Hollow Corp-Cloister of Radiance
(Prosthetic Records, 2008)

France is a country that has had numerous extremely innovative metal bands residing in the country. Hollow Corp is yet another band to add to the long list of bands that push the boundaries of the genre and try some extremely interesting things musically. The band might take a lot of cues from Meshuggah musically but there are enough differences to make this more than worthwhile.

One key difference is that Hollow Corp tends to keep things fairly straight forward tempo wise. They may throw a wrench into the gears occasionally and play something a bit more odd but the majority of the album is nod worthy. The band definitely throws in a lot of color though, with ample use of dissonance and droning passages. The easiest comparisons would be Meshuggah, Mastodon and Neurosis but none of them fit like a glove. This is an album that has a lot to offer fans of the more adventurous side of metal.

Progressive minded but with a lot of head banging power, Hollow Corp are a band that is not easily labeled and also not easily forgotten. Copycats seem to be the norm right now in metal and to hear a band really trying to explore ideas outside of the box is defintely commendable. If you are a fan of progressive and driving music this comes recommended.

Sister Sin-Switchblade Serenades
(Victory Records, 2008)

Although Victory Records has seemingly made its mission to diversify the labels line-up, Sister Sin definitely stands out like a sore thumb. Now before you take that as a negative I meant that more in a positive light. While they do indeed stand out like a sore thumb, it a bitter sweet pain and this is one hell of a rock record.

With a sound that could be summed up as Motorhead meets early Motley Crue, the band packs the entire album chock full of riffs and vocal patterns that sound like they were written in the wrong decade. The difference between this and say American bands that try to add these influences is that Sister Sin never sounds like a parody. They truly believe in the music and while the influences stand out, the music never falters because of it. This isn't four young guys who hadn't even hit puberty when Motley Crue was at the height of their popularity, this is a group of seasoned veterans and you can certainly hear the difference.

One thing I did notice throughout the album was that a lot of the songs do have a very similar feel. This isn't exactly what you would call a diverse alum and this is one of the cases where that isn't exactly a bad thing. The band knows what works for them and tends to stick to that. Which in the very least leaves out any awkward moments where the band tries something different and falls flat on their faces. Oh yea and there isn't a ballad on here either!

If you are a fan of Motorhead, Motley Crue or possibly even Accept to a lesser extent this album is a fist pumping good time that will have you banging your head in no time. On a side note maybe Motley Crue can give this album a listen and hear how they should be sounding after all these years.

Modern Crimes-Self-Titled
(Misfortune Records, 2008)

Consisting of the original line-up of A Perfect Murder, you might expect this to be a heavy hardcore album but it really took me by surprise and is quite different than what I was expecting. While still firmly planted in the hardcore genre, the band has taken a slightly more old school approach and has added rock influences and an almost Fat Wreck Chords style of punk at times. The overall result is a fast paced and infectious sound that is both classic and original at the same time.

There are people out there that think all hardcore music sounds the same and as ridiculous as anyone familiar with the genres knows that statement is, Modern Crimes definitely are not just another hardcore band. The sheer amount of effort that has gone into the songwriting alone helps the band stand out from the pack. There is definitely a lot more than just three chords and screaming going on here. Take for instance a song like What's Going On? which seems like the bands homage to Propaghandi. The riffing is layered and quite note heavy while still maintaining that hardcore edge.

With A Perfect Murder starting to sound more like Pantera with each passing album it seems like this rebirth was something much needed for the band. The band has come full circle back to their early days and seem to be playing with the most fire they ever have. Fans of everything from Comeback Kid to No Use For a Name to Propaghandi will find something to their liking here. If you were a fan of A Perfect Murder but thought they were heading down far too metal of a path, this is what you have been waiting for.

Psycroptic-Ob(Servant)
(Nuclear Blast Records, 2008)

Technical death metal is a genre that has exploded in the last few years. Unique Leader has been supplying the goods for the genre for years but the genre seems to be expanded much farther than the underground. A perfect example of this is Psycroptic who are now on Nuclear Blast and ready to bring their ridiculously tight and nuanced death metal to the masses. Long time fans of the band need not worry as the album is a roller coaster ride of blasting insanity and ridiculously tight grooves.

What really sets a band like this apart from bands trying to be technical death metal is that the music is layered and features riffing that brings in the technical edge and will leave your jaw on the floor. To many bands it seems like the inclusion of sweep picking makes them technical, when it turn it ultimately makes them somewhat trendy at the moment. Another facet of the bands sound that is undeniable is the fact that the band has little trouble slowing things down to the point of being somewhat simplistic if need be. A Calculated Effort is a song that thrives on almost doom like riffs intermingled with the usual technical assault of the band. The combination makes for a song that is both easy to latch onto and also shows off what the band is capable of. So in a lot of ways it is the slower parts that really helps the band have an identity.

The vocal performance is also of surprising diversity. The easy route would have been just to use wall to wall guttural vocals but in honesty the majority of the time the band uses a shouted vocal style that owes more to hardcore than it does to death metal. Guttural roars are used as well as as a more harsh vocal shriek at times. Not to worry though there are definitely no clean vocals to be found on here. The performance is diverse but not that diverse.

While many people think Necrophagist set the benchmark for technical death metal, if you really dig into that band the songs are all very similar and have a very flashy look at me feel to the lead guitar work. Psycroptic are a more natural style of technical death metal band that lets the guitar riffs and performance do the talking and in fact I don't think there is actually one guitar lead on the entire album. If you are a fan of death metal that explores different rhythmic ideas and is far from being typical of the genre, this latest album from Psycroptic is right up your alley.