Album Review: ‘S/T’ – ABDUCTED

‘Self titled’ – ABDUCTED

What is up boys and girls and everyone on the gender spectrum? I hope the fall is treating you good. But if not, let me take care of that. And I shall do that today by throwing your way some bone crushing and ear shattering death metal from up north, Fairbanks, Alaska. Today, we bring to you the debut, full length record by ABDUCTED. There is some real deep connection with the icy cold north and death metal, isn’t it? Be it Swedish death metal, melodic death metal from Finland or the notorious first wave of black metal from Norway, an offshoot born out of death metal itself. No matter where they all fall on the wide array of the dissonant side of metal, they are exclusively special to itself and can kick abundant posers off the deck any day. And that is exactly what ABDUCTED successfully does on their debut offering, that is, mercilessly annihilate your petty ear drums. Let’s not beat around the bush and dissect this wonderful album.

Right off the hook, the band throws at you a massive, heavy and head-banging breakdown riff. Something in the range of slow tempo, that is perfect for building up the adrenaline as a prelude to the next songs. It is an absolute banger, it gets your feet stomping, and neck swaying in unison. Although, groovy, chugging or breakdowns get flak sometimes, they do get your head banging. I would say ABDUCTED perfectly nails the kick-off to this album. It sets the mood for a perfect incoming onslaught.

Second song titled, ‘Aberration‘ makes no excuses, no time for bull shitting around, and it just goes ‘BAM’! It’s like a charged up bull unleashed from its barn satiating its soaring adrenaline levels. You can immediately hear those double bass kicks going in hard, complimented by the hard crashing cymbals and not to mention the savory and grinding riff. Apart from the band’s vocalist doing a tremendous job on this one, we have our own homeboy Tyler Byrum laying down some sick, thick and morbid growls featuring as the first guest vocalist on the album. And he has done a great job filling that guest vocals spot, I think he has melded his vocals pretty well into the song. At about 2:54, everything just comes to a standstill for a second, and you know there’s something wicked the band had been brewing up for this next groove fest. And oh boy, what a juicy riff! You know I have a penchant for them grooves, the huge chuggs and breakdowns. And its not even halfway into the second song and ABDUCTED throws in my favorite gnarly, nasty and filthiest riff on the album. Drop tuned earth shattering guitars, that crash cymbal, coupled with the double bass and hard snare, each woven perfectly into each other, with the perfect timing results in a mouth watering section, that I would call my favourite in the album. The track then progresses into a frenzy fiesta and then fades into this another fist pumping breakdown.

There’s one really good trait that this album holds is that it is a very well balanced concoction of groove along the modern metal lines, some fierce and fast paced riffing as seen in songs like ‘Kerrigan‘, ‘Deadite‘ and ‘The Twin Princes‘ to name a few. A few guitar solos are also thrown in songs like ‘Indoctrination‘. The riff transitions in the album are also very well curated, they are swift, crisp and they all fit into the song perfectly, without any part in the song left out feeling like it doesn’t belong in the puzzle. And that, is what makes this album interesting. I believe more often that not, what modern/deathcore/djent bands end up doing is fail to meticulously cook the perfect broth. It is either too much of riff based chugs, or too much of just palm muted djent, or just enough of groove, and that’s what makes me yawn by the end of the album. Art in whatever form, I feel, should be well balanced, just like a diet. Like, I don’t wanna feed my ears 40 minutes of palm muted riffs, you know what I am saying.

ABDUCTED features some very thick growls, spawned directly from the crypts of hell. And as stated before, the vocalist manages to balance it out. Its not always the thick and dense growls but also the high pitched borderline screeching as well. Major props to second guest on vocals featured in ‘The Twin Princes‘, as he manages to not sway so much in vocal range and depth of his growls in the album from the band’s vocalist, so as to feel that the song doesn’t belong in the album. I must add that the vocals in the album fit perfectly in terms of the depth and heaviness when it comes to complimenting the riffing. I believe this is something very important in death metal. If your vocals sound like you’re just into puberty but your guitars are monstrous, then I might as well go ahead and just say that is pretty much bollocks.

The drumming in the album has been intense as well. The meandering nature of the drums from groove, to machine gun double bass to the cymbal work have been immaculate. The snare sound is just absolute favorite for my ears and to my liking. It’s crisp and hits hard. All in all, the band manages to tweak every aspect of their sound in this album to perfection. The guitars, vocals, drums and bass all match each other in terms of how much they compliment each other. Each ingredient has been perfectly engineered in the desired ratio to produce this beast of a debut record.

Stream the album down below. And if you like them enough, support them by giving yourself some really cool death metal on their bandcamp page and merch store.

Review: BURY TOMORROW – Cannibal [Album Stream]

Bury Tomorrow‘s 2018 album ‘Black Flame’ was phenomenal. It was the band’s third consecutive UK Top 40 album.  The band hail from the UK and are comprised of Dani Winter-Bates on vocals, Jason Cameron on vocals/rhythm guitar, Kristan Dawson on lead guitar, backing vocals, Davyd Winter-Bates on bass and Adam Jackson on drums.

They are a fearsome mix of brutal Death Metal with a huge mixer of melodic vignettes.  They are very technical, but never forget that hooks need to be applied also.

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BRING ME THE HORIZON Plays “Diamonds Aren’t Forever” In Full (First Time Since 2014) [Fan Footage]

On Wednesday, metalcore/rock giants Bring Me the Horizon performed the full “Diamonds Aren’t Forever” from ‘Suicide Season’  for the first since December 2014. The surprise took place at Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and replaced “Avalanche” in their setlist. The band has been playing it recently as a part of their “deathcore medley” along with other older songs for their longtime fans. That medley only included the beginning of the song and the first verse though. This time, the band is seen playing the entire song, and we have footage that you can check out below. Continue reading

VULVODYNIA Announces New Album ‘Mob Justice’ & Releases Title Track ”Mod Justice”!

After releasing their ground breaking album back in 2016 called ‘Psychosadistic Design’ Vulvodynia finally decided to get another one rolling and so far it is looking like the nastiest thing I have heard so far!

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Review: WHITECHAPEL – ‘The Valley’ [Album Review & Video Stream]

 

Since their inception in 2007, Whitechapel have embraced darkness unlike many other bands have been able to do, and their forthcoming seventh studio release, The Valley, is no different. Let’s set the record straight for a second, though. There aren’t many, “happy,” things about their music to start with, but when you start to dig deeper than the music and the lyrics, and begin to strike a personal connection with the stories they tell, you begin to feel like you’re one with the grim tales that they narrate in their music. For frontman Phil Bozeman, this is as personal of an album as ever, giving you an inside look at events that he went through as a child growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, with a new perspective on life and how his childhood traumas have molded him into the human being he is now. From his putrid relationship with his step father, to diving deep into analyzing his mother’s multiple personality syndromes, it is nothing short of a lyrical masterpiece that exceeds any and all expectations from a modern Deathcore band in today’s music scene. The Valley, based on true events by Whitechapel, is an overwhelming, emotional, and cut-throat look into the darkest side of a person’s mind.

The album begins with the opening track, When A Demon Defiles A Witch, a song that Bozeman wrote about his mother’s personal demon. A gruesome tale that properly sets the mood for the unrelenting and over the top musical onslaught that you will face when listening to this album. To make things perfectly clear, this song has nothing to do with his stepfather, but it is about a demon by the name of, “Mycar,” that used to haunt her in their home. Bozeman’s mother had journals that she kept writings in of all the things that she experienced with this being, and these journals actually contained lines and phrases that Bozeman would use as lyrics for the track in certain places, (“Burn the bed, burn everything, it’s a lie anyway.”) the original writings of the journal concur that she referred to herself as a witch, and talk about how the demon would sexually assault her in her bed. Continue reading

ALL THAT REMAINS & ATTILA Crush The Apollo In Belvidere [Review and Photo Gallery]

All That Remains

About a month and a half ago, one of the more off the wall tours I’ve seen this year was announced. All That Remains, Attila, Escape The Fate, and Sleep Signals announced a huge tour with 30 dates spanning across the United States. Each band brings something unique to the table for this tour. Sleep Signals brings their signature hard rock sound with strong hooks. Escape The Fate brings an intense mix of slamming post-hardcore, hard rock riffs, and a heavy alternation between screaming and clean vocals. Attila brings their well polished deathcore sound that launches crowds into a frenzy. It feels like a party the entire time these guys hit the stage. To close the show, All That Remains brings an eclectic blend of sounds as they have progressed over the years. They have those famous, shredding riffs from songs like “Six” and “Two Weeks” to calm, powerful ballads like “What If I Was Nothing”. As you can see, the bill is varied but still has something that connects each band at the same time. The tour gives you your fill of all areas of hard rock and makes for an explosive night of music. We were lucky enough to cover this show at The Apollo Theatre A.C. in Belvidere, IL on March 10, 2019. You check out our review of each band along with photos from each performance below.

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AVERSIONS CROWN Announce 2019 EU Tour With PSYCROPTIC, and More!

Another amazing tour coming your way. And this time from Aversions Crown & Psycroptic! They will be touring through Europe from the 1th of February till the 23th. But that’s not all. They are bringing a band that will slam your head off: Within Destruction! And if that wasn’t already enough for you to be getting that ticket Hollow World and Hadal Maw are also supporting!

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Fit For An Autopsy Announce UK & EU 2019 Tour!

Fit For An Autopsy are back with another great tour and this time it is with the great Justice For The Damned & Venom Prison. And to make it even better, it features the most gross act alive: Vulvodynia! They are covering many UK and EU countries so be sure to check this beautiful mess out!

Guitarist and death metal producer Will Putney had the following to say about the run

 “Excited to announce this Europe/UK headliner! Lots of cities we love with some excellent support bands in tow on this one. Come bang your head.”

Fit For An Autopsy 2019 UK & EU tour dates:

17.05 DE Karlsruhe – Weiße Rose
18.05 DE Leipzig – Naumanns
19.05 DE Berlin – Musik & Frieden
20.05 AT Vienna – Viper Room
21.05 DE Munich – Backstage
22.05 IT Milano – Circolo Svolta
23.05 CH Aarau – Kiff
24.05 DE Bochum – Matrix
25.05 DE Hamburg – Hafenklang
26.05 NL Den Bosch – Willem 2
27.05 BE Antwerp – Kavka
28.05 FR Paris – Gibus
29.05 UK Birmingham – Mama Roux
30.05 UK Bristol – Exchange
31.05 UK London – Underworld
01.06 UK Leeds – Key Club
02.06 UK Manchester – Rebellion

State Of The Art: Iowa’s JIM JONES [Track Stream]

*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is Iowa.*

Named after the infamous cult leader who initiated the mass murder-suicide of hundreds of his followers during the Jonestown Massacre of 1978, Jim Jones is “a good old-fashioned metal band out of Waterloo, Iowa.” As the rest of their tagline reads, “We play loud, we play heavy. Drink the fucking Kool Aid!” For those familiar with the original Jim Jones, the Kool-Aid reference is just pure metal in its blatant callousness. Continue reading

WHITECHAPEL Guitarist Alludes To Completion of Seventh Album!

BIG NEWS for Whitechapel fans: the deathcore elites have finished the recordings for their upcoming seventh studio album. Guitarist Alex Wade posted a teaser of a song on the album on his instagram story over the weekend with the caption, “it’s done. #7” The Knoxville sextet are still riding out 2018 on a wave of massive tour dates and momentum in the celebration of their definitive album, “This Is Exile,” turning ten this year. Their closing tour dates on the year feature a month and half long run on the road with Chelsea Grin, Oceano, and Slaughter To Prevail, starting November 1st in Pittsburgh, PA at The Rex Theater and ending December 16th at their annual toy drive/Christmas show at The Mill And The Mine in their hometown Knoxville, TN. The album release date has yet to be announced, but, fans may expect to hear some new music in the early portions of 2019.

So without further ado, let’s get right into those dates!

Nov. 1 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Rex Theater
Nov. 2 – Syracuse, N.Y. @ Westcott Theater
Nov. 3 – Easton, Pa. @ One Centre Square
Nov. 4 – Providence, R.I. @ Fete Ballroom
Nov. 5 – Hartford, Ct. @ Webster Theater
Nov. 7 – Richmond, Va. @ Canal Club
Nov. 8 – Huntington, W.V. @ V Club
Nov. 9 – Dayton, Ohio @ Oddbodys
Nov. 10 – Greenville, S.C. @ The Firmament
Nov. 12 – Athens, Ga. @ Georgia Theater
Nov. 13 – Orlando, Fla. @ The Abbey
Nov. 16 – Toledo, Ohio @ Civic Music Hall
Nov. 17 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave II
Nov. 18 – Ft Wayne, Ind. @ Piere’s
Nov. 20 – St Louis, Mo. @ Delmar Hall
Nov. 21 – Lincoln, Neb. @ Royal Grove
Nov. 23 – Wichita, Kan. @ Wave
Nov. 24 – Colorado Springs, Colo. @ Sunshine Studios
Nov. 25 – Ft Collins, Colo. @ Aggie Theater
Nov. 27 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Depot
Nov. 28 – Spokane, Wash. @ The Pin
Nov. 29 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox at the Market
Nov. 30 – Jerome, Idaho @ Diamondz Event Center
Dec. 1 – Portland, Ore. @ Bossanova Ballroom
Dec. 2 – Bend, Ore. @ Domino Room
Dec. 4 – Chico, Calif. @ Senator Theater
Dec. 5 – Santa Cruz, Calif. @ The Catalyst
Dec. 6 – Bakersfield, Calif. @ Bryder’s
Dec. 7 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Fonda Theater
Dec. 8 – San Diego, Calif. @ House of Blues
Dec. 9 – Tucson, Ariz. @ The Rock
Dec. 12 – Austin, Texas @ Come and Take It Live
Dec. 13 – Tulsa, Okla. @ Cain’s Ballroom
Dec. 14 – Memphis, Tenn. @ Growler’s
Dec. 15 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Zydeco
Dec. 16 – Knoxville, Tenn. @ The Mill & Mine

Whitechapel:

Phil Bozeman – Vocals
Ben Savage – Guitar
Zach Householder – Guitar
Alex Wade – Guitar
Gabe Crisp – Bass
Navene Koperweis – Drums