I am a 23-year old physics graduate of Bethel University in Minnesota. The first day of freshman year, my friend Elizabeth gave me the nickname "Thor." It caught on, and many people to this day still refer to me as Thor, even some of my former professors. Some people hate nicknames, I chose to embrace it. Ever since I can remember, I've had an undying love and passion for music, and this blog is where I go to talk about it. I play guitar and sing in the band Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: album review, memphis may fire, music, rise records, the hollow
Memphis May Fire - The Hollow
Album: The Hollow
Band: Memphis May Fire
Label: Rise Records
Review:
Memphis May Fire has flown under the radar for far too long. They caught my attention when my former housemate told me to check out their debut full-length album Sleepwalking. I was drawn in to their southern seasoned brand of hardcore that they mixed tastefully with clean vocals and infectious melodies. I thoroughly enjoyed their melodic sensibilities and the fury they could load into their breakdowns. Sleepwalking became one of my favorite albums.
News came shortly after they released their Between the Lies EP that they had signed to Rise Records, which led many to assume they would be sure to assimilate into the cut-and-dry, expansive, and increasingly unoriginal genre some are calling “chug-chug-core” that is inundating Rise at the moment. I firmly held to the belief that they would manage to keep a unique sound even under the influence of the conformity present in Rise at the moment. MMF released a preview of their Rise-debut album The Hollow, and while I could see how other people could accuse them of “selling out” or “conforming” because they lost their signature southern sound, people need to listen more in depth and not dismiss them at face-value.
The band released the first single/first track of the album entitled “The Sinner” and I immediately knew they were on to something. In one fell swoop, vocalist Matty Mullins usurped the top spot in the hardcore vocalist genre, and what really sets him apart is his versatility. His clean vocals rival the likes of the now-defunct Jonny Craig while his screams pack in an extreme sense of urgency, fervor, and emotion ranging from pure unabridged anger to pleading desperation. I originally thought the clean and screaming vocals were done by two different people, but now that I know Mullins does both, my respect for him has grown exponentially. Beyond the impeccable vocals, the instrumentation shines as well, and not just the guitars, drums, and bass. Yes, the guitar tone is nearly perfect, and the chugging breakdowns synchronize perfectly across the board in as good and tight of production I’ve heard in a while, what piqued my interest and sets MMF apart in a crowded genre is how they use the instrumentation beyond the core instruments. The orchestration is exceptional, with strings, synths, piano, tubular bells, glockenspiels, electronic and glitch drums, and thick pads and luscious choirs filling out the sound beautifully. I imagine fans of Woe, Is Me would find a lot to like in The Hollow, but that isn’t to say the bands are carbon copies of each other. Far from it.
There are several standout track on this album. The first truly standout track for me is “The Abandoned.” The use of organ at the beginning of the track is extremely clever, and the subsequent chugs layered over the arpeggiating guitar and fervent screams leads into an addictive chorus that ranks among the best on the album. Mullins belts out an addictive melody before the song reverts to the breakdowns and arpeggios again. Front to back, the song is one of the strongest on the album.
“The Burden” is an interlude, but it’s a proper interlude. A lot of people will probably pass over it, which is a shame. Most interludes you’ll find these days are a minute and a half, maybe two minutes tops. This track is a full-featured 3:17. It showcases exceptional programming abilities and tasteful, haunting piano. The background of the track sounds like a recorded fight between a couple, and the random explosions of emotion you can make out actually add to the track, with numerous shouts of “I DON’T CARE!” and pleas of “I’m doing the best I can, what do you want from me?” It gives an emotional charge, which is amplified by the somber instrumental track. The orchestration shines here again, with full strings and choir layered over the electronics to finish a lush canvas of sound. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed “Vaulted Ceilings” from their last EP, I found a lot to like in this track too.
The last three tracks are all home runs. ”The Haunted” tells a story of betrayal and pain caused in a vindictive relationship where Mullins expresses his regret for ever giving the other person the time of day, hoping he can forget everything about the mistakes that were made. The song features one of the best breakdowns on the album, which hits after an energetic build into a “bombs away” synth track. Mullins roars “I SAW RIGHT THROUGH YOU! YOUR INTENTIONS WERE POISON!” I get goosebumps every time it hits.
“The Reality” shines in its instrumentation again. It is one of the more hard rock-leaning songs on the album, and some traditional MMF lead-lines come through in the guitars. There are certainly heavy sections as well, complete with bass-bombs that are ever so prevalent throughout the album, but I’m most addicted to the guitars and orchestral and choir backing present in the instrumental section around 4:14. The sound is so thick and full.
“The Redeemed” is appropriately the most hopeful track on the album, and it makes sense that it’s the closer as it wraps everything together nicely. Another feature about it that I am fond of: it’s 6:32 long. I like the fact that the shortest track you find on the album is the aforementioned 3:17 in the interlude, and the album average is over four minutes. MMF doesn’t rush their execution, as so many bands seem to these days, capping their songs at 3:30 and often holding them under three minutes. Mullins reminds that “these bones are only temporary” and that “you’re on your own but not alone. You’ll never be alone.” The bridge that leads to the outro is another moment that rises on this album, with exceptional harmonies and layering in the vocals. It is a great finisher for a spectacular album.
The album features track after track of high-energy expositions laden with passion, anger, honesty, regret, exasperation, and ultimately hope. It is one of the most volatile, vicious, yet overwhelmingly spiritual albums I have ever heard. Memphis May Fire is not afraid to sing about mistakes, loss of hope, desire for revenge, words of warning, and ultimately the faith they have in Jesus Christ that holds everything together in a world where things seem made to fall apart. There is so much earnest emotion filling each track that you could never suggest they’re faking it. I have to say, I wasn’t sure they would dethrone Emery’s We Do What We Want for album of the year 2011, but they’ve taken the throne with authority. The Hollow is a grand slam and will hopefully solidify Memphis May Fire as one of the unique, original elite in a crowded, overdone, tiring genre.
The Verdict:
6 out of 5 stars
I haven’t given this obnoxious of rating since Emery’s …In Shallow Seas We Sail, but I insist that this album deserves the superfluous star. It is seriously near perfect and I pity anyone who doesn’t give it a listen and a purchase.
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: album review, emery, music, we do what we want
Emery - We Do What We Want
Album: We Do What We Want
Band: Emery
Label: Tooth & Nail/SolidState
Review:
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried in the slightest when Seattle-based post-hardcore outfit Emery announced that their two-headed vocal monster was being pared down following the departure of former lead singer/guitarist/bassist Devin Shelton. If I’m honest, it put me at great unease. One of the things that originally drew me to Emery (and The Receiving End of Sirens for that matter) was the lead-singer-by-committee approach. As far as I’m concerned, if a band has vocal depth two or three members deep, they should utilize it, and Emery and TREOS always had. But then TREOS broke up and broke my heart. And now word had it Devin was leaving Emery on an “indefinite hiatus.” My heart sunk. I didn’t know what would happen. Toby Morelle has always been a very competent vocalist, but his raw passion and edge were always wonderfully balanced out by Devin’s velvety vocals, and I wasn’t sure how their music would be affected.
I’ve been a huge fan of Emery for a good seven years, since their explosive debut The Weak’s End. Heck, my band, The Poor and the Prevalent, is named after an Emery song. I watched Emery transition with minor lineup changes into something a little more mainstream friendly when they debuted 2006′s The Question, which was a little more traditional in song structure and a generally more approachable album, yet remained Emery through and through. I listened as they transitioned toward something a little more rock-and-roll with their third release I’m Only A Man, which I thoroughly enjoyed although most Emery fans consider it the band’s weakest album. In 2008 and 2009 I witnessed them take a witch’s brew of all the best parts of each of their first three CDs and forge it into what I consider their strongest EP/CD duo to date, When Broken Hearts Prevail and …In Shallow Seas We Sail. If you’ve read my blog in the past you might remember the dazzling review I gave ISSWS. Then this year, news came about their recording a new album and how it was going to be their “heaviest album yet” and I smiled with excitement. They revealed the above album art, which I’m sure will upturn a few eyebrows. They said the art as a dual meaning: they, as a band, do what they want musically (I assume they’re talking about the heavier turn), and secondly, how we do what we want in life; we become the gods of our worlds, which is scary. Midway through advertising the release, they announced they had signed on with Tooth & Nail’s sister label, metalcore/hardcore heavy SolidState, and would release the album through both labels, reaching a greater audience. They didn’t announce Devin’s departure until the album was already done recording, so no one really knew if he’d be on the new album. I hoped and prayed he was. Sadly, he wasn’t…
And then they unveiled “The Cheval Glass”…
When the song started, I almost did a double take. This is EMERY? It had been awhile since I had heard Toby scream this much. And then partway through the intro he screams the words “REPETITION!” in what could be an homage to Zao. The scalding screams caught me by surprise, and through the intro I hoped the band wasn’t slipping into the hardcore abyss that is so oversaturated with recycled drivel these days. My fears were soon put to rest when the verse came in and it was traditional Emery again. Sure, they were significantly heavier than they used to be, but it was definitely still Emery.
The second track on the album, entitled “Scissors,” kicks off in a flurry of double pedal kick, dissonant guitars, and more screams from Morelle. The verse kicks in and again it’s back to good old Emery, albeit with a heavier undertone and intermittent breakdowns. Guitarist Matt Carter shows off some fine technical playing after Morelle warns “and here comes the breakdown…” The guitar work throughout the song is superb and sets the mood. What really amazed me is how much of The Weak’s End I could hear in the guitars and synths, a pattern surprisingly evident in the rest of the album. The outro of the song reminds me of the band’s cover of “I Need A Hero” from the Punk Goes ’80s compilation album.
“The Anchors” kicks off as the third track and gets shifty with the beat as the band switches back and forth between a 4/4 and 6/8 feel. The most evident thing missing from old Emery is simultaneous dual vocal lines which occasionally show up when Toby overdubs himself. It does the trick, but I miss Shelton’s contrasting voice. The breakdown comes a little before halfway through the song, laden with double-pedal and an interesting amount of attention to the bell of the ride cymbal, which I found unique and entertaining. The bridge hits and breaks it down in a way that feels very Weak’s End, before Toby’s vocoded vocals come in and hypnotize the listener. The song reverts back to the chorus and ends tastefully.
The fourth track, “The Curse of Perfect Days,” I have written about before. But that edition was a radio-ready version (i.e. no screaming). The album version starts out quietly before jumping back into the fracas. The screaming brings more edge and energy to the song than was evident before. I find something about the mood of this song to be profoundly sad, and at a recent concert I attended, Morelle shared that he wrote this song after having recurring dreams about the death of his wife. It’s amazing, Emery’s ability to fuse what sounds like such upbeat music with such a somber feel. I’d almost say it’s one of the saddest happy songs I’ve heard… or happiest sad songs. It’s something they’ve done in the past that they have a knack for: coupling biting or maudlin lyrics with peppy, major, upbeat music.
“You Wanted It” is far and away my favorite song on the album. When they played it live, I was taken aback at the start of the song. It was almost vicious! That level of energy isn’t quite captured on the album, as expected, but the beginning certainly packs a punch. The singing that starts after the screams is quintessential Emery again, and I can hear it being even better if it had been Devin trading the call-and-response with Toby. The music cuts out into a compressed drum and bass section with reverbed vocals leading into a short breakdown that could have been lifted right out of I’m Only A Man. The chorus has, in my opinion, the catchiest melody on the album, paired with an infectiously addictive synth line that sticks stubbornly in my head all day. More IOAM influence comes at the end of the second verse, when we hear Toby let loose on the vocals, passionately crying “you’re hurt because it wasn’t about you” that seethes with frustration and exasperation. The song almost feels like a surrender, giving someone what they insist of having, even though you know it’s bad for them, and it’s somehow evident not only in the lyrics, but in the music itself. The instruments carry such sorrow while masquerading as being uplifting. The waltz in the bridge is one of the few sections that feature the dual-vocal parts and does it exceptionally well. The bass and the vocals help build the tension which yields to Toby yelling, in very I’m Only A Man fashion, “I was washed in the blood, I was born of a spirit, but I drowned…” which explodes in a searing breakdown that leads to the final chorus and the song ends strong.
The sixth track, “I’m Not Here For Rage, I’m Here For Revenge (Not Your Hook Up)” [that's a mouthful] portrays a wonderful dichotomy between heavy and light. The intro is as heavy a moment as you’ll find on the album, but it abruptly fades into airy guitar, and another dual-vocal part is built on synchronized guitar/double kick pedal that is as tightly produced as can be. Speaking of produced, guitarist Matt Carter did most of the producing on this album, and I must say it sounds like he’s going to be a big name in the industry very soon. The rest of the song carries on in familiar fashion, quite reminiscent to ISSWS paired with TWE. The bridge comes in and it sounds quite different from a lot of the stuff Emery’s done in the past. The outro features a fantastic guitar solo by Carter, who flexes some chops in harmonized parts.
“Daddy’s Little Peach” is a peculiar track. It’s very different from the rest of the album. Borrowing a drumbeat from The Classic Crime’s latest album, and mixing it with scratchy electric piano and meandering vocals, the track is fairly minimalistic until the chorus. When it hits, heated guitars mix with sawtoothed synths and the band flip-flops between heavy and soft as Morelle complains “when will I be old enough to do as I please?” The lyrics of the song are very pointed and biting, calling out a girl who’s using all the tricks and living dangerously. The bridge section reminds me of I’m Only A Man again. The song almost seems to be mocking, as Morelle sings “and all of it just to sit with some wannabes and counterfeits, how respectable… how respectable…” He then suggests “let’s turn the lights on” and reveal her for what she really is, reacting with a vicious scream, which gets the point across rather well.
“Addicted to Bad Decisions” has a feel reminiscent of “The Terrible Secret” from The Question mixed with a When Broken Hearts Prevail… influence. It’s very uptempo, with rapidly sung lyrics. The song never really slows down, although the band uses switches to 6/8 to give the feel of it drawing out. The song keeps jumping from one part to the next; there’s very little downtime. The song has a frantic, desperate feel to it and never really lets up until the abrupt conclusion.
The last two tracks are so starkly different from the thunderous first eight in that they’re acoustic, reflective tracks. ”I Never Got to See the West Coast” tells the story of a kid contemplating suicide. It’s hauntingly sorrowful, diligently honest, and more clever than it might sound at first listen. Anyone who has struggled with depression or suicidal thoughts will probably be affected by this track and be able to relate on a deep level. There is redemption near the end of the song as Morelle sings relating to the individual: “but it’s the life I dreamed I’d have, the love I’d find in my grasp, the words I could share with someone… those thoughts keep the breath in my lungs, that tomorrow my hope will become fulfilled by Your love that can’t be undone, and save a wretch like me…” and shares that he feels the same way at times, but that one day they should go see the west coast. It’s a pretty uplifting ending to a melancholy track.
“Fix Me” closes the album as what could almost be a worship song. Morelle cries out for Jesus to “fix me, can you fix me? I’ve been waiting so long to feel this heartbeat…” The song is clever in contrast to the other tracks that felt so upbeat but were actually quite somber, because it feels so sad but has this uplifting, positive hope in it. It’s a good note to end the album on.
Overall, the album is as advertised: it is definitely Emery’s heaviest release to date. But it does not suffer from this, as some would think. It uses the heavy-light dichotomy deftly and maintains the Emery pedigree, even though one half of the vocal-monster is missing. The album is laced with passion, blunt and honest lyrics, infectious melodies, and blazing breakdowns. I do feel like it would have been made even better with Devin still a part of the band, but I don’t feel like his absence hurt the band at all. What I mean is that there wasn’t any real drop-off with Devin leaving, but I think the album would have been the best they’ve done had Devin still been in the lineup. That isn’t to say I don’t love the album. I truly do. I’m extremely impressed with what they’ve pulled off, gradually going from a sextet to a quartet, while losing one of their lead vocalists and writers, and maintaining their sound’s integrity. It isn’t an easy feat and they deserve recognition for it. For now, I still think …In Shallow Seas We Sail is the best album Emery has done (heck I have it 6 out of 5 stars…), but We Do What We Want is certainly one of the band’s stronger releases, and I believe it deserves each star I’ve awarded it.
Verdict:
5 out of 5 stars
Buy it when it comes out this Tuesday, March 29th. I’ll be anxiously awaiting my pre-order bundle in the mail. Check out the band’s website, Facebook, and MySpace pages for more!
EDIT: I just downloaded the bonus track “Crumbling” from the deluxe edition of We Do What We Want. It still has Devin on it, and it absolutely blows my mind. Makes me more than a little sad that he isn’t on the rest of the album, because it is just that good!
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: album review, Disambiguation, disambiguation review, music, Underoath, underoath review
Underoath - Ø (Disambiguation)
Album: Ø (Disambiguation)
Band: Underoath
Label: Tooth & Nail/Solid State Records
***
disambiguation - clarification that follows from the removal of doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention
***
I’ve been a fan of Underoath since their album They’re Only Chasing Safety and my affection for the band’s music increased with their next release, Define the Great Line which saw a turn to a heavier, darker sound than TOCS. Define the Great Line remains as one of my favorite albums all time, and I have followed Underoath closely ever since. Underoath sent shock waves through the post-hardcore music scene when they announced they were parting ways with their last remaining founding member, drummer/singer Aaron Gillespie. Many fans were unsure how Underoath would cope without one half of their vocal team and very capable drummer. To fill the void left by Gillespie, UO brought in drummer Daniel Davison, formerly of Norma Jean, and screamer Spencer Chamberlain was given full vocal duties. Prior to this record, I hadn’t heard Chamberlain sing much. Just a few parts on their last album, Lost in the Sound of Separation, which proved that he indeed could sing. If he could carry the torch as lead singer was yet to be seen. His ability to bellow out a wide range of screaming vocals was never in question. Naturally, I was interested to hear the new sound, to hear Davison’s chops since he left Norma Jean, and to hear how Chamberlain would handle full vocal responsibility.
The album kicks off with “In Division,” and right away, Chamberlain’s guttural screams are prevalent as ever. Within a minute, he gives us a taste of his singing, which isn’t as crystal clear as Gillespie’s, but certainly edgier and less “emo.” With the chorus, more evidence of his singing prowess as he belts “living inside a hole, they put me underground where they could never find me unless they dig me out.” I must say that I am quite impressed with his range and command. Ominous beefy guitar tones from arguably my favorite guitarist, Timothy McTague, dominate the musical landscape, and drop B has given them a dark and thick sound.
The next song “Catch Myself Catching Myself” is a 6/8 number with a good rhythm, and that familiar UO feel to the verse. Chamberlain again breaks into singing on the chorus as he cries “I want to watch them burn it down so I can breathe again.” The song addresses inner turmoil and fighting with your own mind while you fend off those attacking you. The outro is crushing as Chamberlain screams “oh inside of my head, where they thought they would win, but I got them right where I want them.”
“Paper Lung” begins with a distant conversation and instantly reminds me of Norma Jean’s album Meridional. When asked his biggest musical influence, Davison answers the Deftones, and that influence is certainly evident here. The entire song has a real Deftones vibe, with heavy guitars, but a drawn out, mournful melody lamenting “it’s too late to pry away…” The lyrics of the song seem to talk about someone who is becoming fixated on something unhealthy and the singer is mourning that he didn’t act sooner to try to pull the person away from what’s destroying them. The song is the hidden gem on this album. It sounds so different than most of UO’s prior work, and the Deftones influence is executed tastefully. The lush texture and sadness of the track is what really pulls me into it. There are many vocal layers and the guitars blend wonderfully. One thing noticeable is that until the last minute or so there is no screaming in the song, and Chamberlain lays to rest all doubts I had of him being able to carry the vocal load. The song ends in a surrender, with Chamberlain screaming “It’s too late to pry you away from the undertow, I watch it take you then I walk away…” This track shines out among the rest, which is really saying something considering the quality of the album.
The following track is “Illuminator,” which, if I’m honest, is a very familiar, typical Underoath song. It has a lot of the same intensity and beat as some tracks from Lost in the Sound of Separation, with the real notable difference being Chamberlain’s vocals instead of Gillespie’s. It’s not a bad track and the chorus is certainly catchy and has a spooky vibe.
“Driftwood” is a very different track for Underoath. It is to Ø what “The Blue Note” was to TOCS. It has a very electronic feel, starting with a helicopter-like chopping noise. Reverb-laden drums enter as Chamberlain sings “what a sad, sad picture to paint, of a dirty, dirty little soul… we are so blind here… won’t you watch us all fall apart…” I would be interested to hear if the guys in Underoath listen to The Receiving End of Sirens, because this track reminds me A LOT of their masterpiece The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi, one of the best albums ever written. ”Driftwood” reminds me a lot of bonus track “Weight/Wait” from TESMFM, with very similar bass and vocal styles and overall rhythm. As a fan of TREOS, I like this song a lot.
The next song, “A Divine Eradication” is probably the heaviest song on the album. It starts with thunder and doesn’t relent until it has your attention, and then unexpectedly breaks into a clean vocal line over rapidly rolling toms. Underoath’s knack for off-beat guitar lines is everywhere, and Davison’s history give this song a very Norma Jean feel.
The next track, “Who Will Guard the Guardians,” starts with a bang. There is a dominant guitar note that rings repeatedly like a bell tower that gives the track a looming feel. The middle of the song has a vamping section where watery backup vocals continuously build as Chamberlain distantly yells a rally cry to the abandoned. Given that this album was produced by Matt Goldman, who just recently worked with Oceana on their Clean Head EP, I had to smile a bit at the section repeatedly following the rally cry, as it evokes comparison to the off-meter vocal style of Clean Head, and Chamberlain even says “I swear it’s worth saving us, we pray for the sun to dry us up, I need a clearer head to see what we’re worth, there’s still life left down here to revolt, oh I know what it looks like from there, a loss of control to this place and we’re set to extinct.” I don’t know if this is a nod to Oceana or not, but as a fan of Oceana, I appreciated it. This calm section promptly ends with Chamberlain’s roar “REVOLT! REVOLT! WE STOOD BY DEFEAT FOR SO LONG!” bringing the song to an intense conclusion.
“Reversal” is another song like “Driftwood,” with predominantly electronic themes and sinister synth echoes joined by overdriven drum and bass. The song slips into a chaotic cacophony as a cry of “Deviate my life!” from Chamberlain emerges.
The chaos subsides as rapid tom and bass drum kicks off “Vacant Mouth,” a high octane track that again recalls Lost in the Sound of Separation, particularly the intensity of the track “The Only Survivor Was Miraculously Unharmed.” Chamberlain belts “This is what it feels like, this is disintegration, this is what it feels like, this is isolation!” For Underoath fans, this song should be mostly familiar territory.
“My Deteriorating Incline” will probably push “A Divine Eradication” for heaviest song on the album, and it certainly feels very Norma Jean, especially during it’s clashing 6/8 breakdown. It hearkens back to speed punk-metal, and contrasts nicely with its neighboring tracks.
The closing track is fittingly entitled “In Completion” and starts with a pad build that sounds almost like a soundtrack. Excellently mixed drums lead in with a fill and instantly I can feel the Deftones vibe returning, especially when Chamberlain begins singing. As the chorus kicks off, I was literally stunned with how high Chamberlain goes on his line “tonight I fail, but I never wanted to let you drown without me… tonight we are the only ones to watch it fall apart…” All of the sudden I feel the song “Falling From the Sky: Day Seven” by Norma Jean had to influence the section where Chamberlain sings “We fall deeper into the ground, this night’s never looked so hollow. I wanted to share this with you. I’ll wait ’til it opens up again, sit here ’til the water reaches our necks, finally get to watch them wash away my name.” The song then breaks into silence, except for a synth drone, and a vicious breakdown explodes where Chamberlain roars “Open your lungs, follow me down! Open your lungs, follow me down! I set this off, keep swimming, keep swimming, Oh God I am emptier than you!” The song then comes down in intensity as the drum beat keeps dissolving into less and less and the song slowly dies out as a fitting end to the album.
Overall, Ø (Disambiguation) lived up to it’s name. Wherever there was doubt or uncertainty, the band has put it to rest with this masterful piece of work. Underoath is alive and well, and the fact that they have no remaining original members is not going to hinder their progress to the elite in the post-hardcore scene. Ø has leapfrogged Chiodos’s album Illuminaudio as front-runner of my list for the top album of 2010. Yes, it is that good, and you would be doing yourself a disservice by not listening to it. I know there’s a lot of people who don’t like Underoath because they’re too popular for them to like, or are getting too mainstream because they’re so well known. Well, to those people who won’t listen to this album, it’s truly your loss. Discriminating against a band on those grounds is foolish, unless we’re talking about pop music, which is all garbage. Ø (Disambiguation) is the opposite of garbage. It is a huge step forward for a band that could have taken a huge step backward. It is the result of what happens when you stare uncertainty in the face and give it hell. It has been refined in the fires of adversity, and has emerged a masterfully forged work of art. Truly, a masterpiece.
Verdict
6 out of 5 stars
I haven’t given a 6 out of 5 since Emery’s …In Shallow Seas We Sail, and I don’t know if I ever will again, but this album is really that good. Do yourself and those around you who ever hear you listening to music a favor and purchase this when it is released on November 9th.
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: abortion, album review, birtheater, haunting, music, oceana
I haven’t posted a blog in a long, long time, but I was shown an album today that really caught my ear. Upon listening to it and reading the lyrics and realizing what it’s about, I found it to be probably the most haunting album I’ve ever listened to.
Oceana - BirthEater
The album is called BirthEater by the band Oceana, and it is a concept album on the topic of abortion. First off, the music itself is fantastic, an ambient melodic hardcore blend that reminds me of The Receiving End of Sirens mixed with Of Machines, but a bit heavier. It’s right up my musical alley, with heavy breakdown sections, but an underlying commitment to melody and the vocals are top notch. Every now and then, an album is released that catches me in such a way that listening to it goes much further than passive absorption of music and lyrics. Certain albums speak to more than that and have a message that opens eyes and exposes things that you might not want to think about. In the last days of 2009, I went to the Onething conference hosted by the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, MO. At the conference, I heard Lou Engle speak on the topic of abortion and the inherent and powerful evil that saturates it through and through and it hit me hard. I have always been pro-life, but I could understand a woman getting an abortion in the case of rape or something similar. That changed after Onething. I came to the realization that shedding the innocent blood of our own children is never acceptable. Not in any circumstance. People will argue that a fetus is not human. Planned Parenthood, one of the most evil organizations in the world, in their counseling sessions reassure pregnant women considering abortions that what they carry within them is “not a baby.” People will argue that life doesn’t begin at conception, but that it begins and some late trimester of the pregnancy or at the moment of birth. I want those people to explain how the blood of a baby in the womb, the blood flowing within a fetus, is any different than the blood of a baby who has just been born. What is it that makes a fetus inhuman? There is nothing. A human fetus is human life. These lives are taken in the name of choice. They claim a woman should have the choice to make health decisions in her own body. I think a woman has that right, up to the point that it infringes on life. Just because the child is growing within the woman does not give her the authority to decide if it lives or dies. At the point of conception, it becomes alive, it becomes life, and law forbids us to shed innocent blood. Law forbids murder. How people can claim that killing a fetus is different that killing a late-term baby or a newborn is beyond me. I think this can be argued outside of religion, but Christianity does oppose it fiercely. BirthEater confronts the wordly stance on abortion and gives insight on abortion from a spiritual warfare perspective and from the perspective of the unborn child. ”The Family Disease” is a track from the perspective of an unborn son, and the title is examining how we seem to wish to exterminate the “family disease.” The fact that people can view their offspring in the womb as diseased or cancerous tissue that needs to be removed is something so intrinsically morbid and terrifying when you sit and comprehend it. People decide to exterminate their own sons and daughters because they view them as an illness; an inconvenience. ”Dead Speaker” is a song sung from the voice of an aborted child, wondering why his mother never wanted him and had him extracted. The mother pipes in saying “something didn’t want you to live in me, my body rejected you and you don’t belong to me.” This is a mother to her child, refusing the truth that her child deserved to live. ”Mother Love” can be a hard song to listen to because it addresses the regrets of abortion. A father cries out “oh my son, why did you leave me? Where did you run, my son? Why did you leave me?” in pain that the mother decided to have the child aborted. ”The Abortion Plan” is one of the most heart-wrenching songs on the album, again from the voice of the aborted child, singing about how he grows right next to his mother’s heart, yet she counts down the days until she gets to remove him from inside her. The child laments about how his mother didn’t want him, though he had a fresh life, fresh “like the mind of an infant” full of possibilities. A life that was ended. The spiritual side is brought in, as the child cries of how it never felt uglier than when its dead body was held up by legs and shaken by the devil himself, the one who celebrates at every abortion carried out. Ending the album is a track called “Devil Walk, God Walk (Heaven Walk, Hell Walk)” which is truly haunting. It really strikes at the spiritual weight of the decision to have an abortion. People are turning to the devil to come within them and deliver them from their failures. A profound line is that “there’s no life worth living our children will leave” meaning that on their own accord, the children would choose life. But instead “we’ll separate the family disease we’ll create. If we’re dead we’ll believe.” The song really strikes on how people view an unwanted child as a disease that needs to be removed for the safety of the mother. The lyrics are hard to read, and terrifying, when they speak of how people hand their children over to demons to behead them, kill them, burn them. ”We’ll be left seedless men.” The aborted children are born into death. The song ends with the almost triumphant line “All of our sons and our daughters are dead, and the birth that we stole! Eater grows old!” The album uses the term “eater” to signify the adults who consume and end up living long and comfortable convenient lives after having exterminated their disease. All in all, the album simply haunts me. It makes me aware of the horror of what people are capable of doing without flinching. The absolute moral void that is present that enables an individual to kill their own child to make their own life easier or more convenient. It’s an incredibly selfish and immature move. It’s a way to escape the consequences of a bad decision. No one wants to live with consequences, but people don’t realize that consequences are there for a reason. If there were no consequences, there would be no learning and people would be as depraved as ever. And to those who became pregnant through rape, that is one of the most horrible things that can happen to a woman and it breaks my heart to think of the kind of mental, emotional, and physical damage that must cause. I will never understand it firsthand. However, a life is a life. An innocent life. And life trumps everything else. The sanctity of life overrules all. The Bible says that those who shed the blood of the innocent, by men their blood shall be shed. God hates the shedding of innocent blood, which is what abortion is, and the devil exalts over it. There is a glaring difference between pro-life and pro-choice that most people don’t look at: one of them turns a profit. Former director of Planned Parenthood Abby Johnson stated that one of the goals is to make money, and they do this by raising the number of abortions. You can be sure that, like any other medical procedure, an abortion isn’t cheap. Another thing about abortion that people don’t realize is that it has its foundations in a racist agenda. Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, referred to black Americans as “human weeds” and “reckless breeders,” and to this day 76% of all Planned Parenthood centers are positioned in black or Hispanic American neighborhoods. Does anyone else find this extremely wrong? Pro-life wants to protect what is sacred: innocent life. Pro-life people do not support it for personal gain. The opposition is in support of abortion for less noble reasons: escape of consequences, to make money, or the hidden racist agenda. If you’re reading this and support abortion, I urge you to look inside your heart and reassess the decision. I do not speak for God, and you may not believe in Him at all, but I can confidently say that to support abortion is to deliberately and explicitly oppose Him, and that is a very dangerous thing to do. If you’d like to give feedback, feel free.
Anyway to wrap this all up, BirthEater is an exceptional album with great music and a profound message that will make you think and will possibly leave you a bit unsettled. I definitely think that if you can handle some screaming and some heavy music, it’s a CD that is absolutely worth a listen.
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: abr, album review, augustburnsred, music
I said last post that I would be reviewing The Dear Hunter’s Act III: Life and Death in the next post. Well, something else is forefront in my mind at the moment that I need to cover first, but have no fear, in time, that review will be coming.
As for this post…
Album: Constellations
Band: August Burns Red
Label: Solid State Records
Review:
Ah, August Burns Red. Legends of the breakdown. It is hard to find a list of the best breakdowns in metal music without an ABR song on it. Normally I don’t really like bands that do absolutely no singing and all screaming… it’s too constant of sonic assault and it makes my brain hurt after awhile. I like an occasional singing break or a quiet song in the middle of insanity. August Burns Red is an exception to this trend. I love their music. It features no real singing, sometimes pitched… yelling I suppose, but no real singing. They don’t really have slow songs. It’s just constant, brutal, aural chaos. However, that being said, there are bands out there who adopt this style and forget that there is such a thing as melody. ABR hasn’t forgotten.
Although lead vocalist Jake Luhrs has one of the most fear-instilling screaming talents, the band keeps their music interesting with lead lines and chord structures that would allow the music to be sung to instead of scrum to (scrum is now the past tense of scream.) Luhrs’s fervent messages are delivered with the most urgent feel to them. In the song “Existence” in the midst of another crushing breakdown Luhr’s demands “… don’t excuse yourself from life today on the pretense of your past. You’re hurt. You’re broken. That’s alright. This might be what it takes to wake you up.” The straightforwardness of these lyrics is really pounded home with the breakdown.
The gem on this album is the track “White Washed.” From the distant lead guitar intro to the broad, sweeping drums and chugs of guitar, to the fury of the breakdowns rebuking someone who’s brings nothing but harm upon everyone they meet. The melodies are amazing, and drummer Matt Greiner is one of the first drummers I’ve heard that makes a blast beat feel up to tempo and not dragging behind the rest of the band (I usually despise blast beats for this reason). The final breakdown over the outro, with the words “You’re the straw that’s crushing my back, you’re the salt that’s burning my wounds” is simply, for the lack of a better words, powerful.
After “White Washed” finishes, a small breather is granted with the intro to Mariana’s Trench, a lovely clean guitar precursor to the story of a ship’s men going down with the ship. A couple tracks later, the track “Indonesia” is dedicated to and tells the story of a man named David Clapper who died in a tragic plane crash while working as a missionary pilot with a small tribe in Indonesia. The story of David Clapper is an inspiring one, telling of how a man and his family surrendered everything they had to minister to this small remote tribe in Indonesia. The most profound line in the song is “the white on his flag brings colors to shame.” The song also features vocals from Tommy Rogers of Between the Buried and Me, an inspiration for the band.
The song “Meridian” is to this album what “Casting Such A Thin Shadow” was to Underoath’s Define the Great Line and there are many parallels in musical style. The long instrumental intro gives way to distant screamed vocals reciting scripture from Jeremiah. It is another song that grants us a chance to step back and soak it all in.
Concluded by the relentless “Crusades”, this album is set apart from ABR’s last effort Messengers, which, don’t get me wrong, is an amazing album. Constellations is a bit of a departure for August Burns Red, with more melody and more ponderous feel. But all in all, it is a great album that will remain on my top shelf for a long time.
Verdict:
5 out of 5
One of the best metalcore CD’s put out this year but one of the greatest. August Burns Red further cements their place in Christian heavy music hall of fame.
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: album review, emery, inshallowseaswesail, ISSWS, music
The review I’ve been promising…
I’ve been spending a couple weeks psyching myself up. Familiarizing myself with this album to the point where I almost know it by heart. It was the only thing playing on my Zune for a solid week and a half, a regular occasion with Emery albums.
Album: …In Shallow Seas We Sail
Band: Emery
Label: Tooth and Nail Records
Emery - ... In Shallow Seas We Sail
Review:
I have to announce beforehand that I am extremely biased in this review. I admit it. Emery has been my favorite band for the last five years… since their debut album The Weak’s End. The band has come a long way, with some ups, such as the smash hit sophomore release The Question attaining mainstream interest, and some downs, as seen in the musical departure and some will tell you “lackluster effort” in I’m Only A Man. Upon releasing that album, many Emery fans bailed on the band, expecting the same records they heard the previous two occasions. Emery decided to make music they wanted instead of what the fans wanted, and in a separation of the wheat from the chaff, the loyal Emery fans remained supporting the band. It would be impossible for a band to not notice the kind of criticism they received on their third album, and Emery made the decision to try to regain some fans by releasing an EP by the name of When Broken Hearts Prevail. The EP featured the same post-hardcore heavy sound meshed with the signature Emery melodies that made The Weak’s End and The Question such popular and successful CDs. The EP did indeed regain some fans as well as interest from a music scene that thought the band might be fading out of it’s renaissance.
Enter … In Shallow Seas We Sail. The album, in appearance and musical theme, seems to be a direct followup of the EP, with linked cover art and style. The anticipated fourth album delivers on an unfathomable level. It kicks off with a sock to the face, the heavy breakdowns and screaming vocals of the first single, “Cutthroat Collapse.” This track caught me with such surprise as it begun with the same approach as “Walls” did on The Weak’s End. Naturally the song featured the dual vocal melodies of co-frontmen Toby Morell and Devin Shelton, and featured the weaving lyrics that made me fall in love with Emery in the first place.
Upon reviewing the lyrics, it’s apparent that Emery knows when to stick to their guns, their bread-and-butter: songs about relationships. Most of them broken. They have an uncanny ability to mix darker lyrics with very major, uplifting music. The stories told are of breakups, lust, mistakes, sins, lies, deceit, all of the interactions we take part in as fallen humans, but hold on to hope. A very interesting song to me was “A Sin To Hold On To”, which tells the story of seeing a girl so beautiful that he says “If you’ve got the time, then I’ve got the reason for the sin…” It’s a song that seems to tell of succumbing to lust, but yields to a chorus that reads “I know you’ve got it in you won’t you let it out, let it out. Dig a little deeper and I know you’ll find strength inside. If we could be the ones to hold, to stay strong, then maybe we can make a difference in somebody’s life.” The stories aren’t hopeless. The lust and sin can be refused. The lyricism of the album is probably Emery’s best to date. I’ve already raved about the best song on the album in my last blog post, the title-track album which displays some of the best use of melody and countermelody I’ve ever heard in my lifetime. But the greatness doesn’t end there. The illustrious musical canvasses painted by songs such as “Inside Our Skin”, which has one of the best outros ever written. The theatrics of “Churches and Serial Killers” in its plucked strings and staccato verses paired with the catchy hook of the chorus makes it an irresistable treat. The feeling of betrayal conveyed in “Butcher’s Mouth” that threatens to reveal the betrayer for what they are. The shock of catching a significant other in infidelity on “Piggy Bank Lies”. The sad story of “Dear Death Part 1 and 2″ which tells of a dying girls he’s in love with and how he would give anything to have more time with her. The haunting final words of the album, “Just hear me out, it was all my fault. You brought me death and it’s everything I wanted. It’s the wrong side of fear that kept me out…”
The album is indeed nothing short of a masterpiece. I’m calling it the album of the year, even though the year is only half over. I look forward to Emery’s next piece of work that will redefine the way I look at music once again.
Verdict:
6 out of 5 stars
Perfection
Simple as that. Buy it. Now.
In other news, I just got a hold of The Dear Hunter’s new album, Act III: Life and Death, the third act of the six-act rock opera they began working on in 2006, a whole two weeks before its release! I don’t want to spoil it for you, for a full review is coming next time, but it is their best work so far. More musical (as in play) based than the other albums, so it more fits the rock opera feel, with gang vocals and orchestra. It’s really marvelous and I will expound upon it in the review. Until then, take care!
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: album review, metalcore, music, thedevilwearsprada, withrootsaboveandbranchesbelow
Strange word, that… I reckon it’s not even a word at all, but I’ll make it one. I’ll get to that in a minute.
What’s at hand is the latest work by the band The Devil Wears Prada. Most people think of the movie when hearing this, but the band is starting to gain more public popularity as of late. I think their latest album is going to put them over the top.
Band: The Devil Wears Prada
Album: With Roots Above and Branches Below
Label: Ferret Records
The Devil Wears Prada - With Roots Above and Brances Below
Review:
I’ve listened to the Devil Wears Prada for a couple years probably and they’re very memorable for being a hardcore/metalcore act that seems to somewhat “let it all hang out”. Their style isn’t as mechanical and tight as some other bands in the genre, instead opting for an almost psychotic and swashbuckling uncontrollable feeling to their music that is addicting and troublesome at the same time. Their song names, on the other hand, have been nothing short of a joy to behold: Goats on a Boat, You Can’t Spell Crap Without “C”, Hey John What’s Your Name Again. TDWP carry this on to their new album, but leave some of the other aspects behind. On WRAABB they have adapted a more orthodox approach to song structure, at least as orthodox as you can imagine in this genre. Their sound, while still unyieldingly intense, is more controlled and organized. There are verses and choruses in a traditional style rather than the linear nature of some previous work. The style and screaming obviously aren’t for everyone, but for those who enjoy the aggression of this kind of music paired with a positive message you don’t see often enough, TDWP hit all the right notes.
The album opens up with the chaotic Sassafras, which starts things off with a swift punch in the jaw. The unrelenting intensity and brutal screams of vocalist Mike Hranica don’t let up until a break in the action gives way to the soaring, and tastefully (in my opinion) autotuned vocals of guitarist Jeremy DePoyster, who asks the question “What should we ask for? Who should we look to if all we know is burning bridges?” From the moment the chords of his melody developed, I knew I was in for a great album.
The thing that sets this band apart is their ability to blend beautiful synths and strings with ground shaking guitar riffs and bellowing vocals. It’s the juxtaposition of beauty and brutality that make this band so unique. This is where that word comes from. Beautality. Brutal beauty. For instance the song “Big Wiggly Style” (possibly the best title on the album) starts with orchestral hits and then progresses into dirty-kneed breakdowns. The song “Gimme Half” is similar, matching moving synth strings with heavy guitars creating a result that is indeed both quite beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
This trend continued until the next track, “Louder Than Thunder”, which in my opinion is the proverbial diamond in the rough of this album. It’s a stark contrast to the other tracks, with not a second of screaming and instead all-clean vocals. The song is unparalled in its beauty and gives us a good breather track, which is necessary on an album of this intensity.
All in all, WRAABB is a huge leap forward that I am certain will gain some more fans from a band that truly deserves the acknowledgement. They have made this year’s metalcore masterpiece (at least so far).
The Verdict: 5 out of 5 stars
PICK THIS ONE UP!
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: akissforjersey, album review, music, victims
Seems like a common thread here… I’ve gotten into the habit of only posting mini-reviews. Oh well, today’s no different. I promise a semi-not-music-related blog will be posted next time, but as far as this one goes, a mini-review it is:
Album: Victims
Victims
Band: Akissforjersey
Review:
Reportedly they formed in 2004, but for some reason I feel like akissforjersey has been around a lot longer. I had never really gotten around to listening to them and didn’t know much about them. While browsing the charts on Purevolume the other day, I noticed the familiar name and decided to take a listen. I don’t regret it (and trust me, sometimes I do).
Their self-proclaimed “experimental” vocal style struck me right away, with a collision of screaming and pure, vibrato and slide filled lead lines that conjured a resemblance to the band Kaddisfly, whom you should check out. The vocals aren’t typical cut and dry, straight lines. They have emotion and passion, and character as well… for instance, there are a couple of moments on the CD where I swear lead singer Zach Dawson might have missed a note, but the more and more I listen to it, I can see why it wasn’t melodyne’d or anything. It catches you off guard in an interesting way. At first you think it’s a mistake, but realize it’s completely intentional. It’s really quite clever.
Lyrically they are very mature in their message, and don’t sell out to make more money. They proclaim they’re a Christian band by every song they sing, offering challenges and asking questions. In the song “Parallels”, which is about being strong in the faith in the face of persecution, they sing “Now all the eyes that see truth… words are not enough, let your actions speak!” In fact, the song “A Tree and Its Fruit” is simply a reading of the KJV version of Matthew 7:13-27, which is made ultimately more powerful with the assistance of music. The final words spoken on the CD give merit to it’s focus, commanding us to “Lift up your eyes to the sky!” Lyrically it is a fantastic CD.
Musically their guitar work brings to mind the band Oh, Sleeper, which actually surprises me because Oh, Sleeper is a much heavier band, but a lot of the characteristics of their guitar lines are similar, from the arpeggios to the syncopated chugs. Balanced with crystal clear cleans, it is pure beauty, and a very unique one. It’s a satisfying listen and doesn’t get old quickly like some bands of a more generic style. Akissforjersey holds your attention longer and holds it well.
The Verdict:
5 out of 5 stars
Really a solid CD top to bottom that I feel anyone could find something to love within.
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: album review, music, relapsetorecovery, thesegreeneyes
Another album mini-review:
Band: These Green Eyes
Album: Relapse to Recovery
These Green Eyes
Review:
I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if you had never heard of this band before, but TGE is definitely worth looking up. Relapse to Recovery is the second full-length release of the Connecticut based quintet, and is laced with emotion arisen from the tragic loss by suicide of a close friend of the band. It is evident throughout the album that this band has dealt with pain and remorse, but still cling to hope from some source. Lead singer Colin Cunningham brings a pure voice that is saturated with emotion and a genuine ear for melody. After being invited to sing for the band for a single show, where he made up the lyrics on stage, he was made a permanent member and the five-piece was set.
The album bleeds with pain and grief of loss, boils with the anger and regret of betrayel, and recovers with feelings of hope and optimism in light of it all. The sound is a punk/post-hardcore sound with some anthemic feel. It retains the band’s unique sound from the 2005 full-length debut House of Glass and grows in maturity. Cunningham belts out lead vocal lines with earnest honesty, asking questions and expressing dismay, remorse, and ultimately, hope. There isn’t much more to say about this album other than take a listen!
Top Songs: Paramedic, Blood Sweat and Beers, Sucker Punch, Time of Our Lives
Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Filed under: Album Review, Music | Tags: album review, Innocence&Instinct, music, RED
Time for another mini-review…
Mini-Review: RED – Innocence & Instinct
Red
Review
I must say I was a fan of the band “Red” before, but with their new release Innocence & Instinct, I am completely blown away. Their 2006 debut-release End of Silence was impressive, but the only issue I had with the CD was that there were three or four fantastic songs, the kind of songs that by themselves made the entire CD worth buying, but the rest of the CD wasn’t quite up to par. With Innocence & Instinct, RED has accomplished a more top-to-bottom completeness than was seen on the first album. Led by the phenomenal voice and menacing presence of lead singer Michael Barnes, who wears black eyeliner in the least emo way possible. He’s a frontman you won’t soon forget if you see him live (which you should). His melodies seem to have the knack for sending chills down your spine, no matter the song. The band has always been heavily anchored with a rich string section, which on the first CD was synthesized. On I&I however, I read that the band recruited a full orchestra to record the strings, and it definitely shows. The sound is so lush and full, sweeping and broad and inexplicably beautiful, but won’t hesitate to crush you with a slicing guitar riff. The album is so broad in its dynamics. You get punch-in-the-gut brutality of songs like “Fight Inside” and “Death of Me” and then get soothed back to health by songs such as “Take It All Away”, which is hauntingly delicate before opening up to a lofty climax. The album even includes a superb cover of the Duran Duran song “Ordinary World.” I may be partial, but I like it more than the original. The scope and scale here is huge. It holds the guitar riffs we’d find in Chevelle or Breaking Benjamin, and then is filled out so wonderfully with the orchestra and some of the best use of piano I’ve heard in a long time. In short, this isn’t your cookie cutter hard rock number. Red ignores the molds and builds its own, a sound reminiscent to Evanescence but brimming with more emotion. Barnes’ vocals hold more desperation and passion; he’s pleading as much as he’s singing, crying out, driven by emotion and guided by skill. It’s really something special to listen to. Do yourself a favor, and go buy this album.
RED - Innocence & Instinct
Verdict:
5 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums I have heard in quite some times. Definitely worth a listen, and it will be playing on my Zune pretty consistently for the next couple days.
If Red’s sophomore release was this good, I can’t wait to hear what they come up with the third time around!
