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This is going to be quick as I don’t have much to say about the album. Psycroptic’s latest album “The Inherited Repression” is a phenomenal album musically and the songs are fun to listen to at the time. I acknowledge how talented these musicians are and how hard they have worked on this album. I get into it and headbang a little while listening to The Inherited Repression, the album as a whole really never captured my interest though, no matter how many times I listened to the album. It is truly great but highly forgettable. The creativity is there, the vocals aren’t all bad (however I do not care for them) and the songs are heavy and rockin….it just loses me each and every time. It’s like some weird thing where I enjoy the album some while I am listening to it….but I have no desire to want to listen to it again.
I got the same thing while listening to the new Machine Head and the latest Divine Heresy albums, decent music but I just do not give a shit. I wanted to put this away and listen to something else. So, while the music is genuinely good, I just don’t think this is a good album. Nothing captured my interest, no riff got stuck in my head, no lyrics worth repeating, no leads made me rewind and listen to it again. Time after time I forced myself to listen to this album just to give it ANOTHER chance. I desperately wanted to find something great and like the album…I was let down every time.
I highly suggest listening to this album once. At least to enjoy the music, the vocals aren’t really worth a damn. Vocal range is boring and not impressive at all.
Pros: Music is good, really good.
Cons: Vocals are boring. Music never stuck with me, nothing catchy.
Inner Fear is a band consisting of artists from already existing different bands across Europe. Inner Fear have been around since 1997 but on the back burner so they can focus on their main bands. However, they have recently come back together to create and release their latest album, First Born Fear. The sound is similar to most other melodic/symphonic metal bands out there. There are two vocalists, Serg covers the lows and evil screams and Vic Anselmo covers the womanly elegant singing. It’s not your usual Evanescence shitty vocal structures and patterns, Serg is mainly on the mic. Khopec holds it on guitars fairly well. There are no mind blowing riffs or solo’s happening on the album and most of the riffs are palm muted power chords and some tremolo picked parts too. He keeps it heavy but it’s convoluted, uninspired and boring most of the time. Bass guitar is the same, nothing extravagant happening and it’s just following the guitars rhythm. Keys are reminiscent of 90′s Cradle of Filth/Dimmu Borgir. The keys are always going and is one of the main things you’ll notice throughout the entire album. The best part about the album is the drumming. Marthus has tons of fills, beats, rhythm patterns and tempos to keep those interested in the kit happy.
The album as a whole is average. Music isn’t particularly bad but it’s just shit I’ve heard before. Nothing stands out and catches my attention. It’s a fine album to listen to as background noise. I’d say it’s a damn good band to get those interested in symphonic metal. You could go from Inner Fear to Cradle of Filth to Vesania. It’s not an annoying album by any means, the music played is actually good…it is just one of these situations where I am in a “been there, heard that” mentality and I cannot shake it. Give it a listen and find out for yourself, it does deserve atleast one or two spins on the ol MP3 player. It’s a decent album, I just can’t get into it. I neither like it nor hate it.
Pros: Great intro band to better symphonic metal, drums and vocals are the best part
Cons: It’s a band you’d expect to hear opening for Dimmu Borgir, Guitars are just boring, keys can get annoying at times.
SPLATTERED ENTRAILS – 2012 EP1. Vanity of Perversion
2. Magnum Rivet
3. Onslaught of Warfare
4. Screams of Distant Terror
5. Arcadia
6. Incessant Torture
7. Subject Delta
Crushing slam groove starts this album off immediately and it’s back to what Splattered Entrails does best, make you fucking headbang. This 2012 EP is another blast-tastic death metal album that has even catchier riffs than the previous release. The tempo is slowed down a little bit in the guitar riff section, making the riffs that much heavier sounding. I mean that, these riffs sound like they weight 10,000 pounds. Drums sound great again with the exception of a couple of crash parts, it’s just annoying at times but only when I focus on it. Vocals are deep and will drag you down to hell. It seems to be the smaller guys now-a-days are belching out some impressive vocals anymore. You would think a giant was behind that microphone. The opening roar on the track “Screams of Distant Terror” is a prime example of the monstrous screams Mike can produce.
One thing I like is how crisp and clean Mike O’Hara’s picking hand is. The riffs sound really good and are not sloppy at all. Featuring layers, melodies and tapping – the song writing is a little more complex while still very structured and brutal. Some of the riffs are just dreadful and scary at times. There is a nod to Mike’s previous work, nasty guttural slam with some mean double bass behind it on “Incessant Torture”. Ending the album is another track featuring mean riffs and roars that would knock a bears nuts off and send him running. The 2012 EP from Splattered Entrails is a mean one. O’Hara keeps pumping out quality death metal and I think this EP is just the beginning of what to expect for later this year!
Pros: Groove, slam, death, brutality…this album has it all and delivers it with full force.
Cons: Not for the weak.
Alcest – Les Voyages De L’Âme1. Autre Temps (Album Version)
2. Là Où Naissent Les Couleurs Nouvelles
3. Les Voyages De L’Âme
4. Nous Sommes L’Emeraude
5. Beings Of Light
6. Faiseurs De Mondes
7. Havens
8. Summer’s Glory
Prophecy Productions
Alcest makes a triumphant return with their latest album, “Les Voyages De L’Âme“. This beautiful post-black album has everything you’d want and expect from the band. While experiencing the album, I felt like I was walking across a field. Enjoying the air and the trees. Reaching a river bank and stopping to enjoy the scene and nature. The music on this album is good for the soul. The tones of the guitar and singing just really touch you in a way that many bands would only dream of. Les Voyages De L’Âme is just soothing and while it does feature some black metal vocals, those are very rare. It’s mainly great composition and singing that would make anyone appreciate it.
Turns out Les Voyages De L’Âme in English means “The Journeys of the Soul“, and this album definitely takes your soul on a journey. It’s like a combination of how Agalloch/Falloch and Junius makes me feel. You can thank Neige for most of the work as he covers guitars, bass, synth and vocals on the album. Drum work is done by Winterhalter. If you like to think, feel and dream while listening to your music. Then Alcest has created the perfect album for you.
While the album is very well done, it tends to get repetitive if I’m not in the mood for it. Each track is good but none of them stand out and grab me at all. It’s all very similar to one another. They could have released this as a one 50 minute long track. This is usually not a problem with me but after a few rotations in I wasn’t feeling it as I was before. The appreciation and acknowledgement of how good this is will always be there, I just need to be in the mood for it.
Pros: Excellent music and production, I love the singing
Cons: Kinda all blends together and gets repetitive towards the end
1. Career Suicide (Is Not Real Suicide)
2. Travelling Alone
3. Alternate Ending
4. Lightning & Snow
5. Finality
6. Death Is Not An Exit
7. Adora Vivos
8. Silver
9. Modern Life Architecture
10. Kiss My Ashes Goodbye (Part I)
11. Kiss My Ashes Goodbye (Part II)
Earache Records
I’m going to begin this review with the notes that were found within the promo. Canada’s WOODS OF YPRES push their haunted brand of bleak metal into new dimensions of tortured gloom. ‘Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light‘ defines the sound the band have been striving for, marrying downbeat doom rock with catchy melody and hooky choruses into a sound that promises hope on one hand and delivers desolation on the other. Band mastermind David Gold delivers his dry Nick Cave-esque lyrical approach with a rumbling, rich baritone offset with a heartfelt ‘regular’ vocal, laying his soul bare on tracks such as ‘Career Suicide (Is Not A Real Suicide)‘ or the frail ‘Finality‘. With a rich production courtesy of John Fryer (Depeche Mode, NIN, White Zombie, HIM), the lush orchestration sets the emotions on edge in songs such as ‘Traveling Alone‘ or ‘Death Is Not An Exit‘. Woods of Ypres manage to make music that sounds catchy and upbeat, while crushing hearts at the same time, producing a dangerously addictive combination of self depreciation and eternal hope making ‘Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light‘ a dark curse for those who dare to dream.
More after the jump.
First off, I want to say that this will be the last album review for 2011 and it’s late, I know this. I was swamped at work and it’s finally ceased this week. With that said, I can now continue on the review for Korn‘s latest dubsteppy album, The Path Of Totality. I need to say this right now, This should not be labeled a Korn album. It should be called “Jonathan Davis and Friends” because the presence of Fieldy and Munky are non existent. It’s just layers of electronic wubs and bumps with Jonathan Davis‘ voice over it. There are a couple of areas where you can hear a guitar riff but it’s so droned out and muffled that you could pass it off as something that a DJ inserted. While this sounds like the album would just fail miserably, it doesn’t. The drug induced tempos and beats are done well and and honestly, Jonathan singing over them sounds great. Davis‘ voice sounds really good on this album and he saves this album from being a total throw away.
The songs are catchy and each track has it’s own little special thing about it. Good or bad, it could be a chorus you can’t help but sing along to or an annoying part within the dance track. As a dubstep album, it’s alright. As a Korn album, it’s just Jonathan singing. There is hardly any guitar or bass guitar work (that I can hear and distinguish) so it’s mainly Davis doing what he does best. Blend these two together and the album is alright. I wouldn’t necessarily turn this off immediately but it’s not something I’d rush to play everyday. There are some good parts that make you headbang and sing along to. There are some parts that are just “meh” and nothing too special. However, I’d recommend giving this album at least one or two good spins. It is something different and shall I say, something special. It’s weird to hear an older rock band (late 90′s, so old bro) mesh their style with modern techno. Somehow in some way……it does work. Songs like “Way Too Far” are a prime example of this come together of sound working well.
Pros: Jonathan Davis’ voice sounds really good. Like, really fucking good. Some great parts on the techno side of things.
Cons: Hardly any Munky or Fieldy action going on at all. Dubstep music is alright. Production seems off a little on Jon’s mic on a couple of songs.
3 out of 5
Fav Tracks: Kill Mercy Within, My Wall, Burn The Obedient, Sanctuary, Let’s Go, Get Up! , Way Too Far
I dunno what the fuck a Måsstaden, Vildhjarta or a Thall is but one thing is for sure, this album packs one hell of a punch. Vildhjarta is a band that, just like most bands following this trend, sound like Meshugguh. The thing about Vildhjarta is, they actually seem to do it right. It’s not JUST about the chunky ass kicking riffs and time changes, they implement amazing leads and unique techniques within these monster riffs. Rhythm is one thing I love and rhythm is one thing Vildhjarta does perfectly; the songs are heavy, catchy and have a weird sense of electronic presence in them and it adds to the songs and makes them slightly more dynamic. Time and time again you will hear the amazing riffs of rhythmic goodness, electronic impulses that create an ominous effect and even scary little clean channel parts that create one hell of an atmosphere.
The vocals are a mix of two fellas. It reminds me of a death metal Mushroomhead in a way, one guy is more screamy and the other has a lower tone and is more death metal. The mix is great and keeps things interesting, there is even some clean singing on the song “Traces“. On the lower end of the sounds we get some fantastic bass guitar work and drumming that pummel you furiously and relentlessly. If you have an amazing set of speaker (headphones, home or car) then Måsstaden will be your best friend for weeks. The sound is so rich and fulfilling and I’ve never heard an album from within this genre that is as good as this one. Not one single track is boring and each song has something special, whether it’s just a small track with some killer riffs or it’s the outro to “All These Feelings”. I don’t know for sure how they are getting such a high sound out of the guitar but my only guess is that they are getting from behind the bridge that holds the strings.
While Måsstaden is truly the best in it’s class, it’s not truly groundbreaking. This style is over saturated but Vildhjarta make it their own and make it unique, which I can appreciate. I honestly cannot stand this style of music but this album is my exception. Enjoy Vildhjarta , enjoy Måsstaden.
Pros: Excellent sound and songs. Interesting sounds and leads.
Cons: It’s that sound everyone loves/hates.
4.5 out of 5
A metal core album that uses some death core elements to keep things on the heavy side and they are not afraid of using their clean channel. While they don’t reinvent the wheel, they keep things interesting using a unique tone and executing songs very well.
The album moves very well and keeps me interested. Some of these breakdowns on this album are just down right nasty and the songs can be emotional. Volition is a good album, The bass and guitar tone are the real stars of the show. Using techniques from so many different genres, it keeps the listener guessing.
The only thing bad about the album is probably the obvious use of so many metal core riffs and death core breakdowns. Still a solid and heavy album.
Pros: great riffs and guitar tone. Singing is good.
Cons: so many layers underneath the main core elements that you may miss it.
3.5 out of 5
Bedroom artists are not scarce, however true talent such as this is a rarity. Ben Sharp is the artist here and his project, Cloudkicker, is amazing music. While the main focus of this website is music that will make you headbang ferociously, I do enjoy something more thought out and melodic, ambient and subtle. Let Yourself Be Huge is just that and done masterfully. 25 minutes of truly great and breathtaking music. The guitar playing is romantic in a way and performance on this EP is executed flawlessly. The song titles fit in with the music wonderfully, as was the case with Beacons. It adds to the song a little more and I can’t explain why. They are the only lyric to the song in a way.
Let Yourself Be Huge is one of my favorite instrumental albums of the year. There are no overly done gimmicks and wacky guitar solos. Just straight up rhythm and ambiance. It’s so well done, magical and beautiful. It’s hard to find the right words to express my appreciation of the hard work put into this album. It’s just SO FREAKING GOOD!
Pros: Everything. Literally: everything.
Cons: Only the weird in and out of the final riff on the song “Explore, be curious“…but that’s no big deal.
5 out of 5
GET THE ALBUM HERE ON BANDCAMP!
Luckily, I won this EP through a contest Metal Blade was doing on twitter, FREE WHITECHAPEL CD!!! That won’t mean I automatically throw a 5 out of 5 on it, because it’s not. Whitechapel created one original, did one cover, allowed two remixes and did an acoustic version of one of their old songs. Sounds like the potential to fill everyone’s needs, but sadly not mine. The Tennessee titans came together and spawned one hell of an original track, Section 8 is fucking awesome. I’ve had this track stuck in my head for over a week now. The single itself is the best part of the album. Whitechapel continue to prove that they are a force to be reckoned with. Their song writing gets better and better with each effort they release. The next track is a great cover of Pantera‘s “Strength Beyond Strength”. I never would have expected this band to have covered a song such as this but they nail it and it’s so fitting. Phil Bozeman does a great job on the vocals (of course) and the band adds their own touch to the classic thrash song.
The rest of the album is mediocre. I do not care for remixes at all and dubstep versions make it worse. I love me some electronic music but this whole WUBWUBBOOM dubstep movement I just cannot get into. Of course we get a remix from Big C, the usual deathcore/metalcore into dub guy. Then we have a song remixed by Ben Weinman which is worse. Once all of that mess is over, the band covers their song “End of Flesh” acoustically and sometimes I get lost while listening to the track. It’s odd to hear a deathcore song, a song which is supposed to be nothing but brutal, being played on the ol grandpa guitar. It’s done well and it’s nice to hear a different approach on the song but after a couple of listens, I had my fair share of it.
Section 8 is the reason why I love this EP. However, one song (no matter how kick ass it may be) can not carry the entire cd.
2.5 out of 5
Fav Track: Section 8
Machine Head, a very straight to the point metal band. No real gimmicks, good tunes, good vocals and excellent on stage. A solid band with groovin songs and honestly, they pack a punch. Robb Flynn has a vocal style like no other and he can ALSO SING! Their rhythm section is damn good, drumming and bass guitar always sound amazing. Leads and solo’s are epic and full of passion and emotion. Lyrics are strong and catchy. Great riffs and even love that pitch harmonic that Robb pulls off. I respect the band and everything they do. They are wonderful musicians.
However, I just cannot for the life of me get into this band. I may listen to them once every 2 or 3 years for a few days and that is it. I own a couple of their albums and it’s usually a once over when I get it and then it sits on the shelf. I’ve seen them live 2 or 3 times and they always put on a great show. Lights, sound, stage presence…everything is awesome. I enjoy what I hear at the time, then shelf the album (now mp3) and never come back to it. If Machine Head is played at a bar or party, I’m all like “Fuck yeah! Machine Head kicks ass!!!” but if you look on my iPod or cd player wallet in my car, there is no sign of anything by them on there.
Why does MH have no re-playability values for me? It’s not like I think they are a bad band. I can’t even explain why I subconsciously think that their work is forgettable. Their last couple of albums, no matter how catchy or epic they may be, I just do not care. I don’t! Maybe it’s because they are beginning to sound the same over and over again? Even that logic doesn’t seem right, I love the entire Nile and Cannibal Corpse catalog….and they haven’t changed much in terms of sound and style.
While listening to Unto The Locust, I felt nothing but boredom and that is sad considering there are only 7 songs on the album. I’ve listened to 25 minute long songs and never got that bored. I don’t understand it, I did find some riffs and things here and there I enjoyed. I just couldn’t wait for the album to be over. The music is solid and done with class and expertise. Vocals are still rockin too, singing or screaming, they are good. Robb Flynn‘s pitch is perfect with Machine Head’s style. With that said, I just don’t care. I can’t get into this. I kept losing interest while listening to Unto The Locust, it never really had me to begin with though.
This album is just disappointing. I liked the single “Locust” when I first heard it. Unto the Locust is just one of those albums from a well regarded band that just doesn’t do anything for me. I tried to like it, just like I always do with Machine Head albums.
Pros: Music is good. Very carefully thought out writing and execution. Great sound.
Cons: Boring. I just cannot get into this album/band.
2 out of 5
Fav Tracks: Locust
Wolves In The Throne Room is a band I have never heard of before. I never knew what to expect or what I was getting myself into. To make a long story short, I fucking love this album. There are only 7 tracks to Celestial Lineage (2 of which are instrumentals) but this album is still satisfying. Some of the tracks are long (three of them are over ten minutes) but they are so interesting and beautiful that I do not mind it. The composition and writing is very well done and inspiring. The music is dark, deep and ominous; it paints a picture. The riffs and drums are so cold, they make me think and feel. I love how Celestial Lineage sounds. It has that vintage black metal sound to it. Drumming is nothing incredibly technical or out going but they are perfect for this music. Vocal style is mainly the high pitch screech that you would get with your typical black metal band. The additional vocal parts from Jessika really add a special touch to the songs she is in.
I love all of the little nuances and additional ambiance that is present on the album. It really provides an epic feeling along with the great music that Wolves has created. These guys take the black metal torch and hold it with pride. I hope whomever they pass it on to does as well as these guys have done. I feel like this new release is already a timeless classic with the other great black metal albums out there. Everything is perfect and the songs are structured so well. I never lost interest, I never got bored and I continue to be blown away after every listen of the album. Celestial Lineage will give you chills and shows that true black metal is a respectable form of art.
5 out of 5
Pros: trve kvlt mvsic. the tunes are good, production is vintage but not that hipster “let’s make it sound like dogshit” recording,
Cons: n/a
Evanescence, not much has changed in the past 10 years. Their self titled album is much of the same as before, emo radio rock that appeals to pre-teen girls and confused teenage boys. This album is just bad. It’s emotionless, it’s empty and it’s uninspiring music that is just background noise for Amy Lee to spill her guts over. While she may have a decent voice, it doesn’t save my ears from the annoying whining of heartbreak and love lost. It’s just the same irrelevant and boring song over and over again, recycled and reused for the next wave of Hot Topic goons to drool over.
It’s as if I was listening to the soundtrack to the latest “Twilight” movie. Disgusting. I mean the music doesn’t do ANYTHING remarkable at all. Nothing was catchy, heavy or even good in an acoustic sense. Of course there was the “I’m playing piano and singing my heart out” song but even that was trash. At least Loutallica‘s LULU was semi-interesting. This was just boring on all levels. So just spare your time and money and skip this one.
0 out of 5
Behold the greatness of FUCK THE FACTS. A band that is rather unorthodox yet incredibly good. Die Miserable is fucking amazing. The riffs are gnarly, the drumming is ass ripping and the bass is kicking hard. I cannot define nor place this album in any genre. They are furious like a grind album yet when things get slow they tend to groove harder than any sludge band. A symphony of a great mosh pit, the sound of a car crash. Die Miserable will make you head bang and yet force you to pay attention to every little note. It is worth it, there are no shortcuts or shitty riffs happening here. The vocals are very throaty and raspy most of the time with a few lower registers happening on some of the songs.
The only thing that doesn’t work for me on the album are the vocals that are of the throaty gasping for air kind. I found them to be annoying and unfitting with the music. It’s as if someone was choking that Fruit Loop mascot, Toucan Sam. The constant squawking from him gets old after awhile. However, block that out and you got yourself a pretty flawless album. The music is just so good. Usually after only 8 songs I want more but Die Miserable is quite filling. Want more? Press play again!
Pros: music is really good.
Cons: vocals kinda blow most of the time.
4.5 out of 5
I’ve rarely listened to Animals As Leaders prior to this release. There has been so much love for AAL that I figured I’d give the new album, Weightless, a listen to. I wasn’t really ready for what was going to happen, but my standards were a little high considering all of the press these guys get. The album is good and musically brilliant. I have much respect for what the gentlemen have done on this album. Some of the things they pull off are quite mind blowing. I cannot help but think once again that this album would be so fitting for a Mega Man game or a super hero movie soundtrack. The tunes are quite epic in that sense. Weightless is very jazzy with lots of timing changes and not too heavy so at times it also feels like lobby/elevator music, just on a higher level of awesome. There is a big noticeable electronic presence on the album. It’s kinda cool at times but does not add anything spectacular to the songs.
Weightless is a good album but it will not be getting much replays from me. Nothing got stuck in my head after several spins and I only ended up truly liking three songs. The album is quite repetitive it seems, I feel like I’ve been listening to the same song over and over with only a couple of changes here and there. There is a lot of noodling and ambiance happening during the album but it really doesn’t save it from the rather forgetful music AAL has released. It’s too bad because I really wanted to just fall in love with this album but I was left feeling underwhelmed after every listen.
Pros: Some really cool parts on the album.
Cons: Album is just dreadfully boring.
3 out of 5
Fav Tracks: Isolated Incidents, Do Not go Gently, New Eden
This is definitely an I Declare War 2.0. The new album is full of better riffs, unique breakdowns and vocal patterns that keep things interesting. I was a half and half fan of IDW before, most of their stuff was derivative and unoriginal. While the death-core scene is basically a rinse and repeat genre to begin with, this new album seems a little more thought out and refreshing. Yes, there are still breakdowns and vocals that would scare the teeth out of your grand parents but this album takes what is basic and adds a touch of expertise to it.
I think the song structures and excellent drumming helps as well. The guitars are not novice work either, rhythm is heavy and there is some cool noodling going on throughout this album. Like I said, the breakdowns are unique. Whether it’s the timing of the breakdown or the notes they throw in in between the usual stuff that everyone pulls off. It sounds cool.
While this ISN’T the most original album available, it is better than most of the death-core acts out there today.
Pros: Some unique-ness and riffs keep this album spicy.
Cons: Vocal range is not wide, if you aren’t a fan of breakdowns then this album will not be for you. There are plenty.
4.5 out of 5
FUCK this album is intense. Rotten Sound’s “Cursed” is probably the most raw sounding grind album this year. Thick power chord riffs and a beefy bass guitar produce a great sound. The drumming is a pummeling masterpiece and the vocals are fucking awesome. While the music is fast, it’s really good grind. When it’s slow, it’s really good sludge. Rotten Sound’s album is one to make you listen to it over and over again.
Pros: 16 kick ass songs in under 30 minutes.
Cons: I could not find any.
5 out of 5
Despite all of the harsh negativity circling the internet about the new Lou Reed & Metallica collaboration known as LULU, I wanted to listen to it for myself. You can listen to it now, just click here. I tend to like things that people hate and vice-verse. I listened to “The View” a couple of weeks ago when it was available for streaming and I listened to a couple of previews when they were available and honestly, I lost interest. Curiosity showed it’s ugly face this week though, I had to listen to this album. I am a huge fan of Metallica, they are the band responsible for guiding me towards the light (or darkness, this IS metal we’re talking about) and I’ve never listened to a thing Lou Reed has done. So I didn’t know what to expect upon listening and my expectations were set to an all time low, I kept in mind too to keep an open mind while listening to LULU as well. Regardless of what Lars has said, I was not expecting …And Justice For All material here.
Let’s focus on the positives, yes there are some positive parts to this album. The production is good, the album sounds great. The drum pitch could use a tweaking (I found the snare to be a little off) but the bass and guitars sounded very good. Also, there are some quality riffs on this album! I mean, I actually liked the entire song “Dragon“, the riffing and drone like tempo really made me like that song. I had to ignore the vocals but I DID find a song I liked.
Old.
Now, let’s continue on with the rest of the album. My fra-fra-frastrations with LULU, as you will. The music is usually boring and repetitive. It’s as if some young kids listened to the Load albums, St. Anger and Garage INC (Disc 1) and tried to mimic the sound, with their grandpa on the microphone. Lou’s vocal pattern seems tired and is so off timing sometimes it makes me sick to my stomach. The lyrical banter is nauseating and it’s recycled over and over. The songs could be 70% shorter if they didn’t seriously play the same riff and use the same verse repeatedly. Even with some of the good riffs that surprisingly pop up, Lou’s vocals ruin the moment. His mic was also entirely too loud, either turn down his mic or take a step back! I know Metallica likes using the same riff over and over to make a song, I mean most of their songs in their catalog are averaging out around 7 or 8 minutes. This album though, a riff will last 3 minutes AND NOT CHANGE ONE BIT. That is just baaaaaaaaad and boooorrrriiinnnggg.
I get what they are trying to do, take an old play and make something that is art, something that is dark and shocking. Hearing an old man start off an album with those choice lyrics is laughable and I cannot take it seriously. Even hearing him say the word “fuck” a few times made me chuckle. Lou cannot sing…he cannot carry a tune nor can he harmonize. The lyrics also are not meant for two older white men to be muttering. I was thinking to myself, “Hell, Courtney Love or Alanis Morrisette would have been better playing the part than Lou’s insane ramblings with James yelling behind him.”
Listen to LULU if you dare. It’s not metal…nor is it good rock and roll. It’s an old man and a fading metal band trying to perform something unnecessary and make an artsy album. This was a bad move for both Lou Reed and more so for Metallica. Does Metallica have the Honey Badger mentality or something? It seems like they TRULY do not give a shit. They’ll put their name and logo on anything they want, it will sell. So will LULU, this album will sell more copies than a really deserving band will, which is sad. Hate Eternal’s latest album is AMAZING but will barely profit from the album/touring. I hope Lou, James, Lars, Kirk and Rob do not die anytime soon because I would not want LULU to be their last effort.
Anytime I think of this album, I see this:
LULU has it’s moments…but those moments are not worth it.
Pros: Very few riffs are worth a damn.
Cons: The album is utterly disgusting and annoying.
0.5 out of 5
Fav track: Dragon…minus the vocals.
Deathcore done well: Carnifex‘s latest album, Until I Feel Nothing is true punishment. The tone is fucking heavy, drums are menacing and the riffs are groovin. The execution of the pitch harmonics are impressive, they aren’t used too often on the album but the songs that do use them I got a kick out of it every time. The intro track is one of the most boring introductory tracks I’ve heard this year. The album is pretty average as far as songs go. I did bang my fucking head the entire time though. Vocals are of the higher pitched raspy kind. The lows aren’t even that low, not guttural but it goes well with the music. Breakdowns are done very well and are organic with the songs. There are a few gems on this album; songs like Dead but Dreaming, Creation Defaced and Wretched Entropy made me want MORE Carnifex. The rest of the songs are good but nothing memorable.
With that said, this is still a great album. Musically, I am satisfied with what has been delivered. The songs are done well and the punch that Until I Feel Nothing delivers is quite fierce. The best track on the album by far is Dead But Dreaming, if the rest of the album was like this then we would have had a masterpiece. It is not like the rest of the songs, the riffs and brutality they achieved on that song is way better than the rest of the album. Sadly, this was the first song I heard off of this album….so I was expecting songs like THIS through out the entire album. My standard’s were high after listening to that song and the rest of the album was a little underwhelming. Dead But Dreaming is so killer, I wanted to jump the gate at the zoo and mosh a bear.
Pros: The album has sick tones. Seriously though, the tone and sound of the album is great. Songs are heavy and there are some quality riffs here.
Cons: Some of the album is rather forgettable/boring.
3.5 out of 5
Fav tracks: Dead But Dreaming, Creation Defaced, Wretched Entropy
