Upon a Burning Body Concert

On Tuesday, September 27th, I traveled with my new friend, Ian Schiela, over to Harrisburg for one of the most intimate, yet hectic shows I’ve ever been to. Rising deathcore superstars, Upon a Burning Body returned to the circuit with a few other local bands trying to make names for themselves. The concert took place in a small venue known as The Champ, which is basically an old warehouse next to the train tracks with a piece of plywood on the side it stating that it’s The Champ. As run down as it may have looked on the outside, the inside was much nicer, but still meant to look very underground and intimate. The general standing room was about the size of a large classroom, if not slightly bigger and had a stage about two feet off the ground and a big as a college dorm (which is really small when you account for drums and amps taking up a lot of space. There was also no rail separating the band from the crowd (you’ll here how that plays out later).

I drove up to the concert with Ian (who is the guitarist for the opening band of this particular show. More on them later), and after an hour drive with some rain, we finally arrived at the Champ, and proceeded to unload some equipment and I was able to meet the rest of Ian’s bandmates. Ian’s band is called It’s a Trap (yes, after the Admiral Akbar quote) and Ian plays guitar in the band. The rest of the band includes Brad Duerr on guitars as well,Scotty Wushensky on bass, Drew Smallacombe on drums, and last but certainly not least, we have Hayden Lindblade on vocals (This is the only band I’m going list off the names for btw, because I don’t know anyone personally from the other bands). While we were setting up some of the equipment, we had the privilege of seeing Upon a Burning Body doing their soundcheck. There were some haircuts within the band and if you see them on the Thrash and Burn tour, you’ll see what I mean if you get the chance.

The doors opened up at 6:00 and right at 6:30, Ian and his band, It’s a Trap took the stage. Considering that everyone but Ian is still in High School, they were extremely tight for a band that haven’t been around for a while. They’re musical style is very heavy hardcore infused with heavy metal influences like the new The Devil Wears Prada album. If you are a fan of bands like Texas in July, August Burns Red, and The Devil Wears Prada, then you will find a lot of potential in this band and i highly recommend everyone who is reading this to go out and search the band on facebook and become a fan because they’re really great.

The next band that came on was a band called From These Wounds (contrary to what the publicity poster above may imply, From These Wounds went second and the band Fearing the Abstract didn’t play due to some issues surrounding one of the band members) and these guys were way more metal than It’s a Trap  but threw in some pretty heavy breakdowns in order still fit in with the rest of the bands on the bill. This band are a lot like Within The Ruins in the sense that they are very heavy and there is no clean vocals at all and the guitars are very technical. If you like Within the Ruins then you’ll dig this band. They also have a facebook page set up so go on and check it out.

Following them was a band called Camisado, who are actually from Maryland (as opposed to It’s a Trap who are from West Chester, PA and From These Wounds who are from Dover, PA). This band were a lot very very post hardcore with metalcore influences. This band would be for fans of Motionless in White, We Came as Romans, and The Word Alive. They were extremely tight and they put on an amazing show. They had a lot of visuals synchronized with their beatdowns and came across as a very professional band with a lot of edge and potential. I wouldn’t be surprised if I started seeing this band appear on more bills with some bigger names. Again, please check out this local band and help them get bigger. All of these bands that I’ve talked about deserve your attention and are very talented.

Finally, the headliners. What more can you say really? For 5o minutes, there was pure mayhem in the audience as Upon a Burning Body took the stage opening up with their infamous introduction song and going straight into “The Devil’s Advocate” and “Any Given Sunday”. They also played such hits as “Donnie Brasco” and “Scarface”. One very important thing about this show that made it special was that the band have spent the past few months in the studio working the new record (hopefully to be released early in 2012, according to Danny) and this was the first live show they’ve done since. The band thought it would be nice to drop a new song for us to test the material out. Not only that, but later they played ANOTHER new song. So we were honored with being the first people to hear these new songs and let me tell you, I’m very excited for this new album. The songs are insane live and I hope the record is just as crazy as those two songs.

Like I said earlier, theres no railings so there were a lot of people trying to get on the stage and stage dive, and some people did. There was also a lot of pushing and nothing to brace yourself against, so there were a lot of people falling down (Ian actually cut his hand on a serrated piece of metal while trying to brace himself). This leads to not a lot of room to hide so everyone was in danger of the maelstrom that had formed in the middle of the room and extended to almost all edges of the venue. I was actually pulled into the pit during “Scarface” and had to fight some hardcore kids in order to get back to the front of the stage. Finally the band closed their set with “Carlito’s Way” stopping right before the drum fill breakdown in order to heighten the suspense for what was an explosive finale to the night. However, the band had never played “Intermission” as no sooner did the band walk of the stage, the crowd was immediately chanting “ONE MORE SONG!…ONE MORE SONG!”. Obviosuly, Danny came back on and the band went straight into Intermission. During their seminal breakdown, Danny leaned the mic out for the audience to sing out to, but had to use twp hands to prevent the mic from being swallowed by the crowd that had formed around the middle of the stage (I was so close Danny’s balls were literally right in front of my face…the entire show). Then the song ended, the lights went up and so concludes one of the best and craziest nights of my life. my neck is STILL killing me and its been three days since the show.

Some highlights from their set included: Danny gave me the mic to sing “It’s Just Beginning” during the end of “Donnie Brasco”; getting a high five from Danny; Getting to be the first to hear the new songs; both Ian and I caught  a drum stick!!, and afterwards both Ian and I got photos taken with Danny (Unfortunately, my photo wasn’t saved properly, so I am EXTREMELY depressed by that), but it was still an amazing night. It was very eventful and memorable and I’m so glad I went.

I highly encourage all of you reading this to check out the opening bands and if you aren’t a fan or Upon a Burning Body…become one.

Luke Helker

Mastodon: The Hunter

Utilizing the best elements of “Crack the Skye” and “Leviathon”, Mastodon have released a real return to form record. Not to say that the band needed to get back to their roots, but after the massive departure the band made with their last record (“Crack the Skye”) and even though it was very critically praised, it’s nice to see the band bring back some of the defining elements of the band (found on albums like “Leviathan” and “Blood Mountain”) coming back into the forefront of of the bands sound (especially of those who made not have been totally convinced by “Crack the Skye”).

Like I said earlier, the biggest thing about this album that I noticed right from the get go was that the old guitar tone was back, which really pleased me, not to say that I didn’t like the tone of the guitars on the last album, I just prefer the original guitar tone because I’m so used to hearing it on all of their records. Everything about it is just so heavy and dirty. The guitars sound like massive amounts of tar are slowly being poured all over your body and the drums sound like a herd of elephants charging at you. I just love the sound that Mastodon have created and I think that they sound as good as they’ve ever been (except when they scored the “Jonah Hex” soundtrack. Yeah…let’s just forget about that).

I’ve been a fan of everything this band have ever done and this album is certainly no exception. Another really great album from one of the best metal bands of the modern age. This album is inundated with fantastic songs like “Black Tongue”, “Curl of the Burl”, “Stargasm”, “The Hunter” and “Creature Lives” (Which has some funny lyrics if you listen to it). Lots of the song titles are slightly ridiculous and so are some of the other lyrics to some of the other songs, but then again, Mastodon have never had the deepest lyrics and were never the best poets, but despite the apparent comedy of some of the songs (“Stargasm”, “Octopus has No Friends”, “Creature Lives” and “Bedazzled Fingernails”) they all kick major ass. The only problem I have is with the band in general. They have this new album with a ton of great songs to add to their live show, but the problem is, they are one of the worst live bands around, which truly confuses me. How can a band as good as Mastodon be so crappy live? I’ve actually never seen the band live but i’ve heard unanimous reviews all around the board and they all conclude that this band is horrible live, which is a real shame considering their massive appeal and their massive songs.

Oh well, there really is not a lot more to add to this review. If you are familiar with Mastodon and are a fan of their previous albums, whether it be “Crack the Sky” or Blood Mountain”, it doesn’t matter because you’ll love this album no matter what. It’s that good. When December rolls around I want to see this album in most people’s top 20 lists. (Sorry this review is so much shorter than most reviews). It’s a very straightforward record and there isn’t too much new things stylistically going on that would make people reconsider the band or anything like that, so I think it will be unanimously praised. Please let me know what you think.

Luke Helker

Machine Head: Unto the Locust

After releasing the best metal record of this generation (in my opinion), Machine Head have finally released the follow up album to “The Blackening”, but is it better than “The Blackening?” After what seems like forever of consistent touring, Machine Head have finally released “Unto the Locust” and after my first listen, it doesn’t quite reach that mark, but it’s still an incredibly strong record, certainly not one to ignore. Machine head have solidified themselves as modern metal giants and aim to keep riding the wave they’ve made for themselves out of the cascades of brilliant and technical riffs and melodies that they’ve created.

It’s been over four years since we were blessed with “The Blackening” and now that the hype over that album has finally started to subside, we move on and follow the band in deeper and darker trenches as they dig up the newest edition to the Machine Head catalog. The big question remains however, how do you top an album that was so critically praised? How do you top what is arguably the greatest metal record not only of this generation, but the best metal record since “Master of Puppets?” It’s an enormous order to fill, one most would say is impossible from the get go, but in my opinion, Machine Head really rose to the occasion and delivered an amazing record. After a few listens, I still don’t think it’s better than “The Blackening”, but it’s very close and being very close is still extremely impressive. I honestly don’t think anyone expected it to be as good as “The Blackening”, but I’m sure everyone can unanimously give praise for this record.

This album is considerably shorter than “The Blackening”, with only seven songs as opposed to the nine songs on the last record. Also none of these songs go over eight and a half minutes, whereas “The Blackening” had the epic song, “Halo” clocking in at over ten minutes. But, as we all know, time is relative and  none of this matters just as long as the song itself is really good and the songs on here are. Most of you will have no doubt heard the single from this album called “Locust”. That song came out in the middle of summer if I’m correct. If any of you were fortunate to have seen Machine head live on the Mayhem Festival, you will have seen the band perform “Locust” to eager crowds. Anywho, other noteworthy songs on this album include the opener “I am Hell (Sonata in C#)” This song is actually split into three parts. It starts out with “Sangre Sani”, which means “Blood Saint”. The band is featured singing this chant repeatedly over and over in a choral fashion until the sludgy guitar riff for the next movement “I Am Hell” take over and stomps all over everything. Finally the song concludes the wonderfully complex and intricate riffs of “Ashes to the Sky” bringing closure to the movement as a whole. A great and well rounded start to this album.Following that we have, “Be Still and Now”, which I would say is this albums “Halo”. My personal favorite song off this album is the song before the last called “Pearls Before Swine”, which is just a relentlessly evil and pissed off sounding song, much like the rest of the album. There’s no rhyme of reason why I prefer this song over the rest, I just really like it. The album concludes with the anthemic declaration of “Who We Are”. Just by hearing the title, you can probably imagine what the song is about. It’s a great closing song for the album, and mixed with the fantastic opener and brilliant songs sandwiched in between, makes this record a phenomenal metal record, probably the best of 2011.

Machine head have now built themselves a three album curve not to be messed with. “Through the Ashes of Empires”, “The Blackening” and now “Unto the Locust”. You can’t fuck with that curve right there. Every one of those albums is a stonewall classic and i strongly believe that Machine head would be a great draw for metal festivals this summer. Unfortunately America has not seemed to have grasped onto the brilliance of this band like the UK. The band has even stated that the UK is their spiritual home because we here in America just seem to think that band is alright. See America can’t seem to hold onto a metal band longer than a few minutes unless if you’re a nerd and only listen to proggy bands. Hopefully people will start to catch onto the idea of Machine Head. they certainly have the material to prove themselves and if you went to Mayhem Fest (it may not have been like this for every show but the one i went to, camden, was like this) then you would have been part of the sea of people that completely filled the parking lot for Machine head’s set. I’ve never in all my days of concert-going (i’ve only been going to concerts for four years, but i’ve seen a lot) I have never seen so many people surrounding the side stage for a side stage band. Maybe its because the band are much better than second stage status….(wink wink nudge nudge). Mayhem already had the band twice now, so they probably wont be on the bill this summer, but the would be a great draw for any other summer bill this year so keep your eyes and ears peeled for the mighty metal machine that is Machine-Fucking-Head!!!

Luke Helker

Blink-182: Neighborhoods

The HIGHLY anticipated new album by pop-punk legends Blink 182 has finally arrived, but was it worth the wait? This newest album, Neighborhoods, marks the return of Blink-182 after their extended hiatus in 2003 following the release of their self titled album, making this their sixth studio album thus far. After a few delays, the long-awaited album is finally here, but to some possibly mixed reviews. It’s undeniably Blink in the way it sounds.

There’s no extreme changes in sound or style in any way shape or form, and all of the band members sound fine, but there isn’t much in the way of songs. Blink-182 are famous for that three album curve that included “Dude Ranch”, “Enema” and “Take Off you Pants and Jacket”, which featured a ton of great songs that solidified the band’s status as pop-punk superstars , whereas on this album I can’t see any of these songs reaching the same heights as songs like “Whats My Age again?”, “Dammit”, and “All the Small Things”. Some of the songs are alright, but if I saw Blink in concert I don’t think I would want to hear any of these songs over the classics. Some good songs off this album include, “Ghost on the dance Floor”, “Natives”, and “Up all Night”.

I think the main problem with it is the band members in general and how they approach the idea of Blink 182 after so many years of making music with other people, because keep in mind this is a band that absolutely despised each other for years and when they split up, many people would have bet their life away that that was the end of the band. The thing is that Mark just loves College related Rock songs, and Tom did a lot of other things, creating a whole lot of tension because Mark felt very betrayed. A lot of times when band members leave to pursue other musical adventures, it leaves the other band members feeling very betrayed. The band members normally feel like the band need to stick together through thick and thin, just look at Metallica and Jason Newsted. Anyway, the point is the tension is gone now, which is why it became easier for the band to get back together again, but even though the tension is gone, not everything was completely resolved.

The biggest thing to come out of the Blink split up was the formation of Angels and Airwaves. The thing I mentioned about tension…that was another key ingredient that made Blink-182 so special and it made the music even better. But if Tom didn’t get his way or have something that he wanted put on a Blink record, he would simply just put it on an Angels to Airwaves record, and it worked. I admit, I like Angels and Airwaves a lot. Not as much as I do Blink but Angels and Airwaves put out so great songs. The problem is, Tom once said in an interview that he doesn’t need to fight for Blink anymore because he can do whatever he wants with Angels and Airwaves…and thats just really fucking sad to hear, because that’s what made Blink so great because of the tension and now it’s the sad reality.

Listening to the album it’s very obvious that you can tell who wrote what song and the record. It’s not very consistent because you can tell that Mark wrote this one, and then Tom wrote the next one and its completely  different direction as the previous song. Some of the songs are alright, but like I said earlier, I cant really get into these songs like the other ones and I certainly wouldn’t want to hear these songs over some of the classics in a live set. And dont get me wrong, i’m all for what this band stand for. They still for the same thing as they did back then, but they’re now doing things that aren’t as interesting. It’s as simple as that.

I just hope that this isn’t the last Blink-182 record we get. I hope that we get some more brilliant tracks from this band in the future and I’m almost positive that this isn’t the last Blink record that we get.

Until, let me know what you think of this new record.

Luke Helker

Opeth: Heritage

The much anticipated tenth album from Swedish prog metallers, Opeth, has finally arrived to some apprehension, but respect. If you’re expecting some more evil sounding, classic Opeth style songs with growling vocals and all the fixings, then you’ll sorely be disappointed. However, I think you won’t be disappointed enough to completely cast out the album, but rather embrace it for being a step in right direction for the band after taking a big leap of faith. Even though it’s not a classic Opeth record, I think many people will remember this record for being a game-changer and hopefully will respect the album.

Now, I’m not the biggest Opeth fan, but I have liked everything that I’ve heard by them so far, and even though this isn’t my favorite album by them, it’s still a very strong record and I do enjoy listening to it. It’s very…different to say the least. It’s also very silly in terms of the way they do things that Opeth have never done before. For starters, there is not one single growling vocal on the entire record. It’s all clean vocals and it’s also very progressive in a 60s-70s classic rock style that reminded me of Jethro Tull or King Crimson. It’s sounds like a collection of Opeth’s influences coming out and thereby showing Opeth’s true colors.

That being said, in terms of the songs on this album, there aren’t many and their seems to be a lack of direction in some spots. There’s some bad transitions and there are a couple moments where it just feels like the song is going nowhere fast. It’s certainly not the strongest Opeth record songwriting-wise (That i would say goes to “Ghost Reveries”), but despite some of the obvious faults, the equally obvious musicianship of the bandmates is mind-blowingly impressive. The musicianship on the album is brilliant though, laced with beautiful melodies and intricate guitar hooks. It’s all very progressive and surreal, but I can’t for the life of me pick out a single, let alone songs that would fit well into an Opeth live set. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Opeth are one of those bands that can put out a record as extreme as this and still have all of their fans love them for what they are and never turn their backs on the band. If a band like Lamb of God or Children of Bodom did an album like this, it would be the end of that band as we know it.

Some songs that stuck out for me was the opening title track, which is a beautifully dark and devilishly attractive piano solo that fades into the song, “The Devil’s Orchard”. I also really liked the tune “Slither” and the beginning to the song “Haxprocess”. I would say that to an extent, this album is definitely a grower and requires you to be in the right mood for it for maximum listening satisfaction. It also is the winner for the most ridiculous album cover of 2011 to date. If you havent’ seen it it’s a lone tree in an Orchard with all of the band members’ heads on the tree. Look it up, it’s ridiculous.

Personally, I think it’s a great record. I’m all for bands pushing the boundaries of their sound/ style and I think every band needs to reinvent themselves to some extent every couple of records, and I believe that Opeth should be applauded for this record. It’s not their best record, but like I said before, it’s a game changer for sure and one that will be remembered for the impact it made more so than the songs featured on the album.

Enjoy,

Luke Helker

Chuck Ragan: Covering Ground

It’s obvious that I do a lot of rock and metal on these reviews, but because I am well rounded in terms of the music I like, I try to include reviews for albums from other genres and styles of music (i.e. Folk, Hip-Hop, Pop, and Country). I’ve done reviews for Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne, but I think this is the first time i’ve done and official Folk artist review. For those of you who aren’t familiar with his work Chuck Ragan is a singer/songwriter, playes acoustic guitar and was/is the lead singer for the band, Hot Water Music (and the Hot Water Music side project Rumblebeast) as well as a successful solo artist. He’s been on tour with the likes of Frank Turner,  The Gaslight Anthem, and Social Distortion. He and his band play folk rock mixed with punk rock and he is signed with Side One Dummy records, the same home as Flogging Molly and Big D and the Kid’s Table.

Now I love folk music, next to metal of course. But folk music will always have a special place in my heart and Chuck Ragan is one of the best singer/songwriters of the day in the same plane as folk giants like Iron and Wine, Frank Turner, and even Alison Krauss. This is his fourth solo studio album and this is actually the first Chuck Ragan solo album I’ve ever listened to (actually thats not true, because I listened to the album he did with Austin Lucas, another folk rock-ish singer/songwriter). I went into a Hot Topic one day, started talking to one of the sales associates, and I left with a huge list of bands to check out that he recommended, including Chick Ragan and Hot Water Music. i have to say, if it wasn’t for that guy i met at Hot Topic, i wouldn’t be aware of the awesome music being delivered by this brilliant man.

I’ve never done a review for a folk artist before and I find that when i listen to folk artists, I find myself repeating the same thing for people who are all completely different. I mean, Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan, and iron and Wine (to name a few), are all solo artists who have performed with bands, but for the most part are just themselve and their guitar. They all sound uniquely different, but all share similar aspects of brilliance. They are all brilliant singers and songwriters and lyricists, but each have something unique to add to the overall sound that defines them. For Chuck Ragan, I would say, right off the bat, his voice is a defining attribute to his music. Unlike iron and Wine, who has a very soft and almost sweet, loving voice and unlike Turner, who is british, Ragan, has a very rough, almost Springsteen-like edge to it. I don’t even know why I keep comparing him to Frank Turner and iron and Wine because they aren’t the best comparisons. I’m just going to focus on Chuck and not compare and contrast everything.

This new record, to me, is a just a classic, beautiful folk record. It’s more than just Chuck though. There’s a large group of people accompanying him, playing other instruments like upright bass, banjo, steel guitar, and some percussion. Also, when it comes to folk music, every song to me is a single, but some songs that really stuck out to me on this record were, “Nomad by fate” and “Wish on the Moon”. “Nomad by Fate” opens up with a killer fiddle hook that returns every now and then on the track. It’s very uptempo and flowing, compared to “Wish on the Moon” which is significantly slower, but not ploddy and still has vitality. What really caught my ear was how he was able to slip the lyric “Take my hand/ take my whole life too” in the same style as the King himself (If you don’t know what song i’m referring to, then you need to seriosuly reevaluate your life).

Other noteworthy songs include “Come Around”, “Valentine”, and “Nothing Left to Prove”, but really every song is great. Also, don’t just listen to the album once. I’ve found that all folk music sounds better and better the more you listen to it, especially if you love it from the get-go. If you’re a fan or Frank Turner, The Gaslight Anthem, or even Flogging Molly, you had better listen to this album. It’s really good and it might find its way into my top 20 list at the end of the year.

Keep it real.

Luke Helker

Primus: Green Naugahyde

Even though I absolutely love this band, they really pissed me off with album by naming it something that cannot be pronounced by any normal human other than Les Claypool himself. Besides having an irritating album title, this highly anticipated new album by Primus, I think most fans will be slightly disappointed. After TWELVE years of waiting for a new Primus album (I don’t count “Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People” because technically that was an EP), I wasn’t really happy or impressed with the band’s performance. However, keep in mind when reading this review that i’ve only listened to the album once so far. Who knows, maybe its a grower. So far….not so good.

The album starts off with pretty much a minute and a half of just wind blowing leading to the first song, “Hennepin Crawler”. This song actually isn’t that bad and it’s in the true classic Primus style. The next song, “Last Salmon Man is also a good tune, but because it’s over six minutes long, it kinda dips in the middle. It’s a good song though and the bass is so heavy even though the rest of the band is much lighter. “Eternal Consumption Machine” isn’t bad either. Lyrically it’s funny because it’s talking about how everything is made in China and how China is going to take over the world.

From here on out, this is where I start to have problems with this album. “Tragedy’s A’ Commin” sounds EXACTLY like “Balled of Bodacious” off of the Antipop album. The next two songs, “Eyes of A Squirrel” and “Jilly’s On Smack” are both really goofy, like any Primus song, but they’re also long and just plod along for the second half of each song and it becomes very boring very quickly. I don’t want to you use the term “disappearing up his own ass” in regards to Les Claypool’s performance on these two songs because I love and respect everything that Les Claypool does, but it just seems like these songs are songs that just wouldn’t fit on a Les Claypool solo album, therefore, by putting the Primus stamp of approval on it, it might get better results than if he released it just as Les Claypool. I don’t know if any of you ever heard “Of Foe and Fungi” (Les Claypool’s 2009 solo release), but it sounded like Les Claypool and a bunch of other guys, much like all of the other solo projects that Claypool was involved in while Primus had split (Oysterhead, Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains and Claypool’s solo albums). I just feel like Claypool is running out of ideas, couldn’t seem to get anywhere with his solo work and other side projects, so he is trying to keep everything alive by reforming Primus because thats the group that everyone loves.

I dont know, maybe I expected too much from Primus considering their amazing track record, but I was hoping for another “Frizzle Fry” or “Sailing the Seas of Cheese” where every song was a classic. Some songs on here are ok, but there’s no “John the Fisherman” or “Too Many Puppies” or “Tommy the Cat”. It’s really quite disappointing because Les Claypool is a musical genius and can play the bass better than almost anyone and he still is, so if you want to listen to this record and be amazed by Clayool’s skills on the bass, then by all means, check this album out. But beyond that, there isn’t much holding this record up. Some songs here and there are good and classically goofy like a traditional Primus record, but the songs that used to be there on simply aren’t.

In my opinion, the best songs on this record would be, “HOINFODAMAN”, “Hennepin Crawler”, and “Last Salmon Man”, but that still isn’t saying much, because if I went and saw Primus live, there are SO many other songs that I’d rather hear them play, I don’t think I’d be crushed if i didn’t get any songs from is record in a live set. When you stack up all of Primus’s best songs from 1990-1999, you can easily fill a full seventy-five minute to an hour and a half set of all classic Primus songs. I really just don’t need these songs and it pains me to say that about a Primus record, but they set the bar so high back in the 90s and  just don’t think Claypool has made anything really noteworthy since then. And who knows? Maybe i’m wrong. Maybe i’m the only one that thinks this is a bad record. I could be alone in this and everyone else may think that this is a brilliant record. If you completely disagree with me, then please call me out on it.

I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed.

Luke Helker

The Devil Wears Prada: Dead Throne

There’s just no stopping these guys is there? The Devil Wears Prada are a fantastic example of a band that consistently get better and better with every record the release. After the widely celebrated “With Roots Above and Branches Below” album, The Devil Wears Prada release, the “Zombie EP”, the best thing that the band have done to date, in my opinion and now they’ve released an album that is on a the same plane as the “Zombie EP”. The album literally takes place where the EP left off and from there on out, the band plow through with the most complex and the most brutal album of the bands career thus far.

I was actually surprised when I heard that Adam D of Killswitch Engage and Times of Grace fame was going to be producing this record because for the most part, everything that Adam D produces sounds a lot like Killswitch Engage or has that very generic metalcore production sound to it. Adam D’s not a bad producer, but when it comes to most projects, it seems like he tries to make the record the Killswitch never made. Regardless, Adam D is making a huge statement and a big name for himself with this record. This album is so rich and heavy and technically spot on, I can’t help but grin from ear to war when I listen to it because i’m so proud of how far the band have come to make this record and how much of a step up this is for Adam D. Great job to both band and production.

Much like what I said about the vocal duo between Kyle and Dave in We Came As Romans, the vocal duo between Mike Hranica (lead vocals) and Jeremy Depoyster (clean vox/rhythm gtr) is a very strong combination, especially on this record. When it comes to metalcore, placing the clean and unclean vocals can be very strategic and when done properly, it increases the album ten fold. Trivium’s new record did just that splendidly, as well as Bullet for My Valentine’s “Poison” record. The piercing vocals of Mike cut through the record a like wolverine through skin and then Jeremy ‘s clean vocals contrast the song so well that it helps to amplify the intricacies that the guitars are performing underneath.

This new album is just miles ahead of everything else they’ve done and a massive departure from what the band have done previously, adding in more intricate and complex melodies and guitar riffs as well as more mature vocal themes and song structures. This will certainly leave a huge impression on longtime fans as well as new fans who will most likely be drawn to this new, darker image. It’s also refreshing to hear the band expanding and reinventing the wheel because, lets face it, the whole post hardcore/metalcore genre can  be a bit inflated and can get stale very quickly, forcing bands to reinvent themselves. This record does just that, taking the ideas of “With Roots Above and Branches Below” and completely flipping it on its side and injecting it with steroids.

Some noteworthy songs to keep in mind include “Mammoth”, “Vengeance”, “My Questions”, and “Born to Lose” . All of which are filled with fat power chords that could crush a car, ear-piercing vocals from Mike as well as his deep growls, sludgy bass lines and a heart-pounding drum set sound. I really wish I saw the band at Warped Tour this year when I had the chance, but I might go see the band in Dcember because they are coming around with Whitechapel, Enter Shikari, and For Today (a bit of a mixed bag, but I love all those bands so i’m not complaining at all).  These songs are so huge that I can’t wait to hear how well they will translate to the live stage.

Anyway, like I said, if you are or have ever been a fan of this band, then you should find this album extremely enjoyable as well as impressionable and brutal. Warning: not for the faint hearted. Mainly recommended for fans of August Burns Rd, Attack Attack!, Miss May I, and Underoath. Congratulations to the Devil Wears Prada for making one of the best records of 2011. This will make the construction of my top 20 albums of 2011 so much harder because there are sooooo many phenomenal albums being released this year.

Good job and keep up the good work guys,

Luke Helker

We Came As Romans: Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be

The highly anticipated sophomore release form melodic hardcore band We Came as Romans grabs listeners by the balls and takes them on a roller coaster ride through intricate melodies and brutal beatdowns. Although its much darker and gloomier than their first record, “To Plant A Seed”, this record is just as strong if not better than their debut. I’ve been a fan of this band since the beginning and I can easily say that I am proud of this record.

The band released the two major singles for this record in the very beginning of the summer (“Mis//Understanding” and “Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be”), and I have to say, after being able to sit with these two songs for a couple months now, the rest of the album didn’t really jump out as fast as those two songs, but you don’t get everything out of a We Came as Romans song with just one listen. This isn’t a grower album because you’ll be hooked immediately, but you won’t get everything out of just one listen. You need to really listen a couple times before you can truly absorb them. Thats what I like this band so much. They’re really pushing the boundaries and aren’t you’re typical hardcore band.

It’s becoming harder and harder to classify bands into genres nowadays because a lot of bands have multiple elements layered into their music, causing for more sub-genres of hardcore punk music to develop. One of which being melodic hardcore and We Came as Romans are one of the bands at the forefront of this genre. We Came as Romans are really like no other band. They have a clean singer (Kyle, who also plays keyboards/synths) as well as an unclean vocalist, which is obviously very common in post-hardcore/metalcore bands nowadays, but there’s something I like about Kyle’s vocals and that is that there’s balls to it. It sounds masculine as opposed to most other post hardcore bands that have a scream singer and then drift into sugar sweet, really light vocals for other vocal hooks (Of Mice and Men, Abandon All Ships, and Asking Alexandria right off the bat fir that description). There’s something metallic almost in Kyle’s voice that just sounds much stronger and more confident than some other singers. Most likely it’s the studio twisting his voice, but it still sounds badass.

The band are also much more symphonic than their contemporaries. That huge, symphonic aspect is huge on this record in particular, filling up the entire record to the brim with brilliant soundscapes and majestic tones. This record just sounds so round and full and even though there’s so much going on in just one song, it’s not spastic like an iwrestledabearonce record. It’s very controlled and every instrument pulls their weight, creating an orchestral sound that sends listeners on a musical odyssey from start to finish. There’s also a significant increase in keyboard appearances on this record, which makes me believe that Kyle is starting to write a little more, which is great because if he is writing a bit more than kudos to them because the songs are fantastic.

Lyrically, this album is much darker than “To Plant a Seed”. Even the title of the last record supports the lyrical themes of the last record. There were lots of uplifting, almost inspirational lyrics about love and ambition (which actually lead to a big debate as to whether the band were a christian band like Underoath). This new record turns the tables a little on the lyrical sense. It’s not all about death and destruction, but it’s a bit more…dare i say philosophical. Lots of times I fee like it’s the band evaluating themselves as people and as a band and engaging their listeners to do the same (if that makes any sense). For example, the chorus for the song “The Way That We Have Been” goes, ‘We can’t keep living the way that we have been/it’ll catch up to us/and destroy everything else as well’.  It’s still very inspirational, but I found it to be a bit darker in places.The lyrics as a whole help add to the musical spectrum of the album because music and lyrics go hand in hand obviously and the more orchestral end mixed with the darker lyrics adds a whole new dimension to this record.

Like i said before, most of you who are fans of this will no doubt have already heard “Mis//Understanding” and “Understanding What We’ve grown to Be” months before this record landed, but after listening to this album a few times, a couple other big songs are really sticking out to me. I’m a big fan of this song called “Cast the First Stone”. I can’t quite explain exactly why I like that song in particular over most of the songs on this record; there’s just something about that pushes that green button inside me. Songs like “Everything as Planned” and “Views that Never cease, to Keep me from myself” are also huge tunes. My absolute favorite song off this record though is a song called “A War Inside”, not only is it the longest song on the album (as well as the longest song the band ever wrote clocking in at five and a half minutes long), but it really sounds like a war musically. Kyle and Dave trade off vocal lines more frequently than most songs and the song goes back and forth between super heavy and sweet and melodic very frequently. The keyboards are also the driving force in this song, breaking down into one of the most beautiful keyboard melodies i’ve ever heard from a band like this in the last half of the song. It’s actually a bit of an expansive departure of the band and if you are a fan like me, then I think you’ll all be huge fans of this song, as well as the record itself.

One thing i’ve found with bands is that even if you don’t quite get hooked on their record, you should still check out the band if they play live near your area, especially if you’re fan of the bands earlier work. A lot of times I’v never liked a record until after I saw the songs played live. Then it clicks inside me and i go back home, listen to the record, and go ‘I get it now’. With all the huge songs on this record, seeing them pulled off successfully live would be fucking amazing (at least for me it would be). I highly recommend this band to anyone who is a fan of bands like Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada and/or August Burns Red.

Luke Helker

Anthrax: Worship Music

Let’s face it, when you think of the Big Four bands of thrash, Metallica are always the first band everybody thinks of and Anthrax are most likely the last band you think of. Unfortunately, there’s a sad reason, for why that is and thats because Anthrax have been very stagnant over the years. Suffering from various singer and lineup changes, Anthrax haven’t been able to create an album of any credibility, let alone on the same plane as the others in the Big Four. However, Anthrax aren’t dead and gone yet and this new album proves that they still have good songs in them and won’t go down without a fight.

For those of you who might have read my review of the new Children of Bodom record (back on the Facebook group page), you will remember that I said the new album was really good in a ‘much-better-than-Blooddrunk’ sense. It wasn’t brilliant and it certainly wasn’t better than “Hate Crew Deathroll” or “Are you Dead Yet?”. This new Anthrax album is similar in that it’s not a brilliant record, but because the band haven’t done really anything in years, hearing the band finally put out a really good record makes the record seem a lot better than it actually is. It’s a really good and strong record, but just because the band haven’t had decent albums in a while, don’t exaggerate how good this album actually is.

One other really important thing to keep in mind when listening to this record is that even though the band reunited with Joey Belladonna for this record, these songs were written back when Dave Nelson was the singer during the 2007-09 period. It makes you wonder how different the record might sound if Dave Nelson (who never officially sang on a record with the band) was on record. Most of these songs were re-recorded to keep the songs alive and earlier this year, he band released “Fight ‘Em Til You Cant” as a single and now the highly anticipated album has finally arrived to much critical praise, and for good reason. The songs on this record are not inly really good, but they’re also memorable. These are songs that I can remember easily and be able to describe them to someone who hasn’t listened to the album yet, unlike the new Dream Theater album or something like that. These are also songs that I wouldn’t mind hearing in a live show by Anthrax either.

“Fight Em Til You Can’t”, the single from this record, is a ripper of a tune, but there are tons of other songs on this record that are just as killer as this one. Songs like “Earth on hell” and “I’m Alive” are some of the best songs that Anthrax have written in years. The intricate guitar hooks are vibrant and sharp and Joey’s voice is just soaring on every song on this record. As a drummer, I can’t help but love some of the massive drum fills that Charlie Benante manages to sneak in. He really is one of the best metal drummers out there, but doesn’t nearly seem to get enough credit I feel in the drumming world.

Anthrax have not only made a name for themselves again as a great thrash band, but they’ve released a really strong and true blue metal record, which you don’t really see or hear as often nowadays. Thrash revivalist bands like Baptized in Blood and Evile are more Slayer-esque and are great bands, but lack a little in the song department. This new Anthrax record has lots of great songs on there and it makes me excited again about Anthrax. I feel like we have something to look forward to from Anthrax. It’s obviously way too early to start thinking about how the next record will sound, but I really hope that Anthrax are able to channel these good songs into the mix again.

Again, great record from a great, but struggling thrash pioneer band. There’s not much more to add beyond my praise for how this record is coming from Anthrax. Great job guys and keep up the good work. I don’t know if this band are touring as of now, but if they come to your neighborhood, you better be there when they raise hell.

Luke Helker