Wow, for a B-side, “Deathbound” sure kills. THIS was a B-side?!?!?! I can see how this didn’t exactly fit into the fabric of Crack The Skye, though. “Deathbound” is stylistically somewhere between Remission and Leviathan. One thing’s for sure, it gives me a lot of hope for The Hunter in October which even Mastodon have been saying will be closer to Leviathan. For now, you get this treat and the accompanying demented Mr. Rogers Muppet mutilation video. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo4dfd4ChKQ
Metal Monday
Metal Monday Volume 24 (7.5.11)
The March, for me, was an unparalleled step forward for Unearth. It was a band stepping out of their comfort zone to expand upon an already established sound and forge a new future for themselves. The breakdowns were incredible. The musicianship was stellar and the tones coming out of the band reminded me of Crowbar and some of the best sludge metal out there. Made with Seemless/Kingdom of Sorrow drummer Derek Kerswill, it was a definite high point for the […]
Deconstructing the Ghost (Devin Townsend reigns supreme!)
This is been such a daunting piece to write. Not because I don’t like the music I’m about to write about but because of the sheer amount of music I’m about to write about. Devin Townsend started releasing this 4-album project back in 2009 when Ki and Addicted were released within 6 months of each other. He took some time off to tour and fine tune the last two, Deconstruction and Ghost, but instead of separating the releases, Townsend released […]
Metal Monday Volume 23 (6.20.11)
You know it’s not often that you look to sweeping huge choruses in your metal songs but that is one thing that In Flames are sure to deliver. If you haven’t been a fan of the last few In Flames records then stop reading now because Sounds Of A Playground Fading is not gonna win you back. I’ll admit that I only began my relationship with In Flames after 2002’s Reroute To Remain but having bought everything before and after […]
Metal Monday Volume 22 (6.13.11)
A day late and a dollar short my mother always used to say to me but hey, I only have so much room in this column per week. Anyway, at least by reviewing Doctor Midnight & The Mercy Cult’s debut a week late you know it’s at least available in stores now, right? Dr. Midnight & The Mercy Cult are an extreme super-group featuring Hank Von Hell of Turbonegro, Tim Skold (KMFDM, Marilyn Manson, Skold), Anders Odden (Satyricon, Celtic Frost), Audun Stengel (The Kovenant, Apoptygma Berzerk), and David Husvik (Extol). Whew! That […]
V stands for “Very Effing Good” (Karma to Burn is back!)
If you read Metal Monday a few weeks back, you should already know that I am a huge fan of Karma To Burn. The West Virginian 3-piece is easily filling the void left by Kyuss and since their return from hiatus in 2009, they’re belting out albums quicker than you can say “Karma to who?”. It was just over a year ago that their first album in almost 9 years Appalachian Incantation was released. They promised a quick turnaround on album number […]
Metal Monday Volume 21 (6.6.11)
“ Gossamer ” off of Tombs last record, Winter Hours, is one of my most favorite metal tracks ever. It’s this lumbering behemoth that lurches along and just when you think you know where it’s going, it smacks you in the face with a 2 X 4. It’s so good that the quality of the rest of the album doesn’t matter (It helps that all of Winter Hours is great but that’s not the point…). Based on that one song, Tombs follow-up Path […]
Metal Monday Volume 20 (5.30.11)
Normally I wouldn’t review a single here in the hallowed (?) halls of Metal Monday but I felt that the sheer magnitude of the people involved in Gojira’s “Of Blood And Salt” merited a little more time. Plus, it’s my column and I can do what I want…and there’s like 3 metal releases next week so a single seemed like the safe prelude to the metalness to come. Is there such a word as metalgasm? No? Then “Of Blood And Salt” […]
Spin Cycle: Trivium “In Waves”
There are two Roadrunner bands who both have new records due later this year who are both in line for Metallica’s throne should they ever decide to retire. They are Machine Head (Also from the Bay Area) and Trivium. MH has the chops and experience but Trivium’s got the secret weapon in guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy who is a dead ringer for James Hetfield. Trivium’s latest is due out in August and the first inkling has appeared in the form of […]
Metal Monday Volume 19 (5.23.11)
If you were a fan of Cave In’s earlier work but let them go from Jupiter onward then White Silence should get the band back in your good graces again. Never before has a band managed to take the sum of all of its separate parts (Old Man Gloom, Clouds, Zozobra, Octave Museum, etc…) and make such a cohesive record with it. The first thing you’ll notice about White Silence is how visceral and raw it is. Caleb Scofield is […]
Metal Monday Volume 18 (5.16.11)
Karma to Burn are a band that when they put out an album, it will automatically go in my Top 5 for the year without hearing a single note off of it. Because they’re that good and I’m that confident in each album being a sonic slab of instrumental rock goodness. So what do these West Virginian boys sound like? Like awesome. Heavy riffs, thunderous drums, and a low end that can peel paint from the walls. In a word: Monolithic. They first […]
“Get Up” with Korn.
Yes! Anthemic Korn is back. Look back on the Bakersfield band’s rich history (Yes, it’s rich) with the just released Essential 2-CD set and then look to the future with new single “Get Up” also out today. Sure, things have changed over the years and they’re down to only three original members but one thing is for sure, the song still remains insane. Released today on Itunes as a prelude to the upcoming June digital EP, “Get Up” is “classic” […]