Taking Back Sunday (TBS) made dancing to heartfelt Emo music a pastime. It is crazy to think that it has been twenty years since the Long Island natives introduced us all to ‘Cute Without The E’ and the dynamic that would become one of Emo’s most beloved staple: Tell All Your Friends (Victory). To celebrate those two decades that came up so quick, the band has gathered nineteen of their repertoire and two new songs into a greatest hits album perfectly titled, Twenty (Craft).Continue reading
Currents burst onto the progressive side of the Metalcore scene with their debut album back in 2017, displaying an array of influences including Architects and Northlane. Just over a year later, and the band is back with their third EP.
Continuing on the same path they have previously laid out, Currents display some great Mathcore guitar feats focusing on twangy, winding guitar tones similar to the likes of Periphery or Veil of Maya, showing those bands influences very clearly on their sleeves, though the combination of their influences in one complete sound gives Currents their own unique sound.
Similar to The Place I Feel Safest, I Let The Devil In (Sharptone) features dark, introspective lyrics. The opening track, ‘Into Despair’ exhibits this perfectly as vocalist Brian Wille’s tortured screams cry out “I never said I could make you better, What did you expect from me?!” It’s clear this isn’t just a set of generic lyrics, but something that as cheesy as it sounds comes straight from the heart. Wille’s performance from start to end shows the passion and authenticity of the emotions from the lyrics.
While the overall sound of Currents could be grouped alongside a growing number of Tech Metalcore bands, the vocals and emotional content fits far more alongside bands like Casey. If Currents keep up the development of their music, they could be one of Metalcore’s new trendsetters.
8 / 10
CHARLIE HILL
AFI is dropping a new EP next week dubbed The Missing Man (Ex Noctem Nacimur). The band has dropped a new single today to get you amped and ready. The EP was produced by guitarist Jade Puget and is the follow up to 2017’s AFI (The Blood Album) full-length. Check it out!Continue reading
All Get Out has been around for some time now; their 2011 release The Season (Favorite Gentlemen) put them on the map. They are a duo from South Carolina that has really showcased their musicianship with their third release No Bouquet (Rude Records/Easy Vision) where they have created an infectious album that thrives on the dynamic of keeping things simple, creating their own Indie Alternative sound full of soul.Continue reading
It is refreshing to know that it is still possible for bands to make a genuine impression and progress on merit. Black Peaks have not arisen on wings of hot air belched from a hype machine based on market research, haircuts, stylists, or a neat-line in zeitgeist paraphernalia and right-here-right-now shallow bandwagonistic anthems, but as a collective who are on the cusp of succeeding, of truly making an impression on the alternative music landscape, due to the fact of being talented musicians with obvious chemistry, and the ability to craft great works of art distinctive to them alone.Continue reading
Since their introduction to the scene in 2007, The Story So Far has been the band to deliver the same album with different names. The songs have remained the same with lyrics of typical heartbreak with catchy drumbeats and generic pop-rock guitar. They have had a lot to grow in a decade and such can be heard in Proper Dose, out now via Pure Noise Records. Continue reading
Rock n’ roll has been around for over sixty years, yet has evolved so much in this decade alone that the sub-genres are hard to keep track of. Sure, computers have made it easier for musicians to explore new techniques but not all have been successful at mastering it. Thrice burst out in the scene in the early 2000s when the OC metalcore scene was at its prime. A lot of those bands are still around today sounding the same as no time has ever gone by with different members. Dustin Kensrue, Teppei Teranishi and brother’s Riley and Eddie Breckenridge are celebrating twenty years and their tenth album overall with their first for Epitaph, Palms. The Orange County, Calif. natives have progressed and evolved to an impressive quartet, keeping fans satisfied.Continue reading
At some point around the implosion of nu-metal and the saturation of pop-punk, and the rise and fall of emo, fattened and emboldened by social media, the everyone’s-a-critic mentality of today was born. And at some point along this journey, we (and by we, I mean fans of rock and metal music) seem to have lost sight of the fact that music is allowed to be fun.Continue reading
Fresh from being part of the final Warped Tour lineup, Australian pop-rock trio, With Confidence are set to release their sophomore album in Love and Loathing on Friday, August 10 via Hopeless Records. Produced by Mike Green (All Time Low, Paramore) the LP carries beloved emo lyrics and escalating melodies to become a summer favorite. Continue reading
German metal is going through something of a renaissance in recent times, with an inventive and all-embracing attitude exuding all manner of influences. Step forward the enigmatically named Time, The Valuator, adding a post-hardcore feel to the powerful prog metal of the likes of Karnivool and Periphery with debut album How Fleeting, How Fragile (Longbranch).Continue reading