In A Broken World
For Those Like You
metalcore
release date: January 7, 2015
1. Charade
2. For Those Like You
3. The Unfaithful
4. The River Of Lies
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Raze The Idols
Dominion
Album Review
metalcore
release date: December 27, 2014
Raze The Idols is a Texas native metalcore band. I did not have too much knowledge about this band, therefore leaving me with little expectations about this album going into this review. From time to time I do enjoy that, because it leaves me with a clear conscious and all biasness to the side, making it easier to form a completely fresh review.
Dominion opens up with an intro track that flows right into the opening self titled track. Right away Dominion proves it is one of the stronger tracks on the album, and that Raze The Idols is not your typical modern day metalcore band. They immediately flex their muscles of old school metalcore with fast riffs, stifling drumming, and intense vocals from Ben Jacobi, whose sound is almost uncanny of Matt from Mychildren Mybride. The song has an incredible guitar solo towards the end of the track, solidifying the various elements Raze the Idols is capable of displaying.
Raze The Idols continue there relentless metalcore attack through he album, also adding clean vocals and spoken parts in some songs. Harbors Of Hate and 11:28 are tracks four and five, are also very solid songs, that continue with their hard hitting riffs Ben's in your face vocals. The Bride comes in as track eight after the instrumental Leviathan. It is one of their finest moments on the album. The first half of he song is heavy, has a piano intermittent, then continues where the first half left off. The lyrical content is dark and brutally honest talking about how we (the Bride) leave God for the lust of the word. Emancipation Proclamation follows and is another solid song. Warrior is track is track twelve, and has a more hardcore feel. It also features guest vocals from Broc of the fellow Texan band, Revivalist. It is a battle song proclaiming our strength in God. In The Shadow Of Your Will closes out the album, and it features mostly cleans and finishes out strong.
Overall Raze The Idols shows they have the promise to have a powerful sound. The production is real raw which at times holds back that powerful punch they are capable of. The use of clean vocals could have been utilized better and at times felt forced. Regardless, Dominion is a good listen, and a promising step forward for Raze The Idols. They have a versatile sound, and a brand of raw metalcore that is not heard to often anymore in a Christian scene that has seen more conformant and unity in band's sounds. They are talented a cross the board at each position, and with a step up in production I can see Raze The Idols doing big things in the future.
A - [B-] - c - D - F
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Top 15 Albums of 2014
.15.
Still My Darling
A Few Years From Now
metalcore
A record that few people know about. Which should not be the case. Still My Darling sent us off with a goodbye with this album. They had a special style of versatile metalcore that separated themselves from your typical metalcore band today. There is something in this record for everybody, and though they are done, don't let this record go unnoticed. It shreds, has some of the best breakdowns, and the vocals are top notch.
.14.
Nothing Till Blood
Still Standing
hardcore/metalcore
Nothing Till Blood released a really enjoyable record for me. This record is heavy hardcore that is fun and energetic. The lyrics are perfectly uplifting and Christ-centered.
.13.
A Hill To Die Upon
Holy Despair
blackened death metal
Today it is extremely difficult to find a good blackened death metal Christian act. And tho it is hard for me to get into the genre, I can easily say A Hill To Die Upon is on top of that short list. Holy Despair is the standard for Christian blackened death metal.
.12.
Dissimulator
This Is Darkness
deathcore
Jared Dines has had quite the viral year in 2014. But so did his band Dissimulator, with the release of This Is Darkness. Dissimulator has quickly established themselves as a wrecking force of Christian deathcore madness. One of the heaviest releases this year that is relentless from beginning to end.
.11.
Darkness Divided
Written In Blood
metalcore
What a year for Darkness Divided! Signing with Victory Records, releasing a strong debut full length, and touring the country non stop. This album has implemented DD as one of metalcore's strongest rising bands.
.10.
Eyes Of The Defiled
Enslaved In Exile
deathcore
Enslaved In Exile is a crushing release from EOTD. A lot of deathcore bands are one dimensional and repetitive... not the case here. Anything heard in their respected genre can be heard on this record. If there is one record you were to immediately check out after reading this list, it should be this one.
.9.
Comrades
Safekeeper
post rock/indie
Usually there is at least one record that surprises me and instantly makes the list. Comrades comes at you in so many musical directions. With a beautiful mixture of post rock, alternative, indie hardcore, post hardcore, and instrumental it is hard to pin point an explanation, but to just take it all in and enjoy.
.8.
Fit For A King
Slave To Nothing
metalcore
I believe FFAK made huge strides with this album. They strayed away from the style they portrayed in their first two releases and added some refreshing elements to their metalcore roots this time around, and it results in a more versatile and mature record. And coincidently they are blowing up and being featured on bigger tours.
.7.
Forevermore
Telos
metalcore
Sojourner was one of me favorite albums of 2012, so automatically it was going to be hard to top for me. But Forevermore clearly made a strong case this year. Bringing on ex Onward to Olympas vocalist, Kramer Lowe, was a strong move. They mastered their sound heard on Sojourner, added Kramer's intense vocals, and made a fantastic record. Strong Solid State Records pick up.
.6.
Beartooth
Disgusting
hardcore/hectic rock
This is the year that Caleb Shomo shed his Attack Attack image and became one with his band Beartooth. Being together 2 years now, Beartooth has taken huge strides in popularity. This record has anthem after anthem for the broken teens far and wide. Positive lyrics that clearly point to a loving God, with in-your-face loud, hardcore mashed rock is the recipe for Beartooth's success.
.5.
Anberlin
Lowborn
rock/alternative
The end was inevitably in sight for Anberlin. And this year they ended their storied career, released Lowborn, and kicked off a final tour. They went out with incredible fashion with Lowborn. It is a soothing blend of classic Anberlin and experimentation in alternative rock seen on their previous album.
.4.
Silent Planet
The Night God Slept
metalcore
Silent Planet released The Night God Slept and it took everyone by storm. It was highly anticipated and worth the hype. This record hits emotional topics and creates touching stories, all with precise musicianship from each member. Solid State Record's signing of them may be the smartest move the label has done in a long time.
.3.
Separatist
Closure
technical death metal
I discovered them over the summer, and Separatist immediately exploded onto the Christian circuit. Now a solo project, Separatist packs one brutal tech death punch. Closure is a dark imaged story of a man going through the times of revelation. If I was more into tech death metal this record would be the top spot. Near perfect album.
Re-released, at the same time Closure was released, is a re-mastered version of their debut album, Monuments.
.2.
Saving Grace
The Urgency
metalcore
The Urgency has received high praise in New Zealand and Australia. And for good reason. Saving Grace releases an onslaught of aggressive metalcore mayhem from start to finish. Throw in some old school thrash and hardcore elements with solid Christian lyricism, and you have double peddle Jesus metal at it's finest.
.1.
Prepared Like A Bride
Overcomer
progressive metalcore
Prepared Like A Bride released an incredibly strong, honest, and emotional album in Overcomer. Heavy personal lyrical content is the foundation of this record. With many songs dedicated to the vocalist Ryan's, father's death, making it heavy in heart, but preaches on overcoming those dark adversities. Musically it goes hand-in-hand, matching the lyrical atmosphere of the record. It has it's heavy moments, atmospheric elements, and it is full of beautiful melodies and choruses. The bar was set, now watch their career catapult to the next level.
Honorable Mentions
Blood Thirsty - Sanguine River Absolution, Colossus - Badlands, Demon Hunter - Extremist, For Today - Fight The Silence, Mouth Of The South - Struggle Well, Nine Lashes - From Water To War, Silence The Ocean - Broken Vessels, Those Who Fear - Death Sentence, War Of Ages - Supreme Chaos, With Increase - Death Is Inevitable, Wolves At The Gate - VxV
Other Notable Releases
Akissforjersey - New Bodies, Armory Infirmary - Live Again, The Autumn League - Concept of Irony, Beware The Neverending - Times of War, Bruised But Not Broken - Fragment, Disciple - Attack, Fire The Sun - An Evolution In The Creation Of A New Self Being, Gideon - Calloused, Hotel Books - Almost Happy Here, But I Never Feel At Home, Lookin Up - Reborn, Memphis May Fire - Unconditional, Monolith - Monolith, Nigh Is The Hour - Decalogue, The Old Timers - Soli Deo Gloria, The Overseer - Rest And Let Go, Raze The Idols - Dominion, Reformers - Abolish, The Saving - David Star, The Scarlet Lie - Sonorous, Sleeping Giant - Finished Love, Type (A) Alert - Into Depths First Light, Uglytwin - Oh The Cost, Without A Hobby - God's Machine
This concludes my Top of the year lists for 2014. It was a fantastic year in music with witnessing a lot of growth from a lot of bands.
I thank everyone for all their involvement and support of bands!
If your band (or a band you know ) did not appear, be sure to contact God's Love For Hardcore throughout the year with your future releases to secure a submission for the annual Top 15 lists.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Top 15 EP's of 2014
.15.
Oh Tear the Veil
Oh Tear the Veil
progressive metalcore
This is a really good under the radar debut release from the 4 brothers of Oh Tear the Veil. Spirit-filled all the way, with solid versatile instrumentation.
.14.
Chorder
Warmonger
djent
Grooves for days... I personally don't like the term 'djent', but they do it extremely well.
.13.
Household
With Or Without
melodic hardcore/punk
This popular trend of emotional melodic hardcore is hit or miss. You're either really good or really bad, with me. Household is really good. They don't water down the Christian message to find acceptance, but mix the secular sound with profound lyricism perfectly.
.12.
Sleep Now
Cast Out
hardcore
For those of you who were fans of old Gideon. This should be your new favorite band. I personally love their sound. They have enough added melodic elements that perfectly blend together this style of in your face hardcore. They have been silent a while on Fb, but a great debut none the less.
.11.
Hashem
Martyr
death metal
Leaving the core out of things, and being straight metal. Solid death metal act with a really powerful sound. Second year in a row on this list. I would really love for them to experiment more and take things to the next level.
.10.
Mailman
Elder
metalcore
This is a band that everyone needs to know about. Elder went almost unknown in Christian music releases this year. I found them this summer and immediately featured them on the Summer Compilation. Huge potential for a small band that already has a popular sound.
.9.
Endure
Nothing Is Our Own
melodic hardcore
This was Endure's final release before disbanding. Such a solid band, ended with such a solid release. Really good melodic hardcore on faith, love, and hope.
.8.
With A Voice
Unending
post-hardcore
With A Voice sent us off with Unending, another band calling it quits with an EP release. Which is sad, but good, because this EP is superb. Raw, catchy, grown man post-hardcore, not for your average scene teen. So sad to see them go.
.7.
How The West Was Won
Wild And Waste
metalcore/metal
This release came as a surprise to me, I was waiting for them to release new stuff and didn't hear about a release until after Wild and Waste came out. So I can imagine it did the same for a lot of people. Wild and Waste is really good, from a very consistently good band.
.6.
CrossFire
The Catalyst
progressive metalcore
This is a release you most likely have not heard. This band took an extremely large jump this year musically with this release, and created a really solid EP. It's close to my top 5 for a reason, it's good.
.5.
Nomadic
Terminus
progressive death metal
Really diverse release. My cut off on length for releases was they had to be more than 2 songs. But this 2 song EP was just too good not to place.
.4.
O'Kingdom
Empires
progressive metalcore
O'Kingdom is another band that seemed to go under the radar in the Christian circut and released an extremely catchy EP, without trading awesome musicianship in the process.
.3.
All Have Sinned
Desecrate Their Graves
deathcore
Thee... heaviest and darkest EP release of 2014, hands down.
.2.
The Valenzetti Equation
Trial of Eden
progressive deathcore/death metal
Another extremely diverse metal EP to release this year. It's heavy, technical, experimental in all the right ways.
.1.
A Feast For Kings
Hell On Earth
progressive metalcore
Eric Gentry's legacy is forever implanted in our souls, his impact will be felt forever. Hell on Earth is a perfect release. AFFK worked extremely hard to release this EP, and they rightfully earned the best EP of this year. AFFK will continue on as the band XXI. Expect something huge.
Check out my Review of Hell On Earth here!
In honor of Eric Gentry. We love and miss you!
Honorable Mentions
Among Millennials - Idle Hands, Burdened Hearts - Lost In Myself, Consecrate - Holy, Holy, End Of Atlas - Immaturity, Essentials - Trials, Nazarene - Fade Away, Outstretch - Outstretch, Owls In The Attic - Old Souls, Young Hearts, Reveal Renew - Phrases For The Living, Revivalist - Brother, Wait Here - Empty Reflection
Other Notable Releases
Achaia - King, Anchor To My Soul - Demo, Armory Infirmary - Rest, Atrocities - Set Free, The Beckoning - Desolate, Between Now And Then - Collections, Beyond Vision - Fire Is Coming, BoughXBlood - Restoration, Captain Roselyn - Heartmatter, City of Auburn - Soul Searcher, Deadweight - No Place Like Home, Despite My Pride - Cold Blood/Simple Math, Elizabeth Crim - My Suicide, Embers Of Earth - Release the River, Emya - Viera II, ternal Covenant - The Storm, Eyes of Eli - Ignite, Heart of A Servant - Heart of A Servant, Hollow Vessels - Rumination, I Am Eternity - Restructure, In This World - Maiden Voyage, Lambs Like Lions - Lambs Like Lions, Me and the Trinity - Crux, Judgment Day x Strength - Split EP, Messengers - Deux Chansons, Nazarene - Heart and Mind, New Heart - Demo MMXIV, Parallax Withering - Disintegration, Poured Out - Inner Poverty, Reasons - Coffin, Remnants of Rome - Open-Hearted, Righteous Vendetta - Defiance, Servants x Endeavor - Split EP, A Sight To See - The Arrival, Soundcult - Mindset, Stop, Drop, & Burn - Face Down, Subtle City - Life After Death, Timoratus - Black, Timoratus - Death, Torn - Demo 2014, Vitriolic - The Road To Damascus, What We Do In Secret - The Migration, Whose Hearts Were His - Whose Hearts Were His, Windvent - Truth, Your Hands Write History - The Pentateuch
This year was a deep field full of talented EP releases! I want to thank all the bands for their hard work for the kingdom! If your band (or a band you know ) did not appear, be sure to contact God's Love For Hardcore throughout the year with your future releases to secure a submission for the annual Top 15 lists.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Silence The Ocean
Broken Vessels
Album Review
metalcore/post-hardcore
release date: November 15, 2014
Silence The Ocean is a hard working modern metalcore/post-hardcore band from Ohio. Broken Vessels is their debut full length album following up their 2013 EP, Changes. With a goal to spread God's love to everyone, they come rare in this day and age among metalcore and post-hardcore bands, while bands lean more towards an open positive world message.
Broken Vessels is a solid release in the midst of a crowded lineup of 2014 releases. Their style has very reminiscent influences of the genre that made this style of music popular: dirty and clean vocals, fun riffs, chuggy breakdowns, clean guitar and bass work, and crisp, precise drumming. And they get right into it with the opening titled track, Broken Vessels. This is an intro track, and as with all good intro tracks, it entices and builds up excitement and curiosity as to what follows. Keys play over atmospheric background music to begin, the instruments kick in continuing the build up, and before you know it, Conner shreds the microphone with screams of "We are broken vessels!" "Make us whole again!" Build up music is still playing a few seconds after Conner's barrage, and then immediately kicks in gear to Dethrone. Personally I feel this song could have been so much more intense, following a heavy intro. It starts off heavy, fast guitars, diverse, and layered screams. Ultimately I think it would have been a more powerful song without the cleans to start off the album, or placed in the middle of the record.
Endless is the third track, and is a notable point on Broken Vessels. It has a beautiful intro, bringing backs memories of old We Came As Romans. Leroy Hamp of War of Ages is featured and appears around midway through the track. The song lyrically talks about how time is ever moving, you can not control it, and every day is a new beginning. Fragile is the fourth song, and it continues on a high note following Endless. Structures follows, and it is probably my personal favorite on the album. It has everything I enjoy in a modern metalcore/post-hardcore album; good use of cleans, enjoyable riffs, a beat to go along with, and a good heavy breakdown or two. The Wolf is the sixth track and is made up of all the familiar elements the album has showed thus far, keeping the albums pace.
Unconditional Love follows up The Wolf. It is strictly a ballad with all clean vocals that is presented with a pop rock feel. Lyrically, as well as the style switch up, the song comes of more as a worship song to God exalting His love for us even though we continually stumble. Personally I am a stickler with bands who have single songs that delve off direction of the rest of the album, and tho i feel it could have been more passionate, the song is a refresher, and a reminder of our brokenness and His ever forgiving love for us. As the song concludes, it immediately picks back up with a very solid song in My Disgrace. Frayed Paths is track nine. This song gives me the vibe it would be a really good live show song, with it's darker feel and mosh friendly breakdowns. Born Machines ends the album in good fashion, fading the album out with beautiful melodies.
Overall Silence The Ocean has the sound as well as the work ethic to really reach people and grow as a band. Broken Vessels has a lot of enjoyable moments. Musically it is filled with beautiful melodies, and it also hits hard. The bass is really enjoyable, crisp, and clear resembling the likes of old Fit For A King, Gideon, and more recently the band Convictions. Most bands the bass goes unnoticed, blending with the guitars, but its presence is felt in Broken Vessels. I do feel the clean vocals could have been utilized differently throughout the album. At times they seemed to miss the emotional mark of the feel of the song at times. But none the less, where the band lacks, their strong suits make up for it. The band has goals they are striving for this year, with possibilities of getting signed and going on tour. Broken Vessels is a good stepping stone in the right direction for them. They are always busy creating new music, and with such passion for God, expect nothing but great things from the boys in Silence The Ocean!
A - [B+]- C - D - F
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