Adversary “Singularity” CD

Adversary are talented, no question about that, On Singularity, guitarists Kenny Harrison and Bread Ryder bust out some killer riffs and solo particularly on the epic instrumental "Ashes Of Faith," while drummer Justin Green propels the music forward with a surprisingly deff attack. The mix makes bassist Daniel Tidwell a nonentity, though we're sure he's fine. But all these riffs, all these solos, all these dynamic shifts from crazed thrashing to dreamy choruses just kinda sound like Trivium outtakes, Only vocalist William Clapp gives the band a unique sonic identity, and it's not always in a good way - he careens from Glen Benton-esque roars to Angela Gossow-like shrieks, and then rips off Matt Heafy on the choruses. Singularity is a solid, purist metal album and some may even find themselves liking it better than Trivium albums, but Adversary are not breaking any molds.

Terror “Forever Crossing The Line” CD

A while back I had the pleasure of reviewing Terror's Rhythm Amongst The Chaos EP and thought it was the shit so I was glad to see Forever Crossing The Line:5 Years In The Making land on my desk. As expected, this disc is loaded with raging pit riffs, massive break downs and old school shouted vocals. Terror have just solidified their spot amongst the H/C elite.

Too Pure To Die “Confess” CD

Attention Hardcore fans: Too Pure To Die is back with a heavy-as-hell new record! Ok, so maybe this won't be available until early 2009, but you can still read about it early, no? TPTD's hometown, Iowa has seen the rise of some massive bands such as Mushroomhead and obviously, Slipknot. Well now, they can also boast some damn amazing Hardcore as TPTD has dropped a bombshell of a new album! With a style similar to that of traditional Hatebreed, this band does bring a more “real life” than said band's music, creating a unique sentiment to be heard via their tunes. When listening to the new record, Confess, you can really hear the change and evolution of each the band's members. The disc has a more “mature” feel to it, incorporating more elements that were not present on previous work. Maturity and growth aside, TPTD do retain what they are known for (as with he genre in general); breakdowns! They may tend to abuse them, but they do so extremely well. One of the tracks that struck a nerve of curiosity for me was “Gotham City”. As soon as I read the title I said: “Fuck man. I’m going to like this album just because of that track name.” I was right. The tune is quite catchy and was stuck in my head for ages after I finished listening to the album for just the first time. I had to quickly listen to it again just to satisfy the need! Another notable jam is “Omerta”, a memorable track which like Lamb of God’s “Omerta”, is about a code of honour used by the Italian Mafia, ‘Ndrangheta, and the Camorra. It’s great how these two bands are trying to renew honour that was prevalent during the 16th century. And it really helps that this song is heavy and aggressive. Kind of sounds like: “give me honour or give me death!” 2009 will see the rise of TPTD and Hardcore thanks to a powerful offering in Confess; a great start to a sickening new year if I may say. I’m sure 2009 will bring us plenty of new music, but thankfully 2009 came early for me.

Walls Of Jericho “The American Dream” CD, 12" vinyl

Some genres in music just seem to naturally lend themselves to those of the XY chromosomes and few of these styles are more testosterone dominated than metal and hardcore with their "tuff guy" identities and lyrical messages within the music. One might even draw a parallel between them and say, football or rugby, where girls, simply put, don't play, or at least are not taken seriously. However, with the advent of respectable female fronted groups like Arch Enemy, Lacuna Coil, and, Nightwish, that seems to slowly be changing. But generally there also seems to be a certain expectation that these women will strictly sing and stay out of man's hallowed vitriolic territory. Angela Gassow clearly changed this mentality with her appearance of a drop-dead gorgeous blonde as well as her ability to make noises that would scare full grown men. In her wake many groups have formed balancing the two extremes, albeit with a more mainstream slant, however there really haven't been many of these bands since Arch Enemy to create such an uncompromising "middle finger to the mainstream" sound; Walls of Jericho is one of these unusual groups. Enter Candace Kucsulain, a cute and innocent looking demon in disguise. From her outward appearance she looks like a heavily tattooed Haley Williams, but couldn't possibly sound less like her. Instead she unleashes positively destructive, vein-bulging wails that will leave even the staunchest metal heads in shock and possibly horror (yep, she's a chick alright). There are also two other things that really make her standout as a metal/hardcore vocalist, one being her relentless ferocity. Many of the better known gals in metal today often tend to mix the hooky radio-ready choruses of metalcore into their arsenals to broaden their appeal; Candace makes virtually no such concessions. With the exception of a brief melodic stint in the bridge of "A Long Walk Home" and her soft, bluesy croons in the surprisingly calm closer "The Slaughter Begins," she roars all the way through the record. When she actually does sing she proves herself to be every bit as effective and sinister, with a tone not so different from that of Fiona Apple. The other attribute that really separates her from her peers is her range. Many female metal vocalists tend to be limited to higher register screams which quickly makes their voices tedious to listen to. Kucsulain isn't restricted in these regards; be it fierce mid range shouts, gang vocals, brutal death-ish growls, and even paint-stripping shreiks; she can do it all. Even despite her unwillingness to sing, her vocals rarely become tiresome. As good as Candace is she isn't the only thing that makes Walls of Jericho special. Whereas many metalcore bands today follow the typical establishment of using harmonized Gothenburg guitar leads to drive their music, WOJ takes a more old-school approach instead steroid pumping their sound with classic thrash metal riffs that will bring a smile to any Slayer fan's lips. These riffs make for some insanely catchy tunes like "II They Prey," "Feeding Frenzy," and "Discovery of Jones" that in no way compromise on heaviness. Additionally they supplement these with heavily distorted and even discordant melodies that also call Slayer to mind. Unfortunately there are no solos on the album, however it is unclear how well they would have worked in many of the songs, considering their relentless pacing. People typically aren't too enthused about breakdowns in heavy music anymore given how badly they've been abused and misused by many bands. While Jericho's breakdowns are not excessively technical the group knows how to take something simple and chunky and just make it heavy as shit. Hearing the thrashy riffs, and speedy double kicks rush over them as Candace roars lines like "FUCK THE AMERICAN DREAM" and "WE MUST TAKE BACK OUR LIVES" in her nastiest snarl sure make for some hella brutal bridges. There are a few nagging flaws that keep The American Dream from being great, one of which is the sense of repetition on the record. The band doesn't necessarily have a dead set formula for all their songs like many metalcore bands do, however the consistent punch of their music can dull a little after multiple listens and some of the songs do tend to blur into each other. There are some neat switch-ups here and there like the atmospheric intro of "The New Ministry" and the acoustic fadeout in "Discovering Jones," however considering the lack of solos, technical parts, or clean vocals, there should really have been more of them. Many of these complaints are fairly minor considering the fact that at just over thirty-five minutes in length, The American Dream hardly gives you any time to get bored; you'll be headbanging so hard you won't have the brain cells left to remind you that some of the band's songs sound a little similar. The American Dream is a very solid album in every sense that will appeal just as much to thrash aficionados as it will to hxc! tuff guys. Walls of Jericho are not just another band that knows how to plays a couple power chords with a pretty face yelling on top, but a group of heavy music lovers who can make one hell of a ruckus and with their most recent release they have crafted one of the most urgent and catchy core' albums to come out in 08'.

Bleeding Through “Declaration” CD, 12" vinyl

Best known as a stalwart metalcore band, Bleeding Through has shed their previous identity in favor of another trend–deathcore. However, unlike many of their peers, Bleeding Through actually knows the metal they play and execute it all while maintaining the thick, slightly under-produced, keyboard enhanced sound that made them so popular to begin with. Bleeding Through has always been a metal band first and foremost, with an obvious deep respect for hardcore, and that is why I believe their latest incarnation, 2008’s Declaration, works for them. Hip hop culture, straight billed caps, and scratchy logos are not what Declaration is about, this album fights to play deathcore, a very common form of metal these days, but in a way that puts them above all the trendy bullshit. Bleeding Through are not everyone’s favorite band, but they have a loyal following, and it’s because they have maintained a relatively unique sound throughout their career, both through their highs and lows, and that concept is completely accute on Declaration, making it a strategic example of a metal band staying commercially viable, all while pleasing the fans that bought their records back when they were just starting. I commend the band for this, and the fact that Declaration is actually a solid album that can stand on it’s own two feet makes this event even more sweet. I have to admit, I had lost hope in Bleeding Through after the monumental disaster that was their 2006 album The Truth, which was simply full of forgettable, and sometimes awful songwriting. I was always a fan of Bleeding Through before The Truth and I am very glad that Declaration works! Will I say that this record is a year end candidate? Absolutely not, but it’s not forgettable either, and definitely will keep Bleeding Through from fading away like many of their peers have already.