Album of the Week: Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe

     This week's album is just a fun one in honour of Hallowe'en. Put your graphing calculators away, prog heads.

     Regardless of what you might think of his career in film direction and production (ie: not much) you almost can't help but have a soft spot in your classic metalhead heart for Rob Zombie. I've always had this notion that White Zombie was somehow somewhat more legit than Rob's solo work, but if you're looking for a campily creeped out Hallowe'eny album, Rob's debut solo record has got you covered.

     So if you've got any metalheads at your Hallowe'en gathering this evening, or even anybody of a certain age, put on any or all of 1998's Hellbilly Deluxe and I guarantee you there'll be some smiles and more than a little singing along.

Enter Shikari - The Last Garrison

     Time for a bit of a Don't Call it a Comeback Thursday post, if you will. It's been a few years since I've paid much attention to British electro-metal amalgamators Enter Shikari, but I used to really dig Take to the Skies. I still take it for the occasional spin, so when I hear that the band has a new album in the works, I get interested.

     The Mindsweep won't be sweeping us away until January, but we can all enjoy a little new Enter Shikari right now. "The Last Garrison" is a bouncy piece of dancey pop-metal, so I don't know if it will hold any appeal for the trooly brootal among you. It will, however, find a home in the ears of fans of catchy, fun jams from bands that understand small doses of heavy don't need to be accompanied by big doses of serious. Rock "The Last Garrison" if you Thursday evening needs a pick-me-up.

Circa Survive - Schema

     For your Album of the Week I pointed you in the direction of Death Before Disco, a band I've frequently referred to in the past when comparing other bands to them. Today, we've got a new track from another band I've as a point of comparison on occasion.

     Pennsylvania post-hardcore band Circa Survive have a new album, Descensus, coming out towards the end of November, and they recently released a video for the album's first single "Schema". It definitely sounds like classic Circa Survive (owing in no small part to Anthony Green's vocals) but it's also a little more aggressive sounding, a little rough and jagged around the edges.

     We'll see if the rest of Descensus turns out anything like this, but for the time being "Schema" sounds pretty promising.

Hybrid Sheep - Liar's Promises

     How about some technically-minded deathcore for a Tech Tuesday song? Close enough? It better be.

     Tonight we've got a song from French deathcore act Hyrbid Sheep. "Liar's Promises", the first track from the upcoming Free From the Clutches of the Gods to receive video treatment, is a concise slab of deathcore riffing that alternates between higher speed, trem-pickier stuff and some slightly slower, head-bangier grooves. The latter almost have an old-school Lamb of God flavour to them, right down to the mid-temp harmonized guitar solo.

     Check out Hybrid Sheep and "Liar's Promises" if you're looking for a bit of a deathcore pummeling this evening.

36 Crazyfists - The Deserter

     Over the weekend I was talking about solid metalcore, the kind that makes you unashamed to be a fan of the genre. Today I've got another of those kind of songs for you, the kind that aren't reinventing the wheel but rather are fine examples of well made wheels.

     I've written about Alaskan metalcore act 36 Crazyfists before, and they're the perfect example of a band that's just been doing what they do for years now. Sure, they're not rocking the boat, but I can still put on virtually any 36 Crazyfists record and find something that rocks me.

     Which is what I've been doing lately, listening to 2010's Collisions and Castaways over the past few days, whence comes your song for tonight. "The Deserter" is pretty standard melodic metalcore: chorusy, with some meaty riffs and a breakdown or two. But 36 Crazyfists do it all well enough that instead of noticing the pieces you're too busy enjoying the whole. If metalcore is still your thing at all, get to know these guys.

Job For a Cowboy - Eating the Visions of God

     As I've said before, I've never really given Job For a Cowboy the time of day. But then "Sun of Nihility", the first song to be released from the band's forthcoming Sun Eater, started the process of changing my mind about Job For a Cowboy.

     "Eating the Visions of God", the second track released from Sun Eater and the album's opener, may well finish that process. It's an honest to Satan death metal track, complete with a pretty rad guitar solo and some downright badass bass work. If you can listen to this track and not come away convinced that Job For a Cowboy are a fully legit Metal Band, you're probably a lost cause. For realz.

Saturday: ERRA - Dreamcatcher

     I've written a number of times about how the now-oft-reviled genre of metalcore is neither completely dead nor wholly worthy of the scorn sometimes heaped upon it. I've also written about today's band before, because they're one example of how to do solid modern metalcore.

     Sure, there's not really any innovation here, and the riffs and melodies sound at least vaguely familiar. Where ERRA succeed is in following the formula well and crafting solid, catchy songs within the conventions of the genre that still manage to have moments of genuine heavy rather than simply "radio" heavy.

     ERRA have a new video out, for the song "Dreamcatcher" off of their upcoming debut Sumerian EP Moments of Clarity. It's not going to blow your mind, but it might just tap your foot or bob your head, so have a listen and see what you think.