Marduk-Those of the Unlight
(Regain Records, 2007)

Those of the Unlight was the first album that showed the more modern Marduk sound starting to form, although is also showed the band experimenting with a bit more melody and a tighter cleaner sound then the debut album.

Most of the death metal influence heard of Dark Endless is gone from this album and while I do enjoy Dark Endless more this is one hell of an album as well. The songwriting is quite memorable and while the album is fast there are a lot of surprising slower moments that gives the songs depth. This album is much faster then Dark Endless giving the album a stronger black metal feel.

The production is definitely stronger then Dark Endless but it is also a bit more trebly in nature, possibly due to the fact the band was using minor chords more then tremolo picked riffs. The vocals are possibly a bit too loud but that is nitpicking as this is possibly one of the best sounding black metal albums of all time in my opinion.

Listening back to these earlier albums it surprises me that the band progressed into a band that has lacked dynamics with some of the newer albums. The band experimented quite a bit with tempo on this album and rarely would a song go for any long stretches at a single tempo.

If you havent heard this album before and you really should be ashamed of yourself if you havent, this is the ideal time to pick it up. This is one of the best black metal albums of all time and while I still prefer Dark Endless myself, this is definitely my second favorite album from Marduk.

Vorkuta-Into the Chasms of Lunacy
(Paragon Records, 2007)

This is an album that I would call a lo-fi black metal journey. The album has many facets and you are as likely to hear harsh black metal as you are to be soothed with an ambient soundscape. It seems like the two wouldnt fit together but somehow the band manages to make it work.

The harsher side of the band is pretty standard black metal I guess you could say. Simplistic riffs and harsh vocals are layered over blasting drumming. There are a few elements that do stand out though I noticed. One is that the bass guitar stands out a lot more with this band then a lot of black metal. Most of the time you would probably not even notice if the band had a bass player but here the bass player throws in a lot of fills and rarely just follows what the guitar is playing.

The song writing also helps these guys stand out quite a bit within the black metal genre. There is a lot of substance to these songs and rarely does the band ever come across as being fast just for the sake of being fast. In fact the fast moments are actually few and far between. I usually prefer black metal to be fast but with this band I find myself enjoying the slower material more. The band has more of a chance to be creative and the fast moments seem a bit more typical.

If you enjoy your black metal to have a nice balance between the harsh and the melodic aspects of the genre this is definitely a good choice for you. This doesnt reinvent the genre but it manages to do something creative with it, which Ill take any day over bands that are just mimicking Marduk or Dark Throne.

In This Moment-Beautiful Tragedy
(Century Media Records, 2007)

This is a band that seems destined to be huge. Why you ask? I hate to say it but mainly just because the band is easily digestible with their Killswitch Engage meets AFI sound. The blonde singer probably doesnt hurt matters either. But whether or not they are destined to be huge isnt the issue here. The issue is whether or not the album is indeed worth your time. Id have to say that yes it is.

There really is no getting around the fact that this band does share a lot of similarities with Killswitch Engage. What really helps them break away from being a clone is the female singing. It gives the music a very different feel even if the riffs underneath the vocals do sound a lot like Killswitch Engage.

Id say that this band isnt quite as metallic as a lot of the bands that play a similar style. There are definitely metallic elements but this band seems to be all about big choruses and big melodies. When they do pull out the big guns and play something heavier the band definitely doesnt falter. They know how to play their instruments and while this isnt what I would consider complicated it isnt exactly simplistic either.

This is an album that could appeal to a wide range of people. Metalcore fans will dig the heavier moments while fans of bands like AFI or possibly even My Chemical Romance will dig the more melodic aspects of the band. The band might not be 100% original, but they are definitely onto something here.

Atreyu-The Best Of
(Victory Records, 2007)

With only three albums under their belts it seems a bit early for a best of collection for Atreyu. That said however this album collects some of the better songs from those three albums packages them along with a DVD and some very interesting cover art. The basic rundown of the album is you have 7 songs from Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses, 6 songs from The Curse, and 5 songs from A Death-Grip on Yesterday.

One thing that I definitely like about the compilation is that you can listen to the entire album and hear how the band has progressed over the years. The earlier stuff definitely holds up against the newer stuff but you can tell that the band has become better songwriters and the vocals have become more powerful, especially the screaming.

The only real disappointing thing here is that there are no unreleased tracks. Basically if you already own all three albums you wont be getting anything you dont already have. The DVD is a nice bonus but it might not be enough to make people who already own all three albums pick this up. The DVD features all of Atreyus music videos along with a few other videos from Victory bands. A bit more content on Atreyu would have been nice, whether it would have been interviews or live footage. If you dont own all of Atreyus albums but want to see what they are all about this would be a good introduction.

Scars of Tomorrow-The Failure in Drowning
(Victory Records, 2007)

Ive been a fan of Scars of Tomorrow for quite sometime now and havent been disappointed with an album until now. The band has always been heavy and just a bit different from what was typical in heavy hardcore or metalcore. This latest album seems a bit more typical and shows the band leaving out a lot of the discordance that made the earlier albums stand out so much.

This isnt a bad album. It is adequately heavy and the band has written some good songs here. The main problem I have is that the clean vocals are much more prominent on this album and truth be told they can be rather hit or miss. Some of the clean vocals have an almost spoken feel to them and they remind me of some of the bands on Dischord. Those vocals arent really anything new for the band as they were used on earlier albums. But when the band tries to throw in a more modern sounding clean chorus it doesnt seem to work.

The heavier riffs are similar to what the band has always done but seem a bit more streamlined. Some parts even remind me quite a bit of Slipknot albeit a bit more pummeling. Im not going to lie, I do prefer the previous albums but there are definitely some very heavy riffs to be found on here. Just dont expect to hear any discordance as this is much more chugging oriented then the band has been in the past.

This isnt the album I was expecting from the band and I am a bit disappointed. That said this definitely isnt a bad album. It is an album that shows the band basically spinning their tires and not moving forward. When you get right down to it though, Ill take this over any of the cookie cutter bands out there.

V/A-Harder They Fall: Tribute to Integrity
(Escapist Records, 2007)

I still remember the first time I heard Integrity. A friend of mine had picked up one of their discs and lent it to me. I loved the fact that the band was incredibly heavy yet still very much a hardcore band. If you need to use the term metalcore, this is what should be considered metalcore, not the current bands that really have nothing to do with hardcore.

What we have here is 21 hardcore bands paying tribute to Integrity. In all honesty I must be out of the loop because I havent heard of most of the bands on here. Heres the basic rundown of the bands that take part: Creepout, On Our Own, Force of Change, Incarnate, Rise and Fall, Know the Score, XEye of JudgementX, Die Young, Human Demise, Damien Done, Nothing Sacred, Your Mistake, Crowd Deterrent, Daymares, Alcatraz, Dance Floor Justice, The Phantom Pains, On Thin Ice, Lie and Wait, These Days and Evil Priest.

Every song on here does the band justice while sometimes giving the song a unique spin. It is quite clear that each band is indeed a fan of the band and isnt just contributing a song for exposure. For this being a tribute compilation the productions of each song are actually quite strong. The heaviness and the energy comes through nicely and there really arent any songs on here that suffer because of production values.

One small complaint is that the booklet is a bit sparse. Having liner notes from each band taking about Integrity would have been cool and interesting to see how the bands decided what song they wanted to contribute. The cover artwork however is very nice and the overall layout of the booklet looks amazing.

If you are a fan of Integrity there is no reason why you shouldnt pick up this album. I know that some tributes are basically just throw away albums but this album has a lot of substance and features 21 bands putting their all into classic Integrity songs.

Infernaeon-A Symphony of Suffering
(Prosthetic Records, 2007)

This really wasnt what I was expecting with this band being very different from what you would expect from this label. The band plays an aggressive style of metal that seems to draw fairly equally from black metal and death metal. The band is very tight and the production is strong, but the songwriting isnt as hard hitting as it could have been.

I was actually expecting the band to be a bit faster. Most of the riffs are more of a midpace although there is a smattering of blasting sections. I like some of the most progressive moments which are a bit flashier on the guitar and have a strong classical feel. The keyboards also seem to stand out a bit too much. They do add to the music at certain times but at other times they seem a bit overbearing. It would have been interesting to see how the band could have worked the keyboards into some of the more death metal sounding sections instead of mainly using them during the more black metal inspired parts.

The production on this album is a bit strange to me. It has a very clear sound yet it seems to be missing a lot of aggression. I think this is why I feel the songwriting could have been a bit more hard hitting. The riffs are heavy and the performance is there, the production just isnt pummeling enough to make the album as powerful as it could have been.

There is definitely a lot to dig through here as the band tends to draw from many different subgenres of metal. Basically if you took Floridian death metal mixed in with Dimmu Borgir and elements of progressive metal you would have Infernaeon.

Capdown-Wind Up Toys
(Fierce Panda, 2007)

It is very rare to hear an album in this genre. With emo taking over it is quite rare to hear an album of good old melodic punk. But that is exactly what Capdown plays. The band is energetic, melodic and not without a few surprises.

I suppose you could say the band sounds a bit like a cross between Snuff and Less Than Jake. The songwriting is upbeat with a lot of melody and a surprising rock swagger. I think that is where I hear the Snuff influence coming in as Snuff was always quite unique for this genre. Elements of ska are also used from time to time, and the singer of the band also doubles as sax player.

While I have never heard of Capdown before this album it is quite obvious that they are not wet behind the ears. These are extremely well written and memorable songs that are quite diverse and never fall to impress. Even within a ska context the band has interesting ideas, whether it is a unique drum beat or following the ska section with a heavier sounding riff that seems a bit unexpected. Simply put, this album keeps you on your toes.

If you thought the ska/punk genre was dead you are wrong. It may be not as common as it once was but someone must have forgotten to tell Capdown as this is some of the best material the genre has seen in a very long time. Fans of Snuff and Less Than Jake should consider this mandatory.

City and Colour-Live
(Dine Alone Records, 2007)

Say what you will, but there is no debating the fact that Dallas Green has an amazing voice and is quite the songwriter as well. Ive been a fan of Alexisonfire since pretty much the beginning and when I first heard Dallas Green acoustically I was pretty much hooked. The songs were catchy and sincere and pretty much unlike anything I had heard before.

This CD/DVD package is essentially a live album that features a full concert with a few unreleased songs on the CD and a DVD of the same concert along with a few other performances as well. With a lot of bands these days on album they sound great but in concert they sound terrible. Dallas sounds amazing live and on record. Sure there may be a few sour notes here and there but that is what makes a live recording so special.

With the inclusion of unreleased songs this is pretty much an essential purchase for any fans of City and Colour. I myself find myself being more impressed with the DVD just for the visual accompaniment. Essentially the CD is the same as the DVD but with the unreleased songs included. If you like honest music, it doesnt get much more honest then this.