Thoughts on the Current State of Metal

The other day I was thinking about all the sub-genres of Metal and wondered which one will be the next to take the nation by storm. Death-core has lost it's mass effect (though still popular) it isn't as talked about as it was when JFAC came out with their Debut EP, Doom.
I worry about the way which music is going. There is always the possibility that bands like The Black Dahlia Murder and Obscura will be copied. But at the same time, the younger generation of metal heads seem to be listening to bands Such as Attack Attack and Asking Alexandria where the music consists of nothing more than repetitive breakdowns and a weird techno track being played over it.
As I write this, I know why I made this blog in the first place, to alert the people of new metal that displays talent and won't be forgotten in two years. I wonder which band is going to be the Cannibal Corpse (even though personally I don't like them, I have to respect them for staying popular in the industry for over 20 years). I have a few different bands in mind of who I'd like to see tour around the world (Embedded Within, Beyond Dishonor etc...).
Any way I have a few bands that will on here in the next couple of weeks. Starting with Bastions, Slaughter of Elysium and Bring me the Doom.
Stay brutal
Dan

Sacred Serentiy "Enemy In the Clouds"

For some reason, Pennsylvania has a hard time producing a solid metal-core band with potential for more success than just being praised in the local scene. Nate Parker and Pat Scanlon are the brain children behind the new metal act, Sacred Serenity, coming out of Perkasie, Pennsylvania. The band’s seven song debut EP Enemy in the Clouds was recorded and mixed in completely do it yourself fashion. Enemy in the Clouds was recorded in Perkasie at Cancer Studios which vocalist, Pat Scanlon, describes as “an old friends studio that was literally in a barn”, then together Pat and Nate mixed the EP to create a much more solid sound. The combination of free recording and mixing adds up to a surprisingly well put together record, that should be on any metal heads playlist.
Enemy in the Clouds combines hard hitting breakdowns with soft well written melodies to create a sound unique to the underground scene. Nate Parker’s guitar work is exactly what every metal guitarist should be, fast, precise and technical. Fans of lots of melody and what is obviously quick finger work will love this EP. The bass can be a little harder to hear (which is probably due to the lower quality of the final mixes) but when heard, it matches the guitar note for note.
Pat Scanlon’s vocals are both intimidating and jaw dropping. The vocals on the EP range from high to low and have listeners feel the evil of his voice flow through their veins. Lyrically it is one of the most dominating and forceful EPs that can be heard today. For instance, in the song Death in Solitude, the second verse begins with the line “Fuck your infectious ways” making whoever is on the receiving end of that line, aware that they are scum.
My only complaint with the EP is the drumming, although not completely off, it is by no means as tight as the other elements of the EP. This could be because it was recorded by a substitute drummer or something in the mixing process didn’t fall through as it should have. Regardless this is still one of the best metal-core EPs that anyone will find in the scene today.
Enemy in the Clouds will attract all audiences and pulls influences from Whitechapel to All That Remains. It has the heavy breakdowns the hardcore scene, the quick melodies of any melodic death metal band today and even the soft sung choruses of popular metal-core acts such as As I Lay Dying and Trivium.
Sacred Serenity will be entering Lonely RD Recordings in Perkasie at the end of March to record a newer EP which will be titled Divulgence. The band will be playing shows during the summer to promote both EPs and I’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t turn heads. Enemy in the Clouds can be heard in its entirety on the bands myspace,www.myspace.com/sacredserenitypa, where listeners can find a link to download the entire EP.

Eryn Non Dae, Hydria Lernaia

Starting in 2001, French death metal outfit, END. , has been annihilating the European death metal scene leaving no survivors as they showcase their brutality. After going through singer changes in 2004 the band recorded their Debut EP “Never ending Whirl of Confusion” which earned a lot of airtime on France’s premiere metal station LE MOUV. In 2006 the band hit the road and shared the stage with bands such as Gojira, High on Fire and Black Bomb A. Before going into the studio to record their first full length album, they played Hell Fest with Slayer, Neurosis and Machine head. Their Debut Album Hydra Lernaia was put out on Metal Blade Records in the summer of 2009.
The band’s debut full length consists of ambience, death-metal, thrash metal and hardcore all in one. The opening track, “When Time Elapses” provides a general summary of what you’re going to hear in the rest of the album. It opens with what almost sounds like an angelic choir and two seconds later, listeners are taken out of serenity and thrown into a fast thrash driven riff. The song continues into more thrash and death metal and even a little bit of a grind-core is thrown in. Listeners are taken back into the comfort of a melodic, down tempo riff that could best be described as the calm after the storm.
The album demonstrates the musician ship of each member, not one member outshines the other, leaving audiences to be amazed at what they’re hearing. Hydra Lernaia touches all forms of metal and does it so well that it’s almost hard to notice a genre change within the song.
Hydra Lernaia is probably one of the heaviest albums to come out in a very long time. With the scene being taken over by power chord driven screamo, END. , puts more than half of the music industry to shame with the musicianship and heaviness of Hydra Lernaia
There is nothing on the market right now that anyone can compare this band to. They mix a unique blend of hardcore, ambient and death and thrash metal to create a new wave of progressive metal. END. is currently in the pre-production stages of a new full length that will be put out on Metal Blade Records.
The top two songs on the album in my opinion are Blistering Hate and the final track, Pure. Blistering Hate has a much more hardcore feeling to it, with dissonant chords being played after heavy chugs; it will leave listeners with a bang over from listening to it.
The final track on the CD Pure has a much more doom/stoner metal feeling to it that leaves listeners wanting more after listening. It is the perfect cliff hanger and the perfect lead in to the next storm of brutality that, I, personally cannot wait to hear.
END. plays fast, hits hard and leaves absolutely no head staying still. This band will definitely be headed for bigger things than they already have done and have a bright future ahead of them.
END. is currently playing shows throughout France and working on the pre-production stages of their next album. For those interested in END. , their debut full length Hydra Lernaia can be found on itunes and various other online outlets.

How to find this Band
www.myspace.com/END.1freefr


Stay Brutal
Dan

Head Bang For Haiti

So I've had a couple of bands tell me via myspace/facebook that they would be interested in playing the show. After the encouragement I'm deciding that I am going to try to book it. It will probably take place over the summer just because that will be when everyone is most available and when the most people can come out. I am still looking for two more bands ( I want to try to persuade ancestor to headline). So really I'm looking for one more band with the assumption that ancestor will hop on. I'm going to look into some places to where it could be held and I have a few in mind. I should also mention that I myself suck at making any sort of flyer and when all of the bands are on. Right now just about hearing bands that would want to play the current line up is Embedded Within, Slaughter of Elysium and Within the Black. If the members of any of these bands read this and do not want to be associated with the show just kindly tell me and I'll take the name off. I just heard from either some one in your band or someone close to your band that you guys would play.
Like I said summer, Brutality, Charity...It's gonna be sweet.
Stay Brutal
Dan

What Do Fall Out Boy, Anthrax and Every Time I Die have in common?

The Damned Things is what. After what is expected to be an indefinite hiatus from Fall Out Boy, drummer Andy Hurley and Lead Guitarist Joe Trohman will be teaming up with Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano (guitars) as well as Keith Buckley (vocals) and bass player David Karon of Every Time I Die. according to sources the band was created in October of 2008 but kept secret for the past two year and a half.

The Band appprantly has 15 songs and will be going into a studio sometime in the near future to record a sound that I don't even know if I'm ready for.

I'm intrested to see what this band will bring to the stage. I have heard that Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman are metal heads and have played in some hardcore bands before settling into pop-punk. As far as the rest of the line up goes, Keith Buckley does have the thrash/hardcore voice that the two seasoned guitarist of Anthrax are use to playing behind.

For more on this band you can read rolling stone (this is where I got the bulk of what you're reading)
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/11/25/fall-out-boy-anthrax-members-unite-in-the-damned-things/

If you want you can look at the bands bleak and non informative myspace for absolutly no information
http://www.myspace.com/thedamnedthings

Thats all for now, as more information comes up I'll be sure to post it.
note the new art above which was done very well by Richie Pickwell of Embedded Within (www.myspace.com/embeddedwithinew)

Stay Brutal

From The Ashes

From The Ashes Review

Born out of the rubble of many different bands Syracuse, New York, From The Ashes have built and rebuilt their sound from an almost strictly metalcore band to a much more mature sound that will have listeners creating circle pits in the privacy of their own homes. Starting from a series of metal jam bands, From The Ashes solidified their lineup after their debut tour in 2009. Since then they put out a six song EP titled “Perdition” and have another four song EP coming out in February which will be titled “In A Dead World”. The band’s latest project has attracted the attention of some major label bands such as Chimera. The band recorded this EP with guitarist Mike Hatalak of it dies today who has been showing it off to major labels. The band plans on changing their name as well as other things although we’ll have to wait until the end of January/beginning of February to see these changes. All I can say is that they will be for the better and add a much more professional air to the band.

“In a Dead World” shows a lot of growth in the band when comparing it to their first EP “Perdition” which sounds more like something that As I lay dying made with its clean vocal choruses. "In A Dead World"displays a much more aggressive sound than the bands debut effort. Starting off “In a Dead World” is the cleverly titled track “intro” which leads off the EP with hard hitting double bass (compliments to drummer Kory) and samples the two guitarists (Scott and Greg) working well together on a slower paced two part guitar harmony. The only problem with the song is that it is not long enough and will have listeners begging From The Ashes to create a full song out of this short yet catchy intro.

After the slower introduction to the EP comes the hard hitting thrash influenced song “Chasing Ghost” where bass, guitar, drums and vocals all come together to create a sound reminiscent of Unearth and As I Lay Dying. Vocalist Anthony combines lows and highs to make sure the faster parts of the song are emphasized and keeps a mid-range tone so that every word in the breakdowns are heard. The song goes back and forth between fast and slow, thrash and breakdown to satisfy ears to all genres.

Next up is the song “Means and Ends”, the first ten seconds of the song will remind As I lay Dying fans of a more palm muted version of the song “Within Destruction” off of their 2007 release “An Ocean Between Us”. The rest of the song plays to a faster two step riff that will please fans that enjoy an older style of hardcore. The song ends in a breakdown in the style of Hatebreed in which the words “You will be judged!” is screamed repeatedly pushing fear in the hearts of listeners and having them beg for more.

As all great things start, they must also come to an end. Fortunately From The Ashes put forth their best effort for the last song of the EP. “We Will not Surrender” begins with a complicated drum fill which leads into a guitar intro which goes a melodic two step riff. Epic, is the best word to describe this song. The listener will feel the energy of a general refusing to lose through bass, drums, and guitars alone. “We Will Not Surrender” shows that this band will not give up and continue to play with their hearts until they stop beating.

From The Ashes will release “In a Dead World” at their show with Reign Supreme, Mother Of Mercy, Unearth and many more at the tenth anniversary of Syracuse shows, in Syracuse, New York. The band has tickets that they are selling for 13 dollars if you message their myspace (listed below).

In an online interview with their drummer Kory, it was confessed that the band will be making some big changes including a new name which should be exposed within the next month. From The Ashes signed a distribution deal and the EP will eventually be available on Itunes, Amazon, Napster and Shockhound shortly.

From The Ashes put a breath of fresh air into a genre quickly being taken over by guitarist who can only play breakdowns and power chords and drummers who have only a double bass pedal and a china cymbal. Luckily for those of us who enjoy metalcore, we will have a band whose CD shows creativity and hard effort.

You can find this band at…
http://www.twitter.com/fromtheashes315
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/From-The-Ashes/126039263782
www.purevolume.com/fromtheashes315
http://www.youtube.com/user/FromTheAshesTV

Best two songs on the EP
We Will Not Surrender
Chasing Ghost

Stay Brutal
Dan

Spare Not The Villagers

In a scene where few bands rise out of the pit and onto the stage, Spare Not the Villagers not only rises onto the stage but break it down with their brutality. Forming in 2009, Spare Not the Villagers came together through mutual friends and a classified ad on MySpace. Since then the band hit the ground running releasing a three song EP in August of 2009 titled “Our Perception Has Left You Disfigured” which showcases the bands unique style of deathcore mixed with trash and semi-progressive death metal. As with all deathcore bands you can expect to hear breakdowns but these break downs are not the typical two chugged open notes on the lower guitar strings Guitarist Warren Welch and drummer Clark Mitchell set the complex time signatures and unique beats to create so much more than the typical breakdown hardcore. Bassist Matthew Wiatrowski doesn’t miss a single note and uses his rough distorted bass tone to help the band avoid one more member but still keeping the rhythm section sounding as full as it would with two guitarists. The vocals range from lows to high to even talking in between that sounds like your listening to someone who is about to stick a knife in your heart.

Spare not the Villagers are set to release a six song EP later this month off of BRKEN MIRRR Records that will leave listeners wanting for more. Guitarist Warren Welch stated that the band “had enough songs for a full length, but decided we'd rather drop some of the weaker songs and put out a really solid EP instead of a spacey full length” so you know that this band only puts in the best of what they have. The EP starts off with an epic build up song titled “Tu Amor Es Muerte” (Your Death is my Love). The song builds up into one of the most epic battle breakdowns that have ever been recorded. The opening song best represents the EP although the songs vary in speed and technicality. The third song “Jesus Died in Vain” shows off how even speaking during a song can be one of the most brutal and scariest kinds of vocals that anyone will ever hear. This is by far one of the best independent label debuts of 2010 and is worth every cent paid. A little bit more hardcore than the big names in deathcore such as Whitechapel and Despised Icon, but Spare not the Villagers will have fans of both the death/thrash metal and the hardcore genres.

The top two songs on the EP in my opinion are “Tu Amor Es Muerte” and the title track “Present this at your wake”. Both songs build the listener up wanting to tear their hair out with anticipation. Both songs in my opinion show the true colors of this band which is a heavy slow deathcore band prepared to literally rip your heart out.

This is the first major release from Spare Not the Villagers and it most certainly will not be there last. Spare not the Villagers can be compared to the technical death metal riffs of Whitechapel and Darkest hour with the breakdowns of other deathcore veterans such as Oceano and Martyr AD. The band is a perfect example of the 21^st century of new wave deathcore. After being a band for only one year the band signed to newly founded Pittsburgh record label BRKEN MIRRR Records and plans on touring the east cost for a week this April. Already opening at the Thrash and Burn Festival over the summer, the band has raised heads opening for some big names that are not limited to but include Veil of Maya, Oceano, Despised Icon and Devil Driver. This band is going places without a doubt; it is all just a matter of time before they are headlining national tours. “Present This at Your Wake” is only a small taste of what the band has to offer; unfortunately we’ll have to wait for a full length to experience the full effect of their brutality. Even with the wait “Present this at your wake” will be sure to fly off shelves and have MP3 venues for music begging the band for more to sell.

You’ll like this band if you listen to…
Suicide Silence, Oceano, Martyr AD, Darkest Hour, Inflames, Whitechapel and A Different Breed of Killer.

Best Two Songs on the EP…
“Present This at your Wake” and “Tu Amor es Muerte”

You can find this band at…
www.myspace.com/sparenotthevillagers
www.myspace.com/brkenmirrrrecords

www.sparenotthevillagers.com

I truly had a wonderful time interviewing, listening and writing for this band and they are one of the few straight deathcore bands that rise above the others and will make a name for them in the near future. Make sure you listen to them and go to a show when they come within 20 miles of you.

Stay Brutal
Dan