Top Albums to Check out This Week & Some you Shouldnt

Top Albums to Check out this week:

Ringworm “Scars”

 

-Metallic Hardcore Heavyweights, a must check out for any fan of the genre. This album is just what I hoped it would be and its equally as good as “The Promise”.

Marduk “Iron Dawn EP”

-Although after multiple listens I still think this EP is far superior to many Black metal releases this year and its only 13 minutes long, chalk that up to me being into faster black metal I suppose.

(The Entire EP for your Enjoyment)

Harm’s Way “Isolation”

-I have to admit, Harm’s way is a band that although I’ve followed I haven’t kept up with lately (or at least since their previous album, “No gods No masters” but this is definitely a step up from that. Purely outright aggressive stuff but not so generic you should overlook it.  They’re music is similar to Xibalba’s latest album which I reviewed not long ago.

Weekend Nacho’s “Worthless”

-Another great hardcore release this year, although its kind of late in the running to be suggesting this album since it was released in May, but it is completely worth picking up though.

 "Every one of these albums will make you act like this dude"

Stay Away from these:

I Wrestled a Bear Once “Ruining it for Everybody”

-I had high hopes for this record being as I somewhat enjoyed their last album but either this is way to out there for me or it just sucks, possibly the former though more than likely.

Limp Bizkit “Gold Cobra”

-Obviously if you still listen to this, there is a problem with you.

Incubus “If Not Now, When?”

-Once again I find myself scratching my head as to why an artist such as Incubus could release such garbage; it is just got mediocrity written all over it. (Even though I hate to not suggest it, it is their worst release)

Tennessee Murder Club “Carving a Legacy”

-I read recently that this band is “Disgustingly Sick Nasty Brutal” not to mention with such a winner of a name, how could u go wrong? Watch some of their videos, they’re horrid.

And I leave you with my most anticipated upcoming release:

Opeth “Heritage”

The best part about this is that, its impossible to even find an audio sample, but I can’t wait either way.

Pre-Order’s just went up as of the 21^st of July.

YOB "Atma" 2011

Artist:  YOB
Album: Atma
Genre: Doom/Sludge

Facebook: YOB

Tracklist:

1. Prepare the Ground

2. Atma

3. Before We Dreamed of Two

4. Upon the Sight of the Other Shore

5. Adrift in the Ocean

Last.FM: Eugene, OR, USA (1996 – 2006, 2008 – present)

YOB was brought into being by vocalist / guitarist Mike Scheidt during the mid 90s. Previous to founding YOB, Scheidt had operated as a drummer with Hardcore acts chemikill and Dirty Sanchez and held down bass duties in H.C. MINDS. The original incarnation of YOB featured Scheidt alongside bassist Lowell Iles and drummer Greg Ocon. However, by the time of recording the 2001 album Elaborations of Carbon, YOB comprised Scheidt, bassist Isamu Satu, previously with death metal act Thrombus and former Lightweight drummer Gabe Morley. Satu also operates H.C. Minds whilst Morley divides his time with Fingertrap.

Hailing from the ever-gray skies of Eugene, OR, USA comes YOB, a band already well on their way to make their mark in the doom metal scene worldwide. Formed in 1996 by founding member Mike Scheidt, YOB started creating and destroying ideas that would become the foundation for one of doom metal’s most shining hopefuls.

The first three song self-titled demo was submitted to Stonerrock.com in 1999, sending shockwaves into the stoner rock/doom scene worldwide. This demo was a bold statement of intent: uncompromising heavy doom metal. Within YOB’s sound, which is equal parts Sleep, Burning Witch, Neurosis, High On Fire and Electric Wizard, YOB has accomplished song craft that is as much their own sound as it is paying homage to the doom metal greats of both times of yore and present.

In 2001 YOB recorded its first full-length record for 12th Records in Spokane, Washington titled Elaborations of Carbon.

Overall Sound:  YOB plays Doom metal, and are damn good at it. They have slight intricacies within their music many people miss which include the use of ethnic instruments and styling’s from different kinds of music from all over the world.  Even though I am a late follower of YOB, being that I only started listening to them when the album “The illusion of Motion” came out in 2004. Sadly I haven’t kept up with them since they split up in 2006, and what a dumb mistake that was (but there again, I figured they wouldn’t reform). Needless to say they play a crushingly heavy yet absolutely clear blend of Doom metal mixed with sludge and does it not deliver every time you listen to it.

Guitar:  the album opens with “prepare the ground” which is astonishingly heavy and I wasn’t expected, and it gives you a slight taste of the amount of guitar tone and feel that is available throughout the album. Although the tone is quite murky and down-trodden which most YOB records are, I was surprised and how easily you can hear all the notes being played.

Bass:  Corresponds with the guitar but as previously stated before, is absolutely clear most the time. The bass-guitar’s shining moment however is in the song “Adrift in the Ocean” at the 5:40 mark. However though to me personally during some songs I feel that the mixing could have had it slightly more up near the guitar but either way, still a tremendous effort.

Drums:  Crushing and able to provide a great back-drop for the guitar/bass/vocals, pretty much more of the YOB I have come to expect but still perfectly executed.

Vocals/Lyrics: astonishing to say the least, I don’t think I have a adjective big enough to describe it. But you’ll be happy to know that Scott Kelly does a guest appearance on this album(and for those of you who don’t know who Scott Kelly is, I would advise you to look over his extensive discography with Neurosis, and his present project “Shinebuilder”) but I think my favorite is in “Before we dreamed of two”. Either way it’s splendidly executed.

Overall Impression:  YOB’s “Atma” is an excellent, enjoyable, amazing piece of music to come out in the last five years. It makes me want to see this band more than ever, and seeing as their last show was on July 18^th with support from Dark Castle.  I’m slightly disappointed knowing they were just here in NC and I didn’t get to see them perform this album. Overall though I recommend this album more than their previous effort from 2009 “The Great Cessation” but that does not mean any album in the YOB category isn’t work checking out though.

Rating: 9.5/10

(Collectively almost 30 minutes in two songs)

Clinging to The Trees of A Forest Fire "Visceral EP" 2011

Artist:  Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire
Album: Visceral EP
Genre: Funeral Grindcore

Facebook: CTTTOAFF

Tracklist:

01. Visceral

02. Lower Than Life, High As The Sky

03. Garbage

04. Special Education

05. Biracial

06. Asthmatic

Last.FM: (2006 – present)

Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire formed in 2006 and self-released an EP that same year entitled “Harmonies From Bleeding Mouths”. Their first full-length, “Omega Drunk on the Blood of Alpha” debuted in 2008 on Debello Recordings. Their newest album “Songs of Ill-Hope and Desperation” was released in 2010 on Prosthetic Records.

Overall Sound:  CTTOAFF(which is their name abbreviated if you didn’t pick up on that) are absolutely one of my favorite grindcore bands. Although I think when they released “Omega Drunk on The Blood of Alpha” they were lumped into deathcore somehow, that’s pretty much beyond me since they never sounded deathcore.

All instruments are amazing, and the vocals are absolutely perfect to me.

Overall Impression:  worth your purchase as it was worth mine, if their next full length album translates into anything like this EP is, im stoked. If you’re a fan of grind, definitely check this EP out as well as their other albums: “Omega Drunk on The Blood of Alpha” & “Songs of ill Hope and Desperation”

Also check out their Split coming up with Nesseria, which comes out in September

But Throatrunner records, is giving it away for free on their bandcamp, but feel free to purchase it though cause it is worth it as well.

Free Download:

http://throatruinerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/split

(Once you’ve downloaded it, just uncompress the file)

Rating: 10/10

(Absolutely Best Song on the EP)

Annotations of an autopsy "Dark Days EP" 2011

Artist: Annotations of an Autopsy
Album: Dark Days EP
Genre: Deathcore

Facebook: Annotations of an Autopsy

Tracklist:

1.      Buried In A Bad Rep

2.      Reznov

3.      Dark Days

4.      Stage Breaker

Last.Fm: (2006 – present)

Annotations of an Autopsy is a death metal band from the UK.

Influenced by bands such as Morbid Angel, Decapitated, Devourment, Deeds of Flesh, Crowbar & Pantera.

AOAA were formed in 2006 and have released 2 CDs: 2006’s “Welcome to Sludge City” and 2008’s “Before the Throne of Infection”. On January 18th 2010 they released their 2nd full length album “The Reign of Darkness” on Nuclear Blast records which, sees them taking a more traditional death metal approach to writing.

The band has received worldwide success off the back of the two releases and a huge fan base around the world. They have toured around the globe with the likes of Suffocation, Job for a Cowboy, Hate Eternal, Despised Icon, Suicide Silence, The Acacia Strain, Vital Remains, Dying Fetus, Cannibal Corpse and more.

Described by Metal Hammer magazine as “The first UK death band to make a dent in the worldwide metal market since Carcass”

“The Reign of Darkness” was released on January 18th in the UK and 22nd Worldwide in 2010.

Overall Sound:  Annotations of an autopsy plays deathcore but had actually had a slightly more death metal sound on their previous effort “The Reign of Darkness” but has once again progressed back into their old mold. It feels almost like they’ve progressed back because of losing popularity after their last album.

Guitar: typical uninspiring guitar riffs. Although there is quality production written all across this EP, it is still just another deathcore album.

Bass: I can’t hear it most the time but im sure it’s there somewhere………

Drums:  pretty uninspiring again…….

Vocals/Lyrics: absolutely terrible, if you want generic wanna-be deathcore album, this is definitely a release to pick up for you, did I mention the lyrics are terrible?

Overall Impression: horrendous effort by a band who I thought was going to turn their sound into another Job for a Cowboy like sound change but unfortunately they wandered right back into the mold they formed in 2006 with “Welcome to Sludge City”. Now after writing a completely un-inspiring attempt at Beatdown Hardcore with deathcore elements, they need to give up.

Rating:  1/10