2014 Round-up: Loud Noises Ten Best of 2014

     Well wouldn't you know it, 2015 is quickly slipping away from us, which means it's time I'd better get my shit together and get on with the Loud Noises 2014 Round-Up. And only a month or so late! As usual, we're going to start things off with a few of my favourite albums from the year that was 2014 (let's say around ten or so...), presented in no particular order.


- Job for a Cowboy - Sun Eater
     This one not only warrants a spot on this list of ten great albums from 2014, it's also a front-runner for Biggest Surprise of the Year. You see, I never used to think much of Job for a Cowboy. I don't know what it was about their first couple of albums, but I wasn't really a fan and more or less wrote the band off in my head. I really only checked out Sun Eater on the strength of the first couple of tracks Job for a Cowboy released from it, but I've been pleasantly and thoroughly surprised to discover that Job for a Cowboy has become a pretty badass death metal band with just the right amount of technicality and even some proggy highlights applied here and there. Sun Eater slays, and it should be enough to convince anyone sitting on the Job for a Cowboy fence which side they should come down on.

- Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.
     Given metal's traditional, even stereotypical, popularity in places like Scandinavia and northern Europe, I guess I shouldn't be surprised in 2015 that there are so many kickass bands doing their thing in so many different places around the world. Maybe someday the novelty of learning metal isn't a strictly North American phenomenon will wear off, but for the time being I still find myself  perhaps unduly excited every time I learn about a band somewhere else doing something just as awesome as what's going on right here at home. Case in point: Italy's Destrage, an incredibly talented band that doesn't let its high energy, frenetic riffing get in the way of its songwriting. Think a somewhat more metal Protest the Hero with the vein of spastic madness turned up to levels closer to Dillinger Escape Plan and you'll be approaching the right track. Are You Kidding Me? No. is a masterpiece, and I can't wait to hear whatever's next from Destrage.

- Killitorous - Party, Grind
     If you've been following along for any length of time now, you've likely picked up on the fact that my tastes, while pretty diverse, tend towards the proggier end of the spectrum. But I do so loves me some death metal, especially when it's fast and techy, which is why Killitorous' Party, Grind hit such a sweet spot for me. I crowdfunded this one on a whim and the strength of one single, and boy was I gratified when my copy came in the mail and fucking killed. Party, Grind is fast and ferocious from start to finish, with enough trem picking, arpeggio sweeping, and blast beating to satisfy any tech-death aficionado. That Killitorous are Canadian is just gravy. A sophomore disc from these guys will be something to watch out for.

- Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails
     Going into 2014, it was a pretty safe bet that big things were in store for San Francisco's Fallujah. They weren't exactly newcomers to the scene, but they were getting a newcomer kind of buzz for their 2013 EP Nomadic. Then when The Flesh Prevails dropped, the johnny-come-latelies like me all learned that the buzz was well deserved. In The Flesh Prevails Fallujah served up a major slab of dense and atmospheric progressive post-death metal. They managed to take what is clearly some incredible musicianship and make a record that translates all of it into intensity and none of it into showy excess. There's a lot here to digest, but the dedicated listener is most definitely rewarded with a modern classic.

- Closure in Moscow - Pink Lemonade
     As much as I got into Pink Lemonade in 2014 (which was a lot), it's definitely a grower and not a shower, if you take my meaning. Fans of Closure in Moscow expecting the band's next disc to sound more or less like First Temple kicked up a notch or two are likely to have been a little turned off by the spaced-out prog rock that is Pink Lemonade, at least initially. The open-minded listener, however, was rewarded with a Mars Voltian jazz funk adventure that spans a whole fistful of genres. Post-hardcore, post-rock -- Pink Lemonade is post-whatever you can think of. Metal purists should think twice before they look down their nose at this one.

- Raiju - Haunt
     I've posted about songs from this album a couple of times in the last little bit, so you should already have an idea why these guys have a spot on this list. Just in case you don't: take the punk-metal-influenced shreddy riffing of Protest the Hero, mix in the proggy, groovy low end of Periphery, add a dash of slick pop-prog from somebody like Coheed and Cambria, and you've got yourself a rough sketch of Raiju. Comparisons between Raiju and bands like those I just mentioned are especially appropriate given vocalist Scott Wagner's impressive vocal range. Raiju is another one of those bands whose sophomore should be absolutely epic if their freshman effort is any indication.

- Wake - Hail the Sun
     When I was younger, we might well have called Wake and their debut LP Hail the Sun emo or screamo or something like that, earnestly at first and then perhaps derogatorily a little later on once we'd grown into our more metal listening habits. These days the catch-all term "post-hardcore" might be employed in polite company (although screamo is probably still the denigrating term of choice among genre naysayers). Whatever way you want to slice things, label-wise, Hail the Sun is an energetic, varied, vaguely poppy, vaguely techy record in the vein of bands like Dance Gavin Dance. More than that, though, I'd call it one of the best examples of "screamo" to come out in years (Dance Gavin Dance included).

- Opeth - Pale Communion
     The last couple of Opeth records have been pretty polarizing for longtime fans of the band. Some have embraced the band's shift away from its death metal roots, while others have wholeheartedly rejected it. Luckily for me, I've been in the former camp since the electric/acoustic yin-yang of the Deliverance/Damnation double album, and I've listened to each new Opeth record fully expecting and accepting that we're not getting another Blackwater Park -- and that that's perfectly OK. If you're willing to concede that point and go into Pale Communion with that in mind, you'll discover a straight-up rock-solid prog record. Watershed is still my favourite of Opeth's less-metal offerings, but Pale Communion is definitely the strongest of their last couple.

- Archspire - The Lucid Collective
     Technical death metal is in a good place at the opening of 2015, and there were a number of really solid albums in this genre last year that could arguably warrant a spot on my list of favourite albums from 2014. I've already mentioned one of them in Killitorous' killer debut LP Party, Grind and awesomely enough my next selection is also an act from the Great White North. Vancouver's Archspire adorn their merch with the slogan "Stay Tech", and a listen or two to their 2014 disc The Lucid Collective should demonstrate that they've got the chops to back it up. Machine gun-quick vocals, fretboard acrobatics, and light-speed drumming all line up just right on this one. Fans of the genre would be greatly remiss if they didn't check this one out.

- Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution
     Last bust most certainly not least, I'm rounding out my list of 2014 favourites with another phenomenal album of technically proficient, compositionally progressive death metal from yet another badass Canadian band. I might, of course, be just a little bit biased, but I don't think you need to be to recognize the towering mountain of proggy death metal that Montreal's Beyond Creation have crafted for us in Earthborn Evolution. Dominic Lapointe's absolutely ridiculous bass work is worth the price of admission all by itself, to say nothing of the laser-precise performances of all involved. There's maybe a shade less sheer speed here than, say, Archspire or Killitorous, but the musicianship is so top-notch that it's hard to be anything but bewildered by this one.

    
     And there you have it: another year, another ten kickass albums. As usual, narrowing the crowded field of good records from last year down to ten of my favourites wasn't easy, but I hope my making the tough calls means that, when deciding what to put on next, you won't have to.
     I've got another couple of 2014 Round-Up posts planned, which hopefully won't take until spring to finish up, so stay tuned.

Eidola - The Alchemist and The Architect

     By now you've hopefully had the chance to read a bit about Utah's Eidola. If you already knew about these guys, perhaps you learned something new from Andrew's answers to my interrogation. If you didn't know Eidola already, then perhaps you're ready for a more formal introduction. Either way, you know the drill when it comes to Twenty Questions, so here's your side order of Eidola-flavoured Song of the Day.

     There's a number of cool tracks I could feature from the band's The Great Glass Elephant (in addition to the song "Going Nowhere", which I wrote about back when I first discovered these guys, and which is an awesome song) but I think tonight I'm going to go with "The Alchemist and The Architect" as another good representation of what Eidola brings to the table.

     And what might that be? A high-energy, multi-vocal, multi-guitar mix of post-hardcore and rock, post or otherwise, that reminds me a little of Circa Survive or Death Before Disco, or even Closure in Moscow in their more restrained (read: less ridiculous) moments. If you're a fan of any of those bands, or if the aforementioned high-energy cocktail sounds tasty to you, why not check out "The Alchemist and The Architect" to get yourself a little more familiar with The Great Glass Elephant while you wait for Degeneraterra?

Album of the Week: Closure in Moscow - Pink Lemonade

     I'm fairly certain that if you've gotten this far with me, you've got a relatively open musical mind. If I'm correct in that conclusion, then this week's album will hopefully be right up your alley.

     I've written about Australia post-hardcore-meets-prog band Closure in Moscow several times in the past, featuring songs from their last couple of albums. Their latest, Pink Lemonade, presents something of a challenge to their established fanbase.

     You see, the first two Closure in Moscow albums were, like I said, post-hardcore-ish affairs, tinged with whiffs of other, proggier stuff that elevated them above mere post-hardcore-ism. First Temple, especially, is a great album no matter what genre label you want to put on it. But with Pink Lemonade the boys went full space-prog funk-pop and crafted something fans might not necessarily have expected -- or wanted -- as a follow-up to First Temple.

     But fear not. If you've got the kind of open musical mind I was talking about up top, there's every chance you'll be happy as a clam with Pink Lemonade, another kick-ass Closure in Moscow record now matter how you genre-fy it, and sure to end up on at least a couple year end best of lists. Spin it and see what you think.

Tuesday: Origin - Absurdity of What I Am

     Sometimes when I post about something non-metal, like yesterday's Closure in Moscow song, there's this small part of me that feels like I'm neglecting the metal crowd. It's the reason why I like to follow something non-metal with something all the more crushing, and it's the reason why I've got some straight up death metal for you today.

     "Absurdity of What I Am", the latest track from the forthcoming LP Omnipresent by Origins, is a beast of a song from front to back. Blast beats and trem picking abound, but the lock for me is the riff that starts around 1:20 -- such a groove! I normally like things to be a little proggier, a little more varied than "Absurdity", but sometimes there's something to be said for sheer relentlessness. Following some funked out art rock just happens to be one of those times.

Monday: Closure in Moscow - Neoprene Byzantine

     My long-awaited pre-order copy of Closure in Moscow's latest, Pink Lemonade, has finally emerged from the land down under and landed in my mailbox. Fans looking for more in the vein of debut LP First Temple might be a little disappointed, but fans just looking for something fun and different may just have their record for the summer.

     While the latter (ie: First Temple) was a well-crafted slice of melodic post-hardcore/post-rock with some proggy twists and turns here and there, the former (the new Pink Lemonade) is an altogether funkier beast, melding energetic space rock with pornolicious grooves that would be at home in a 70's skin flick.

     It doesn't hurt that vocalist Christopher de Cinque can a) boast a range and tone not unlike Cedric from The Mars Volta, and b) turn a phrase or two. Take today's song: "Neoprene Byzantine" is just a fun pair of words to say, even when not married to some seriously funky rock. Check it out and marvel at how far these guys have come.

Sunday: Closure in Moscow - A Night at the Spleen

     Almost...there...

     For our last catch-up song,we're going with "A Night at the Spleen" from Closure in Moscow's 2009 LP First Temple. In addition to thinking you should all know about this band, I'm also hoping that featuring another song of theirs will somehow send a karmic ripple through the fabric of the universe that by some strange twist of fate speeds along the final stages of mixing and mastering on their forthcoming record Pink Lemonade so they can finally release the damn thing!

     Things look like they're nearing completion on the band's Facebook, but I want to hear the record already. For the time being I guess we'll all just have to be content with something off First Temple, but those Aussie boys better hop to it -- the suspense is killing me.

Closure in Moscow - Church of the Technochrist

     Technically I'm about a half hour late to the party with today's (or rather Friday's) song, but really who's counting (besides me)? Probably not you, that's who!

     Pre-orders for the upcoming LP Pink Lemonade from Australia's proggy post-hardcore band Closure in Moscow have been up for a couple of months now, but beyond some studio updatey-type videos on their Facebook they've been relatively silent about the whole thing. The record doesn't even have a release date yet, although it looks like things are now into the mixing and mastering stages. The band does, however, have a new video for the album's first single, "Church of the Technochrist".

     Closure in Moscow were never a metal band by any stretch of the imagination, but judging by this single (and a couple of live tracks that have found their way onto Youtube) the band has shifted its sound away somewhat from the levels of intensity and technicality displayed on previous releases. But that doesn't mean I'm not still interested in hearing Pink Lemonade; the band still seems to have all the energy, melodic sense, and just plain funkiness they always have, meaning that the tasty flavours I like about their old stuff are still in evidence. Plus, at least in the case of this first single, the subject matter -- technology as religion -- is actually pretty metal, amirite?

     So, staunch metalheads of the Interwebz, put aside your pretentious metal elitism for at least a few minutes and let "Church of the Technochrist" convert you to the ranks of the Closure in Moscow believers. You might just find that you enjoy some slightly mellower thunder from down under.

Song of the Day: Dead Letter Circus - Lodestar

     Australia is home to some really cool music right now. Just ask Plini, Closure in Moscow, or everybody's favourite, Karnivool, to name just a few.

Song of the Day: Closure in Moscow - Vanguard

     I've written about Australians Closure in Moscow before, but a) it's been a while b) they're cool and c) I need something with an M in it, because it's...

Song of the Day: Closure In Moscow - Kissing Cousins

     Yesterday when I was writing about Thank You Scientist and trying (somewhat vainly) to come up with some way to describe their sound, I mentioned a band called Closure in Moscow. Checking my records (yes, I do keep records) I see that I haven't done a Song of the Day for them yet, and since they're the kind of band that I don't imagine too many of you are into, I figure they could use a day in the spotlight.

Song of the Day: Thank You Scientist - My famed disappearing act

     I read reviews on sites like Heavyblogisheavy and MetalSucks, and if somebody I don't know sounds particularly interesting I'll go and check them out. I'm sure you do much the same thing when you're looking for new stuff. That's how I discovered today's band.