Deadlock - Manifesto

... and it seems Deadlock are back with a vengeance. Anyone who listened to the former album, Wolves, should know that this German melodic death metal band can pull off some seriously good stuff in just about every department, and then add a few more with some unusual avant-garde techniques. Well, only expect more from Manifesto.

That's not to say this beats Wolves; the predecessor of this record was outstandingly good and this suffers, as I say, from 'Sacrament syndrome', but it would be fair to say that Deadlock have a great ear for the strengths of their music and giving the listeners more of it. And indeed there's something for everyone: death growls like punches in the face, forever backed up with the melancholic touch of pitch-perfect female vocals in almost every chorus, pacy chugging complimented by lead guitarist Sebastian Reichl incredible high-noted shredding over the top guaranteed to wow any guitarists. Yet there's still more, as Manifesto adds hardcore techno beats (following up on 'End Begins' from Wolves), classical elements with both interludes and a saxophone solo on 'Fire at Will' and, most strangely of all, an entire hip-hop/crunk section in the song 'Deathrace'. While these definitely add an innovative, original edge to the album, there are some parts where you can't help but wonder if the band has gone a little too far, in particular with the rapping. Melodeath and hip-hop? Perhaps there are some genres which simply shouldn't be mixed.

I can't imagine any fan of Wolves or of any particularly unique death metal disliking this a great deal, and if anything it is a good experience hearing the experimentations of a very talented group of musicians. While it lacks the catchiness of Wolves, Manifesto holds its own and I would strongly recommend giving this a buy, or even better doing it all live.

Gigantic Brain - Invasion Discography

LO! BEHOLD! I HAVE RETURNED! (Temporarily). And what better album to make a ‘grand’ come-back than with the masterpiece known as The Invasion Discography.
Written by none other than the Brain himself, there’s so much back story between me and this album I’d literally have to write a review on the back story (I won’t obviously, but let’s just say I went through a RIDICULOUS amount of trouble to get the album in both physical AND digital form). Now if ya’ll sitting there figuring why all music is bat shit boring, then this is where you stop thinking that, get up, get yourself a copy of this album anyway you can, and shut the fuck up. Possibly the best Cybergrind EVER, next to The Berzerker (they sound nothing alike, to make that clear), the 64 tracks of pure brilliance are enough to keep any Grindcore fan going for some time, and even some not-so-Grindcore-fans might like it.

The pace in the album is forever changing, from the dam slow, to the brain-numbingly fast, courtesy of a drum machine put to good use, obviously accompanied by some weird-ass noises on some sort of synthesizer…thing, simple guitar for some more depth or something along those lines, and some good ol’ classic Grindcore vocals. While it’s not an album for the weak-hearted, (well it IS Grindcore) it’s advisory for people to merely give it a listen for the experience. Even if you HATE this kind of music, you ain’t finding anything else like this around sometime soon, and it would be a good life lesson to you…somehow.

But still, I’m deeming this one of the best albums ever, because of its pure genius and inventiveness, and because it sounds nothing short of fucking awesome. I would advise it to most Grindcore fans and give the album an official ‘kudos’ (If I have it in physical form, it NEEDS that kudos).

Lamb of God - Wrath

Once Lamb of God's career skyrocketed with the undoubtedly DIVINE Sacrament, only good things could be expected in the future career of the Groove Metal gods. However, as good as following records may be, you'll always get the feeling it's just never going to top Sacrament.

The most noticeable change in the new album is Randy's vocals, he apparently had some vocal training between the two albums to stop him tearing his vocal chords and it definitely shows. In some places they sound quite surprisingly out of place, such as the chorus to 'Set to Fail', which can give a certain edge to it at times but might make some listeners think he can't keep up the blistering screams and squeals he used to do. The guitars don't have a complete turnaround and keep the Drop-D groovy feel as Sacrament had (and thrived off) but as much as their technical skill with speed and complexity still blows many bands out of the water, the riffs simply aren't as memorable and catchy as, say, Redneck from Sacrament. There are some, such as Dead Seeds, which are downright repetitive and disappointing. Moshability is definitely still a strong factor, however, and these songs live are a great experience, some of them matching the likes of Walk With Me in Hell.

The album doesn't kill Lamb of God's career by any means and fans will on the whole find this to be a very enjoyable listen, but it seems that Sacrament's extremely high standard was a little too good to stick around. Nonetheless, a worthy buy and one of the best records of 2009, from one of the best bands around at the moment.

Cattle Decapitation - The Harvest Floor

It's true, Cattle Decapitation are another one of those grindcore bands who are getting out a message which you wouldn't usually expect from a bunch of metalheads. In the same way Napalm Death fight for freedom from racism, sexism etc, Cattle Decapitation are militant vegetarians, which at first sounds pretty stupid. Vegetarian grindcore? You won't be laughing by the end of this.

While I would describe most of Decapitation's earlier stuff fairly ordinary grind, albeit with an unusual message (wishing the acts of cruelty we perform to animals to be done on humans), this really brings a new sound to their music. The use of melodic, high pitched wailing, piano interludes and violin harmony brings a sense of sadness, irony and retribution to the obvious morbid themes, and it's incredible how this works with one of the heaviest genres out there.

This isn't overcooked so still expect the usual incredible vocal range from the gullet of Travis Ryan, backed up by guitarist Josh Elmore who now uses his skill with the axe to a greater, more noticeable level.

So if you liked Cattle Decapitation, you should like this unless you're an absolute 'no melody' purist, but I would recommend this even more for people trying to get into grindcore coming from a background of more melodic metal. Though don't expect to be meat-free for life after listening... mmm, bacon...

Five Finger Death Punch - War is the Answer

Death Punch's first album was very promising, with some seriously good riffage and anger being expressed in a effective way without losing any sign of melody, and the follow up to 'Way of the Fist' does not let down the momentum. If anything, Death Punch capitalize on everything that worked and have produced a great new work, War is the Answer.

The album starts off with undoubtedly my favourite track, Dying Breed. Not only does the guitarist (with his awesome name Zoltan) show off his mastery of the axe with the fast paced, thrashy riffs, but pulls off some seriously good solos, and Dying Breed couldn't show this better. The solo is one of my favourite of all time and it won't fail to bring out the air guitarist in you. What's more impressive is that he keeps pulling off technical and melodic solos in just about every song, even the tracks that focus more on the thrashy-ness and less on the melody. The vocals are still up to scratch, keeping their cleans on choruses, and without it the signature sound would probably be gone. The vocalist generally shows some singing talent, he can hit notes well and has a lot of clarity, even after a long verse of thrash scream/shouting. As well as the emotional feel which hits in most choruses, there are a few acoustic elements, in songs such as Far From Home and Crossing Over. This is a style the band can pull off well, mainly due to the vocalist's flexibility. The album continues in a balanced way, exploring speed and the 'mindless' touch necessary for thrash but also tunefulness just at the right times, before finishing with the undeniably kickass duo of Bad Company and the title track War is the Answer

It is worth noting that this album is groove metal, it's not a massive change from the first album's thrash so die-hard fans of the first album don't worry, in fact I think it works with their 'badass' nature which they can do well. Some of their songs, such as 'Bulletproof' are incredibly moshable with a beat-the-crap-out-of-you attitude, and only make the contrast with the softer or acoustic tracks better.

Overall, Five Finger Death Punch have effortlessly improved upon their last album, and haven't let down their fanbase. They know what they do well, and they know how it can always be improved. This is one of the best things I have heard released in 2009 and would recommend to most metal listeners, and even some hard rock fans.

Gigantic Brain - World

This is a horribly late review considering how much I listen to this album...

Gigantic Brain made an impact on the underground grind scene with the mammoth Invasion Discography, and after taking a break he spent a couple of years working on this new project. And by 'new' I really mean it, as this is indeed very different and the Brain took his style in a new direction which focused less on BLAST BEAT CYBER NOISES GURGLING AND INWARD SCREAMS (don't get me wrong, I do love grindcore, especially Gigantic Brain) and had a fresh new ambient touch. This sound was touched upon in the Discography in songs like 'Grizzly Impalement, One by One' and 'My Aftermath', and I thought they mixed with the grind well, so I was happy to see more of it in World, and there is a lot. You will only find about 4 or 5 grind-only songs on this 18-track album, so grindcore purists should probably avoid this.

Many of tracks in fact use only ambient sound, such as 'Bacteria', and are 3 or so minute long tracks of long, sad notes which gives a much more melancholy tone to the album, as if it is trying to make the listener feel like a helpless watcher of the earth's demise, unable to help the feeble human race as it plunges inevitably to its self-destruction. That's not to say the drum-machine has been thrown out the window, extreme blasts of chaotic noise are still featured, with or without vocals, and sometimes even mixed with the ambiance, eg 'The God in the Flames' - arguably one of the best songs on the album. In my opinion this works incredibly well and is Gigantic Brain's sweet spot; I love his grind, I love his brutal vocals, but I love the way he finds a balance between the harshest music possible and his softest.

If I were to find any weak spots in the album, I would say there are a couple of points where you could definitely do with a but more lively sound, metal or not. For example, 'Debris' and 'We Come Together in a Hell' have a beautiful feel to them and add to the apocalyptic/alien life concept, but not only do they sound a little too similar but they also both last at least two minutes longer than they need to. I don't want the ambient sound to go, I just think it could have been used a little more effectively in some tracks.

Apart from that minor point, World is one of the most memorable albums of my lifetime, and would recommend to any metal fans, if only to open their eyes to what can be done without the usual 4/5 band members, riffs, vocals and guitar solo. It contains some of what I believe is the most diverse and creative metal out there, despite John having not a great deal of dexterity with a guitar or a real drum set; this is self-expression at its best.

Gigantic Brain - I Swallow 16 Red Planets (includes Betelgeuse EP)

Ok so Gigantic Brain's last two records (which are somehow NOT reviewed on this site) were amazingly good in their own ways, whether they be blissful, extreme or fittingly nicely between the two. So I had great expectations for his new two records, especially when I realized he was releasing all 32 tracks of them for free.

For starters, the Betelgeuse EP. This is a basically a branch of the new style that was brought in on World, but hugely improved. It is 6 ambient/riff based non-grindcore tracks which are almost entirely instrumental. They are, quite simply, incredible, and vary from hopeful, spacey sounds to doom and melancholy, without a blast beat or scream in sight. A good 25 minute listen will take you to the end of the universe and back, seeing ages pass and galaxies die. Sound ridiculous? Listen to it.

The actual 26 track I Swallow 16 Red Planets is a change from before. While the difference isn't as '90 degrees' as World from the Invasion Discography, don't expect this to be much like anything he's done before. Instead of a concept album which mainly focused on either half-heavy riffs or ambience about our planet and the galaxies beyond, this is more the workings of the delirious and hallucinating mind. It has no constant theme but this doesn't hold it down; this only makes the tracks vary massively from verging-on-funny kind of weird tracks like Pet That Kitty, to a new acoustic style with The Dumbest Thing On Earth, trippy tracks like I Was Molested, and classic Brain from Through His Guilt, The Operation Is Delayed. There is still so much more to this and you will truly feel like you have lost your mind by the end. In a really good way.

The Brain is a veteran at trying new stuff, and even the styles that stay the same hardly get old. This is another great batch of songs to add to the dogpile and shows the Brain is happily going strong and not afraid to express itself in whatever way it feels. I know I'll always be hooked.

God Forbid - Earthsblood

God Forbid are undoubtedly one of my favourite bands ever, and I truly believe they have some of the best metal around within the last 5-6 years. So this album was greatly anticipated, despite it having just about the hardest possible act to follow, with it coming after Constitution of Treason. So how did it turn out...

Well for starters, I'll be blunt by saying this not as good as Constitution of Treason. God Forbid's first albums were very thrashy, and focused more on being brutal than making tuneful, meaningful and unique music. Although this is not the same genre as those albums, I fear that the same habits are making their way back in as while the riffage is great and the drummer is still blasting out the constant rhythms which make verses very moshable, the melodic feel which made Earthsblood's predecessor so listen-able and each song so different and incredible in its own way is a lot less present. Songs such as Walk Alone and Empire of the Gun are the notable exceptions, and in my opinion are the best of the album, but listen to songs such as Shallow and you'll see that could be improved so much by some harmonic guitar solos and Dallas' clean vocals.

It's worth noting that the let-downs of this album mainly only apply to God Forbid's standards. They produce some outstanding stuff and this simply doesn't keep up, and I suppose it suffers the same fate as Wrath by Lamb of God; nothing could possibly top Sacrament just as nothing could top Constitution of Treason. As such, this album is still worth a listen as there is still an amazing sound, I would just say it's not the band fulfilling its potential. Would recommend more to modern thrash fans.

Hurt - Goodbye to the Machine

Ok so everyone (well, actually, pretty much just the people who do the reviews on this site) knows that Vol. I and II by Hurt were fucking amazing, like with some of the best non-metal songs ever, and a couple which are awesome even in the scale of all songs, EVER. This is the most recent album by Hurt and by the general nature of most bands it SHOULD theoretically be getting bad, it doesn't help that they're also starting to appeal to a more mainstream audience. So what's my verdict on it?

Well, to start there is a definite change. Anger, even if expressed in a quiet manner, is a lot less frequent and this can be annoying if it is the incredibly deep stuff you're after. General musical quality, however, is very much present and there is a great mix of acoustic riffs and heavier, bluesy sounds ('1331', 'Got Jealous'). The songs vary a lot so it's not really an album that fades into the background and makes it easy for your attention to wander, maybe except for the last songs. It's a definite move forward for the band, and although the darker songs from their first two records might be missed it's good that they're not an entirely doom-and-gloom band, and seeing as that type of sound can easily become monotonously dry after too many albums this is a refreshing change. 

The new stuff definitely sounds good, and although it's a great listen, the new style is more Alternative Rock than Alternative Metal, and not to be an elitist, but I think though Rock has a lot of potential and is undoubtedly fantastic stuff, it may not have as much of a re-listenable value, and songs are generally a lot less memorable than, say, Talking to God from Vol. II. It's noticeably more mainstream and without sounding too musical-snobbish and out-there, I think originality will almost always come from the personal sound of the artist, instead of being inspired by popular acts.

So Hurt have produced another great album, with a new great sound, but listeners might find themselves fairly tired, if not more than they would with Vol. I and II, after a good 10 or so listening sessions. Songs like 'Got Jealous' might prevail, but maybe Hurt should stick to the darker, emotional stuff they excel at.

Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death

First review in over a year! Exams are over, summer is in so expect more where this came from.

There really aren't many bands that can start out in the 80s, live the life, do the wild gigs, drugs and drink and keep going for over twenty years whilst staying consistently in the highest standard of Heavy Metal quality. Maiden really are rememberable for the brilliant albums they continue to release as if they'll never stop. They also don't seem to have lost 80% of their fans due to style changes and what come across as the appearance of a 'modern metal band', as many classic Heavy Metal bands have. This album, released in 2006 shows that even in the next century Maiden are still fully up to scratch.

What's different in AMOLAD from their older songs is mainly the length (most songs on the album are at least 6 minutes) and the concept-like style which brings the songs together. War is the main theme and different songs look at different ideas related to war: morals, atrocities, religion etc. It's all very philosophical stuff and very powerful for a bunch of beer-drinking long-haired maniacs, but there is a definite feeling of truth behind what is said. Of course it's not just the lyrics that are brilliant, and the recognisable sounds of Dave, Janick and Adrian still sound fantastic as ever, with - if I may use a horribly cliché term - face-melting solos and catchy, fast-paced riffs which just have that Maiden touch. Not much else to say, this is purely the brilliant Iron Maiden that everyone knows, just with particularly cutting lyrics, and heavier, heartstopping riffage.

Not many criticisms to make, only that a few songs are weighed down a bit with some long, repetitive parts which focus on getting a lot of lyrics said rather than the song developing. However in the context of a concept album this doesn't really distract from it being incredible. A musical masterpiece, at least in the top 3 Maiden albums, and I would say a significant symbol of the potential that modern metal has.