Liars Academy-Demons
(Equal Vision, 2004)


It seems like many of the Equal Vision bands are really hitting their creative stride with their new records. This shows such a huge progression from the bands last full length album that it is just mind boggling. What was once a rather cut and dry emo band has turned into an interesting and original rock band.

I guess you could almost say that the bands sound has taken a turn towards an almost Hot Water Music styled approach. The vocals have become much more of a central focus, and the music is straight forward yet the music isn’t extremely obvious. It’s not the type of stuff you hear clogging up the airways these days, but it would be tough to not consider this to be catchy music.

J Robbins is behind the board for this album so you know that you are in for an honest and live sounding album. It’s layered in all of the right places, but stripped down enough that you need not worry about the album getting bogged down by studio precision.

Fans of the debut Liars Academy album will probably be very surprised by how far the band has come. They have reinvented themselves and when a band does this and it actually works what more could you ask for as a music fan?

I Killed the Prom Queen-When Goodbye Means Forever
(Hand of Hope, 2004)


The reach of metalcore is expanding pretty much across the entire planet these days. I Killed the Prom Queen are from Australia, but would fit in perfectly within the US metalcore scene. Take part Killswitch Engage, add more tremolo picking and more emo and you basically have the core of this Aussie bands sound.

There is definitely a melodic streak that runs through this album. They of course have the Swedish style melodies down but some of the riffs are actually a bit more sinister and bring to mind an almost black metal type sound. They are also manage to squeeze a lot of energy out of the arrangements. They have a knack for starting out with a chugging verse riff and then build things up until the chorus. It’s something that Killswitch Engage do to perfection, and it’s one of the reason I would call KE an influence on these guys. I guess it would go without saying that breakdowns come into play, but they aren’t at all typical. They take riffs and ideas that fit into the overall context of the song and slow them down. They aren’t the typical Trustkill styled breakdowns.

I’m not sure if it’s just the production, but the growled vocals have a weird almost hollow ring to them. They actually remind me quite a bit of the vocalist from Coalesce at times. The clean singing is actually quite unique and the layering they use isn’t of the typical variety either. It would honestly be tough to call these guys an original band in style, but they are bringing some unique ideas to the genre.

Hopefully this band being exposed to the US will draw much more attention to them. This is a band that I could see doing big things if they get the chance to be heard.

The Haunted-rEVOLVEr
(Century Media, 2004)


The Haunted storm back with a new album, a new label, and a new singer, sort of. This album sees Peter Dolving, the original vocalist of the band, coming back into the fold and really proving why he is the best front man for this high speed thrash outfit.

Essentially this album is classic Haunted. You have the melodic guitar riffs, the chugging, the gruff vocals, everything you’ve come to expect from them. They throw us a few curve balls this time around though. There are some very quiet parts this time around and they experiment much more with clean vocals. It definitely does add a dynamic that wasn’t there before, but to be honest I still prefer when the band is playing fast enough to melt the skin from your face.

This band is made up of scene vets so it’s never a surprise that each album they release sounds amazing. The band has one of the best guitar sounds ever to appear on a metal album in my opinion. It’s heavy, yet still has a lot of feel and manages to stay tight regardless of what is being played. These guys do the high speed thrash thing better then anyone else, after all a few of these guys were in At the Gates and they basically had the genre taken over with Slaughter of the Soul.

The only real flaw here is that the album might just be a bit too long. They possibly could have trimmed a bit, but each track is of high quality. It’s more of an impact thing then a quality issue. I’m not going to lie, this doesn’t overtake the debut as their best album, but it’s definitely a close second.

Age of Silence-Acceleration
(The End, 2004)


Musical projects just seem to come together in Norway. Hellhammer seems to be involved in an almost endless amount of bands, yet his drum performances never falter. This band is basically a super group of sorts. It features Andy and Hellhammer from Winds, and a few more guys from bands you’ve probably heard of. I was expecting it to be along the same lines as Winds, but it’s actually quite a bit different. It’s less symphonic and more, well, it’s just more weird.

The core of the band is piano, guitars, drums and vocals. The piano plays a central role here though. It basically noodles all over the place and never really steps out of the frontline. Thankfully the playing is fluid and Andy’s ideas are quite interesting. He’s not just playing a power metal style synth solo over the entire album. I don’t think there is anything quite as cheesy as though damn solos. They sound like New Wave on speed.

The guitars are what drive the band, but like Winds they aren’t overpowering and really could stand to be a bit louder in the overall mix. The guitar riffs and how they interplay with the keys is quite effective though. These guys are breaking a bit of new ground here. It’s almost like Dream Theater meets black metal. It has that progressive side and very unique timing, but there is still a sinister vibe running throughout.

This definitely isn’t a band for everyone. The vocals for instance are quite unique, and take a bit of getting used to. They are clean singing, but are in an odd sort of tone that to me sounds almost Viking in nature. It’s not unlike what you’d expect from Borknagar. If you don’t mind taking chances with your music collection, then Age of Silence is definitely a path worth exploring.

Jackyl-Live from the Full Throttle Saloon CD/DVD
(Sanctuary, 2004)


It’s too bad that this band has to have a complete fucking moron for a front man. The music from time to time manages to be fairly rocking and it’s definitely nothing that AC/DC hasn’t done before, but it’s energetic and the band definitely has a decent rhythm section. The problem lies in the vocals. This guy sounds like a stray cat being beaten mixed with a tourettes suffering Bon Scott. He’s just spastic and his between song banner is just fucking retarded. So basically what I can say is that if you like Jackyl, you’ll like this dvd. It’s well shot, but the audio is a bit lacking. It’s an outdoor concert so it sounds a little thin at times. If you are expecting extras, you’ll be disappointed. You have one music video, a ten minute segment on the band cooking and another segment of the band showing off their gear to please their sponsors. The music video is terrible and the song Billy Badass simply put, should never have been written. The CD version is essentially the same set, but missing the more offensive songs from their repertoire. So those of you who pick up the cd will miss out on She Loves My Cock. Damn shame ain’t it?

Superjoint Ritual-Live at CBGB’s
(Sanctuary, 2004)


I wasn’t honestly sure how the SR sound would come across in a live setting. I knew that they would be competent, but the amount of inebriation could sometimes make the band lack in tightness. Thankfully that isn’t a problem here. The band plows through a fairly short set, stirring up a lot of commotion and stage diving in the process. I actually think that these guys are much better in a live setting then in the studio. In the studio the amount of sick sludge added to the recording sometimes makes the guitars hard to hear, and it just sounds like a mess at times. Live you can pick up the different little things added to the riffs and it’s a much more effective sound for the band. As far as extras goes you’ll get a couple of music videos and interviews with the band members. Which brings me to something that sometimes bothers me about this band. Phil Anselmo has an attitude, and that’s not a bad thing. But he sometimes makes it sound like SR is the beginning and end of bands playing hardcore music these days. They sometimes make it sound like there hasn’t been any hardcore bands since Black Flag, and that’s obviously not true. So basically this is an awesome representation of Superjoint Ritual in a live setting. I don’t always agree with what they have to say but there’s no denying the power they possess musically.

Diecast-Tearing Down Your Blue Skies
(Century Media, 2004)


When the last Diecast album was released there wasn’t many bands playing hardcore music that utilized but metallic riffing and clean vocals. Now, well, it’s as common as can be really, and this my friends doesn’t help Diecast stand out much I’m afraid. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good record. Scratch that, this is an amazing record. The main problem though is that only hints of the rhythmic style that the band is so good at is present on this new album. They have interjecting a lot of thrash, and much more melody. I know it’s just way too easy to compare melodic bands to Killswitch Engage, but the influence is definitely there. It’s like a combination of what they’ve done in the past with a bit of a modern twist.

One main difference between these guys and KE is that the Diecast sound isn’t as easily digested. There are more tempo shifts and while I’m definitely a fan of KE, this isn’t an radio friendly. The clean vocals have a more power metal or just heavy metal feel to them at times. They are emotional, but aren’t typical of what you’d usually hear. It’s almost similar to the clean vocals that Shadows Fall use. Now that I think about it they are actually a bit similar to Shadows Fall on this new album. So it’s a bit like they’ve taken a step back from being completely original, but the music definitely isn’t lacking at all.

Breakdowns are still just as important as ever to these guys. I think that it is becoming ridiculous how similar breakdown riffs are becoming between bands, but Diecast really manage to break the mold. These riffs are actually part of the songs, they don’t abruptly come from nowhere. They fit into the flow of the songs and work well.

Like I mentioned before I’m not sure if this is taking a leap forward for the band, but it’s definitely a well written record of melodic and heavy metal. It would be tough to say that it didn’t fit into today's musical climate. Those of you expecting Day of Reckoning part 2 will be disappointed, but give the album a listen before you write it off.