Architects - The Here And Now (2011)

This may be their lightest, most melodic and most ‘radio-friendly’ release to date, but I’m not going to hate on 'The Here And Now' just because a band has chosen to change their musical direction.

In actual fact, I’m not really going to hate on it at all. This album isn’t bad. It’s just really not very good, either. I have no issue with a band that is willing to progress their sound musically; in fact I generally applaud it. However, I think ‘The Here and Now’ marks a step in the wrong direction for Architects. Following on from the sound of Hollow Crown and the sudden djent boom on the metal scene, I believe Architects could’ve gone on to be innovators in a more hardcore interpretation of djent. This would be pioneering and something a little original, but not so much of a step from Hollow Crown that they’d be selling their souls, and they could have pulled it off – in my opinion - very well indeed.

Instead, they’ve elected to go down the commercial melodic hardcore / metalcore route, which I see as a bit like giving up: Giving up your sound to fit the norm to gain popularity, instead of making your own sound so good that it becomes the norm. I suppose the change would have been fine, if the new sound was done well. The truth is, though, that Sam Carter is an alright screamer and a pretty bad singer, and unfortunately for him, the musical direction that the band are taking requires a very strong vocal performance on every level. I don’t think it’s quite hit the mark on ‘The Here And Now’.

There are some good songs on this record, though. Curiously enough, my favourite is the song that departs farthest from their norm: ‘Heartburn’. What this album really lacks for me, however, is something exceptional. Anything, in fact. All the songs are all okay - some better than others - but there’s nothing that give you a ‘wow’ factor and makes you want to go back for more.

It leaves a lot wanting, then, but it’s not a wholly unpleasant listen. A lot of people have been complaining of their leaving the complexity behind, and yes; the songs have become simpler, but the more melodic approach allows a more varied sound throughout the album, and so I don’t see it as a huge tragedy. When push comes to shove, though, if you want a heavy, technical hardcore album; get Hollow Crown. If you want a good, English, melodic hardcore album, get ‘The Kids We Used to Be’. And if you still want more, get this.


5/10


1. Day In Day Out
2. Learn to Live
3. Delete Rewind
4. BTN
5. An Open Letter To Myself
6. The Blues
7. Red Eyes
8. Stay Young Forever
9. Heartburn
10. Year In Year Out/Up And Away
*11. Day In Day Out (Big Chocolate Remix)*


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The Devil Wears Prada - Zombie [EP] 2010

This album represents a small step in the right direction for The Devil Wears Prada. Is it enough? Not so sure.

First things first, it’s gotten heavier. This EP is angry and noisy. This can be a good thing, I just fear that there is very little of anything else on the record. There’s a few alright breakdowns, some half-decent riffs, and I kind of almost like the whole zombie invasion theme, but...

There really is nothing that really stands-out on the whole EP. You may enjoy some of the breakdowns if you are of the disposition that dictates blind love for fairly mediocre slowed down open chords in a guessable time-signature, but for everyone else, after you’ve listened, you probably won’t think about it again for the rest of the day. Or ever again, for that matter. There is no character, depth, or feeling to the sound.

I listened to the EP several times in preparation for this review and there is yet to be anything that’s really stuck out. It’s all just a bit... well, boring. The one thing that may stay with you is how annoying the high screams are, however I do quite like the dual-vocals in some parts, even if both the high screams and low growls were relatively pitiful. They’ve got nothing on ‘Despised Icon’.

The lead song from the EP, ‘Outnumbered’, is not what I’d call ‘good’, more just the ‘least worst’ song. It holds some more interesting riffs and of course the best breakdown on the record (God I hope it doesn’t pop up on all these ‘top 10 breakdowns’ videos made by 12 year old kids on Youtube). All the songs give an inclination that they’re perhaps trying to be a little bit progressive; especially noted in ‘Survivor’ where there is a longer bit of cleaner singing. However, the cleans themselves are just the kind of ‘my voice is yet to brake’ whine so common in the world of ‘scene kids’. Overall, it makes that attempt seem a little feeble.

You will probably only like this EP if you like other boring, dreary, samey and what I see as lazy deathcore/scene kid bands such as Bring Me The Horizon (yeh, that’s right, I don’t like them either). Its weak, but it’s an improvement from their old stuff. So yeh, don’t listen to their old stuff. A step in the right direction, but a small one.


4/10



1. Escape
2. Anatomy
3. Outnumbered
4. Revive
5. Escape

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Protest The Hero - Fortress (2008)

Admittedly I hadn’t heard of ‘Protest the Hero’ before ‘Fortress’ was released. I was introduced to them first by listening to a few instrumental versions of the songs. This was perhaps lucky, because had I heard it first with the vocals I may have disregarded them straight away.

Don’t make that mistake. While at first the vocals have a tendency to sound a little whiney and screechy, I’ve actually become quite fond of them. It’s certainly not the strongest link in their chain, but this Canadian quintet have so much to offer that slightly unconventional vocals shouldn’t be enough to put anyone in their right mind off.

Luke Hoskin’s guitar work is exceptional. Not only is it technically outstanding, but it sounds fantastic in every single one of the songs on the record. The guitar truly does dictate the pace and mood of this whole album, and this is done seamlessly and from start to finish and Hoskin makes it look easy. The sound perhaps borders on math-core, but there is very little of the jerky starting and stopping stereotypical of the genre. Generally, in fact, this album flows very well, with good transitions throughout.

The album is, however, not one great big movement of music. Nor is it a concept piece like their previous release ‘Kezia’. It is in fact split into three distinct sections. Personally, I don’t see a huge purpose for this: The musical and lyrical styles don’t change greatly from one movement to the next; in fact there is no major change of any sort that I can determine. Perhaps someone more versed in musical theory can prove me wrong on that. The piano interludes, it could well be argued, provide relief from the intense music it brings pause to, but its really not that brutal! I can't really complain though, as they don't really detract from the sound of the album.

Every single song on this album has fairly unrivalled energy and frankly enviable ability, both in the writing and performing of the songs. I couldn’t really name one stand-out track, because- despite the interludes- this album really does just work so well as a whole, and each song is has its own merits. I for one will be most interested to see how they can build on their achievements on ‘Fortress’ and make something (hopefully) even better in their up-and-coming (not yet named) album.


9/10

1. Bloodmeat
2. The Dissentience
3. Bone Marrow
4. Sequoia Throne
5. Palm Reads
6. Limb From Limb
7. Spoils
8. Wretch
9. Goddess Bound
10. Goddess Gagged


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Stick To Your Guns - The Hope Division (2010)

I’m a bit of a fan of most of the bands signed on Sumerian Records, and Stick To Your Guns are no exception. ‘The Hope Division’ is not, however, a technically demanding progressive deathcore album that is perhaps the norm from Sumerian; and while it is progressive, they don’t play around with insane time signatures, and it certainly doesn’t come anywhere near the realm of deathcore.

STYG’s pedigree in west-coast hardcore is not completely lost on the record, though; the guitars still carry a definitive hardcore tone, and the vocals are very much shouted as opposed to growled or screamed. But if anything, this album is metalcore: with more of a drive on melody and use of clean vocals than on angry brutality.

So the new songs aren't quite as moshable as the likes of ‘This Is More’ or ‘Such An Outrage’ from their older releases, but (though I’m yet to see them live) I’ll be willing to bet that a lot of the songs on this album will certainly be something to behold when played live; from the epic build up in ‘Some Kind Of Hope’ to the relentless rhythm of ‘Wolves at the Door’.

I don’t quite know what it is about this album, but it holds a captivating charm that makes you want to listen to it over and over. It provides a musical journey that is incredibly rare in the genre: the band were not afraid to stick an exclusively clean and acoustic song (‘Life Through Western Eyes’) in the middle of two heavier tracks, and yet it flows a lot better than other similar interludes.

If there’s one thing I didn’t like about this album it was the clips from some accented old man speaking about hope and responsibility and stuff. I have nothing against using clips of films in albums, but in this case it just didn’t work for me. The clips are too long, hard to understand, and boring.

8/10

1. Where The Sun Never Sleeps
2. What Goes Around
3. Faith In The Untamed
4. Amber
5. Wolves At The Door
6. Some Kind Of Hope
7. Scarecrow
8. Life Through Western Eyes
9. 3/60
10. No Cover
11. Sufferer
12. La Poderosa
* Hidden Track: This Is More acoustic



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Painted in Exile - Revitalized EP 2009

This EP really is something special. There are very few bands out there who are able to seamlessly span numerous styles of music across an album, and fewer still who can do it on one song.

‘Revitalised’ really does deliver everything; from rap, to deathcore, to jazz. You’ll listen to it struggling to understand why or how each song actually works, but for some reason they always do. The transitions are brilliant, literally going from smooth-jazz ‘elevator music’ style interlude to a pummelling deathcore breakdown is certainly an achievement not to be overlooked.

It really isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, though. The minute long rap section at the start of ‘Skylines’ will be enough to put some people off, and there are some parts that do sound like commercial pop. In many cases, this would be enough to put me off. But not here. ‘Revitalised’ really is something different. The fact that they use a couple of genres that may not be to everybody’s taste doesn’t make it bad: I think they should be admired for daring to try it, and making it work.

The EP is only 3 songs long but the total playtime is nearly half an hour, the shortest song being 8 minutes 35 seconds long. If you don’t like long songs, this is not the band for you. The songs, however, are not like your standard progressive metal epic. I’ve already mentioned the switching of genres, and this really helps keep the songs sounding fresh and new for the entire duration, without losing the flow of the tune.

Their earlier EP (3.14) maintained a more regular blackened deathcore sound, which is still prominently featured in ‘Revitalised’, especially in some of the vocals. There is no true stand out song on the record, as there is only 3 songs and they are all fantastic. They are yet to release a full-length, though there are suggestions of one being crafted and appearing at some point within the next year. It is certainly one to keep an eye out for: It will be very interesting to see what these still-so-young guys can do over a LP. They may even one day rival Between the Buried and Me!

8/10

1. Revitalized
2. Distanced By Dissonance
3. Skylines


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Between the Buried and Me - Colors (2007)

It’s not exactly brand new, but it’s probably my all time favourite album, so I thought it would be nice to start with it. Between the Buried and Me (BtBam) hail from North Carolina, USA, and are without a doubt one of the most talented bands out there.

BtBam are one of those bands whose sound audibly progresses from one album to the next, and anyone can say they’ve come a long way since their 2002 debut. Notably, Colors is significantly less heavy than any of their previous releases (though there’s still a fair share of breakdowns, usually in messed up time signatures), but perhaps more profound is the band’s progression in musicianship.

They’ve always been a talented band, there’s no denying that: I still maintain that Paul Waggoner is the best guitarist alive, even if he’s not got fastest fingers on the fretboard. But Colors truly is a masterpiece. Every song flows seamlessly on from the last, and each song has its own dips and rises, climaxes and interludes. Listening to it is truly a musical journey. A journey that you will wish never to end.

And it certainly doesn’t disappoint in terms of complexity either. All the songs are layered, and each instrument is used to its full potential. That’s not to mention the fact that all the songs require a fair bit of musical prowess to even attempt to imitate, whatever instrument you are trying (yes, there is even a bass guitar solo). Time signatures are played around with a fair bit, somehow not managing to take away from the flow of the music in any way, like you see in bands such as 'Veil Of Maya'.

If you’re listening to this album for the first time, I seriously recommend stopping doing anything else, sitting back, and focus solely on the music, else you’ll miss something. You know you’re onto something special when you find a band with the technical ability of BtBam, who decide not to make a show-off album, but who decide to make a record showcasing the best that metal music can offer. If you have any sense, you will be awed, amazed and astounded.

10/10

1. Foam Born part A: The Bactrack
2. Foam Born part B: The Decade of Statues
3. Informal Gluttony
4. Sun Of Nothing*
5. Ants of the Sky*
6. Prequel to the Sequel
7. Viridian
8. White Walls*
*Songs too long for Youtube upload limit, you'll have to do a bit of searching for the rest.

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