Kyle Brady: Blog » Metal

For All Their Lives [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:05:53 +0000

While not strictly metal, For All Their Lives is a band that lives on the borders and is worth mentioning, thanks to their sound and distinct showing of promise. This five-piece out of the northern Gulf Coast of Florida is a compelling fusion of post-hardcore, a less-annoying brand of emocore, and progressive hardcore, which sounds as if it might be an unruly mess of noise – except that it isn’t.

For most bands with only a two-song catalog to cherry-pick, it’s difficult to find distinctive themes throughout their work, but For All Their Lives’ musical influences and heroes make themselves extremely evident, at least within the shadowy boundaries of the metal community: Saosin, Misery Signals, Bless The Fall, and other similar bands that prefer to blend their genre constraints. Perhaps this is why their band image is what some would consider decidedly “unmetal”, but the v-neck t-shirts and slightly-messy, short-length hair can be found in those which they are channeling.

The use of both harsh vocals and higher-pitched, borderline emo singing creates a dichotomy that works surprisingly well, allowing the musical vibe to be rhythmic, uplifting, and, at times, groove-worthy. Additionally, the choice of guitar techniques and sound follow similar patterns that switch between heavily distorted breakdowns and faster-paced, melodic-riff choruses that enhance the vocal techniques to greater effect.

Great potential lies with For All Their Lives as a genre-fusion band on the very edges of metal, and they may end up effecting the same genres of which they span – only time will tell.

For All Their Lives can be found on MySpace, along with their two-song catalog.

Black Thoughts Bleeding [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:05:29 +0000

Mix one part Through the Eyes of the Dead, one part Arch Enemy, two parts Soilwork, and stir with a dash of Dethklok flair - that's the musical recipe that Black Thoughts Bleeding, hailing from Germany, seems to have divined while forming their five-piece band.

Black Thoughts Bleeding falls into the same hard-to-define category of metal that many modern metal bands do, as they blend several genres into one coherent musical opus, but they likely could be categorized as melodic death metal, if it even matters. Of their three-song demo, the song “Hearts Got Broken” is the weakest and most stereotypical, but the remaining two more than counter its effect. The heavy, fast, and syncopated riffs that punctuate the verses are reminiscent of Arch Enemy’s past, but the guitars take a surprising turn into slower melody for the chorus, a tactic normally reserved for metalcore bands that manages to not illicit comparisons to Killswitch Engage.

The anthemic nature of the songs is what brings the melodic black metal label to life, even with the semi-depressing singing vocals that make appearances in the chorus. The vocal range itself is impressive, ranging from the typical death metal growl to a more ragged scream that shifts into an uplifting, haunting melody delivery that brings to mind some of the talents of Devin Townsend.

Black Thoughts Bleeding is an intriguing example of how up-and-coming bands are blending genres more and more to greater effect, rather than sticking within a certain realm – in fact, this seems to be Black Thoughts Bleeding’s greatest strength, and what makes them stand out from the rest of the death metal crowd. If this characteristic can be held onto during their rise to success, then many accolades will likely come.

Black Thoughts Bleeding just signed a worldwide record deal with Silverwolf Productions, and can be found on MySpace; their first full-length album, “Stomachion”, is set to debut February 12, 2010, and until then their EP is available online.

This or the Apocalypse [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:05:22 +0000

Misery Signals and Lamb of God – these are two bands not often associated with each other, let alone mentioned in the same sentence; however, a blending of these two bands is the best way to begin to describe the budding band known as This or the Apocalypse. If Misery Signals had retained all of their brutality as they began to experiment with so-called progressive hardcore, they would sound much like This or the Apocalypse, so long as the vocalist takes their cues more from Randy Blythe than Karl Schubach or Jesse Zaraska.

There is no doubt that This or the Apocalypse is a hardcore band, albeit on the progressive end, but what makes them so compelling and musically interesting is the use of other elements in their sound without straying so far from their chosen genre as to become something else: riff-based melodies, often eliciting strong emotions, are placed alongside the brutal, chugging rhythms that is requisite to be a hardcore band; harmonized guitars and expert use of breakdowns bring to mind metalcore bands such as Unearth; and the musical prowess so often lacking in hardcore bands is on extreme display, as if This or the Apocalypse is trying to out-do Trivium without using any extensive solos.

The groove-ready, carefully crafted, mindblowing music of the five young musicians that make up This or the Apocalypse is, without a doubt, a preview of the coming revolution in the metal scene. As the former wave of youngblood revolutionaries have aged, their sounds have strongly influenced what the community gravitates towards and, sadly, eventually became stereotypically replicated – these are the Trivium’s, As I Lay Dying’s, Killswitch Engage’s, and Lamb of God’s of the world. The future, as always, lays in the hands of the younger generation, and it seems that This or the Apocalypse is intent on becoming one of the driving forces of the scene in the years to come, to the benefit of metalheads worldwide.

This or the Apocalypse is currently on tour within the United States, and can be found on MySpace; their most recent release from Lifeforce Records, “Monuments”, can be found on Amazon [CD] [MP3], and their previous full-length album, “Sentinels”, along with their EP, can be presumably found elsewhere.

AIZEN [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:05:23 +0000

From their MySpace page and some of their artwork, it’d be very easy to confuse the San Diego metal band AIZEN, named after the Japanese god of love, for goths, but it seems they just like things to be dark, bleak, and artistically disturbing. Not much can be found about the band, except that they produce extremely interesting music and have been around for a number of years, without being signed to a major label.

To understand what AIZEN sounds like, it’s important to mention up front that instead of the typical five-piece, they’ve added a sixth member for keyboards. Not to be confused with cheesy bands like Sonata Arctica or Dragonforce, their emphasis still lies rightly with the usual elements of metal: screaming/singing vocals, syncopated drums, heavy and melodic guitars, and low-range bass. Their sound actually lies somewhere amongst a conglomeration of radio rock and modern metal, as if Breaking Benjamin, Nightwish, and All That Remains formed a supergroup and refused to let go of their musical pasts.

Depending on the track, AIZEN can be heavy and anthemic or light and touching, but they almost always have a groove or melody that is instantly relatable, along with the occasional guitar solo. Why they haven’t been signed to a label yet is not clear, but an entirely different fact is - AIZEN is a group of six metal fans that refuse to give up on the dream, and continue to record and release new, interesting music for their fans, despite whatever hardships they've likely endured.

AIZEN can be found on MySpace, and they have an EP available on request.

Echoes Fall [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:05:22 +0000

For a five piece, unsigned band hailing from a place called Ipswitch in the UK, Echoes Fall have managed to produce three high-quality demo songs that showcase their talents, interests, and, quite possibly, their future.

With the song structures of a death metal band, metalcore’s melodic sensibilities, the musical talent of musicians far older, and hardcore’s grooves, Echoes Fall is a band hard to pin down within a single genre – even the vocals have significant variance, ranging from common screaming to a death rattle that pays homage to Dethklok's Nathan Explosion. The music is fast, hard-hitting, and engaging, without being cliché, and actually brings to mind the younger, more impressionable, extremely dedicated version of Trivium in their early days.

Everything about this band screams talent and success – from the image they present to their exquisitely perfect demo tracks to their touring tendencies, Echoes Fall seem to be only a small step away from achieving the support of a major label that could propel them directly into the collective consciousness that is the metal scene. Being added to the rosters of Roadrunner or Metal Blade would very likely result in their achieving massive success within their first year, to the benefit of metalheads worldwide.

Echoes Fall can be found on MySpace and Facebook, and their music is available through iTunes.

Eyes Set to Kill [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:05:18 +0000

Lead by a female vocalist, and with another female in the band playing bass, the first instinct of many critics is to view Eyes Set to Kill as a female metal novelty band, much like Kittie or, sadly, In This Moment, rather than judge them on the basis of their music. With a thorough listening, however, the band’s intent can clearly be identified as greater than albums-sales-via-gender-association.

Although formed in 2004, Eyes Set to Kill’s first full-length studio album didn’t appear until 2008 - “Reach”. While this album, and it’s more recent successor, lays definitively within the realms of metalcore, the band’s specific flavor includes a few interesting twists that separate them from the rest of the genre. Slower tempos, less emphasis on breakdowns, and a greater interest in melody within both the guitars and vocals begin to help describe their uniqueness, but other differences abound- such as the occasional post-hardcore tinges that appear or the acoustic moments brought in via both piano and guitars. Throughout the album’s 42-minute length, Eyes Set to Kill seem determined to demonstrate their musical range and ability, explicitly using all of the five band members’ talents in varying forms, and the outcome is a solid record that distinctly sets them apart.

With the release of “The World Outside”, just a year and a half after their debut, Eyes Set to Kill reappeared with a musical chip on their shoulder and more to prove to both the world and their genre. Both thematically and musically, the album is significantly darker than “Reach”, and an emphasis seems to have been put on producing a release that was altogether heavier and less uplifting. However, by doing so, they have reached into the realms of bands like As I Lay Dying and Killswitch Engage, and noticeably sacrificed some of their originality for easily recognizable elements of the metalcore genre. Despite these limitations, and what some would call a musical regression, the album placed higher on the Billboard charts than the band had seen previously – guaranteeing their future, in the near term, as a band.

This is not to say that “The World Outside” was a musical failure – songs such as “The World Outside”, “Risen”, “The Hollow”, and “Come Home” show that they still have an edge and individuality that many bands have invariably lost as they chase mainstream success from within the metalcore genre. The upcoming acoustic release from singer/acoustic guitarist Alexia Rodriguez, which is ostensibly reimaginings of previous material, may prove as an appropriate reset for the band, who will hopefully choose to continue to mature after a recognition of their missteps, as has recently been seen with Trivium, rather than proceed down their current path, ala In This Moment or The Human Abstract.

Currently on tour, sponsored by Revolver Magazine, within the United States, Eyes Set to Kill can be found on MySpace; “The World Outside” can be found on Amazon [CD] [MP3], along with their debut, “Reach” [CD] [MP3].

Dethklok [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 07:05:17 +0000

For the world’s most popular band and “greatest cultural force” – the twelfth largest global economy on Earth – that causes disaster, mayhem, and widespread death wherever they venture, the band Dethklok has produced shockingly few albums and tour very little. Perhaps... maybe... it’s because they are a cartoon metal band.

The main focus of the Metalocalypse series on Cartoon Network’s [adultswim], Dethklok is a fictional cartoon death metal band that has risen to extreme popularity and wildly excel at their chosen professions, while catastrophically failing at any attempts at activity outside the production, recording, and playing of metal. In reality, however, this make-believe band has risen to extraordinary heights within the metal community and likely shocked TV and record executives worldwide, as the show begins its third season and releases its second full-length album.

Dethklok is more than a cartoon metal band on a TV series – they have become something of a cultural icon. While the music is created by show co-creator Brendon Small and drummer Gene Hoglan (along with session musicians for limited touring), fans worldwide have accepted Dethklok as, surprisingly, a legitimate metal band. Their first release, “The Dethalbum”, debuted in the Fall of 2007 to great reception, and became the death metal band to have the highest position ever on the Billboard 200 charts, despite being mostly a repackaging and “fleshing out” of songs already seen in the show’s first season.

After a troubled-but-amazing second season on Cartoon Network, a new album was announced along with the return of the show for a third season of full-length 30-minute episodes, and “The Dethalbum II” will be released on September 29th, 2009. Unlike its predecessor, this album is mostly, if not entirely, new material that has never been seen or heard before, and completely eclipses any prior work that Dethklok has produced, which is no small feat. Songs such as “Bloodlines”, “I Tamper With Evidence At The Murder Site of Odin”, and “Murmaider II: The Water God” prove, as if any question still remained, that this cartoon metal band is responsible for some of the best, most talented, and most creative metal available in modern times.

Blending genres with clichés, brutality with sensitivity, comedy with Norse Mythology, and depth with in-your-face honesty, Brendon Small has created nothing short of a metal legend with his cartoon creation known as Dethklok that flies in the face of the entire metal community – who also happen to be completely devoted to this self-effacing endeavor. If the main characters of Metalocalypse manage to reach the truly epic heights of their fictional universe within the real world, metal itself will have been significantly influenced by a band that doesn’t strictly exist, but manages to outshine some of the best flesh-and-blood acts of similar kind.

Currently prepping for the third season of their TV show and a small tour, Dethklok can be found on MySpace; “The Dethalbum II” can be pre-ordered from Amazon, along with “The Dethalbum” [CD] [MP3], “Metalocalypse Season 1” [DVD], and “Metalocalypse Season 2” [DVD].

iwrestledabearonce [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 07:05:31 +0000

iwrestledabearonce’s weirdness starts with their name and doesn't stop: they call themselves an “avant-garde” metal band to explain their bridging of genres, not just subgenres, and deliverance of a gut-wrenching sonic attack on listeners. But after the initial shock fades, their talent and uniqueness shine through in subsequent listening sessions, with listener appreciation rising.

At times, iwrestledabearonce approaches what could be classified as progressive black metal, sharing musical moments with Between the Buried and Me – but these moments don’t last. Never does a song on their full-length 2009 debut album, “It’s All Happening”, stay consistent for even half of their typical three minute lengths, instead choosing to spastically smash entirely different musical structures together, layered with female-led vocals that range from death metal screaming to blues-style moaning. Tying their songs together, however, are the very differences that separate them to begin with, oddly using a formula that inserts significantly slower and oppositely-themed segments into the middle of each song.

Throughout the album, there is a sense that under the intentionally awkward music lies a band that doesn’t take themselves seriously, perhaps explaining why the “avant garde” self-label – an artistic movement known for being extremely different, and, at times, unpalatable. Polka, jazz, swing, techno, post-metal, and a slew of other genre types are found within the critically acclaimed 33-minute album that brings a refreshing change of pace to the metal community. Touring partners like Despised Icon, As Blood Runs Black, Horse the Band, August Burns Red, and Bless the Fall ensure that this lovably awkward band from Louisiana will have a chance to continue to frustrate large audiences, hopefully resulting in further support by Century Media and another album in the near future.

Currently on tour in the United States and soon to be found in Europe, iwrestledabearonce can be found on MySpace; their full-length debut, “It’s All Happening”, can be found on Amazon [CD] [MP3], along with their self-titled EP [CD] [MP3].

Russian Circles [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:05:24 +0000

For a genre that has become increasingly complicated, subdivided, and defensive, one core characteristic can be found across all flavors of metal: budding bands feel the need to take their sound to extremes within their chosen subgenre – whether that means faster, darker, more complex, or more brutal is irrelevant. Russian Circles manages to behave quite the opposite of most bands, with arguably better results, by producing vocals-free music that’s intriguing, original, and, most importantly, quite varied.

The release of their first full-length album, “Enter”, in 2006 marked the debut of this three-member instrumental metal band from Chicago, and quickly proved their aims to be different than most. Having achieved a cohesive sound that is difficult to classify, Russian Circles produces music that ranges from brutal and grating to delicate and emotional, without listeners ever questioning the lack of vocals. “Enter” opens with a common theme of the band on “Carpe”, combining significant delay with a barely-distorted guitar sound on a complex, haunting riff. As each song progresses seamlessly into the next, themes of aggression, sadness, hope, and joy can be felt through the expressive use of musical talent, complex instrumentation, delicate timing, and careful arrangements.

With the 2008 arrival of “Station”, Russian Circle’s sophomore effort, the band clearly defined their affinity for their rather unique sound, and produced a worthy sequel to “Enter”. All the characteristics, themes, and notable elements of their previous recordings form the basis of the album, but they are both extended and layered to produce something considerably more epic and progressive. The use of droning sounds, feedback, and atmospheric noise complement the significantly more articulated guitars in a 43-minute experimental metal exercise that eclipses its 44-minute predecessor. If “Malko”, the first single of the upcoming album “Geneva”, is any indication, their experimentation, originality, and unique ability to seamlessly jump between disparate genres will be continued to great success.

The band describes itself as experimental, progressive metal, but in fact they are much closer to what is commonly referred to as “post-metal” than any other labels – their emphasis on atmospheric sounds and slow song progressions put them in the same realm as Burst, Rosetta, and Isis. At times, however, it would seem that Russian Circles is directly channeling the spirits of bands almost entirely different than themselves, achieving moments of violent Mastodon-esque sludge, orchestrating song buildup with Dream Theater-sized results, and layering time signatures that Tool’s Maynard James Keenan would be proud of.

Currently on a tour across the United States, Russian Circles can be found on MySpace; the upcoming release of “Geneva” [CD] is available for preorder on Amazon prior to its October 20th release, along with their two other full-length albums “Station” [CD] [MP3] and “Enter” [CD] [MP3].

Insomnium [Metal Band of the Week]

Kyle Brady — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:05:16 +0000

For a band that shares their name with a disease best known for producing a lack of sleep in its victims, Insomnium manages to live up to their medical counterparts, producing an intoxicatingly original mix of symphonic doom metal and progressive, melodic black metal that is sure to keep its listeners awake.

The band formed in 1997 and released two demos over the following three years (1999, 2000), but while these demos attracted a record deal, these early recordings pale in comparison to their modern brethren. Insomnium's release of “In the Halls of Awaiting” in 2002 marked their groundbreaking debut within the metal world with a full-length album that was nothing short of magnificent. The trademark Insomnium sound hasn’t changed too much over the last decade, but has instead matured, and the line of progress from their first major release to the newest album is clear – the focus of the band is on strong melodies, crushing rhythms, reliable song structures, symphonic elements, and a unique brand of vocal brutality, all with a twist of Nordic influence and a dash of acoustic beauty.

In 2002, the band’s music was quite upbeat in both tone and overall sound, but this has degenerated through time into a considerably more dark, and arguably better, musical viewpoint. Their 2004 sophomore effort, “Since the Day It All Came Down”, was another resounding success, and instituted yet another cornerstone of Insomnium’s sound: the epic instrumental, laden with melody and feeling, opening an album. The opening track of “In the Halls of Awaiting”, “Ill-Starred Son”, toys with this idea by leading with whispered vocals and acoustic guitars, but it’s not until this release, with the intro track “Nocturne”, that they fully implement it. The album as a whole is slightly darker than its predecessor, as are all of the albums in their catalog, and is a further exploration of their already-determined thematic interests.

“Above the Weeping World”, released in 2006, was both critically acclaimed and relatively successful in terms of sales, and for good reason: the 52-minute epic is a sweeping suite of songs that has not a single dull moment, even in its slowest, most laborious of moods. The overall tempo of the album is noticeably faster, the guitars tighter, and the drums more precise than ever before, which combines with the reinvigorated vocals and more progressive melodies to result in an album that reaches near-aural perfection.

By 2006, Insomnium appeared to be fully dedicated to their sound, and the upcoming release of “Across the Dark” (September 2009) does not disappoint. The themes and elements that visibly matured and grew over the previous albums all appear once again, but somehow manage to make the entire album both darker and more epic while retaining the key brutal beauty they are known so well for. Additionally, sweeping keyboards and stunning clean vocals make unexpected appearances throughout to bring the latest chapter in the tale of Finnish musical masterpieces to even greater heights than ever before seen.

If the band continues their previous trends, a rare North American tour may be soon arriving, followed by extensive European touring, and another album sometime before the end of 2012. These innovators of music, so obviously enamored with poetry, music, and themes of times long past, have successfully reinvigorated the spirits of budding young Vikings worldwide, and deserve considerably more critical and financial success than they have achieved in the last decade. The many young-gun copycats that fill modern venues could learn about originality, progression, and dedication at the knee of Insomnium – if only they would heed the Finnish warnings.

Currently on tour in Europe, Insomnium can be found on MySpace; the upcoming release of “Across the Dark” [CD] is available for preorder on Amazon, along with their other full-length albums: “Above the Weeping World” [CD], “Since the Day it All Came Down” [CD] [MP3], and “In the Halls of Awaiting” [CD].