Suffocation-S/T
(Relapse Records, 2006)

Let’s face it, Suffocation are the kings of pummeling and technical death metal. Few bands can muster this much energy and sound this heavy at the same time. This latest album shows the band back at the top of their game. The songs aren’t quite as memorable as Pierced from Within or the earlier albums, but the heaviness is definitely there. If you’ve heard the band before you pretty much know what to expect here as it is trademark Suffocation. You can expect whirlwind blasts, technical guitar work, powerful vocals and some of the best guitar solos death metal has to offer. The album is filled with the bands trademark chunky riffs as well as the usual thrash tempo riffs that bring to mind the early days of death metal. The band is dabbling with a bit more melody this time around I would say though. Don’t expect anything along the lines of Gothenburg style melody, but there are some clean guitar parts as well as a few heavier riffs that bring in a bit of melody. The production is adequately heavy but really doesn’t sound as devastating as the band has in the past. Pierced from Within is pretty much one of the best sounding death metal albums of all time, and that set the benchmark for how you might expect the band to sound. This is a pummeling and heavy album with a devastating amount of bottom end, but the guitar could have used a bit more bite and the vocals could have hit with a bit more power. The execution is spot on as is to be expected from the band. This is a band that knows how to play their instruments and always sound like a fine tuned machine. The only real drawback to this album might be that it sounds exactly how you would expect it to sound. When you get right down to it though people don’t listen to Suffocation for experimentation and diversity, they listen for brain melting speed and the heaviness the band is known for. In those aspects the band has definitely succeeded with this album. It is indeed a fast and powerful album that fits in nicely with what the band has done in the past. This isn’t the best album yet from the band, but a damn fine one none the less.

Alabama Thunderpussy-Open Fire
(Relapse Records, 2007)

Despite this being a band name that I have seen all over the place, this album is actually my ears first exposure to this uniquely named band. With a name like Alabama Thunderpussy you can pretty much bet the farm of the fact that this is a rock band, and what a rock band it is. This is an album full of swagger, awesome riffs, and an amazing vocal performance. I was very surprised to read that Kyle Thomas was on this album. If you don’t know how that is, he was the vocalist for Exhorder and the amazing but somewhat short lived Floodgate. He puts in a solid performance that only a veteran of the metal scene could and it definitely makes the album very easy to get into. While the vocal performance is rock solid what really drives this album are the excellent guitar riffs. They may seem a bit simple at first but the Sabbath meets Motorhead style is very easy on the ears and quite memorable. The guitar solos definitely come from the Iommi school of guitar playing and they are quite good. It is nice to hear some good old blues based leads as opposed to all of the flashy sweep picking playing that is so common right now with metal bands. The funny thing about this album is that while is it easily associated with the hard rock genre it is tough to pinpoint exactly who the band sounds like. What I can say is that the band definitely could appeal to fans of everything from Ac/Dc to Clutch to High on Fire or Motorhead. At the end of the day this is a rock record and an album that all fans of rock need to check out.

Birds of Prey-Weight of the Wound
(Relapse Records, 2006)

This album could almost be seen as a tribute to Wolverine Blues. The heavy and groovy guitars, thick vocals and truckloads of groove are all present and accounted for and this does sound quite a bit like Entombed. Are Birds or Prey an Entombed clone? Not even close. The vocals are much throatier and the songs themselves are much more pummeling. The band also has a thrashy side that gives the album a big boost in terms of energy. The band plays with gusto at any tempo but it is nice to see the tempo kicked up occasionally. This is definitely an album that revolves around grooves. The vast majority of the album revolves around a middle of the road tempo, not quite slow yet not really fast either. The riffs themselves are quite varied ranging from blues inspired heavy riffs with lots of bending to a more rhythmic crunch based more on power chords. Even a slight hardcore feel can be heard at times, but of course I mean a more old school approach to the genre and nothing modern. One of the songs even has a black metal feel and it sure as hell is surprising but it still fits in with the bands heavy and uncompromising style of metal. The production on this album is fucking awesome, plain and simple. The guitars hit you like a ton of bricks and the rest of the album packs just as much punch. The band has a somewhat stripped down sound but the production is still very full and powerful sounding. For lack of a better term, it has balls. You could go the easy route and check these guys out because of the fact that the members were involved in amazing bands, but better yet you should check this out because it is one hell of a metal album. Forget about all of the subgenres and buzz words. This is best described as metal and fans of metal are definitely in for a treat with this one.

Fuck the Facts-Stigmata High-Five
(Relapse Records, 2006)

I’ve heard a few random albums throughout the career of Fuck the Facts, but this is the first album that has really hit me like a ton of bricks and left a huge impression. At base level Fuck the Facts are a noisy grindcore band that favors dissonance, but there is no denying that the band definitely is not one dimensional. The guitars may be dissonant on occasion but they also utilize tremolo picked runs more common in death metal as well as some surprising melodic moments. This is actually the most restrained I have ever heard the band sound and it really does make a difference. There is no shortage of spastic grinding insanity and yes there are enough riffs to make your head spin, but the songs are well written and even with so many curve balls they still work. The songs range in length quite a bit surprisingly. Some of the songs just break the two minute mark and of course those songs are pretty much break neck speeds the entire times, but a few of the songs are around the seven or eight minute mark and are a bit more involved. The longer songs are still filled with break neck moments, but they also let the band be a bit more involved and diverse in tempo selection. There are a lot of chunky riffs filled with pinch harmonics that are some of the best I’ve heard since Dying Fetus’ earlier albums. This is one of the most natural and live sounding heavy albums I have heard in a long time. The band is tight but there is a very human feel to it and a rawness that really works with the dissonance of the band. I think that possibly the drums could have been just a touch louder, but that is a small complain and at the very least the drums do sound natural. This is a big step forward for the band and it is quite easy to tell that the band was really taking their time writing these songs. They may seem noisy and out of control at first, but listen harder and longer and you’ll hear quite a few surprises on this album. Fans of grindcore, death metal, or even noisier hardcore like Converge need to pick this album up ASAP.

Death Breath-Stinking Up the Night
(Relapse Records, 2006)

This album is a monster and that is definitely a good thing. Take vintage Swedish death metal and add in ample doses of Venom, Autopsy, and Deceased and you have Death Breath. The band is a whirlwind of catchy riffs, simple drum beats and bestial vocal grunts. This is a firm reminder of why Swedish death metal was so forceful in its infancy. The simple guitar work, distinct tone and thrash tempo made Swedish death metal one of the most urgent and hard hitting styles of death metal. This band takes everything that made the genre once great and restores in completely. Some metal albums have a few catchy riffs and mainly filler, but this album is one catchy riff after another. Whether it is an ominous doom sounding riff or a faster almost punky riff, each is equally memorable and equally effective. You’d be hard pressed to pick out any riff on this entire album that isn’t pretty much perfect. There isn’t a single note that I would change as this is pretty much an ideal example of what could be considered a perfect metal album. The production matches the old school style of the album perfectly. This is an analog recording and you won’t hear any triggers or pro tools tinkering. It is a very human sounding album and sounds like it could have been recorded in the early 90’s. The guitar sound is quite heavy yet still very natural. It has a straight through the amp type sound and doesn’t sound like they went overboard with layering either. I think this is a perfect example that metal albums have become overproduced. This is an awesome sounding album yet it is stripped down and very human sounding. It doesn’t need all the bells and whistles that have become so common with metal albums these days. I’ll be the first to admit that I thought I would never hear any more albums like this and if you could see me right now you’d see an ear to ear grin on my face. If you are like me and think that early Entombed, Dismember, and Carnage are metal perfected then you should consider this a mandatory purchase. Hell if you consider yourself a fan of metal you should consider this a mandatory purchase.

The End-Elementary
(Relapse Records, 2007)

This one definitely came out of left field. I’ve always been a fan of The End, but their noisy and technical music never really knocked my socks off. This album shows the band streamlining their sound and bringing a new vocalist into the band with awesome results. The album still has flashes of the dissonance the band was known for but it is much more restrained and the songs are a bit lengthier and very well written this time around. I’m not sure if the band became tired of the old style or if they are trying to distance themselves from the many other bands playing a similar style. Whatever the reason for the change, it is certainly for the better and this is easily the best album yet from the band. The songs are much more rhythmic and instead of playing a million riffs the band repeats parts enough for them to become memorable. The heavy riffs are fairly straight forward and always groove based. The spastic nature of the earlier stuff is pretty much non-existent here and to be honest I don’t miss it one bit. While it might surprise a lot of people, there actually seems to be a Deftones influence coming through here. Some of the heavy riffs have a similar feel to the Deftones as do some of the vocals. The biggest change for a lot of people will probably be the inclusion of clean vocals. They are very well integrated into the music and give the new songs a great sense of dynamics. I was floored the first time I heard The Never Ever Aftermath as it is the song that best shows the new direction of the band. While it might be arguable that this is indeed the best song yet from the band, it is indeed the most memorable yet. The chorus is ridiculously catchy and the interesting lyrics make it even more intriguing. The album is very diverse and really shows the band spreading their wings. The album is littered with almost soundscape like passages and the album ends with a nine minute epic of a song that is mainly just soft vocals and clean guitars. It has a soundtrack like feel and almost reminds me of a more melancholy version of old western film music. Even the heavier songs are more drawn out and have long passages that slow down to an almost ambient type feel. I’m not sure if this might be too big of a change too fast for some of the fans of this band. The album may alienate some of the diehard fans of the band’s old noisy style, but it only takes a few listens to realize that this is the best the band has ever sounded and the most memorable they have ever been. The randomness of the early material was interesting in small doses, but the catchiness just wasn’t there. This is a much more rewarding listening experience and an album that shows The End coming into their own style.

Car Bomb-Centralia
(Relapse Records, 2007)

Give me a second to grab a spatula so I can peel my face off of the wall. Not since Dillinger Escape Plan first stormed onto the scene has a band sounded this violent, quirky and technical. This is far from being flashy. This is ugly music that just happens to be all over the place. The guitars weave between thunderous heavy moments and strange noises coming across almost like Voivid meets grindcore. While moments of wild speed are quite common, the album is actually quite rhythmic and this is definitely a band that knows how to pound out a groove. I really like the fact that the band seems to be going for a unique feel with the groovier parts and really stay away from the boring Messhugah style that most bands tend to use these days. This is an intense album. I know that for some people that might translate into meaning fast, but that is not what I mean. There is intensity on display no matter what speed the band is playing at. You can hear the blood and sweat that goes into making this music and even when recorded the band manages to really capture the intensity that I’m sure is a sight to behold in a live setting. The production is quite raw and natural sounding giving the album the violent and dangerous sound that is requires. This isn’t a band that plays fast to show off and you won’t hear any five minute arpeggio filled solos. This is raw and disgusting music and this is the ideal production. I also really like the fact that the band has kept the album short and to the point. The album just breaks the half hour mark and if Slayer has taught us anything with Reign in Blood it is that metal albums always have more impact when they are only half an hour in length. If you are looking for a hard hitting metal album that absolutely annihilates anything in its path, look no further. The band definitely has a lot going on besides the heaviness, but the raw visceral edge is definitely what will first draw you in. With each listen though new elements will come through and this is definitely an album with no shortage of surprises.

The Hidden Hand-The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote
(Southern Lord, 2007)

While the easiest way to describe The Hidden Hand would be a doom band, they actually are much more diverse then most doom bands and are also not quite as epic. So maybe hard rock mixed with elements of doom would be the more adequate description. The album has a strong Black Sabbath feel to it with slow dark riffs during the doom based moments. Even the more upbeat moments still recall Sabbath but with a bit more energy. There is a bit of a modern sound to some of the material bringing to mind the likes of Clutch or possibly High on Fire. Each song is filled with memorable riffs that are played with conviction. This is a genre that can sometimes come across as cliché but the band keeps things sounding relevant and interesting throughout. The sound of the album pretty much matches the band perfectly. The guitars are heavy, but not overbearing. There is a lot of breathing room in the music and the sound reflects that. It is a heavy album, but it doesn’t come across like a death metal album which tries to sound as heavy as humanly possible. The heaviness is much more natural sounding here. To be completely honest this isn’t an album that I would listen to on a regular basis, but that is just because I’m really not a huge fan of doom or hard rock of this nature. Don’t take that as a negative reaction though, the album is quite good. Fans of doom or hard rock will eat this up and keep coming back for more.

Paganize-Evilution Hour
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

After the amazing new album from Firewind it is really going to take a lot to make a power metal album stand out. This is definitely a solid power metal album but at times it seems a bit by the books and the vocal performance is a bit hit or miss. The guitar playing is very good and I like the riffing as it has an almost thrash feel at times. There is a technical edge to some of the playing but it never becomes overbearing and always sounds musical. I like the fact that the band is melodic yet still somewhat dark. This definitely wouldn’t fall in line with the more bouncy “happy” sounding power metal that is out there. At times this actually reminds me of the albums Judas Priest recorded with Ripper Owens, but without any of the chugging modern riffs. The vocals are usually quite good when the singer stays within his comfort zone. When he sometimes tries to climb to a higher register the results aren’t as good. He doesn’t go out of key, yet it sounds a bit forced and isn’t anywhere near as solid as his more midrange vocals. At times the vocals sound a bit dated as well, which is a shame as the band brings in some modern influences with great success musically. There is no denying that this is a good album, but it does seem to lack punch at times and the songs could be a bit more memorable at times. The songs seem to be lacking the big booming choruses that they should have. It is a safe album for the genre, but that just means that it will be appealing to the devoted fans of power metal. Don’t expect anything outside of the norm and you won’t be disappointed.

Benea Reach-Monument Bineothan
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

Being a music fan right now is honestly quite boring. There are fewer and fewer bands coming out right now that are doing anything new and exciting. It is the same breakdowns and Swedish riffs, or the same technical freak outs. Very few albums really grab your attention and demand listening. The debut album from Benea Reach is a spark of hope. This is a creative and heavy album that steers clear of what is currently cliché and almost seems to draw from the early days of metalcore at times, particularly from Zao in my opinion. This is a rhythmic and heavy album with stripped down riffs and energy to spare. The album is littered with melodic overtones but the difference here is that the melody is much darker then usual. It gives the music an ominous feel and really helps the band stand out amongst the usual radio friendly choruses that are becoming so common. The album does have a few more technical moments, but even these moments have a fairly unique feel. The band also has an epic side to them that comes out near the end of the album. The album ends with a slow and depressing sounding instrumental that really takes a left turn from the rest of the album. It does work though and serves as a nice piece of relaxation after the caustic nature of the rest of the album. While comparisons are sometimes a bit misleading I would say that this band sounds like a combination of Mastadon and Zao. Does that mean that the band is clone of those two bands? Absolutely not as this is a creative album that manages to rise above the influences that helped shape the sound. If you are a fan of metalcore but have grown tired of the endless clichés and similar bands then this is an album you will want to check out.

FYI-A Full Year Story
(Addictive Records, 2007)

It isn’t very common that I receive albums for review from unknown bands, and for the most part I am always excited to hear new music. But the layout of this disc had me thinking that this album might not be something that I would be all that excited to hear and listening to the disc proved me right. The problem many young bands have is a lack of direction. This band is all over the place and the pieces don’t always fall into place. Musically the band is a combination of pop/punk and nu-metal. The vocals are trying really hard at times to sound like the vocalist for Coheed and Cambria with dire results. I think it may very well be the vocals that somewhat hold back the band. When he sticks to a more natural sound his voice is actually quite good, but there are moments when he over emotes or tries weird ideas that just don’t work. The music is serviceable at best, but at the same time it is far from terrible. But like I said each song goes in a different direction and each song has annoying moments that make them lose a lot of steam. The main problem that I have with this album is that it basically screams local band. Granted it sounds better then most albums you hear released by smaller bands, but at the same time it fails to really excite. I would definitely say that there is potential here. With a bit more fine tuning and catchier songwriting the band definitely would be on to something.

Senior Discount-There Were Four Who Tried…
(Independent, 2007)

From the artwork for some reason I was expecting this to be more in the street punk genre, but in reality the band sounds like a cross between Blink 182, MxPx and Screeching Weasel. It is fairly by the books melodic punk rock, and while it certainly isn’t anything new it is quite catchy. The album is actually surprisingly varied with a few songs slowing down and being a bit more somber in nature. I think that the lyrics are a bit lacking at time. There are some songs that are well written lyrically while others are attempting to be funny and seem a bit forced. I think that the album is also a bit too long for this style of music. At over an hour of music it is a lot to take in and some of the songs do sound fairly similar. I think maybe they could have taken a closer look at the songs and whittled the number of songs down to 12 instead of 16. The ska songs for instance seem a bit out of place and while they are well written and executed they seem to come from out of left field. There is definitely a strong albums worth of material on the album with just a bit too much padding. There are definitely songs that stand out as stronger then others and these are usually the songs that go outside of what the band usually does. This is definitely a band that has potential and it they make the next album a bit more compact and concise it would pack a lot more punch.

Myopia-Enter Insectmasterplan
(Selfmadegod Records, 2007)

This was originally released in 2005 but Selfmadegod is bringing the album back and it is a damn good thing that they are. This is an unconventional thrash album that almost comes across like a cross between Voivod and Meshuggah. The riffs are dissonant and all over the place, but still very much thrash in nature. There are a lot of rhythmic riffs but they are played with much more energy then you would normally hear in music of this sort. The drumming especially plants this firmly in the thrash genre. What really stands out here is that even though the band is technical the music is extremely energetic and the songs don’t overstay their welcome. They get to the point in three or four minutes and then move on to the next song. The album just breaks the half hour mark so it is the perfect length. The production is fairly stripped down and simple. It has a nice natural sound that works well for the style of the band. The guitars ring through clear which is pretty much necessary as the band uses quite a bit of dissonance in their riffs. The drums could have been a bit louder and packed a bit more punch particularly in the snare department. That is being overly picky though as at face value there is really nothing wrong with the sound of the album. If you like technical music but don’t care for the Dillinger Escape Plan style that is so common right now, this is the album for you. This borrows from some of the best of the genre and is easily recommended for fans of Voivoid, Athiest, or even Meshuggah.