Showing posts with label Deathcore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Deathcore. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Whitechapel (Deathcore) Plays Gramercy Theatre on Nov. 10th / 'Endless War' CD Review (Metal Blade)



Whitechapel (Deathcore) Plays Gramercy Theatre on Nov. 10th / 'Endless War' CD Review (Metal Blade)
Whitechapel’s fifth disc came out this past April and Our Endless War (Metal Blade) is a solid slab of hard-hitting deathcore. The music is brutal, the lyrics are nihilistic yet the music is surprisingly accessible which is evidenced by this new disc cracking the US Billboard Top 10 chart. The band is bringing their sonic attack to NYC for a show at Gramercy Theatre on Nov. 10th along with supporting acts Upon a Burning Body and Glass Cloud. This show is general admission and tickets are $20 (+$9 ‘convenience fee’).

The disc starts out with the instrumental “Rise” which is comprised of a marching beat and bending middle-eastern sounding guitar line that progressively build and serves as the lead-in to the galloping title track, “Our Endless War”. “Our Endless War” explodes out of the gate with driving drums and a slashing guitar attack while vocalist Phil Bozeman takes the listener into the abyss with the roar “let’s go”. It is noticeable right away that the disc’s clean production, hints of the Scandinavian sound and Bozeman’s understandable vocal growl means that this is not your run-of-the-mill deathcore album. The lyrics for “Our Endless War” also sets the tone for the disc as Bozeman growls out an anthemic call to arms: “My country tis of greed, sweet land of idiocracy…While we still have liberty, let’s take back our justice for all.

Whitechapel mixes up levels of intensity across the disc all the while staying close to their deathcore roots. “The Saw is the Law” (the first single from the new disc) has a big bottom end and locks into a sludgy bass groove while Bozeman’s vocals range from a death shriek to a glass-gargling growl.



“Mono” is solid, blast-beat driven pit fodder where bending and twisting guitar lines add atmosphere and mood to change up the tempos. “Let It Burn” is more of a hardcore number with a tribal beat and a menacing bass line that will get the boots stomping. “Worship the Digital Age” is another brutal number with a grinding groove that sounds like a decaying industrial machine grinding to a halt.

The band takes something of a breather on the tracks “How Times Have Changed” and “Psychopathy”. “How Times Have Changed” is the sort of grid metal tune reminds me of the type of music that one would hear at L’Amour in the early ’00s. “Psychopathy” is a slower stomper that has clean guitar and slows in the middle for an evil moody build. “Blacked Out” jumps right back into the death metal with the double-bass blast beats. Finally, “Diggs Road”, a tale about someone contemplating suicide, is one of the most diverse songs on the disc. This number starts with a moody, middle-eastern guitar intro that leads into a slow-burning stomper. The band changes up the tempos during different parts of this song and this number includes some very clean guitar solos. There are two bonus tracks on the disc, “A Process So Familiar” and “Fall of the Hypocrites” and both of these tracks are pummeling death metal that follow the sounds heard earlier on the disc.

Links:
Whitechapel

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Suicide Silence - "The Black Crown" CD Review (Century Media)

Suicide Silence - 'The Black Crown' CD Review (Century Media)Last week, Riverside California’s Suicide Solution released their third full-length, The Black Crown (Century Media), consisting of eleven tracks of pissed-off, explosive deathcore. This new disc was recorded earlier this year with Steve Evetts (Poison the Well, A Static Lullaby, DEP, etc.) producing and features guest vocals from Jonathan Davis (“Witness the Addiction”) and Suffocation’s Frank Mullen (“Smashed”). The band has been playing some of these songs live over the last few months and the first studio track, “Human Violence”, premiered in May on Liquid Metal.



The disc seems to have caused a big stir in the press and on the message boards when Mitch Lucker told Kerrang that the album's lyrical themes would feature personal topics rather than anti-religious themes. Lucker explained: "I'm not trying to put people's beliefs down - it's about me and my life. This is my head cracked open and poured on the paper! I still have the same beliefs and same views, but I'm more open to everything," he adds. "At this point in my life, I don't see the good in making people hate you for something you say. This record is for everybody.” Personally, I’m not sure what all of the hubbub is about as solid playing and songs that rise above the generic “crush, crumble and chomp” approach that too many deathcore bands go for significantly outweighs any lyrics, regardless of whether the lyrics are good, bad or indifferent. Lucker may be showing us what is in his head but no one is ever going to mistake this disc for a Cartel CD.

What separates this disc from other deathcore bands is that Suicide Silence integrates into their music a number of influences from outside the genre. In addition to the expected death growls and blast beats, there is the technical precision and rhythmic change-ups of mathcore bands like Dillinger Escape Plan coupled with elements of the riff-oriented structures of nu-metal [Note: the iTunes version of this disc comes with a bonus track which is a cover of Rob Zombie’s “Superbeast”] and an aggressive underlying hardcore vibe. The first single / video from the new disc is “You Only Live Once” which provides a solid flavor of what the rest of the disc sounds like. The disc’s constantly changing musical landscape keeps the music engaging over multiple listens.



Suicide Silence is currently on the road with the Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour which runs through August and "local" tour stops are at PNC Bank Arts Center in Homdel on July 27th (tickets range from $25 - $85) and Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden on July 31st (tickets range from $25 - $85). Sharing the Revolver Stage with Suicide Silence are All Shall Perish and Straight Line Stitch.

Links:
Suicide Silence

Friday, June 25, 2010

Oceano Head Into the Studio with Zuess to Record Second CD "Contagion" // Summer Tour with As Blood Runs Black

Oceano Head Into the Studio with Zuess to Record Second CD Chicago deathcore band Oceano are heading out on a July/August tour with As Blood Runs Black as part of the Over The Limit Tour. The tour will act as a prelude to the release of the band's forthcoming sophomore album, Contagion and the band will be debuting new material as part of their set.

Joining co-headliners Oceano and As Blood Runs Black on the bill will be Arsonists Get All The Girls, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, Thick As Blood, Burning the Masses, Circle of Contempt, and Blindwitness, with Son of Aurelius and This Or The Apocalypse on select dates

Oceano have also begun recording their sophomore disc, Contagion, with producer Zuess (Municipal Waster, The Acacia Strain, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall) which will mark the recording debut of the band's two new guitarists.

Oceano frontman, Adam Warren chimes in from the studio with a brief update:

"As of last night we finished up drum tracking! Danny's a little monster and flew through everything in a 2 1/2 days. Now we're onto guitars today. We're excited to begin and work with Zeuss as we are looking forward to getting his input on what we have come up with. We are all confident he's going to help further creation of Contagion to be even more infectious to all of your ears. LET IT SPREAD!"

To kick off the start of Contagion's recording process, Oceano have posted the premiere episode of OCEANO TV on their brand new official YouTube page. Styled similarly to a 90's-style multi-camera sitcom, this episode stars drummer, Daniel Terchin. Here, he gives fans a tour of his drum kit, pwns n00bs on Call of Duty and sneaks a peek at his tracking sessions.



Links:
Oceano

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Black Dahlia Murder - Photos from Santos Party House, NYC 3-20-10

Last Saturday night, Black Dahlia Murder played a headlining set at Santos Party House. I was looking forward to seeing some of the opening acts (Obscura, Augury and Hatesphere) but I obviously haven't been paying attention to changes in clubland. To wander off-track for a moment..."Back in the day", a weekend headlining act at CBGB, Coney Island High, etc. never went on before midnight (if you were lucky). I got to Santos around 9:30PM and Black Dahlia Murder was onstage checking the sound before starting their set and the room was filled to capacity.



Black Dahlia Murder played about an hour set and the pit started immediately. What I could appreciate is that, with the room so full, this was an old-school CBGB/L'Amour style mosh pit with none of that kung-fu karate chopping nonsense. Even those outside the pit (like myself) had fists in the air and were singing along to songs like "What a Terrible Night to Have a Curse" and "Miasma".

It was too crazy a night to keep a setlist (I felt lucky to get the photos I did with the room being a giant most pit) but here is a setlist that I found on the Internet that looks about right.

01. Unhallowed
02. Funeral Thirst
03. Necropolis
04. A Vulgar Picture
05. Everything Went Black
06. Black Valor
07. Christ Deformed
08. Elder Misanthropy
09. Closed Casket Requiem
10. I'm Charming
11. What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse
12. Statutory Ape
13. Denounced, Disgraced
14. Deathmask Divine
15. Miasma
16. I Will Return

Below is a video of the first two songs from the set that shows how crazy the night got. Once the temperature started rising and the shirts started coming off (Trevor was encouraging everyone to get naked but I didn't see anyone strip totally down from where I was standing), it just got crazier.



Links:
Black Dahlia Murder

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Oceano: "Depths" CD Release Interview, NYC 3-11-09 (Earache Records)

Chicago deathcore band Oceano was in town last week to promote their forthcoming debut CD, Depths. The new CD is coming out April 7th on Earache Records and the first pressing will contain two bonus tracks and a free DVD.

I had the chance to catch up with the band to talk about the new CD, line-up changes, fighting at the band's show, illegal music downloading (a potential cause of fighting at the shows) and more.



Oceano has a couple of tours lined up and plans to be coming through the East Coast in April. Here are Oceano's current East Coast tour dates:

April 3, 2009, 6:00PM, JACKSONVILLE USO W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
April 4, 2009, 6:00PM, PLAN B W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, DANVILLE, VIRGINIA
April 5, 2009, 1:00PM, MOJO 13 W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE
April 6, 2009, 6:00PM, THE REFUGE W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA
April 7, 2009, 6:00PM, MT. AIRY FIRE CLUB W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, MT. AIRY, MARYLAND
April 8, 2009, 6:00PM, CLUB OCTANE W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, CHARLEROI, PENNSYLVANIA

Here is the trailer from the bonus DVD that comes with Depths:


Links:
Oceano's MySpace Profile

Oceano: "Depths" CD Release Interview, NYC 3-11-09 (Earache Records)

Chicago deathcore band Oceano was in town last week to promote their forthcoming debut CD, Depths. The new CD is coming out April 7th on Earache Records and the first pressing will contain two bonus tracks and a free DVD.

I had the chance to catch up with the band to talk about the new CD, line-up changes, fighting at the band's show, illegal music downloading (a potential cause of fighting at the shows) and more.



Oceano has a couple of tours lined up and plans to be coming through the East Coast in April. Here are Oceano's current East Coast tour dates:

April 3, 2009, 6:00PM, JACKSONVILLE USO W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
April 4, 2009, 6:00PM, PLAN B W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, DANVILLE, VIRGINIA
April 5, 2009, 1:00PM, MOJO 13 W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE
April 6, 2009, 6:00PM, THE REFUGE W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA
April 7, 2009, 6:00PM, MT. AIRY FIRE CLUB W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, MT. AIRY, MARYLAND
April 8, 2009, 6:00PM, CLUB OCTANE W/ ENDWELL & THE MILES BETWEEN, CHARLEROI, PENNSYLVANIA

Here is the trailer from the bonus DVD that comes with Depths:


Links:
Oceano's MySpace Profile

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Oceano - "Depths" Listening Party at Lit Lounge on Jan. 19th (Earache)

Earache Records Hosting Oceano Listening Party at Lit Lounge on Jan. 19thEarache Records is hosting a world premier listening party for Oceano's debut disc, Depths, next Monday night at Lit Lounge. The listening party starts at 9PM and admission is free. There will be drinks and giveaways all night.

Earache describes Oceano as "Chicago's angriest deathcore crew". The new CD will be released this Spring and there are a couple tracks from Depths streaming on the band's MySpace profile. The first pressing of the disc will come with a limited edition bonus DVD.

Oceano is out of the road but it looks like the closest the band is coming to NYC is a show at The Meatlocker in Montclair, NJ on February 15th.

Links:
Earache Records