Gojira just kicked off their latest U.S. headlining tour, and we have exclusive footage from their recent show in Florida. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Florida
Video: Belphegor, Origin And Abigail Williams From The Front Row In Florida
Belphegor wrapped up their latest U.S. headlining tour over the weekend in Florida, and we have some killer footage from the final show for you today.Continue reading
Culture Killer – Throes of Mankind
Culture Killer’s debut, Throes of Mankind (Metal Blade), is a potent mix of Floridian death metal and hardcore, with the emphasis on forceful, pummelling riffs, written with the pit in mind, and meant to be played live.
For the first half of the album – after taking a few minutes to kick in from the standard eerie intro music – the guitar riffs of Trevor Kopp and Hunter Young are low, atonal and chug along like an asthmatic Thomas the Tank Engine, giving a fairly simplistic feel, broken up with the occasional flash of fret board gymnastics. It is a simplicity that gives a tight and focused feel and an approach that allows the album to showcase one of its real strengths: the rhythm section.
Right from the opening track, ‘Blindfolded Death’, the bass sound from Colin Townsend in particular stands out, and at nearly every opportunity its malevolent down-tuned snakebite rattle menaces the low end, working well in tight conjunction with the rumbling drums of Dylan Blow. The drums don’t focus as much on raw speed and power but work with the bass to create an oppressive and relentless rumble, mingling with old school blasting and more obviously metallic patterns. Mixed with this, throughout, we are treated to a strong and versatile vocal performance from Ian Campbell, switching from low spoken parts on ‘Inhuman Nature’ to yells on the hardcore laden ‘Hellbent’ before switching things up on stand out track ‘Flesh Empire’.
By the time we hit ‘Cloaked in Deceit’, itself a touch unremarkable, it’s all starting to sound a bit too samey, and fortunately, the album starts to break formula once we move into the second half, as marked by ‘Throes’, which blends nicely into standout song ‘Justice Through Retaliation’, and begins to incorporate a more noticeable buzz-saw feel to it, weaving it’s way alongside the now less obtrusive, chugging riffs.
Some albums which are made to be musical journeys and works of art in their own right and there are albums which exist purely to get you into The Pit. It is clear what the intentions are of this album. This is music which needs to be seen live, to be pitted to hard.
7.0/10
RICH PRICE
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Trivium – Silence In The Snow
There aren’t many bands to achieve the success levels that Trivium have that have to subsequently prove themselves over with each album. While the shadow of the decade old Ascendancy (Roadrunner) continues to loom over their career, that familiar feeling of deja-vu pervades as the Floridians unveil their seventh album, Silence In The Snow (also Roadrunner), once again to a backdrop of doubters and people gleefully awaiting a failure to show their mettle.
There is often negativity and scepticism attached to bands changing their style, but Trivium’s new music sounds more sophisticated and almost effortless. The introductory track ‘Snofall’, delicately crafted by Ihsahn to reflect the melodies of the upcoming title track, is dark and haunting; intriguing the listener, yet not giving away exactly what direction Trivium are going to take with their new sound, and the beautiful melodies are able to reinforce the themes of loneliness and of course… snow. The snow theme seems to have put off a lot of people, as if snow is only related to Frozen or Christmas. Although it may make a good Christmas present, this album is anything but tacky…
Title track ‘Silence In The Snow’ had its live debut earlier this year on the bands’ summer shows and since then it has been frequently gracing the airwaves and segues from the introduction before duplicating the same chaos as ‘In Waves’ with its melodic stomp. ‘Blind Leading The Blind’ is one of the strongest songs on the album and the guitar work is extremely effective: the simplistic riffs contrast well with the technical guitar solos.
‘Until The World Goes Cold’ opens with a haunting guitar riff, and progresses into a slow yet bass-heavy song. There are no fast-paced or shredding guitars, as the track shows Trivium’s softer side. Matt Heafy’s clean vocals are stronger than ever, and there is more of a focus on the lyrical content, with the heavy vocals of previous albums left by the wayside; exploring themes of legacy and fading away in ‘Dead And Gone’, singing “I feel I will die a forgotten man, just a number.”
Trivium have been criticised in the past for trying too hard to create music that they think everyone will like, however, Silence In The Snow should change perceptions and sets up a future direction. With less of a focus on trying to be the heaviest, it is much easier to enjoy their sound for what it really is: decent metal music which does not need harsh vocals.
Heafy’s improved vocals are the focus throughout, a path which is a continuation of the route travelled on Vengeance Falls (Roadrunner), so if you are looking for an extremely heavy album then you will be disappointed. Allow yourself to enjoy the increased emphasis on song-writing and melodic refrains, however, and Silence In The Snow will resonate with you.
7.5/10
JULIA CONOPO
Abiotic – Casuistry
In recent years the tides of change have shored upon Miami death metaller’s Abiotic, from signing to stalwarts Metal Blade to the additions of vocalist Travis Bartosek and Brent Phillips on drums, the latter especially supposedly invigorating the band with a renewed sense of exploration. In comparison to their debut, Casuistry (Metal Blade) certainly seems a step up the ladder, if not a mammoth leap.
On the surface there is very little that differentiates Casuistry from the hordes of like minded technical death metal bands that seeming to be jumping out of the wood work; from the rather sanitized but precise production values, the tones and the sheer technicality. Even Bartosek’s contributions, despite being an improvement on vocals, still fit the mould of their peers too well to stand out.
Where this does hold its head up is in its songwriting, which despite not being spectacular does successfully blend the use of towering grooves with the complexity the genre brings to mind; doing so without either element being overbearing. The songs are actually memorable and not purely exercises in virtuosity and style over substance. On the more unpredictable elements, Phillips deserves a mention for display which enables the band to move through more jarring and sudden pace changes with ease; offering Abiotic a much improved performance.
There is still work to be done if Abiotic want to reach the top of the pile in the technical death arena, but Casuistry shows clear signs of moving forward and development. Not a game changer by any means, but a solid effort in an ever more crowded landscape.
7.0/10
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CHRIS TIPPELL
Corrosion – Corrosion EP
Having suffered the ignominy of being asked to leave modern metal behemoths Trivium mid-tour, drummer Nick Augusto has wasted little time in pulling together a new project with old school friend Christopher Cussell, Corrosion, who within 12 months of forming, and despite the logistical difference of living in different continents (vocalist/bassist Tommy Hjelm and second guitarist Martin Rygge, both formerly of Intense, being based in Norway), have released their debut EP.
Yet, as the phrase goes, “marry in haste, repent at leisure”, and Augusto’s gusto may be a mis-step, as rushing out a debut release before developing a cohesive style and sound is a sure fire way to put people off and to bury your band. You only get one chance to create a first impression, and all that.
For while Corrosion (Mas Kina) may only be 3 songs, it’s a mess; hopping from Scandinavian based extremity, to ‘core, to chug, to groove, to Tech Metal, but forgetting to bring the songs with them. If it hasn’t been made clear, this is swimming in a different pool to Trivium, and possessing a progressive Thrash bent, but with the jarring juxtaposing sections and Hjelm’s vocals falling short of the standards you’d expect, slipping off key and losing bite in some of his barks, this trans-Atlantic proposition needs to head back to the drawing board and put some hard yards in, not just in terms of working out a style and what they’re trying to do, but also in how to bring their myriad ideas together while raising the overall standard of their output.
5.0/10
STEVE TOVEY