The Warriors-Genuine Sense of Urgency
(Victory Records, 2007)

Heavy hardcore is a genre that has become more and more stagnant overtime. Few bands do anything outside of the box and its rare that an album like this comes along and relights the fire of the genre.

Its hard to pinpoint exactly what The Warriors do that makes them seem a bit left of center for this genre. They have extremely heavy riffs and harsh vocals, yet the band has an almost rock feel that creeps its way into the sound utilizing a lot more groove then a lot of bands in this genre. The band isnt afraid to try different ideas and has a lot more to offer then just heavy breakdowns. As strange as it sounds I can almost pick out some Slither era Earth Crisis influence with this album. Its an album that seems to go overlooked, but I always thought it was one of the bands best albums.

This also isnt a speed driven album. It is far from slow but it is very rhythmic and doesnt use the typical drum beats that have come to be associated with hardcore. The band keep the songs short and to the point but still experiments a lot more then most bands of this style. One really cool aspect of the album is the guest appearances. When was the last time you heard Lemmy contribute vocals to a hardcore album? Probably never, but his contribution here is awesome. Lou from Sick of it All and Andrew from Comeback Kid also guest on the album as well.

This is an album that realty provides the goods. The Warriors have forged their own sound by drawing from some distinct and varied influences. Its rare to see a band that is equally influenced by Hatebreed as they are Rage Against the Machine. The Warriors make it work and have created an original sound in the process. This is one album you dont want to miss out on.

Himsa-Summon in Thunder
(Century Media, 2007)

Himsa have always been a speed driven band, but with Summon in Thunder the band has become a raging behemoth. Blast beats fly at you with reckless abandon, while the melodic riffs the band is known for weave like a cluster of snakes with some of the best riffs the band has ever written. This is the next evolution of the Himsa sound and let me tell you it hits like a ton of bricks.

The best way to sum up the band is aggressively melancholic. Instead of just rehashing the same tired riffs that lesser bands use, the melodic aspect of this album are really haunting and paint a rather bleak picture. It adds a nice contrast to the pummeling nature of the band. The constant barrage of double bass and heavy riffs make the melodic moments have all the more impact. When the band rips into a twin guitar lead it really stands out and adds something beautiful to counterpoint the heaviness.

This is possibly the most dynamic the band has been in terms of tempo as well. Earlier albums had a lot of the typical thrash beat, but this album tends to gravitate towards more of a mid tempo with a spattering of high speed from time to time. It gives each song much more character and makes the faster parts have much more impact. There might be a few people who miss the all out speed but there are so many amazing riffs of different tempos that the speed is a nice trade for the dynamic approach of the album.

With next to no hesitation I will say that this is the best album yet from Himsa. Hail Horror hinted that the band has evolving onto great things and the evolution is definitely complete with this album. If you are a Himsa fan prepare to be blown away.

Divine Heresy-Bleed the Fifth
(Century Media, 2007)

Lets get this out of the way first. Yes this band was started by Dino Cazares who used to be in Fear Factory. Does it sound like Fear Factory? A little bit, but this is much better then most of what Fear Factory ever released with the exception of the first few albums possibly.

If you took some of the core elements of Fear Factory added in more modern death metal influences and topped it off with one of the best drummers around, youd basically have Divine Heresy. The chugging and repetitive nature of Fear Factory is here in small doses, but the riffing is usually quite interesting and as far as being intricate this is probably the most Dino has ever shown off his chops. Its far from being flashy, but there is some fairly speedy playing on display here.

While the guitar riffs do help this album immensely, the drum work of Tim Yueng is what really seals the deal with me. The drumming is incredibly fluid and precise with some of the fastest double bass Ive ever heard. Its interesting to hear Tim in a more rhythmic context as well because all of the bands he has been a part of tend to be rather blast heavy.

This is an album that really works vocally as well. The vocals are quite varied, and instead of opting to use an all out growl the heavy vocals are really clear and easy to decipher. The clean vocals are equally impressive and have a similar to feel to some of the clean vocals found on Fear Factory albums but a bit more powerful with possibly a hint of power metal coming through at times.

I think this is an album that will surprise a lot of people. I went in with fairly low expectations and am really surprised with the creativity on display here. This isnt a band that reinvents the metal genre, but its an interesting and well written album that shows that Dino has more to offer then what people have come to expect from his days in Fear Factory and Brujeria.

Boys Night Out-Boys Night Out
(Ferret Music, 2007)

Im a pretty big Boys Night Out fan, but in no way shape or form was I expecting the band to come out with an album this amazing. The last two albums have been pretty much perfect in every way but this album just takes everything theyve done in the past and just does it much better.

When you get right down to it this album does sound like a continuation of Trainwreck, but each new song on this album brings new ideas with it. The songs are much more involved and feature some incredibly cool flashy moments. One song even has an almost Rush sounding part that comes out of left field but works incredibly well within the context of the song. This is an album that is full of surprises and sharp turns. Its very easy to hear that the band was very much in the zone when writing and recording this album. It has a focus that wasnt really present on the first two albums.

One thing that needs to be mentioned is just how goddamned catchy this album is. Just like a solid baseball line-up you want your best 4 batters up first and the first four songs on here all hit the ball right out of the park. The rest of the album is just as memorable, but these are the four songs that really suck you in and make it impossible to not listen to the rest of the album. This is the type of album that you want to listen to over and over again. Once the last song finishes it is very hard to not press play again right away.

While its tough not to say best album ever ala comic book guy, this is easily the best album yet from Boys Night Out. The songwriting is more mature, the lyrics are a bit simplified and more to the point and the overall album just has more impact. If this is the direction the band will be traveling in the future, sign me up because I cant wait to hear what comes next.

At The Throne of Judgment-The Arcanum Order
(Rise Records, 2007)

I hate to say it but I pretty much knew exactly what to expect from this album from the cover art alone. I was bang on, so either Im psychic or the Swedish influenced metalcore genre has become a bit predictable? Just so you know, Im not psychic.

Thats not to say that this isnt an album with nothing to offer. The band has a lot of energy and I do enjoy the speed of the band. They somewhat sound like Black Dahlia Murder or Darkest Hour with a less refined approach. One of the problems with the album is that the songs seem to meander a little bit. There really isnt much to separate each song and honestly if you arent paying close attention you may not even notice when one song finishes and the next one begins.

There is definitely a lot of potential here. The chops are definitely not a problem, aside from a few slightly sloppy guitar leads. When the bands songwriting becomes as razor sharp as the riffs they are playing then the band will have as much impact as they should have.

Nodes of Ranvier-Defined by Struggle
(Victory Records, 2007)

After two hard hitting albums on Facedown Records, Nodes of Ranvier are bringing their rhythmic metallic attack to Victory Records. It seems that with a new label comes new energy as this is the most vicious and speed driven the band has ever been.

One aspect of Nodes of Ranvier that has consistently impressed me is their ability to use a lot of notes in riffs but still keep things memorable. There is no denying that these are some busy riffs. They never take the easy road and always add as many pinch harmonics or octave chords as they can. They make it work though and it never sounds like the band is trying to be complicated. It sounds very natural to my ears. The guitarists are some of the best rhythm players in this genre and they arent afraid to show it.

I find that a lot of bands in this style tend to try to hide the fact that they grew out of the hardcore scene. Nodes of Ranvier definitely embrace the fact that they came from the hardcore scene. Dont expect typical hardcore riffs, but the overall energy and some of the vocals are definitely hardcore inspired. The band also uses breakdowns on occasion that wouldnt sound out of place on a heavy hardcore album. As a whole though this doesnt absolutely reek of hardcore, but it is definitely there if you dig a little bit.

I have to admit that I am a bit surprised by the production of the album, it is rather gritty sounding and while it does fit the nature of the band I was expecting something a bit more polished due to the fact that this is on a bigger label. The album has more then enough energy though and the production is more then adequate. Its not like it sounds like it was recorded on a 4 track, it still sounds quite good.

If you enjoy your metal fast and melodic it doesnt get much better then Nodes of Ranvier. With a bigger label behind them Nodes of Ranvier will hopefully get the recognition they deserve. I guarantee you many people will be shocked and say why the hell havent I heard of these guys before?

Misery Signals-Mirrors
(Ferret Music, 2006)

This is the type of album that makes you realize just how good a genre can be. There are countless metalcore bands playing the same recycled ideas. Then you have Misery Signals, a band that has so many ideas that songs are filled to the breaking point.

Each song explodes with interesting ideas and an amazing combination of the brutal and the beautiful. Not since the first two Poison the Well albums has a band combined metallic riffing with melody in such a unique and interesting way. The band really knows how to make the songs diverse and these definitely arent what you would consider easy to follow songs. The band definitely throws conventional song structures right out the window and each song is a journey where you dont know what the next destination will sound like but you cant wait to hear it. Few bands can go from technical heavy riffs to calm melodic sections and make it work so well. Hell, I honestly dont know if Ive heard anyone do it this well before.

The technical side of the band is mind boggling. Not in a flashy thousand notes per second way either. The band is very rhythmic and the use of rhythm mixed with technicality and melody gives the band a very unique feel. Rarely will you hear something on this album that could be considered typical. Even what could be considered a breakdown riff is different here as they dont use the typical rhythms associated with a typical breakdown.

It must take the band a very long time to write a complete song and this is definitely a band that never takes the easy road with songwriting. They could have written a typical album, but instead they chose to meticulously write an amazing album that never lets the heaviness or the melody overshadow each other. They have struck a perfect balance and I think it is the balance that really makes the album so effective. I dont care what style of music you usually gravitate towards, this is album that deserves to be heard.

Marduk-Warschau
(Regain Records, 2007)

Having never seen Marduk live I was definitely curious to dig into this re-release and see just effective the band sounds in a live environment. I couldnt really believe my ears but the band was actually faster live, which is no small feat as Marduk is already one of the fastest black metal bands around.

This album does somewhat of reinforce my feelings that black metal sometimes doesnt translate well live. Its not that the band doesnt sound good, but to me the genre just loses something when played live. With this live album you also tend to notice how similar a lot of Marduks songs were from the time period this album was recorded. Some of the faster songs tend to sound pretty similar in a live setting because the guitar doesnt cut through the mix as well as it should and the riffs arent as effective.

There is no denying that there is a lot of energy on display here, although some of the songs end up sounding like blurs because of the band playing them faster then usual. Im not an incredibly big fan of live albums to begin with, and while this is definitely a good one, it doesnt seem essential to me. If you are a Marduk completist then youll want to have this in your collection, but if you dont have every album yet from the band, Id say pick up one of the studio albums you dont have yet over this.

Birdflesh-Mongo Musicale
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

I have only heard one previous Birdflesh album but it seems like the band has changed quite a bit since the last album. This album seems much more involved adding in ample doses of Slayer and Macabre to their blistering grindcore approach. Dont worry, this is still very fast and features some awesome dual vocals that fly at you at an incredible speed.

What I really like about this album is that the band manages to be memorable while being incredibly fast. A lot of grindcore tends to just be fast and doesnt bother to make things catchy as well. Birdflesh definitely doesnt have that problem, and if you couldnt have guessed it from the band name they also have a sense of humor, which helps keep things fun. Some of the riffs and vocal patterns are just plain silly, which keeps the album fun. There is no shortage of fast and blistering parts though. It may be a fun album, but first and foremost it is a fast album.

One aspect of the bands sound that I havent touched on yet is an early Swedish death metal influence that is prevalent from time to time. There are some riffs that wouldnt sound out of place on the first Dismember album. I dont really mean the melodic riffs though; I mean the dirty and raunchy thrash type riffs that were simplistic yet incredibly brutal.

For an album that is just over a half hour in length, this is a surprisingly diverse album. The 25 songs all have unique ideas and rarely do any of the songs sound overly similar. Thats quite the feat when most grindcore albums feature 20 songs that sound pretty damn similar in every possible way. I was expecting to like this but Birdflesh really threw some creativity in the pot and released an even better album then I was expecting.

Glorior Belli-Manifesting the Raging Beast
(Southern Lord Recordings, 2007)

The quality of black metal albums seems to be going uphill lately, largely due to Southern Lords ability to find some of the best bands around right now. Prior to hearing this album I had never even heard the name Glorior Belli before, but rest assured I wont be forgetting it any time soon.

Bringing a cold almost doom like feel to black metal, the band has a classic yet unique take on the black metal genre. It is rare in black metal to find a band that isnt afraid to play around with tempos. The blast beats are frequent but the band never stays fast for an incredibly long duration of time. It helps make the faster sections more effective and really helps the album remain interesting throughout. The riffing itself is a combination of simple melodic ideas and the minor chords the genre is known for. Its hard to put my finger on it, but there is something unique about the riffing style of the band. It is a bit more layered then most black metal and the band never uses the typical tremolo picked riffs the genre is best known for.

I dont think I could even put into words how much I like the production of this album. This to my ears is the perfect black metal sound. The guitars are clear and powerful, with just enough treble to make you know this is a black metal album. The drums are powerful and ring through the mix clearly no matter what tempo the band is playing. The vocals are mixed perfectly and have just enough reverb to add a bit of atmosphere and to not lose any clarity. This album is proof that you can have a stripped down album that still sounds amazing.

If you like your black metal cold and menacing then this is definitely for you. This is a band that isnt afraid to play slow and have made a dynamic black metal album because of this. This is one of the best black metal albums I have heard in a long time. If you consider yourself a fan of the genre you definitely need to pick up this album.