Sunday 6 January 2013
Album Review - You Disgust Me by Carnivores
'Ello 'ello.
For this album review I have chosen the small Scottish rock trio, Carnivores, with their recently released debut full-length effort entitled You Disgust Me. Carnivores have been a huge love of mine for the past year. From the moment I heard their material on their EP's I knew they were going to be something special. And fortunately, they live up to all expectations on their debut album. If you're into dirty rock riffs and mental-strong Scottish accents then you're in for a treat.
You Disgust Me by Carnivores -
Carnivores have written an exquisitely quirky rock album here. With extremely talented musicianship they have created the perfect platform on which to build their careers. Reminiscent of old and new Biffy Clyro, Carnivores display tunes of all stature. From full-on square-go rocking out to big choruses to heavy breakdowns to just pure absurd brilliance. Anyone Up For An Exorcism? grabs our attention through an edgy riff and echoed vocals from singer/guitarist, Kenny Leckie. Only to be followed by the title track, their most popular tune to date, Scottish Football, which I may just say is a fucking class tune. Huge choruses from tracks such as Lion Tamer and Horses Of The Galaxy will stick in your head for days. But in this case, it's a fucking good thing! Carnivores deserve to be recognised for this album. It's bouncy, raw, infectious and generally fun to listen to. Although the Paisley rockers have taken inspiration from their Scottish neighbouring bands, they have created a very distinct sound and personality. These guys urgently need to be listened to. And if you don't, 'you disgust me'..
Check Out: No nonsense shit here, listen to the whole bloody album.
Thanks.
Stewart Toner
Saturday 5 January 2013
The Most Annoying Thing in the Universe (Vol. 2)
Right, I thought I'd do a second one of these sooner than planned because it's something that's angered me for a while now. So, here it is..
I am sick and tired of people coming out with comments such as 'aw i wish mitch lucker was here' or 'why do all the legends die?' or 'kurt was beautiful, come back!'. Let's get one fucking thing straight - Everyone fucking dies. Whether it be young or old, accidental or suicide. Anything. Death isn't something we want, if you do you're just sick. But we can't change what's happened? So, why suddenly pretend to be a huge fucking fan of someone immediately after their death?
Yes, Mitch Lucker was an awesome frontman and vocalist, but how many of you actually 'fucking loved him' so much that you preach now before he had his unfortunate accident? Not very many, I can tell you that much.
And how many of you were even in existence when Nirvana were at their peak and Kurt Cobain around? Would you have appreciated them as much as you claim you do back then if you were there?
And what about Paul Gray? Did you fucking know he was main songwriter of Slipknot along with Joey before he died? Not a lot of you fucking do, he was just the bassist in a huge band called Slipknot to you, 'til he died.
It's the same for anyone famous. It's a sick ongoing pattern that nobody seems to speak up about. I don't fucking care if talking about death seems too harsh for you. You don't have to agree, but you have to understand that there are far too many people saying these things for fucking attention. It just highlights how weak, pathetic, blindingly stupid the human race really is.
I haven't said any of this in hate towards the aforementioned artists who have passed away, before you make that idiotic assumption. But claiming love for someone who's died to make yourself popular?
Get a fucking grip.
Stewart Toner
I am sick and tired of people coming out with comments such as 'aw i wish mitch lucker was here' or 'why do all the legends die?' or 'kurt was beautiful, come back!'. Let's get one fucking thing straight - Everyone fucking dies. Whether it be young or old, accidental or suicide. Anything. Death isn't something we want, if you do you're just sick. But we can't change what's happened? So, why suddenly pretend to be a huge fucking fan of someone immediately after their death?
Yes, Mitch Lucker was an awesome frontman and vocalist, but how many of you actually 'fucking loved him' so much that you preach now before he had his unfortunate accident? Not very many, I can tell you that much.
And how many of you were even in existence when Nirvana were at their peak and Kurt Cobain around? Would you have appreciated them as much as you claim you do back then if you were there?
And what about Paul Gray? Did you fucking know he was main songwriter of Slipknot along with Joey before he died? Not a lot of you fucking do, he was just the bassist in a huge band called Slipknot to you, 'til he died.
It's the same for anyone famous. It's a sick ongoing pattern that nobody seems to speak up about. I don't fucking care if talking about death seems too harsh for you. You don't have to agree, but you have to understand that there are far too many people saying these things for fucking attention. It just highlights how weak, pathetic, blindingly stupid the human race really is.
I haven't said any of this in hate towards the aforementioned artists who have passed away, before you make that idiotic assumption. But claiming love for someone who's died to make yourself popular?
Get a fucking grip.
Stewart Toner
Album Review - Torture by Cannibal Corpse
Hey guys.
Lately, I've been listening to a lot of death and black metal and it occurred to me that I hadn't listened to Cannibal Corpse's 2012 release, Torture, yet. So, the past few days I have listened to this album around 3/4 times in full now and I thought I would share my thoughts on it.
The reason I've chose this album is pretty simple - It's by a legendary death metal band and I pretty much love it. So, here it goes..
Torture (2012) - Cannibal Corpse
First of all, you have to take into account that for as widespread and varied death metal has now become it can also be a very generic sounding genre to the newcomer. But this is something Cannibal Corpse are definitely not. Not only do they write some of the most explicit and gruesome lyrics and publish extremely disturbing album art, Cannibal Corpse are still an evermore changing musical machine. Admittedly, I was never attracted, per say, to the whole image Cannibal Corpse displayed. But rather more curious at the hype. And now, it's fair to say that they are by far one of my favourite death metal acts. Although I've always enjoyed their dirty heavy riffing, thunderous drumming and demonic growling that death metal always offers, I still urged for that little bit more experimentation hinted on albums such as Evisceration Plague and especially, Kill. They were beginning to head in the right direction for my liking, but I just hoped they would live up to it. And to put it quite plainly, they've done exceedingly well at doing so on Torture.
Despite Torture being their 12th full-length, there is still no sign of the gory quintet slowing down. From the off, Demented Aggression carries out an intro most likely heard on a Slayer album and the riff that follows rips your bloody face off. Everything is technical. The tempos change enough to keep you interested, yet are played through perfectly to give you time for a good old mosh. And to make things even better, guitarist Pat O'Brien, regurgitates an awesome solo to finish off the song. Sarcophagic Frenzy and Scourge The Iron follow up with sublime intensity, and now I understand why Cannibal Corpse have played these 3 tracks consecutively to commence their live sets in 2012. Their are tracks that conjure up rapid-fire head-banging mayhem including As Deep As The Knife Goes, Rabid and Torn Through. However, there are some interesting play-abouts as heard on Followed Home Then Killed, which begins with an eery, slow guitar intro only to be followed (excuse the pun) by expected fury. The instrumentals it seems are well executed. Solos, memorable riffs, finely played drums and even a short bass solo on The Strangulation Chair. However, throughout the album George Fisher's vocals never hint at letting you down. Despite being a replacement to Chris Barnes back in '95, I don't think anyone could imagine a more ideal successor. Especially here, he shows his true intent and will to bring superb death metal growls and morbid lyrics that we always hope for.
For all you death metal virgins, so to speak, I can strongly recommend this album as a starting point for the genre and this band. Torture gives you Cannibal Corpse' signature gore, brutality and technicality through some of their best songwriting to date. An incredible extreme metal album. Get on it. 8/10
Check Out: Followed Home Then Killed or Demented Aggression
Hope my first full album review lived up to any slight expectations you may have had! And as always, any feedback is well appreciated. Thanks.
Stewart Toner
Lately, I've been listening to a lot of death and black metal and it occurred to me that I hadn't listened to Cannibal Corpse's 2012 release, Torture, yet. So, the past few days I have listened to this album around 3/4 times in full now and I thought I would share my thoughts on it.
The reason I've chose this album is pretty simple - It's by a legendary death metal band and I pretty much love it. So, here it goes..
Torture (2012) - Cannibal Corpse
First of all, you have to take into account that for as widespread and varied death metal has now become it can also be a very generic sounding genre to the newcomer. But this is something Cannibal Corpse are definitely not. Not only do they write some of the most explicit and gruesome lyrics and publish extremely disturbing album art, Cannibal Corpse are still an evermore changing musical machine. Admittedly, I was never attracted, per say, to the whole image Cannibal Corpse displayed. But rather more curious at the hype. And now, it's fair to say that they are by far one of my favourite death metal acts. Although I've always enjoyed their dirty heavy riffing, thunderous drumming and demonic growling that death metal always offers, I still urged for that little bit more experimentation hinted on albums such as Evisceration Plague and especially, Kill. They were beginning to head in the right direction for my liking, but I just hoped they would live up to it. And to put it quite plainly, they've done exceedingly well at doing so on Torture.
Despite Torture being their 12th full-length, there is still no sign of the gory quintet slowing down. From the off, Demented Aggression carries out an intro most likely heard on a Slayer album and the riff that follows rips your bloody face off. Everything is technical. The tempos change enough to keep you interested, yet are played through perfectly to give you time for a good old mosh. And to make things even better, guitarist Pat O'Brien, regurgitates an awesome solo to finish off the song. Sarcophagic Frenzy and Scourge The Iron follow up with sublime intensity, and now I understand why Cannibal Corpse have played these 3 tracks consecutively to commence their live sets in 2012. Their are tracks that conjure up rapid-fire head-banging mayhem including As Deep As The Knife Goes, Rabid and Torn Through. However, there are some interesting play-abouts as heard on Followed Home Then Killed, which begins with an eery, slow guitar intro only to be followed (excuse the pun) by expected fury. The instrumentals it seems are well executed. Solos, memorable riffs, finely played drums and even a short bass solo on The Strangulation Chair. However, throughout the album George Fisher's vocals never hint at letting you down. Despite being a replacement to Chris Barnes back in '95, I don't think anyone could imagine a more ideal successor. Especially here, he shows his true intent and will to bring superb death metal growls and morbid lyrics that we always hope for.
For all you death metal virgins, so to speak, I can strongly recommend this album as a starting point for the genre and this band. Torture gives you Cannibal Corpse' signature gore, brutality and technicality through some of their best songwriting to date. An incredible extreme metal album. Get on it. 8/10
Check Out: Followed Home Then Killed or Demented Aggression
Hope my first full album review lived up to any slight expectations you may have had! And as always, any feedback is well appreciated. Thanks.
Stewart Toner
Thursday 3 January 2013
Why Ed Sheeran is over-rated.
Why Ed Sheeran is over-rated.
- He cannot sing. Why do people enjoy his over-breathy, whispered/talked 'singing' technique? Anyone can do that.
- He isn't that good at guitar. I'm not exactly one to judge who's good at guitar and who isn't, but I think we all know good guitar playing when we hear it. Okay, he can strum and use around 4 chords. But it's repetitive and limited.
- His live show is boring. I understand being alone on stage with just your guitar can be slightly difficult to use the whole stage to, but if you have such 'great hits' why does he just stand there and play them boringly. No one can dance to that.
- His lyrics are unimaginative. He can put words together that rhyme and make even the most idiotic people to understand them. Singing about love so blatantly is not original, and again, very boring and repetitive.
- His hair is so thin you can see his scalp.
I'm just so fed up of hearin' Ed Sheeran.
The Most Annoying Thing in the Universe
The Most Annoying Thing in the Universe -
Yes, I'm going to have rants on my blog and here is my first.
The most annoying thing in the universe has to be what the internet calls 'fangirls'. Did you see that coming? If not, then you're a fangirl (can be a male also).
Fangirls can be categorised into several types. There are those who base how good a band is on their looks. There are those who display signs of insanity when a band member looks at them for a single second. There are those who find a man singing like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz extremely attractive. And there are those who just never seem to shut the fuck up.
But firstly, let's all be honest with ourselves. We have all had our episodes of 'fangirl-ism' and immediately afterwards we all look at ourselves in our mirrors and question 'Why did I just do that?' Well, we did that because we are humans, and humans are complete arse-twats. But it's those fangirls that do it 50% or more of the time that really grind our teeth. Those things on Twitter with 'bios' like so - PTV | SWS | YMAS | MCR | BOTDF | Breathe Carolina | ATL - just seem to highlight the fact why we should not follow them. They have a list of bands who are in fact shite. They're obviously too lazy or illiterate. And 9 times out of 10, they will use these after most tweets - XD :') rawr lol :P
FUCK OFF.
The scary fact is that if we don't act now will these possessed beings continue to spread and ultimately take over the music industry and therefore the world?! It's frightening and sickening to even suggest such a thing. But hypothetically speaking, it could work (of course not, I'm just being funny).
Anyway what I'm trying to say is that these fuck-wits ruin my time on Twitter, the social network I so dearly love. And I wish I could just tazer every person who shows any signs of fangirl-ism just to keep order. I have had enough of their frustratingly incorrect statements, their illiteracy, their denial and their level of immaturity. We should have a site called Fangirls-R-US.com to keep them at bay.
Fuck off you pricks.
Thanks.
Wednesday 2 January 2013
My Top 20 Albums of 2012.
Seeing as it's just newly turned to 2013, it feels a more than satisfactory time to make a 'Top 20 Albums of 2012' list. After a lot of consideration and debate, amongst me, myself and I, I have finally constructed my list.
It was extremely hard as you can imagine. Previously, I did create a list but after assessing it I realised I was a tad too biased towards the hardcore punk material released last year. And now, here is my final draft of 'My Top 20 Albums of 2012'. Enjoy.
20. Moonspell - Alpha Noir 19. Stone Sour - House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1
18. Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour 17. Gallows - Gallows
16. Indian Handcrafts - Civil Disobedience For Losers 15. Being As An Ocean - Dear G-d
14. Fear Factory - The Industrialist 13. Sylosis - Monolith
12. Black Breath - Sentenced To Life 11. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
10. Lamb of God - Resolution
This album being one of the first major releases of 2012 and under a lot of speculation, Lamb of God have set the tone for 2012 profoundly. As usual, they deliver mind-blowing heavy riffing with the odd solo accompanied with crushing drumming, as heard on Desolation and Invictus. Randy Blythe's spine-shivering vocals are on top form, which allows him to remain one of the most talented vocalists in recent metal history. Not only have Lamb of God gave us what they're great at, but they have also experimented in small parts to broaden the listening ear. For instance, an acoustic intro followed by a rhino-charged riff creates the perfect mosh-pit tune that is Ghost Walking. And King Me rounds off the album perfectly with atmospheric tones, spoken word and grand sounding guitars. All in all, a very satisfying listen.
Check Out: Ghost Walking
9. Neurosis - Honor Found In Decay
Admittedly, this was the first Neurosis album I had completely listened to. But after two listens it really dawned on me the skill of musicianship on this album. I had always been intrigued by this band reading how respected and popular they are. Now, although it may seem a daunting task to listen to this album in one shot (giving that the shortest song is just short of 6 minutes), but once you receive your first hearing you'll be gripped to found out how the album progresses. By using moody guitar tones, mid-to-slow tempo rhythms, some classical instrumentals and synths, it all moulds together creating a very compelling listen. Compelling, but only listen when seeking a complex musical experience.
Check Out: All Is Found... In Time
8. Gojira - L'enfant Sauvage
L'enfant Sauvage, directly translated to Wild Child, is an album that does exactly what it says on the tin. The opening track, Explosia, is an explosion of heavily chugged riffs, heavily shrieked vocals and heavily blasted drums. And the rest of the record is no different... Gojira deliver a bombardment of crazy prog. metal with each track having it's own personality while keeping the set heaviness, resulting in no stand out tracks. With the odd atmospheric bridge linking each breakdown to another, Gojira continue to prove themselves as prog. metal pioneers. It's heavy. It's self-explanatory. It's Gojira.
Check Out: They're all brilliant.
7. Torche - Harmonicraft
Harmonicraft is an album that you could listen to in any mood. It can be heavy, it can be melodic. Torche have given everything you need. The extremely deep guitar tuning works in surprisingly perfect harmony (excuse the pun) with the contradictory high melodic overtones, as heard on Snakes Are Charmed for example. But the album can take a sudden change of direction becoming a sped up array of sludge rock riffs giving you that extra punch of 'Oh yeah'. The vocals are a positively melodic affair, as are the lyrics. For Mastodon and Baroness fans alike, you will relish in the delights of this album and this band. Torche still have a lot more to offer.
Check Out: Snakes Are Charmed
6. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
After the release of their mini-album The North Stands For Nothing back in 2010, we knew While She Sleeps were onto something, but who knew it would be this? Although they set the foundations of their sound within metallic hardcore, While She Sleeps have surprised us all on their debut by becoming more metal than expected yet more experimental as expected also. On this album the band have used thrashy riffs with Taylor's vocals growled on top alongside some piano and atmospheric experimentation with their guitars. Tracks like Dead Behind The Eyes and The Plague of a New Age display how metal they really are, yet tracks such as Seven Hills and Our Courage, Our Cancer, show how melodic and intricate they can also be. For such a young band they are plentiful of mature song writing. But this begs the question, can they top this?
Check Out: Seven Hills
5. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
The melodic punk rockers have done superbly on their third full-length effort, On The Impossible Past. They have stuck with their original song writing ethics, but they have somehow wrote some of the best material they may ever write on this album. It is a very melancholic affair, yet it has opposite effect on you. Instead it picks you up with its uplifting guitar chords and shouted vocals. The lyrics are at large pretty clever, relatable and create very clear imagery. It's a simple, but very effective and infectious album. Tune after tune, you can't help but put this album on repeat basically.
Check Out: Burn After Writing
4. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Deftones are a marmite band, to put it plainly. You either like them, or you don't. And for as anticipated as Koi No Yokan was, it was always going to be an album that fans of Deftones will love. In short terms, they have displayed exactly what they have done in the past but to absolute perfection. It's heavy, it's progressive and it's clever. Chino Moreno and the gang have wrote some of their best stuff here. Swerve City opens the album with a catchy riff guaranteed to keep your ears peeled for more. It can be absurdly heavy too by trying their hand at 'djent' on Poltergeist. Then it develops into atmospheric breaks to keep you alert on Entombed and Gauze. And as always Chino's angelic singing satisfies you more than ever. Deftones, finally escaped the shadows of White Pony, have become a perfection incarnation of themselves on Koi No Yokan.
Check Out: Swerve City
3. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
The pioneers of mathcore/hardcore are back, and they mean business. Their 2001 release, Jane Doe, has been recognised as the pinnacle of their career, up until now that is. All We Love.. grabs your attention from the off and throws you into a black hole of chaos, you may want to get out but you can't! Mathcore is a sub-genre that can be pretty difficult to get to grips of, but Converge have made things easier for you here by layering melodic overtones on top of their signature grinding guitar riffs and drums. Converge have always produced good music, but this takes them back to the absolute forefront of metal and rock music once more. All We Love We Leave Behind at the very least equals that of Jane Doe, if not surpasses it.
Check Out: Trespasses
2. Meshuggah - Koloss
Arguably the most influential band of the last two decades, Meshuggah are back. Following up on 2008's full-length, obZen, they have continued their journey down into the depths of guitar tuning. They are back with their famously known deep guitar riffs (deepest sound in the universe second only to the sound waves of black holes), time signatures sometimes too difficult to follow and Kidman's robotic growls. All the tracks, but best noted, Marrow and Demiurge, deliver catchy heaviness enough to shatter the Earth's crust. And through the constant heavy weaponry, the album comes to a tranquil conclusion on The Last Vigil, perfect to reattach your ears to without fear of being harmed. By the sounds of things it's everything you need from a Meshuggah record, however there is some sort of refreshing feel to it all. It may have been recorded in one of the members getaway homes, but the production levels are some of the best you'll ever experience. It's the best Meshuggah record to date. Simple as.
Check Out: Marrow
And now for my Top Album of 2012, it goes to...
1. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
Yes, the Canadian hardcore punk quartet that is Cancer Bats. From the moment I first heard this album I knew it would be an incredibly hard task for anyone to top it. It's shoves you into a pissed off, 'Fuck you' type of mood with R.A.T.S. as the albums opener. Liam Cormier's vocals sound like a fucked off shrieking wolf which accompany Scott Middleton's riffs with perfection. The riffs on this record are just immense. And as for one of their singles, Road Sick, it just takes the album to a whole other level. Although it may come across as very melodic, it is still very much a punk record. I need not explain this band and record any further, you'll understand when you hear it.
Check Out: Road Sick
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this review. I hope you enjoyed it and, as you should know, any feedback is well appreciated.
Stewart Toner.
It was extremely hard as you can imagine. Previously, I did create a list but after assessing it I realised I was a tad too biased towards the hardcore punk material released last year. And now, here is my final draft of 'My Top 20 Albums of 2012'. Enjoy.
20. Moonspell - Alpha Noir 19. Stone Sour - House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1
18. Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour 17. Gallows - Gallows
16. Indian Handcrafts - Civil Disobedience For Losers 15. Being As An Ocean - Dear G-d
14. Fear Factory - The Industrialist 13. Sylosis - Monolith
12. Black Breath - Sentenced To Life 11. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
10. Lamb of God - Resolution
This album being one of the first major releases of 2012 and under a lot of speculation, Lamb of God have set the tone for 2012 profoundly. As usual, they deliver mind-blowing heavy riffing with the odd solo accompanied with crushing drumming, as heard on Desolation and Invictus. Randy Blythe's spine-shivering vocals are on top form, which allows him to remain one of the most talented vocalists in recent metal history. Not only have Lamb of God gave us what they're great at, but they have also experimented in small parts to broaden the listening ear. For instance, an acoustic intro followed by a rhino-charged riff creates the perfect mosh-pit tune that is Ghost Walking. And King Me rounds off the album perfectly with atmospheric tones, spoken word and grand sounding guitars. All in all, a very satisfying listen.
Check Out: Ghost Walking
9. Neurosis - Honor Found In Decay
Admittedly, this was the first Neurosis album I had completely listened to. But after two listens it really dawned on me the skill of musicianship on this album. I had always been intrigued by this band reading how respected and popular they are. Now, although it may seem a daunting task to listen to this album in one shot (giving that the shortest song is just short of 6 minutes), but once you receive your first hearing you'll be gripped to found out how the album progresses. By using moody guitar tones, mid-to-slow tempo rhythms, some classical instrumentals and synths, it all moulds together creating a very compelling listen. Compelling, but only listen when seeking a complex musical experience.
Check Out: All Is Found... In Time
8. Gojira - L'enfant Sauvage
L'enfant Sauvage, directly translated to Wild Child, is an album that does exactly what it says on the tin. The opening track, Explosia, is an explosion of heavily chugged riffs, heavily shrieked vocals and heavily blasted drums. And the rest of the record is no different... Gojira deliver a bombardment of crazy prog. metal with each track having it's own personality while keeping the set heaviness, resulting in no stand out tracks. With the odd atmospheric bridge linking each breakdown to another, Gojira continue to prove themselves as prog. metal pioneers. It's heavy. It's self-explanatory. It's Gojira.
Check Out: They're all brilliant.
7. Torche - Harmonicraft
Harmonicraft is an album that you could listen to in any mood. It can be heavy, it can be melodic. Torche have given everything you need. The extremely deep guitar tuning works in surprisingly perfect harmony (excuse the pun) with the contradictory high melodic overtones, as heard on Snakes Are Charmed for example. But the album can take a sudden change of direction becoming a sped up array of sludge rock riffs giving you that extra punch of 'Oh yeah'. The vocals are a positively melodic affair, as are the lyrics. For Mastodon and Baroness fans alike, you will relish in the delights of this album and this band. Torche still have a lot more to offer.
Check Out: Snakes Are Charmed
6. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
After the release of their mini-album The North Stands For Nothing back in 2010, we knew While She Sleeps were onto something, but who knew it would be this? Although they set the foundations of their sound within metallic hardcore, While She Sleeps have surprised us all on their debut by becoming more metal than expected yet more experimental as expected also. On this album the band have used thrashy riffs with Taylor's vocals growled on top alongside some piano and atmospheric experimentation with their guitars. Tracks like Dead Behind The Eyes and The Plague of a New Age display how metal they really are, yet tracks such as Seven Hills and Our Courage, Our Cancer, show how melodic and intricate they can also be. For such a young band they are plentiful of mature song writing. But this begs the question, can they top this?
Check Out: Seven Hills
5. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
The melodic punk rockers have done superbly on their third full-length effort, On The Impossible Past. They have stuck with their original song writing ethics, but they have somehow wrote some of the best material they may ever write on this album. It is a very melancholic affair, yet it has opposite effect on you. Instead it picks you up with its uplifting guitar chords and shouted vocals. The lyrics are at large pretty clever, relatable and create very clear imagery. It's a simple, but very effective and infectious album. Tune after tune, you can't help but put this album on repeat basically.
Check Out: Burn After Writing
4. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Deftones are a marmite band, to put it plainly. You either like them, or you don't. And for as anticipated as Koi No Yokan was, it was always going to be an album that fans of Deftones will love. In short terms, they have displayed exactly what they have done in the past but to absolute perfection. It's heavy, it's progressive and it's clever. Chino Moreno and the gang have wrote some of their best stuff here. Swerve City opens the album with a catchy riff guaranteed to keep your ears peeled for more. It can be absurdly heavy too by trying their hand at 'djent' on Poltergeist. Then it develops into atmospheric breaks to keep you alert on Entombed and Gauze. And as always Chino's angelic singing satisfies you more than ever. Deftones, finally escaped the shadows of White Pony, have become a perfection incarnation of themselves on Koi No Yokan.
Check Out: Swerve City
3. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
The pioneers of mathcore/hardcore are back, and they mean business. Their 2001 release, Jane Doe, has been recognised as the pinnacle of their career, up until now that is. All We Love.. grabs your attention from the off and throws you into a black hole of chaos, you may want to get out but you can't! Mathcore is a sub-genre that can be pretty difficult to get to grips of, but Converge have made things easier for you here by layering melodic overtones on top of their signature grinding guitar riffs and drums. Converge have always produced good music, but this takes them back to the absolute forefront of metal and rock music once more. All We Love We Leave Behind at the very least equals that of Jane Doe, if not surpasses it.
Check Out: Trespasses
2. Meshuggah - Koloss
Arguably the most influential band of the last two decades, Meshuggah are back. Following up on 2008's full-length, obZen, they have continued their journey down into the depths of guitar tuning. They are back with their famously known deep guitar riffs (deepest sound in the universe second only to the sound waves of black holes), time signatures sometimes too difficult to follow and Kidman's robotic growls. All the tracks, but best noted, Marrow and Demiurge, deliver catchy heaviness enough to shatter the Earth's crust. And through the constant heavy weaponry, the album comes to a tranquil conclusion on The Last Vigil, perfect to reattach your ears to without fear of being harmed. By the sounds of things it's everything you need from a Meshuggah record, however there is some sort of refreshing feel to it all. It may have been recorded in one of the members getaway homes, but the production levels are some of the best you'll ever experience. It's the best Meshuggah record to date. Simple as.
Check Out: Marrow
And now for my Top Album of 2012, it goes to...
1. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
Yes, the Canadian hardcore punk quartet that is Cancer Bats. From the moment I first heard this album I knew it would be an incredibly hard task for anyone to top it. It's shoves you into a pissed off, 'Fuck you' type of mood with R.A.T.S. as the albums opener. Liam Cormier's vocals sound like a fucked off shrieking wolf which accompany Scott Middleton's riffs with perfection. The riffs on this record are just immense. And as for one of their singles, Road Sick, it just takes the album to a whole other level. Although it may come across as very melodic, it is still very much a punk record. I need not explain this band and record any further, you'll understand when you hear it.
Check Out: Road Sick
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this review. I hope you enjoyed it and, as you should know, any feedback is well appreciated.
Stewart Toner.
Introduction to destruction.
Hi there, everyone!
I've been meaning to start a blog for a while now, it was just a matter of actually creating one. And now, here I am!
The purpose of my blog will be to share my keen interest of music, mostly rock and metal. And thus, I will try my hardest to write adequate album reviews and other things on those lines.
I hope you enjoy what I offer, and any constructive criticism is welcomed!
Thanks,
Stewart Toner.
I've been meaning to start a blog for a while now, it was just a matter of actually creating one. And now, here I am!
The purpose of my blog will be to share my keen interest of music, mostly rock and metal. And thus, I will try my hardest to write adequate album reviews and other things on those lines.
I hope you enjoy what I offer, and any constructive criticism is welcomed!
Thanks,
Stewart Toner.
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