THIS MURDER OF ANGELS - Wake (EP)

I will admit that the majority of the stuff I listen to is kinda violent, or at least intense in one way or another. However I try to keep an open mind and go for other styles of music every now and then, I mean it is always good to have different stuff in your record collection, and a wide palette of music to choose from so to speak.

Bands like This Murder of Angels come and fill that gap in my musical knowledge in a very efficient and refreshing way. They play a style of music that shares equal influences from pop, post hardcore, black metal, prog and even a dose of classical music. This may sound weird but when you actually hear Wake, everything sounds right in place and you can start getting into those chunky post metal grooves.

These Scottish dudes have created a new style in which they are not afraid to go all soft and then come back with hellish screams, thick-layered guitars and prog metal drums. I guess they do pretty much whatever they like, and this is something that I totally respect in a band.

I can imagine myself playing this on a variety of occasions, not when I want to mosh but when I'm feeling a bit down, when I want to go on thinking mode, when I read a book or even when I chill with someone who can't handle too much hardcore or metal. This is very progressive, very clever music and I am glad that a band like this would care to approach a hardcore fanzine like Take Your Shot. So, in the name of Unity, hardcore, metal, post-hardcore, whatever... let's go!

http://thismurderofangels.bandcamp.com/

UPs: complex, thick layered instrumentation with a wide range of influences to stretch and test our musical knowledge.

DOWNs: Not enough heaviness and maybe too much piano/keyboards.

LOWDOWN: Very progressive but also catchy post metal with awesome vocals and and an artistic, almost theatrical feel. Not yer mama's Deftones, but an original band!

More SLAYER core!!!

If you, like me, are always up for some intense SLAYER-ic carnage, well how about "Angel of Death" (originally on the super classic Reign in Blood album) done justice by heavy as fuck death-core contemporaries, CARNIFEX? Enjoy the sheer brutality of a thrash classic pumped up with steroids and taken to the extreme!

COMMON CAUSE - S / T EP (React! Records)

What we have here is a straight edge hardcore record that makes me wanna wear some athletic gear and go straight for a run, lift something heavy or just room-mosh with this music on full volume!

I know that React! Records puts out some of the best stuff in positive / oldschool hardcore, and I definitely wasn't disappointed with Common Cause's new ep. I first heard this band on the Chain of Strength tribute ep (an awesome comp by the way) with their cover of "Those Days", also included on this ep.

These guys continue the tradition of the few remaining purely old school straight edge bands out there. The sound, the ethics and even the aesthetics all belong in the  old school SXE tradition, and this is something I couldn't be more happy about. No matter how much hardcore music progresses, it is important to save and persevere the sound of crucial hardcore bands like the aforementioned Chain of Strength, Insted, Youth of Today, etc. Being a new band, Common Cause have obviously updated their sound with a good production and a heavier edge to their sound, but the outcome remains totally old school.

The lyrics are about values and ethics like understanding and compassion. This may sound weird to some hardcore kids but believe it or not, hardcore also has its compassionate, thought provoking side. I wish there were more hardcore bands singing about this stuff nowadays, with no hard attitudes, violent and self-destructive messages etc. Hardcore stands outside from metal and punk not so much because of the sound, but because of the message of unity and integrity.

UPs: Good production, awesome self-righteous hardcore message, an evident straight edge identity, fast paces & speedy guitars, Chain of Strength cover. 

DOWNs: Could do with more songs (a full album), and would like a bit of a wider vocal range.

THE LOWDOWN: 6 songs of old school straight edge hardcore with a newer edge, filled with positive hardcore messages.

Only death is real: the top ten of death metal

While we are on the death metal subject, I thought I'd reblog this awesome article which goes over the 10 most classic death metal albums, according to the author.

Only death is real: the top ten of death metal

Death Metal revisited: SUFFOCATION's "Pierced From Within" (1995)

Yesterday it was my birthday, so I threw a small party for friends, fam and bandmates. Like it usually happens, in the end it was just me and a couple of dudes lounging on the sofa talking about music and taking turns playing stuff on youtube until the early morning hours. As these two particular friends happen to be experts on death metal, I tried to get some info on a band that I know has been around for ages, but I never got a chance to listen to an entire album of theirs.

In particular, I was interested in a little album entitled Pierced from Within (1995) by Suffocation, because I had heard parts of it here and there and thought it sounded pretty damn brutal and super tight. I wasn't mistaken; This classic Suffo album consists of 9 songs of relentless brutal death metal from the band which pretty much invented / pioneered this sound that goes on until today.

Everything I like about a solid death metal album is here: huge aggressive riffs, super-fast drumming with  constant double-bass use, disgusting guttural vocals and of course, a pretty high damn level of technical proficiency. Add to that an early huge production and a crazy bass sound that boosts the whole thing up like a motherfucker, and you got exactly what you need.

There is absolutely nothing soft about Pierced from Within; I believe that with some work on behalf of my side (that means 5-10 listens), it could easily enter my top-10 of death metal records. It is just a senseless display of brute strength and a definition of uncompromising attitude in the face of all that is watered down, preppy and weak (in our times, that's pretty much everything). A must-find, must-listen to!