Hatesphere-Serpent Smiles and Killer Eyes
(SPV, 2007)

It seems that a lot of bands playing a more modern form of thrash tend to sound fairly similar to The Haunted. Hatesphere has a slight hint of the high speed melodic riffing that The Haunted it known for, but as a whole are one of the more unique bands around right now playing thrash..

This is an album where the energy level is always at 110%. Even during the slower parts the band is wringing as much energy as possible out of their instruments. There is certainly no shortage of speed, but the slower songs are a bit more unique and feature some very well done and unique sounding clean vocals. The fast moments tend to sound a bit similar, but when it is played with this much conviction it is forgivable.

The vocals certainly help to make this album as dynamic as possible. The main vocal style is a throaty scream, but death growls are used to great length as are clean vocals. They arent really typical clean vocals though. They are a bit raspy but also have an almost power metal like feel at the same time. It really helps the band come across as being much more then just another neo-thrash band.

One thing I cant get out of my head when listening to this album is how good the snare drum sounds. Metal albums are typically quite triggered in the drum department, so a natural sounding snare that cuts through the mix perfectly is quite rare these days. The rest of the instruments sound just as good as the drums with a thick and powerful guitar sound and just enough bass rumbling underneath.

Along with Dew-Scented, Hatesphere are among the elite of the genre. This is an album that pretty much does everything right. It has the speed and vigor youd expect from a thrash album, but it isnt without surprises and never becomes stale throughout.

Raging Speedhorn-Before the Sea Was Built
(SPV, 2007)

One of the easiest ways to describe Raging Speedhorn is organic. By that I dont mean that they are good for you, I mean that the music sounds very natural. The band is heavy but the songwriting is pieced together so perfectly that it is almost soothingly heavy.

This album particularly the riffing has a pounding yet melancholy feel to it and it really helps the band really find its own sound. It almost comes across like Black Sabbath meets Isis with Black Flag and Entombed throwing in ideas along the way. Each song has a wide array of feels from straight forward power chords to melodic ideas to some down right rock sounding riffs complete with bluesy bends.

Id really have to rack my brain to come up with something negative to say about this album. This is a showcase of what the band has to offer and an ideal progression from the last album in my opinion. It has a similar feel but has a lot more to offer and is also just a bit angrier and heavier overall. If you havent taken the time to check out Raging Speedhorn, this is the ideal album to make your introduction.

The Fucking Wrath-Season of Evil
(Goodfellow Records, 2007)

After a Sabbath like instrumental, The Fucking Wrath show their true colors with a raging combination of hardcore punk combined with the aforementioned Black Sabbath influence.

Power chords clash with bluesy metal passages and the band does both equally well. This isnt just a hardcore band throwing in typical doom parts; they are extremely well written and fit perfectly. A few parts have the picking becoming a bit faster and it gives the music a trashy feel similar to early Metalllica. Kill Em All was definitely a big influence on the band and while it isnt an influence that is always on display is it easy to pick up from time to time.

One surprising aspect of the bands sound that pops up from time to time is hints of what I guess you could call the No Idea sound. An almost indie rock feel I guess you would say is heard a few times throughout the album and it really makes an already diverse album even more diverse. There is no getting around the fact that this is indeed a fast album, but the amount of surprises on display here is definitely not very common in this genre.

While it is extremely clich to say, this is definitely an album that has a lot to offer fans of different genres. It has the raging hardcore parts that would appeal to fans of Tragedy, fast thrash similar to Metallica, Sabbath inspired doom passages and even some rock parts. The band keeps things cohesive though and this is an absolute monster on an album.

Charnel Valley-The Igneous Race
(Paragon Records, 2007)

This is an album that I have been eagerly awaiting. The debut album from Charnel Valley was an ugly album of atmospheric black metal album that showed a band that truly understood what black metal is all about. This follow up continues in a similar style, but with a better production and a more mature sound the band has improved without losing what made the debut album so exciting.

As a whole this is a tighter album, but the live and natural feel is still present. The drumming has improved drastically and the songwriting itself seems a bit more aggressive and cohesive this time around. The riffs still have the cold feel, but there is a bit more going on within the riffs and the songs themselves seem to have more parts this time around. This still has a fairly simplistic feel to it though. The riffs are somewhere in between early Bathory and Burzum drawing from simple melodic ideas and an aggressive picking style.

Like I mentioned earlier the production is a lot stronger this time around with thicker guitar tones and a more powerful overall sound. The cold feel of the debut album is still present here though and this is very far from being an overproduced album. It has a clarity that is usually not heard from an underground black metal band, which is a nice change of pace if you ask me. I like harsh productions if they fit, but this to my ears is the ideal production for what Charnel Valley has to offer.

Its fucking rare that a black metal band will come out of nowhere and release two amazing albums back to back. But Charnel Valley has done just that. This is an album that not only tops the debut album, but also shows that US bands are just as capable at creating top quality black metal as European bands are. This is an album that all black metal fans need to hear.

The Agonist-Once Only Imagined
(Century Media, 2007)

Im quite letdown with this one honestly. To my ears this sounds quite similar to Arch Enemy mixed with hints of Avenged Sevenfold and an abundance of clean choruses. The riffing is indeed energetic, yet at the same time it is a bit tough to shake the whole heard it all before feel that comes along with this band. The female vocals do help the band have a slightly unique feel but the riffs underneath are about as clich as they come for a band in this style. Melodic and thrashy riffs and breakdowns make up the core of the bands approach and it just doesnt excite me enough to look past the fact that these riffs could have been cut and pasted from an almost endless amount of similar albums out there right now. The performances also dont sound quite up to snuff to my ears, especially for being released by Century Media. Particularly the drumming seems to have quite a few loose moments that make the music lose some of its impact. I suppose that if you are new to this genre and you havent been bombarded by similar artists you may be able to get into this. If you arent new to the genre, itll be tough to shake the feeling that youve heard this before.

Arsonists Get All The Girls-The Game of Life
(Century Media, 2007)

Even if this band may have been formed as a joke there is absolutely nothing funny about their aggressive combination of death metal riffing and metalcore insanity. The band throws everything from pounding breakdowns to technical freak outs at the album and every riff is a direct hit to the face. Sure it leaves you stunned, but it also brings a smile to your face.

This is an album that has a lets see what they do next feel to it. Call it thrillercore, because there is always a surprise waiting for you around the next corner. There are elements that are somewhat common for the genre, but as a whole the band is really batting with a perfect average. The riffs are powerful and the performance is spot on for the most part. A few of the guitar leads are a bit lacking, but this is a young band who I am sure will only improve with time. The mind blowing moments definitely are more common then the lacking moments.

There are a few similar bands that use keyboards, but no one does it quite like these guys. The keyboards are used for some truly unique ideas and add an entirely new dimension to the band. It gives certain parts an almost sci-fi like feel and adds a nice contrast to the bludgeoning nature of most of the guitar riffs.

While this isnt an album that could be classified 100% original, the band does more then just mimic their influences, they definitely add their own feel to the genre. Fans of Between the Buried and Me and Embrace the End, will undoubtedly be able to enjoy this. If you like your music as heavy as humanly possible, but filled with odd time signatures and quirky songwriting this one is definitely for you.

Darkest Hour-Deliver Us
Undoing Ruin was an album that showed that Darkest Hour had so much more to offer then almost all of the bands playing a similar combination of Swedish melody and US hardcore. Deliver Us continues down a similar path and shows that the band is still one of the best the genre has to offer.

Darkest Hour has always had an urgency that is almost unmatched. When the band is playing fast, they play fucking fast and have energy to spare. This is a varied album, yet at the same time it has some of the fastest songs the band has ever written. What I like about the band is that no matter how fast the band is playing, the riffing is concise and melodic. Some riffs are a bit harsher and less melodic, but the concise attack is still there. The band has a proficiency that many bands in this genre are lacking. The band is definitely not newcomers to the genre, so the years of touring are definitely evident in the strength of the performances.

Guitar solos have always been a part of the Darkest Hour sound but it seems like they are exploring them much more with this album. They seem to be letting down the floodgates and really showing what they can do. This is probably the most sweep picking I have heard on a Darkest Hour album and it fits perfectly and never becomes excessive. The solos are integral parts of the songs. They may be a bit more common with this album, but this is far from wankery.

Devin Townsend was behind the boards once again for the band and it seems to be a perfect match. The band has never sounded this focused on previous albums. The production is concise yet layered but isnt overproduced. There is still a lot of breathing room on the album and the guitars are heavy without being shoved down your throat. It has a natural feel and it really makes all the difference in the world.

While this album may not be as big of a progression as Undoing Ruin was, it shows that the album wasnt a fluke as this album is of the same caliber. Forget about labels, this isnt metalcore, this isnt thrash. Simply put this is Darkest Hour.

See You Next Tuesday-Parasite
(Ferret Records, 2007)

What the fuck just hit me? Throw Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge and Pig Destroyer in a steel cage match and feed them can after can of Red Bull and you would have See You Next Tuesday. This is so noisy and energetic that it makes my head spin, but I love every second of it.

These arent so much songs as they are freak outs. There isnt much here that you could really consider being memorable. The riffs are a brutal combination of dissonance, circus music freak outs and brutal breakdowns. At times it actually reminds me of a more modern sounding Discordance Axis with less grindcore influence.

Truth be told, this certainly is a lot to digest and the album will definitely wreak havoc on not only your ears but also your brain. The band moves at a staggering pace at times, and your brain has a hard time keeping up with what the band is throwing at you. There are a few slower moments throughout that help you regain your composure before the band starts beating you in the face with a brick again.

This is definitely as vicious and noisy as they come, so if you are up for the challenge See You Next Tuesday is ready to push you to the brink of what you can handle.