Saturday, May 28, 2011

Review: All That Remains - ...For We Are Many


Band: All That Remains
Album: …For We Are Many
Year: 2010
Genre: Melodic Metalcore

Ok I’m going to go through this really quick since there isn’t really a lot of depth to this All That Remains album anyways. I bought …For We Are Many either the month that it came out last year or a month after.

Anyways I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe hoping for something like TFoI. But this is not TFoI. First off, you are bashed over the head with clean vocals. Though there are a lot of harsh vocals layered (buried) under the singing. Phil Labonte does an alright job singing but I am more a fan of his screams and more guttural death metal type vocals (like on The Weak Willed). So their being more singing was kind of a let down.

A lot of the music itself is really…safe I guess you could say. The intro Now Let Them Tremble… is alright leading into what I think is the heaviest and best song on the album, For We Are Many. This song could easily have belonged on The Fall of Ideals with all the power and aggression of that album. Dead Wrong is another heavy song (maybe the only other?) with speedy verse parts and a generic poppy chorus.

So maybe generic is a good way to describe this album. Outside of those two songs most of the album plays it way too safe and does nothing to separate itself from the rest of the bands in the genre. Sure it sounds undeniably like ATR, but is that enough to satisfy you? Some of the soloing is alright but that doesn’t make up for the formulaic bore that the rest of the material is.

Of course you have your radio friendly songs in The Waiting One, Hold On, and The Last Time. The Waiting One is the ballad of the album and is done completely with clean vocals, with some screams mixed way underneath the singing of the chorus. Probably my “favorite” of the more mainstream songs for its honesty. At least they weren’t trying to disguise it as something its not right?

Mix The Fall of Ideals with more watered down mainstream garbage toned down so your grandma will enjoy it and you have …For We Are Many.

Score: 4/10
Standout Track (Yes there is one): For We Are Many

Sunday, May 22, 2011

What I've Been Listening To Lately

Sooooo i've been on a post-rock/metal trip lately and to mix it up a little a bit of tech death in there as well.I have to give credit where credit is due, my friend Muz over at Of Sound Mind whom ive known for a while has been keeping me busy with post-rock by introducing me to bands like Mogwai, Ef, and Explosions In the Sky.

In the post-metal area i'm really enjoying the band And So I Watch You From Afar. They seem like a blend of post-rock and post-metal and their album Gangs is incredible. Its very similiar to modern Pelican I think.

Technical Death Metal is something I have a little trouble getting into because for the most part I feel it lacks any soul/heart. Being technical for the sake of being technical just does nothing for me. Abysmal Dawn's newest album Leveling The Plane of Existance is a good listen and pretty catchy. I know the main complaint i've heard is that they are a Morbid Angel rip off and if so I gotta check out Morbid Angel's newer stuff!

Obscura is the other band i've been listening to a bit. Their album Omnivium was released not too long ago and while I miss the stronger sound of the bass on this album its all good. If you havent heard them think of a mix between Death, Cynic, and some good ole Death Metal. My biggest complaint is the snare drum sounds like the drummer is hitting on a piece of plastic and it is terrible!

Abysmal Dawn - In Service of Time


And So I Watch You From Afar - 7 Billion People All Alive At Once

Monday, May 9, 2011

Slipknot's Song Snuff

Ok so i'm not the biggest Slipknot fan but the song Snuff from All Hope Is Gone is a pretty good mellow track that caught my attention the first time I heard it on the radio.

The funny thing is I wasnt sure if it was Stone Sour or Slipknot while listening.Sure its pretty much a ballad but so is Fade to Black and that never stopped it from being a kick ass song.

While I grew out of this band a long time ago its still a good song I've enjoyed listening to lately.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

One of the new Arch Enemy songs


So I took a listen to one of the new Arch Enemy songs being streamed online iver at Metal Sucks and have to say I'm not all that impressed. The song is called Blood Stained Cross from the soon to be released album Khaos Legions (really?). The band is so far removed from their old school sound which I enjoy so much, and Angela Gossow's vocals doesnt help sway my interest in the newer releases. Though the music itself isnt too bad but it doesnt blow my mind either.