Jumbo’s Killcrane-The Slow Decay
(Crucial Blast Records, 2004)

While the name might have you thinking of a giant bird, there is definitely something monstrous about this band. Thick guitars meet with plodding rhythms, creating a funeral dirge that could only be described as apocalyptic. The vocals are acidic and spit an extra layer of venom onto an already volatile mixture.

The songs themselves are fairly lengthy, but there are dynamics at work here, and the band manages to rise above the usual plodding tempos from time to time, for what you could consider more rock moments. These moments are still heavy, but they just speed the tempo up a bit and provide a nice contrast to the plodding doom. You’ll even be surprised by a few riffs have a bit of a bluesy or Southern vibe to them.

For a style that has been beaten to death, the band really brings a spark of creativity to it. Doom really isn’t a genre that needs to evolve or bring in outside influences, but even just the fluctuations in tempo or a few more complicated riffs from time to time really makes a world of difference. One big difference is the inclusion of riffs that are easy to latch on to. There are pauses and little nuances that make the riffs much more memorable then plodding chords. So basically they aren’t reinventing the wheel, but the songwriting brings this way above the average.

Devilinside-Volume One
(Abacus Records, 2004)

Metalcore has definitely become a little bit stale as of late, but creativity still flows in Minnesota because Devilsinside have created an album that turns the genre right on it’s head.

At a whopping 23 tracks you might think that these guys play short hardcore bursts, but in reality this album is broken up into many parts, with some tracks being short instrumentals. The band’s sound is definitely diverse at times, but you can always expect driving riffs, dissonance, breakdowns and harsh vocals within the main songs. The interludes are all over the place, ranging from short heavy sections with tribal drums to more electronic experimentation. One influence that it’s hard not to pick up on from time to time is Pantera, specifically The Great Southern Trendkill album. These guys definitely aren’t as memorable, and influence isn’t extremely overt, but if you listen for it you can heart it.

The production is adequately raw but allows everything to be heard. The guitars are thick and the rhythmic nature of the riffing comes across with full force. Even the noisier moments remain clear, with the flurries of dissonance coming through perfectly. This is a heavy album with surprising depth, but you need not worry about the production. It’s absolutely bulldozing.

This definitely isn’t just a rehash of the typical metalcore sound. A lot of thought went into each part of this album and that is very evident from the first listen. Fans of Disembodied will be glad to see the members back and kicking ass playing heavy music again. It’s a bit different, but it still has many of the same qualities. Those of you looking for a unique twist on metalcore, need not look any further.

Ramesses-We Will Lead You to Glorious Times
(This Dark Reign Records, 2004)

The UK is definitely known for noisy doom bands, and right in line with Iron Monkey and Charger, are Ramesses.

Tortured screams meet with plodding over distorted guitar lines that definitely let you know that this is a doom metal band. But there is something sinister about the overall approach. You could almost call it black metal inspired doom. While slower, the riffing has similar note choices that you would expect from a black metal band. It has an overall dark atmosphere that helps them rise above the norm of the genre.

You can almost pinpoint a few main influences. A few riffs really remind one of Hellhammer or early Celtic Frost, but without any of the faster more punk influenced tempos. It’s slow, but still has just that hint of rock influence that Celtic Frost had. A few surprises come in the form of blasts from time to time. It’s not surprising when you consider the approach of the band, but it is surprising given the usual tempo of the band.

If the combination of noisy doom and early black metal sounds interesting to you then you have no reason not to check out Ramesses. The UK has produced many of the best metal bands of all time and this is another band to add to that long list.

He Is Legend-I am Hollywood
(Solid State Records, 2004)

I pretty much went into this one having no idea what to expect, but He is Legend is pretty much the missing link between pop-punk, rock, and metalcore. Rock infused riffs are followed by breakdowns which lead into melodic choruses. You rarely know what to expect next, but you’ll be glued to your seat to find out just where the songs will go. There are a lot of bands that bring in different styles, but the main thing that helps He is Legend be successful is that they have a good sense of continuity. Even if the style changes somewhat the riffs still retain the same feel. They might get much heavier or lighter, but they still have a similar feel. The transitions are never abrupt and never seem out of place. The different styles just make sense here.

Lyrically these guys are just as interesting. A lot of the themes fit in with the title of the record with references to Hollywood and movie making in some way or another. They don’t result to the same cliches that seem to pop up far too often these days. Lyrics are supposed to be personal and unique for the band, yet these days it seems every one has the exact same thing to say and will use the same phrases to do so. He Is Legend don’t follow any of those rules and come away with a winner both musically and lyrically.

I was a bit surprised to read that Adam D. produced this because it’s not a very heavy album at all and is much more organic sounding then most of the albums he produces. This has a much more raw guitar sound and isn’t so tight that it almost becomes lifeless. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the work he’s done, but this is the most live sounding album I’ve heard from him. Then again this band is very different then say Unearth or Norma Jean, who he has worked with in the past.

This one really took me by surprise. It’s a very hard to pigeonhole band and because of that they aren’t very easily consumed. But there are enough catchy moments, breakdowns and creative lyrics to make these guys stand out like a sore thumb right now.

Dark Throne-Sardonic Wrath
(Moonfog Productions, 2004)

Dark Throne could almost be called the black metal equivalent of AC/DC. You put on a Dark Throne album and you instantly know who it is. They are a band that doesn’t want to progress and is happy to kick a dead horse. Would there fans want it any other way? Fuck no. What we want from Dark Throne is blasting, cold riffs, and harsh vocals. Anything else just wouldn’t be Dark Throne.

With black metal quickly losing it’s focus over the years it’s pretty much essential for bands like Dark Throne to exist. With people forming bands for fame and fortune they are missing the point of black metal altogether. It’s about creating that cryptic and sinister atmosphere. You don’t do it with layers of synths and power metal influences. You do it with stripped down productions and genuine emotions of despair, and isolation. With this album again Dark Throne prove that they are one of the few genuine black metal bands left.

In a time when bands try to cram as many riffs as humanly possible into one song, Dark Throne really stand out. They sometimes will sit on the same riff for minutes at a time. It all makes the atmosphere they create even more effective. It also makes the songwriting much more memorable because you hear the riffs more then just once or twice and you really have the chance for them to sink in. The songwriting isn’t as repetitive as Transylvanian Hunger here, but they do repeat quite a bit none the less.

You can almost say that if you’ve heard Dark Throne before you know exactly what to expect from this album. Like I mentioned before that definitely isn’t a bad thing. Along with bands like AC/DC or Motorhead, Dark Throne have created their own niche and have no interest in straying from that niche. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that regardless of whether or not each album sounds the same, I’ll be back each time to bang my head to the timeless metal these two maniacs create.

Lamb of God-Ashes of the Wake
(Epic Records, 2004)

I’m not sure if anyone ever expected Lamb of God to sign to a major label, but what I’m sure most people did expect was for the band to go above and beyond and make their career defining record. Ashes of the Wake basically takes what the band was doing on As the Palace Burns and streamlines it, making the band the most lethal and memorable they have ever been. Is it more accessible? Yes, but it’s not because they have gone soft. They have just honed their songwriting and have crafted an album full of memorable riffs, and interesting vocal patterns. The Swedish influence is just as prevalent as ever, as is the thrash influence. They essentially are still the marriage of Swedish melody, thrash riffing and metalcore breakdowns. It’s just that the style has come together in a way that it hasn’t before for the band. The bands style is just clicking here, to be it simply.

The vocals as harsh, but also delivered in a clean manner that allows each word to ring through. He has an extremely clear voice that is extremely heavy yet allows every word to annunciate. One drawing point of this band is that the vocals have never been typical metal vocals. If it was just growling the magic just wouldn’t be there. The vocalists style fits the music perfectly and without Randy this just wouldn’t be Lamb of God.

To say that the band has improved their production values immensely would be an understatement. This is one of the best sounding metal albums that has ever been recorded. The guitars are so clear that it’s hard to believe, but as still incredibly heavy never lacking in texture. The drum sound is really what makes this album pound though. The snare is always front and center, and the drum performance is dead on. These guys have always been tight, but this new album takes it to the next level, Every hit is right on the money and it’s a professional sounding album from every possible angle. If you could manage to find a flaw, I’d be interested to hear it because in my opinion this is the best sounding metal album since Slaughter of the Soul.

This is the album that is going to propel this band among the giants of the metal genre. With so many bands losing their paths and abandoning what they once played ie. Metallica, the metal genre needs a band to stand beside Slayer as reigning kings of thrash metal. The perfect band for that position is Lamb of God.

Caliban-The Opposite From Within
(Abacus Records, 2004)

Germany has an extremely fertile heavy music scene it would seem. Along with Deadsoil, Caliban is easily one of the best European bands playing metal influenced hardcore. With fast chugging guitars, harsh vocals and an extremely catchy sense of melody Caliban burn through 12 tracks that will have the kids wind milling in no time.

One listen to this new album and it’s pretty clear that the band has taken their melodic elements even further this time around. There is a pretty evident Killswitch Engage influence at times during the melodic choruses, but the heavier sections really show that this is a metal band at heart. The heavy riffs feature lots of rhythmic picking patterns, and an abundance of breakdowns. A pretty evident thrash influence also comes in during the faster moments. I’ve heard some people say that these guys show a Swedish influence but I don’t really hear it. There might be slight hints of it from time to time, but it doesn’t go any further then that.

It seems that along with everyone in Sweden being a musician they are also a producer as well. This album was produced by In Flames vocalist Anders Friden and mixed by Andy Sneap. With Andy Sneap on board to mix you can almost guarantee a guitar heavy album with driving drums and perfectly mixed vocals. That is exactly what you get. The guitars are extremely heavy and powerful but never lose clarity, while the drums sit perfectly in the mix allowing each hit and crash to ring through without overpowering the mix. The vocals are just a bit out front, which is of course what you’d want especially during the melodic choruses.

It would definitely be cutting the band very short to say that they play a style very similar to Killswitch Engage but it’s definitely a good starting point for those who haven’t heard Caliban before. Imagine a heavier KE with more European metalcore added and you’ll have an idea as to what to expect from Caliban.