Oh Machine Head?, do you like good music?… then probably you don’t know Machine Head too well hehehe since hummm since The Burning Red… i just don’t give a fuck, their albums sounded like thrash, but they were mostly… how can i put this gently… shit? a big pile, well more because they had such an interesting first album, that everything after that should have been at least somewhat good, seems not, so… after 2 or 3 albums, here comes “The Blackening” (and i’m only reviewing this cause a friend told me i should check it out).

“Clenching The Fists Of Dissent” starts if off, and i’m impressed, solid thrash, it kind drags a bit on with 10min and it has a slowish middle… but i kinda get it, sort of “lets just make a freaking kick ass first track”… hell its long because it has a bit of everything, from slow burning trash, speed blasting, some Hatebreed public shouting, short burst guitar solos, hell even time to go for a clean vocal section nearing the end, breakdown head-banging end i mean… sweet ride, “Beautiful Mourning” starts pretty well, shouting and here we go, a bit of thrashing and then we get to some heavy rifting with slow singing, then we get a sweetish chorus with some blasting, ok… not so bad… sounds a bit swedish, but not in a “LETS STOP EVERYTHING AND SING LIKE A GIRL MOMENT”, plenty of hardcore breaks and again a smallish guitar solo, and thats pretty much it, again another pretty catchy track, moving on to “Aesthetics Of Hate” starts off pretty well with pure thrash, with a very big solo… all building up to a clean vocal and pretty old school breakdown… again great, now we get “Now I Lay Thee Down” humm a bit more metalcore i guess.. with clean vocal even trough the chorus, still pretty catchy and it kinda seems to be the softest until now, some guitar solos and it gets a bit heavier to the end… humm its ok.

“Slanderous” is a bit of the same with some groovy drum/guitar work to build up, but again more metalcore, some breakish moments, some guitar solos, ends with a clean vocal buildup to… a bit heavier chorus, ahhh its getting kinda formulaic, “Halo” gets us a groovy blast guitar squeal break moving trough the track, that drive us to (probably) the catchiest chorus yet, pretty sweet clean vocal/guitar work… driving again to the groovy riff, midway we get a sort of breakdown to the guitar solos and even these seem to fit well with the rest of the track and to finish it off … yeah you guessed it… again clean vocal to build up to the chorus, its great don’t get me wrong, pretty sweet, but still more than predictable… a hell yeah for this track, “Wolves” starts off like hardcore should, but then goes into metalcore mode again, and then back to more hardcorish riffs, humm it gets better as we move along, we get midway another characteristic break that then merges with the rest of the track, then we get back into thrash, guitar solo and then back to chorus for the end, and that bring us to the last track “A Farewell To Arms” were we get a slow burning guitar/vocal build to the hardcorish slow burn riffing, then again a clean vocal chorus… still catchy, after the second chorus you get the guitar solos, then we speed along to thrash and eventually it dies out… pretty solid end track.

So what did i think of “The Blackening”? well it seems the expression “time heals all”, does have a use heheheh, Machine Head did a fine album, its not groundbreaking, its a bit formulaic (kinda has always the same song structure and it kinda always revolves around thrash/hardcore/swedish melodic metal), it lacks consistency (starts heavy with loads of thrash and ends more near to metalcore), but in the end, its a pretty slick album, even the not so good tracks are solid and there are some very groovy and heavy tracks throughout, so… if you were a fan of Machine Head or you want to listen to some modern thrash, then give this one a go.

Official Site Machinehead1 | Vidcult Video Now I Lay Thee Down

Machine Head – Aesthetics Of Hate

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Ahh back to some headbashing hehehe, Diskreet is kind of the new wave of death metal, it has a more hardcore/grindcore feel to it, and not so much a leaning technical ability, nevertheless they hail from Kansas USA, and that might mean something to be mad about muahhaha.

Infernal Rise starts pretty good with “Infernal Throne”, its kinda a slow burn blast beat kind of track, pretty good and straightforward, “Infinite Hold” comes next and starts with a guttural blast/slow rifts, then it gets into a more speed up but always with a play with the speed, slowing and speeding, always with prologued drummed blasting or small bursts of blasting, actually the drumming is what shines, its always changing the pattern, pretty nice track, it finishes much like it started, “The Bigger Complex” starts with a sound clip then goes into death blasting, it kinda works like the previous track with a bit more guitar work, but it still feels like its an all drumming thing… “Entrails” starts with the death blasting thing, stops and then picks up again almost all the way through… humm

“Faust” at least starts pretty differently with a more groove metal kind of thing, but damn if the drumming isn’t kinda carrying everyone on their backs, loads of variations of blasting, feels a bit like don caballero but with worse mix between the guitarists and the drummer, it even has those more breakneck kind of breakdowns, “The Nightmare” is a bonus track and it kinda shows, its a bit more straight death metal, but still a pretty solid track, again drums shine like hell, “Promising Demise” is the last track and also a bonus one, and again a bit different from the rest of the album, slower and maybe not even death, more like metalcore even with a cleaner chorus, not so bad, its good as a final track.

Diskreet… humm, well this didn’t WOWed me, and it does feel like its a work in progress, i really cant tell if they are really good, i do like some of the tracks, but it seems like a one trick band, well we will see how they fare with time, i did particularly liked the drumming and hell with this drumming maybe its just a matter of tweaking this and that and they have them selfs a kick ass band, so why not check it out (at least the mp3) hehehe

Official Site Myspace Diskreet (Myspace? hum?) Siegeofamida.net (Label Page)

Diskreet – Faust

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Hardcore and Punk never brought to the table complex playing or technical ability, it’s not in their nature, but their basis of raw energy and aggression do infuse other genres and metalcore being what it is incorporates (ones more than others) the core part more seriously, that mixture of ability and pure hardcore energy can be found on some one like Misery Signals.

Blá blá, so is the album any good?, It’s good, tracks like the album starter “Face Yourself”, with a mix of odd and brutal, i say odd, because it’s not overly complex, just filled with small touches, that i guess pull them a little bit apart from the mob, “The Failsafe” is also nice, kinda odd drumming (i said odd again?), “Post Collapse” brings back that hardcore feel from the first track, with some bits of death to the mix, again good guitar work, vocals are starting to become one tone (getting boring…), “Migrate” is a softer track with a hardish end, nothing especial.

“One Day I’ll Stay Home” is a bit more of the same, good finish nevertheless, “Something Was Always Missing, But It Was Never You”, has the most idiotic title I’ve seen in quite some time, but not a bad track, ahh the good ones always have fucked up names (“Cannibalistic” anyone?), “Reverence Lost” is good and tiresome, “Sword of Eyes” is a bit more of the same, “An Offering to the Insatiable Sons of God (Butcher)” ohh another interestingly named track, and unlike the previous it’s kinda a interlude like track, too much noise, they might be good, but if it’s all distorted it isn’t anything, “Anchor” is a better than the last track, its got a bit more flare, quite good, then the album finisher and title track “Mirrors”, bit of same o’, nevertheless full of breakdowns…

Did i like it?, well somewhat, its got flare and pace, but the one sided vocals, the grungy production and the oddness although refreshing, it gets overused, like teaching a monkey a trick, after they get it right they just do it over and over again, by the time it gets over … I get over it, i don’t feel like listening again (and that’s not “in a good Meshuggah burnout” kind of way), i actually liked their previous album better, so if you like your metalcore with a bit more spice you might want to checked them out, if not, you won’t lose much.

Official Site Miserysignals.net

Misery Signals – The Failsafe

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Ahh, The Autumn Offering? hailing from sunny Florida? and I’m doing this review closer to winter?, well anyway, with such a name what can you expect… you guessed it right, Metalcore, sure they add a lot of other things, and you can cut it anyway you like it, but it’s Metalcore with bit of other things, this is their second album “Embrace the Gutter”, let’s see if its any good.

After a brief “Prologue”, you get “Decay” and what can i say they sure pick nice names, it’s quite the trailblazer, what were they thinking!, I’ll just make some weird guitar riffage and then we’ll get it going, that will be wack, yeah it’s great, if your paralyzed from the neck up, this should be added to the music guide books on “when not to play a guitar solo”, then you get the “The Yearning”, and beat me with a stick if it’s not a another weird track, it all sounds like “live drunk God Forbid doing their last gig of a 2 year tour and they just want to get it over with”, it sounds bad, I’m starting to think it’s not me, it’s these fuckers, “Embrace the Gutter” another shitty track? oh god when they start the chorus i just started laughing, this is just silly, all of it, solos included, oh god i never though Metalcore could sound soo shabby (and this one is downstairs, listen to it, and then say if I’m not right), next please…

“Ghost” is more of the same, just with the added “happy meal” solo guitar, “Misery” is scaring me with it’s Static-X start, with that intro, i just know it’s going to be shitty…. and shit it is, “This Future Disease” is more of the same, “One Last Thrill” well a somewhat nice track, nothing much, although i think i could be losing my ability to judge good music, with every single moment i listen to this “thing”, I’m gonna play it backwards to see if the devil is speaking, “No End in Sight” oh gawd at least the comic relief from the track names keeps me going, well anyway another shit poor job, “Walk the Line” is … “Final Cut” is the final track, and i just don’t fucking care, it has piano or something in the middle, fuck it.

This is what i would call some uninspired metal, it’s kind of ripping Trivium or something, but at least those boys have skill, this is just embarrassing. This is what i think… if you don’t know what to do, don’t add a guitar solo, don’t add a breakdown, don’t make a silly melodic chorus, just trash it and a make a new track, this album seems like they forage the woods for every bit of shit they could think, to stick in the freaking album, and just add some random guitar riffs to tie it all together, but it seems foraging for shit makes a shitty album, so if you start smelling something fishy, run for your lives.

Official Site Theautumnoffering

The Autumn Offering – Embrace the Gutter

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What’s with me and metalcore, everytime i check a couple of albums for review, one for sure is metalcore…well that or hardcore, yeah, well besides my nagging, All That Remains is a pretty by the numbers metalcore, fast and hard with the oh so predictable clean chorus, i believe this is their second album, but to be honest it’s the first time i had the pleasure. So let’s have a looksee on “The Fall of Ideals”.

Well well, isn’t this the most “radio friendly” metalcore track I’ve heard in some time, if “This Calling” is not their single, my name isn’t fiend (it isn’t, but that’s beside the point hehehe), pure straight blasting metalcore, to a simple and catchy (yeah it rhymes) clean chorus, with some blasting underneath, that …well at least it gives some edge, next comes “Not Alone” and I’m already on that “oh damn are this guy really talking about how they are so miserable, they lost their girlfriend or whatnot” shit me, that’s so 90’s, well beat me with a stick if it isn’t almost identical with the last track, hell they both clock at about 3:30, funny, well both aren’t bad, more like, someone has done this better somewhere for sure, kind of thing.

“It Dwells in Me” is kinda weak on it’s knees, yeah because in this kind of music it doesn’t matter what you do between the chorus, if the chorus is catchy the music is fine, even though this one has some interesting guitar work followed up by some hardcore punching, maybe it’s not that weak, “We Stand” is nothing great, “Whispers (I Hear your)” is the same formula different lyrics, “The Weak Willed” has a little more hardcore bite, with no clean chorus, but they sure sugar coat it on the end… yeah giving a bit of after taste, “Six” pops up with the predictable blasting to a more clean track, with some sissy voice off, then building up to a some rock like whatever, it’s not that good, “Become the Catalyst” has a more interesting guitar solo, chorus sucks, “The Air That I Breathe” just sucks, “Empty Inside” is a patch work and again follows their formula to the letter, “Indictment” is again one by the numbers, nothing to add.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that i don’t like more clean stuff, or melodic, hell no, if it’s good, then i like it, but as i said before regarding metalcore, that have always need to put whatever (in this case some clean/melodic chorus and guitar solos) tend to limit the potential of the music, and that rarely turns up in a good thing, structure is fine, but don’t let the structure dictate what you sound like, hell 90% of their songs are start with blasting>melodic chorus>metalcore>melodic chorus>guitar solo>finish with a melodic chorus or slower hardcore blast, so yeah if your into As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage or any other meloish metalcore band, you might want to give it a go, for me great metalcore comes from the likes of Unearth.

Official Site Allthatremainsonline

All That Remains – This Calling
All That Remains – The Air That I Breathe

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Why am i picking this one up? well hehehe, after that review of By Night, i checked them out and found …Trendkill?, well it has 2 members of By Night and the Drummer from Anata, interesting, hummm, well they play a sort of hardcore meets metalcore (wait that sounded too bad to be true…), i guess but i can point out right away that they sound a lot like they are not from the same continent as you might aspect, if i didn’t check it out, i could have swore they were Americans, with all the good and bad that could come from it, so let’s have a look on “No Longer Buried”

Oh shit, this is… nothing especial… the album starts with “Judge Me Now” so i will, it’s not bad per say, it reminds me of a mixture of Hatebreed and Machine Head, its catchy but not to the point of infatuation, my initial feeling gets right on the money with “Dedication”, its very moshable and enjoyable just like Hatebreed, simplistic and straight to the point with some interesting touches outside of the straight up commercial hardcore, “Timeless Quality” is more of the same, mosh bouncy music, loads of screaming, “Break The Silence” yeah you guessed it right, more of the same, at least they changed it, with a bit more Hardcore, “One Step Closer” as some more bouncy riffage and some interesting guitar work, nice one, “Walking Dead” is almost straight hardcore, “Headshot” … seems like they are losing steam, it’s quite a boring hardcore track, “From The Beginning” humm, more of the same, it seems as it goes on, the album gets more hardcorish, I’m hopping for a group shout chorus on the next one hehehehe, “Nothing For Granted” , well not chorus shout outs, but pretty straight vanilla hardcore.

This actually feels like a striped down “By Night” Album, by stripped down, i don’t mean worse (but in this case it is), i mean they took much more things than the things they added, and it feels like it, a good try and enjoyable couple of listening, production wise its good, the guitars sound pretty hardcore, the drumming is…ok, the vocals are normal, the rest sucks hehehe, I’m kidding, well its a good effort and if your into this, you might as well give it a try.

Official Site Trendkill.se | Video for Break The Silence

Trendkill – Dedication
Trendkill – Walking Dead

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