Reprisal- Boundless Human Stupidity Reprisal is a Metalcore band from Italy. This album was released by Good Life Recordings in 2000. I was in a record store in New York City many years ago and I had barely heard of this album. So I checked out the front and back cover and realized this must be a Hardcore record. I had also heard about this Hardcore band Kickback from Paris who was supposed to be really good. I found their newest album at the record store also. I went to ask the staff at the record store what he thought about me buying two albums I had never heard before and he said something like it's a good deal because they're on sale and they're new releases. I listened to what he said and walked out of the record store that day with both albums. Since that day I have loved the Reprisal release Boundless Human Stupidity. I feel that this is such a brutal album but I also feel that the guitar riffs are really catchy. The guitar riffs are still extremely heavy but it's just something in the writing process that seems to come naturally to them which is to have brutal riffs combined with catchy riffs. I love how the singer Enrico Sampaoli just screams his guts out. He is like a man possessed screaming bloody murder to the throngs of fans who adore him. He has so many different screaming styles that he uses to employ his madness. For every word we have a matching screaming style so that the vocals flow nicely. If Reprisal didn't have Enrico singing for them they would be a much different band because he is such an important part of the band with what he can pull off on the microphone. I feel like the band are perfectionists at playing Metalcore and their sound is a sort of controlled chaos. All those years ago in a New York City record store I was right to purchase the Reprisal album and I still listen to it today. If you enjoy Metalcore you will be all over this record and find a new favorite also. This is one of my favorite Metalcore albums ever and should be held in high regard by all who love Hardcore music. Check it out immediately. Thanks for reading my review. Kevin
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Iron Age- The Sleeping Eye Iron Age is a Hardcore and Thrash band from Austin, Texas. This album originally was released in 2009 on Tee Pee Records and was reissued in 2019 on 20 Buck Spin. This is not just your average extreme metal band because vocalist Jason Tarpey plays synth and singing bowls. Their song structures and the way they right their songs is just so unique and different sounding. On "The Way Is Narrow" record they cover Satori Part 1 by Flower Travellin' Band. This is a cover of a psychedelic rock band from Japan done by an extreme metal band from Texas. I have also heard Iron Age called a Thrash Metal/Crossover band. One thing is for sure they don't like to be put into any category and when you're this talented you deserve your own category. Next to the Hardcore vocals we have these amazing chanting vocals that create an eerie feeling. Now we have this very triumphant feeling to the music which makes me think of ancient battles won. We just had some synth work and damn that sounded amazing. I felt like it could put me in a trance because it was so hypnotic sounding. Jason Tarpey can sing extremely well and of course with his talents he can scream really well also. His vocal range and chanting vocals make him an incredible singer and the perfect vocalist for Iron Age. The Thrash guitar parts in that song were simply outstanding and again show how talented of a band we have here. I should mention that this is a devastatingly heavy album but that is not what you think of when you listen to this record because there is so much happening on this album. We have a multi layered approach to this recording that makes it sound so good and the clarity of the recording is impressive. This could be do to the reissue in 2019 on 20 Buck Spin. The last song "The Way Is Narrow" is a masterpiece complete with singing bowls. You must have this record because you will always find something different to like while you are listening to this album. With this reissue out this should be thought of as the classic record that this already was but now re-released to the public everyone can now hear this classic album. Thanks for reading my review. Kevin Daylight Dies- No Reply Daylight Dies is a melodic death-doom band from North Carolina. This album came out on Relapse Records in 2002. Wait a minute, I have to catch my breath! These guys are simply amazing and just outright outstanding. I first heard them in 2000 when Idle came out on Tribunal Records. I'm a massive fan of Tribunal Records but now Daylight Dies is on Relapse Records which is another fantastic record label. I feel like they had to move on to another bigger independent record label for more exposure and that is why they made the switch. This is a straight up heavy metal record but because this album is so brutal sonically and so vicious in it's delivery I believe all fans of heavy music may really like this release. There are also some elements of melodic death metal present on this album. What we really have here is an original sounding death-doom band. The singers vocals are sickening and his tortured screams sound almost maddening. The guitar riffing is so unbelievable because it's so precise and it sounds like the blazing riffs could be on fire. We just had some total death metal growls which were done to perfection and sounded totally amazing. The mood to this album is very dark, somber, devoid of feeling. It has a feeling of nothingness and an overall feeling of intense sadness. Sometimes you get so low that you need a band to speak to the way you're feeling and at that time Daylight Dies would be the perfect band for you to listen to. We have simply gorgeous and majestic piano work here that takes you to the bands home of North Carolina. It was quite a surprise to hear piano played on this album and I thought that was unique. This band is full of surprises and that is a really endearing quality for a band to have. I think what makes this album so special is that I believe all fans of heavy music may really like this release. This is for sure a classic album and deserves to be treated as one. I think you should buy this record because you will love it. Thanks so much for reading. Kevin Sidekick Kato- 1st Class Chump Sidekick Kato is an Emo and Indie Rock band from Des Plaines, IL. This album came out in 1996 on Johanns Face Records. Sidekick Kato is one of my favorite bands from the Chicago underground scene. Back in 1996 when this record came out Emo and Indie Rock meant very different things than they do today. They were just different genres that were part of the hardcore scene at the time and they were seen in a positive light. Sidekick Kato was called a drunk emo band because they were always drunk at every show they played. There was a much deeper meaning though because they were fantastic musicians and at different times their music sounded melodic and perfect and then a couple minutes later their music sounded heavy and like it was all going to fall apart. This is the true essence of their music and the real reason why they were called a drunk emo band. Sidekick Kato is so dynamic and so intricate and the music they write is quite complex sounding and shockingly beautiful. This is the kind of Emo where the singer violently falls on the floor screaming his guts out because his lyrics are so filled with emotion. Some of you may know that Emo used to be called emocore and that was just another name for emotional hardcore. There is no doubt that Sidekick Kato is truly a heavy band and the singer has some amazing screaming vocals on this album. Todd Pot from Apocalypse Hoboken is a backing vocalist and Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio is a backing vocalist as well. This is like the perfect album and I have been listening to this album since it was first released in 1996. They are a truly legendary band in the Chicago scene because their style of drunk emo had never been attempted before but many Chicago bands tried to emulate their style. The only problem is none of these bands came close to sounding as good as Sidekick Kato. I just don't think they had the talent to pull it off. Although it might be a bygone era for this type of Emo and Indie Rock their most loyal fans still care and have been checking out Sidekick Kato at their most recent reunion shows. They're even selling new shirts on the bands website that are quite fashionable and I may be interested in buying a couple shirts. Sidekick Kato has meant so much to me in my life and I hope my readers will get something out of them as well. This is a classic release and also an essential album for you to add to your collection. Take a chance and you will be rewarded with a downright legendary record. Thanks so much for reading. Kevin Shorebreak- Path Of Survival Shorebreak is a Hardcore and Metalcore band from Barcelona, Spain. This album was released by Good Life Recordings in 1998. I was on vacation in Barcelona with my parents and I received a flyer for a show with Better Than A Thousand and Shorebreak. The show was at a squat in Barcelona and I loved Better Than A Thousand and had heard good things about Shorebreak. I was down to go and I was super excited to see my first show in Europe and I was excited to see what the Barcelona hardcore scene had to offer. The opening band was Shorebreak and right away the singer took of his hoodie and he was wearing a classic Earth Crisis shirt and that really caught my attention because Earth Crisis was definitely one of the best bands of the time. Then when they started playing it was not like they were just some opening band but a well oiled machine of Barcelona hardcore. They were simply amazing oozing passion from every pore. Every guitar riff gave you goosebumps and every scream made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I got the crowd going as well. Shorebreak put on a totally awesome show in front of their home fans. Now back to the album Path Of Survival. I really love this album and it has been described as what it would sound like if Morning Again was from Spain. That is an amazing description and that would make so many people want to check this record out. You can definitely tell that they are from Spain because one song is in their native tongue and anytime they're not screaming you can tell from their accents that english is their second language. This makes the album very unique because it's like they are telling us we are from Spain and we are proud to be from Spain. But Shorebreak is for sure a Hardcore and Metalcore band through and through. I also remember when they performed live I talked to the singer and he spoke excellent english so we were able to actually talk for a while that night. The guitar riffing is exceptional and the mood of this album is very somber sounding. When listening to the vocals you can feel the singers pain and loss and his fear and sorrow. His screaming is just epic and the emotion in his voice will bring you to your knees sobbing. This is a really heavy album but that makes the melodic parts of this record that much more impactful. This is such an amazing album and it's for sure a modern classic. What makes this record so special is the band lets you into their emotional psyche and the mellow parts of this album play such an important role in the creation of their beautiful music. No doubt this band is heavy but there is so much more going on in their music. I implore you to check out this record. I think you will be very happy that you did. Thanks so much for reading. Kevin Embitter- 1134 Embitter is a Hardcore, Metalcore band from Warsaw, Poland. This album was released by The Coming Strife Records in 2020. This is a new band that has been advertising their new record 1134 quite often on Facebook lately. They have some limited vinyl that has copied some old Morning Again releases and they have some limited shirts that has copied some old Morning Again designs. This is quite amazing and very unique marketing to me. Embitter is influenced by Belgian hardcore from the 1990's and by hardcore from the 1990's in general. They don't sound like a band who is copying a certain style but rather a band who is just influenced by Hardcore and Metalcore bands. Poland is a place for a huge amount of death metal bands and black metal bands but definitely not a place known for a huge amount of Hardcore bands and Metalcore bands. The fact that Embitter is coming straight out of Warsaw, Poland makes them a huge rarity in the scene and I believe it will make some people shake their heads in disbelief. If you have heard their Season of Solitude Demo they have made a massive improvement in sound and confidence. The 1134 record sounds earth shattering and the confidence level is up 1000 percent. The Demo is worth the purchase but honestly the 1134 record is just simply brilliant. This record is so brutal and I love his screaming vocals so much. His vocals sound like they have completely scorched the earth and now a demon is running for president and his minions follow him. The brutality of this album is like being beaten by a boxer beyond recognition and now you will never be able to get up again. This is such an epic record like I always here from those classic 90's metalcore records but it can't be a classic yet because it was released in 2020. I bet it will be a future metalcore classic though based on how good a record this actually is. This is a magical album that has a soul to it that can't be contained. The burning embers start a flame and watch it ignite into an all out house fire. Watch past masters take home all the glory but wait this is the dawning of a new era where new masters get the glory. All Hail Embitter! And the Rise of Polish Metalcore! Embitter is an amazing band and 1134 is an amazing album. I highly recommend this to fans looking for something new and something similar. I must implore you to buy this record. Thanks for reading. Kevin 156/Silence- Irrational Pull This band is a Hardcore, Metalcore, Nu Metal band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This album was self released in 2020. 156/Silence is a new band and this is their brand new record. They are usually referred to as a metalcore band but they could just as easily be called a nu metalcore band. Is that even a genre of music LOL? I am using it to describe what they sound like and they seem to fit that descriptor. This a new scene to me which includes hardcore bands being influenced by nu metal and I believe this scene really just started a few years ago. I have heard several of these bands and I really like the results. It can be confusing because many of these bands just get called metalcore bands. I love metalcore so I don't have any problem with that genre but I just want to know what I am listening to. The last band I reviewed on my webzine was Orthodox and they are part of this new scene. They are also a wonderful new band for you to check out. Back to 156/Silence because this band is simply brutal and imposing. The vocals are sickening beyond belief and the low end sounds like a car crash waiting to happen right in front of us all. Those hardcore breakdowns will have the kids dancing for days. Some of this music is truly frightening and sounds like sirens blaring in the distance. The guitars create these epic swells of music that sound like eruptions of noise. Now I am hearing more and more nu metal parts to the music some of them barrages of sound and some of them very melodic passages. They can get downright technical and then downright strange at the drop of a hat but it all sounds nice to me. This song sounds like a death metal version of System Of A Down. What an amazing song that really shows off their nu metal influences. I love how the songs build and build until they just break and those distorted vocals are just the icing on the cake. The down tuned guitars and abrasive playing technique are hallmarks of this band. 156/Silence is amazing and the sounds they create are downright impressive. You need to listen to this band because they are doing something different here and with an impressive level of quality. This is not a classic record yet because it just came out in 2020 but I am sure it will be one of the best albums of the year. Please read my review of the Orthodox record as well. I implore you to check out the 156/Silence album. Thanks for reading my review. Kevin Orthodox- Let It Take Its Course Orthodox is a Hardcore, Nu Metal, Metalcore band from Nashville. Unbeaten Records released this album in 2020. I always review old bands and old albums. But I have wanted to review new bands and new albums for a while. I came across an article online that was about new bands that are changing the face of hardcore and Orthodox was covered in this article. They have two albums on Unbeaten Records and I also read some reviews of their records online. This is the latest Orthodox record and it has more nu metal influence then the first Orthodox record. Some people could see this is a bad thing if they were influenced by some second tier nu metal but they're clearly crazy about the best bands nu metal had to offer. If you remember the best bands in nu metal were really awesome groups and are still completely relevant to this day and I will find myself listening to them quite often. I also thought it was really great that they are a straight edge band. Orthodox are quite brutal sounding and they are very dynamic songwriters. The vocalist is like a machine because he goes through so many different styles of singing and screaming. These grooves are so tight that you would need a chisel to get through them. The chord progressions are insane and the mood is rather dark and bleak. It's hard to pick apart certain genres of extreme metal because the music is such an amalgam of everything heavy. We have some beautiful mellow parts to the music and to the vocals as well. I can for sure hear elements of hardcore, nu metal, metalcore in the music of Orthodox. The vocals and the lyrics are both really intense and violent sounding. I thought that Orthodox would be one of the only bands in the scene in Nashville. But I was quite wrong as I found out that the Nashville scene has many great bands. This band write brilliant riffs and the singer can be downright scary sounding. We have a song here that sounds similar to Type O Negative that I really like. This band brings so much to the table that makes them so likable. I really love this band and I do believe that they could change the face of hardcore. I know that they grew up on nu metal and came from the metalcore scene and that they are straight edge. I also know that they have more eclectic taste in bands from the extreme metal genre. This album only came out this year so I can't call this a classic yet but this is a damn good record. Orthodox is an amazing band and this is an amazing album. Thanks for reading my review. Kevin Undying- The Whispered Lies Of Angels Undying is a metalcore and death metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. This album was released by Good Life Recordings in the year 2000. James Chang and Jonathan Raine from Undying used to be members of the amazing North Carolina hardcore punk band Catharsis. This record has a great cover of "The Cry Of Mankind" by My Dying Bride. Undying is one of my favorite metalcore bands of all time. The musicianship is top notch and they have an unmatched sense of melody. The vocals are scathing and seem to erupt fire when they're at the most intense times. The vocal dynamics are something special when mellow spoken vocals and brutal screams happen at the same exact time. I love the eerie keyboard passages where you can hear elements of black metal. This album has a black metal influence running through it that makes it rather unique. The drumming is very impressive and moves the songs along rather nicely. I absolutely adore the guitars and I believe that the guitar melody is a highlight of this record. The hardcore breakdowns are simply awesome and I could see hardcore kids going off to this for sure. This is a total death metal album and brings to mind many of the greats of the genre. Undying is from the hardcore scene and you can hear that in some passages on this recording. The real truth about Undying is that they're an incredible metalcore band. The howling vocals make me think of werewolves on the moors in England. Why is Undying such a great band? It's because they mix the heavy and the melodic so well. This is their greatest strength and this is what makes them so unique. I also think that their singer is a major asset to the band. They had a different vocalist later on and were never as good with the new singer. We have a somber mood to the music that makes me think of black metal again. This recording sounds professional but also raw enough to give it that classic hardcore sound. If you like this review of Undying you must check out my review of Prayer For Cleansing because both bands have a similar style. This Undying album is not only one of my favorite metalcore records but it's also one of the best extreme metal releases as well. This recording is a total classic and you will not find another album like this ever. I implore you to check out The Whispered Lies Of Angels. If you are looking for some amazing metalcore Undying is waiting anxiously for you. This was fun for me to write. Thanks again for reading this review. Kevin Slavearc- Structural Damage In The Blueprint Of Humanity Slavearc is a hardcore, death metal, metalcore band from Sheffield, England. This record was released by Screams Of Salvation in 1999. What I really like about this album is that it's so death metal sounding and I love the death metal genre. I also really like the record label that put this out called Screams Of Salvation. They have released many amazing metalcore bands like Absence, Pain Runs Deep, Slavearc. This band is just brutal and the vocals sound almost inhuman. You can't understand at all what the singer is saying as his lyrics are impossible to understand. That doesn't matter when the music is this good though. I have always loved Slavearc and to me when you have the kind of vocals that are really scary and inhuman sounding that is a definite plus in my book. The music can be very slow and powerful when it moves at the pace of cascading maple syrup to finally reach the seven minute mark of the song. The fast songs are also impressive because they can fit so many different genres of extreme metal in each song. The pacing of the songs is mostly fast and that is where I see that the hardcore genre is really present here. This is a really raw sounding album and death metal is all over this release. The drumming is just outstanding and is incredibly precise. Is that man or machine behind the drum kit? Right now I can hear sprinkles of metalcore in the song structures. I also heard hardcore dance parts which was a surprise on such a death metal sounding release but they fit in very well with the rest of the music. The guitars sound really intense and have this feeling of domination. I really like the vocalist and his growling and bellowing vocals. His singing is so intense that I think if Slavearc didn't have him they would have quite a loss. He is so engaging and has such a presence that he really is the backbone of this band. The guitars never sound forced because they sound perfectly placed and we have some major shredding going on here. We have some definite metalcore moments on this album and they're really well done. This is an amazing death metal record that only Slavearc could produce. What makes this so incredible is this release mixes together hardcore, death metal, metalcore. This is a classic album and one of my favorites from that period. This album does transcend when it was originally released and has become an all time classic in my opinion. Slavearc has been slept on for far to long and it's time to revisit this record and give them another chance. If you have never heard them then this is the perfect time to give them a listen. So check them out and see what England has to offer. Thanks for reading. Kevin |
AuthorFor the past thirty years I have been listening to heavy music. I wanted to take my knowledge and my love for music and share it with my viewers. Archives
May 2022
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