…this album shows that Jello still has the magic touch in regards to lyrical prowess. It may be a different band this time around but if I heard this for the first time and I did not know who the band was, I’d swear it was a new Lard album! Marvelous. Play the living hell out of this!

Throwdown- Deathless released November 10,2009 on E1 Entertainment Throwdown is a metalcore band that has roots in the Orange County, CA hardcore scene. This is their eight full-length album and first on E1 Entertainment. They are well known for their straight-edge stance on life and it shows in their lyrics and overall attitude. Some of their influences include Black Flag, Sepultura, Machine Head and Pantera. Tracks 2 and 3 start off with a time signature that includes thrashing drums, double bass and a breakdown. This time signature repeats throughout both songs. Formulaic but it works. Track 4 has an [...read more]

Shrinebuilder – Shrinebuilder released October 27, 2009 on Neurot Recordings I have not lost interest in Them Crooked Vultures, but the ‘Supergroup of the Year’ award goes to Shrinebuilder, hands down. If you’re outta the loop, we’re talking about Scott “Wino” Weinrich (Saint Vitus, The Obsessed), Dale Crover (Melvins), Scott Kelly (Neurosis), and Al Cisneros (OM, Sleep): collectively representing 100 years of sonic bedlam asylum! The fear of incongruence is dispelled immediately, and is never in question as the album progresses. The bookends feature Wino on main vocals, with Kelly as a heavy highlight, but he also eases along [...read more]

Look past the scores of melodeathsters, neo-thrashers and brave blenders of various metallic subgenres. Ohio’s darkest sons remain on the perimeter of the battlefield, deliberately honing their weapons, bracing for attack.

Still casting a unique shadow on the thrash landscape, Slayer grit their teeth, curl to a grimace, and scythe through the throng.

Contrary to popular belief, remember that a ‘saviour’ need not be virtuous, and I certainly place these guys on the darker––and more fun––end of the spectrum.

Converge – Axe to Fall released October 20, 2009 on Epitaph Words cannot capture the depths of my frustration with the Massachusetts metalcore pioneers, who have been challenging heavy music audiences for nearly two tenacious decades. This changes now. I appreciated this album from the moment it emerged from the beautiful, grimy, and cryptic artwork of Jacob Bannon. Now his vocals have––and still––put me off some of the time (they command your full attention, even with the lyrics in hand), but I was f’n determined. See, I/you/we all need this band on our maps. Some are calling this their [...read more]

When most people think of metal, the last thing to come to their mind would be Christianity. Countless bands have caused metal to be much more associated with Satanism. However, there is and has always been a place for the church-going metalhead. Bands like Stryper and Trouble proved in the ’80s that you do not have to be evil to headbang. Nowadays, Christian metal bands aren’t too rare, though you may have to dig a bit to find them. The Crimson Armada are one of a handful of bands to style their music with heavy Christian themes.

Allow me to begin by saying that these guys are going to really go somewhere. Any metalhead will agree that metalcore is currently the “big thing” as far as metal in pop culture goes. Eventually, however, it’s going to wear out it’s welcome, just as hair metal bands of the ’80s did. Now, deathcore is already beginning to break its way into the public eye. Armed for Apocalypse is now starting something that may not be new, but is much more accessible, really emphasizing the -core in sludgecore.

What’s that? A metalcore album that sounds fresh? Yes, my friends, that is what you have found in Threat Signal’s sophomore effort, Vigilance. It is not innovative by any means, though it also does not sound like your typical album in said genre.