It's been quite a while since I featured a Periphery song here at Loud Noises, so it's a good thing Misha and the guys have done me the favour of putting out a new music video for a track from their Juggernaut double album... right?
The latest track to get a visual treatment is Alpha closer "Psychosphere". One the one hand, it is just another "live" playthough video, which means it's basically just Periphery playing the song in a room somewhere for six minutes or so. On the other hand, it's one continuous shot that's super-duper HD quality. Of course, Matt Halpern's over-the-top facial expressions are also pretty much worth the price of admission all on their own. I could watch Matt and his V-Neck play the drums all day -- the guy's a beast. Don't believe me? Check out "Pyschosphere", and then just Youtube some videos of Matt jamming and messing around. There's some good stuff out there.
Showing posts with label Periphery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Periphery. Show all posts
Saturday, 5 December 2015
Monday, 19 October 2015
Friday: Haunted Shores - Norway Jose
Despite the fact that he's now got a team of great musicians around him, Periphery still kinda feels like Misha's band at times. So if you've ever doubted guitarist Mark Holcomb's metal bona fides (not that you've ever had any reason to, guy can fucking play, but whatever) then doubt no longer, because Mark's longtime project Haunted Shores is about to unleash what could well be a beast of an EP.
Viscera is set to come out in early November, but lead single "Norway Jose" can (and should) be jammed right this minute. Misha does show up as Mark's co-conspirator on Viscera, but this definitely isn't Periphery Lite. If you like progressive instrumental stuff with big riffing, "Norway Jose" is speaking your changuage -- I've no idea whether or not the whole EP will be sans vocals (I would assume it will be) but it sure doesn't feel like there's anything missing. What do you think?
Viscera is set to come out in early November, but lead single "Norway Jose" can (and should) be jammed right this minute. Misha does show up as Mark's co-conspirator on Viscera, but this definitely isn't Periphery Lite. If you like progressive instrumental stuff with big riffing, "Norway Jose" is speaking your changuage -- I've no idea whether or not the whole EP will be sans vocals (I would assume it will be) but it sure doesn't feel like there's anything missing. What do you think?
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Monday: Veil of Maya - Mikasa
My slacking off over the last couple of days might make me kinda late to this party, but I'm going to post about it anyways because I've seen a considerable amount of butt-hurt expressed on this one so far. Yes, you guessed (and read) it right: I'm talking about the new Veil of Maya song.
You know, the one with *gasp!* cleans in it, something which apparently still divides metal fans, or at least Veil of Maya fans, quite sharply. And sure, the cleans are one of the several contributing factors that makes "Mikasa", lead single from the forthcoming Matriarch, sound catchy and hooky, like a breakdown-ier Periphery. There's even a Killswitch-y riff or two, if we're talking comparisons.
But at the end of the day, none of the above matters one way or the other if you dig something. And dig this I do, at least more than I typically dig Veil of Maya. I don't know if this is the sound all of Matriach will have, and I don't know if I this is the sound I want all of it to have, but for now, I for one am cool with Veil injecting a smidgen of pop flavour into their typical djent-death-core batter.
You know, the one with *gasp!* cleans in it, something which apparently still divides metal fans, or at least Veil of Maya fans, quite sharply. And sure, the cleans are one of the several contributing factors that makes "Mikasa", lead single from the forthcoming Matriarch, sound catchy and hooky, like a breakdown-ier Periphery. There's even a Killswitch-y riff or two, if we're talking comparisons.
But at the end of the day, none of the above matters one way or the other if you dig something. And dig this I do, at least more than I typically dig Veil of Maya. I don't know if this is the sound all of Matriach will have, and I don't know if I this is the sound I want all of it to have, but for now, I for one am cool with Veil injecting a smidgen of pop flavour into their typical djent-death-core batter.
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Periphery - Alpha
The wait is over, and Periphery's long-anticipated double album Juggernaut is upon us. So, what's your favourite track? Are you digging on Alpha or Omega more so far? Do you even give a shit that Periphery has a new record out?
While you sit and ponder those imponderables, why not check out Periphery's first video for a song from one of the Juggernaut discs, namely their treatment for "Alpha". It's a cool enough little video, though it's nothing really groundbreaking or anything. But even if it's not your cup of tea, the track itself is a good slice of Periphery in 2015: the drumming is bananas, the riffing is good and groovy, and there's crazy popped-out falsetto vocals over top of the whole thing. Oh, and there's some 8-bit, chip tune-style goodness in there just for good measure. Fire up the Contra.
While you sit and ponder those imponderables, why not check out Periphery's first video for a song from one of the Juggernaut discs, namely their treatment for "Alpha". It's a cool enough little video, though it's nothing really groundbreaking or anything. But even if it's not your cup of tea, the track itself is a good slice of Periphery in 2015: the drumming is bananas, the riffing is good and groovy, and there's crazy popped-out falsetto vocals over top of the whole thing. Oh, and there's some 8-bit, chip tune-style goodness in there just for good measure. Fire up the Contra.
Saturday, 24 January 2015
Raiju - Yetzer Hara
If "yesterday's" post of Crosses was meant to be a little more chill for a Friday evening of hanging out, then today's song is meant for a more... energetic Saturday evening. Prepare yourself for some progtastic out-rocking.
I've written about Berkeley's Raiju before, and if the strength of their debut LP Haunt is any indication, I'll most definitely be writing about them again. Haunt's chock full of a variety of proggy flavours, from shred-djent a la Periphery to speedy pop-metal riffing a la Protest the Hero, and all of them are present in generous-but-not-overindulgent amounts.
Check out "Yetzer Hara" for a slice of the kind of cocktail I'm talking about, and give Haunt a spin if you're looking for more where that came from.
I've written about Berkeley's Raiju before, and if the strength of their debut LP Haunt is any indication, I'll most definitely be writing about them again. Haunt's chock full of a variety of proggy flavours, from shred-djent a la Periphery to speedy pop-metal riffing a la Protest the Hero, and all of them are present in generous-but-not-overindulgent amounts.
Check out "Yetzer Hara" for a slice of the kind of cocktail I'm talking about, and give Haunt a spin if you're looking for more where that came from.
Saturday, 13 December 2014
Wednesday: Periphery - The Bad Thing
Sisyphus here, reporting in from my current position behind this damnable boulder after another brief absence from the world of Loud Noises. Don't worry, things'll be back to normal in no time. But first: a Wednesday song.
More specifically, a Wednesday song that's a little hard to listen to at the moment. Periphery's last tempting morsel for all of us was "The Scourge", a track from the upcoming Juggernaut: Alpha. I know it's only been a couple of weeks since I posted about that one, but since Juggernaut is a double album it's only fair that I give the latest single off it, taken from the latter Omega half, some time in the spotlight.
The problem with listening to "The Bad Thing" depends on where you live. If you live in the States, you should still just be able to check it out via the stream on Sumerian's Youtube channel. But if, like me, you live in Canada, or somewhere similarly blacklisted when it comes to such things, the official video will be unavailable to you, and you'll have to go with a sketchier upload like this one. Wherever you reside, January's not too far off so you don't have much longer to wait for either half of Juggernaut.
More specifically, a Wednesday song that's a little hard to listen to at the moment. Periphery's last tempting morsel for all of us was "The Scourge", a track from the upcoming Juggernaut: Alpha. I know it's only been a couple of weeks since I posted about that one, but since Juggernaut is a double album it's only fair that I give the latest single off it, taken from the latter Omega half, some time in the spotlight.
The problem with listening to "The Bad Thing" depends on where you live. If you live in the States, you should still just be able to check it out via the stream on Sumerian's Youtube channel. But if, like me, you live in Canada, or somewhere similarly blacklisted when it comes to such things, the official video will be unavailable to you, and you'll have to go with a sketchier upload like this one. Wherever you reside, January's not too far off so you don't have much longer to wait for either half of Juggernaut.
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Periphery - The Scourge
Now that we're done with our week of covers, which by the way I hope you enjoyed, we're back to Loud Noises' regularly scheduled programming, and that means I've got a bit of catching up to do on some of the new stuff that's hit the internet in the last week.
First up, perhaps not surprisingly, is the first song to be released from Periphery's upcoming Juggernaut double album. "The Scourge" doesn't sound exactly like previous Periphery stuff, but it's still most definitely Periphery. This one perhaps has a little more of a menacing edge than some of their material, but it's still got some of that big riffage you've come to expect. Late January might seem like a long way off still, but a double dose of songs like this one might be worth the wait. What do you think?
First up, perhaps not surprisingly, is the first song to be released from Periphery's upcoming Juggernaut double album. "The Scourge" doesn't sound exactly like previous Periphery stuff, but it's still most definitely Periphery. This one perhaps has a little more of a menacing edge than some of their material, but it's still got some of that big riffage you've come to expect. Late January might seem like a long way off still, but a double dose of songs like this one might be worth the wait. What do you think?
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Animals as Leaders - The Woven Web
I've spent a fair amount of time over the past couple of days with the new Animals as Leaders album The Joy of Motion, and so far I have learned at least two things. First, this album is badass. Animals as Leaders have, with the help of co-writer Misha Mansoor of Periphery fame, crafted another tasty collection of jazzy, proggy, instrumental grooves.
Second, my current favourite of those grooves is "The Woven Web", a late-album number that opens up with some labyrinthine riffing before transitioning into a recurring, syncopated aggro-funk part that's just plain fat. I highly recommend you indulge of said funky goodness with all possible speed. It's for your own good.
Second, my current favourite of those grooves is "The Woven Web", a late-album number that opens up with some labyrinthine riffing before transitioning into a recurring, syncopated aggro-funk part that's just plain fat. I highly recommend you indulge of said funky goodness with all possible speed. It's for your own good.
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Monday: Periphery - The Parade of Ashes
I've written about Periphery and their latest project, the Clear EP, pretty recently, but for a couple of reasons I've decided to revisit them and it again for your Monday song.
The simplest of these reasons might be that I'm just really enjoying it. Periphery is the kind of band that I think "real" metalheads look down their noses at a little bit, and I guess can understand that -- they are, after all, arguably the face of everybody's favourite djenre -- but I've been a fan of their work since back when it was just Misha putting stuff out on Myspace under his Bulb moniker. New Periphery material can never be a bad thing, and while Clear isn't likely to supplant some of their earlier stuff as my favourite work from their catalogue, it certainly does provide seven tracks of tasty goodness that are decidedly Periphery.
Well, decidedly Periphery with a twist. If you're already interested in or familiar with the band or the EP at all, you likely know that the deal is this: besides the more collaborative intro track, each of the remaining six tracks on the EP is primarily the brainchild of one of the band's six members, an elaboration on one of the melodic ideas from the intro. It's an interesting experiment, which is the other main reason I've got this EP on the brain. It's cool to see a band take an idea like this and run with it, and it's a testament to Periphery's success that they even have the ability to do so.
Yeah, that's a little long-winded for a Song of the Day, let alone one that's a day late and dedicated to something so *ahem* "mundane" as a Periphery song, but I'm diggin' it and I'm the one who's calling the shots here. So you're getting "The Parade of Ashes", the song helmed by singer Spencer Sotelo, because its dance-y chorus groove feels the furthest from standard Periphery to me.
The simplest of these reasons might be that I'm just really enjoying it. Periphery is the kind of band that I think "real" metalheads look down their noses at a little bit, and I guess can understand that -- they are, after all, arguably the face of everybody's favourite djenre -- but I've been a fan of their work since back when it was just Misha putting stuff out on Myspace under his Bulb moniker. New Periphery material can never be a bad thing, and while Clear isn't likely to supplant some of their earlier stuff as my favourite work from their catalogue, it certainly does provide seven tracks of tasty goodness that are decidedly Periphery.
Well, decidedly Periphery with a twist. If you're already interested in or familiar with the band or the EP at all, you likely know that the deal is this: besides the more collaborative intro track, each of the remaining six tracks on the EP is primarily the brainchild of one of the band's six members, an elaboration on one of the melodic ideas from the intro. It's an interesting experiment, which is the other main reason I've got this EP on the brain. It's cool to see a band take an idea like this and run with it, and it's a testament to Periphery's success that they even have the ability to do so.
Yeah, that's a little long-winded for a Song of the Day, let alone one that's a day late and dedicated to something so *ahem* "mundane" as a Periphery song, but I'm diggin' it and I'm the one who's calling the shots here. So you're getting "The Parade of Ashes", the song helmed by singer Spencer Sotelo, because its dance-y chorus groove feels the furthest from standard Periphery to me.
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Periphery - Pale Aura
Periphery's interesting new EP project Clear -- a release for which each member of the band penned one song -- is a couple of weeks away from seeing actual release, but that doesn't mean you couldn't potentially be cranking the whole thing right now thanks to a Youtube stream from the band's label Sumerian Records.
There's some really good stuff on this EP, but at the moment the song I'm digging on most is "Pale Aura", a track that solidifies Periphery's status as masters of modern metal. Even if anything "djent" is verboten to a metal "purist" like yourself, you can't deny that "Pale Aura" is fully loaded: strong melodies and chord progressions, funky ass riffs, tight-as-fuck blast beats and drum-guitar interplay... It's heavy in a way that I could almost see being on the radio, but not in the usual radio way of being poser heavy. If Periphery's next full length sounded anything like this one, I'd be dead chuffed.
There's some really good stuff on this EP, but at the moment the song I'm digging on most is "Pale Aura", a track that solidifies Periphery's status as masters of modern metal. Even if anything "djent" is verboten to a metal "purist" like yourself, you can't deny that "Pale Aura" is fully loaded: strong melodies and chord progressions, funky ass riffs, tight-as-fuck blast beats and drum-guitar interplay... It's heavy in a way that I could almost see being on the radio, but not in the usual radio way of being poser heavy. If Periphery's next full length sounded anything like this one, I'd be dead chuffed.
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Twenty Questions - Salt of the Chief Cornerstone
Hey everybody, as you may or may not have noticed, it's been a long
time since I've posted a Twenty Questions interview, and I think it's
high time I fixed that. What's that? You agree that I should rectify
this situation? You want to read another e-mail interview as soon as
possible? Well then today's your lucky day!
Today's Twenty Questions were answered by the boys from Salt of the Chief Cornerstone, an instrumental guitar-and-drums duo I saw open for Protest the Hero back at the start of November. I dug their sound so much that I picked up a copy of their demo EP and subsequently singled them out as my next victims for interrogation. Read on for the results of my questioning.
Today's Twenty Questions were answered by the boys from Salt of the Chief Cornerstone, an instrumental guitar-and-drums duo I saw open for Protest the Hero back at the start of November. I dug their sound so much that I picked up a copy of their demo EP and subsequently singled them out as my next victims for interrogation. Read on for the results of my questioning.
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Song of the Day: Misha Mansoor and Tosin Abasi - Optimist
Misha Mansoor and Tosin Abasi: two great tastes that taste great together.
Monday, 15 July 2013
Song of the 13th: Periphery - Light
Saturday's song comes to us from the Shuffle Gods. All hail the Shuffle Gods!
Friday, 24 May 2013
Song of the Day: Periphery - All New Materials
It's been a while since I've done a Periphery song, and since my mp3 player's shuffle has thrown me the same one lately, I might as well exorcise that demon and get a Song of the Day out of it. Two pigs with one bird, right?
Monday, 22 April 2013
Song of the Day: The Reign of Kindo - Thrill of the Fall
This evening we've got another Facebook feed find, thanks to someone over in the Periphery camp, who've pointed me towards some cool stuff in the past. Tonight's band The Reign of Kindo is no exception.
Your song tonight is "Thrill of the Fall", the opening track from Kindo's sophomore full length, 2010's This is What Happens. Jazzy, funky, vaguely latin, "Thrill of the Fall" boogies its way into your head from the opening piano riff. Metal it sure ain't, but if you as a metalhead can appreciate a band like, say, Trioscapes, or T.R.A.M, or the like, then it's a short hop to the smooth melodies of The Reign of Kindo. They're not all as high energy as "Thrill of the Fall", but they've got a few real corkers in their catalogue.
Yes, I just used the phrase "real corkers". Just listen to some of The Reign of Kindo already.
Your song tonight is "Thrill of the Fall", the opening track from Kindo's sophomore full length, 2010's This is What Happens. Jazzy, funky, vaguely latin, "Thrill of the Fall" boogies its way into your head from the opening piano riff. Metal it sure ain't, but if you as a metalhead can appreciate a band like, say, Trioscapes, or T.R.A.M, or the like, then it's a short hop to the smooth melodies of The Reign of Kindo. They're not all as high energy as "Thrill of the Fall", but they've got a few real corkers in their catalogue.
Yes, I just used the phrase "real corkers". Just listen to some of The Reign of Kindo already.
Sunday, 6 January 2013
2012 Round-up, Part 1: Loud Noises Ten Best of 2012
If you follow any metal blogs at all (or any blogs or websites about anything, really) you know that this time of year is “Best of” season. Everybody and their mother’s dog is sounding off about their favourite albums of 2012, and dammit that bandwagon is looking a little empty without me. I've got opinions about how 2012 went down, and although I get the sense it'll be a bit like pissing into a hurricane, I'm nevertheless going to undertake the valiant effort of making those opinions known to you, dear reader. So having said all of that, it is my pleasure to present to you part one of the Loud Noises 2012 end of the year round up: the Loud Noises Ten Best of 2012!!
Now, before we get started, there is one important thing to keep in mind: my tendency towards indecisiveness. You see, I often have trouble making firm and confident decisions. Deciding what to have for dinner can prove quite vexing some days. So as you might be able to imagine, the task of ranking my favourite albums of the year and culminating definitively with a choice that I think stands above all others is one that might very well unburden me of my sanity. In the interest of keeping me from coming completely unhinged, I've decided to just tell you about my ten favourite albums from the past year, in no particular order, just a list, here's ten great records you should check out, bam, done. In fact, just so you can't infer anything unintended from my choice of structure, I'm not even going to number this list of epicness. How do you like them apples?
- Skyharbor - Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos
Tremendously talented international bands spawned from bedroom and basement recording set-ups seem to be becoming increasingly common in the overlapping worlds of heavy and progressive music, but for my money India's Skyharbor comes out well ahead. Combine complex, melodic, and of course heavy guitar riffs with drums dripping groove and powerful vocals from my boy Dan Tompkins, and you've got an album I've listened to an absolute shit ton of this year, and an album that's so much more than mere djent. It's sometimes easy to forget that Blinding White Noise is Skyharbor's very first release. I for one will be very excited to hear where this group goes next, and I think if you heard them you would be too.
- The Contortionist - Intrinsic
I could describe The Contortionist's album Intrinsic in one of two ways: I could wax loquaciously about how Intrinsic is a stellar sophomore effort that shows The Contortionist to be a band maturing very nicely. I could talk about how Intrinsic strikes a careful balance between being grand and expansive and being lean and focused. I could talk about how while I maybe don't think it deserved the sheer volume of hype it received online prior to its release, I do think it's a cool and diverse album from a young band that is definitely worthy of your attention. Or I could just use one word to sum up Intrinsic: keyboards! Either way, I was very glad I picked this one up, and very bummed when The Contortionist ended up not playing here on Hallowe'en due to Veil of Maya dropping out of a Canadian mini-tour. Come on back, guys!
- Periphery - Periphery II: This Time It's Personal
Speaking of hype, we all knew Periphery's second full length was going to be a monster, if only because the interwebs told us so. A bigger, badder record with more of everything fans liked about the first one, and indeed more input from band members whose names aren't Misha Mansoor. My only complaint about this album is that every song is so chock full, so 110%, that it loses a bit of the impact it might have with a bit more ebb and flow, a bit more dynamics. Of course, I can't really fault Periphery too much for crafting an album that is monotonously good, can I? Periphery might need some new tricks when the time comes for Periphery III: Back to the Periphery, but for the time being Periphery has upped their game in every way for Periphery II.
- The Faceless - Autotheism
The observant reader will by this point have noticed at least one trend in this best of 2012 list, namely that a number of these albums were highly anticipated and greatly hyped before their respective releases. The latest release from tech/death prodigies The Faceless was no exception. OK, maybe it was a bit of an exception, in the sense that it fully warranted both anticipation and hype. I jumped on the The Faceless bandwagon with Planetary Duality, which I really dug, so I was really excited to hear the follow-up, and I was really pleased with the result. Hell, the opening three track "Autotheism" suite alone is worth the price of admission, and there's six other tracks on the record! Some fans might not have been able to get into the proggier direction guitarist/songwriter/singer Michael Keene chose for his band (those who say saxophone has no place in metal, for example), but I for one think the step up from Planetary Duality to Autotheism bodes extremely well for the step from Autotheism to wherever The Faceless ends up next.
- Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
I could say a lot of things about Gojira's fantastic 2012 selection of doom and groove, L'Enfant Sauvage, most of which have probably already been said a dozen times on a dozen websites, but I think the most ringing endorsement of this album I can give anyone is to say that it made a Gojira fan out of me. Prior to hearing this album, I was a casual, lukewarm Gojira fan at best, really only knowing a few of their more "mainstream" songs. But L'Enfant Sauvage is all killer, no filler, with every song being solid and not at all skippable, which I find is something to be said for an album of any genre, let alone a genre as potentially pummeling as metal. If L'Enfant Sauvage can make a Gojira convert out of me, it can make a convert out of anyone.
- Trioscapes - Separate Realities
If I could say a lot of things about Gojira's L'Enfant Sauvage, then I can't say enough about the debut album from three-piece jazz fusion act Trioscapes. Among the many glowing statements I might make about Separate Realities: it'll make a jazz fan out of even the most staunch metalhead, especially when you consider that one full third of its membership (bass player Dan Briggs) does double duty in both Trioscapes and prog champs Between the Buried and Me; it'll also make jazz fans out of your friends and associates when played at gatherings and get-togethers (yeah, I've put Trioscapes on at parties, to largely positive reactions); Trioscapes'll even give metal-fan you and your non-metal-fan girlfriend something badass to share. Yes, with its deep, deep grooves and super funky riffs enough for days on end, Trioscapes' Separate Realities is the great jazzy equalizer.
- Deftones - Koi No Yokan
2010's Diamond Eyes is widely hailed as a return to form for the Deftones, a rebottling of the lightning of the seminal White Pony, and if you accept this logic then 2012's Koi No Yokan is proof positive that Diamond Eyes wasn’t a fluke and Deftones are capable of making lightning strike the same spot again and again and again. It's too bad that original bassist Chi Cheng is still recovering from a very serious car accident more than four years ago, but at least Sergio Vega is continuing his terrific job of holding down the low end of things. As a result, a playthrough of Koi No Yokan doesn't leave one wondering "Aw, where's Chi?" but rather "Wow, Deftones can still write a captivating album, can't they?" They're not reinventing the wheel or their sound, but then why should they? With Deftones it's long been about the quality of their songs rather than doing something radically new with each record; as far back as White Pony, Deftones had found the rough formula for what works for them, and they've been playing around with that formula ever since. Sometimes the resulting collection of songs is more Diamond Eyes and sometimes it's more Saturday Night Wrist (which is a good record, don't get me wrong). Koi No Yokan is a rock solid collection of songs, which is a pretty lofty achievement in my book.
- Baroness - Yellow & Green
2012 was a tumultuous year for Baroness to say the least: in July they released Yellow & Green, the much anticipated follow-up double album to killer sophomore effort Blue, to widespread acclaim, and then in August they were involved in a pretty serious bus crash while on tour in England. The band is recovering well from their various injuries (which included broken bones and fractured vertebrae) but it's still a major setback in a career, and a terrifying event for anyone to undergo. However, it seems like Baroness will rise again and forge ahead, so Baroness fans can take heart and, in the meantime, take pleasure in a double album that's as dark and melancholy as it is plaintive and beautiful. Listeners expecting a straight up increase in "heaviness" might be disappointed, but listeners looking for a deep and interesting listen will find it here in spades.
- Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence
As we've already seen, 2012 was a year with some pretty big, pretty highly anticipated releases, and the latest prog-metal opus from Between the Buried and Me was no exception. The band's track record of producing works of technically magnificent madness dovetailed nicely with the introductory EP Hypersleep Dialogues they released in 2011 as a teaser for Future Sequence to create an atmosphere of rabid expectation. And then they delivered, blowing us all away with an audio roller coaster ride through the stars. I think I'm personally still a bigger fan of The Great Misdirect, because I just really like how that collection of songs hangs together as a piece of music, but there's no denying that Future Sequence is a slice of Between the Buried and Me at the top of their game. If you're at all a fan of technically progressive metal or Between the Buried and Me, and have somehow not heard this record yet, stop what you're doing and go get a copy right now. Then come back, put it on, and finish reading this. Or just finish this first. Either way, don't run away for good just yet, because we're not quite done yet...
- Sylosis - Monolith
The latest slab of thrash from the purveyors of shredding from Reading may not have been a record widely anticipated by the metal world at large, but I've been a fan of Sylosis since their first EP so I was definitely looking forward to it. And if 2012 is any indication of what 2013 might be like for Sylosis, by the time they get around to recording the follow-up to Monolith I won't be the only one who's excited. For now we all have to be satisfied with Monolith, the third full length album from modern British thrash titans Sylosis, and it's a doozy. I fee like it might lack a little of the fire, a little of the magical spark, that connected me so well with some of their earlier work, but that's not to say Monolith isn't...well, monolithic. From one end to the other it's tasty metal goodness. Sure, there's some quieter bits, and some slower bits, but the sheer riffage-per-minute numbers on this one are off the charts. I always try to talk Sylosis up to my friends who like metal, so let this be (another) lesson to you: if you somehow don't know Sylosis by now, get to know them. Like I said, after releasing Monolith in 2012 and then snagging a tour spot opening for Lamb of God, Sylosis are poised for a 2013 that you'll want to be a part of.
Well, there you have it, ten records that I listened to a lot of in 2012 and that I think I liked more than anything else I heard released last year. No doubt you're already familiar with at least some of these, but hopefully there's at least one you don't know and can check out, because you know how I like turning you on to new stuff. Aww yeah you do. Anyways, until part 2 of the 2012 year end report is ready for your collective eye- and ear-holes, why don't you crank some of the above? You won't be sorry you did. Schuss!
Now, before we get started, there is one important thing to keep in mind: my tendency towards indecisiveness. You see, I often have trouble making firm and confident decisions. Deciding what to have for dinner can prove quite vexing some days. So as you might be able to imagine, the task of ranking my favourite albums of the year and culminating definitively with a choice that I think stands above all others is one that might very well unburden me of my sanity. In the interest of keeping me from coming completely unhinged, I've decided to just tell you about my ten favourite albums from the past year, in no particular order, just a list, here's ten great records you should check out, bam, done. In fact, just so you can't infer anything unintended from my choice of structure, I'm not even going to number this list of epicness. How do you like them apples?
- Skyharbor - Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos
Tremendously talented international bands spawned from bedroom and basement recording set-ups seem to be becoming increasingly common in the overlapping worlds of heavy and progressive music, but for my money India's Skyharbor comes out well ahead. Combine complex, melodic, and of course heavy guitar riffs with drums dripping groove and powerful vocals from my boy Dan Tompkins, and you've got an album I've listened to an absolute shit ton of this year, and an album that's so much more than mere djent. It's sometimes easy to forget that Blinding White Noise is Skyharbor's very first release. I for one will be very excited to hear where this group goes next, and I think if you heard them you would be too.
- The Contortionist - Intrinsic
I could describe The Contortionist's album Intrinsic in one of two ways: I could wax loquaciously about how Intrinsic is a stellar sophomore effort that shows The Contortionist to be a band maturing very nicely. I could talk about how Intrinsic strikes a careful balance between being grand and expansive and being lean and focused. I could talk about how while I maybe don't think it deserved the sheer volume of hype it received online prior to its release, I do think it's a cool and diverse album from a young band that is definitely worthy of your attention. Or I could just use one word to sum up Intrinsic: keyboards! Either way, I was very glad I picked this one up, and very bummed when The Contortionist ended up not playing here on Hallowe'en due to Veil of Maya dropping out of a Canadian mini-tour. Come on back, guys!
- Periphery - Periphery II: This Time It's Personal
Speaking of hype, we all knew Periphery's second full length was going to be a monster, if only because the interwebs told us so. A bigger, badder record with more of everything fans liked about the first one, and indeed more input from band members whose names aren't Misha Mansoor. My only complaint about this album is that every song is so chock full, so 110%, that it loses a bit of the impact it might have with a bit more ebb and flow, a bit more dynamics. Of course, I can't really fault Periphery too much for crafting an album that is monotonously good, can I? Periphery might need some new tricks when the time comes for Periphery III: Back to the Periphery, but for the time being Periphery has upped their game in every way for Periphery II.
- The Faceless - Autotheism
The observant reader will by this point have noticed at least one trend in this best of 2012 list, namely that a number of these albums were highly anticipated and greatly hyped before their respective releases. The latest release from tech/death prodigies The Faceless was no exception. OK, maybe it was a bit of an exception, in the sense that it fully warranted both anticipation and hype. I jumped on the The Faceless bandwagon with Planetary Duality, which I really dug, so I was really excited to hear the follow-up, and I was really pleased with the result. Hell, the opening three track "Autotheism" suite alone is worth the price of admission, and there's six other tracks on the record! Some fans might not have been able to get into the proggier direction guitarist/songwriter/singer Michael Keene chose for his band (those who say saxophone has no place in metal, for example), but I for one think the step up from Planetary Duality to Autotheism bodes extremely well for the step from Autotheism to wherever The Faceless ends up next.
- Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
I could say a lot of things about Gojira's fantastic 2012 selection of doom and groove, L'Enfant Sauvage, most of which have probably already been said a dozen times on a dozen websites, but I think the most ringing endorsement of this album I can give anyone is to say that it made a Gojira fan out of me. Prior to hearing this album, I was a casual, lukewarm Gojira fan at best, really only knowing a few of their more "mainstream" songs. But L'Enfant Sauvage is all killer, no filler, with every song being solid and not at all skippable, which I find is something to be said for an album of any genre, let alone a genre as potentially pummeling as metal. If L'Enfant Sauvage can make a Gojira convert out of me, it can make a convert out of anyone.
- Trioscapes - Separate Realities
If I could say a lot of things about Gojira's L'Enfant Sauvage, then I can't say enough about the debut album from three-piece jazz fusion act Trioscapes. Among the many glowing statements I might make about Separate Realities: it'll make a jazz fan out of even the most staunch metalhead, especially when you consider that one full third of its membership (bass player Dan Briggs) does double duty in both Trioscapes and prog champs Between the Buried and Me; it'll also make jazz fans out of your friends and associates when played at gatherings and get-togethers (yeah, I've put Trioscapes on at parties, to largely positive reactions); Trioscapes'll even give metal-fan you and your non-metal-fan girlfriend something badass to share. Yes, with its deep, deep grooves and super funky riffs enough for days on end, Trioscapes' Separate Realities is the great jazzy equalizer.
- Deftones - Koi No Yokan
2010's Diamond Eyes is widely hailed as a return to form for the Deftones, a rebottling of the lightning of the seminal White Pony, and if you accept this logic then 2012's Koi No Yokan is proof positive that Diamond Eyes wasn’t a fluke and Deftones are capable of making lightning strike the same spot again and again and again. It's too bad that original bassist Chi Cheng is still recovering from a very serious car accident more than four years ago, but at least Sergio Vega is continuing his terrific job of holding down the low end of things. As a result, a playthrough of Koi No Yokan doesn't leave one wondering "Aw, where's Chi?" but rather "Wow, Deftones can still write a captivating album, can't they?" They're not reinventing the wheel or their sound, but then why should they? With Deftones it's long been about the quality of their songs rather than doing something radically new with each record; as far back as White Pony, Deftones had found the rough formula for what works for them, and they've been playing around with that formula ever since. Sometimes the resulting collection of songs is more Diamond Eyes and sometimes it's more Saturday Night Wrist (which is a good record, don't get me wrong). Koi No Yokan is a rock solid collection of songs, which is a pretty lofty achievement in my book.
- Baroness - Yellow & Green
2012 was a tumultuous year for Baroness to say the least: in July they released Yellow & Green, the much anticipated follow-up double album to killer sophomore effort Blue, to widespread acclaim, and then in August they were involved in a pretty serious bus crash while on tour in England. The band is recovering well from their various injuries (which included broken bones and fractured vertebrae) but it's still a major setback in a career, and a terrifying event for anyone to undergo. However, it seems like Baroness will rise again and forge ahead, so Baroness fans can take heart and, in the meantime, take pleasure in a double album that's as dark and melancholy as it is plaintive and beautiful. Listeners expecting a straight up increase in "heaviness" might be disappointed, but listeners looking for a deep and interesting listen will find it here in spades.
- Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence
As we've already seen, 2012 was a year with some pretty big, pretty highly anticipated releases, and the latest prog-metal opus from Between the Buried and Me was no exception. The band's track record of producing works of technically magnificent madness dovetailed nicely with the introductory EP Hypersleep Dialogues they released in 2011 as a teaser for Future Sequence to create an atmosphere of rabid expectation. And then they delivered, blowing us all away with an audio roller coaster ride through the stars. I think I'm personally still a bigger fan of The Great Misdirect, because I just really like how that collection of songs hangs together as a piece of music, but there's no denying that Future Sequence is a slice of Between the Buried and Me at the top of their game. If you're at all a fan of technically progressive metal or Between the Buried and Me, and have somehow not heard this record yet, stop what you're doing and go get a copy right now. Then come back, put it on, and finish reading this. Or just finish this first. Either way, don't run away for good just yet, because we're not quite done yet...
- Sylosis - Monolith
The latest slab of thrash from the purveyors of shredding from Reading may not have been a record widely anticipated by the metal world at large, but I've been a fan of Sylosis since their first EP so I was definitely looking forward to it. And if 2012 is any indication of what 2013 might be like for Sylosis, by the time they get around to recording the follow-up to Monolith I won't be the only one who's excited. For now we all have to be satisfied with Monolith, the third full length album from modern British thrash titans Sylosis, and it's a doozy. I fee like it might lack a little of the fire, a little of the magical spark, that connected me so well with some of their earlier work, but that's not to say Monolith isn't...well, monolithic. From one end to the other it's tasty metal goodness. Sure, there's some quieter bits, and some slower bits, but the sheer riffage-per-minute numbers on this one are off the charts. I always try to talk Sylosis up to my friends who like metal, so let this be (another) lesson to you: if you somehow don't know Sylosis by now, get to know them. Like I said, after releasing Monolith in 2012 and then snagging a tour spot opening for Lamb of God, Sylosis are poised for a 2013 that you'll want to be a part of.
Well, there you have it, ten records that I listened to a lot of in 2012 and that I think I liked more than anything else I heard released last year. No doubt you're already familiar with at least some of these, but hopefully there's at least one you don't know and can check out, because you know how I like turning you on to new stuff. Aww yeah you do. Anyways, until part 2 of the 2012 year end report is ready for your collective eye- and ear-holes, why don't you crank some of the above? You won't be sorry you did. Schuss!
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Yesterday's Song: Numbers - Oh Teh Monies
I know this is getting a little old, but it is what it is. Old habits die hard, so what can we say about the longevity of bad habits? Hopefully that it's short-lived. All I can promise I'll try to get the Song of the Day train back on track. That said, let's get to yesterday's song.
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Song of the Day: Oceansize - Only Twin
I have one or more of the guys in Periphery to thank for today's song. They're among the bands I follow on Facebook, and every once in a while they'll do something like I'm doing and recommend a song they like to their fans. When I've got a few minutes I try and check them out, and the other day I was very glad I did. Interestingly named Oceansize deliver heavy post-hardcore and post-rock of appropriately epic proportions. I've only listened to a couple of tracks so far (including today's song, Periphery's recommendation) but I'm really looking forward to hearing some more next time I'm in focused listening mode.
Monday, 20 August 2012
Heavy TO Pit Report - Part 1: The Bands
I told you I'd have some thoughts from Heavy TO, and here they are, even if it did take me a week to write them down. And I have so many thoughts that I think I'm going to make this a two-parter. In this first installment, I'm going to go through each of the bands we actually payed attention to (ie: the ones we went to see) and give little baby reviews of their sets. I'm not going to try and remember set lists or anything like that (mostly because it's 2012 and the Internet does that shit for me), I'm just going to give you my impressions of each band's performance. So let's go!
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Song of the Day: Periphery - Scarlet
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that if you're listening to metal in 2012, you have at least heard of Periphery before. Exactly how you feel about the band that Bulb birthed* might vary, and might have a lot to do with how you feel about this whole "djent" thing they're one of the leading purveyors of, but I know you know who they are. They just released their second full length, Periphery II: This Time It's Personal, and they're on the Summer Slaughter tour alongside the likes of The Faceless and Between the Buried and Me. Oh yeah, did I mention that all three of these bands are playing Sunday at Heavy TO?
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