Purified In Blood- Last Leaves Of A Poisoned Tree

Purified In Blood is a Hardcore, Metalcore, Death Metal, Thrash band from Stavanger, Norway. This album was released by New Eden Records in 2003. The first thing I notice is Purified In Blood have two vocalists and two guitarists which is not common and create a certain sound on this record. The band members introduction to extreme metal was Iron Maiden and Slayer. The band's concept of heavy metal with a message is similar to Emperor meets Earth Crisis or Immortal meets Integrity. This album was a breath of fresh air when it came out because this level of heaviness and this level of metal had not been reached in quite some time. This release reached back to the glory days of metalcore but added influences from the Norwegian Black Metal scene of the 1990's. That Purified In Blood is from Norway made Black Metal a legitimate influence. The influence of Slayer is very apparent on this record. One of the vocalists has a Hardcore approach and the other vocalist has a Death Metal approach. The two vocalists sound very different and bring a unique and exciting feel to the music. Sweeping and descending guitar riffs make this recording sound extremely evil. The melody was a brief break from all of the chaos. The dual vocal assault is just mind blowing as the two singers trade lyrics back and forth. The two guitarists sound like they are playing two drills. That's how heavy the guitars sound on this album. The drums sound like fine china crashing and breaking into pieces. We have some great tough guy mosh parts here that will have all the hardcore kids dancing up a storm. Purified In Blood is from Stavanger, Norway and this city has many great Black Metal bands like Carpathian Forest and Gehenna. What this band does so well is mix elements of Hardcore and heavy metal to create their own unique style of Metalcore. These guys have so much pride in their music and their message that it's obvious that this would become a classic Metalcore album. 

Thanks so much for reading this.
Kevin

Strongarm- The Advent Of A Miracle

Strongarm is a Hardcore band from Pompano Beach, Florida. This album was released by Solid State Records in 1997. I first heard Strongarm at a concert in Miami Beach. The concert featured bands like Cast Iron Hike, Ignite, Strongarm. A college friend in Chicago played me The Advent Of A Miracle CD and upon first listen I really liked the album. I felt like this record was really heavy but also filled with emotion. The Advent Of A Miracle has a massive sound and is overflowing with passion. Strongarm is known as one of the first "Spirit-Filled" Hardcore bands. These guys are amazing musicians and they ooze Hardcore music out of every single pore. The guitar riffs are incredibly sophisticated and the music sounds so beautiful. Spoken vocals sound deadly serious and add another dimension to the band. The shouted vocals work perfectly for Strongarm and they have these mean 1990's Hardcore vocals down to a science here. The only band that comes close to this good is early Shai Hulud and they had members of Strongarm and they played a similar style. The drummer hits so hard and then out of nowhere comes all this beautiful melody. Then the music sounds absolutely furious in every way possible. Wow what a band they just continue to surprise you at every turn. The vocals are furious here and the guitars sound like rushing waterfalls. Strongarm is a band that have been copied over and over again because the sound they created is so influential. Never has Hardcore been combined with melody to birth such an incredible album. The Advent Of A Miracle is a "Spirit-Filled" Hardcore masterpiece. 

Thanks so much for reading this. 
Kevin

Fall Silent- Superstructure

Fall Silent is a Hardcore and Metalcore band from Reno, Nevada. This album was released by Revolutionary Power Tools in 1999. I have always loved bands from Reno starting with 7 Seconds and Zoinks! two great punk rock bands. Then also from Reno are two great hardcore bands Unconquered and Fall Silent. I first heard Fall Silent back when Superstructure came out and I had never heard anything like it. The pace of this album is so incredibly fast and the vocals are absolutely maniacal. Fast signature time changes and blast beats are all over this amazing record. Strained throaty vocals are also present and very demonic riffing is played flawlessly. Fall Silent is so brutal and in your face on this album that Superstructure could be called a powerviolence record. To my knowledge powerviolence is not really a term that we use today so I would still call this a Hardcore and Metalcore album. This music takes you for a ride that never slows down and never stops. Fall Silent will never let up for a second because their music is completely relentless. Riffs feel as heavy as sledgehammers and screaming vocals sound like a rabid pitbull. This release is very original and unique sounding because Fall Silent was forging their own path of music excellence and total destruction on Superstructure. They even recorded a Journey cover for this record with an entertaining twist. This is such an amazing album because when it came out I had never heard anything like it and to this day I still have never heard anything like it. If you like your music filled with total aural destruction and massive doses of speed then Superstructure by Fall Silent is the music for you. This is a classic Reno album just as good as classic albums by 7 Seconds. 

Thanks so much for reading this.
Kevin

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​Zao- Liberate Te Ex Inferis (Save Yourself From Hell) plus Zao- Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest

This is the first time where I couldn't pick one favorite album from a band because I actually have two favorite albums from Zao. Zao is a metalcore band from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. These albums were released by Solid State Records in 1999 and 1998. The first time that I heard Zao was at this music festival in Louisville, Kentucky called Krazy Fest back in 1998. They played a live set at the festival that was mind blowing and my jaw dropped so far that it almost hit the floor. I had never seen a band play with that much intensity and I had never heard music that was so vicious. To this day these Zao albums still have that intensity and that viciousness going for them. Zao used to be a devoted Christian band but drummer Jesse Smith changed the bands views on Christianity. Zao didn't want to be called a Christian band anymore they just wanted to be called a group of open-minded artists. Zao uses cascading guitars so well that they almost feel like they're falling completely into your lap. Screamer Daniel Weyandt uses vocals that are snake like in delivery. He sounds like he is hissing his words which gives his vocals an almost black metal like sound. Zao implements melodic breaks so well that they make it seem like it is easy. Screeching guitars with feedback amazes me on the "Liberate" album. The music is so brutal and evil sounding that you feel like you have been thrown right through an adjacent wall. Sometimes the music is just scary and it creeps me out. Zao is also really awesome lyrically if you can understand what the screamer is saying. Having listened to them so much I do understand most of what he is saying and it's really a treat for me. Machine gun and rapid fire like playing blows me away on the "Where Blood" album. What you have to understand is that Zao is not just one of the best metalcore bands ever but they're also one of the best extreme metal bands ever. I never stopped listening to Zao since 1998. That's how good they really are. They have some melody in their songs and that is a great surprise because it sounds wonderful when combined with all of the extreme parts in their music. Zao is a very original band and because of this they have influenced so many bands to make their own music. Dirge like passages that slowly move along until they finally hit massive speeds and careen out of control. Zao has a global fanbase and has earned critical praise for their music. The technical prowess of their music was unheard of back when these albums were released and to this day they still are extremely impressive. You should really check out these two Zao albums because these are not only two of the best metalcore albums ever but they're also two of the best extreme metal albums ever. You will be so happy that you did. 

Thanks so much for reading this.
Kevin