Warship - Supply and Depend CD Review (Vagrant)

DOWNLOAD Warship - "Never Been Equal" (MP3 posted on Fuse.TV)

You have to give major props to Warship -- with all the bitching and moaning about illegal downloading killing the music industry, Warship gave an advance copy of their debut CD, Supply and Demand, to MetalSucks.net to post for a limited time as a free download. The full length disc is no longer available but a download of the tune "Profit Over People" is still up on MetalSucks.

Warship emerged from the "ashes" of From Autumn to Ashes and is the collaboration between vocalist/drummer Fran Mark and guitarist Rob Lauritsen. Rob and Fran started writing together at the end of FAtA and the two of them played all the instruments on Supply and Depend.

While Warship's debut disc sounds like a logical outgrowth from 2007's Holding A Wolf By The Ears, Supply and Demand is harder and more aggressive than any past work from FAtA. Mark uses very little clean vocals and predominately sings with a scream or a yell. The music is also harder than FAtA as Warship uses doom and metalcore-style guitar riffs combined with rhythmic bass/drums sludge to add to the intensity of Mark's vocals.

What still remains from FAtA is a strong sense of emotion in the music. In listening to the new disc, you get a clear sense of Mark's rage, anger and disillusionment. In a recent interview with RockMidgets.com, Fran Mark said that the themes in Supply and Depend are "Corporate control over public opinion. The uneven distribution of wealth. Working yourself to death to make another man rich. Putting your faith in that which does not exist because when bad things happen in your life it's easier to say "Gods will" than to accept that you f**ked up and brought such plagues upon yourself, and death. Death is something I had seen a lot of while working on this album."

Warship started playing live shows late this year and the band's next area show is January 17th at Fin’s Pub in Oakdale, Long Island. For their live set, Fran and Rob are playing with bassist Darren Simoes (from The Bled) and drummer Greg March.

The new CD, Supply and Demand, is available with limited edition poster for $10 from Vagrant's online store.

Links:
Warship's MySpace Profile

From Autumn To Ashes Play Looney Tunes Benefit on 01/08/08

From Autumn to Ashes is playing a benefit for Long Island record store Looney Tunes on January 8th. The store has been around for 35 years but a massive fire destroyed the store in August and the rebuilt store just reopened on December 1st.



Francis Mark said: “When I was 13 years old I bought my first hardcore CD from Looney Tunes, which was Earth Crisis' "All Out War" EP. That was a huge turning point in my life and I've been going there ever since.”

The band is off in the UK and Europe until April so this is the only area appearance. To gain admission, you have to pre-order the live EP (of this night's performance) via the following link. The EP is only $7.99 so this looks like a great bargain for a good cause.

From Autumn to Ashes tour dates:

UK (supporting Hundred Reasons)
1/11/2008 Exeter, UK @ Lemon Grove
1/12/2008 Cardiff, UK @ The Point
1/13/2008 Plymouth, UK @ The Hub
1/14/2008 Southampton, UK @ The University
1/15/2008 Brighton, UK @ Concorde II
1/17/2008 Wolverhampton, UK @ Wulfrun Hall
1/18/2008 Manchester, UK @ MDH
1/19/2008 Glasgow, UK @ QMU
1/20/2008 Leeds, UK @ Cockpit
1/21/2008 Newcastle, UK @ Academy II
1/23/2008 London, UK @ Astoria
1/24/2008 Norwich, UK @ Waterfront

EURO HEADLINING TOUR
1/26/2008 Brussels, Belgium @ MOD
1/28/2008 Utrecht, Holland @ Helling (not Headline - supporting Hundred Reasons)
1/29/2008 Paris, France @ Nouveau Casino
1/30/2008 Cologne, Germany @ Underground
1/31/2008 Hamburg, Germany @ Logo
2/01/2008 Berlin, Germany @ Kato
2/02/2008 Schewinfurt, Germany @ Alter Stattbhf
2/03/2008 Prague, Czech Republic @ Rock Cafe
2/05/2008 Vienna, Austria @ Arena
2/06/2008 Munich, Germany @ Backstage Club
2/08/2008 Cesena, Italy @ Vidia Club
2/10/2008 Lindau, Germany @ Club Vaudville
2/11/2008 Zurich, Switzerland @ Abart
2/12/2008 Saabrucken, Germany @ Roxy

AUSTRALIA (all shows SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL unless otherwise noted)
2/23/08 Brisbane, QLD - Riverstage & Parklands
2/24/08 Sydney, NSW - Sydney Park
2/29/08 Melbourne, VIC - Melbourne Showgrounds
3/01/08 Adelaide, SA - TBA
3/03/08 Perth, WA - Bassendean Oval

JAPAN
4/06/08 Tokyo, Japan - Punkspring

Links:
From Autumn to Ashes' Website
From Autumn to Ashes' MySpace page

From Autumn to Ashes - Holding a Wolf by the Ears CD Review

I caught From Autumn to Ashes at their co-headlining show at Irving Plaza with Haste the Day in April. I was one of those people who thought the band might go in an emo direction after the departure of singer Ben Perri. I was very wrong -- Fran Mark really delivers in his role of sole frontman. I hadn't heard Mark scream before this show and disc was released but he seamlessly ranges between a scream and a melody (an immediate point of comparison would be Phil Labonte).

To get back on track with the CD review -- all of the cuts thrash. The songs are a good bit more melodic than anything that Perri had sung in the past but the melody doesn't take away from the intensity of the tunes. Don't let the comment about melodies scare anyone off -- none of the tracks are anything like "Inapprope" or "Streamline" (from Abandon Your Friends). The melodic hooks are closer to All That Remains but Mark doesn't have quite as guttural a scream/bark as either Labonte or Perri. The CD really gels and sounds like the work of a coherent band rather than just being centered around the voices of the two front-men.

I just found out that there are two iTunes b-sides to this release and they are called "Hang the Mason" and "What Good is My Virtue?".

Holding a Wolf by the Ears is a great CD by a band that has really grown musically over the last two years. I read an interview with guitarist Brian Deneeve who said "We went through a lot and came out the other side". I like the direction the band is going in and am looking forward to future releases.


FAtA is touring Canada and then the West Coast later this month.

Canadian Tour
With It Dies Today, The End, I Hate Sally
7/03/07 Saint Catherines, ON @ Level 3 Night Club
7/04/07 London, ON @ Embassy Hotel
7/05/07 Guelph, ON @ Cowboy Bar
7/06/07 Toronto, ONT @ Opera House Concert
7/07/07 Quebec City, QC @ L'ANTI

Canadian Tour
With The End, I Hate Sally
7/08/07 Sherbrooke, QC @ Theatre Granada
7/09/07 Trois-Riviere, QC @ Makisart
7/10/07 Montreal, QUE @ Les Foufounes Electriques

Canadian Tour
With The End, Sick City, I Hate Sally
7/12/07 Sault Ste Marie, ON @ Glow Nightclub
7/13/07 Thunder Bay, ON @ 201 Concert Hall
7/14/07 Winnipeg, MB @ The Collective Cabaret
7/15/07 Portage le Prairie, MB @ Keeshkeemaquah Conference
7/16/07 Regina, SK @ The Distrikt
7/17/07 Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room
7/18/07 Calgary, AB @ Macewan Hall Ballroom

US
With Aiden, I am Ghost, Night Kills the Day
7/20/07 Boise, ID @ Big Easy Concert House
7/21/07 Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon Theater
7/23/07 Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
7/24/07 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
7/25/07 Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
7/26/07 Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
7/27/07 Pomona , CA @ The Glasshouse
7/31/07 Ventura, CA @ Apline
8/01/07 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brew
8/02/07 Fresno, CA @ The Exit
8/03/07 Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk (no I am Ghost)

Links:
From Autumn to Ashes MySpace page (link)

From Autumn to Ashes @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, NY, April 20th

I haven't heard the new From Autumn to Ashes CD (Holding a Wolf By the Ears was released earlier this month on Vagrant Records) but their live show was great. The band doesn't look impacted by the departure of singer Ben Perri (they actually sound a bit stronger than the last time I saw them play) and Francis Mark is a great front-man.







Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:
04/25/07 Boston, MA Axis
04/26/07 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights
04/27/07 Montreal,QC Centre Artistique Fractale
04/28/07 Toronto, Ontario Fun Haus
04/29/07 London, Ontario The Salt Lounge
05/01/07 Cleveland, Ohio Agora Ballroom
05/02/07 Skelletones Grand Rapids, Michigan
05/03/07 Louisville, Kentucky Headliner's Music Hall
05/04/07 Millvale, Pennsylvania Mr. Smalls
05/05/07 Poughkeepsie, New York The Chance

With SHADOWS FALL
05/08/07 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock Cafe
05/09/07 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel

Links:
From Autumn to Ashes MySpace page (link)

Haste The Day @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, NY, April 20th

I hadn't seen Haste The Day prior to Friday's show at Irving Plaza. These guys are a great live act and their show is intense. The band plays with a passion and conviction that is impossible to fake. In a recent review of the band's new CD, I compared them to a less-intense All That Remains. After seeing their live show, I am not sure this comparison holds as the band plays hard and can hold their own with any metal band. The band doesn't sacrifice any of the melodies and harmonies in their live show but I think the production on the CD hides some of their sonic intensity.

This is really a band to catch live. (They are back in town at the Bamboozle Festival on May 6th with My Chemical Romance.)






For whatever reason, the pictures I took of front-man Stephen Keech and bassist Mike Murphy really didn't turn out that great. As such, I wanted to include the picture below which I took at an interview session with the band earlier in the day on Friday.

Maylene and The Sons of Disaster @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, NY, April 20th

I haven't kept up with what Dallas Taylor has been doing since leaving Underoath so I was looking forward to hearing Maylene & The Sons of Disaster's set at Irving Plaza last night. The band is quite impressive live. The obvious comparison would be to Clutch but, with the band utilizing three guitarists, I can't help but think of Lynyrd Skynyrd. This southern metal sound really seems to work for the band and Dallas' voice sounds great.


The band just released their second CD entitled "II" on Ferret Records last month. Based on the band's live show, it looks like this CD is well worth checking out.


Th band is currently on tour with Haste The Day and From Autumn To Ashes through the beginning of May, then they hit the road for 2 weeks of shows with UNDEROATH. They are back in the area on May 5th for the Bamboozle Festival at the Meadowlands. Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:

April 22, 2007 8:00P
Toad's Place New Haven, Connecticut

April 24, 2007 8:00P
The Station Portland, Maine

April 25, 2007 8:00P
Axis Boston, Massachusetts

April 26, 2007 8:00P
Northern Lights Clifton PArk, New York

April 28, 2007 8:00P
Fun Haus Toronto, Ontario

April 29, 2007 8:00P
The Salt Lounge London, Ontario

May 1, 2007 8:00P
Agora Ballroom Cleveland, Ohio

May 2, 2007 8:00P
Skelletones Grand Rapids, Michigan

May 3, 2007 8:00P
Headliner's Music Hall Louisville, Kentucky

May 4, 2007 8:00P
Mr.Smalls Millvale, Pennsylvania

May 5, 2007 2:15P
Meadowlands Sports Complex East Rutherford, New Jersey


Links:
Maylene & the Sons of Disaster Main Website (link)
Maylene & the Sons of Disaster MySpace page (link)

Haste The Day Plays Irving Plaza Tonight (April 20th)

Haste The Day is co-headlining the bill at Irving Plaza tonight with From Autumn to Ashes and tickets are available at the door. I had the opportunity to meet the band earlier today as they were filming a video interview for Metal Machine.

More on this tomorrow...

Haste The Day Pressure The Hinges CD Review

Haste The Day's new CD falls into the more melodic side of metalcore. New vocalist Stephen Keech has a vocal range similar to All That Remains' Phil Labonte which can range from a melodic harmony to a death metal growl. Musically, the band is less brutal than ATR and a closer point of comparison may be Midtown. Guitarist Jason Barnes was quoted as saying "We wanted melodies influenced by bands like AC/DC and Def Leppard rather than the bands we’ve toured with." There are a lot of strong songs on this CD and it has held up to repeated listenings.

The band doesn't stray much from its core melodic hardcore sound with the exception of the tracks Janet's Planet and Chorus of Angels. The later is an epic track that includes portions of Eye of the Needle (the first track on the disc). This track ties all the songs on the disc together and serves as a perfect closer. On the melodic side, my favorite tracks are Stitches (probably the best track on the disc) and The Minor Prophets. Both feature strong vocals and 'exploding' choruses.

Haste the Day are co-headlining a show with From Autumn to Ashes this Friday night (April 20th) at Iring Plaza with supporting bands Alesana, Twelve Gauge Valentine and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. Tickets are still available and are only $15.75.

Links:
Haste The Day MySpace page (link)