Saturday the 13th (of February): Visions - Delete the Sky

     The vagaries of fate, combined with my own procrastinatory predilections, make my catching up on Songs of the Day for you guys seem next to impossible. But am I going to let that stop me from fighting the good fight, from raging against the dying of the proverbial light? Fuck no. The struggle to overcome impossible odds is what makes any hero's journey compelling in the first place, so when the odds around here get impossible, my only real option is to get awesome. Eat your heart out, Joseph Campbell.

     First up in my quest for new Loud Noises material is a song from a band that's on a quest for new material of its own (fuck off, it's either really late or really early at the time of writing, depending on how you slice it). British techcore types Visions have, if Facebook be trusted, finally finished their second LP, and are apparently preparing a new video to coincide with the announcement or release or what have you.We still haven't heard any of this new material, however, so while we await that first single and accompanying video, we'll just have to revisit 2011's Home for something to hold us over.

     To that end, have a go at "Delete the Sky", a slice of techy, angular metalcore that gives way to sparse ambience at its end as a lead-in to the following track on Home. If you're a metalcore fan like me, I think you'll find this record has held up pretty well, and hopefully serves as a decent appetizer for the new meal to come. (The link you're getting is to the album audio, not the music video, since the video understandably cuts out the ending interstitial stuff.)

Thursday: Sevendust - Feel So

     OK, rapid fire, let's do this catch-up thang for real this time, starting with a classic cut for your Throwback last Thursday from one of my go-to "retro" metal bands.

     I've waxed lyrical about the place of Sevendust in my youth and my musical "upbringing", so I won't belabour the point here. Instead I'll just say that, for my money, you can't get much better Throwback Thursday material than the first couple of Sevendust albums. So give it some volume for "Feel So" from Sevendust's 1999 sophomore record Home.

Friday: Visions - Autophobia

     Work continues on the upcoming sophomore disc from mathy British tech-core outfit Visions, who (according to Facebook) are looking to hit the studio in September. So while we're waiting for a follow-up to 2011's Home, let's check out another of its tracks to hold us over.

     Your Friday rager from Visions is "Autophobia", one of those showcase songs that encapsulates what a band or album is putting down. In this case, it's mathy metalcore with an emphasis on nimble riffing, and it reminds me a little of a somewhat more metal-oriented Dillinger or Every Time I Die. It's anybody's guess whether it'll be at all representative of new material, but for the time being it's a sweet sampling of what Home has to offer, so check it out if you don't know Visions already. Then hold your breath for September and fresh album news.

Sevendust - Denial

     Unplugged week continues apace here at Loud Noises, and tonight we're getting in the wayback machine for a bit of a blast from the past.

     Last year saw nostalgic favourite of mine Sevendust release an acoustic album that's equal parts old and new material, and while Time Travelers and Bonfires may not have made my end of the year Ten Best list, that doesn't mean it's not a great record. Both the new songs and the re-imagined versions of classic Sevendust numbers are well done and worthy of inclusion in an acoustic theme week, but for my money we're going to have to go with one of my old favourites.

     Have a listen to the acoustified take on "Denial", originally from Sevendust's 1999 album Home, and marvel at how this piece of my musical youth can be at once familiar and unfamiliar in nearly equal measure. If you don't want to revisit some more Sevendust by the end of it, then you sir are a terrible, terrible monster. There, I said it.

Saturday: Visions - Machines

     I hope you all didn't miss me too much over the course of my impromptu weekend off. I'm back today, and you can rest assured that I've got some things up my sleeve for you. But first, to the obligatory catching up.

     First off, a bit of mathy metalcore for your Saturday past. British band Visions seem to be nearing completion of the writing process for their next album (if Facebook is to be believed) but for the time being we still all have to sit tight with their older material a little while longer. With that in mind, may I suggest "Machines" from Visions' 2011 debut LP Home? It should be sufficient to get you at least mildly intrigued about the prospect of a new Visions record, especially if you imagine it cranked a couple of notches, second album-style.

Thursday: Sevendust - Licking Cream

     Next up, for yesterday we're going with a blast from the past that came up on my shuffle recently and gave me a dose of nostalgia to concentrated to ignore.

     Your Thursday song is "Licking Cream" from Sevendust's sophomore 1999 disc Home, a track that features Skin from Skunk Anansie delivering a vocal performance capable of sitting right there alongside Lajon's in terms of power and feeling. Aspiring female singers/musicians should take note: women in music don't need to sexualized to be capable of making an impact.

     Add in the fact that I feel Sevendust is arguably one of the forefathers of djent (yes, you read that right) and you've got a little piece of history right here. Get edumuhcated right now.

Sunday Night Mega Post Fun Time

     This certainly does seem to be a shit time of year as far as my keeping on track with Loud Noises goes, doesn't it? But rather than spinning some yarns about the tag team of work life and personal life conspiring against me to prevent other shit getting done, let's just knuckle down and get caught up, shall we?

     First off, a song for Friday. We're going to go with something a little under the radar, a little less well-known perhaps than some of the stuff I post about, but something that's still tasty all the same. I've posted about British band Visions before, but their techy 2011 disc Home is too cool to only acknowledge just once. They've had a couple of hurdles thrown at them, including their current search for a new drummer, but I'm hoping that their chops and a little bit of perseverance and elbow grease can see them through. Check out "Machines" for some idea of the kind of chops I'm talking about.

     Next is Saturday. We're going deathier for Saturday with a track by one of my favourites, The Black Dahlia Murder. Sometimes, immediately after the release of a band's new record, you can't wait for their next album because the new one didn't impress, and sometimes you can't wait for that next album because this new one kicked so much ass you're still thirsty for more. The Black Dahlia Murder definitely fall into the latter category, and their last couple of records (Deflorate, Ritual, Everblack) have kicked ass and left me thinking "why couldn't this be a double album or something?" Listen to "Necropolis" from 2009's Deflorate and see if you get the same feeling.

     Finally, it's Sunday song time, and for today we're going with the spastic energy of Exotic Animal Petting Zoo. The song is "A) Translations" from the band's 2008 debut LP I Have Made My Bed in Darkness. They too leave me wanting more, even though their second LP Tree of Tongues only came out in 2012. Just like with Visions above, I hope line-up changes don't wreck Exotic Animal Petting Zoo's momentum.

Sevendust - Waffle

     I'm once again late with this quickie post for Saturday, this time by a few hours instead of thirty minutes, but something tells me you'll survive.

     Your song for Saturday is "Waffle" from Sevendust's 1999 album Home. Sevendust is one of those nostalgia bands for me, harkening back to the formative years of my musical taste (aka high school) so when this track came up in the car the other day I said a prayer of thanks to the Shuffle Gods and made a mental note to remind all of your out there of just how solid some of their material is. Consider yourself reminded.

Song of the (To)day: Visions - Attentive: Continuum

     So for today's actual song, I'm reverting to my original mandate and featuring something you might not have heard before, although if you follow the modern techy/core scene then you might know today's band after all. Ladies and gents, I give you Visions.