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Friday, November 21, 2003
"'Live Till You Die' by Today Is The Day"
by
Bill Vogel III
Friday, November 21, 2003 A.D.
When it comes to sheer awe, few bands can demolish it like Today Is The Day. On their excellent, 2000 CD "Live Till You Die" [Relapse Records] they shred, level, burn, and obliterate any notion of conventional musical theory. Pushing the very limits of extremity, they fuse elements of Industrial, harsh Punk, Death, and acoustic instrumentations that are both atmospheric as well as aggressive. Steve Austin and his crew have created a bludgeoning, vicious, and sublimely beautiful excursion into Armageddon.
Stark, harsh, and surreal-Today Is The Day doesn't scratch the surface of reality...they reinvent it in chaos. Shrill, screeching growls fluidly interchange with clean vocals, metallic riffing, disjointed samples, and melancholy acoustic passages. The result is primordial soundscapes that dredge the deepest, darkest depths of the soul, and the universe. This is Metalcore at it's finest, and fiercest.
Every song is unique, each with its own wicked charm. "Ripped Off (Acoustic)" is a surrealistic, journey that is stoic and trippy. Their cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" is an eerie, dark vision with a whacked Twin Peaks vibe...and an absolute essential cut. "Temple Of The Morning Star" is a frantic declaration of power and pain. The opening cut, "The Color of Psychic Power," brutally paints an image with shrieks, deep growls, clean vocals, powerful rhythms, and blasting guitar licks.
The best cut though, is their razor against bone cover of Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love." They make this song their own. Shredding growls over bludgeoning, distorted guitars easily transition between softer, clean vocals accompanied melodic instrumentation. This is one of the best covers I have ever heard. It highlights the brilliance of Today Is The Day....
This is an essential work, and definitely one of the best releases of 2000. It is still as fresh, vital, and awe-inspiring today as it was three years ago. The soundtrack for the end of the world is here, and Today Is The Day glories in the discord. Get it! This one will appeal to all fans of Brutal/Extreme Metals. It's an absolute, essential classic. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Nasum, Brutal Truth, Fear Factory, Soulstorm,
Unsane, Luddite Clone, All Else Failed, Hate Theory,
Uphill Battle, Hatebreed, Buried Alive, Hoods, A18,
Sworn Enemy, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION.
Provided courtesy of Stranger Aeons.
Copyright 2003.
W.B. Vogel III 5:30 PM
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
"'Everything Is Beautiful When You Don't Look Down' by Glasseater"
by
Bill Vogel III
November 18, 2003 A.D.
From the ever-expanding Melodic Hardcore scene comes the talented band Glasseater. Their 2003 opus, "Everything Is Beautiful When You Don't Look Down" [Victory Records], is a subtle mix of modern Melodic Hardcore dynamics and intense flashes of Metalcore aggression. It's melodious, ferocious, and sublimely moody all at the same time.
Catchy, clean-vocal Hardcore is impaled by harsh growls and crushing blasts of Metalcore brutality. At times Pop flavored, and others hellishly monstrous, Glasseater burns at fierce extremes of creativity. It's a natural fit for them.
The best songs include the pummeling "At Your Own Risk," "Everything Is Beautiful When You Don't Look Down," the airy punch of "From Cradle To Grave," "Greetings...Goodbye," and "Break Away." Glasseater does it well.
Overall, Glasseater is one of the best Melodic Hardcore bands around. And still release is a statement to that fact. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Alien Ant Farm, Chavelle, Trapt,
Pressure 4-5, Element Eighty,
Onesidezero, Finch, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION.
Copyright 2003.
Courtesy of Stranger Aeons Magazine.
W.B. Vogel III 1:12 PM
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
"Hedfirst (Self-Titled)"
by
Bill Vogel III
November 13, 2003 A.D.
Dare I say it? Yes, I dare. Hedfirst is one of the finest Deathrash Metal bands ever. Their self-titled 2003 opus, released by Crash Music Inc., is the paragon archetype of Melodic Deathrash. Brutal yet sublime, intricate yet primal-it burns with a dazzling ferocity.
The guitar is a flawless barrage of melodic, highly-skilled aggression. Slow, hook-driven assaults bleed into catchy, frenzied grooves. Crisp, growled vocals are augmented by clean ones. Hedfirst is stunning, fierce, and incendiary.
The best of the rampaging cuts includes "Locked," the bombastic stomp "Headfirst," "I Hate You," "Message On A Fist," and the brilliant epic "Last Man Standing." Skill and intensity-Hedfirst is brutal perfection.
Overall, Hedfirst is a fiercely dynamic, talented Melodic Deathrash Metal that is totally amazing. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Sepultura, Darkane, Terror 2000, Arch
Enemy, Carnal Forge, Soulfly, Overdose,
Sepsism, Voivod, Sadus, Slayer, Deicide,
Eucharist, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION.
Copyright 2003.
Courtesy of Stranger Aeons Magazine.
W.B. Vogel III 11:50 AM
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