EP Review: Burdens- Blind World. Savage Death.

What Hardcore has been missing (in my opinion) is the element of speed and simplicity. Remember when Minor Threat wrote one minute songs that were three chords and fast as all hell? I try to remember those days but when I hear hardcore it tends to be mid-tempo two steps, and breakdowns. That is why I’ve always liked Burdens; they are heavy as all hell and, for the most part, play fast music.

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of the EP and though it is something different than 2011’s You Can’t Save Us All, Blind World. Savage Death is definitely the most well put together album yet. If you’re looking for songs with constant high tempo you’re looking in the wrong place. Each track blends together and it is without any major flaws.

“Silver Tongue” starts off fast and has a few weird guitar tones with some dissonant chords thrown into the mix but overall shows what you’re going to hear on the rest of the EP; slower breakdowns, more weird guitar tones, and more aggression than you can deal with. After two slower songs (“Tapeworm” and “Death Rattle”) we’re brought back into a fast circle pit with the song “Soothsayer” which isn’t a unique take on fast hardcore, but is by far the best song on the album.

I think that the overall lesson to Blind World. Savage Death is that heavy distortion makes songs with a slower tempo sound good. It gives the EP an almost southern vibe despite the fact that there aren’t any scales that would make it sound southern. It sounds nothing like something Pantera would ever release however that it the only way to describe it. Blind World. Savage Death. is nothing but pure energy and a great hardcore record that everyone should listen to. Over all, full of energy and back with a vengeance, Burdens is improving the hardcore scene one song at a time.

The album will be released free online from Burdens on Sunday, January 8 and it definitely worth the space on your computer.

Suggested song: Soothsayer
9/10

EP Review: Sacred Serenity : Cross Roads

If you don’t know who Sacred Serenity is by now you probably should. I’ve been doing reviews of their last two E.P.’s and haven’t stopped listening to them since they came out. But for anyone who hasn’t been paying attention let’s take a second to review what they’ve been up to since their inception.

The Enemy in the clouds E.P. was pretty good but the production quality was a little less than fantastic. However for the entire album being self recorded, it’s good for what it is and the song writing on it is fantastic.

Divulgence was five out of six songs of in your face, fuck you metal and out of the three E.P.’s recorded definitely the most melodic. Although the band had a full line-up at this point in time and went to an actual studio, the production sounded like they were meant for a pop-punk band which is by no means the band’s fault; but the weird production took away from songs.

Now finally we have arrived at what I and many others will call the bands best effort yet. After spending a week living in Atrium Studios (August Burns Red, Texas In July, and This or The Apocalypse) the band has come out with a well written piece of metal that crosses between a mix of metalcore, melodic death metal and deathcore.

The album shows the bet work from the band yet with Pat Scanlon’s vocals being the clearest that they’ve ever been. He hits all ranges on the album and makes the music fit what his voice is doing rather than just screaming at whatever range he feels like.

My only issue with the album is that there are no memorable bass parts from Dave Jamison like Divulgence was built around. No one ever shows off too much on the album, all instruments blend well together but no one steps up to the plate to add the wow factor that a lot of people look forward to in a metal album.

Of the four songs I have to say that “A legend Remembered” is definitely the best of all of them. It is the fastest and throws a little bit of everything that anyone could want from a metal song. Breakdowns, blast beats, whispering, yelling and what most people associate with metal, shredding.

It is definitely the bands best effort but it is a little short. I’d like to see what they could do with a full length. So let’s get them to record one of those. However I realize that’s an expensive endeavor, so for now you’ll have to listen to Crossroads until you get sick of it, but you won’t get sick of it.

8/10

Interview: The Last Ten Seconds of Life

Interview:
The Last Ten Seconds of Life

How did you guys form?

We formed because we were all a group of friends who listened to metal and were musicians. We decided one day we wanted to make the heaviest catchiest music we could and that was that. We initially were lighter than we are now, but with time we progressed into the style and sound we currently have.

How long have you guys been a band for?

We have been a band for a little over a year now.

Where are you guys from?

Our band is based out of Mansfield, PA. It's the middle of no where in North Central Pennsylvania. We formed there because we all attended college at Mansfield University.

How would you guys describe your sound to anyone who has never heard of you?

We commonly get described as Whitechapel sounding, but I would probably say more towards Suffokate as far as bands that people tend to think we sound like. We don't particularly think we sound close to any other band. I do realize that every band says that, but I think if you listen to our new single, A Face Amongst The Flames, you will see that we have our own sound and style.

Would you guy’s consider you take on deathcore more core or more death metal?

That's a good question. I would say we're a pretty even mix. We don't even like to say we're deathcore, we just say we're heavy as fuck. But we do understand where the deathcore genre title comes from, as we do have deathcore influenced vocals and breakdowns.

How do you manage to work with two bass players in one band? Do they play the same parts? Do you record two bass tracks?

We actually don't have two bass players anymore. We did it for about 6 months and liked it, but now due to responsibilities and certain things needing to be tended to our bassist, Josh, has left the band. He is still a great friend of ours and will possibly hop on a few shows here or there near our home town though. We are now officially a conventional band with a vocalist, two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer.

How would you say your new music is different from the Justice EP?

Our new music in comparison to our Justice EP is much more matured and has it's own feel to it. The mastering on it is much better, the guitar tones have much more bite, and the songs are just better written songs. We loved and still do love the Justice EP, it's got some hits and Carson Slovak (Atrium Audio, Lancaster, PA) did an amazing job on the album for us, but the new material is going to blow the Justice EP out of the water. We were pleased with the quality Carson did on the Justice EP so we went back with him for the full length, this time with much more studio time booked and really worked hard on getting the right sound we wanted. We're so excited to release it!

When can we expect a new release from you guys?

How was the tour with Demolisher?

The tour with Demolisher was phenomenal! We had so much fun and they are really amazing guys and musicians. For the most part the tour went extremely smooth. We hit a road bump in the beginning leg of tour, which could have sent us all home early but we made it work out. We've had some amazing shows and met amazing people that we will certainly see again. We are in talks about figuring out another package with Demolisher in the next few months because we've become good buds and our music meshes together very well in a package. We want to head out again soon with them!

What was your favorite show on the tour?

All of the shows were amazing. I am answering this interview 1 1/2 hours before we head over to our final show in Binghamton, NY (Hometown Show) promoted on by Save Our Scene which always books great shows. Tonight may take the cake as far as favorite show of tour, but as of right now the best show would have had to be Mt. Airy, MD at promoted by Mike Raffiqi. We had hundreds of kids there, all of the local bands were amazing (Shoutouts to A Blood Bath in Boston and As The Kingdom Falls). All of the people who came out stuck around for our package to play, danced hard, hung out with us, and supported us like I've never seen before. It was a great show and the scene there is absolutely great.

How many tours have you been on?

This is our third tour. We had a 2 week tour down to Alabama in January, a mini tour this May to route to our week of studio time and then 3 days back, and this 3 week tour with Demolisher. We are full time now and will be touring as much as we can.

Are there any tours coming up?

We are planning a two week tour in August with a band called Existence from New Jersey. They are pretty heavy and we're excited. We are planning on doing a mostly North East Tour, (Upstate NY -> Western PA -> Central PA -> VA -> MD -> DE -> NJ -> PA-> CT -> NY). We are currently working on a tour with Demolisher again in late September, with one headliner above both of us who we can't announce yet.

Any bands you want to tour with that you haven’t had the chance to yet?

Hundreds! We want to tour with lots of bands that we haven't had the chance to yet. I'm assuming this question is more or less meant to mean are there any bands we haven't played with that we want to. We've had the opportunity to be the local for some big bands coming through the area numerous times, but we still have a few we haven't had the luck to play with. I know most of us would love to play with Whitechapel and Oceano again. As far as a band we have never played with I think we could all agree that playing with any of Suffokate, Carnifex, or Ingested would be pretty beast.

Did you guys play any cities where you were scared of your van being stolen?

Hah um, I mean there are a few places that are a little sketchy, but for the most part not really. We keep everything locked and double locked (we're paranoid and poor) so we don't stress that too much. We did have our Roland SPD-S pad stolen this tour which is pretty depressing, but Demolisher was kind enough to let us use their bass bombs for the remainder of tour.

Any weird tour stories?

Plenty! haha. We, as every band that spends time on the road, find ways to entertain ourselves. We are pretty goofy. Thomas bought a shake weight from a Wal-Mart a while back so we tend to stop at red lights and when there are girls next to us either the driver or the front seat passenger (depending on where the girl is) has to grab the shake weight, yell "YO LADIES!!!" and commence intensely shake weighting for the girl until the light turns green. It hasn't worked on getting a phone number yet, but it's probably because they are so intimidated by our muscles.

Any band’s you’ve played with in the past that you feel the world should know about?

Definitely! Lets see here. I would say A Call for Conquest from Long Island, A Bloodbath in Boston from Maryland, As The Kingdom Falls from Maryland, The Mortis Sermon from North Carolina, and In Reference to a Sinking Ship from Tampa area, FL.

Are you guys a party band?

No. We definitely aren't a party band. We love parties, we go to house parties and some of us do drink, but if you are asking if we get trashed and break stuff we definitely don't. We have lots of fun and don't mind when people get wild, but we usually are pretty chill. We're a chill band.

When and where did you record the new single “A Face amongst the flames?”

The new single, A Face Amongst the Flames, was recorded in May at Atrium Audio in Lancaster, PA. Grant McFarland (Drummer of This or the Apocalypse) and Carson Slovak (Century, Prosthetic Records) recorded and tracked our entire new album. It is still being mastered.

Are you looking for a label or do you guys plan on DIYing for the rest of your career?

We definitely want a label. We are already doing what most signed bands do, touring full time, being fully rigged, scraping enough money together to survive, etc., but we definitely do want to find a label that is ready to release our new album under their name. The whole album is already done and ready to go, we are just waiting for the correct offer to release it under.

Have you guys played with any big bands that you’d like to brag about?

Sure! We've played with some really awesome bands. We had the pleasure of playing with Whitechapel, Oceano, I Declare War, Impending Doom, Miss May I, After the Burial, Norma Jean, Cancer Bats, Texas in July, Destruction of a Rose, Like Moths to Flames, Demolisher, The World We Knew, King Conquer, Murder Death Kill, Bermuda, and too many more to list. We have played with some big bands this year.

Any final words for my readers?

Definitely! Thanks so much for reading this, obviously. First and foremost as a band we love meeting new people and hanging out and having a great time. The moment we don't want to talk to every single fan that we meet is the moment we will stop doing this. So check us out on Facebook, add us personally and chat with us, whatever you want! We just want to meet everyone because every single person that plays a single one of our songs is contributing to us with support and we couldn't ask for anything more than that. Thanks for letting us do this interview!

The Pit Push

To begin; to all those who are reading this and to anyone who has ever read this blog, thank you. I haven’t been able to keep up with it for the past five or so months but I’ve been busier than I’d like to be with school and other such things.

Now that you’ve all accepted my apologies I’d like to take the chance to use this post to shed some light on a few of the lesser known bands who are coming out with new stuff that I think everyone should listen to on a daily basis.

I guess I’m a little bias when it comes to the first band, considering I’ve known ever member for over five years, however I can objectively say that they are one of the most original bands from the Philadelphia area. The guys in Embedded Within have been beating the hell out of themselves to deliver some of the most technical deathcore in the area. Their first EP Breeding and Screaming was great with the exception of the production quality (I blame the studio that mastered it, whose name will not be mentioned). They are currently in the process of recording a full length which will be called Adversary and will probably not be released until the end of the summer. However if you search their face book you can find three of the songs that are finished on there and be amazed. I say this with all of my heart; they have a very unique sound that other bands would be lucky to be able to copy.

The next band on my list is a band from King of Prussia/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania called, Garmonia. I saw this band for the first time a while back and among a band full of deathcore bands that for the most part all sounded exactly the same. The bands blend of technicality mixed with brutal riffs makes them stick out over many of their peers. The first time you listen to them, you think that their similar to Born of Osiris and Veil of Maya. I don’t mean they sound the same as either of these bands but they have something much different to offer a crowd that many of the bands you’ll see at local shows. Rather than focusing on brutality, they focus on song structure. If a part needs to be fast, it’s fast and it isn’t questioned. I don’t know enough about them to say if their coming out with anything anytime soon, but search their facebook and you’ll find two songs: “Fistful of Regret” and “Autonomy” and you’ll be impressed.

I can’t say too much about this next band considering I didn’t like them too much until a few hours ago after I heard their new song, but if Ecesis continues on the path their going now, they’ll only get better than their new single shows. The band recently took a trip to Ohio to record with former Attack Attack! Singer, Jhonny Franck and the end result is a wonderful song called “If you’re not first, you’re last.” The song is simply a metalcore song, but it’s done well. As I said before, when I first saw them three years ago at a show with a bunch of death metal bands, I wasn’t into their sound. But if they keep sounding like their latest single, I’ll keep listening.

Seraph in Travail has made a demo which has become one of my favorite things to listen to on a weekly basis. Taking a step away from the deathcore scene, their demo titled “Stem the flood” has been anticipated by circles of people in the area and did not disappoint. The melodic death metal is refreshing in a scene controlled by breakdowns. Each song has a mood to it and whether or not you interpret the lyrics correctly you can envision a story behind each song, even though the lyrics aren’t describing events (I think). Each member has a voice on the demo and if you personally know them you know where they come in. For instance if you know the guitar playing of Tim Otto, you know that his solo is the second solo in the song “Nightfall.” It is a great demo that they took long enough to put out, and I’m excited to see what the band does next.

Finally a band who’s second CD is better than their first but their first has a better production quality. Sacred Serenity has been playing more shows than they have energy for and are going to the famous atrium studios in a week to record a new EP. Their first EP “Death in solitude” was done completely by guitarist, Nate Parker and vocalist, Pat Scanlon and their efforts have paid off. Now with a complete band, Sacred Serenity is going to be releasing a third EP in less than two years and will no doubt be playing a countless number of shows to support the release. Ultimately a great band that works there nuts off to make great music.

All of these bands are on facebook and/or have some sort of online presence so you have absolutely no excuse to not look them up. I don’t give bands a bump or free promotion unless I actually like it so you should check it out.

Also I am starting this back up again, so bands send me your demos in an MP3 or RAR file to clark.dan4@gmail.com and if I like it I’ll give you what I’m going to being calling an into the pit push. So to end, Sacred Serenity, Embedded Within, Ecesis, Garmonia, and Seraph in Travail, you’ve all been pushed into the pit and I hope you all continue to make music even better than the stuff I already think is great.

This City Needs a Hero- Wasteland Review

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but after giving a in depth listen into This City Needs a Hero’s new full length, Wasteland I can’t say there is anything particularly special about it. The record has its moments musically but much of the album sounds the same. The trend of the record seems to be clean vocals to rough scratchy vocals and an unnecessary synth being played over a breakdown. In fact the synth may be my biggest complaint with the whole record. It comes up in parts that by no means need any help from an electronic sound.

Another problem I have with the record is that it covers a couple of different genres that shouldn’t be placed together. When Linkin Park became irrelevant I thought that nu-metal had finally died out for good, however This City Needs a Hero have managed to bring back a dead genre that didn’t need to be resuscitated.

As far as guitar riffs go, it isn’t a bad record. Not to say they’re inspirational genre defining works on the guitar but it is definitely the highlight of the album. The bad thing about the guitar work is the placement of them within the music. For example the last song, Vindication goes from a break down to an acoustic guitar part that to be quite honest doesn’t sound like it was mixed that well.

Really it’s not a wonderful record; it has some cool riffs but was definitely made for those who are more into rap rock and nu-metal. I however was not entirely impressed with the record. However I encourage you to not listen to me and make your own decision. You can listen to a few of the tracks off of Wasteland at www.myspace.com/thiscityneedsahero.