Whitechapel posts a new song called The Darkest Day Of Man, from their upcoming album A New Era Of Corruption scheduled to be released 8th of June.


Whitechapel's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/whitechapel

Oceana has released a new song, Woolgod, from their upcoming EP Clean Head.
It's very different with a totally new sound yet again, which is good in its ways. Dang, Oceana are adept at varying their sound with every record!

Write This Down & Sent By Ravens

My reviews of Write This Down and Sent By Ravens, requested by Tooth & Nail Records, are up on Corezine!

Write This Down myspace: http://www.myspace.com/writethisdown

Sent By Ravens myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sentbyravens

News!

Okay. There have been very few updates lately since I write for Corezine.net, but now I'm going to announce here when I've written something at Corezine, with a link to it. That way you can still follow what I write and it won't get so empty!
Also, I'm going to start adding happenings instead of just reviews. And by happenings I mean new songs released by bands, new albums coming up, tours etc. It's a good day for everyone!

A Hole Inside - The Face Of Ignorance [2010]

Genre: Post-Hardcore
Label: Unsigned
URL: http://www.myspace.com/aholeinside
Country: Borås, Sweden

These guys were nice enough to hand me their brand new album way before release, so I feel a little special!
I have to say that I'm really amazed how much they've improved since Steps We Have To Follow. The music has much better quality than earlier and the vocals are improved beyond better.
Opening the album with what feels like a very long intro somehow, even though it isn't. It probably doesn't make much sense what I said, but it feels like a good way to open the album. Right in the first song you hear the difference between this and their previous opus. Screaming is clearer and sounds better. Instrumentally they have real studio-quality in contrast with Steps. Due to the fact that they're unsigned they've done a good job producing this album for themselves.
Then comes one of the best tracks on the album, An Act Of Desperation. I have to admit I didn't like the clean vocals earlier, but somehow they sound different, yet very same. The chorus sounds very nice, and the piano-ridden interlude later on in the song feature nice low-pitched clean singing that sound really good. I'd think that it would be a good idea to have some of those low-pitched singing even in the musically energetic parts to create a certain contrast, thus shaping a unique sound for A Hole Inside.
The aforementioned improved clean vocals are also featured in a good manner in Bottoms Up with a very catchy chorus and melodic riffing.
The album then ends in an acoustic ballad well performed with beautiful lyrics - a nice closure.
All in all, this is a huge improvement on A Hole Inside's part and I'm very impressed. Even though the clean vocals do need a little more refining they do sound much better, as does everything else. I'm looking forward to hearing more from these guys.



Best song: An Act Of Desperation
Score: 7/10

House vs. Hurricane - Perspectives [2010]

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Electronic
Label: Shock Records
URL: http://www.myspace.com/housevshurricane
Country: Melbourne, Australia

Australian post-hardcore act House vs. Hurricane releases a new, label debut album after their amazing first release, Forfeiture. The last two years three members of House vs Hurricane left the band, but that didn't let them stop their progress in making a new album. 
All I can say is I'm still amazed by the fact that Australian bands ALWAYS deliver. I'm yet to find an Australian band that isn't, in fact, good. 
Melodic yet heavy when the hammer strikes, intense screaming, beautiful clean singing. 
Not that common to the genre is the heavy use of synth, which was featured in Forfeiture aswell. I'm not a fan of pure synth music, but when it's mixed in like HvH does it, it makes them stand out a lot and it sounds really good. Bands are seemingly too afraid to include too much electronics in their songs, but HvH aren't afraid to experiment. 

First song on the album, Leaps & Bounds, gives a very strong first impression. It starts with a nice picking intro, which turns into melodic riffing together with the picking. It's hard to explain, but it sounds so damn awesome that I could listen to it over and over again without ever tiring. Later on in the song you get a taste of breakdowns, smooth piano-ridden intermissions blended with aforementioned heavy synth. You really get to know HvH right in the first song.
 About half in, you encounter one of the best tracks on the album - Experiences, which features an impressively catchy and energetic intro which ought to make your shake at least one of your bodyparts. Later this song turns into heavy beating and spacey synths which gives kind of a cozy feeling. 
The album as a whole features an almost-the-same sound throughout all songs, which is pretty disappointing. No peaks or surprises, except in Leaps & Bounds and Experiences. But don't get me wrong, it's not bad. Not at all. It's just not as good as Forfeiture was. 
When I heard the intermission II. Softlight, the next to last song, I was really building up for what hopefully would turn out to be a killer track - III. Nevermore. It gave me mixed feelings however. The intro wasn't what I would've expected, but later on in the track you get a lot of melodic verses and clean singing, so let's say it starts not-so-good, but ends with a bang (figuratively speaking). 
Something noteworthy is that not only does the album feature 12 tracks, but lots of them are over 4 minutes long. 

Ultimately, it's a solid album that's guaranteed to grant you a lot of listens. It was not what I was expecting, seeing as Forfeiture was really good I was hoping for an even better sequel. Nonetheless a very solid release and I'm sure HvH won't take any steps back from here.


Best song: Leaps & Bounds
Score: 8/10

Some "news"

As some of you might've noticed, I haven't uploaded that many reviews lately. This is because I've been writing for an online magazine called Corezine.
But don't worry! I'm still writing here, both regular reviews and band requests. So keep sending your albums if you want them reviewed - it means a lot to me! And make sure you check out Corezine as well!

Colossus - The Mechanical Engineering Of Living Machines [2010]

Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: Unsigned
URL: http://www.myspace.com/colossusstockholm
Country: Stockholm, Sweden
Note: By band request

First of all, I would like to apologize in advance if this review is bad since this is normally not in any way what I listen to. Therefore my judgment might be clouded.
That being said, I'm going directly to the point. This is, in my ears, not good. I'm having a hard time explaining what kind of music this actually is, but it's close to impossible. It's got doom influences with a dark aura surrounding it, with a tad of Guitar Hero included. What I mean by that is that it sounds very very very much like a Guitar Hero band.
The band discribes themselves as a mix of post-hardcore, old school doom, thrash and stoner metal to create their own sound. From my own experience, they do have their own sound. However, I'm not very familiar with the genre so I feel like I'm in no position to say that they don't sound like others, but I've never heard anything like it before.
The band members all seem to be in their best years (heh), so I'm guessing you'll have to be there aswell to really appreciate what they create. I, on the other hand, am not, and for that I'm sorry. But hey, if you like doom/thrash/stoner metal, give it a shot. You might like it!

Best song: Last Man Standing
Score: 3/10

Artist vs Poet - Favorite Fix [2010]

Genre: Pop Punk/Powerpop/Electronic
Label: Fearless Records
URL: http://www.myspace.com/artistvspoet
Country: Texas, USA

Pop punk from Texas. It's not something you come across every day I guess.
So what we got here is incredibly sweet pop(emphasis) punk that will make your teeth fall off. Both electric and acoustic guitar mixed in each song, very pop-ish built songs (with almost visible borders at verses, choruses and bridges) and modest use of keyboard á la Hellogoodbye. It's about the same style as Boys Like Girls, with the same radio friendly, MTV-esque sound.
Altough very catchy and energetic, it's TOO sweet. My teeth are disintegrating. But with producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount (All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Cartel) and Mike Green (Paramore), what would you expect?
I have to comment on the song Unconcious Reality, because I really like the strings in it. I haven't heard anything like that before, and it's fresh and unique to mix it into the song.
The album as a whole is pretty monotone with the same builds in all songs, basically. It's a little too MTV for me. I'd advice you to stay away from this unless you're into poppy mainstream rock.

Best song: Unconcious Reality
Score: 5/10

With Chaos In Her Wake - Treason [2010]

Genre: Deathcore
Label: Rising Records
URL: http://www.myspace.com/withchaosinherwake
Country: Hull, UK

UK's up and coming deathcore five piece With Chaos In Her Wake released their debut full-length aswell as label debut, through Rising Records.
Seeing as their previous release, Humanity EP, had a pretty characteristic sound to it, I was pretty disappointed in what I heard from Treason. It has the typical Deathcore-sound with nothing at all special, and is pretty monotone. This is pretty much the same class as Molotov Solution's latest release, which can be either good or bad depending on who listens. I wasn't a big fan of The Harbinger (read my review of it) so being the same class as it isn't a big plus in my eyes.
However, it's pretty chaotic and the vocals are powerful and brutal, but fades away with the weakness of the rest and lack of something distinguished.
They decided to put a track from Humanity on Treason - Scars In The Obelisk. The new version has a lot more depth in it, but comparing the two makes me see that maybe the vocals are what makes this album so mediocre after all, seeing as it has an incredibly common touch to it.
All in all, yet another basic deathcore-album with not much to offer but the genuine sound. If you like Treason, you'd be much better off listening to their Humanity EP.

Best track: Scars In The Obelisk
Score: 5/10

Last View - Become The Storm [2009]

Genre: Metalcore
Label: Unsigned
URL: http://www.myspace.com/lastviewsthlm
Country: Stockholm, Sweden
Note: By band request

Wow. I can't believe I haven't heard of these guys until now. Pissed, chaotic metalcore that totally rips you apart, even at the first few seconds of listening. With dual vocal-approach, crushing breakdowns and intense verses it can't be anything but good.
It's not common for swedish bands to have this kind of chaotic energy, judging from my own experience. They really have their own thing going on, and aren't trying to imitate other bands. Altough, you hear a vague similiarity to Architects and Bring Me The Horizon from time to time, vocal-wise. Unintentionally, I'm guessing.
Even though they've only been a band for ~1,5 years, they've recieved a number of awards from various magazines and radio stations (Demo of the Month - P3 Rockster, Best in Sweden - Close Up Magazine). Not only do they prove their potential, but we all know they will go very far.
This EP was only a three-track and it serves pretty good as a teaser for their debut album planned for release during spring. I'm REALLY looking forward to it.

Sidenote: I LOVE the chorus on Anastacia. It's so damn awesome.


Best track: Anastacia
Score: 9/10

A Hole Inside - Steps We Have To Follow [2009]

Genre: Post-Hardcore
Label: Unsigned
URL: www.myspace.com/aholeinside
Country: Borås, Sweden
Note: By band request

With a very typical swedish youth-post-hardcore sound to it, the first track Worth To Steal doesn't give a very good first impression of the album. Musically, there's not much to complain about other than occuring boring and generic riffs. Vocally, there's room for much improvement. The screaming has an early Adept touch to it, which is both good and bad. Good: it sounds ok sometimes. Bad: it sounds veeery inhale-ish, which I don't like. The clean vocals have a similar soothing effect as BirthEater-Oceana, but by far not as good. Often out of key, and a tad whiny.
Being a swedish band, I can't help but draw parallels with Adept, which I'm pretty sure they have as influences.
If A Hole Inside were to improve the vocal parts, they could develop a characteristic sound. If they keep their dark post-rock-ish instrumental parts and maybe cut down on the clean vocals this could be really good, if not a good start atleast.
And by request from the band, here's a link so you can download the album: http://www.mediafire.com/?32zjzzqz0ix .

Best track: Promise
Score: 5/10