Freya-Lift the Curse
(Victory Records, 2007)

When the first album from Freya was released I was somewhat expecting a continuation of the Earth Crisis sound but I was really surprised by the bands heavy yet groovy take on heavy hardcore. It had elements of latter day Earth Crisis, but it also took the band in some new directions. This latest album shows the band fine tuning the sound even more and writing a solid no frills album.

With an album like this, what you see is basically what you get. The songs are not overly complicated and filled with technicality. This is straight forward heaviness with a rock feel and tons of grooves. Basically you get a lot of substance and not a whole lot of flash, and that is exactly how this genre should be. The technicality and arpeggios so common these days have there place in certain bands, but it just wouldnt make any sense with a band like Freya.

The band also dabbles with a bit of the Swedish style but I find that the band makes it sound very natural in an early metalcore sort of way. I still think the first bands to up the metallic aspect of the hardcore genre were among the best and this has a similar feel to those early bands. The hardcore aspect of the band isnt lost and you would have a hard time calling this a metal album.

Vocally the album is a bit different then the debut album. Clean vocals are nowhere near as common and the album is a lot more pissed off and heavy. The songs might be a bit less memorable this time around, but I think that I prefer the overall heavier approach of the band.

Just like the songwriting itself, the album is short and concise and leaves nothing to the imagination. With the exception of the closer, a cover of War Pigs, the album is go for the throat intensity with one solid song after another. The cover might be the only stumble on the album and it really isnt a stumble. The only problem I have is that Karls clean vocals seem to lack power during the short section of the song that he sings instead of screams. I actually prefer when he screams during the song, although when it comes right down to it I think they could have picked a song that hasnt been covered so many times. What about some of the classics from Vol. 4 or Sabbath Bloody Sabbath?

This is a very solid sophomore album from Freya. If you havent taken the time to check out the band yet and you liked the later albums from Earth Crisis then this is the perfect time to check out what the band has to offer.

All Out War-Assassins in the House of God
(Victory Records, 2007)

Well it looks like All Out War havent called it a day after all. Its a good thing too because there really isnt any other band out there that plays thrash influenced hardcore anywhere near as good as All Out War. Have they lost any steam during their hiatus? Not the least bit as this is as heavy and energetic as the band has ever sounded.

If you havent heard All Out War, basically take thrash metal and mix it with hardcore. The band is extremely heavy and seems to draw equally from Slayer as they do from The Cro-Mags. Its a heavy rhythmic style filled with evil riffs and barked vocals. If you like speed you definitely wont be disappointed with this album. There are a few songs that stay slower and chunkier, but the vast majority of the album is quite fast.

This is really a no frills album. Each riff is heavy and the band wastes no time with anything overly complicated. There might be the odd part that is a bit busier note wise but nothing that takes away from the overall impact of the album. This is an album that actually reminds me of the early days of Victory Records. Its a shame that there really arent more bands playing a similar style these days. From what I remember there was a time when it seemed like every new band was playing hardcore of this sort.

I really like the sound of this album. If it definitely heavy, but it still has a very natural sound to it. The guitars have warmth and depth and this doesnt sound at all like most of the sterile and overly heavy albums that you hear these days. The heaviness is in the songs themselves, they dont have to rely on trying to get the heaviest guitar sound possible and turning everything into mush.

It feels good to say that All Out War is back. Im not sure that anyone knows just for how long, but at the very least we have one more album to devour and digest. Lets hope that the band stays together and we have more albums like this in the future.

Comeback Kid-Broadcasting
(Victory Records, 2007)

I guess its bound to happen sometime in any bands career. This is the first album where Comeback Kid have spread their wings and essentially changed the overall feel of the band. Is it a change for the better? In certain aspects it is, but in certain aspects in might not be.

The first difference is that the songs are much longer and the songs themselves are much more involved. Instead of the charging power chords of the first two albums, you have heavier riffs and a lot more dynamics. The octave chords and gang vocals are still present, but this is a darker album overall I would say. It is also a lot angrier sounding, which takes a bit of the fun out of the music. The darker feel of the album might take some of the fun out the album but it doesnt take out any of the intensity as this is as urgent as the band has ever sounded.

There are still definitely a lot of fast moments, but even these moments sound different. It almost has an old school hardcore feel but heavier and less melodic then what people might be accustomed to hearing from the band. But the overall album is much slower and deliberate. Of course I miss the speed but at the same time I would be an idiot if I didnt notice that these are well written songs that show the band moving forward.

When you get right down to it this does still sound like Comeback Kid, with a slightly more mature approach. I dont think it is a big enough leap that the band will lose any fans. These are some of the best songs the band has ever written and they actually show the band becoming quite original in the process. So youll have to take a chance with the band. They are going out on a limb flexing their creative muscles and have crafted quite an album in the process.

Beneath the Sky-What Demons Do to Saints
(Victory Records, 2007)

The first thing that went through my mind while I listened to this album was that the band sounds like a heavier and more extreme version of Haste the Day. The second thought that went through my head was even though this band is a bit typical the album is still quite enjoyable.

There really isnt much here that you havent heard before. From the fast melodic guitar lines to the clean vocals, the style of the band really isnt anything new. What makes this better then some of the bands in the genre is that the band is incredibly tight and very heavy. I can look past the fact that some of these riffs are somewhat typical because the band plays them with a lot of energy. They wont win any awards for originality but the conviction is definitely there.

I think vocally is where Im really reminded of Haste the Day. The almost black metal like shriek really reminds me of the vocalist from Haste the Day. Musically there are similarities as well but this is much heavier and with less clean vocals. Not every song utilizes the clean vocals so they never become overused.

There is definitely a lot of potential here as the band can definitely deliver the goods when it comes to metal. Hopefully with time the band will begin to come into more of their own sound and become a bit more original.

Emmure-Goodbye to the Gallows
(Victory Records, 2007)

I had no idea what to expect from this album and boy has it ever turned me right on my head. I havent heard a band this suffocatingly heavy since Blood Has Been Shed. The bands do share similarities with their rhythmic and discordant approach. Combine Blood Has Been Shed, The Acacia Strain and hints of post-hardcore and you basically have Emmure.

Melodic elements also find their way into the music. In adds a nice counterpoint to the usual barbarous nature of the band. The band also utilizes clean vocals on occasion and truth be told they sound damn near identical to Thursday. That said it still manages to break up the heaviness if only for a few seconds at a time.

One aspect of the band that stands out is the fact that the songs dont seem to follow any sort of set structure. These definitely arent verse/chorus/verse songs and because of that it sometimes take awhile to really dig into the songs and get the most out of them. This also makes a lot of the songs sound fairly similar when you get right down to it. A bit more diversity from track to track would have been nice, but this is after all the bands debut album.

While it is debatable that the band is indeed doing anything new within the genre, there is no debating the fact that this is an incredibly heavy album. For fans of Blood Has Been Shed, The Acacia Strain or even Bury Your Dead this should be considered a mandatory purchase. If you like caustic and discordant hardcore laden with breakdowns and some melody this one is for you.

Cruachan-The Morrigans Call
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

This is actually a band that has been together since 1992, but this my first time hearing their Celtic influenced metal. At first I didnt know what to think about the bands sound but then it all started to make sense. Essentially the band is a combination of metal and traditional Celtic music complete with all the instrumentation that you would expect.

There have been many bands that have combined folk music with metal with great success, but I dont think I have ever heard it done this well. The harsh vocals work really well over the distorted guitars and traditional instruments. Female vocals are also quite common and they tend to be used during the mellower or slower moments. While I wouldnt know if they do indeed sound authentic, they do match the instrumentation perfectly.

The metal moments are actually somewhat uncommon. There are distorted guitars throughout, but the full on metallic moments are seemingly few and far between and it really helps the album feel authentic. I really like the fact that they use the actual instruments and dont use keyboards to recreate the instruments. The shorter instrumental songs really let the band shine on the more traditional instruments. There is also a definite classical feel to some of the material as well.

Take some elements of black metal, traditional heavy metal and Celtic music and you have Cruachan. The band has a unique and intriguing style that should appeal to anyone that enjoys traditional music as well as metal.