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There is something that I love about ALESANA.  They've got this stylistic musical direction that almost seems to create its own following.  ALESANA is a screamo / metalcore band that adds in a poetic, conceptual, and sometimes an epic feeling, grasping the listener for their last breath.  Musically, ALESANA has a ton of great pop sensibilities, and I love how guitarist / clean vocalist Shawn Milke seems to change character throughout The Emptiness, especially with all the mood swings – the man has really expanded his vocal range here.  Along with this, these guys know how to get heavy.  Their mixture of both modern melodic metal and post hardcore show... (read more)

Chugga Chugga choo choo, hop on the EMMURE train, bro!  Well, the band's latest Victory Records release, Felony, is out and about, but nothing is special about it.  Felony is filled with generic and overused riffs, way too many chugs, and lyrics any dumb tough guy could write.  But if EMMURE is doing one thing right, they've got one hell of a fan base.  The kids (hipsters) love EMMURE, and with the smart marketing and imagery of Felony, the release has gone onto selling almost 12,000 copies in the first 2 weeks, and still rising rapidly.  Those are great numbers for a metal release, by the way.  See, we all know by now that music doesn't sell an... (read more)

If you got comfortable with Every Time I Die's departure to a more southern party sound on The Big Dirty, the prepare to be uncomfortable with this one.  ETID has shed off their party clothes, and they have gone back to work.  The boys seemed to have missed the sounds of Gutter Phenomenon and Hot Damn!, because on this release, they're living in the past. Where The Big Dirty gave you some room to breath in between the more aggressive songs, The New Junk Aesthetic is relentless, starting with the opening track “Roman Holiday”, which is just one long breakdown.  From this point, the album plays quite similarly to Gutter Phenomenon, where it's j... (read more)

I SEE STARS have hands down created the best emo record of the year.  Though I wouldn't call it just emo, because there is a ton of great electronica and post hardcore involved, too.  Seriously, kind of like when Panic At The Disco brought something new and exciting into the scene with their broadway/theatric type of approach, I SEE STARS is the next rock icon to redefine the genre.  I SEE STARS give this futuristic sound with the aforementioned electronica and post hardcore, but it's how they stylistically combine it all into one that makes them the breakthrough that they are.  And seeing how the “scene” these days bites on a “lifestyle&r... (read more)

Normally, I don't get too excited about an album after reading quotes from the band.  Musicians usually state that they've “matured”, or that they are “branching out” on a new record, but it is rarely evident when you give it a listen.  Obviously a band wants to get you excited about what they're creating, but a lot of the time their statements are just littered with filler adjectives.    There is no real reason why I believed the boys from Parkway Drive when they said that Deep Blue was going to set them apart from their metalcore brethren, but saying that I was excited about this record would be an understatement.&nbs... (read more)

Deathcore has been done to death.  The majority of bands of this genre mainly focus on how heavy they are, making sure that there are plenty of bass drops and blast beats.  Originality is rare to find in your typical deathcore band.  Whitechapel was one of the pioneers of this now laughable genre, and all of these other bands are trying oh so hard to emulate their sound (Oceano, cough cough).  If you're in a band like Whitechapel, do you try to separate yourself from all of your followers, or do you stick to the sound that made you famous?  They chose to settle somewhere in middle, and they seemed to choose option.   If you were ... (read more)