WSOU Picks of the Week: Cult of Luna, Hatebreed, Erra

Seton Hall University’s WSOU radio is the only all-metal, all-the-time station currently broadcasting in the US, and as been a force in metal for DECADES. It’s also streamable online from anywhere in the world! Each week, the staff of WSOU shares their picks for the heaviest of the heavy, as well as the station’s charts for that week, right here on MetalSucks. Enjoy:

Hatebreed – “A.D.” (Garren L)

With Hatebreed’s newest track, “A.D.,” the band has released a furiously fast one which takes no prisoners for the duration. Although the track is very reminiscent of Slayer’s “Repentless,” Jamey Jasta’s vocals seem to work better with the aggressive energy of this track than Tom Araya’s did on the former. Complementing the track’s furious pace and Jasta’s powerful vocals are the rather topical lyrics. The combination of Jasta’s angered, aggressive voice with these lyrics makes me feel just as furious as he does over the state of American society. In short, Hatebreed are doing what they’ve always done, which is making great, angry music that is perfect to rage to, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cult of Luna – “A Greater Call” (Garren L.)

Within the last year my appreciation has grown for the more atmospheric tracks that metal has to offer. Perhaps the best example of this is Cult of Luna; their new track, “A Greater Call,” is dark, cold, and atmospheric at its very roots, aided by the beautiful vocals of Julie Christmas which provide a juxtaposition to the harsher, yet restrained vocals of the male singer. Although it’s not the most in your face metal track you’ll hear, its subtle complexities make it easy to listen to over and over again. I find myself yearning to listen to this album in full to see if the rest of it can match the beauty of “A Greater Call.”

ERRA – “Hourglass” (Nick D.)

Drift is Erra’s third release in a row with a different vocalist, yet the band continue to show that they will not give up and they have jams worth sticking around for no matter who’s fronting the band. The new album features many of their signature progressive metalcore elements while continuing to evolve. While the addition of ex-Texas In July vocalist JT Cavey allows the band to retain a brutal edge to their sound, this track features mostly clean singing, something Erra have always used well, from guitarist Jesse Cash. The lyrics focus around losing control and self-reflection on being who you want to be. Cash’s voice has such a great high tone and really gets the message of the lyrics across, and it meshes will with their atmospheric, tapped guitar leads on display throughout “Hourglass.”