SONG OF THE WEEK #3

Who could of thought there would be a band all about the Governator himself? Well there is. And it's awesome. Started by the Vocalist from As I Lay Dying, but don't worry Austrian Death Machine are far better than AILD.

I NEED YOUR CLOTHES. YOUR BOOTS. YOUR MOTORCYCLE.

DEVIN TOWNSEND - DEMANDS THE WORLDS BEST COFFEE

Well he does... in the form of 'Devin Townsend Presents : Ziltoid the Omniscient' (henceforth referred to as 'Ziltoid').

'Ziltoid' was released by Devin in May 2007 and surprisingly; was written, played, recorded and produced by Devin Townsend himself. The drums were recorded were made by using the EZDrummer pack Drum Kit From Hell, this however, is a fact that you would not realise without previously being told, the production is that competent.

Now, enough of the facts, this is Devin Townsend at his most wacky, most insane and most awesome. The story of 'Ziltod' is that of a visiting Alien; "Ziltoid the Omniscient" (The Ultimate 4th Dimensional Guitar Hero), who demands our universes' greatest cup of coffee. The coffee provided however does not reach Ziltoid's high standard and he attacks. The album takes the form of a "rock opera" but of the most extreme silliness, the first track "ZTO", starts with a choir chant "ZILTOID! ZILTOID! THE OM-NIS-CIENT!" and it doesn't ever let up, it goes from strange to stranger; documenting Earth's resistence against the Almighty Ziltoid.

The style of the album varies through out. Devin's vocal range is as spectacular as ever, ranging from violent screams to introspective clean vocals, with guitar playing to match; speedy epic riffs slip to equally epic soft melodies and then back again, very impressive considering that this is all Devin's work.

If you are a fan of Devin, Strapping Young Lad or just entertaining metal, then 'Ziltoid' is a great album that you owe yourself a listen.

8/10

DEVIN TOWNSEND - PRESENTS: ZILTOID THE OMNISCIENT
Genre: Extreme Metal/Rock Opera
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SONG OF THE WEEK #2

A bit delayed, but I've had a busy past few days, but here it is Song of the Week number 2!

This week it's "Cable Ready Techno Slut" by The Acacia Strain, awesome if only because of the Star Wars clip:

SLUMBER - HAUNTING MELODIC DOOM FROM SWEDEN

Another band that you wont of heard of, but it none the less awesome.

The Swedish six piece play the sort of metal that you listen to and it instantly leaves an impression on you, if you like the weirdness factor of bands like Katatonia or Opeth then Slumber may be the band for you. The haunting melodies of their only released effort, Fallout, transport you in to a much darker place, which is appreciated far more if you take the time to actually listen to the music (preferably with headphones in the middle of the night) instead of just having it on the background, which is a great disservice to the band.

Fallout's mix of Death and Doom is tinted with a hint of the gothic in the use of Strings and Choirs in a few tracks. The opener Rapture drags you in with a heavy beat on the toms and a hypnotizing guitar and synth combo which just forces you to listen, this then raises into a crescendo and then crashes forth into a floaty yet heavy sound scape, like bursting through solid rock into an infinite space.

While the instrumentation is majestic the growls of bass player Siavosh Bigonah and vocals of Ehsan Kalantarpour are anything but, proving to be the standard death metal affiar of harsh gutturals, which creates an eerie contrast to the clean chanted vocals used through out.

To tie it all up Slumber are a underground fans wet dream, the music is deep and interesting. And while it is majestic and spacey, it does not disappoint on the front of brutality, A must for anyone into Opeth and other weird metal.

9/10

SLUMBER - FALLOUT

Genre: Melodic Death/Doom Metal

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Download: Mediafire 320kbs

CHRISTIAN BALE, A DEATHCORE MUSICIAN?

Just a quick post after having some fun with youtube doubler, I'll probably post more of these as I find/make them.

Link

SONG OF THE WEEK #1

An additional post to what ever I happen to post on a Friday is this, the "Song of the Week" section which is a mix of me showing off my music taste and giving you a recommendation of stuff to listen to.

This week it's Fossil Genera - A Feed From Cloud Mountain by Between the Buried and Me, if you like it be sure to listen to both parts, sadly it's too long to fit into one video:





Don't let the honkey tonk piano fool you, this is Progressive Metalcore at it's finest 

DISTURBED TO RECORD NEW ALBUM

Hell I thought these guys had vanished of the face of the earth, but I'm glad their coming back with a new album. They're working with the producer of the first few albums, but who was absent on the frankly forgettable "Indestructible", so hopefully this new album should be on par with the better output.

Guitarist, Dan Donegan on Pulse of Radio: "We're ready to hit the studio next month," he said. "I think at this point we're probably somewhere between 15 to 18 songs, with the exception of David (Draiman, singer) having to finalize, you know, a few more lyrics to some of the songs. But, you know, we're ready to go. You know, we're excited about new songs, and to get in there and kind of lay down these ideas."

With this an the release of the 10th Anniversary edition of "The Sickness" it looks like it's gonna be a busy year for the Chicago quartet. The new album is expected in the Summer.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN MAY REFORM?

It may seem too good to be true (and it still may be) but SOAD bassist Shavo Odadjia posted on his Twitter account a tweet that has fans guessing as to the future of the band;

"Are u guys ready for System???" he wrote.

I know I sure am, now if you excuse me I'm going to go listen to Toxicity.

GAMA BOMB RELEASE FREE ALBUM

The Irish thrashers Gama Bomb have released their third studio album 'Tales From The Grave in Space' completely free, available from Earache.com (See the link at the bottem of the post)

With a free album release, comes a question; "Why is it free?" which is normally answered with "It's probably crap, why else would it be free". But those who take the risk and download 'Tales...' discover that it is a good, if not brilliant New School Thrash album.

Just like the original thrash bands of the 80's Gama Bomb play music for a laugh, which is a great change to all the super serious metal bands that are around. With tracks named 'Mussolini Mosh' and 'Last Ninjas Unite' you can tell what you're in for, a healthy dose of fast thrashing licks and plenty of speed played with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Something which Gama Bomb deliver in barrel loads, from the amp hum at the start of 'Slam Anthem' to the final crash chord of 'Mummy Invasion' the speed doesn't let up, making Gama Bomb a very moshable and face melting album.

I suppose I should talk about the technicality and general production of the album. It is a nice surprise when a free album can sound so good (assuming the 320kbs mp3's are as good as the CD version which I am reviewing from). The guitar tone has improved since the last time I paid any attention to Gama Bomb; the guitars crunch along in perfect synchronisation with never ending onslaught of high speed drum beats and bass attack. Philly Byrne's vocals range from Mustaine-esque snarls to Bruce Dickinson style falsetto and overall put a final shine on what is a solid album, something I never thought I'd see from the New School of Thrash.

To conclude Gama Bomb's 'Tales...' is an awesome deal at absolutely no money what so ever, even if you have hated all New School Thrash you've heard up until now like I have, I urge you to check out 'Tales From The Grave in Space', what have you got to lose?

8/10

GAMA BOMB - TALES FROM THE GRAVE IN SPACE
Genre: New School Trash Metal
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Download: Earache 320kbs

CRY FOR SILENCE - MELODIC YET BRUTAL BRITISH METALCORE

Next band up is Cry For Silence, a band from Watford, England who, sadly, called it quits after their first full album release 'The Glorious Dead'. The band, during their active days, played with such bands as Caliban (German Metalcore Pioneers), Sikth (British Progressive Metal), Funeral for a Friend, The Black Dahlia Murder, Shadows Fall and many other bands that you probably have heard of. Why, then have you not heard of Cry for Silence? That is a good question, as they are one of the better bands to have come out of the UK hardcore scene.

The sound is not something I hear very often and is a refreshing change from the hundreds of generic metalcore bands that have sprung up during the last decade or so. While all the classic elements are present, harsh, distorted vocals, chugging breakdowns and emotional lyrics, they are used in ways which are far from common within the genre.

The vocals are not screamed in the normal fashion; the singer Adam Pettit has been described to sound as if he is pissing cactus needles. This unique sound may take quite a lot of time to get used to but the style fully fits with the chunky down tuned sound of the band, when listening to Adam's vocals it becomes obvious that a more generic approach just wouldn't work in Cry For Silence.

Another unusual aspect of the band is that of bass player Andy Saxton, a skilled player that remains audible through out the entire album, providing complex tapped lines and classical guitar style melodies to the mix, as well as simple driving lines and counter melodies. This mix of the bass fills out the sound scape with the guitars of Alex Venturella and Steve Sears, creating a much darker and foreboding sound that (as far as I am aware) no other band has replicated.

Overall Cry for Silence's 'The Glorius Dead' is an epic of an album, mixing brutal pedal riffs with melodic and rather beautiful passages, bundled in a unique casing that not many bands seem to have latched on to. If you are a metalcore or hardcore fan this is one to check out.

9 / 10

CRY FOR SILENCE - THE GLORIOUS DEAD
Genre: Hardcore / Metalcore
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PAINTED IN EXILE - HAVE YOUR PiE AND EAT IT

First post of what I hope to be a regular thing and I bring you one of my new favourite bands; Painted in Exile. The New York Deathcore quintent combine brutal breakdowns and face melting riffage with smooth jazz. Sounds insane right? And it is, but in a good way.

The aptly named EP 'Revitalized' is their first material since they brought in a new Guitarist Marc Lambert, and Bassist Vincent Romanelli; an addition which has completely transformed the sound of the band (to something that's actually good.) I have no words with which I can describe this band, so I'm not going to give it a full review but if the idea of Protest the Hero meets Deathcore and Miles Davis appeals to you, then you have found the perfect band.


PAINTED IN EXILE - REVITALIZED
Genre: Progressive Deathcore / Jazz
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Download: Megaupload 320kbs