About Videos

I know that videos have only been been used underneath reviews for the past month or two, but for the time being, it seems that they will not be posted due to computer issues I'm having right now. Reviews should still be fine for right now, but the if you want to listen to a band, I'm sorry to say that you'll have to do that task on your own.

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - Danza III: The Series of Unfortunate Events

Madness Uncensored.

The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza are a now trio/four-piece live from Tennessee that play mathcore. The band were known for their incredibly complex music and intense live shows and that was all before all but lead-vocalist Jessie Freeland left the band, he now remains the sole founding member. This is the first album that was done by a trio, with new guitarist Josh Travis, who also played bass on the album, and drummer Mike Bradley.
Never one to pull any punches, Danza III opener Vicki Mayhem blasts and grinds with a spastic rage that very few openers do. Spinning is what seems like a mad rage that just goes into wild directions, this song remains at a consistent level of intensity while being controlled. Near the end of this particular track, it becomes known that no longer are the grinding full-throttle start-to-finish songs solely what the band are trying to accomplish, around the last 30 seconds or so, the band introduce melody into the track.
In addressing what is most likely going to be the problem for most first-time listeners of this band, the guitars. All of the above will and does apply to not just the first track, but the entire album. This is technical, this is grinding, this is heavy, 8-string guitar heavy by the way, and it can be a bit difficult to wrap your head around at times, but if you take a breather and just let it flow, you can find the light in each track. That light, the melody or atmosphere, that carries each track no matter how subtle, is in there. Despite all the technical work done on the 8-string, the bass, which is a 6-string, has been said to be nowhere near where it was on previous records. The bass on this album is used more as a rhythm guitar while previous recordings have showcased wild slapping and the occasional tapping sections that really just put the music over-the-top even more.
While the drums are played, they don't really do anything that previous drummers have done, so the only thing left is the vocals. Jessie is one of the best screamers to come out of the scene in recent years, his more hardcore-esque screams and growls are intense and are consistently in your face throughout this record. It has to be said that a lot, and I mean A LOT, of vocalists, especially screamers, growlers, and grunters, appear to just go through the motions while providing vocals, Jessie has a real passion for the lyrics he's screaming about, and that comes through on here, hear a track like Suicide's Best Friend.
This is an intense record, and at times can be a bit overwhelming, that cannot be denied, but as said there is a light in every song. Tracks like There's A Time and A Place For Everything and Hour of The Time are able to blast you in the gut for their entire duration, but they also have those moments of melody behind all that pounding rhythm. This is an album filled with chugging rhythms, yes, but the shear intensity of that 8-string just makes it seem so much more entertaining than some kid that just picked up a 6-string and started hitting that top string.
Overall, this is a very good and heavy record, easily one of the heaviest sounding this year. Once again, this is a record that might be a bit difficult to listen to if you've never really listened to this band before, but it ultimately rewards you with great songs. If you've never heard of this band or if you like bands like Meshuggah or The Dillinger Escape Plan, or bands that are in the same vein, check these guys out for sure.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: I Am Sammy Jankis, W.A.L.L.S, 12.21.12

Devil Sold His Soul - Blessed & Cursed

The Blessing Of Destruction.

Devil Sold His Soul are an experimental post-metal group from the UK. Though the band have only relased one full-length in 2007 and an EP the year before, not including the split last year and multiple singles, they have garnered a high amount of respect for their take on post-metal. They have gained comparisons to artists like Isis, Cult of Luna, and even Tool in their relatively short career.
The sound of DSHS has always been what has seemed like an mixture of post-metal, post-hardcore, pop, and ambient music. The style has been defined as their own, yet is hard to describe, which to their benefit is a good thing. The use of both heavy guitars that are crushing then switching into the cleaner and more ambient tone isn't a new idea in the styles they're taken from, but the atmospherics, the riffs, and vocals seem to shape what is a relatively simple idea into very expansive and catchy songs.
One of the first things that stands out when listening to this band for the first time are the vocals. They aren't unique in the sense that they're original, but they're original in the sense that the style of vocals in this band aren't usually used in this style. Vocalist, Ed, uses a style that is in vein of more post-hardcore singer that have a very throaty style of screaming and a very clean style of singing that is almost poppy, hear An Ocean of Lights. His style really just brings the music to a new plateau, in a sense that since very few bands, if any, in this genre have ever used this style of singing, they could very well crossover into mainstream appeal.
The guitars also bring a different vibe, despite their maybe overused tone, by providing more melody than atmosphere on here. The melodies used throughout this album are a bit more varied, where one song can sound much more mournful, Frozen, while another can be a bit more uplifting, Crane Lake. There is still a fair amount of -core chugging within some tracks though, granted it can be attributed to a build up, so it should still appeal to that crowd despite being some much more expansive and musically adventurous than most of those groups, to hear this listen to The Disappointment.
The other half of the band providing atmosphere and the rhythm do an excellent job on their respective sides as well. The keyboards don't exactly stand out the most on here but do help play a role in achieving that unique atmosphere that the band has, as well as allowing the mood to shift behind the guitars. The rhythm section, obviously the drums are always heard, but the bass isn't the heard for a lot of the album, a track like Truth Has Come though features some very prominent bass slapping throughout.
Overall, this is a very good release and follow-up album, there is plenty of variation on here to appease anyone that isn't really a fan of the post genres. All of the experimenting is done without leaving anything from their core sound behind which keeps things sounding within the same sonic vibe. It you haven't heard of these guys yet, they're one of the most original groups coming out of that scene, check them out.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Callous Heart, Crane Lake, Foreboding Sky

The Reasoning - Adverse Camber

Rockin' Prog.

The Reasoning is a progressive rock group from the UK. The band form back in 2005 by leading members Matthew Cohen (bass), Dylan Thompson (lead guitar/lead vocals) and Rachel Cohen (lead vocals)who have since been the main songwriters as well. The band also gained notoriety on their debut album, "Awakening," by having Steve Rothery of Marillion guest on it.
For a prog rock group that had a member of Marillion guest on one of their albums, this album is surprisingly heavy sounding. Granted, if you're expecting the equivalent of a metal guitar sound, you'll be a bit disappointed, but this is a bit more rock sounding than can be said of a lot of bands in the genre, that I've heard. The music doesn't rely solely on the guitar, but it does make the sound of the band a bit more appealing to someone that isn't a big fan of keyboards, but that's in there as well.
Onto the music itself, while it is heavier than most bands that are considered "prog-rock," they still maintain their instrumental prowess and like to demonstrate it through solos, of both guitar and keyboards. The dynamics of the band aren't really focused on creating atmospheric soundscapes or jamming section, the songs on here are fairly concise songs that are easy enough for anyone to wrap their head around within even a first listen. This entire album is also pretty short compared to a lot, think of a band here and chances are that it'll fit here, of prog groups from any era, this is only six tracks equaling up to just over 40 minutes, but each track is a bit different from the one that came before it, giving it a bit of diversity while keeping a core sound dominant.
Since I don't want to mislead any person that decides to check this out, just because this album features a heavier guitar sound, does not make this album an album that is based upon the guitars being solely heavy instruments. Hear the track Script-Switch Trigger to hear the guitars get into a more folky side of the group, recalling a bit of that Marillion feeling. There are moments on The Thirteenth Hour where the band get a bit more atmospheric as well, so not to tell lead you to think that this is an actual heavy rock album.
The vocals are really what makes this band, not so much unique, but different, and not because they are female vocals. The music is prog rock, but Cohen's delivery is slightly folky and beautiful, hear Through The Now. Her vocals don't really soar over the top of the music, but almost gently caresses it as they intertwine together.
Overall, this is a great album that has enough to keep you listening due to it's musical depth and it's short length. There weren't any points on here that really seemed to drag on too long, but that's all subject to opinion anyway. If you like a heavier side of prog rock that has no problem getting mellow for a little while, this is something you've got to hear.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: The Nobody Effect, Through The Now, 14

Nutrition - Eye of The Anunnaki EP

Aliens Walk Among Us.

Nutrition is an industrial black metal project from Japan. The concept of the band was formed by vocalist/lyricist/visual designer Jeremy Mauney after he left his old band DetrituM. He contacted Roland La Goy for this project and they later began to collaborate.

The duo's focus on this EP, and every following release that is being released, is on aliens and extraterrestrial travels. This is manifested through a sound that blends black metal's aggression with cold industrial soundscapes and the occasional 70's keyboard part. Despite sounding rather desolate in writing, sonically, there are quite a lot of interesting features that these guys put together to make this a bit more vibrant and more alive in comparison to some other bands that achieve a more cold and mechanical sound.

The three tracks on here are all pretty varied in sound. The opening track, Vectors & Symbols, moves at a fairly fast pace for black metal, it's not blazing but it is fast, but the second track, the title-track, Eye of Anunnaki, sounds like something that could have come from Anaal Nathrakh, being performed at grindcore-like speed. The sound of the first track is also very varied as well, moving through different synthe effects and vocal effects that really spice up the track, the second is more progressive in a sense, not really using a lot of effects as much as just letting the track ebb and flow. Serpent Cult, the final track on here, doesn't really introduce anything new after the previous two tracks, but is still entertaining.

Overall, this is a really good EP that has a lot of diversity and a fresh take on black metal. While the sound isn't breaking a lot of new ground, it's really making the most out of the pieces used to make it. If you like experimental, progressive, or industrial black metal, check this out for sure. The full-length that comes out later this year should be good as well.

Overall Score: 8

Highlights: Vectors & Symbols, Eye of Anunnaki

+\- {Plus\Minus} - Emerald Island

Spastic Cousins.

+\- are a mathcore band from the Ukrane. The band take influence from both metal and hardcore in a similar way to their American counterparts Converge and the Dillinger Escape Plan do. They cite bands and artists from genres ranging from jazz to grunge to technical metal in their influences.
Right off the bat, these guys punch you in the face with something that wouldn't be out of the ordinary on a Converge record with Fog Lights. This track is short, aggressive, filled with a punk-like energy, but used clean vocals. This description can pretty much sum up this whole record, it's like a rush of adrenaline that is just bursting at the seams with energy, but is short lived. However each of these short bursts is filled with wild fretboard play that do showcase a high amount of technicality.
None of the songs on here are all that long, most don't even reach the three minute mark, so you can imagine how some of these tracks just kick you in the head then leave. But for all of their aggressive behavior and spastic playing, there is a quirkiness to this record, mainly in the vocals, but it really makes this record a bit different. It can be interpreted that this band, despite all the crazy playing, they don't take themselves too seriously which brings an almost lighthearted vibe to the entire disc, tracks like Mayday! Mayday and Mutiny Aboard really demonstrate this.
It can't be denied that there are several moments on here that scream Mike Patton in one form or another. The clean vocals on here show a certain amount of similarity to the great man himself, but aren't close enough for an impersonation. The occasional trips into the realms of weirdness also bring to mind the collaboration he did with the Dillinger Escape Plan, hear tracks like the hyper energy of Empire and the most interesting track on the album, Nimrod Glacier.
Overall, this is a fairly entertaining record that moves quickly. There are some moments that do blend together due to the songs being short, but if you're a fan of this you probably already like that fact. If you like crazy, spastic, or intense hardcore metal, the real stuff, not metalcore, than this is for you.
Overall Score: 7
Highlights: Mutiny Aboard, Brighter Than You I Light Up The Stars, Nimrod Glacier

Alpthraum - Dying Sun Demo

Thus Spake The Night Spirit.

Alpthraum is an atmospheric metal project from Canada. The project started out originally in the form of atmospheric black metal but has evolved into a less harsh sound. The ambition behind the project is to explore the darkest regions of the human mind.
There are only four tracks on this demo, including an intro, so it is relatively short. Taking that into account, the amount accomplished on this demo shows that there is a definite uniqueness to this. The tag of atmospheric metal isn't so defined as it's sub-genre, atmospheric/ambient black metal, so there really isn't a lot you couldn't do with it.
That fact does make this a bit of an interesting listen, as the influences run the gambit from classical to more old-school heavy metal to even a bit of electronic music. The sound on here is very atmospheric, but that's pretty much a given, but the metal aspect of the band is a bit of a mix between symphonic metal, heavy metal, and black metal, as the vocals come more from the harsher edge of the spectrum while the music itself is more simplistic but memorable. What can be said for a consistent sound, since each track is a bit different, is that the guitar tone is a bit too bassy, and that is the downside of the album, that those lower notes just sound too have a too much bass on them and that carries through every track on here.
Overall, this is a very accomplished demo that should intrigue anyone that listens to it. While there are still some problems to correct, there is a lot of potential in here that does actually have a bit of a different sound. If you like experimental metal, not prog, but does take from multiple genres, this is something to check out.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: Burning With Cold Fire