I am currently listening to the new debut album by pop-punkers Neck Deep and it's got me thinking about the micro-genre...
For as much as I love some of it, I can't help but think the scene is stuck in the past. Pop-punk can't get over the skating burst of the 90s and the teen movie blast of the 00s. It's virtually had no musical advancement since Blink-182 released their self-titled effort in 2003 except from a handful of bands. And to be totally honest, I think it's one of the most elitist scenes out there. Admittedly, I grew up on bands like Blink-182 and Sum 41 and I still love them, however I believe they were just gateway artists into things more complex and mature. But does this lack of innovation give pop-punk its distinctive and dividing character? Or is the community just too adamant to look back in nostalgia and too 'hipster' to care?
Tuesday 7 January 2014
Album Review - The Persecuting Society EP by Human Cull
The concept of grindcore is to play really hard really fast. And to counteract the traditional short song lengths, many bands in the scene just add more tracks to the album. This is gladly received, however releasing a 6-track grind EP seems utterly pointless, especially given that half of the tracks don't even reach a minute long with all of them being under two minutes.
Not only that, but the music itself is amazingly average. By all means not bad but never reaching anything merely interesting. However, there is one track, Will to Submission, which acts as the stand-out but ironically is the least grindcore of the lot, touching on a slower doom/sludge approach.
With the music being entirely irrelevant and it's sheer length, or 'short-th' so to speak, Human Cull have won the award for Most Pointless Release of the Year So Far. 5/10
Thursday 2 January 2014
Album Review - Instincts by Sight Of Emptiness
As a morally and politically aware person, and in some cases an activist, it is refreshing to hear music that preaches the things I truly believe in. And in this particular case, as a bonus, the music itself is almost flawless. The Costa Rican melodic death metal sextet, Sight Of Emptiness, follow up their 2011 debut, Absolution of Humanity, with an utterly beautiful sophomore album representing what it really means to be a band, a group of musicians and a group of artists.
Instincts is their second outing of pummelling, and now perfected, genre-binding heavy metal. It sees the band becoming more aware of the world around them, telling of the danger mankind poses to nature. It's not every day you see a band labelled as a sub-genre of 'death' metal and juxtaposing their beliefs. A probably unintended thing to do, but nevertheless works perfectly well.
At times proggy in depth, but mostly crushing all round, Sight Of Emptiness combine influences drawn in from as wide a range as Soilwork to Meshuggah to Killswitch Engage to Rammstein. Also including flashes of poppy synths and piano, reminiscent but not to the huge scale of Crossfaith, too. Primitive percussion is used to portray the 'instincts' and natural state of the music at selected moments, which could also be a reference to Sepultura. They can sway back and forth from grooving, chuggy riffs to intricate and uplifting leads seamlessly, incorporating breakdowns and howling screams as points of anger and distaste at our very own species. The melodic choruses are sung by a variety of featured vocalists from a variety of bands. And while most 'true' heavy metal fans would claim that using guests on songs is a tad cringey and mainstream, Sight Of Emptiness are simply showcasing that allowing outsiders to be featured on the album is a way of connecting to people in more ways than just writing the music and lyrics. Oh, and the Costa Rican Minister of Culture is also featured on one of the songs if that isn't enough proof for you!
With great production yet remaining primal, Sight Of Emptiness prove they're awesomely talented musicians that deserve a shit-load more of recognition. Instincts can cater for all of you if you allow it to. Don't just listen to the music though, read their lyrics and allow yourself to see truth. Captivating.
9.5/10
Instincts is their second outing of pummelling, and now perfected, genre-binding heavy metal. It sees the band becoming more aware of the world around them, telling of the danger mankind poses to nature. It's not every day you see a band labelled as a sub-genre of 'death' metal and juxtaposing their beliefs. A probably unintended thing to do, but nevertheless works perfectly well.
At times proggy in depth, but mostly crushing all round, Sight Of Emptiness combine influences drawn in from as wide a range as Soilwork to Meshuggah to Killswitch Engage to Rammstein. Also including flashes of poppy synths and piano, reminiscent but not to the huge scale of Crossfaith, too. Primitive percussion is used to portray the 'instincts' and natural state of the music at selected moments, which could also be a reference to Sepultura. They can sway back and forth from grooving, chuggy riffs to intricate and uplifting leads seamlessly, incorporating breakdowns and howling screams as points of anger and distaste at our very own species. The melodic choruses are sung by a variety of featured vocalists from a variety of bands. And while most 'true' heavy metal fans would claim that using guests on songs is a tad cringey and mainstream, Sight Of Emptiness are simply showcasing that allowing outsiders to be featured on the album is a way of connecting to people in more ways than just writing the music and lyrics. Oh, and the Costa Rican Minister of Culture is also featured on one of the songs if that isn't enough proof for you!
With great production yet remaining primal, Sight Of Emptiness prove they're awesomely talented musicians that deserve a shit-load more of recognition. Instincts can cater for all of you if you allow it to. Don't just listen to the music though, read their lyrics and allow yourself to see truth. Captivating.
9.5/10
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