Bullet For My Valentine - Fever - Review

You know how American metal is right? It’s the un-tampered with basics of metal that evolved directly from the classics like Slayer and Megadeth. Well, over in Britain, Wales specifically, we find a similar principle at work. The indigenous metal bands stick to the basics handed down the generations, but it still sounds slightly different. It sounds British on some level. Bullet for My Valentine no doubt heads the metal movement across the pond. Now after releasing two very different albums that have built them a following across the globe, they have settled on a sturdy foothold that combines both attempted styles. The Poison, icy and menacing, has joined with the robust and classic Scream Aim Fire to spring forth BFMV’s third studio album, Fever.

A lengthy buildup in “Your Betrayal” in lieu of an intro track uses a toe tapping beat to create hype until the guitars whip out some very recognizable harmonics that solidify any doubts. This is Bullet for My Valentine. But it follows up in an unexpected way. The first vocals we hear are in a whisper. They have an intriguing effect. Points for originality. Like most of the tracks, the first follows a traditional verse, chorus, bridge structure that fills a lot of time without issue or annoyance. This is one factor that differentiates them from other bands in their style. Although, lead vocalist Matt Tuck has stated that BFMV is “a hard rock band with metal influences.” I guess that settles that.

The title track is definitely the resident party song of the album. Heavy guitar hooks crumble into fast strumming in the chorus. These mix with underlying, but proficient guitar slides. The drums generally take a hard rock form, but occasional double kick bursts still fall into appropriate places. Lead vocal from Tuck put semi-clean singing in the driver’s seat, but there is still a healthy sprinkling of mid range screams from bassist Jason James.

“The Last Fight” turns the heat down a few degrees, appealing to the modern melodic tweadling that is weaving its way into most melodic metal bands today. A pretty, inspiring guitar solo slides in near the end of the track, fitting this encouraging song like a glove. Although Tuck had stated before Fever’s release that it would contain no ballads, “A Place Where You Belong” comes suspiciously close. The vaguely amped up opening to the track only barely takes it out of the running. Not that this is a problem; it’s a beautiful track to cool off to. A couple of slow, partially twinned guitar solos and the odd acoustic strumming session and we’ve got lighter-swaying material.

“Pleasure and Pain” will pick your feet back up. The clean and screaming vocals trade effectively. Thankfully, the 80s bug has left Tuck since Scream Aim Fire, pulling the vocals back into The Poison style. But the established aggression is still there. Fret sweeping is the theme for “Alone”. As well as tight guitaring that leaves no open note in its wake, a simple, but head bobbing drum beat drives the track forward. But the outstanding solo is what drops you, ready for a nap. But fortunately it doesn’t end for a while yet. “Bittersweet Memories” is another pseudo-ballad, but the chorus picks up to a brisk jog, and the vocals in the verse are delivered in a unique, memorable fashion. The guitars sing in this, as well as other tracks, which is a welcome addition to the BFMV sound.

For a blast from the past, “Dignity” and “Begging For Mercy” both open up sounding more like The Poison than any other tracks on the album. The former track morphs into a vocal driven anthem that carries little weight outside of the short guitar solo near the end. But then “Begging For Mercy” chucks a little hot sauce into the stew. Easily the heaviest track on the album, there are some very catchy “yawning” guitars and a good deal more screaming and aggressive drumming than previously attempted.

Now, “Pretty On the Outside” ends Fever in just a fantastic fashion. The most different and ultimately one of the best tracks to be heard, it presents a sound much more original than its predecessors. I really wish we could have heard more like this on the album. It boasts a full screaming verse that falls into an extremely catchy chorus. It’s bound to be overlooked.

As for the lyrics – well, “vulgar” is such an ugly word. Then again, so is the F-bomb. This is really just the title track though. The others do seem to deal with slightly more legitimate issues. Most of the album addresses the wonderful world of love loss. “Your Betrayal” is a good example. “You said that we’d be forever. How could you kill me and lie to my face? Now that we can’t be together, there’s just no hope for a final embrace.” That basically sums it up. Someone broke his heart and he’s pissed. “Pleasure and Pain” sings, “You don’t bring me pleasure. You just bring me pain, and nothing in between.” Bullet For My Valentine wears their name well. If you need more examples, just take a look at the other track titles. I think most people can relate to the lyricist.

“The Last Fight” however, talks about the battle that is waged against deadly addictions and the effect that it has on those around its victims. “No hope, just desperation. So sit and wait for death and pray it takes you soon. The addiction’s taking you.”

Fever combines The Poison and Scream Aim Fire quite efficiently while experimenting with new elements and still retaining BFMV’s undeniable sound. Though at times the music was a little cheesy or predictable, it suits their style overall. It certainly serves as a strong milestone for the band on their way to nailing down the perfect sound and for now, it definitely contains some of the best material that they have pumped out. It earns a sturdy 4 out of 5 napkins.

Artist: Bullet for My Valentine
Album: Fever
Release: April 26 (UK), April 27 (US)
Label: Jive
Length: 11 tracks: 49 minutes, 39 seconds
Rating: 4/5

 

Periphery - Periphery - Review

As it stands, Sumerian Records has become armed with some of the most unique metal bands of the present, including Veil of Maya, After the Burial, and Born of Osiris. Each of these bands build up a special, glittering sub section of technical metal, mastering the art of polyrhythms and displaying some of the best instrumental professionalism our favourite genre of music has ever seen. In the corner of our vision, in our “peripheral”, another band of similar stylings has been looming about. Periphery. The Bethesda, Maryland group is a sort of enigma. They have seemingly recorded over one hundred tracks over the last x number of years shared with a second, related artist called Bulb, and state on their MySpace page that they are “a shirt company that also makes music.” Beyond that they have had extensive trouble holding down a lead vocalist, resulting in the postponing of their debut album on several occasions. But after splitting ways with three vocalists and a drummer, they finally nailed down a lineup that everyone agrees with, installing Matt Halpern and Spencer Sotelo in their current positions as drummer and lead vocalist, respectively. Thanks to ideal circumstances for the first time ever, and a one album contract with Sumerian Records, Periphery has finally come to release a full length album, consisting of new and previously released tracks.

The self titled masterpiece opens up with “Insomnia”, raking your face almost immediately with brutal off time chugging. Then we hear for the first time on signed media, Spencer Sotelo in place of lead vocals. He takes his entrance with a gravelly mid range scream. It is acceptable, by all means entertaining, but most importantly, it fits the music so perfectly it makes me want to weep. To no one’s surprise, he quickly transitions to his version of clean vocals. They are very unique, lightly raspy when singing basic range tones, almost with an electronic tinge at times. But in his vast vocal range, his voice soars periodically to smooth, angelic highs, reaching near falsetto that harmonizes just wonderfully with the sporadic melodies of the guitars.

A crushing introduction to “The Walk” only nearly kicks a fissure into your brain. Bent chords followed by impeccably tight machine gun riffs, followed by haunting melodies that just shouldn’t make sense. I would never have guessed that these kinds of tones could be mixed to sound so epic. And oh! the drums. Every piece is tuned to perfection; the kick, the snare, even the cymbals are at the perfect levels. The easiest thing to get wrong has no flaws to name. And like the mint on the pillow, they’re even played creatively. Drummer Matt Halpern finds a very exclusive niche of creativity and expertise that suits the music the more attention you give it.

You find out very quickly that nothing happens twice in Periphery’s music. Not only is their style shared by no other other band, but each song on the album is streamlined to fly on its own. “Letter Experiment” stands strong alongside every other track. With three guitarists (that’s not counting bassist Tom Murphy), you get to here just about every area of variety available. The lead, lead guitar from Misha “Bulb” Mansoor honestly holds a whole new title of working the strings. If he isn’t creating brain-wrinkling chords that harmonize unbelievably, then he is probably tapping out outstanding solos that no one really, fully appreciates because they are never alone. Each tapping match and “solo” is accompanied by an entirely separate onslaught from guitarists Alex Bois and Jake Bowen that could rightly hold up the track on its own. The workmanship that Mansoor imbeds into his playing is the same he uses for his solo project, Bulb, which preceded Periphery altogether.

At four minutes, the shortest track, “Jetpacks Was Yes!” takes the albums first trip into a relatively milder track. Although the main difference is really just the exclusion of the menacing element that presides over most of the other tracks. This time around the desired effect is beauty. Ripe with soothing guitar harmonies and almost exclusively clean vocals, it is most like a dip in crystal clear water before jumping back into the muddy ball pit that was so much fun a second ago. “Light” is only a small step back into the intensity trench. Washy guitar tweadling and absolutely delicious clean singing fuels much of the track, only taking short lapses back onto the heavier side. Appropriately titled, it probably is one of the most beautiful and bright tracks on the album, but not by much.

After ending “Light” with a mellow, mousy techno party, flowery guitars flow through “All New Materials”. The pretty party is headlined by a laid back tempo riddled with momentary, guitar exclusive rises in tempo and then takes a final minute to clear the air with some more techno and dozing-off music. Oddly enough, there are no isolated breakdowns in this whole album, but a little attention reveals that many of the underlying beats are, in fact, played as breakdowns. “Buttersnips” seems to be dead set on stressing the skill at which Periphery transitions between mind-bending, heavy inlays and feather light, high toned pretty sections.

Now clear your sinuses for “Icarus Lives!” This is by far one of the best songs on the album, by originality and showmanship. You can see where the recent “djent” genre comes from, hearing one of its founding inventors work away with ease. Mansoor makes liberal use of the polyrhythmic drums and ethereal vocals by wrapping his own brand of distorted staccato riffs all around them, creating a sound you cannot understand fully even when hearing it. Especially excited drums and erratic tapping work through “Totala Mad” make it one of the most consistently awesome songs all the way through. This is followed by “Ow My Feelings”, which is faintly more relaxed, considering previous tracks. It’s ruled by a lot of dirty, off time guitars and vocals that seem to almost be telling a story. The majority of the song is led by a distinctive, highly unique drum beat that the guitars follow loyally, chords bending at every turn.

Mansoor creates magic in “Zyglrox”. Honestly, I’m beginning to doubt that he is even human. The beginning of the track will make you wet yourself or your money back. Jaw plummeting tapping and suspiciously clean drums that follow boggle the mind. I was panting by the time Sotelo’s scream dropped into the field of growls. It’s a long haul, but if you haven’t collapse and imploded from a pleasure heart attack at this point, you’ve got one more fifteen minute “Racecar” to enjoy. That’s right, fifteen minutes, no hidden track, no weepy interlude of soft guitars for ten minutes, just pure concentrated happiness for fifteen minutes straight. If the time is given, this is a very enjoyable track all the way through. It somehow never gets tiring or unimaginative.

Holy crap, this is a 72 minute album. It’s hard to listen to all at once, but that’s all right, as each track is an adventure of its own. Pick one and enjoy. Each one has its own appeal, it seems. At a very critical stand point, Periphery did everything right with this album. Every member is at a height most musicians only dream of, and it’s recorded nearly perfectly, with each instrument at the perfect level. Including the length and the originality, the only problem seems to be that there is too much to listen to at once. But I’m not going to complain about that. This album either has no flaws or I was too mesmerized by awesomeness to hear them. I think that contradicts itself, though.

Maybe the skeptically trained ear can find some minor detail wrong with it, but I’d like to see them make use of it while their face is being mauled by Misha “ The Electric Light Bulb” Mansoor’s inhuman shredding. You have to either not be into metal at all or hate life entirely to not enjoy this album. From me it gets 5 out of 5 Napkins, with my blessing.

Artist: Periphery
Album: Periphery
Release: April 20, 2010
Label: Sumerian Records
Length: 12 Tracks: 72 minutes, 39 seconds
Rating: 5/5

Veil of Maya - [id] - Review

If metal was categorized by creativity and the talent required to play it, then Veil of Maya would occupy a small subsection of progressive, technical death metal with the very few others that do it well. It could be better described however, as a rampage of furious vocal extremes and mind bending breakdowns. Having risen up from the Chicago metal scene, VoM has taken up residence at Sumerian records with Born of Osiris and After the Burial (two of the only other bands who play a similar style.) Now after showing off their sophomore album ‘The Common Man’s Collapse’ on the Atticus Metal Tour II, they have put together a brand new full length surprise, uniquely entitled ‘[id]’.

If you were familiar with VoM before, the opening title track should be a familiar welcome. At under a minute, it serves as a gateway track representing the band’s breakdown prowess. An immediate overall change to the band’s sound is audible, despite there being no lineup change since their previous release. ‘Unbreakable’ delivers a flurry of ugly chords and bent guitar notes bridled by truly superior drumming on the part of Sam Applebaum. Extremely intricate double kick patterns, and lightning fast rolls and transitions are accompanied by a singular, amazing guitarist, Marc Okubo. As the bass drop lead breakdown at the end of the track swings the momentum into ‘Dark Passenger’, keep in mind that VoM boasts only one guitarist. The speed at which his hands move from chugging chords to high, metallic finger notes boggles the mind, demonstrating a true mastery of the strings.

The pace of fret board caressing is picked up along with the energy of the drums as ‘The Higler’ opens fire on your ear drums. If each track had a theme, this one’s would be blast beats! What adds an interesting mix to all this yet is the relaxed speed of the vocals and the void between the pitches at which Brandon Butler screams. His voice really only has two speeds, as ‘Resistance’ shows appropriately: gut-wrenching death growls and predatory high screams. The only problem here is that many of the vocals, as well as the guitars are heavily overlaid, which sounds great on recordings, but will cause a lot of grief in live performances. Compromises galore! This is where a second guitarist would have been a practical addition.

‘Mowgli’ and ‘Namaste’ finally allow the album to sound more like old VoM, but with noticeable improvements. Melodic guitars now fill up much of the dead air that once pervaded the chugging and machine gun riffs. As well, a big improvement, the bassist, Matt Pantelis is actually put to work, playing away on his very own harmonizing melodies, often completely separate from the general way that bassists just “follow along”. I love it when bassists are used for more than added noise that no one notices until it’s gone. The entire mood of the album is much fuller and more alive this way.

Take note of the transition between ‘Mowgli’ and ‘Namaste’ as well. It is clean and jests no switch to a new track at all. An inobservant listener may not even know they are separate tracks. These are probably the most diverse and appetizing tracks on the album. Fast track straight to them if you want a quick taste of what ‘[id]’ is all about. However, secondary to these, I recommend lending an ear to the final track, ‘Codex’, as well. With a stellar breakdown and a confident tone, it puts a stable end to ‘[id]’.

‘Martyrs’ and ‘Circle’ offer up one minute instrumental breakdowns that unfortunately drag down the album’s full length significantly. Combined with the intro track, they bring the CD’s total playing time to just under 30 minutes. Hardly in the standing to be called a “full length” album at all. While this is disappointing, VoM only began recording the album in December and ask a mere $10 for purchase. Fair enough, but I’m sure fans will expect new music sooner than usual in light of this. And while it does not contain as many unforgettable moments as ‘The Common Man’s Collapse’, the ultimate factor is that this album is quite different than their last, while still retaining VoM’s essence. This is likely due to the unique guitar style and crushing vocals, but there is also a lot of structure added to the foundations of the band. Their next album should be interesting. In the mean time, fans of Born of Osiris, After the Burial, and Meshuggah should definitely take a listen to ‘[id]’. Veil of Maya will be receiving, for this new album, 3.5 out of 5 napkins, with my blessing.

Artist: Veil of Maya
Album: [id]
Release: April 6, 2010
Label: Sumerian Records
Length: 29:10
Rating: 3.5/5

Hundredth - When Will We Surrender - Review

In the midst of darkness, the brightest pinholes of light shine. On the subject of metal and hardcore music, the disposition has been highly demonized through the years that it has built up popularity. The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina based band, Hundredth, is doing their very best to tear down that darkened stereotype with their very own debut album, ‘When Will We Surrender’, in the capable hands of hardcore beast Mediaskare Records. The young fledgling group has put together a stellar new facet of melodic hardcore that soars on wings of passion and integrity. The uplifting message and musical professionalism of this album will undoubtedly hold Hundredth up as they chance the ears of hardcore fans everywhere.

And they don’t even dip their toes in once. They dive right in, drums blazing, vocals amped and barking. There is no introduction necessary for ‘Catalysts’. The violent tone is apparent first hand. The guitars sing sweet melodies and gut you with chugging hooks, while creative and guttural bass lines follow very thorough punk beats with distinctive tom fills throughout. Also very vocally driven, ‘Catalysts’ soon turns a mild breakdown mood into a yelling match between vocalist Chadwick Johnson and MyChildren MyBride front man, Matthew Hasting. At first, the music is pieced together very much like the dear and departed Life In Your Way, but soon carries similar styles to It Prevails and Means as well. It Prevails vocalist Ian Fike does contribute to this with his addition of clean vocals in ‘Willows’. (An appearance that is far too brief in my opinion).

Hundredth is unique in their own nuances. In ‘Betrayer’, creative use of two screaming vocalists (seconded by guitarist Alex Blackwell) is further developed and evokes scornful emotion. While not exclusive to the track, ‘Passion’ is a great example of the group’s seamless transitions from agile punk beats to driving gang vocal anthems, to melodic breaks to head-bobbing, tear-jerking, aim-your-face-at-this style breakdowns. Grudging and heavy as buckets, but chill and played to a tempo that’ll make your head bang slow enough to still appreciate the lyrics and vocals.

‘Caving’ moves into territory of crunchy guitars and morbidly crushing breakdowns that will throw your hair into windmill patterns whether your head is moving or not. Then ample build up should prepare you for ‘Desolate’, which is graced by vocals from Jonathan Vigil, of The Ghost Inside. They are only slightly different from Chadwick’s, but unlike TGI, the guitars are much more melodic and the passion of Hundredth has favoured intensity defying vocals over fast breakdowns in odd timings.

The serene interlude ‘Fade’ provides a few minutes to catch your breath and take in the surroundings that you may have forgotten about just I time to be run through by an especially melodic metalcore ‘Sinking’. Such a sorrowful sound, it was right to be called “a soundtrack to drowning.” Their approach to melody is appreciable for their attempt at unique places to tweedle their guitars and their commitment to finding beauty in low tones as well as high.

‘Rise’, another interlude, presents another chance to cool down, only slightly more musically involved than ‘Fade’ at first, but builds up to a beautiful vocal chorus with inspiring melodies. The silence is shattered however, by an unannounced scream and a fitting bass drop in ‘Brighter’. This is a short, but potent track to raise your hairs to. A fine post-metal tenderizing of your insides from ‘Sun’ sets up for fast and loud in the final track, ‘Shine’. One of the only solos of clean vocals slows down the middle, before the album finally culminates into an ethereal harmony of growls and swimming gang singing.

The music is already powerful, but when accompanied by reading of the lyrics, the affect that the band wished to achieve becomes overwhelming. The story told by this album is very plainly barked aloud in the opening track. “When will we surrender? When will we strive for what is good and not for what man has created?” That sums it up. They speak passionately of the hope found in God’s loving arms and throwing off the shackles of worldly desires. But they do so by encouraging, rather than ramming their beliefs down our throats. ‘Willows’ speaks of a world that abandons us, but then encourages with “when everyone lets me down, I will stand strong alone.” ‘Caving’ is similarly themed. “The world is caving in on me”, but “Your hands hold my days. My trust will remain in Everlasting.”

In ‘Desolate’, the lyrics talk about how the struggles in the world cause a deficiency of hope in man. It runs to a desperate plea to God, “do you still see me as beautiful?” ‘Sinking’ and ‘Greater’ express how hard it is to live a righteous life “blinded by the plank in my eye.” In relation, ‘Sun’ and ‘Shine’ tell the crushing defeat of men by pride. However, each song goes on to encourage the hope that God provides. “There is no greater love”; “I bask in my saving grace”; “Let us shine. We will shine.”

As an extremely uplifting album, the mournful sound throughout is surprisingly effective, and even appropriate for the mood and intentions desired by the band. Great emotion summons tears, whether they’re happy or otherwise. Hundredth can claim their own patch of the melodic hardcore pasture, but they will fit in well with other contenders as well. The sluggish violence with which they pursue their sound breathes fresh yet familiar air. Fans loyal to The Ghost Inside, It Prevails, and Life In Your Way should welcome Hundredth with open, sweaty arms. And with no particular grievances of note, I give ‘When Will We Surrender’ 4 out of 5 Napkins.

Artist: Hundredth
Album: When Will We Surrender
Release: March 30, 2010
Label: Mediaskare Records
Length: 42:45
Rating: 4/5