SH*T THAT CAME OUT YESTERDAY – THE OCTOBER 11, 2011 EDITION
We have a decent amount of new stuff this week, including quality releases from Skeletonwitch, Black Cobra, Hull, Fuck The Facts and more. This writer’s opinion on all of it after the jump.
3 – The Ghost You Gave To Me (Metal Blade)
3 are an odd band to be on Metal Blade. They play a style of prog/alternative rock that puts less emphasis on guitar than many of their labelmates and more emphasis on the whole composition. Which is not to say this isn’t metal, as the music is impressive and powerful as well. Basically, just check it out yourself. This is the band’s follow-up to 2007’s The End Is Begun, with 2009’s stop-gap Revisions in-between.
As You Drown – Rat King (Metal Blade)
You can take a listen for yourself over at the German Metal Hammer site, but this is pretty uneventful and boring death metal to me. This is the band’s second full-length, following 2009’s Reflection.
Black Cobra – Invernal (Southern Lord)
NEW BLACK COBRA. BC’s dirty sludge jams are tight as shit, and since I’ve had this record for a bit anyways I can tell you that it’s a perfect fit with the band’s other releases, including their last, 2009’s Chronomega. The whole pummeling assault is streaming over at Brooklyn Vegan, which I demand you go to this very second.
Charred Walls Of The Damned – Cold Wind On Timeless Days (Metal Blade)
I loved the prospect of Richard Christy drumming again when this band was announced, but somehow the result never really became as cool as the idea. The band also features Ripper Owens and Steve DeGeorgio, making this a supergroup, but the end result is just kind of bland in my opinion (but Vince and Axl beg to differ).
Five Finger Death Punch – American Capitalist (Prospect Park)
Seriously, fuck this band. Their music is goddamn awful, and no one should buy into Five Finger Death Punch talking about politics. The band’s members used to be in Motograter and U.P.O., and those bands suck too, and I’m still baffled at how fast this band blew up. Their third record presents more nonsense for the masses. Check it out if you dare.
Fuck The Facts – Die Miserable (Relapse)
A band that combines metal, grind and punk pretty seamlessly, Fuck The Facts continue to surprise with each subsequent release, partly because the band has had numerous lineup shifts since their formation. This is their first full-length since 2007’s Disgorge Mexico and features the debut of Marc Bourgon on bass and Johnny Ibay on drums.
Hull – Beyond The Lightless Sky (The End)
Hull’s last album, 2009’s Sole Lord, came out of nowhere in my mailbox and blew me away. Equal parts sludge, doom and post-rock, the record was a killer and I still spin it regularly. We finally have its follow-up in Beyond The Lightless Sky. The title track is currently streaming over at Pitchfork and it’s a great sample of what this album will hold. I am stoked beyond belief for this.
I Declare War – I Declare War (Artery)
I Declare War provide technical guitar work mixed with straight brutal death metal. It’s not the freshest thing in the world, but it’s done well and it’s a good listen. The band has released two albums previously, 2010’s Amidst The Bloodshed and Malevolence.
Immolation – Providence (Scion A/V)
Scion releasing Immolation material… what a strange setup. I like Scion’s sponsorship of all kinds of metal shows and festivals (and now albums), but it’s just strange to have a car company doing it. ANYWAYS. Immolation always bring it, and nothing really changes here. Pretty ripping death metal splayed out over the five tracks presented here. Stream “Swallow the Fear” exclusively right here at MetalSucks.
Pain Of Salvation – Road Salt Two (Inside Out)
Pain Of Salvation return with the sequel to Road Salt One, and the band delivers a unique blend of progressive metal once again. The band definitely carves their own path, as this is nothing you would expect from the tag “prog metal”, but the music is interesting and strange all at the same time. I don’t really like it, but I don’t really hate it either… I’m just kinda meh on the whole thing.
Rise To Remain – City Of Vultures (Century Media)
EXTREMELY melodic metalcore that’s pretty generic. There’s really not much more to say about this… if you like this kind of muck, go check it out, otherwise… beware.
Skeletonwitch – Forever Abomination (Prosthetic)
The week just gets better and better. Another record I’ve had for a week or so, Breathing The Fire, is just a phenomenal display from the Ohio-based blackened thrash crew. The songs are all about the same length as one another as the ‘Witch often don’t even make it to the three minute mark, and that’s what keeps the pace of their records moving at a machine-gun rate. The intro before the album’s opener, “This Horrifying Force (The Desire To Kill)” really sets the tone for an album that’s going to rip your face off and stomp it in the street. Their last record was 2009’s Breathing The Fire, and this is the band’s third full-length. Check out the whole record streaming over at Guitar World.
Threat Signal – Threat Signal (Nuclear Blast)
I won’t totally count out Threat Signal, a band I’ve found pretty boring/generic in the past, because they’ve gained a new lead guitarist and drummer since their last album, 2009’s Vigilance. The track “Fallen Disciples” can be found on YouTube, and it’s not bad, actually. It’s metalcore, but more dynamic and interesting than most of the bands from the genre. This is worth a listen.
Trapped Under Ice – Big Kiss Goodnight (Good Fight Music/Reaper)
On Trapped Under Ice’s new release, there are many elements in place to make the record good, but somehow the parts never quite come together to make compelling tunes. The songs are kind of slow, the vocal delivery is kind of boring and the package just doesn’t really hit you like some of the band’s previous works. I won’t say it’s bad, as this is still some decent chunky hardcore with some interesting and unexpected parts, but the record as a whole sort of falls flat. Stream the album track “Outcast” here on MetalSucks.
Trash Talk – Awake (True Panther)
Loud, fast and full of passion, Trash Talk are one of the best bands in hardcore right now. Their new EP Awake doesn’t really stray from the music the band has already released, which in this case is the best option. Trash Talk play violently loud and lightning fast hardcore, and that’s exactly what I need. The band released a video for the title track, which you can watch here.
Volumes – Via (Mediaskare)
After releasing their EP The Concept Of Dreaming, Volumes have gotten a lot of praise from critics. Unfortunately, sometimes when you get around to listening to that album everyone is nuts over you find out it’s not quite as amazing as you were led to believe. Volumes are a somewhat progressive band, yet most of their music falls into the standard metalcore lot. The band shows promise of breaking further away from genre trappings, and Via is a positive effort which makes me more excited to see where the band goes from here.
-VV
Everything here is available on Amazon
