JOHN WILKES BOOTH
SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS
BUKKAKE ORANGE
Long Island unit John Wilkes Booth create a mountainous yet delectable wall of sonic overload on their latest 15-track affair, the viscous SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS. Heavy and crushing yet never remiss to keep their excessive slabs of doom-laden boogie rock memorable ("The Inner Workings"), tracks like "Eye Rack" and "Hey Girl" simultaneously stomp you in the gut and stick in your head for days thanks to the infectious guitar hooks and unique vocal delivery over the dastardly rhythm section's voluminous exhibitions. This is an album chock full of desert rock dynamic shifts, stoner rock subtleties, and hard rock harangue with an attention to detail and a keen sense of musicianship steering the ship, as these titans of tinnitis take their self-professed style known as dirt rock for an unbridled journey through the timelines of underground metal's elite noise mongering squads. If you dig the likes of bands that still set the benchmark for left of center metal excellence such as Clutch, Kyuss, and Jesus Lizard, John Wilkes Booth will be your new favorite band. www.jwbooth.net -Mike SOS
THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE
MONUMENTS
LIFEFORCE
Pennsylvania metalcore troupe This or The Apocalypse transcend the genre's mundane monotonies with an abundance of nimble guitarwork and clever juxtapositions of brutality and melody on their 10-track debut MONUMENTS. This unit's lineage is easily traced to bands such as Misery Signals and fellow statesmen This Day Forward thanks to a common bond forged from similar composition devices and non-linear structural nuances, yet This or the Apocalypse manage to bring fresh perspectives to otherwise burly breakdowns ("Elegiac", "This is Debt"), slam with sinewy riffs and tech-like rhythmic patterns ("Two Wars") and even go so far as to include a calm and atmospheric feedback-laden jam in for added texture ("Memento Mori"). Some may complain that this squad follow the blueprint of August Burns Red a bit too closely, but if it's a kick in the ass from a stale style that you're looking for that takes enough chances and left turns without falling too far off the path, then this quintet is worth a spin. www.lifeforcerecords.com -Mike SOS
THE HEADIE BERRIE
MORNING TOAST
SELF-RELEASED
Taking rock 'n roll back to its blues-based smoky backroom roots, the Long Island quintet The Headie Berrie unfurl their colorful guitar rock flag on the quintet's four-song EP MORNING TOAST. This act's no-frills approach to the basics comes complete with a hard rock yowl yielding to tasty bits of harmonica strewn in for good measure and trippy bell-bottom musical jams infused with a bevy of wah-wah guitar bravado ("Blank Tablature"), melding the attitudes of arena rock heroes from the '70s through the grunge era "(Musician"). Capable of making their large than life retro rock sound convincing thanks to their monster chops and durable riffs ("Mushroom T"), this throwback troupe turns the burners up for a raucous ride bursting with badass boogie that folks who like to kick out the freedom rock will totally latch onto. www.myspace.com/theheadieberrie -Mike SOS
DEADLOCK
MANIFESTO
LIFEFORCE
Deadlock return with another dose of bludgeoning metalcore with dual male/ female vocal on MANIFESTO, this German outfit's latest offering. The 11-track affair maintains the crush employed by many of the new wave of European metal acts, yet this sextet continuously throws musical curveballs which definitely makes their music stand out, but not always for the right reasons. The thumping techno opener "The Moribund Choir vs. The Trumpets of Armageddon" and the over the top street hip-hop performance that winds down "Deathrace" are prime examples of some creative moments that most metal fans will write off as miscues, despite their dead-on accuracy and attention to detail. However, if you can deal with this eclectic band's unorthodox leanings, jittery creative flashes, and solid yet tired beauty and the beast call and response vocals, the sonic battering applied to cuts like the Children of Bodom-esque "Fire At Will" and "Seal Slayer" stand up alongside any of the current crop's most notable, making MANIFESTO an album that dares to take chances yet holds its ground to keep it heavy. www.lifeforcerecords.com -Mike SOS
THE MELVINS
NUDE WITH BOOTS
IPECAC
The Melvins are an iconic underground band by all accounts, constantly evolving despite chronic cases of band member fallout. Combining their wares once again with the duo Big Business (which gives the band 2 drummers in addition to a new bassist), The Melvins can now add swagger to their long list of attributes according to their latest 11-track disc NUDE WITH BOOTS. Melding a savage blend of Led Zeppelin and Nirvana into shards of ZZ Top-like boogie for a good portion of this veteran unit's most accessible work, this disc reveals yet another facet of this Bay Area band's vast musical repertoire. Longtime fans will be taken aback from the arena rock shake and the unusual strips of brightness permeating through the camaro-rock of the title cut, as well as the big rock sound employed on "The Kicking Machine" and "Suicide in Progress", but can rest easy knowing that there are trademark moments of menace and malice lurking through tracks like the spiraling "It Tastes Better Than The Truth", the drone interpretation of "Dies Iraea" and the wickedly sludgy kick of "The Smiling Cobra" to round out the overall experience. The Melvins never fail to push past the point of no return while teetering between the experimental and the brink of the mainstream, and NUDE WITH BOOTS displays this band acting as a fully intact entity while fully enjoying their well-earned right to perpetually bend the rules, even within their own context.
www.ipecac.com -Mike SOS
THE PSYKE PROJECT
APNEA
LIFEFORCE
Menacing Danish quintet The Psyke Project deconstruct the notions of modern hardcore into shards of blissful post-metal meltdown on APNEA, this unit's latest 10-track affair. With influences spanning Converge to Neurosis to Gojira to Refused all rearing their heads at some point across this disc, all bases are covered as this group throws down the debilitating sonic crush audible on the panoramic "Jugganata" or the viscous yet melodically pummeling "I Get Paralyzed". Chock full of challenging musical movements and complex switches keeping ears on constant alert , this group's hardcore depth is wrought with an abjectly off-kilter fervor, allowing their out of the box tendencies showcased on the multi-layered hypnotic vibe of "Creating Landscapes" to truly shine. Rest assured, this band stands out amongst the crowded pack thanks to the chilling and hardhearted batterings APNEA doles out. www.lifeforcerecords.com -Mike SOS
COPREMESIS
MUAY THAI LADYBOYS
PARAGON
NY goregrind collective Copremesis are an acquired taste for certain judging on their latest affair, MUAY THAI LADYBOYS. Employing vocals of the most guttural nature that come out sounding akin to the cacophony caused by a barnyard of sick animals while featuring, you guessed it, Muay Thai Ladyboys, to adorn their artwork in full transsexual splendor, this disc renders an unsettling feeling right from the onset. But that's where the shock wears off and the reality settles in of what this band is all about. Musically-speaking, you get what you'd expect from a band of this ilk: blast beats a plenty, signifying harmonic squeals, and sudden bursts of insanity all take turns on a demented tilt-a-ride through depravity, as songs like "Mustache", "Tetsuo", and "Zombie" take this unit's durable slabs of pornogrind through the meat grinder and beyond, complete with torturous explosiveness and at some points, a surprising sense of groove. If you can stomach the imagery and get past the vacuous and unintelligible vocals scraped from the pits of despair, then this troupe's brand of sick humor and technical prowess should suit you well. Word to the wise, though, keep this one away from the easily offended. www.paragonrecords.net -Mike SOS
SYNASTRY
BLIND EYES BLEED
YEAR OF THE SUN
Montreal-based metal maulers Synastry play a brutal yet groovy style of death metal with fringes of industrial that recall bands such as Fear Factory and Killing Joke with the savagery of acts like Kataklysm. While this quartet's sturdy formula of adding futuristic studio elements to accentuate their streamlined death metal chug has been done already, this band seems to have a firm handle on presenting the best parts of the movement without sounding overtly similar to any other particular group. Instead, songs like "As The Dust Settles" clings tight to the growling death metal barks as bleak electronic blips dispersed between the mid-tempo rhythmic crush add a well-roundedness to the entire affair. Imagine Static X colliding with Cannibal Corpse ("Precious Time Bomb") for an idea of mechanical malevolence this unit unveils on BLIND EYES BLEED. www.synastry.com -Mike SOS
DYNAMITE CLUB
FUSION ERA
CAMINANTE
Japan and New York team up for a noise rock jamboree courtesy of Dynamite Club and their latest 12-track sojourn FUSION ERA. Channeling a slew of System of a Down, Frank Zappa and Mike Patton's finest moments while blessed with the capacity to turn delightful pop melodies into near death metal experiences at the drop of a dime without sounding forced , FUSION ERA embraces the chaotic spirit of hardcore punk while remaining heavily steeped in the freewheeling nature of the theatre of the absurd. Lyrics such as the ones found on "Eye Like to Look" and "Besame My Love" are borderline disturbing when read, but add the calculated cacophony and disjointed delivery audible from such gems as "12 Questions for the Psychedelically Impaired" to the equation and the ridiculousness not only matches beautifully but actually begins to make sense. Those not inclined to take a trip to the more adventurous side will loathe this disc's entire 19:33 runtime, but for those in need for a quick fix of crazy, you can't go wrong with the madness associated with FUSION ERA. www.dynamiteclub.com -Mike SOS
SINALOA
OCEANS OF ISLANDS
LEVEL PLANE
DIY ethics and a true passion for the music that continues to be important to them drives the Massachusetts trio known as Sinaloa, gracefully shown on the unit's latest 10-track offering OCEANS OF ISLANDS. Post-hardcore and indie rock do battle within the confines of this act's rehearsal space often according to these songs, as this band is well-versed at whipping up noisy jolts of dissonance such as "Name Names". Sincere in their approach and refined in their delivery, tracks like "What We Could Not Move" exhibits the band's rousing output, boasting an unexpectedly intrusive shot of melody (complete with trumpet no less) while tasteful percussion propels "Ashes of Giants" and "No Bearing" captures this squad in full-on moody math rock mode, sounding like a cross between Snapcase and Rites of Spring. Everyone sings, everyone writes, and everyone pours their heart out here, making this band of buddies a bunch to behold as remainders of the early days when emo wasn't a maligned moniker but in fact still a groundbreaking form of music on the cusp on bigger things. www.level-plane.com -Mike SOS
DAWN OF DEMISE
HATE TAKES ITS FORM
DEEPSEND
Danish death metal mavens Dawn of Demise unleash a sinister assault on your senses with the release of the 10-track affair titled HATE TAKES IT S FORM. Spawned from a template of acts ranging from Suffocation to Cannibal Corpse, this quintet pounds you into submission with a bevy of tortured growls, thunderous drums, and machine gun turret guitarwork on cuts like "...And Blood Will Flow" and the blistering "Impurity". Injecting a modern edge to their sturdy old school foundation only adds to this squad's general sense of malice, as cuts like "Beyond Murder" and the undeniable death groove on "Intent to Kill" display studio enhancements which assist this troupe's malevolent mid-paced chunk to really pack a punch. Sporting death metal that respectfully demonstrates the genre's core values with a decisive modern slant, Dawn of Demise will appeal to all death metal mongers looking for another carcass to feast on. www.deepsend.com -Mike SOS
METAL CHURCH
THIS PRESENT WASTELAND
SPV
The latest installment from Metal Church is the 10-track THIS PRESENT WASTELAND. Retaining the group's traditional metal sounds, don't expect anything new or different from these scene vets, but do expect some powerful and killer vocals courtesy of latest throat Ronny Munroe ("Deeds of a Dead Soul") in addition to a smattering of mid-paced metal assaults such as "Breathe Again" and "A War Never Won". If you dig the band's early days and also like the works of Savatage and Iced Earth, there's enough classic metal goodness and solid straight-ahead metal available from the latest incarnation of this metal giant's affair to spark the senses. www.spvusa.com -Mike SOS
MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT
QUIETLY
TRANSLATION LOSS
The latest endeavor by Ohio's Mouth of the Architect marks a continuation of this unit's post-hardcore sludgy sojourn, as QUIETLY runs just shy of an hour within an eight-track span. Dense rhythms and suffocating guitars immerse your eardrums in a tantalizing go-round of sound on the oppressive menace "A Beautiful Corpse" and the undulating "Rocking Chairs and Shotguns" while "Guilt and the Like" and "Hate and Heartache" surpass typecast loud-soft dynamic shifts with bursts of bombastic guitars and distressed vocal roars while constructing an impenetrable wall of sound courtesy of a cavernous bottom end heard across the duration of the disc. Emitting a creepy tension throughout not unlike Isis or Neurosis, this beautiful yet discordant affair contains a barrage of burly buildups and constantly changing rhythmic patterns which do the service of paying homage to genre leaders while carving out MOTA's very own spot on the avant garde metal totem pole. www.translationlossrecords.com -Mike SOS
36 CRAZYFISTS
THE TIDE AND ITS TAKERS
FERRET
36 Crazyfists has been a mainstay in the metalcore genre for over a decade with good reason, as this Alaskan outfit manages to perpetually release quality music that illuminates both their heavy and harmonic side . The latest 11-track endeavor THE TIDE AND ITS TAKERS is no exception, continuing this venerable squad's soaring melodic metal style with solid results. Armed with a versatile vocalist in Brock Lindow who can go from clean singing to jugular-grabbing screaming at the drop of a dime and led by the grossly underrated guitar assault of Steve Holt, songs like the ferocious opener "The All Night Lights" and the jagged "Clear The Coast" (with guest vocals by Twelve Tribes' Adam Jackson) set moshpits ablaze with bludgeoning force while the airtight low end bassline locking in with the flurry of fearless drums and perfectly aligned guitar fills and rhythms on "Northern November" display the group's superb chops and the haunting "The Back Harlow Road" and "When Distance is the Closest Reminder" render the wicked infectious hooks and crushing groove melding this unit specializes in. Transcending metalcore limitations with clever compositions and expert musicianship (especially guitar-wise), 36 Crazyfists come through yet again with a powerful combination of grace and savagery fully intact and polished to a shine. www.ferretstyle.com -Mike SOS
CANVAS SOLARIS
THE ATOMIZED DREAM
SENSORY
Georgia-based Canvas Solaris ditch one member, pick up 3(!) more and take their instrumental interludes to another level in the process according to the findings audible on THE ATOMIZED DREAM. This eight-track offering still remains steeped with progressive metal grandeur, yet thanks to a larger quantity of quieter moments such as "Photovoltaic", this disc just as well relishes in its grace. While it takes more than a few listens to truly wrap your head around the arduously audacious affair, fans from the far-reaching metal sect will surely embrace the new sounds of the group's multi-layered musicianship thanks to the new blood injected into complex soundscapes such as "Solar Droid". www.lasersedgegroup.com -Mike SOS
RAUNCHY
WASTELAND DISCOTHEQUE
LIFEFORCE
Raunchy stretch the modern sounds of Euro-metal to their limits on the 12-track WASTELAND DISCOTHEQUE. Spitting out nuances from In Flames and Soilwork to Scar Symmetry in succession with traces of Rammstein weaving in and out of the upbeat tempos, there's a sufficient amount of poppy death metal present to keep the head bobbing for a while, but don't count on this disc for staying power, as the entire entity blurs into one giant metallic gallop with predictably placed Mr. Potatohead musical parts to stifle the masses. www.lifeforce-america.com -Mike SOS
SCAR SYMMETRY
HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE
NUCLEAR BLAST
Following in the fine tradition of the multitude of Swedish metal bands that came before them, Scar Symmetry's third release HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE pays homage to the heroes of the Gothenburg sound yet at the same time helps this quintet establish its own identity. While it's easy pickings to point out the In Flames chorus or the Dark Tranquility breakdown, the arrangements are what keep this band high amongst the new crop of emerging metal artists, not to mention the twin guitar tandem whose crushing riff into sweet solo formula lifts tracks like "Artificial Sun Projection" and the coarse "The Three-Dimensional Shadow" to the next level. While the pristinely polished production job may render a sterile listen to some, those who love all things Swedish metal will have no qualms with the latest from this expansive metal squad. www.nuclearblastusa.com -Mike SOS
THE UNSTOPPABLE DEATH MACHINES
THE UNSTOPPABLE DEATH MACHINES
SELF-RELEASED
NYC hipster noise rockers The Unstoppable Death Machines take the listener on a robotic rock 'n roll joyride on their eponymous four-track affair. Distorted guitars meet dance rock rhythms with a slew of industrial overtones with a strangely constructed pop sense is the style this trio employs on cuts like "Body Bop" and the body-moving "Not So Ninja", opting many times throughout the duration of this EP to replace traditional sounds with electronic blips and bleeps with walls of feedback to give off the vibe of being locked inside the dark realm of a video game as a pervasive post-grunge rock point of view propels their version of the Williamsburg world tour. www.myspace.com/theunstoppabledeathmachines -Mike SOS
TAUK
TAUK
POPCORE
Long Island rock troupe Tauk take their advanced college rock sensibilities and dress them up with a mature platter of jazz and funk on their five-track self-titled offering. Referencing everything from Steely Dan to Phish on cuts like "Roll With the Punches", this band's assassin-like solid chops, expert musical interplay between instruments and wonderfully composed songs such as the rousing "All Ears" evoke a deeper shade of soul than the usual tie-dyed contingent can muster. Tauk produces timeless music that truly containing something that virtually everyone who can call themselves a fan of rock music can dig into and groove with. www.taukrocks.com -Mike SOS
OUTLAW ORDER
DRAGGING DOWN THE ENFORCER
SEASON OF MIST
Made up entirely from past members of underground metal stalwarts Eyehategod and formed while all were on probation for various crimes, expect a sinewy and sinister sludgefest courtesy of the NOLA quintet Outlaw Order and their 13-track full-length debut DRAGGING DOWN THE ENFORCER. Pummeling your speakers with a sometimes lethargic but always lethal low end crunch, cuts like the blunt "Double Barrel Solves Everything" and the bluesy "Alcohol Tobacco Firearms" truly encompass the uniqueness when quicksand grooves meet snarling anarchistic rants while molten rhythms chug in odd times ("Siege Mentality", "Walking Papers"). Make no mistake, this is New Orleans metal at its most volatile, sounding like a culmination of the city's fury that still struggles with post-Katrina wreckage long after impact was initiated. www.season-of-mist.com -Mike SOS
THE ACACIA STRAIN
CONTINENT
PROSTHETIC
Perennially pissed off Massachusetts quartet The Acacia Strain returns with a crippling shot to the throat on the devastating CONTINENT. This 11-track collection is punishingly heavy from end to end, and is relentless in the pursuit to level anything standing in this unmistakably vitriolic outfit's way. Brazen with hate-filled heft, despite the barrage of cliche tough guy posturings and profane revenge lyrical topics dumbing down the entire affair, everything else heard from the left of center breakdowns to the brutal vocals on this jaded juggernaut oozes angst in ways that make songs such as "Baby Buster" and "Dr. Doom" perfect aggressive anthems for disenchanted youth to go insane to. And stick around for the album's closer, the atmospheric instrumental "The Behemoth" for a different side to this frothing beast's dastardly delivery . www.prostheticrecords.com -Mike SOS
DEICIDE
TILL DEATH DO US PART
EARACHE
Glen Benton and company return with another brutal blast of blasphemy on TILL DEATH DO US PART, the Florida squad's latest installment of malicious metal. This 10-track offering picks up where THE STENCH OF REDEMPTION left off, with the guitar tandem of Ralph Santolla and Jack Owens returning to shred their way to Satan and back with unforeseen imminence. "Horror in the Halls of Stone" takes the non-linear Nile-esque approach to death metal while "Not As Long As We Both Shall Live" contains some of the most hate-filled and personal lyrics Benton has ever spat out. The road taken by this controversial band has always been intriguing, and this album yields no exception, showcasing the group's returning to old school form with blistering drumbeats, gruesome growls, and fearsome fretwork all in tow. www.earache.com -Mike SOS
INHALE/EXHALE
I SWEAR...
SOLID STATE
Ohio Christian metalcore troupe Inhale/Exhale exhibit an admirable strain of Underoath meets tough guy hardcore on their latest 11-track disc I SWEAR.... Tracks like "The Impatient Will Suffer" benefits from a smorgasbord of strong guitar parts even though the hook is blatant and generic, "I Live the Bad Life" keeps a menacing pace that wouldn't sound out of place on a Terror album before throwing in melodic singing and an Unearth-like gallop while"The Words We Have Chosen" comes across as Thrice when heavy before token angsty metalcore choruses overcome. While this unit has undergone a flurry of lineup changes, they've managed to step up their musical prowess and still can wield the explosiveness necessary for songs like "I Needed A Spaceship" to make knees buckle, yet ultimately fall prey to relying on the genre's basics too much, hampering Inhale/Exhale in their quest to resonate (sans a few great moments) with anything that you haven't heard before. www.solidstaterecords.com -Mike SOS
EVERGREY
TORN
SPV
Swedish melodic metal machine Evergrey re-emerge with TORN, a solid 11-track affair that finds the group rediscovering their progressive roots while keeping subtle hints from the mainstream metal style found on their last few offerings intact. Tracks like "When Kingdoms Fall" and the In Flames-esque "Nothing is Erased" showcases this squad's prowess to nimbly straddle the line between genres without irking the diehards, while "Numb" and "Fail" showcase this unit's ability to create tracks that are perfectly balanced between brooding and heavy . While the amount of truly memorable songs found here is a bit low, the superior quality of the songwriting, the sterling musicianship displayed across the board, and the rekindling of their early sound makes TORN a surefooted step in the right direction for Evergrey. www.spv.de -Mike SOS
CYNIC
TRACED IN AIR
SEASON OF MIST
After a 15-year layover, the seminal Florida metal troupe Cynic have triumphantly returned with TRACED IN AIR. This stunning eight-track endeavor picks up where the cult outfit's 1993 release FOCUS left off, as this disc reassures that Cynic's mindblowingly technical assault is not only firmly intact but sounding fresher than ever ("The Space For This", "Integral Birth"). Remaining at the forefront of the progressive end of the metal spectrum, whirlwind time signature switches, jazzy fretwork, complex percussion, and bevy of vocoder-laden vocals (with a good portion of death metal growls strewn in) are conscientiously woven together to create a rich musical tapestry which truly embodies fusion metal at its finest, rendering a welcomed comeback for Cynic. www.season-of-mist.com -Mike SOS
THE CLASSIC STRUGGLE
BRING BACK THE GLORY
IRONCLAD
South Carolina metalcore crew The Classic Struggle merge Euro thrash, hardcore, and metal for a blistering 10-track offering in the form of BRING BACK THE GLORY. While this unit's infernal heft is sure to leave quite the impression, tactics like implementing the sludgy breakdown before the beatdown on "Beyond the Walls" and the dramatic tempo drop-off from "Wish Me Hell" keep this band in the thick of things, even though tracks such as "You've Got to Die of Something" redundantly tread traditional metalcore waters. Solid yet unspectacular, The Classic Struggle provides the skull-bashing good time which stays the course with a sledgehammered delivery that is bound to appease throngs of shirtless pit-goers everywhere. www.ironcladrecordings.com -Mike SOS
RUDIMENTARY PENI
NO MORE PAIN
SOUTHERN
Enigmatic UK anarcho punk rock veterans Rudimetary Peni have made a lasting mark on the punk rock genre with their no holds barred and intense music and their latest release NO MORE PAIN furthers the unit's underground legacy. Buzzing guitars, sneering vocals, punchy basslines and bashing drums all collide with the fervor of a '77 punk rock riot on cuts like "Eyes of the Dead" and "Sublime Fantasy No. 1", while this trio's steadfast musical style gives off realistic vibes of discord without sounding rehashed for a second. Crusty and raw throughout its entire 20-minute span, this short and sharp offering proudly exudes the true spirit of punk rock . www.southern.net -Mike SOS
THE HUMAN ABSTRACT
MIDHEAVEN
HOPELESS
The Human Abstract return with their sophomore effort, the conceptual 10-track release titled MIDHEAVEN. Chock full of prog-rock excess, poppy hooks, and flashy instrumental flourishes, this California outfit, now a quintet thanks to the addition of an omnipresent keyboardist, merge screamy Warped Tour punk rock pretense with odd-metered time signatures and spots of metallic musical chaos filtered in for a scattershot listening experience. Tracks like "Calm in the Chaos" could have come from old school Dream Theater archives, while cuts like the schizophrenic "Breathing Life Into Devices" and "Metanoia" showcases glimpses of this group's past direction rounded out with a mainstream sound that could have come from bands such as Avenged Sevenfold or Between the Buried and Me. Despite parts of this disc shining (especially guitar-wise), the overall vibe radiated by this slipshod affair seems a bit too self-absorbed and muddled to make a lasting impression, as the band's lineup changes and stylistic shiftings seemingly still need some time to sink in. www.hopelessrecords.com -Mike SOS
A KISS FOR JERSEY
VICTIMS
TRAGIC HERO
Christian rock troupe A Kiss for Jersey hail from North Carolina, not the Garden State as you'd assume by their moniker. On this quintet's latest 11-track excursion, a familiar strain of screamo, post-hardcore, and tech metal is served, kind of like an amalgamation of Saosin, Chiodos, Coheed and Cambria, and Protest the Hero. Progressive to a degree but never enough to allow a chance for the strong display of vocal histrionics to pass by ("Believe", "The Evidence"), this unit succeeds at exuding passion through their songs, yet much of their sound runs a bit too close to their influences in order for this group to make a dent in the oversaturated genre they are associated with. Nonetheless, VICTIMS is a cut above the rest when it comes to delivering a solid slab of emotionally-charged guitar driven music such as "Devices" and "Parallels". www.tragicherorecords.com -Mike SOS
EMBRYONIC DEVOURMENT
FEAR OF REALITY EXCEEDS FANTASY
DEEP SEND
Overpowering and blisteringly brutal yet masterfully musical, California death metal squad Embryonic Devourment release a ferocious blend of technical prowess and unadulterated goregrind goodness on their 10-track debut FEAR OF REALITY EXCEEDS FANTASY. Fortified with massive rounds of explosive percussion yielding incessant double bass and dizzying tempos, relentless guitar assaults ranging from dastardly death metal runs to eerie interludes ,and grotesque lyrical content that keeps them amongst the most vile in the realm ("Self-Inflicted Cesarean"), this explorative unit pushes the envelope to the max on this endeavor with a strong sense of purpose and volatility leading the charge. If you dig Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal, this will be an album you need to acquire, as Embryonic Devourment really do a fine job of exhibiting crippling extreme metal at its finest. www.deepsend.com -Mike SOS
DAGOBA
FACE THE COLOSSUS
SEASON OF MIST
French modern metal outfit Dagoba incorporate a smorgasbord of sounds into their brand of metal ranging from In Flames-esque riffs to industrial-tinged keyboards to a wealth of melodic death metal nuances on their latest release, the 11-track FACE THE COLOSSUS. Despite everything but the kitchen sink being thrown at you courtesy of this overzealous act, the overall aura given off by this a bit too slick for its own good affair is exhaustive and radiates a heard it all before feel that is devoid of any real sense of cohesion, almost as if haphazardly slapping numerous influences together for the sake of being different. If you've heard any European metal in the last five years, there's no need to check out Dagoba, as they basically combine all of the elements together to develop their bland blend of metal. www.season-of-mist.com -Mike SOS
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