Corelia - Nostalgia (2011)

It's somewhat rare for things as cool as this to come out; things, if you're like me, in the line of any Sikth release, Floating World, Nightmares of the Ocean, "Froggin' Bullfrogs," , Dementia/Dyslexia, Scurrilous, etc. Things where every single one of its parts comes together in absolutely awesome ways; but before I draw this out too much, I'll stop here. Give this a listen if you love quick and absolutely nasty riffs and smooooth guitar tones ala Haunted Shores, wonderfully varied vocals from a guy whose voice really does go "up like an angel and down like a wounded ox," and some surprisingly compelling drums (think Bulb's programmed drums in his demos, but better).

Note: Take this to your graaa aaa aaa AAA AAAAAVEEEEEE

@V0

Thanks

...to everyone that periodically visits this blog with any kind of consistency. Also, a thanks goes to the guys in Sound&Shape and (at least) the drummer in Dissonant for being totally cool with free links to their work being distributed here, and even encouraging it. You guys are the best.

To all: Look forward to more updates next month, post-7th.

Sound&Shape - Now Comes the Mystery (2011)

I grew up with a dad that loved "easy-listening," or whatever that weird, niche-y, soft, '80s-sounding kind of music is that only looks to let you appreciate the quieter moments of life with a little background noise. The first thing I thought of when hearing the first song on this EP for the first time was "awesome easy-listening." While I wouldn't quite use that as a description for Now Comes the Mystery as a whole, its general vibe definitely warrants it, even if only a little. These guys suck you in, and regardless of your listening habits, never quite relinquish their hold on the peace of mind they helped to make.

I'll stop digging myself into a hole and simply state that this EP is a small taste of what I know Sound&Shape have in store for us. The potential here is something worth putting your dying mother on hold for. Absolutely love them.

Support these guys @$5 USD

The Agonist - Lullabies for the Dormant Mind (2009)

Lullabies for a Dormant Mind may be the most manic metalcore/melodic death metal-crossover I've ever heard, thanks in eminent part to the performance of its absolutely insane vocalist, Alissa White-Gluz. I typed that right -- The Agonist has a female vocalist, and while that usually means one should prepare themselves for overwhelmingly sub-par harsh vocals, I can't repeat myself enough times when I tell you that isn't the case here. There will be never be an ounce of doubt in any hardened (ha) metalhead's ears that the vocalist present here isn't female, but I promise that only means she's doing the other gender some actual, well-needed justice.

@V0

Exemption - Public Cemetary Party (2010)

I'll admit right away to being less-than-sober as I write this blurb, so I'll also apologize in this sentence if any of the following turns me to ramble:

I made the mistake of discovering this band the very day I met an absolutely vivacious (now ex-)girl(friend), as well as spinning Public Cemetary Party on the drive to-and-from the last lunch I had with her, and as such, this album, to me, will forever be associated with a shortlived and probably prematurely exhausted flame. Without delving into my personal life any further, I feel like drawing a comparison between this album and the aformentioned girl is valid in this case: Think of the most blisteringly hot Summer you can, whether that image comes from true experience or pure imagination, and try to imbue the feelings you felt during that time, minus anything negative, into a Saturday morning cartoon show that plays with the themes of childhood, growing adulthood and consequent responsibility, and love and loss. If I haven't lost you yet, hopefully you've got some general feeling brewing in your head that you, depending on how old you are, probably lost some time ago--something that that timeless innocence prevalent only on playgrounds can ever truly touch. That, right there, is what both Public Cemetary Party and my reminiscings of my one-that-got-away bring me back to: some space lost in a love letter that a third-grader never finished writing.

If you ever read this, Chelsea, this isn't for you--it's for anyone who still thinks that music can be one of many keys to unlocking our happiest moments. But bye anyway, kiddo.

@V0

22 - Flux (2010)

Panic! At the Disco are a fun and catchy, yet sentimental and consistently grabbing band. Meshuggah are the near antithesis of everything previously mentioned: dark and heavy, but still (ball)grabbing, and with their own brutal, manmade representation of what evil can sound like. Understand me when I (and many internet goers) describe this band as "Panic! meets Meshuggah." There's an inherent energy here: in both the singer's voice and his phrasing, the guitar and bass lines (and their near-constant duel for the limelight), the syncopated hand patterns of the drummer, and the absolutely driving and pulsing rhythms created by all of it together; but what really makes me love this band is the weird knack they have for seeming both robotic (those rhythms) and absolutely human (that vocalist). While they never, ever reach evil status, the sound that 22 create dabbles equally in the netherworldly, effectively creating some kind of spiritual experience... or at least that's what they seem to be going for. I'll buy it.

Note: Physical copies of anything by this band are nigh impossible to find for the time being. Rest assured, this rip sounds absolutely fine, and will work in any (i.e., most) media player, including iTunes (as it is Apple's native format). V0 will be up... soon.

@Avg. 261 AAC (.m4a)

First Signs of Frost - Atlantic (2009)

I discovered this band right around the time Atlantic was released back in late '09, and I was absolutely blown away by it from the start. Another band that's got it all: top notch vocals, riffs, basslines, and drumming. I suppose I could liken them to Saosin meets heavier riffs and better vocals (or old, Translating the Name-era Saosin meets precision), but that doesn't quite do them justice. If you're ever in the mood for something to bob your head to that doesn't overstep its self-set pretentions (whatever that means), these guys'll give you the fix you're probably looking for.

Betcha' probably knew: If any of you djent/Meshuggah guys think this vocalist sounds familiar, this is the band Dan Tompkins left behind to join Tesseract.

@V2

Last Chance to Reason - Level 2 (2011)

Get it while it's hot, folks. The first real gem of 2011.

I tend to post these blurbs in a hurry, and for no real reason. I feel rushed, though I'm only answering to myself and keeping to an extremely loose "schedule" that only I, myself, have made, and that's never been indelibly engrained into or on to anything, anywhere, ever. Once I start writing one of these things, my brain kickstarts an invisible timer, and if I haven't vaguely gotten what I want to say about a specific band or album into a word document by the time that timer hits its double-zeros... well, I suppose that's when that "very specific danger" that the OCD-laden hold themselves as submissives to appears in my itinerary, threatening to ruin my sunny day.

That's not happening this time.

No, I really want to say a lot of things about this album, but even if I don't, I want to leave you with a sense of what I feel it is. Level 2 isn't just a slab of metal--it's something that each of us experiences, time and time again, during our most translucent moments: a very resolute... something. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's undoubtedly some not-quite-lucid-or-tangible sense of power. As an example: I tend to grin like an asshole whenever I feel absolutely confident, no matter who's around me; and I grin that very same grin whenever I spin this album. The way it opens, the way it climaxes, and the way it ends are all just so analagous to the human condition in its most triumphant crises. If you're wondering what that means, spin this one on an extra-hardy cardio workout or during your very own cop-chase--you may, then, have an idea.

The perfect digital marriage of Between the Buried and Me and Cynic.

@V0

Blakfish - Champions (2009)

I thought it'd be fitting to post this and Colour's Anthology back-to-back as they're both, at least to me, different takes on what's essentially the same sound: fun, mathy rock with accents. While Colour are really light and fun, Blakfish are really heavy and fucking awesome. Now, I know nationalities don't really matter, but I'd be lying if I said this band's vocalists' (plural) ridiculous accents didn't get me going in a number of directions, namely sexually, but also in a way that somehow compounds the amount of fun and innocent headbobbery that this album is absolutely filled to the brim with. Aye, this one's pure dead fuckin' brilliant.

@V0

Colour - Anthology (2009)

This band is like a really fun, math pop version of '80s-era King Crimson: wicked instrumentation with some occasional noodling, love-it-or-hate-it vocals with some (also occasionally) really, really nice moments, and an inconsistent player roster (though, in this case, just the bassist(s) and drummer(s)). The guitarists also have that Minus the Bear-esque "I only tap" thing working absolute wonders for them, and you've got to dig that filthy bass tone (see: "Jewels Like Fairy Lights").

I don't have any particular love for this band, but they have their (very awesome) moments, and they fit into their niche well enough (while doing their own thing) that I could never not post them here.

@V0: Part 1 & Part 2

Incura - The Lost EP (2009)

This thing is catchy. Singer's an acquired taste, though one that can't easily be shaken once it's secured a hold in your attention. If you're a girl, you'll love this either eventually or immediately. If you're like me and have that awesome Y-chromosome, it's a little more up in the air. Also, there's some angst here, but it's touching, I promise.

2009 - The Lost EP @V0

Homesick for Space - Discography (2001-2010)

So I'm back (at least for a little while), and rather than start off on a baller-ass note, I thought I'd take this opportunity to post something a bit (i.e., much) more melancholic and definitely meant for cooler months: Homesick for Space. Don't ignore their name, as even upon that stepping stone to the band's career, they touched on the single, inbetween emotion that would permeate their entire catalog: a longing (homesickness) for some space that can't quite be grasped. This stuff is horribly, awfully and terribly congruous to how I feel on my least-sober days following a not-quite-mutual breakup, and I've got an inkling that that might be a close heir to the headspace these guys were in as they wrote and recorded these three albums.

Note: Not for birthdays, congratulatory celebrations, or getting into that really cute and bubbly girl's pants.

2001 - Homesick for Space @V0

2003 - Unison @V0

2010 - All We Are Now (or, 2007's ...Please Continue renamed and physically issued) @V0

It's been a while

. . . and I've still got no update, but sit tight, folks. Shit got real last summer and stayed real for longer than I had hoped. Rest assured, we'll (i.e., singular, since "I" was taken) get back to work as soon as school takes holiday. Until then, enjoy what's still up.

With love and somewhat fond memories,

This guy

Periphery - Periphery (2010)

4/22 - I just got the deluxe double-disc edition of this album in my mailbox and in my hurry to upload both of its versions (mostly for close friends, for now) I've neglected to write a proper blurb for it. Rest assured patrons: I'll remedy my negligence as soon as finals week is over.

Note: Got the idea to "invert" the cover art because the instrumental disc has the inverted colors on it. Unfortunately, this was after I uploaded the album. If you want in on my INGENIOUSNESS, this link may help you.

(Removed. Sorry guys.)

Periphery - HBG4

(Because the word "final" doesn't mean what it used to.)

Bulb's got a side that borders on being labeled as "elevator music," but he nonetheless has the ability to make music even as mundane-sounding as that interesting. --Now, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't put my (very) dear patrons through any prolix something, but I do warn those with an especial affinity for the throat as an instrument to tread cautiously when pointing 'yer clickers at the download links at the bottom of this post--you may not find much to like this time.

. . . and with that said, here lie some of Bulb's coolest ideas to date, gathered in two tidy packages that teeter on the line between "fuck" and weird, in that order, for a good hour and fifty-five minutes. I hope you brought your spacesuit.

Note: HBG4 is Giants in Junon--To B-Sides and Back is just something I threw together as a kind of "Hey, here's what else Bulb likes to do!" kind of thing, and as such, it's a separate download. There's some fairly cool electronic babble-y stuff mixed in, including the near-infamous Michael Jackson cover "Black or White."

Note 2: I gave this one a "serious" (and slyly alliterative) name because I wasn't kidding when I said it contains some of Bulb's coolest ideas--certainly his most melodic, experimental, surreal, and, uh, referential. Plus, I got around to including "Racecar Updated Part 2" for once in my life. Please, kill me later.

2010 - Homemade Bromosexual Goodness 4: Giants in Junon @Avg. 139

2010 - Homemade Bromosexual Goodness 4: To B-Sides and Back @Avg. 177

Previous HBGs can be found here.

Benea Reach - Discography (2007-2008)

Warning: This blurb is ninety percent Alleviat. It's also my most review-like. Don't worry, I'm clamoring for air as well.

A friend on Last.FM avidly recommended Benea Reach to me right around the time Alleviat came out. I gave both that album and Monument Bioneothan a spin, and afterwards very nearly forget about the band entirely. Since then, I've had them at the edge of my tongue, sub-consciously knowing that something special could, if dug deep enough, be found in their music. Now, having my memory jogged only this week, I've once again set out to hear what all the fuss was, and still is, about.

. . . and here I am, making a point of writing this while I listen, being utterly annihilated. Never in my life have I ever heard anything as completely sonically crushing as the entirety of Alleviat. I'm so taciturn that I can't even begin to imagine what I was thinking when I first heard it, or how this band slipped right through my mind without an ounce of protest. Benea work their magic by lulling you to repose and keeping you there with near-despondent brutality woven with haunting leisure; and though each song may seem thick at first, they quickly form a more whole identity with every subsequent listen.

Though both albums are cuts from the same species, Monument Bineothan is, however, a slightly different beast. It was before Benea perfected their atmosphere and Ilkka, their frontman, discovered what a god as a vocalist would sound like, though he was well on his way; the riffs weren't as full-sounding and uproariously uplifting as they are on the newer Alleviat, nor as catchy.--But to assert Monument's not being a major stepping stone in this band's career, or one of 2007's gems, would be a mistake--their acute originality can be seen in either era.

For fans of Meshuggah, Swallow the Sun, or anything that sounds like it was specifically recorded to bring about the apocalypse.

Note: My setups are usually somewhat EQ'd, but no one could or would deny Alleviat's absolutely immaculate production. The sound of it alone can get you pumped like no "FUCKING DEATHCORE" ultimate workout playlist could ever dream of doing. I'm out of breath just listening.

2007 - Monument Bineothan @V0: Part 1 & Part 2
2008 - Alleviat @V0: Part 1 & Part 2

Textures - Discography (2004-2008)

7/2009 - Drawing Circles is one of those albums that waddles along, unsuspectingly, grows in size until it eclipses the sun, trips over an overpass as it takes its first steps, and crushes every bone in your body as it mutters an "ow" or an "oops." It's the bastard son of Devin Townsend and Meshuggah after a long night of hard liquor and being lost in some long-forgotten desert. If "technical metal" or "progressive metal of the non-wanky kind" sounds yummy, pour this album in some Tupperware and dig in.

2/2010 - Because I hate the old blurb I wrote for Drawing Circles, and because that album isn't this band's only great opus, I've decided to delete the old post and re-post the whole damn discography seven months later.

Textures was probably the first band I got into that sounded like Meshuggah, but wasn't Meshuggah. As cold and mechanical as their debut, Polars, is, it's still somehow warmer than the bloodcurdling clockwork that is Contradictions Collapse through obZen. It definitely has something to do with Eric Kalsbeek, a man who, languid in voice and vehement in harsher-than-voice, tames the wild poly-rhythms around him with his effortless talents; or, it could be the drummer, Stef Broks, and his ability to not only play in pre-prepared Fibonacci spirals, but also add tons of syncopation, which, in a way, kind of gives a soul to the entire band. Broks doesn't make a huge habit of using rolling double-bass patterns, so when he does utilize them, it gets the point across really fucking well.

Note: The production and general sound of this band gets warmer with each album, so the middle-man, Drawing Circles, is probably the best place to start for newcomers.

2004 - Polars @V0: Part 1 & Part 2
2006 - Drawing Circles @V0: Part 1 & Part 2

2008 - Silhouettes @V0: Part 1 & Part 2

Kaddisfly - Discography (2002-2007)

I love this band. I really fucking adore this band. My inner eight year-old suddenly bursts forth in a frenzy of adventurous glee and seafaring surmise every time I spin Set Sail the Prairie; and whenever I hear Buy Our Intention..., a slightly younger conjectured child shows himself still, with that same gleeful expression eclipsing his face, but now with a newfound sense of green-thumbed innocence. Kaddisfly, to me, are a denouement, wrought from the idea that music can possess its own spirit, with no fear of undending ambition.

However pretentious and schoolgirl-like I may sound, Kaddisfly are the only band that, after years of listening and loving, still incite me to explore their wondrous world.

2002 - Humania @192

2003 - Did You Know People Can Fly? @192

2005 - Buy Our Intention; We'll Buy You a Unicorn @V0: Part 1 & Part 2

2006 - The Four Seasons @V2

Note: Apparently I don't know how to properly zip albums with the words "sail" or "prairie" in them, so the posting of this band's most recent opus has been delayed by way of God paying me back for all those nights of faking altruism to impress women. --But I'm not taking "Discography (2002-2007)" out of this post's title because I'm laz--I mean, because for some reason I can't. Yes, Blogger is the only one to blame here.

Venetian Snares - Hospitality & Cavalcade of Glee[...] (2006)

Aaron Funk, the man behind Venetian Snares, has dozens upon dozens of releases, but his 2006 run (Hospitality and Cavalcade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms, minus 4 Adaptions of Rossz) is my favorite because of its emphasis on melody as well as those elusive rhythms that most drum and bass artists are known for. These two albums are the aural representations of floating on digital air while being attacked by someone's idea of what vultures from Tron would look like. They're intense, with moments of the most serene calm juxtaposed inbetween, or, uh, vice versa.

Note: I found some higher-res album art for Hospitality (the picture in this post) after uploading the album, so if you're compulsive, just click here to grab this one.

2006 - Hospitality @320

2006 - Cavalacade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms @V2

A Life Once Lost - A Great Artist (2003)

If you've followed this blog at all, you've probably already noticed that I get a hard-on for Meshuggah and any band that sounds anything like them. To make my penis grow even more, I plan on posting three "Meshuggah-worship" albums, the first of which can already be found in the July '09 post featuring Textures' Drawing Circles (now here). I'll leave the second right here.

I could say that A Great Artist is even more primal than the 'Shuggah-est of 'Shuggah, but I'd probably get mauled for libel. It's certainly up there, though, with a vocalist that sounds exactly like Jens Kidman and riffs that come straight out of Nothing; and though this album isn't as exorbitantly inhumane sounding as anything by Meshuggah, that essential brutality overunning most of Mesh's catalog can be found in droves here. There's undoubtedly a -core edge, but that only makes it cooler than As I Lay Dying.

@V2

Painted in Exile - Revitalized (2009)

The words that, to me, accurately relate my feelings for this three-song'd twenty-seven minute EP, just aren't springing to mind. Had I written this while it was still fresh to my ears, I might have gotten something slightly more convincing written down here, but I guess this is God's way of kicking me in the balls for never, ever, under any circumstance, posting in even half of a scheduled routine. But anyway. . .

This is good. None of Painted's peers have ever done anything quite like Revitalized. Instead of being brutal, it's heavy-hitting; instead of being wank-y, it's just kind of over-indulgent, but backed by a gentle taste. If you've ever wondered what Edge of Sanity, Persefone, or Disillusion might sound like if they went deathcore, this is probably a close heir.

Note: The general sound on this album isn't quite "par quality," which is easily its worst aspect, but this is a V0 rip--trust me, I was there.

Fun-fact: "Revitalized" is misspelled on the actual front cover. That's a post-worthy anecdote, right?

@V0

Red Fall - Para Los Muertos (2009)

Had Between the Buried and Me gone in a slightly less gay direction after Alaska, we might have had Para Los Muertos a few years earlier. Now, while these guys are quite a bit more focused on being downright technical, they retain those weird, almost uplifting climaxes that BtBaM likes to randomly sprinkle over their music. Add to that metal's new obsession with Meshuggah and a fucking killer variety of vocals, and you've got yourself one of the best EPs of last year.

A fella' named Elnimio over at RYM also compared Para Los Muertos to Necrophagist and All Shall Perish. Yeah, I can hear it.

@V0

No Consequence - In the Shadow of Gods (2009)

This band has been touted in the same breaths as Born of Osiris and Veil of Maya, taking the poly-rhythmic groove-'Shuggahisms (Shahjizzgasms?) of the latter and infusing them with the weird note-suspending pzazz of the the former, but I'd like to instead compare them to The Arusha Accord, because that's what I do, apparently. They're Arusha's slower, groovier cousin, whilst also kind of having the same emphasis on desperate and not-so-desperate vocals.

For fans of the three aforementioned bands, Meshuggah, Sikth, and every band any of them have ever influenced.

Note: Judging from RYM reviews and Last.FM comments, a lot of people aren't too keen on this band's vocals, which I guess I can kind of understand. If you have an especial ear for--like I mentioned up there in the main paragraph--desperate vocals, you'll hopefully find something to like here.

@V2

Myotonia - Myotonia (2007)

If The Arusha Accord's Nightmares of the Ocean was at the Sikth+The Dillinger Escape Plan end of the "fuck me" spectrum, then Myotonia would be at the DEP+Meshuggah end, or, in other words, the "I want to dance and headbang at the same time because this is so fucking groovy and heavy!" end.

I'd advise against jamming to this in your car because it directs all your attention directly to everything but the road as soon as it begins.

@V0

Beecher - Discography (2003 - 2005)

Sure, both Botch and The Dillinger Escape Plan were huddled in vans writing brain-shattering arpeggios in non-existent keys long before these guys ditched their training wheels, but mother of fuck does this band get overlooked. Forget the two aforementioned fretboard magicians -- as far as aggressive-as-fuck old school mathcore and I are concerned , Beecher is king.

2005 - Breaking the Fourth Wall (Reissue) @V0: Part 1 & Part 2
2005 - This Elegy, His Autopsy @ V0: Part 1 & Part 2

Dark Suns - Existence (2005)

Thought I'd make a probably-shortlived return with this beast of an album—actually, I should probably say gracefully-slow-but-fucking-immense-as-fuck whale of an album, because that's exactly what it is: a majestic slab of emotionally moving progressive metal. Yeah, that sentence does sound flamboyantly gay, but it's spot-fucking-on, trust me.

For fans of Disillusion or anyone who thinks Dream Theater is the worst band of the last eight years. Some dark and powerful stuff here.

@V2: Part 1 & Part 2

Periphery - You decide.

Since I haven't posted anything in a while, and to celebrate the signing of my second favorite band, Periphery, to Sumerian Records, I thought this could be the only logical next post I could possibly make, ever. Anyone who likes them already knows (or should know) that they've got over a hundred demos, mostly due to their main guitarist, "Bulb," and his ability to soldier on for weeks-on-end doing nothing but writing neck-breaking riffs and programming killer drum tracks, all without a wink of sleep. Think of these two mixes as Best Ofs, made from those demos, for a band that hasn't released anything yet.

Imagine Nothing era Meshuggah, but then picture them as young, energetic, twenty-something humans. Periph sounds a little bit like that.

Note: Mix 1 spans the band's entire career and focuses on the tracks they took the time to record vocals for. Mix 2 is the in-between, instrumental kickassery we all know and love.

Note 2: No, 3 is not a mix I made after making this post, and it's definitely not just a mix of 1 and 2 with some extras added in because I'm an idiot and didn't think to mix the two until now. No, it's not an hour and nineteen minutes long, and it will not rock the ever-loving fuck out of your car. Also, I don't apologize to the three people that downloaded 1 and 2.

2009 - Homemade Bromosexual Goodness @Avg. 168
2009 - Homemade Bromosexual Goodness 2 @Avg. 136
2009 - Homemade Bromosexual Goodness 3: Final @Avg. 142

2010 - Homemade Bromosexual Goodness 4 @This post

Sound & Shape - The Love Electric (2009)

Ever wonder what monstrosity would spring from the murky depths of The Fall of Troy if they simmer'd down a little and got a much less annoying vocalist that didn't scream? Yeah, well, here's what might come of it, although it's no monster. In fact, The Love Electric is pretty breathtaking while it lasts. The singer has that odd timbre that only he and Gavin Hayes from Dredg seem to have: oddly melancholic, yet powerful. He's also got some sick vocal lines that almost seem to be ripped straight from Queen albums too old to matter.

For anyone who enjoys calm post-hardcore - minus the core - with a great sense of pacing and ole fashioned non-pitch corrected wailing.

Myspace
@V2

The Pax Cecilia - Blessed are the Bonds (2007)

Like the last post, this album belongs on a plateau of good things to come from post-rock in the last few years. Most of the more underground Urban Outfitter-inclined music fans have heard it, and it's probably even somehow overrated by those same rabid groups, but fuck me if this really isn't essential in some way or another. I'm definitely exaggerating, but take that last sentence with only half a grain of salt. Blessed are the Bonds is a fantastic album, chock full of strained passages and the kind of desperation only a dying non-theist knows.

One difference to note between this album and the last, however, is that they're almost complete opposites of one another. These Monsters... was relatively subdued, particularly in the climaxes, while this one thrives on them and emerges from "The Hymn" with the "Most Intense Post-Rock Album" award. For anyone who loves post-rock with tons of experimental and ambient flourishes, and maybe a dash of that screaming stuff.

@320: Part 1 & Part 2

These Monsters... - These Monsters... (2006)

These Monsters... is, at least to me, one of the better things to emerge from the post-rock genre in the last few years, albeit one with an unusual vibe. Every track brings to mind something in-between weird dreamscapes and green oceans: it can't decide on whether it wants to soothe or cause trouble. It could be the electronica-tinged percussion, or the Deku horn-like saxophone riffing its way into your nightmares. Either way, they're both completely at odds with the never-relieved and ever-flowing pace of the music itself. Yeah, that's it. Flow is something this album has too much of. The climaxes aren't particularly climactic, but they just keep going, and flowing, anyway, without consent.

For anyone who loves mood-setters and the more brooding types of post-rock. I would say steer clear of sunny days with this one, but nah. You decide.

Note: Two-second gap between tracks 1 and 2. It bothers me too.

@256

Sun Kil Moon - April (2008)

This is a long fucking album and I'll admit, right now, to never making it all the way through in one sitting, but I'd like to think the man behind Sun Kil Moon has a voice that rewards anyone who actually does. April is a sit-backer. A lean-to. But it's compelling enough to keep anyone wanting a compelling listen...compelled? Or as in my case, interested for at least half of its total running time. I can't complain. My forte tends to be an attention-seeking tramp, and it's certainly satiated my drooling tongue for a good ten years now.

Anyone who likes to get lost in hard, melancholic melodies and near-droning, country-fied acoustic twangs can't go wrong here. Reserved for sleepless nights and cool mid-afternoon drives.

@V0: Part 1 & Part 2

Cloudkicker - Discography

Ben Sharp, presumably a metalhead fella' from Ohio, set out to (again, presumably) create something remarkable with a project we now know as Cloudkicker. While he didn't quite set the bar as high as he might have hoped, mother of God, did he mock-up one hell of an effort, or two. Few bands (and even fewer one-mans) have been able to capture the atmosphere and matching intensity present here. Meshuggah-isms and repetition are the name of the game. Couple that with some borderline post-rock/metal leanings and you've got a recipe for a potentially kickass band with too many killer riffs for its own good. No, I didn't forget to add hyberbole.

Did I mention he offers his music for free?

“It costs me absolutely nothing to create the music. Zero dollars. I record all the guitars and bass straight into my laptop and program the drums using this one sequencing program, then I mix and master everything myself. The only thing that costs money are guitar strings, but I have a full-time job so it’s no big deal.”
– Ben Sharp, (Musical Awareness on Cloudkicker)

Commend him, dear patrons. My conscience is clear for now.

The Discovery (2008) and The Map is Not the Territory (2009) @V0 & FLAC

Burn in Silence - Angel Maker (2006)

Here's a doozy. Soothing keyboard synths that'd be right at home on a Dark Tranquillity record run amuck in this beauty. But don't forget the dizzying guitars that constantly wake you from your lulled trance. Or the drumming. Sweet Lord, the drumming. This band has got a clockmaker behind the kit.

For anyone who loves symphonic technical metalcore that has recently overdosed on modern melodic death metal. Don't let that album title fool you: there's nothing benevolent or bright and fluffy about this one.

@V0

Misery Signals - Controller (2008)

I'm a firm believer in the 00s. Anyone who says "well, this music thing is just getting worse and worse" is either too old or too lazy to dig a little deeper. Sure, every genre has its share of By-Numbers, and metalcore is, probably more so than most, no exception. In fact, my local music scene is a microcosm of the entire metalcore movement, except the kids have recently grown up and started whipping out the brutal-er vocals and five-beats-per-minute breakdowns. Fuck, I'm getting off topic.

Misery Signals was, at two (three if you're a dick) points, no exception to that followers thing I mentioned up there, although they were always a tad more emotional than a small majority of their cohorts. Controller has marked the end of that in-line era for this band, and instead propelled them directly to the front. Every selling point this band has ever held has been completely reinvigorated, and with added bubblegum-smooth instrumental work. Every good idea they've ever envisioned, every awesome riff that didn't quite mesh with previous sounds, and every emotional moment that their prepubescent selves experienced, all culminate in this stunning monster of an album. For anyone who likes emotional music in general, metal, or post-rockian metalcore. Yep, I said it. Listen to "Set in Motion" and tell me you don't hear a huge Explosions in the Sky influence.

Note: Yeah, this one's a little out of place, but I had to sellout sometime. Plus, this is the best straight-up metalcore album I've ever heard. Definitely a contender on the "Top Five Reasons Metalcore May Not be a Dying Genre" list.

@V0

Theory in Practice - Discography

Theory in Practice has been my favorite death metal band ever since I first heard "Conspiracy in Cloning" way back in mid-2004. Sure, Nocturnus did almost everything this band has done about a decade beforehand, but Theory layered some well needed melody on top of that early-90s Floridian complexity. It's not just "FUCK" anymore. It's "holy mother of god HOW?"

For anyone in the mood for some completely over-the-top, OVERWHELMINGLY complex technical death metal, with some shiny songwriting skills and spacey keyboards tossed in at the last minute. Ever since their conception, Theory have opted for raspy, high-pitched shrieking growls instead of that low, bestial rumble your kids all know and love. They can be a little grating to begin with, but try your best to learn to love them. This band really delivers the goods once you do.

Note: This band gets their discography posted because they're so Goddamned good. Also, these albums are extremely hard to physically acquire without putting your son's brain surgery on hold. If anyone asks, I got lucky. My son is sti-...I mean, he's just fine, I swear.

The Armageddon Theories (1999) @V0
Colonizing the Sun (2002) @V0
Third Eye Function (Reissue) (2006) @V0: Part 1 & Part 2

The Arusha Accord - Nightmares of the Ocean (2008)

Ever since my favorite band, Sikth, gave up their monopoly on the UK's progressive metal scene, numerous smaller bands have been frantically trying to salvage their own sound from those charred remains. The Arusha Accord is the only band I've heard since that time that has the perfect amount of technical proficiency, songwriting ability, and pure zazz to possibly pull it off, even if it's almost like a rough interpretation of Britain's heroes in their wonder years. That last bit makes me sound like I'm some Alzheimer's-ridden old man being force-fed no-name LPs in his attic. I'm not (last time I checked, gangrene from 'Nam wasn't a terminal disease). I absolutely adore this EP. It's twenty times more coherent than any Sikth outing, and therein lies its only fault: Where's the charm?

They got the cover right. A ship, too-hard at sea, is one-of-one synesthetic image that springs to mind every time I spin this album. But is that it? Where's the charm, really? Sikth's music was over-burdened with chaotic and unorthodox, almost-outlandish hooks from start-to-finish. Arusha's got to have something going for them, right? Well yeah, they do. Those weird hooks are still here, and a lot less subtle than before. When this band hits, they hit really fucking hard. For anyone who loves Britain's brand of progressive metal and mathcore.

I wish I could really say something about this album. Writer's block is a fickle business.

@V0

Kong - Snake Magnet (2009)

Been anxiously awaiting this one's arrival in my mailbox, and wadda-ya-know. Kong plays this weird blend of grungy post-hardcore and frailed-at-the-edges sludge with mathy riffs tossed in for good measure. Once it comes together, it kind of sounds like the homeless child of Hella and The Melvins with yelled, mostly nonsense lyrics. In fact, that thing I wrote for Ehanre's The Man Closing Up applies here, too. But that's all irrelevant. This album is awesome, and I can't get enough. Most definitely destined for my Best-of-2009 list.

Buy this album
@V0

Bohren & der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission (2000)

Extremely down-tempo ambient noir-jazz from Germany.

This one reeks of cigarette smoke. It's been discarded by some junkie in an ashtray at the only lit corner of a bar, long after everyone else has left. Outside the bar, streetlamps rest as mouth-like alleys keep watch. Car horns and taxi-calls can be heard from a distance without a soul in sight. Apartment lights on faraway buildings are the only things left to perpetuate the night after every star has blotted itself out. Reserved for lonely AMs and moody, lights-out sex.

(Removed. Sorry guys.)

Doomtree - False Hopes (2007)

Hip-hop collective from Minneapolis. Another album where a main attribute is nostalgia. Every time I hear this album, my mind brings me back to my days of Evil Dead and Sonic the Hedgehog, which is unusual since this group doesn't seem to draw influence from either. Maybe it's just the extreme campiness of the lyrics, the smooth, circus-y beats, and the almost noir/horror movie-like atmosphere present on a handful of tracks. I'll never really know.

Note: Awesome flow and wordsmanship abound in this one, so wear your girlfriend's underwear. She won't mind.

@V2

Devil Sold His Soul - A Fragile Hope (2007)

Intense, down-tempo post-hardcore (though verging on post-rock-styled screamo) from London. Definitely one of those albums that can be almost mind-numbingly heavy whilst firmly maintaining a delicate atmosphere. Recommended to any fans of heavy music, and a half-sincere "I swear it doesn't bite!" to anyone else.

Note: The first and second tracks on this album both make imagining stormed WWII-era beaches that much easier. Using a corpse as a lifeboat doesn't come until track 3. The last track is just a liar.

(Removed. Sorry guys.)

The Protomen - The Protomen (2005)

Here's another band that seems to have been quietly brushed under someone's "Welcome Home" mat, at least in the non-video game communities. The Protomen is a concept album about, what else, Mega Man, with a slightly different - and darker - take on the story. From the first minute of the first track, the storytelling is goosebump-worthy and the 8-bit synths are much more hook-laden than they should be, and, slowly-but-surely, you learn that the lead-singer's got pipes that would make World 7 blush. But what really pushes this album past the finish line is the atmosphere. I can totally picture pallid buildings, decayed at the base and sprawled to few-and-far between, throughout this entire album. I can see Megaman, disenchanted with humanity, leaving its people behind as they writhe in agony. I've never been one to pay a terrible amount of attention to lyrics, but this album absolutely demands that extra effort.

@V0

Aletheian - Apolutrosis (2003)

I've always had a soft spot for this album. It's nowhere near as fluid, polished, or even melodic, as the newer Dying Vine, but it does have some intangible tinge of charm that was lost somewhere in all the sophomore release hubbub. If you're ever in the mood for weird interludes that overstay their welcome, almost-off-key wailing interspersed between raucous growls, and some really hypnotic lead-guitar sections, try this album.

@V0

Ehnahre - The Man Closing Up (2008)

This album is ugly. Imagine a giant, rustic elephant with the torn flesh of a once-living lion hanging from its lips, bulbous black eyes dried to a crevice, and skin blistered to pus-filled pools, and you'll have a rough idea. Some truly raw, unsettling stuff here. Not for a sunny day.

Note: Don't forget your headphones.

@V0

Dissonant - Consolidated Reality Fragments (2005)

There's something horribly nostalgic about this album, like every riff was ripped straight out of my favorite Super Nintendo games. Bundle that with some awesome vocal phrasing (and fantastic vocals, to boot) and you've got a recipe for a bitchin' death metal band that gets next-to-no recognition. Holy shit, why.

Note: Israel-music.com

@V2

3 - Wake Pig (2004)

I can't talk 3 up enough. This band is like a straight man's Coheed & Cambria. The lead guitarist/vocalist plays a nifty blend of flamenco and slap, and has the vocal capabilities to back his garrulous fingers up. Think of the aforementioned C&C meets The Beatles. Production's a little soft, but it fits this album's style like a slightly-oversize glove.

Note: This is the reissue, but it's got the original's year in the id3 tags and the folder name. This is because I count this version as Wake Pig. It's also because the original isn't nearly as cool.

@V0: Part 1 & Part 2

Zebulon Pike - II: The Deafening Twilight (2006)

Instrumental stoner doom metal from Minnesota. I've never heard another album that better encapsulates the feeling of raping and pillaging an Indian village for economic gain. The angular, precise guitar riffs present on this album are no doubt what played on constant loop in the minds of American frontiersmen as they broke entrepreneurial molds. II is doom at its finest.

Note: The first song on this album is guaranteed to make your balls drop a little lower. Keep out of reach of children.

@192

Today I Caught the Plague - Ms. Mary Mallon (2008)

Second in line is this short, ultra-catchy glimpse of kickass. Ms. Mary Mallon is an amalgamation of progressive metal and a few post-hardcore acts that I could never recall at this hour. For anyone who wants some light yet ball-grabbing metalcore.

@V0

Spiral Architect - A Sceptic's Universe (2000)

Let's get this shit started.

A Sceptic's Universe is one hell of an album. Frequently heralded as "the most technical metal album evar," it certainly doesn't disappoint in that regard. Some of the metal world's more penis-inclined fanbase always asks "but where's the EMOTION?" The answer to this question reveals itself only after sand is removed from said fanbase's collective vagina. Who fucking cares, fe-men. This album is absolutely nuts.

@V0