a comment on the blog, “liking” Sound Writer on Facebook and sending me a message there, or by e-mailing me at soundwriter1@gmail.com. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the guide!

2011 HBG Schedule:

Rock
Hip Hop
Melodeath/Thrash/Sludge Metal
Electronic
Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal
Alternative/Indie Rock
Progressive
Hardcore
Death Metal
Black Metal
Ambient/Post-Rock
Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave
Folk- Coming Coming Soon
Doom Metal- Coming Soon
Experimental- Coming Soon

Free Album of the Week(end) #5

2011-12-04T23:25:00.001-08:00

This is the second straight week we have a great free album that just barely missed a spot on my Holiday Buyer’s Guide. Witch Mountain, a psychedelic doom metal band from Portland, Oregon, released their second full length album earlier in 2011, a massive ten years after the first. Their sound is unique, while still maintaining somewhat of a retro vibe that should appeal to both fans of classic psychedelic rock and 90’s doom metal. If you’re a fan of either, I highly recommend checking it out. You can download South of Salem at whatever price you desire right here.

Free Album of the Week(end) #4

2011-11-27T17:02:00.001-08:00

I’m hard at work on this year’s buyer’s guide, so this will be a quick one.

This week’s album is by an atmospheric black metal band called Embers. That style of black metal has become commonplace in the underground metal scene, but Embers stand out with a raw, almost punk-ish feel to their sound. This is incredibly strong for a debut album, and while it just missed landing a spot on my 2011 Holiday Buyer’s Guide (which will be posted in the very near future), fans of extreme metal should give this one a shot. If you’re in the mood for some free original black metal, you can listen to Shadows by Embers right here.

Free Album of the Week(end) #3

2011-11-19T21:44:00.001-08:00

Hardcore punk has become one of my recent musical obsessions, and one of the absolute best albums that I’ve heard in that genre is pg 99’s Document #8. Originally released in 2001, this brilliant screamo record is now available to download at whatever price you want to pay. Even if you’re not a fan of hardcore or screamo, this is the type of release that could change your mind. Point being, I recommend that anyone with an open mind towards heavy music give it a listen here.

Free Album of the Week(end) #2

2011-11-12T23:16:00.001-08:00

This week(end)’s album comes to us via Neurotangent, an ambient electronic project by a fellow student at The Evergreen State College. His album/demo is called First Tangent, and it’s pretty impressive for a first release, nevertheless one recorded by a student on an outdated laptop.

This is clearly more of a starting point than anything else, but I like Neurotangent’s foundation for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the sounds here come from a wide variety of influences. While the mood of the album is certainly mellow, there are quite of few different styles of electronic music being merged, and I appreciate producers who can incorporate industrial sounds in more relaxed pieces of music. The other aspect of First Tangent that impresses me is the way the that the beats build. Far too often amateur producers either repeat the same sounds until they become boring and repetitive, or they add new sounds before tension can be created. The latter is especially common among ambient producer, but Neurotangent avoids both traps.

Again, it’s a starting point, but I like what I hear. It’s rare that a producer has interesting beats that change and evolve at just the right times, and I expect great things from Neurotangent in the future. Fans of ambient/electronic music can download First Tangent right here

A long overdue review of “Goblin”

2011-11-05T23:30:00.001-07:00

Looking back, I think this review was one of the reasons I stopped posting for so long. It was one of the most challenging I've ever had to write, as there was a period initially where I was more divided than I think I've ever been on an album. I ended up forming a stronger opinion, and giving it a recommendation, but writing this was still an obstacle that I wasn't able to overcome. After ignoring my initial draft for months, I've gone back and edited it with a clearer mind, and I'm now posting it. Hopefully there’s still someone out there who is interested in my opinion of this one.

Tyler, The Creator- Goblin (3/4)

The first time I listened to Goblin, the second solo album and first paid release from Odd Future’s Tyler, The Creator, I had honestly no idea what to think of it. I had heard Bastard, Tyler’s near cult-classic of a first album, and had a pretty similar reaction- a mix of intrigue, awe, and distaste.

Goblin picks up right where Bastard’s story left off, with Tyler in a therapy session. The dialogue between Tyler and his therapist was used interestingly on Bastard, but Goblin greatly expands on the concept. There is some real depth to the conversations, and even throughout the ridiculously over-the-top lyrics about rape, murder, and the occult that soon follow, Tyler shows himself as a relatable human being right from the start. The setting of the therapy session is never abandoned, and it’s interesting to hear Dr. TC or one of Tyler’s many alter-egos argue with him throughout the album. It’s clear that Eminem is an influence, and not since his early material has this sort of multiple personality rap worked so well.

There is also a defined narrative here, and many of Tyler’s fellow Odd Future members appear. Other than Hodgy Beats on “Sandwitches” and Frank Ocean on “She,” however, none the guest spots add much past advancing the story. This is especially true for a good 15 minute stretch towards the end of the album, where the listener is treated to such tracks as “Boppin’ Bitch” and “Bitch Suck Dick.” These tracks are intentionally bad, as evidenced by the inclusion of non-musical Odd Future members Taco Bennett and Jasper Dolphin (seriously), but that doesn’t make up for them being, you know, bad. Goblin is a fairly lengthy album, and even though it ends perfectly with “Golden,” a heated back-and-forth between Tyler and his therapist, I suspect that listeners who are not obliged to finish the album may simply turn it off part way through. That’s unfortunate, because for all of its flaws, there really is a great album here, or a at least part of one. Much of Goblin’s first half is downright brilliant, merging hardcore flow and lyrics with unique borderline drone beats, and the aforementioned humanity often lacking from hardcore rap albums.

“Yonkers” may be the song that everyone has heard, but there’s more her than just that track, and honestly its quality is worth noting. Very rarely does a hip-hop single with such a unique beat become big, and just as rarely does one with strong lyrics become a hit as well. “Yonkers” has both, and they come together to form what is truly one of the best songs of 2011. Again though, that’s no the only gem here. “Nightmare,” a personal reflection of what’s changed in Tyler’s life since his last record, is far more powerful and shocking than any of the “shock value” tracks, and even the pure shock values tracks have some merit. “Tron Cat” revels in its immaturity, but it’s entertaining throughout, and fits surprisingly well in the middle of what could be described as a very personal album. The way that Tyler merges the shock value with more personal moments is actually pretty incredible, and again, a skill that made the hip-hop world embrace Eminem just over a decade ago.

Hype has nothing to do with how an album turns out, and it’s irrelevant whether Tyler or Odd Future lives up to their hype. The fact of the matter is that they’ve become huge doing things their way, and I have to respect that. What matters here, though, is the quality of the music. Goblin is certainly not for everyone, in part because it’s so different from what else is out there, but also because it’s hard to stomach some of its readily apparently flaws. It’s hard to say whether the good and bad of Goblin outweigh each other, but it’s certainly something I feel like should be given a fair chance. There are moments of pure brilliance and creativity here, and I encourage any open minded hip-hop fan to give it a serious listen. I can’t promise that you’ll like it, but I doubt you’ll ever hear anything quite like it.

Free Album of the Week(end) #1

2011-11-05T00:44:00.001-07:00

In a new feature for Sound Writer, I’ll be linking every Friday or Saturday to a quality free or name-your-price album, all available 100% legally.

Most of the time I’ll be linking to a lesser known artist that deserves some more exposure, but I’ll start things off with a big name for the first week. Immortal Technique, one of the artists that helped get me into hip-hop back in high school, released his latest album this week. It’s called The Martyr, and it’s available to download free of charge right here.

In terms of quality, I’d compare it favorably to The 3rd World, Technique’s collaboration album with DJ Green Lantern back in 2008. That is to say it’s a solid collection of political and hardcore hip-hop tracks. It’s nowhere near his Revolutionary albums, but it really doesn’t need to be. There are guest spots from Vinnie Paz, Brother Ali, Chuck D, and plenty of others, and Immortal Technique himself is still in fine form. I’d recommend it, even as a paid album, and the lack of a price tag makes it pretty much essential.

Cormorant- Metazoa…for free!

2011-08-04T16:37:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite metal albums of the last decade is free for a limited time. If you like metal, do yourself a give this album a listen.

http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/08/04/download-cormorants-metazoa-for-the-low-low-price-of-free/

Sound Writer on iTunes

2011-05-13T09:54:00.001-07:00

The good folks at Apple have concluded that our podcast is not an hour long discussion of plans to destroy their corporation, and have subsequently approved the Sound Writer podcast. You can download the first episode and subscribe to our future endeavors through this link (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-writer/id436960176),

If you’re like me and don’t use iTunes all that often, we also have an old fashion RSS feed that you can subscribe to (http://feeds.feedburner.com/SoundWriter).

And make sure to give us some feedback on the first episode. You can do that by leaving a comment, voting in our poll, posting on our Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sound-Writer/180811535291002), or sending an e-mail to soundwriter1@gmail.com.

Thanks to everyone for your support, and especially for Matt, Noah, and Tad for taking time out of their schedule to appear on the podcast.

Sound Writer Podcast 5-9-11

2011-05-09T22:26:00.001-07:00

For the first ever Sound Writer podcast, we introduce our panelists, mourn the passing of Gerard Smith, and discuss new releases from Odd Future, Fleet Foxes, Blue Sky Black Death, and others.

http://ia600606.us.archive.org/30/items/SoundWriterPodcast/Podcast5_9_11.mp3

You can listen to Noah’s radio show Sunday’s at 4 AM PST (7 AM EST) at http://wobc.org/
You can listen to Tad’s radio show Sunday’s at 12 AM PST (3 AM EST) at http://uclaradio.com/
You can listen to the station Matt assists at, KEXP, at http://kexp.org/Default.aspx

Here are some songs or tracks from albums mentioned in this week’s podcast:
IAM- Libère Mon Imagination (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-cks-daWHY)
Tyler, the Creator- Yonkers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw
Beastie Boys- Make Some Noise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgLMslbDuY
Rhea’s Obsession- Nightshade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIJMRy2Qm3w)
Blue Sky Black Death- Sleeping Children are Still Flying (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4qICd3ldLU)
CunninLynguists- Beautiful Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKanlj4tRE4
Cybo- Stripped (http://soundcloud.com/djcybo/stripped)
I Monster- Heaven (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NGMBP0Mk4I)

More Reviews- Hip-Hop

2011-05-01T01:47:00.001-07:00

There will be plenty more coming, including some for metal and alternative. and electronic albums,

Atmosphere- The Family Sign (3/4)

The Family Sign is a polarizing album, and one of the hardest albums I’ve had to grade this year. On one hand, The Family Sign contains some of Atmosphere’s best work, especially at the beginning and end of the record. It starts out with “My Key,” a remarkably beautiful tribute to the late Eyedea, and then proceeds to two equally powerful tracks in “The Last to Say” and “Became.” The lead single “Just for Show” follows, and while it may not have the power of the first three tracks, it’s an exceptionally well written song with a great lively beat. At this point, Slug’s lyrics and Ant’s beats (now featuring a full band to match their live show) are the best Atmosphere has ever been. That makes it all the more disappointing when the filler starts to set in. Slug’s incredible storytelling and passionate delivery descends into lazy and overly simply rhymes for a few tracks, and the beats start to become predictable and forced. While the album does have a few solid songs in the middle, it doesn’t really find its stride again until the third from last song. That’s when the jaw-droopingly beautiful side of Atmosphere shows up again, especially on the indescribably powerful “Something So” and closer “My Notes.” It would be easy to call The Family Sign a disappointment, just as it would be easy to call it one of the best albums of the year. The truth is, there’s a little of both here, but the former prevents this dark and deeply personal album from reaching the level of When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold or God Loves Ugly.

Blueprint- Adventures in Counter-Culture (2/4)

Adventures in Counter-Culture is a puzzling album to say the least. Blueprint is a talented emcee, but he does a surprisingly poor job of showing it here, instead going for a type of experimental hip-hop that doesn’t suit him well at all. The beats are mostly electronic-influenced, and while a few might work better with an emcee who has more experience rapping over electro beats, most are either boring or obnoxious. A few of the songs contain no rapping whatsoever, but just singing (some heavily auto-tuned, some not), and those are unfortunately all awful. Blueprint works best from the element we heard in his work with RJD2, rapping over trip-hop and traditional hip-hop beats with a steady flow and insightful lyrics. When he resorts to singing and rapping one or two word lines over electro beats, Blueprint is completely out of his element, and it comes across as forced. Adventures in Counter-Culture contains moments of vintage Blueprint, but only those moments save it from a being a complete disaster. Far too much of the album just doesn’t work.

Raekwon- Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (2.5/4)

If the point of Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang was to prove that Raekwon can rap without the RZA, it achieves the exact opposite of what it intended. The beats aren’t done by the RZA, but instead by a variety of producers trying way too hard to sound like RZA. It would be one thing if Rae would flow over a different type of beat, but poor RZA knockoffs just don’t cut it. Aside from the production, Raekwon is on his game, but much like the far better Only Built for Cuban Linx II it’s the guests that stand out. This time around the guest spots are a mixed bag, mostly being either incredible (Black Thought on “Masters of Our Fate”) or downright terrible (Rick Ross on “Molasses”). Much like Talib Kweli’s Gutter Rainbows from earlier in the year, Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang’s mediocrity may only farther prove that Rae is a great emcee, as even with the disappointing beats, obnoxious hooks, and a few awful guest spots, there are enough solid verses from Raekwon himself to make this album listenable.

Sims- Bad Time Zoo (2.5/4)

Every hip-hop group needs a straight man. Wu-Tang Clan had Inspectah Deck to hold things together and allow more famous emcees like Ol Dirty and Ghostface to experiment. N.W.A. had the always consistent Ice Cube starting most songs off, and even Cypress Hill wouldn’t have been as good if the admittedly much better B-Real took all of the verses. Sometimes you just need a consistent rapper to take a verse and build to the more unique ones. In Doomtree, Sims is the Inspectah Deck, Ice Cube, and Sen Dogg. Dessa has her unique rapped-sung verses, P.O.S. has an aggressive punk edge, and Cecil Otter has one of the most distinct voices in underground hip-hop. Often times, Sims delivers that solid opening verse to get things going, and lead into the more memorable emcees. Much like Deck and Sen Dogg, however, Sims is somewhat disposable as a solo artist. When he gets two to three verses per song, as he does on Bad Time Zoo, things can get a little mundane. Even on his own album, Sims is far outshined by P.O.S. (who has the only guest verse on the entire record) to the point where after three listens I can remember more about P.O.S.’s one than the 30 or so Sims verses. All things considered, Bad Time Zoo is not a bad album. Sims is a solid lyricist, his flow is fine, and the production from Lazorbeak and other Doomtree regulars is quite good. It’s just that there are more memorable hip-hop albums out there, and it’s hard to recommend something so ordinary to anyone other than the underground faithful.

Wiz Khalifa- Rolling Papers (1/4)

Maybe I’m not the best person to review this album. I don’t smoke weed, and the Penguins are the only Pittsburgh team I’ve ever rooted for. However, I feel that my problems with Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers have less to due with its subject matter and more to do with a lack of quality parts that make up just about any good hip-hop album. Namely, the beats, the flow, and the lyrics (again, regardless of subject matter) are all terrible. The beats are identical to that of most mainstream hip-hop, generic and obnoxious in equal measure. Furthermore, they do nothing to help the content of the songs. When Snoop and Dre rapped about weed, they would have a beat that you could vibe out to while under the influence. You could tell just by the beat itself when Cypress Hill was about to rhyme about marijuana. The beats that Wiz rhymes over are completely interchangeable with other pop rap artists. This puts more emphasis on Wiz himself, which makes it harder to stomach just how bad of an emcee he is. His flow is safe and predictable, often using only a few words in a line. He says practically nothing, with no clever lines or interesting wordplay to speak of. Hip-hop albums about weed are nothing new, and there are far better rap albums that fill that niche. “Rolling Papers” is a repetitive and completely pointless album, but more than anything it’s an incredibly boring one.

Lupe Fiasco- Lasers Review

2011-04-27T15:32:00.001-07:00

Lupe Fiasco- Lasers (1.5/4)

Although Lasers is cited as a Lupe Fiasco album, the studio big shots at Atlantic Records had just as much a hand in this album as the young rapper. Beneath the radio-friendly auto-tuned exterior of Lasers, there is probably a good album somewhere. After all, many of the leaked songs from as far back as 2009 were amazing. As in, some of the best work of Lupe’s career. “Shining Down,” “I’m Beamin’,” and “Go to Sleep,” are all masterful. Unfortunately, none of those three tracks made it onto the album. According to an interview with Lupe himself, those songs were cut at the label’s request, and replaced with songs that Lupe had no part in writing.

However, song selection isn’t the only hand Atlantic had in Lasers. Missing from Lasers is any uniqueness or signs of the real Lupe Fiasco, the man who wowed hip-hop fans with Food & Liquor and The Cool. Lupe’s usual producers and guests have been replaced with more mainstream counterparts, including auto-tuned singers, club producers, and guests that clearly had their parts laying around somewhere prior to the recording of Lasers. Needless to say, the production is annoying, and it rarely fits with Lupe’s rhyming. “Beautiful Lasers,” for example, is one of the most heartfelt and personal songs Fiasco has written, as its lyrics deal with depression stemming from the saga of releasing Lasers. The song would probably be masterful if placed with either a dark and ominous beat or a trademark Lupe sound. It has neither, and instead is produced like a club song, complete with an annoying beat and a heavily auto-tuned chorus. This type of neglect is found throughout the album, although some of the blame needs to be handed to Lupe himself.

More than half of the tracks have lazily thrown together lyrics that may impress mainstream rap listeners who aren’t used to intelligent wordplay, but anyone who is familiar with Lu’s work should be able to see past that. Just about everything here has been said before and said better by Lupe himself. “Words I Never Said” is a dated, watered-down version of “American Terrorist” from The Cool, and many of the tracks don’t even live up to that. “The Show Goes On” sounds like a generic radio single that Lupe tried to make his own, but without taking away the radio-friendly element. It doesn’t work, mostly because when you start with crap it’s hard to make something listenable out of it. Once the unbearably awful “I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now” rears its ugly head, it becomes apparent that Lasers is not just awful in comparison to other Lupe albums. It’s a truly awful album period, and the lack of Lupe himself is a major reason for this. “Never Forget You” sounds like a John Legend song, and “Out of My Head” sounds like a Trey Songz track.

Only one song on Lasers sounds like an actual Lupe Fiasco creation, and it’s no coincidence that that song is far and away the best on the album. “All Black Everything,” a powerful track about racism through history is simply outstanding. Lu’s wordplay is at its best, his flow is excellent, and the beat actually fits.

Fans have been pushing for the release of Lasers for years now, protesting and petitioning for the album to see the light of day. Throughout all of this, something happened and the album that fans desperately wanted has been replaced with something that resembles more of the album Atlantic wanted. Honestly, the whole saga has been sickening, and reading interviews about the ordeal has been painful, both as a critic and a fan of Lupe Fiasco. Even ignoring the process, the album that has been released is awful. There’s no getting around it. Lasers is a terrible album that has no business being in Lupe’s discography, and I would discourage even the most hardcore of Lupe fans from buying it.

Assorted Reviews

2011-04-25T15:41:00.001-07:00

Belphegor- Blood Magick Necromance (3/4)

It’s always strange when a band that relies almost entirely on being heavy changes things up. After a string of disappointing albums, Belphegor have dropped the death metal and added a new melodic element to their sound. It takes a bit of getting used to, but Helmuth shows some surprising talent as a songwriter. He still uses the same style of over-the-top anti-religious lyricism of past Belphegor, but Belphegor’s equally over-the-top musical brutality doesn’t suffer from the melodic influences. Blood Magick Necromance is a very solid melodic black metal album, and it’s one that even hardcore fans of traditional black metal might be able to get behind.

Cake- Showroom of Compassion (3/4)

Compared to their contemporaries, Cake have always been the “mature” part-comedy part-alternative rock band. While Ween were crude, The Presidents were random, and Weezer were full on pop parody, Cake were the more simple and sophisticated of the lot. Their music is simple but wildly unique and creative, and their lyrics range from parody to literary references. Showroom of Compassion is the first Cake album in seven years, and it shows the band growing as musicians. Some alternative fans may be put off by its almost avant-garde oddity at times, especially on tracks “Teenage Pregnancy,” but listeners who embrace Showroom of Compassion’s mix of the weird and the accessible will find Cake’s best album since Prolong the Magic and maybe the most consistent album of their career.

Cold War Kids- Mine is Yours (1.5/4)

There gets to a point where an album like Mine is Yours becomes absolutely useless. Its brand of indie pop/rock has been popular for years now, and just about anyone with interest in indie rock has heard an album almost identical to the latest from Cold War Kids. Everything about this album is completely by-the-numbers. You have your “ooh” and “aah” melodies, slow building ballads, and everything else that has become a staple of modern indie rock. It’s boring, predictable, completely unoriginal, and impossible to recommend.

The Decemberists- The King is Dead (2.5/4)

The King is Dead is a Decemberists album for the fans that aren’t interested in the band’s weird and often demented stories. This is a safe, forgettable album, but it’s one that has a clear audience in mind. The music is almost entirely acoustic, and the songs are all self contained. Again, if you like The Decemberists softer material, and don’t mind the lack of a concept this is an album you will probably enjoy.

Iron & Wine- Kiss Each Other Clean (2/4)

Kiss Each Other Clean is the Iron & Wine album I never wanted to hear. After gaining popularity among indie fans with 2007’s brilliant The Shepherd’s Dog, and even getting some mainstream recognition with his inclusion in the Twilight soundtrack, it’s not surprising but still disappointing that Sam Beam has decided to go in a more accessible direction. Iron & Wine’s sound has transitioned from minimalist folk rock to a more band-oriented indie pop. That’s not to say that folk is better than indie pop, and it’s great that Beam’s music is being appreciated by a larger audience, but the problem is that Kiss Each Other Clean ignores nearly all of Sam Beam’s strengths.

Usually an extraordinary lyricist and storyteller, Beam struggles to tell a coherent story on this album, largely because he focuses on trying to create catchy melodies and longer songs. While some of the tracks are catchy, none are particularly memorable. “Tree by the River” is an example of that, as it’s an all too generic indie pop song that is completely lacking in substance. Furthermore, the full band was implemented far better on The Shepherd’s Dog. There is simply too much going on here, and the misplaced brass instruments are annoying and detract from the music. “Rabbit Will Run” is the only worthwhile song here, and that is mostly because it sounds like something that would fit on The Shepherd’s Dog. It pains me to say this, but Kiss Each Other Clean is a bad album that contains none of what makes Iron & Wine great.

Lil B- Angels Exodus (3/4)

How does one critique an album like Angels Exodus? I assume it would be similar to how a movie critic would asses “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” an infamous b-movie that is undeniably horrible, and yet it’s unintentionally one of the best comedies ever made. Does the unintended comedy make it a good movie? Lil B’s music is very similar to Plan 9, although I’m almost certain that the self-proclaimed “based god” is in on the joke. Apparently, Lil B has over 150 Myspace pages, all containing awful hip-hop that has Lil B either repeating a celebrity name over and over again (with someone yelling “swag” in the background) or the rapper “based freestyling,” which he describes as freestyling without regard for whether the words rhyme or even make sense. Furthermore, Lil B describes his music as “based,” a genre that he is a “god” of, and one that’s music is “very positive and very rare.” All of this is ridiculous, and again, I’m convinced that this is a fairly genius parody of hip-hop artists that take themselves too seriously. Even if I’m wrong, and Lil B really is just a garbage rapper who happens to be messed up in the head, it doesn’t change the hilarity of his music.

Angels Exodus is a little different than the music Lil B has previously released, as this album is more listenable and at times even more hilarious. The beats are pseudo-ambient tracks that parody more conscious hip-hop beats. The beats are actually quite clever, as well as surprisingly listenable. Lil B’s rapping often does rhyme, and his storytelling is hysterical. He starts to tell stories (“I remember this one time motherfuckers forgot about me”) and then dives back into his nonsensical verses about his positive outlook on life and the troubles that come with being a based god. Regardless of whether its humor is intentional, Angels Exodus is a very entertaining album. I don’t know if that makes it a “good” album, but I’m recommending it nonetheless.

Talib Kweli- Gutter Rainbows (2/4)

Released exclusively as a digital album, Gutter Rainbows sounds like an album of outtakes. There are moments where it lives up to Talib Kweli’s talent, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is just a warm up for a new and better album (Kweli has another scheduled to be released later in the year). The production is a huge indicator for this, as the relatively bland beats on Gutter Rainbows are far removed from the Hi-Tek and Kanye beats Talib Kweli has rapped over in the past. Maybe Gutter Rainbows is proof of how great Talib Kweli really is, as even the emcee at his worst is listenable and sporadically entertaining despite seeming like a watered down version of a true Talib Kweli album.

Times of Grace- The Hymn of a Broken Man (2/4)

Heavy on breakdowns and light on originality, the new project from former Killswitch Engage vocalist Jessie Leech and current Killswitch guitarist/producer Adam Dutkiewicz doesn’t drift far from Killswitch territory. The Hymn of a Broken Man is a metalcore album through and through, and only Leech’s strong vocal performance separates it from other melodic albums in the genre. There also a few ballads to mix things up, but even those become predictable. Fans of metalcore will find a listenable, albeit formulaic album here, but there are simply too many similar and better albums to recommend Times of Grace.

Paid Dues in 8 Days

2011-03-25T04:19:00.001-07:00

The title says it all. I’m going down to Hawaii for a family vacation on Saturday, and then flying to LA on April 1st for the Paid Dues festival. The set times were released last week, and for those of you curious about who we’ll be seeing (and subsequently featuring in the write-up), I can give you a little preview of some of those artists. Of course, the set times are subject to change, and there are still a few conflicts that remain unsolved. For that reason, I don’t want to make this a full run down of our planned day, but it’s hard to say how it will turn out.

For those of you who haven’t followed Paid Dues, let me give you a bit of background. Paid Dues is an independent hip-hop festival run by Murs. It goes all day, and has expanded to three stages this year, playing host to numerous types of underground hip-hop artists. The 2011 festival is being headlined by the duo of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, known collectively as Black Star. They released one of my favorite hip-hop albums back in 1998, and it’s pretty rare to see them perform live together. Without question they are my most anticipated act, so barring a cancelation or other extremity, Black Star should be the group that ends our night.

Right before Black Star, we plan to see Immortal Technique, who was the first hip-hop artist I ever saw live in 2008. Tech always puts on a great show, so while I’d love to see Murs, who plays on the Dues Paid stage at the same time, it’s an easy decision to catch Technique again.

Another late main stage act that we plan to see is Sage Francis. Sage’s set conflicts with Slaughterhouse, a hardcore hip-hop collective that should be on a hell of a show, but my love of Sage’s early work helps him win out here. Plus Sadistik told me to go with Sage here, and when one of your favorite artists gives you advice, you take it.

While the headliners are great, there are a couple of early main stage sets that have me just as excited. At the top of that list would be Heavy Metal Kings, a collaboration between Jedi Mind Tricks emcee Vinnie Paz and La Coka Nostra’s Ill Bill. I think it goes without saying that I’m a huge metalhead, and as such I have a fascination with hardcore hip-hop. I know that my seem like an odd comparison to some, but there are strong similarities between the two. Jedi Mind Tricks are one of my favorite artists in any genre of music, and they scratch the same itch for me that extreme metal does. I always have a desire to find heavier and brutal death and black metal, just as I’m always looking for the hardest of hardcore hip-hop. Once I hear something shocking in hardcore hip-hop, the next step is to find something that can top that. Vinnie Paz and Ill Bill together would be like listening to an Emperor and Darkthrone split in the 90’s. Obviously, I can’t wait to see what they can do live.

Binary Star, another classic underground duo who recently reunited, is also a major highlight for me. Their Masters of the Universe album from 2000 has been on heavy rotation for years, and they’re a group that I’ve been waiting to see since I first got into hip-hop. P.O.S. is the other main stage act that has me excited, andwhile I’ve seen him twice already (including an 2+ hour set with his Doomtree collective), he always put on a hell of a show. I’m going with a friend who has never seen him before, so if you’re reading this Tad, prepare to be amazed.

P.O.S. - MTV Shows

There are plenty of other artists we plan to see- Rhymesayers emcee Grieves, Detroit’s best female emcee Invincible, Musab (founder of Rhymesayers), a round or two of the Grind Time Now All-Star battles, possibly Andre Nickatina, and some other early acts on the side stages. Of course, there are a few big conflicts as well, which means that some of my most anticipated artists likely won’t be on the write-up. DJ Exile vs. Blu & Fashawn will likely be a casualty due to conflicting with Heavy Metal Kings, and I’ve already mentioned the likelihood of us missing Slaughterhouse and Murs.

However, one of the most interesting conflicts is between an intriguing DJ/MC combination and hip-hop’s weirdest comedian. Many Paid Dues attendees have taken to the internet to express their hatred of Lil B the Based God, an up-and-coming artist who has turned heads in the underground. However, the turned heads aren’t due to his skills, but more because of his borderline insane videos and songs. Honestly, it’s impossible to describe all of the strange things Lil B does. From creating over 150 Myspace pages to post his free songs, to making dozens of tracks of him repeating a celebrities name while “swag” is said in the background, to videos of Lil B in the nude teaching you how to “cook.” Recently he released a hilarious album of “conscious” hip-hop, clearly parodying hip-hop that takes itself too seriously. I mention in my review of the album (which should be posted soon, by the way) that Lil B will start stories and then end without finishing them or making a point, and he’ll often repeat “positive” sayings over a pseudo-ambient beat. Then in his music videos (which are all just Lil B lip synching to the studio track in front of a shaky handheld camera, despite every video being tagged as “directed by Lil B”), he lets the listener know that it’s okay to cry to his music. Add in his ""based” philosophy, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever (it has something to do with being “rare” and “positive” apparently), and you have hip-hop’s biggest troll, who is going over the heads of some “real” hip-hop fans, who are incapable of recognizing that Lil B is a joke. Regardless of whether Lil B is an intentional comedian or a strange man on hard drugs (I’d vote for the former, but both are possible), his music and persona is extremely entertaining and intriguing.

The question then becomes whether we should see Lil B over an artist will actual musical talent. While I’ve never been a huge fan of Psycho Realm, I enjoy some of their music, and a set with DJ Muggs and Sick Jakcen performing alongside Bambu and Planet Asia sounds like it could be a great show. It’s a tough decision,and one that has me thinking. Honestly, I don’t which one I’m leaning towards, but I do know that I want to share the aforementioned video of Based God “cooking” in the nude.

So I guess I will leave you with that question. Lil B or DJ Muggs? Let me know what you think, and I hope that this preview has been entertaining in some way. Regardless, it helped me vent my excitement for this festival, so I suppose it’s already served a purpose.

As always, thanks for reading.

Top 10 Albums of 2010

2011-02-21T18:23:00.001-08:00

10. Phantogram- Eyelid Movies

One of my personal favorite albums of 2010, Phantogram’s Eyelid Movies is a trippy, dreamy, and atmospheric album that takes Mezzanine-influenced trip-hop and combines it with elements of 80’s alternative rock. Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter make for an excellent duo, both in terms of production and vocals. They both have their own styles that blend perfectly together, creating a multi-layered mesh of trip-hop that’s catchy and atmospheric in equal measure. Eyelid Movies is highly original and incredibly entertaining, and it’s an absolutely fantastic debut.

9. Agalloch- Marrow of the Spirit

After exploring their more mellow side on The White EP, Agalloch have returned with their fourth full length album, and their best since 2002’s masterful The Mantle.Marrow of the Spirit is almost the opposite of the aforementionedWhite EP, as Agalloch have turned their sound into a full fledged black metal assault, using the softer post-rock moments as a way to build to the heavier ones. Those dark and brutal moments are easily the highlights of Marrow of the Spirit, as five of the non-intro songs build to those at their climax. Maybe it’s a little predictable, but Agalloch have enough variety to prevent that from becoming an issue. Marrow of the Spirit isn’t quite a masterpiece, but you’d be hard pressed to find a better atmospheric black metal album released since the last Agalloch record.

8. Alcest- Écailles de lune

Neige (born Stéphane Paut) has to be one of the best musicians in music today. His debut album for Alcest, Souvenirs d'un autre monde, was an absolute masterpiece. Not only was it one of the best albums of the decade, but it marked one of the few times I’ve been completely speechless after listening to an album.Écailles de lune is the second Alcest album, and it continues the gorgeous black metal-influenced shoegaze of the first. This time around there’s a little more emphasis on the atmospheric black metal side of the music, as it can get quite a bit heavier than Souvenirs d'un autre monde. There are moments of pure beauty and moments of pure chaos, but it’s when the two blend together that Écailles de lune is at its best. At times it can take a little long to get those moments, especially on the album’s latter half, but Écailles de lune is still a masterful follow up to one the best albums of the past decade.

7. Enslaved- Axioma Ethica Odini

Enslaved have mellowed out a bit on Axioma Ethica Odini, but the new side of the black/viking metal band only makes them better.Axioma Ethica Odini is a progressive black metal album, similar to Opeth but with black metal replacing the death influences. The clean vocals are actually quite good, and the lighter sections only make the black metal parts more powerful when they come in. If you’ve listened to the last few Enslaved albums, you’ll know that a full on prog album is what the band has been building up to, and Axioma Ethica Odini is that album. Thankfully Enslvaed are excellent at what they do, and any open minded fan of metal would be wise to give one of the best albums of 2010 a close listen.

6. Pantha du Prince- Black Noise

Approaching music from a minimalist style is one of the hardest things a musician can do. As an electronic artist, there is always a temptation to speed things up, adding in unnecessary sounds or removing others too early. However, if an artist can be patient and really explore the sounds they’ve created, the listener is forced to do the same. Pantha du Prince has achieved this on Black Noise, and listening to it can be a mind bending experience. It’s hard not to get lost in the downtempo beats, and even after numerous listens I still feel me eyes well up. Black Noise is a masterful album, and one that anyone with the patience for minimalist art should experience.

5. Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma

Cosmogramma is not only the best album so far from experimental producer Flying Lotus, but it’s his first album of actual art. While Flying Lotus has always shown a great deal of talent, his overly experimental approach has never really amounted to anything more than just that- an experiment. With two full length albums under his belt, Flying Lotus has learned from his mistakes and created an album that lives up to his enormous potential.Cosmogramma is as cohesive as an experimental electronic album can be, and the songs have a great deal of tension and build up. Be warned that this album still isn’t all that accessible, but anyone willing to embrace their avant-garde side will be rewarded with an ambitious and creative record that simply cannot be brushed aside.

4. Dessa- A Badly Broken Code

Although it had the advantage of coming out in January, I’ve listened to A Badly Broken Codemore than any other album released this past year. Dessa’s full length debut is downright addicting, and contains layer upon layer of subtlety. Dessa excels as both a rapper and a singer, but her biggest talent is how she mixes them together. She’ll switch from rapping to singing to spoken word when delivering her lyrics, giving her already beautiful lines another layer not usually found in hip-hop. At times her voice can sound like that of a poet, as she has put thought into how she delivers each and every syllable. There is such a strong attention to detail in this album, and not just from Dessa. Each producer has clearly put a lot of work into their track, and it’s necessary to do so with Dessa’s unique talent. The beats are not your typical hip-hop affair, and it’s great to hear some varied work from Doomtree’s talented production duo of Paper Tiger and Lazerbeak. A Badly Broken Code is an all around exceptional album full of unique music and gorgeous lyricism. This one of the year’s most essential releases, regardless of how much you like hip-hop.

3. The National- High Violet

It's only recently that The National have been put under the mainstream spotlight, but the Brookyln indie rock band has quietly released some of the finest music of the pest decade. Starting with their self-titled debut in 2001, The National have grown with each album, continuing to polish and perfect their dark blend of chamber pop, High Violet is no exception. In a way, it’s is more of the same for The National, but this the most polished, consistent, and even memorable album to come from the band thus far.

High Violet starts with the gut-wrenching lo-fi tune “Terrible Love.” From the moment Matt Berninger’s vocals enter, it becomes apparent the group’s signature baritone voice has only gotten better. Berninger has a voice with the rare ability to shake its listener to the core, creating the dark ambiance that sets the tone for the barrage of distortion and melodic undertones to follow. However, while the vocals may be the most noticeable aspect of The National on first listen, High Violet is far more than a one-man show. Part of what makes listening to The National such an experience is the aforementioned melodic undertones. They may be subtle, but they work.

“Terrible Love” is only the first of many great tracks on High Violet. “Anyone’s Ghost” is a kind of dark pop rock tune that works far better than it has any right to, and the single “Bloodbuzz Ohio” is simply breathtaking. However, the album’s biggest highlights come in its second half. Tracks like “Runaway,” “Conversation 16,” and “England” take The National’s chilling ambience to a new level, all without loosing the rock ‘n roll sound at the band’s core.

The music is excellent, the lyrics are excellent, and High Violet is just an incredible album all around. Fans of the band won’t be disappointed, and new listeners are in for a treat. The National have established themselves as one of the best bands in modern rock, and High Violetmight very well be the group’s best effort yet.

2. Les Discrets- Septembre et ses dernières pensées

It’s hard to believe Septembre et ses dernières pensées is Les Discrets’ full length debut. This is a masterful album in every respect, and it’s one of the best albums of 2010. Les Discrets released a split last year with Alcest, so it’s no surprise that the album this is most reminiscent of is Alcest’s Souvenirs d'un autre monde. Much like Alcest’s debut,Septembre et ses dernières pensées combines elements of shoegaze, post-rock, and black metal, but the way those genres are combined is a bit unusual. Usually black metal is the most prevalent genre of the three, but here it’s comes second to shoegaze. This gives the music a raw sound that doesn’t overpower the gorgeous melodies and atmosphere. Septembre et ses dernières pensées is a brilliant album, and one that belongs in the collection of every music fan. It’s one of the best albums of 2010, and one of the finest shoegaze albums of recent memory.

1. Kno- Death is Silent

Kno, best known as the producer behind the underground hip-hop group CunninLynguists, refers to himself on the haunting track “Graveyard” as the “emo Primo.” While “emo” is used almost sarcastically, Kno’s description of himself isn’t far off. His talent as a producer rivals DJ Premier, although Kno’s beats are of darker nature and often drift closer into DJ Shadow territory. Needless to say, the beats on Death is Silentare fantastic. Each beat is layered with clean samples building and changing in the most interesting and subtle ways. Kno uses slow keys, vocal samples (often from films), and instruments that come and go at the most opportune time. Everything is simple, and yet few producers can achieve such beauty in their beats. Kno’s attention to detail is astounding, as every element of his beats is used to absolute perfection. Everything is so clean, so smooth, and so beautiful.

However, Death is Silent is more than just beats. Kno also raps on just about every track, and he is aided by some welcome guests. Deacon and Natti from CunninLynguists have multiple verses, all of which rival their best from A Piece of Strange and the Strange Journey albums. The immensely talented Tonedeff also shows up for a verse, as does Tunji from Inverse, Thee Tom Hardy, and Substantial. It would have been interesting to get a verse or two from someone outside of the usual CunninLynguists guests, but considering the quality of the verses it’s hard to argue.

Even Kno himself delivers some great verses. His flow is often methodical, coming across at times as a poor man’s Evidence, but he stays on beat and holds his own. In his lyrics, however, is where Kno truly shines as an emcee. He crafts his wordplay with the same attention to detail that he gives to the beats, creating the same type of “every word is necessary” lyricism that have been perfected by underground artists like Atmosphere and Aesop Rock. Kno’s lyrics are often stories, told vividly and even deceptively. He’ll start out with something typical and then take it a completely different direction, forcing the listener to go back and think about every line that has built up to the end. Rhythm of Rain might have his best verse, and is a perfect example of Kno’s deceptive wordplay. What starts out as a sexual metaphor turns into one of the darkest and most beautiful verses imaginable. Again, Kno’s mediocre flow may turn off some listeners, but those willing to dig deep into the lyrics will find that Kno’s talent is not restricted to beat making.

Death is Silent is a monster of an album, dark and beautiful in equal measures, and is absolutely essential to any fan of hip-hop. This is one of the best albums of the year, and it earns my highest recommendation.

On Sasquatch and Paid Dues

2011-02-21T00:48:00.001-08:00

Fellow Seattleites have probably heard that the lineup for the 2011 Sasquatch! Music Festival was announced a few weeks ago. I’ve attended the festival three years in a row (albeit for only one day in 2009), and did a write-up for last year’s. I have mixed feelings about the lineup this year, as many of my favorites are bands that I saw at the very same festival just a few years before, but there are still a few artists on the lineup that I would love to see. Unfortunately, that will not be a reality this time around. With the increase in ticket prices ($175 last year to almost $300 this year for a full pass), combined with the many other fees involved in making such a trip, I simply cannot afford to go. That means there will be no write-up for the 2011 festival. I know a few people who are going, and I hope they have a lot of fun and will let me know how the festival played out. Meanwhile, I’ll be at home wishing I could see Flying Lotus and Iron & Wine, while being thankful that I don’t have to do deal with the festival’s usually obnoxious attendees.

While Sasquatch is a no-go, I will have a write-up of a major festival for you guys. Thanks to some major help from a friend, I will be flying to Los Angeles on April 1 to attend the Paid Dues Festival the next day. I posted a news entry about Paid Dues a few weeks ago, stating my amazement of the lineup. For those of who missed it, Paid Dues is an independent hip-hop festival that will feature such artists as Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli), Immortal Technique, Sage Francis, Slaughterhouse, Murs, Heavy Metal Kings (Vinnie Paz and Ill Bill), P.O.S., Binary Star, Blu & Exile with Fashawn, Grieves, Sab the Artist (founder of Atmosphere’s Rhymesayers label), and plenty of others. I couldn’t be more excited, and I will of course have a full write-up of the festival with photos (assuming I can get my camera in, as the website seems a little vague about camera rules) as soon as I get back home.

I’m still working on a number of different entries that should be up soon, as well as a much needed update for the archives. I know they’ve been much delayed, but I promise that it won’t be much longer. Thanks to all of you for your continuing support.

Sound Writer on Facebook

2011-02-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

I've created a Facebook page for Sound Writer. This is a good way to keep up to date with what I'm working on, and get Sound Writer updates on your Facebook feed. There is a box below that will take you to the page, where you can "like" it if you so desire.

You also may have noticed that I've changed the layout. Hopefully this will make it easier to find major posts (such as the Holiday Buyer's Guide, Sasquatch! write-up, and future posts of that nature). Let me know what you think of the new layout, and any suggestions you have to improve it would be much appreciated. Thank you again for your continuing support, and I hope to make 2011 a big year for the blog.

Paid Dues 2011

2011-01-31T18:00:00.001-08:00

This is Murs telling you about a festival that every hip-hop fan in the state of California should attend. Seriously, I’m jealous.

The rest of the info can be found on Paid Dues’ official website (http://www.paidduesfestival.com/)

Mayhemfest Lineup

2011-01-26T08:17:00.001-08:00

While it’s not official until Mayhemfest sends out a press release, the website for Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival has done a poor job of hiding their lineup. A look at http://mayhemfest.com/rmf/ reveals that the bands playing will be:

Megadeth
Disturbed
Godsmack
In Flames
Machine Head
Trivium
Suicide Silence
Kingdom of Sorrow
All Shall Perish
Unearth
Straight Line Stitch
Red Fang

There is an image containing the logos for the two bottom stages right below the logo for In Flames, so unless they've added another band to the main stage the first four (Megadeth, Disturbed, Godsmack, In Flames) should be playing the main stage. Again, this is purely speculation, but it’s the most likely scenario for anyone curious about running order. If that's the case, the others should be spread across the "Extreme stage" and the "Jagermeister stage," with Machine Head and Trivium likely being the side stage headliners. As I’ve mentioned numerous times at this point, the lineup is unconfirmed, and bands can be added or dropped. However, all signs point to these 12 bands playing the North American hard rock festival this summer. For some more official information, the dates for Mayhemfest are as follows:

Jul. 09 - San Bernardino, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheatre
Jul. 10 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Jul. 12 - Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheater
Jul. 13 - Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
Jul. 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
Jul. 16 - Albuquerque, NM @ Hard Rock Casino Presents: The Pavilion
Jul. 17 - Denver, CO @ Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Jul. 19 - St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Jul. 20 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
Jul. 22 - Boston, MA @ Comcast Center
Jul. 23 - Montreal, QUE @ Parc Jean Drapeau
Jul. 24 - Hartford, CT @ The Comcast Theatre
Jul. 27 - Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
Jul. 29 - Pittsburgh, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion
Jul. 30 - Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live
Jul. 31 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 02 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless V. Beach Amphitheater
Aug. 03 - Raleigh, NC @ Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Aug. 05 - Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Aug. 06 - Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug. 07 - Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug. 09 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheatre
Aug. 10 - Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
Aug. 12 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
Aug. 13 - Tampa, FL @ 1-800-Ask-Gary-Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheater

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Melodeath/Doom/Goth

2011-01-24T18:03:00.001-08:00

Sections:
-Introduction
-Accessible Metal
-Alternative Rock
-Electronic
-Experimental
-Extreme Metal
-Folk
-Indie
-Hip-Hop
-Melodeath/Doom/Goth
-Post-Rock/Ambient/Shoegaze
-Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal
-Progressive

Despite being low on “album of the year” contenders, this section of the guide was one of the hardest to narrow down. There weren’t many pure goth albums in 2010, but doom and melodic death metal both had very strong years. There were throwback albums, progressive works, and ones that fell somewhere in between. Regardless of what type of doom metal or melodeath you like, 2010 had something for you.

The Absence
Enemy Unbound

The Absence have clearly settled into a groove, as Enemy Unbound features a very similar style to their last two albums. While Riders of the Plague saw the band maturing into a modern riff-based melodeath great, Enemy Unbound is largely the same. As such, there’s not a ton of progression here. Still, there is no band that plays melodic death metal quite like The Absence, and anyone who heard their last album should know that more of the same isn’t a bad thing at all.

Barren Earth
Curse of the Red River

The debut album from this heavy metal supergroup is hopefully the first of many. Curse of the Red River is a very solid album, mixing progressive metal with melodeath, doom, and thrash metal. The members are from bands that cover all four of those genres (Swallow the Sun, Kreator, Moonsorrow, and Amorphis), and each member brings their own style to the music. It actually works quite well, and is far more cohesive than most supergroup albums. The death doom vocals work surprisingly well with the thrash and melodeath instrumentation, and due to the contrasting styles of doom and thrash that’s no small accomplishment This is a solid and original album, but it’s certainly filled with untapped potential. That’s really the sticking point of Barren Earth, as it’s hard not to shake the feeling that this is only the start, and really only a fraction of what this group is capable of.

Doomshine
The Piper at the Gates of Doom

When you put “doom” in the title of your band and album, you better be good at playing doom metal. Thankfully, Doomshine live up to their name. This is doom metal in its purest form. It doesn’t have My Dying Bride’s emotion or Swallow the Sun’s creative vision, but The Piper at the Gates of Doom is very effective at what it tries to do. That is to say, it’s a heavy and sludge-y throwback to the 80’s doom of bands like Candlemass and Trouble. Fathermore, Doomshine do a great job of paying tribute to their influences without copying them. This is an album all its own, despite being traditional and even predictable. If you like classic doom, you’ll probably enjoy this album. It’s effective at taking the genre back to its roots without ignoring the advancements in production that have taken place since Candlemass’ album lo-fi debut.

Enthrope
Tomorrow’s Dead Days

Enthrope’s debut album is proof that melodic death metal has evolved from the Gothenburg sound of the mid 1990’s. It’s often hard to tell where the genre is at this point, but Tomorrow’s Dead Days throws together a lot of the changes different facets of the genre have undergone in the last 15 years. There are dark metal influences, borderline symphonic sections, strong atmospheric qualities, Scar Symmetry-esque guitar solos, well placed clean vocals, and pretty much every other element that has become a staple in various forms of modern melodeath. It’s actually fairly unique to hear them come together like this, and it’s certainly satisfying. Enthrope has little appeal outside of melodic death metal, but for fans of the genre Tomorrow’s Dead Days a very easy album to recommend.

The Foreshadowing
Oionos

I’m not sure what’s weirder- the fact that a gothic doom metal band decided to cover a Sting song, or that it actually turned out pretty awesome. Even if the rest of The Foreshadowing’s second album was mediocre, I’d be willing to let it pass simply for that. Thankfully, Oionos is a very solid doom and goth metal hybrid. It’s almost a gothic post-punk album in a way, as it’s clear that The Foreshadowing have been listening to The Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, or other similar bands. However, it’s still heavy and distinctly doom metal. This a doom album that creates a dark and moody atmosphere without overdoing it, and again, there’s a doom metal cover of a Sting song on it. That in and of itself make this album awesome.

Harvey Milk
A Small Turn of Human Kindness

Not all doom metal is made the same. There are doom albums that are melodic, doom albums that are more extreme, and then are the doom albums like Harvey Milk’s A Small Turn of Human Kindness. This is a rough slude-y album, stuck in the Black Sabbath side of the 1960’s in some respects, but also heavy and modernized in others. Honestly, there’s not much more than can be said. It’s far from an artistic masterpiece, but anyone who likes their metal slow and heavy will find an album that excels at both.

In Mounring
Monolith

It’s pretty common for bands to say close to their influences on their debut. However, it’s important for artists to branch out from there. In Mourning does exactly that on Monolith, the follow up to their Opeth-inspired first album. Some metal purists may not be able to tolerate the band’s surprising use of breakdowns, but to be clear Monolith is far from a metalcore album. This is a melodic death metal album through and through, but it’s In Mourning’s willingness to deviate from even their non-Opeth influences that makes this such a strong and unique album. Monolith has moments that are completely insane, but they somehow work. This is incredibly raw metal that is melodic and heavy in equal measure, and even the breakdowns work on some strange level. It has its flaws, as some of the transitions seem forced and a few of the songs sound the same, but this is the first melodic death metal album to come out since Scar Symmetry’s Pitch Black Progress to actually push melodic death metal into interesting new territories.

Mar de Grises
Streams Inwards

Part doom, part death, and part prog album, the latest from Mar de Grises is heavy on atmosphere and full of awe-inspiring moments. Streams Inwards is the type of album that can go from brutal to beautiful and back again through the course of a single track, but it spends most of its time occupying an atmosphere somewhere in between. That may sound typical for atmospheric metal, but Streams Inwards has plenty of unique moments, and the tracks often build into truly remarkable territory. It’s slow and certainly not for everyone, but fans of doom metal and atmospheric music should give this album a good listen.

Winterhorde
Underwatermoon

After hearing an album like Underwatermoon, it’s a bit of surprise that melodic black metal isn’t as prominent as its death metal counterpart. Between the raw blackened vocals, the symphonic instrumentals, and the gothic atmosphere, Winterhorde have developed the perfect melodic metal sound and thrown the heavy sound of black metal into the equation. Somehow, they’ve done this without watering down their incredibly varied influences. This is a kind of unique metal album that doesn’t let its heavy side get in the way of accessibility, nor does its accessibility bring down its brutality. Underwatermoon is one of the best metal albums of 2010, and it can be recommended to just about any fan of heavy metal.

Year of No Light
Ausserwelt

Post-rock and doom metal work perfectly together. Year of No Light’s Ausserwelt is proof of that. This is slow building, almost minimalist metal, but it’s still as heavy as anything else in the doom and sludge metal genres. This is a dark and apocalyptic album, and one that builds seamlessly. Every sound is placed meticulously, and as a result each riff and drum beat is as dark and effective as possible. With that being said, there are some noticeable flaws, as the songs often go on for a little too long. What should be the climax comes a few minutes before the end of a few tracks, and the listener is often left with uninspired post-rock to finish things off. It’s a bit unfortunate because up until those points the tracks are really quite incredible. Still, fans of atmospheric metal would be wise to give Ausserwelt a listen.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Extreme Metal

2011-01-10T01:07:00.001-08:00

Despite a disappointing comeback album for the legendary Atheist, death metal had a strong showing in 2010. There were brutal albums, technical albums, and a few that managed to do both. Black metal had an even stronger year, assuming that you consider its progressive and atmospheric subgenres to be black metal. Hell, there were even a few thrash metal albums heavy enough to make this guide. Point being, whatever type of extreme metal you like, there’s something for you among these ten albums.

Agalloch
Marrow of the Spirit

After exploring their more mellow side on The White EP, Agalloch have returned with their fourth full length album, and their best since 2002’s masterful The Mantle. Marrow of the Spirit is almost the opposite of the aforementioned White EP, as Agalloch have turned their sound into a full fledged black metal assault, using the softer post-rock moments as a way to build to the heavier ones. Those dark and brutal moments are easily the highlights of Marrow of the Spirit, as five of the non-intro songs build to those at their climax. Maybe it’s a little predictable, but Agalloch have enough variety to prevent that from becoming an issue. Marrow of the Spirit isn’t quite a masterpiece, but you’d be hard pressed to find a better atmospheric black metal album released since the last Agalloch record.

An Autumn for Crippled Children
Lost

The debut album from An Autumn for Crippled Children combines the despair of doom metal with the extreme sound of black metal. It’s an interesting combination that works flawlessly on Lost. This is extreme metal with strong emotion, and it’s almost ambient in nature, as the band gets the most out of each heavy note. It’s not quite at a My Dying Bride level of despair, but An Autumn for Crippled Children’s heavy black metal sound makes this is a dark album that comes shockingly close to being truly depressing.

Deathspell Omega
Paracletus

With the possible exception of Atheist’s Jupiter, the latest release from Deathspell Omega may be the most technical album of 2010. The band’s absolutely insane instrumentation is mind blowing to say the least, and their raw black metal core is still at large. This is modern black with the precision of technical death metal, and I can’t say I’ve ever heard this kind of instrumental mastery performed with blackened growls and the tin-y black metal drums. It does sacrifice some of the emotion of past Deathspell albums, but not to the same extent as the aforementioned Atheist album. Any metalhead with appreciation for fast and heavy music will not be disappointed by Paracletus.

Enslaved
Axioma Ethica Odini

Enslaved have mellowed out a bit on Axioma Ethica Odini, but the new side of the black/viking metal band only makes them better. Axioma Ethica Odini is a progressive black metal album, similar to Opeth but with black metal replacing the death influences. The clean vocals are actually quite good, and the lighter sections only make the black metal parts more powerful when they come in. If you’ve listened to the last few Enslaved albums, you’ll know that a full on prog album is what the band has been building up to, and Axioma Ethica Odini is that album. Thankfully Enslvaed are excellent at what they do, and any open minded fan of metal would be wise to give one of the best albums of 2010 a close listen.

Fear Factory
Mechanize

It’s amazing how much of a difference one musician can make. The drumming has never been the reason to listen to Fear Factory, but legendary Death and Strapping Young Lad drummer Gene Hoglan makes Mechanize the album of the year for fans of double bass and ridiculous fills. Hoglan is still an absolute beast, and his drumming makes Fear Factory far heavier than they’ve ever been, and even downright brutal. Former Strapping Young Lad bassist Byron Stroud also plays on the album, so it’s no coincidence that Mechanize is one of the heaviest industrial albums released by a band that isn’t Strapping. Fear Factory have truly made their way into extreme metal, and the result couldn’t be better.

Fukpig
Belief is the Death of Intelligence

Blackened crust punk band Fukpig have made an album that repulses and amazes in equal measure. For fans crust know that both elements are essential. The instrumentation is fast and heavy, the production is raw, and the vocals are the type of disgusting growling that even casual metalheads will have a hard time digesting. Again, being accessible is not an option for this kind of music, and Belief is the Death of Intelligence is about as inaccessible as possible, while still containing positive qualities. The instrumentation, in particular, is quite impressive, as is the surprising amount of variety. There are moments where the music will slow down and change up in ways that aren’t typical for crust. Belief is the Death of Intelligence is a repulsive and disgusting album that just happens to be great. There are probably only twelve people in the world who could stand this type of music, but I’d recommend this album to all twelve. If you have the stomach for inaccessible heavy metal with song titles like “Sadism in the Name of God” and “All of You Are Cunts and I Hope You Fucking Die,” then by all means give this a listen.

Immolation
Majesty and Decay

It’s not often that such a brutal death metal album is as accessible as Majesty and Decay. This is an album that gets its brutality from exceptionally technical and fast instrumentation, but it doesn’t necessarily rely on its technicality to work. The songwriting is strong enough to allow for creative riffs, outside of the album’s technical core, but Majesty and Decay never strays from its brutality. That’s definitely a good thing, and death metal fans wouldn’t have it any other way. However, Immolation have crafted and album that can also convert non death fans, as it keeps the brutality strictly in the music, and not in the production. It’s not necessarily the best death metal album of the year, but it may be the easiest to recommend.

Melechesh
The Epigenesis

Nile may be the most famous extreme metal band to incorporate Middle Eastern influences into their sound, but they aren’t necessarily the most effective at doing it. Melechesh released an absolutely masterful Middle Eastern black metal album in 2006, and while The Epignesis doesn’t necessarily do much to expand the band’s sound, it’s another technical beast of an album that has enough unique influences to set it apart from the black metal pack. The songs are appropriately fast and heavy, and the Middle Eastern parts still provide a nice break from the insanity that few albums are able to provide. Here’s hoping that Melechesh can improve on their sound and try something different for their next release, but for now their sound is still fresh and there’s no denying their mastery of technical metal.

Overkill
Ironbound

Prior to Ironbound, Overkill had released fourteen studio albums. Twelve of those fourteen have received at least 3 stars on this site, while none have gotten less than 2 and a half. With that in mind, It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the fifteenth album from this extraordinarily consistent thrash band has earned another 3 stars. Ironbound is more old school thrash metal, but with death metal influences to make it far heavier than any thrash album released in the 1980’s. This is the evolution of heavy thrash, and this classic band that has been around since the genre’s beginnings continues to progress with some of the fastest and most brutal metal released all year.

Sigh
Scenes from Hell

Sigh have combined everything from psychedelic rock to power metal into their symphonic black metal sound. Scenes from Hell is the album where Sigh takes a break from experimenting and instead focuses on that core black metal. While it doesn’t reach the same heights as some of their past work, it’s actually quite refreshing to hear this side of Sigh, as they play symphonic black metal better than just about any other band in the genre. Scenes from Hell works exceptionally well, and Sigh’s sound is strong and varied enough to work across a full album, even without the experimentation. This is the type of heavy and creative black metal that all but the purest fans of the genre should be able to appreciate.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Folk

2011-01-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

Due the increasing popularity of indie folk, the folk genre has made a bit of comeback in the mainstream eye. While there were a number of indie folk albums released in 2010, traditional folk, neofolk, and even freak folk had a representative earn a spot on this guide.

Anaïs Mitchell
Hadestown

There’s a lot to like about Hadestown, the fourth album from folk singer/songwriter Anaïs Mitchell. There is a ton of ambition on this record, partly due to the surprisingly deep story based on Greek mythology. However, what is most responsible for the greatness of Hadestown is the dark atmosphere that Mitchell creates for her emotional lyrics and strong vocals to take effect, making the storytelling just as effective as the story itself. There is quite a bit of variety, as well, throughout the 20 tracks, helped by a number of different indie folk guests. The most notable is Justin Vernon, best known as Bon Iver, who sings on a whopping seven tracks.

Damien Jurado
Saint Bartlett

Northwest singer/songwriter Damnien Jurado has been a local favorite since his magnificent debut in 1997. Now on his ninth studio album, Jurado has improved with each successive release. While still a solid album, Saint Bartlett breaks that trend. At times, this album sound like a watered down version of Damien’s older material. To new listeners, the songs here will likely sound a lot better, as much of the album’s problems can be traced to covering old ground. However, there is still a great deal of emotion to the music, and Jurado’s excellent songwriting still shines through, even if it’s not quite the masterpiece he’s been building up to.

Faun Fables
Light of a Vaster Dark

The unsung kings of modern freak folk have returned with an album that only Faun Fables could create. This weird psychedelic work of art is par for the course for Faun Fables at this point, and fans of the band and listeners who enjoy the more experimental side of folk will be at home here. Light of a Vaster Dark is an album that could only come out in modern times, which is a bit or rarity for such a simple genre. That in and of itself makes it worth listening to, but the multilayered lyrics and almost avant-garde arrangements make it a must for folk and experimental fans.

Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat
Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Wood

Despite the band’s strange name, Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat actually write some beautiful music. Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Wood isn’t the most poetic folk album out there, nor is it the most emotionally gripping. Still, there is a lot to like here. Neofolk is rarely this gorgeous or accessible, and the band certainly deserves praise for not falling into to the lyrical traps of the genre. This is the kind of neofolk album that could actually appeal to fans of more traditional folk music, while still being enjoyed by the metal fans who found the neofolk genre through Death in June’s lyrical similarities to that of black metal.

Laura Marling
I Speak Because I Can

I’ve written many times about the “human element,” an integral part of music that proves to the listener that there is a genuine human being behind what they are hearing. In folk music, it’s pretty much essential. Folk is a genre where two people can play the exact same song in the same way, and evoke completely different reactions from the listener. For every indie folk artist who has that element, there are 30 that ruin their music with effects and forcefully catchy hooks that take that element away. Laura Marling is an artist who has the human element. It just so happens her music is also catchy. Marling plays a very simple style of indie folk, one that any folk fan has heard before. She can occasionally be heavier than her contemporaries (as on “Devil’s Spoke”), and she plays with tension much better than most. However, what really sets her apart is the passion in her music. The listener knows that there is an human being putting a piece of herself into this music, and in folk that’s often the most important thing an artist can do.

The Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree
The Soup & the Shilling

The Soup and & the Shilling comes packaged with two discs, the first of which compiles the band’s first two EP’s. Both EP’s are great, but it’s safe to say that anyone who has heard those will be more looking forward to the band’s first full length album. The second disc is that full length album, and while it’s a little tamer than the experimental psychedelic folk of the first disc, the new songs are mostly excellent. There are a variety of different styles and moods at play, something that isn’t always easy to do on folk records. It’s actually quite amazing that this band is as obscure as they are, as their sound is both unique and accessible. The Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree have established themselves as an excellent group that should appeal to both fans of folk and experimental music.

Pickering Pete
The Boy in the Back

The Boy in the Back is an album I discovered through a forum thread posted by Pickering Pete himself. Online plugs from unsigned artists aren’t often the most effective way to discover quality music, but The Boy in the Back is an exception. This criminally brief (under 30 minutes in length) folk album may be a little slow for some, but Pickering Pete has put a large part of himself into these tracks. There is undoubtedly a human being behind this album, and one that is not afraid to display who he is. It’s really quite refreshing to hear, and as such it’s an extraordinarily gorgeous album.

Shearwater
The Golden Archipelago

The Golden Archipelago is beautiful. It may not be as catchy or original as other Shearwater albums, but there comes a point where simple beauty can make up for an album’s shortcomings. It has strong atmospheric quality rarely found in indie folk, and but again, The Golden Archipelago is more about the feelings it evokes than anything else. The lyrics aren’t always up to what Jonathan Meiburg is capable of, and it’s certainly not as original as 2008’s Rook. Regardless, this is a great album, assuming that you’re willing to just sit back and enjoy the music.

Strand of Oaks
Pope Killdragon

Folk singer/songwriter Timothy Showalter can be a little deceptive. On first listen, Pope Killdragon sounds like a fairly generic folk record. It’s slow, even a little boring at times, and there’s really nothing new on the surface. However, Showalter has incorporated subtleties into his music that reward careful listening. His lyrics take surprising twists, and there are some genuinely haunting and atmospheric moments. Again, it’s nothing new, but listeners willing to focus on the lyrics and how they contrast with the music will find a find surprising deep experience here.

The Tallest Man on Earth
The Wild Hunt

Possibly the most hyped folk album of 2010, the sophomore album from The Tallest Man on Earth is absolutely worthy of the attention it’s been getting. This Swedish folk artist (real name Kristian Matsson) has a voice strikingly similar to Bob Dylan’s, but the man’s real talent lies in his ability as a songwriting and lyricist. His lyrics reach the rare level of working on their own, even outside of the music, but they’re even better in context with Matsson’s musical arrangements. He’s a talented and varied guitar player, but he shows his skill by writing parts that work with the lyrics and changing as the mood of those lyrics changes. He doesn’t succumb to the instrumental simplicity of the genre, as he’s willing to branch out and play some very complicated riffs when the song calls for it. The Wild Hunt is a little on the short side, but there is so much talent and emotion packed into these 35 minutes that it’s an absolutely essential listen.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Experimental

2011-01-05T04:09:00.001-08:00

It’s hard to write about experimental art without sounding pretentious. Experimental music is obviously a niche genre, but I have a strong appreciation for artists who attempt to deviate from the norm and try something new. Casual listeners might find the albums in this guide a little on the weird or even pretentious side, but those who delve deeper into the art form might have a different opinion. With the success of Animal Collective’s wonderful Meriwether Post Pavilion last year, I can only hope that more listeners are willing to give experimental music a chance.

Android Lust
The Human Animal

Considering how corrupt the music industry has become, it's rare to find a modern label who’s name can act as a stamp of approval. With the sheer number of quality ethereal albums they’ve released over the last 20-odd years, Projekt Records continue to be the exception to that. Android Lust, an industrial darkwave artist who first joined the label with 2002’s excellent The Dividing, is the kind of original artist that is keeping labels like Projekt honest. The Human Animal is an album for industrial fans who want something unique and creative. It’s not beautiful in the way that darkwave often is, nor is it catchy or particularly heavy. However, it has a distinct ambience about it, and it does an excellent job of combining electronic and industrial sounds with stringed instruments and melodic guitars. It can be haunting, but The Human Animal is a kind of non-commercial album that is more for people who appreciate the art of music and the genres that the songs covers.

Dirty Granny Tales
Didi’s Son

There are weird albums and then there is Didi’s Son. Dirty Granny Tales, the insane artists who have this mess of an album, are a completely demented avant-garde group that capture the essence of a dark cabaret performance on album. There are elements of opera, folk, swing, orchestral, and even black metal, all of which are implemented in strange but interesting ways. It’s weird as hell, and not always coherent, but Didi’s Son is incredibly unique and entertaining. I’d love to see this adapted to an actual stage show, although I’m not sure I’d be able to keep my sanity in check watching it.

Hungry Lucy
Pulse of the Earth

Pulse of the Earth is admittedly a bit of a disappointment. Coming six years after their last album, a trip-hop and darkwave masterpiece, Hungry Lucy’s fourth studio albums is a little on the safe side. It’s still very good, and the music is anything but generic darkwave, but it’s hard not to compare it to the band’s better work. It’s still incredibly catchy for the genre, while still being dreamy, ambient, and even psychedelic, and as such it still has the band’s trademark sound in tact. Pulse of the Earth is definitely worth picking up for fans of darkwave, and once the disappointment wears off Hungry Lucy fans will find a legitimately great album beneath it.

Kayo Dot
Coyote

Kayo Dot may never live up to maudlin of the Well, the former band from Toby Driver, but the avant-garde metal band’s third album is another weird trip into uncharted territory. Billed as the first “goth fusion” album, Coyote takes elements from 80s and 90s goth and darkwave music, and infuses it with heavy metal, jazz, and plenty of other random styles. Labeling it as a new genre is a little much, as it’s really is just avant-garde metal with a gothic twist, but Coyote is an interesting album nevertheless. It’s weird enough to satisfy any fan of heavy experimental music, and it’s certainly one of the more original darkwave-influenced albums in some time.

Menomena
Mines

While many indie rock bands are starting to fall into one of a few different trends, it’s refreshing to hear a band like Menomena. Mines is an album done in the Portugal. The Man and TV on the Radio style of indie rock. That is to say, it’s an album that works as both an experimental and indie album. It’s unique, creative, and often weird, but it’s still simple when it needs to be, and it’s almost always catchy. If there’s one thing that can be said about Mines, it’s that it’s completely unpredictable. On first listen, the direction this album takes is truly surprising, and it rewards careful listening the second and third times around. Choosing whether this albums better fits in the “Experimental” or “Indie” section was difficult, but deciding to include it in this guide was anything but.

Shining
Blackjazz

Athiest and Cynic fused death metal with jazz brilliantly in the 1990’s. However, it’s taken until 2010 to hear a black metal band mix free form jazz into their sound. Shining (not to be confused with the more famous Swedish Shining) happen to be that band, and Blackjazz is that album. The technically of death metal is a better match for jazz than the raw noise of black metal, but Shining makes it work here. This is heavy free form jazz with down tuned guitars and growled vocals, and there are even some psychedelic elements thrown in for good measure. It’s one flaw is that is relies a little too much on its central idea, as it would be hard to recommend Blackjazz purely as a jazz or black metal album. The music isn’t as technical as that of most quality jazz artists, and the black metal elements are really pretty generic. However, that complaint really more minor than it sounds. Blackjazz is much more of an experimental album than a black metal or jazz one, and on that level it’s brilliant. This is a truly original album, and one of the most avant-garde releases in years.

Solefald
Norrøn Livskunst

Norrøn Livskunst is proof that weird music doesn’t need to sound random. Solefald have made a very calculated album, but that only adds to its weirdness. If Norrøn Livskunst wasn’t expertly written, it simply wouldn’t be listenable. This odd combination of black metal, jazz, acoustic rock, and prog is beyond insane at times, but again, it’s listenable. Few avant-garde bands are weird as Solefald, but few are as a fun and even accessible to those who don’t mind the genres they mix. The lyrics are mostly written in høgnorsk, a 1917 form of Norwegian, although it’s debatable whether that tops the four languages used to tell the story in In Harmonia Universali. If you’ve actually made it through this paragraph with your interest peaked, you’ll likely enjoy the insane but wonderful mess Solefald have created.

Swans
My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky

The long overdue comeback album from the criminally overlooked Swans reminds me a lot of the comeback album Dinosaur Jr. released in 2007. The Dinosaur Jr. album didn’t necessarily elevate the band’s sound, but it marked a return to their roots without sounding dated or repetitive. Swans’ My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky does mostly the same things, as it’s simply more of what fans of the band have loved for the past 25 years. It’s nothing new, and yet it sounds oddly modern. Maybe that shows the strong influence Swans have had on modern art rock, but more than anything it’s just great to hear some new music from one of rock’s hidden gems.

Yugen
Iridule

Avant-garde rock is rarely as beautiful as it is on Yugen’s Iridule. This is an album with numerous influences and sounds, but they all blend together nicely. Yugen plays expertly with volume, not just in a literal sense, but also in terms of where the influences are placed. There are always loud and soft sounds contrasting each other, and often those are different from the ones the listener might expect. The point is that Iridule is a unique album that is both beautiful and chaotic, and as strange as it is, the band always seems to have a grasp on what they’re doing. This is a masterful album, and one of the highlights of experimental music in 2010.

Zola Jesus
Stridulum II

Two of the best EP’s of 2010, Zola Jesus’ Stridulum and Valusia have been compiled and released as a single full length album. It’s not easy to find in this format, but regardless of how you hear it any fan of beautiful, trippy, and haunting music should give this collection of masterful psychedelic songs a listen. Zola Jesus has often been compared to Siouxsie & the Banshees, and that’s actually a pretty accurate comparison. Like Siouxise, Zola Jesus has a beautiful haunting voice, and she possesses an incredible talent for songwriting. These lo-fi tunes are brilliantly written, riddled with tension and atmosphere, and it’s worth noting again just how incredibly haunting Zola Jesus’ voice is. Stridulum II has moments that can potentially leave the listener shaking, and any album that can do that deserves to be listened to.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal

2010-12-22T20:08:00.001-08:00

While new albums from legends and modern greats helped, power, symphonic, and folk metal were all plagued in 2010 by copycats and unoriginal new albums. It gets a little old listening to identical album after identical album, all ripping off the same few bands. Symphonic metal in particular had an off year, although that’s to be expected in year without albums from Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation, and other major bands. Outside of the garbage, however, there were ten albums that made the cut for this list.

Avantasia
The Wicked Symphony / Angel of Babylon

Avantasia released not one, but two albums this year. Both are concept albums that continue the story of The Scarecrow from 2008. This means that two of the best power metal albums of the year can be purchased in the same package, and nerds like me who enjoy Avantasia’s epic fantasy stories should rejoice. Even if you aren’t a power metal fan, the music on these albums is really pretty accessible. Songs like “Dying for an Angel” wouldn’t sound out of place in a playlist of 80’s metal, and there’s a variety of talented vocalists that differ from the usual power metal affair. The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon are two incredibly entertaining releases, and any fan of metal should give them a listen.

Blind Guardian
At the Edge of Time

At the Edge of Time is typical Blind Guardian. That is to say, it’s to say it’s an album that takes an overdone power metal sound and somehow makes it fresh. There are songs on At the Edge of Time that are just plain epic, and purists should rejoice in knowing that there are no pop-influenced tracks like “Another Stranger Me” from their last album. Even the single “A Voice in the Dark” is fast and heavy, while still managing to be catchy. Vocalist Hansi Kürsch is once again the highlight of the band, as his soaring vocals continue to redefine what’s possible in heavy metal. With albums like this, it’s no wonder that so many power metal acts continue to copy Blind Guardian. However, no one can pull it off like the original, and At the Edge of Time is farther proof of that.

Dark Moor
Ancestral Romance

Dark Moor is a band that keeps getting better and more original with each release. Back in 2000, they were a power metal group with a ton of potential, and ten years later they’ve released one of the best symphonic and power metal hybrids since Kamelot’s The Black Halo. The melodies are catchy and memorable, and there are genuinely progressive moments as well. There are even a few songs written in Spanish, which isn’t exactly common with power metal. The point is, Dark Moor are paving their own path. Ancestral Romance is a strikingly original and memorable album, and it’s a great listen for any power or symphonic metal fan.

Eluveitie
Everything Remains as It Never Was

Eluveitie is the band for metalheads who wish Korpiklaani was a little more heavy and serious. Everything Remains as It Never Was is a folk metal album that proves the genres can be mixed in a serious and artistic manner, and without adding in a barrage of other genres (i.e. Agalloch and Negura Bunget). Eluveitie is pure folk mixed with pure heavy metal, and the result is a solid album that can appeal to just about any metalhead. The album’s only major flaw is that Eluveitie will occasionally recycle ideas from their last album, Slania, and for that reason I would point newcomers in the direction that album first. Still, Everything Remains as It Never Was is a worthwhile album that is very different from most other records in its genre.

Elvenking
Red Silent Tides

If there’s one band that proves why power, symphonic, and folk metal are grouped together on this guide, it’s Elvenking. After trying their hand at traditional folk music, Elvenking have returned to their power/symphonic/folk metal roots. It’s kind of more of the same, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While most power metal bands continue to copy Blind Guardian and Helloween, it’s still refreshing to hear a band in the genre with an original sound. Red Silent Tides is worth picking up if you’re a fan of either power, symphonic, or folk metal.

Equilibrium
Rekreatur

Equilibrium have added a significant symphonic element to their sound on Rekreatur. This can make their growled vocals seem a little forced at times, but for the most part Rekreatur marks a step in the right direction for one of metal’s most interesting folk groups. The atmosphere is closer to Korpiklaani than Eluveitie, as the band has the same type of fast party sound as the former, but the music is creative enough to warrant praise outside of just being fun and catchy. This is really well made folk metal, and it’s worthy of standing beside Equilibrium’s masterful Sagas from two years ago.

Helloween
7 Sinners

These legendary power metal musicians don’t do much in the way of innovation these days, but neither do most power metal bands. Helloween’s classic sound is still widely copied by their contemporaries, and sometimes a new album from the band that created the sound and still does it the best is just what the genre needs. If you aren’t already a Helloween fan, 7 Sinners won’t do much to change that. However, fans of the band are genre should know what they’re getting into here, and chances are they’re going to like it.

Manticora
Safe

Manticora’s Safe is anything but what the title suggests. This may be a return of Manticora’s less experimental side, but it’s also the best album the band has released in some time. This is hard hitting power metal with heavy riffs and dark ambience. The vocals may be high pitched, but the instrumentation is more technical and original than all but the absolute best power metal albums. Safe is an album that can appeal to metalheads who usually avoid modern power metal, as it distances itself from the trends of the genre. However, the traditional power metal elements that it does have are executed brilliantly, and it’s one of the best and most original power metal records of 2010.

Negură Bunget
Vîrstele pămîntului

More folk than their usual offering, Vîrstele pămîntului is another solid album from one of the most interesting black/folk bands of today. There are moments of beautiful instrumentation, as well as heavy blackened sections. The two mix quite nicely, and it never gets tiring hearing the folk sections build into their heavier counterparts. Vîrstele pămîntului is one of the heaviest folk metal albums of the year, and it’s recommended to any fan of the genre willing to give something a little more brutal a try.

Tarot
Gravity of Light

Tarot may not be Marco Hietala’s most famous band, as he’s best known as the bassist for Nightwish, but this power metal band has quietly been one of metal’s most consistent acts since the late 80’s. Gravity of Light is no exception, as it’s another solid album with strong hooks, heavy riffs, and Marco’s trademark vocals. He’s often overshadowed by Tarja Turunen and Anette Olzon in Nightwish, but Hietala really is a strong vocalist. His voice is much lower than the typical power metal singer, but that makes his vibrato stand out even more. Songs like “Gone” and “Satan is Dead” are great examples of this, as his speaker rattling voice gives the songs a powerful edge. Gravity of Light isn’t exactly new territory for Tarot, but it’s another collection of quality songs from one of metal’s most overlooked bands.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Electronic

2010-12-19T03:36:00.001-08:00

From a personal standpoint, electronic music has made a huge impression on me in 2010. I’ve been obsessed with the genre through parts of the past year, due in no small part to the massive amount of great electronic albums released in 2010. From trip-hop to house to dance to downtempo to indie electronica, and even to minimalist techno, numerous subgenres of electronic had strong showings this year. It goes without saying that this is one of the strongest categories on this guide.

Blue Sky Black Death
Third Party

An indie electronic album may not be what fans of Blue Sky Black Death were expecting with their latest album, but the production duo known mostly for trip-hop and hardcore hip-hop have teamed up with Boy in Static vocalist Alexander Chen to make such an album. It definitely takes some getting used to, and Chen’s vocals don’t always fit with the instrumentals, but Third Party is a surprisingly polished record. The beats are exceptionally well made, creating a psychedelic atmosphere that’s closer to dream pop than anything else in the electronic genre. There’s a lot of fuzzy distortion, although it probably would have been better with a more varied vocalist. The production is far too experimental to waste on such uninspired singing. As a fan of the duo, I hope Blue Sky Black Death return to hip-hop, as that’s clearly where their strength lies. However, as a one time thing, Third Party really is a great album.

Deadmau5
4x4=12

For a collection of singles released throughout the year, the oddly titled 4x4=12 is surprisingly cohesive. Listening to it as a whole sounds like one epic song, although that that doesn’t mean that Deadmau5’s songs sound the same. Joel Zimmerman is an absolute master of building tension, and there’s a mind blowing moment when the last track, “Everything Before,” hits, showing just how Deadmau5 has far brought his music without ever stopping the beat. There are even a few instances of dubstep, such as on the masterful “Raise Your Weapon,” where a beautiful beat subtlety builds over guest vocals from Greta Svabo Bech until it turns into a version of dubstep only the mau5 could create. The songs with SOFI on vocals are somewhat of a misstep, however. She works relatively well on “Sofi Needs a Ladder,” but “One Trick Pony” is difficult to listen to a result of her voice. Still, there’s a lot to like here. The songs work as singles, are absolutely epic when played in a single session, and are incredibly accessible for music listeners who aren’t usually into dance music.

Dutch
A Bright Cold Day

Liz Fullerton and Jedi Mind Tricks producer Stoupe are a match made in trip-hop heaven. Stoupe’s production fits perfectly in a trip-hop sound, but his variety and experimentation in Jedi Mind Tricks hasn’t quite made it over to Dutch. Stoupe will often return to territory he explored earlier in the record, and as such the album starts to run out of ideas towards the end. Still, the first half is incredible, and Fullerton is perfect match for Stoupe’s beats. A Bright Cold Day is hopefully only the start of Dutch, but even as a flawed debut there is a lot for trip-hop fans to like.

Emancipator
Safe in the Steep Clouds

The second solo album from the man behind most of the beats from Sadistik’s The Balancing Act (one of the best and most underappreciated hip-hop albums of the last decade), is one of the best trip-hop albums of 2010. Emancipator’s Safe in Steep Clouds is a gorgeous album. It can start to get a little repetitive towards the end, but there are enough beautiful soundscapes on the album’s first 45 minutes to make up for its weak ending. Emancipator’s style is almost minimalist in nature, as he tends to keep the same beat going throughout, only adding small elements to it when necessary. It actually works quite well most of the time, although it certainly won’t appeal to trip-hop fans used to catchier artists like Massive Attack and Portishead.

Flying Lotus
Cosmogramma

Cosmogramma is not only the best album so far from experimental producer Flying Lotus, but it’s his first album of actual art. While Flying Lotus has always shown a great deal of talent, his overly experimental approach has never really amounted to anything more than just that- an experiment. With two full length albums under his belt, Flying Lotus has learned from his mistakes and created an album that lives up to his enormous potential. Cosmogramma is as cohesive as an experimental electronic album can be, and the songs have a great deal of tension and build up. Be warned that this album still isn’t all that accessible, but anyone willing to embrace their avant-garde side will be rewarded with an ambitious and creative record that simply cannot be brushed aside.

Gold Panda
Lucky Shiner

Every year there seems to be at least one talented new producer who comes out of nowhere to take a trend and do something completely crazy with it. Nosaj Thing did it with glitch last year, and Deadmau5 did it with house the year before. With dubstep emerging as the new trend in underground dance music, Gold Panda has burst onto the scene to turn the growing genre on its head. Just to be clear, Lucky Shiner isn’t necessarily a dubstep album, but it does share a number of qualities with the genre. For one thing, Gold Panda doesn’t do a lot of building. His beats are chaotic, and while he changes things up frequently the chaos never really ends. However, Gold Panda takes the dubstep structure and puts some truly unique elements into it. There is a strong psychedelic atmosphere throughout Lucky Shiner, and there are even a few moments of glitch-hop thrown in for good measure. Panda puts a number of different sounds into his beats, but most of it works. Lucky Shiner is an impressive debut, and one that this talented producer will hopefully build on in the future.

LCD Soundsystem
This is Happening

As a fan of LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver, I was a little disappointed when I first heard This is Happening. It wasn’t that it was bad, but after hearing a highly artistic electronic album with emotional lyrics and hypnotizing beats, it felt a little strange to hear James Murphy go back to pure dance music. The more I listened to the album though, the more I realized that as far as dance music goes This Happening does just everything right. It’s catchy as hell, the beats change at just the right moments, and I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the most accessible dance albums out there. This is great dance music, highly original and very effective, and as long as you don’t expect another Sound of Silver it’s hard to image an electronic fan not being entertained by This is Happening.

Pantha du Prince
Black Noise

Phantogram
Eyelid Movies

Susanne Sundfør
The Brothel

Susanne Sundfør’s The Brothel is a strikingly beautiful yet undeniably catchy album. Her brand of electronic art pop is somewhat similar to that of Imogen Heap, but The Brothel is more ambitious than anything else I’ve heard in that style. The beats are extremely varied, using violins, keyboards, pianos, and other instruments to create unique electro beats for Susanne Sundfør’s vocals. The vocals are beautiful and help make the melodies incredibly catchy, and it’s worth mentioning again that the beats are just incredible. There are moments where the electronic influences are completely removed and beautiful orchestral and piano parts take their place. The Brothel is a fantastic album from start to finish, and it’s the type of gorgeous accessible electronica that deserves a far larger audience than it will ultimately get.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Progressive

2010-12-18T23:45:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you have to accept that you’re a nerd and give into the lure of progressive rock. As a prog man myself, I mean that in the best way possible. Despite not having a new Opeth or Porcupine Tree album, 2010 saw the release of a number of quality prog record. Many were long delayed and highly anticipated releases, some more than five years in the making. They may not be from the biggest names in the genre, but here are ten worthwhile albums for the prog fan in all of us.

Demians
Mute

A progressive rock album with some electronic and art rock influences, Demians’ Mute builds on the promise of 2008’s Building an Empire, and is one of the year’s best progressive albums. Nicolas Chapel, the multi-instrumentalist behind Demians, is quickly becoming an exceptional songwriter. He layers his songs with subtleties, both lyrically and instrumentally, and his voice has improved dramatically since his last release. There is a lot to like about Mute, and it’s a great album for any fan of progressive music.

Gazpacho
Missa Atropos

After the incredible Tick Tock, it’s not at all surprising that Gazpacho has released what may be the best progressive rock album of 2010. Missa Atropos is an outstanding prog album that is simply impossible to describe in less than a paragraph. This is gorgeous music, reminiscent of bands like Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, and Pink Floyd in how combines simple beauty with experimentation and a wide of variety of influences outside of just rock and metal. Anyone who likes progressive or art rock should absolutely give Missa Atropos a listen. It’s an outstanding album, and one of the best records of 2010.

Haken
Aquarius

Aquarius is the type of album that uses progressive music’s ambiguous boundaries to its advantage. It's possible to mix just about anything into prog music if done right, so while their core sound is similar to familiar progressive rock and metal, Haken mix things up when you least expect. There are some jazz sections, heavy riffs and growls that seem to come out of nowhere, and even some interesting Middle Eastern influences. More than half of the seven songs exceed the 10 minute mark, so Haken build these unique sections into their songs quite well. The tracks have a ton of variety as a result, and it makes for a very interesting listen.

Ihsahn
After

Ihsahn’s voice is clearly starting to fade, but the former Emperor frontman is still one of the best songwriters in metal. After is a progressive death metal album, somewhat similar to modern-era Opeth. However, if it was just a black metal Opeth clone with a worse vocalist it wouldn’t be much of anything. That’s where Ihsahn’s songwriting talent comes in. He plays to his strengths, using his faded growls at the most opportune times, and then singing when the melody is at its strongest. He also employs Jørgen Munkeby to play saxophone on the album, which is as epic as it is odd. After has its flaws, but it’s an interesting and unique album that earns a recommend to fans of heavier prog music.

Intronaut
Valley of Smoke

Sludge metallers Intronaut have turned into a progressive metal band on Valley of Smoke, an album that seamlessly blends prog and sludge music. About half of the album is made up of cleaner prog rock, while there are still moments of heavy sludge and distortion. Think of it as a more lo-fi version of Mastodon’s Crack the Skye, with a slightly better emphasis on the sludge elements. The mix works quite well, and it keeps Intronaut’s somewhat generic (though still entertaining) sludge from getting old. This is a step in the right direction for the band, and an exceptional album in its own right.

Lunatic Soul
Lunatic Soul II

Lunatic Soul is the more atmospheric side of Riverside frontman Mariusz Duda. Riverside has moved father into the realm of traditional progressive rock, so it makes sense that Duda has put his ambient influences into a solo project. Lunatic Soul is still progressive rock, but it’s stripped of some of Riverside’s heavier influences, and instead focuses on the aforementioned atmospheric side. These influences were used much better in Riverside’s early albums, but it’ still great to hear this side of Mariusz Duda. He’s an exceptionally talented musician and songwriter, and as a result he makes Lunatic Soul II work.

Nevermore
The Obsidian Conspiracy

It’s always interesting to hear which direction a band takes after making the album they’ve built up to their whole career. Nevermore reached that point with This Godless Endeavor in 2005, and The Obsidian Conspiracy sees the band not really changing direction at all. This is simply more Nevermore, and while it doesn’t reach the same level of mind blowing epic prog metal of their last album, more Nevermore is always a good thing. They are still one of the most unique bands in modern metal music, mixing together progressive, thrash, power, and traditional heavy metal. The Obsidian Conspiracy is a solid album, and one that can be enjoyed be any metalhead or prog fan.

Orphaned Land
The Never Ending Way of Orwarrior

Orphaned Land is another prog band coming off a masterpiece. 2004’s Mabool was an absolute gem, and one of the best albums released last decade. It took six years for the long delayed follow up to finally be released, but The Never Ending Way or Orwarrior does not disappoint. This is an exceptional release from the only band that can be classified as “Jewish progressive folk death metal.” Yes, Orphaned Land is band that combines elements of prog, folk, death metal, and traditional Jewish music. The contrasting influences never sounds forced, each song is different from the last, and most of the album is strangely accessible. It doesn’t come close to Mabool, but The Never Ending Way of Orwarrior is an album that can be recommended to just about anyone.

Seventh Wonder
The Great Escape

Seventh Wonder’s fourth studio albums has somehow managed to surpass the last three. The Great Escape is an absolutely incredible prog metal release, marked by impressive vocals, amazing solos, and an extraordinary amount of variety. The first six tracks are excellent, but the biggest highlight here is the epic 30 minute title track. That song could be very well be the best of 2010, and it’s one of the most impressive prog epics of modern day. Take notice prog fan. Seventh Wonder have reached incredible new heights, and The Great Escape is one of the year’s best albums.

Spock’s Beard
X

Spock’s Beard have a hard time making up for the loss of lead songwriter Neal Morse. The three studio albums since his departure have been ranged from bad to mediocre at best, so it’s a both a surprise and a relief that Spock’s Beard have return to form with their tenth full length album. X is a return to the melodic prog of early Spock’s Beard, and a more importantly a return to actual songs. There are a fewer moments of showing off, something that plagued the last three albums, making this legendary prog band sound like a poor man’s modern Dream Theater. Instead the songs incorporate actual emotion, and the band has managed to do this without removing the impressive instrumentals. As a whole, X is a very solid album, and easily the best Spock’s Beard album since 2002’s Snow.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Post-Rock/Ambient/Shoegaze

2010-12-18T22:54:00.001-08:00

While post-rock, ambient, and shoegaze often go together, the three genres had very different years. Shoegaze is represented in this guide by two “album of the year” contenders from France, while ambient had a number of great releases as well in 2010. Post-rock had a mostly disappointing year in 2010, marked by uncharacteristically poor albums from some of the genre’s best bands.

Alcest
Écailles de lune

Neige (born Stéphane Paut) has to be one of the best musicians in music today. His debut album for Alcest, Souvenirs d'un autre monde, was an absolute masterpiece. Not only was it one of the best albums of the decade, but it marked one of the few times I’ve been completely speechless after listening to an album. Écailles de lune is the second Alcest album, and it continues the gorgeous black metal-influenced shoegaze of the first. This time around there’s a little more emphasis on the atmospheric black metal side of the music, as it can get quite a bit heavier than Souvenirs d'un autre monde. There are moments of pure beauty and moments of pure chaos, but it’s when the two blend together that Écailles de lune is at its best. At times it can take a little long to get those moments, especially on the album’s latter half, but Écailles de lune is still a masterful follow up to one the best albums of the past decade.

Brendan Perry
Ark

The second solo album from Dead Can Dance’s Brendan Perry sounds a lot more like classic Dead Can Dance than his first. This is the same gorgeous ethereal darkwave that made Dead Can Dance such an influential group, although it’s missing some of the originality of those early records. Perry sticks close to style of his former group, and while Ark doesn’t a hold candle to anything in Dead Can Dance’s discography, it’s still very good. If you’re a fan of Dead Can Dance or other classic darkwave bands, chances are you’ll enjoy this album.

Crippled Black Phoenix
I, Vigilante

Quite possibly the best pure post-rock album of 2010, I, Vigilante is beautiful at its core, but it can also heavy and psychedelic at times. Crippled Black Phoenix consists of members of Electric Wizard, Portishead, Iron Monkey, Mogwai, and Borknagar just to name a few, so it’s not a surprise that this supergroup is far from ordinary. They had a number of great ideas that were only decently executed on their first two albums, but I , Vigilante is the first Crippled Black Phoenix album that really takes advantage of the talent at hand. It’s clearly post-rock, but the influences of the aforementioned bands are easy to spot, especially Electric Wizard. This is a great original post-rock album, and I look forward to hearing where Crippled Black Phoenix goes from here.

Envy
Recitation

2010 was a surprisingly good year for Japanese ambient screamo. The genre had two albums considered for a place on this guide (the other being Paraselene by Heaven in Her Arms), but ultimately Envy’s Recitation was the one that made the cut. Needless to say, this is a unique album, as post-rock and screamo don’t necessarily seem like genres that would mix. The first time an inhale scream comes in over the beautiful post-rock instrumentals it can sound strange, but anyone who can tolerate screamed vocals should be able to get used to it. The heavy screaming actually adds an interesting element to the music, contrasting the simple beauty of post-rock with an incredibly dark and raw sound. Granted, other post-rock have been able to contrast light and dark emotions with just the post-rock elements, but the way Envy do it is interesting enough. Recitation is the better of the two ambient screamo albums released in 2010, but anyone interested in this style should give both albums a listen.

Hammock
Chasing After Shadows… Living with the Ghosts

Some post-rock albums make you think. Others bring out emotions. Others, like Hammock’s Chasing After Shadows, are just plain beautiful. This is a very simple album, and not necessarily an original one. However, it doesn’t try to do anything more than that. Hammock have set out to make a beautiful album, and Chasing After Shadows is enjoyable simply for that reason. It won’t set the post-rock world on fire, and Hammock have certainly released better and more ambitious albums, but it deserves some credit for accomplishing what it sets out to do.

Les Discrets
Septembre et ses dernières pensées

It’s hard to believe Septembre et ses dernières pensées is Les Discrets’ full length debut. This is a masterful album in every respect, and it’s one of the best albums of 2010. Les Discrets released a split last year with Alcest, so it’s no surprise that the album this is most reminiscent of is Alcest’s Souvenirs d'un autre monde. Much like Alcest’s debut, Septembre et ses dernières pensées combines elements of shoegaze, post-rock, and black metal, but the way those genres are combined is a bit unusual. Usually black metal is the most prevalent genre of the three, but here it’s comes second to shoegaze. This gives the music a raw sound that doesn’t overpower the gorgeous melodies and atmosphere. Septembre et ses dernières pensées is a brilliant album, and one that belongs in the collection of every music fan. It’s one of the best albums of 2010, and one of the finest shoegaze albums of recent memory.

Natural Snow Buildings
The Centauri Agent

Natural Snow Buildings haven’t been around for much longer than a decade, but they’ve released a seemingly infinite number of albums. None have come close to the two disc epic, The Dance of the Moon and the Sun. The Centauri Agent is a space-influenced drone album, and one of the best the Natural Snow Buildings have released since their peak in 2006. Like the aforementioned album, this is a two disc epic with a length of almost two hours, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Natural Snow Buildings vary their sound, exploring new territory with each song, but they’re at their best when they stick to the simpler post-rock influenced sounds of the first disc. Still, there’s a lot of quality music here, and it’s impossible not to recommend.

Nautic Depths
Siberian Winter

Coming off their masterful North Passage in 2008, Mathias Grassow and Tomas Weiss have solidified their place among modern ambient’s best musicians. Siberian Winter only strengthens their repertoire, combining elements of drone and dark ambient to create what may be the most atmospheric album of 2010. Rarely do subtle noises work so effectively in music, and there is a strong attention to detail throughout. Obviously, it requires patience to listen to an album like Siberian Winter, but anyone with interest in ambient and minimalist art will be in for a treat.

Nihil Novi Sub Sole
The Jupiter Temple

The debut album from Nihil Novi Sub Sole, a dark ambient project from members of various black and doom metal bands, is one of the most haunting albums of 2010. It’s slow, dark, and downright frightening at times, and does exactly what ambient music should- put its listener in specific state of mind. This is an album for fans of dark music only, but its combination of classical, darkwave, and ambient is irresistible for those who do.

VoidWork
Horror/Forsaken

Although most of the album can be downloaded legally for free, it’s worth tracking down all of Horror/Forsaken. This is dark ambient that aims to haunt and scare the listener, and it almost sounds like a soundtrack to a horror film. VoidWork play with volume quite a bit, intensifying noises and softening others as the songs build. There’s much more at play here than the tension usually found in music, and it’s really quite amazing how some of the most beautiful sounds you’ll ever hear can turn into dark drones over a period of just minutes.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Alternative Rock

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Not to be confused with “Indie,” “Alternative Rock” covers everything in alternative rock music outside of indie rock. This category contains albums from the alternative, hard rock, stoner rock, post-hardcore, and post-grunge genres, but it goes without saying that alternative music dominated yet again by indie rock. However, there were a number of non-indie alternative rock albums released in 2010. Most of those albums seemed to copy either Nickelback or Godsmack, but after weeding through the garbage, I’ve come up with ten quality alternative rock records that earned a recommendation from this past year.

The Black Keys
Brothers

The Black Keys have been one of the most consistent bands of the past decade. Just about everything they’ve put out is worthwhile, and with the exception of The Black Lips, they’re possibly the best modern garage rock band. Brothers is yet another solid album from The Black Keys, one that keeps their hard rock sound in tact while throwing in a few moments of experimentation. No, there’s nothing from Blackroc or other Dan Auerbach projects, as this is clearly The Black Keys. However, there are still moments where the bands strays from rock and can surprise you.It’s moments like those that prevents the Keys’ sound from getting old. This is a band that knows how to change their sound up just enough with new album, and The Black Keys’ solid album streak now stands at six as a result.

Dead Confederate
Sugar

The second Dead Confederate album isn’t necessarily a departure from the sound of Wrecking Ball, but it definitely isn’t the album fans of their first were expecting. Sugar sounds more like the 80’s alternative rock that influenced bands like My Morning Jacket and the grunge bands that heavily influenced the sound of Wrecking Ball. While Sugar doesn’t have the same rock hard vibe that made Wrecking Ball one of my personal favorite albums of 2008, the more indie-like Sugar is objectively just as good. There are some very well written songs here, none better than the lo-fi “Run from the Gun.” Sugar is definitely different in some regard, but Dead Confederate are still a great band that any rock fan should check out.

Dead Meadow
Three Kings

I usually don’t put live recordings on my buyer’s guides, but I have to make an exception for Dead Meadow’s Three Kings. Presented as a soundtrack to a film that comes bundled with the album (which isn’t part of this review, since I don’t feel comfortable critiquing films), Three Kings contains a mixture of new studio material and live recordings of some of Dead Meadow’s more famous songs. Thing is, the songs are mixed together. For example, there will be two or three live recordings followed by a new studio track. The live recordings are great, as expected from a band known for their live shows, and the new tracks are some of the best tracks Dead Meadow has ever recorded. It’s an interesting approach to an album, and again, I’m not sure how well it works as a soundtrack, but strictly as a collection of music Three Kings earns a recommendation.

Deftones
Diamond Eyes

In all honesty, I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Deftones. I’ve never understood the hype surrounding them, and I find Chino Moreno to be a horrendous vocalist. However, Moreno and company deserve some credit. Diamond Eyes really is a solid album, and one that marks a huge improvement for the band. Diamond Eyes is full of alternative rock songs that are original and refreshingly uplifting. However, Moreno’s vocals are easily the biggest difference between this and past Defontes albums. Here he sounds likes a professional vocalist, and one that can keep up with the changing music. I still don’t believe that Diamond Eyes is an essential album, or something that can be compared to the better progressive rock albums of 2010, but for radio rock this is definitely one of the year’s best.

The Gaslight Anthem
American Slang

American Slang is less of a punk album and more of a pure garage rock record, but this is still the same Gaslight Anthem that rock fans fell in love a few years back. They’ve been compared to The Killers, but the big difference is The Gaslight Anthem actually know how to write songs. This is intelligent music with a hard edge, the kind of punk that evolved with the times, not dumbed down to reach a new and younger audience. As previously mentioned, their garage rock influences are much more prevalent this time around, but that’s’ far from a band thing. It’s still good old fashioned rock music made by musicians who know how to love their influences while still doing their own thing.

Grinderman
Grinderman 2

The follow up to Nick Cave’s Grinderman album, is really more of the same, but in no way is that a bad thing. Grinderman is the heavier, more perverted side of the legendary rock musician, and while Grinderman 2 doesn’t have anything that rivals the amazing “No Pussy Blues,” there are a good number of noisy hard rock tunes that probably shouldn’t be played anywhere near children. It’s great to hear Nick Cave continuing Grinderman, as it’s a welcome side of this astounding musician that isn’t often heard, and it’s no secret that some of Cave’s best music are the songs he doesn’t take as seriously.

Motorpsycho
Heavy Metal Fruit

Motorpsycho’s sound doesn’t really have anything in common with heavy metal, but Heavy Metal Fruit is a very solid psychedelic album. The longer tracks sound like heavier versions of the jam parts of early King Crimson songs, which is definitely a good thing. Modern jam music rarely has the same psychedelic elements that it used to, so hearing a throwback to that era is actually refreshing. Motorpsycho don’t necessarily progress with each album, but they don’t need to either. Heavy Metal Fruit is another sold hour of hearing this talented band jam, and fans of psychedelic rock won’t be disappointed.

Past Lives
Tapestry of Webs

It’s a little strange to hear post-hardcore with modern indie rock influences. Yes, it exists, but it’s rarely good. Enter Past Lives, a band born from the ashes of popular Seattle hardcore band The Blood Brothers. This is an indie-fied post-hardcore band that works. The lyrics are great, the music is chaotic and original, and there’s a lot less screaming than what you may expect from a post-hardcore album. Tapestry of Webs seems like the natural progression of Blood Brothers, so it’s a little hard to call it a debut, but it’s a more mature post-hardcore album that should appeal to both fans of hardcore and alternative rock.

Sahara Surfers
Spacetrip on a Paper Plane

Sahara Surfers may be the first female-fronted stoner rock band I’ve ever heard. Women tend to have a higher voice than men, so for a genre that so often has bass and baritone singers, it’s definitely an odd fit. However, Sahara Surfers’ Julia Überbacher works surprisingly well for this psychedelic stoner band. She keeps her voice low, but she also can also raise it when the music reaches its climax, making for a very interesting sound. The instrumentals are classic stoner rock in the realm of Clutch or Down. That is to say, it’s incredibly bluesy and riff oriented. Spacetrip on a Paper Plane is a little on the short side, but it’s a very solid debut from a band with a ton of promise.

Stereoside
Stereoside

After releasing one of the most refreshing radio rock records of 2007, it’s almost criminal that Stereoside’s music never actually made it to radio. They’ve remained in the underground, and with their self titled they’ve crafted another accessible hard rock album that takes the popular post-grunge sound of modern rock and actually does something original with it. The songs are catchy, heavy, and raw, similar in that regard to the grunge music that influences most songs on active rock radio. This is what radio rock would sound like if band’s actually wrote original songs instead of just copying each other, and Stereoside is proof that post-grunge can be done well. With the possible exception of Hurt, Stereoside are the best band playing this style of music right now, and anyone who likes rock music needs to give this band a listen.

2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide- Hip-Hop

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Warning: This list may be very different from the normal end of the year hip-hop lists you’re probably used to reading. It seems like I have a very different opinion of what makes good hip-hop. Most critics dubbed the new Kanye and Big Boi albums as the year’s best, while consumers flocked to buy the new Drake and RIck Ross records. None of those albums made the cut, but I’m confident that the ten great releases in this section can prove this hip-hop was not dead in 2010.

Atmosphere
To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP's

While technically billed as a “double EP",” To All My Friends… is as long as a full length album, and it’s one of the best hip-hop releases of 2010. Much like other Atmosphere EP’s, the songs are more single based and generally more upbeat. There is no concept tying the tracks together, and as such it feels like listening to an extended Sad Clown EP. Fortunately, that’s a good thing. Slug and Ant have done some of their best work outside of Atmosphere’s major releases, and it’s great to hear the more fun and playful side of Atmosphere for longer than four or five songs at a time. Also true to from are Slug’s outstanding lyrics. He keeps it simple on To All My Friends…, but every word is necessary and used with meaning. “The Best Day” is an example of this, as well as the highlight of the 12 tracks, as it’s hard not to relate to Slug’s storytelling. Sometimes a simple song reminding you that everyone goes through their own shit is just what you need to get through the day.

Dessa
A Badly Broken Code

Although it had the advantage of coming out in January, I’ve listened to A Badly Broken Code more than any other album released this past year. Dessa’s full length debut is downright addicting, and contains layer upon layer of subtlety. Dessa excels as both a rapper and a singer, but her biggest talent is how she mixes them together. She’ll switch from rapping to singing to spoken word when delivering her lyrics, giving her already beautiful lines another layer not usually found in hip-hop. At times her voice can sound like that of a poet, as she has put thought into how she delivers each and every syllable. There is such a strong attention to detail in this album, and not just from Dessa. Each producer has clearly put a lot of work into their track, and it’s necessary to do so with Dessa’s unique talent. The beats are not your typical hip-hop affair, and it’s great to hear some varied work from Doomtree’s talented production duo of Paper Tiger and Lazerbeak. A Badly Broken Code is an all around exceptional album full of unique music and gorgeous lyricism. This one of the year’s most essential releases, regardless of how much you like hip-hop.

Killah Priest
The 3 Day Theory

After releasing what seems like an infinite number of poor mixtapes and albums over the last few years, it would be easy to write off Killah Priest. This Wu-Tang affiliate showed incredible potential on GZA’s classic Liquid Swords, but that was back in 1995. Since then, Priest has been more miss than hit, especially when it comes to choosing producers. That makes it all the more surprising that The 3 Day Theory is actually worthwhile. The beats are interesting for a change, the guests are varied and plentiful, and Killah Priest actually sounds interested in what he’s doing. The lyrics are much more personal than anything Priest has done in some time, as he reflects on his past and his love of hip-hop, and his voice is lit with the passion of a veteran artist finding love for his craft again. The 3 Day Theory is a very solid album as a whole, and while not every verse hits the mark there’s a lot more good than bad. This is one of the better hip-hop albums of 2010, as well as one of the year’s biggest surprises.

Kno
Death is Silent

Kno, best known as the producer behind the underground hip-hop group CunninLynguists, refers to himself on the haunting track “Graveyard” as the “emo Primo.” While “emo” is used almost sarcastically, Kno’s description of himself isn’t far off. His talent as a producer rivals DJ Premier, although Kno’s beats are of darker nature and often drift closer into DJ Shadow territory. Needless to say, the beats on Death is Silent are fantastic. Each beat is layered with clean samples building and changing in the most interesting and subtle ways. Kno uses slow keys, vocal samples (often from films), and instruments that come and go at the most opportune time. Everything is simple, and yet few producers can achieve such beauty in their beats. Kno’s attention to detail is astounding, as every element of his beats is used to absolute perfection. Everything is so clean, so smooth, and so beautiful.

Click here to read the full review

Nas & Damian Marley
Distant Relatives

The long awaited collaboration between rap legend Nas and genre-bending reggae artist Damian Marley (son of the legendary Bob Marley) more than lives up to its hype. Both musicians are artists in every sense of the word and it shows on Distant Relatives. The theme of the album is Africa, both in terms of its music and its lyrics. The music is as African as hip-hop can be, combining tribal singing with traditional African drums. Everything comes across cleanly, and the beats paint an interesting canvas for the artists to go to work. The lyrics aim to not only educate listeners about the struggles of the continent, but also celebrate the rich culture of Africa. This creates a deep lyrical offering, but never one that is overly preachy. There is fun to be had, and the two are never at odds. Even the guests focus on the concept at hand, albeit some better than others. Lil Wayne provides what is easily his best verse in some time on “My Generation,” but both he and that track are the weak link of the album. Thankfully, Wayne’s prescience is more than made up for by Somali emcee K’naan, who delivers what may be the verse of the year on “Tribes at War.” However, the real strength of Distant Relatives lies in its two main attractions, as both Nas and Damian deliver some of their best material to date. Considering the legacy both men have created for themselves, that is certainly high praise.

Rhyme Asylum
Solitary Confinement

Solitary Confinement is an album made for fans of hardcore hip-hop by fans of hardcore hip-hop. There is no deep meaning or relevancy to most of the lyrics, and it doesn’t really shock or offend in the way that hardcore emcees like Vinnie Paz or Ill Bill (who is featured on the album) can. Instead, Rhyme Asylum have created an album that is hardcore purely for the sake of being hardcore, and it succeeds because it sticks with that mentality to the end. This is niche hip-hop, ripe with senselessly violent one-liners, and again that’s is exactly what this kind of rap is about. Few hardcore hip-hop albums are as entertaining as this one, and if you’re into violent rap with raw beats and lyrics you should give Solitary Confinement a listen.

The Roots
How I Got Over

Emcees often write about the golden age of hip-hop, reminiscing of the days before the art of rhyming became commercialized. Many greats have taken us back to the time and place of hip-hop’s finest hour, but few have managed to return us to the state of mind one feels when they first fall in love with the genre. The latest album from The Roots achieves the latter. How I Got Over is a true breath of a fresh air, not just in terms of lyrics and beats, but in terms of the passion and love for hip-hop that bleeds from its core. This is a hip-hop album through and through, and it’s something any fan of the genre, young or old, can fall in love with.

Sadistik & Kid Called Computer
The Art of Dying

The Art of Dying is caught somewhere in between an EP and a full length album. At 35 minutes, it’s long enough to be an album, but those 35 minutes just aren’t enough for the masterful music emcee Sadistik and producer Kid Called Computer have created. Just about everything that’s here is an exceptional. From the trip-hop beats that could work brilliantly on their own to Sadistik’s unbelievable flow and gut wrenching lyrics, The Art of Dying is just plain outstanding. That makes it all the more disappointing when the album ends after just six tracks, building up to an epic conclusion that just isn’t there. As unfortunate as that is, what’s here is incredible, and it’s an essential listen for anyone who loves great beats and honest lyricism.

Shad
TSOL

Shad’s third studio album is a refreshing return to the jazz rap roots of conscious hip-hop. The music is lively and filled with subtle nuisances rarely found in modern hip-hop, but Shad’s all around skill as an emcee is what truly makes TSOL shine. His lyrics are honest and mostly uplifting, complementing the jazzy beats with a positive message, and his wordplay is every bit as deep as the classic afrocentric emcees he’s influenced by. TSOL is a very strong hip-hop album, both musically and lyrically, and any fan of hip-hip should give it a listen.

Vinnie Paz
Season of the Assassin

It’s really quite amazing how far Vinnie Paz has come. Ten years ago, there’s no way that anyone could have believed the lead emcee behind Jedi Mind Tricks’ Violent by Design would go on to record an album as personal and conscious as Season of the Assassin. There are some battle oriented songs, and Paz stills loves to rap about death, hate, and heavy metal, but there are a number of deeply personal moments that set Vinnie’s solo record apart from his Jedi Mind Tricks raps. “Keep Movin’ On,” is an example of this, and Paz’s beautiful verses are aided by the incredibly talented Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) on the chorus. Not every track is good as that one, and the always terrible Paul Wall shows up to ruin “Paul and Paz,” but Vinnie Paz’s mixture of hardcore and conscious lyricism makes Season of the Assassin a solid album that can be recommended to any just about any hip-hop head.