Today I think, another list of what I've been listening to over the last week or so.
As I mentioned yesterday, Brain Drill are amazing. Technical Death Metal with old school Brutal Death Metal sensibilities. Obscenely fast, gore obsessed and dangerously nihilistic, Brain Drill were formed by Dylan Ruskin after his ill fated band Burn At The Stake bit the dust, and also originally featured Marco Pitruzella, formerly of Vital Remains and The Faceless. The weird thing is, their songs are strangely catchy and don't bleed into one another as happens with a lot of death metal bands. Their lineup is now complete again after a few changes, so I'm hoping to see them live sometime this year if they come to the UK.
It is proven fact that everyone, even hardened metallers, love The Prodigy. They're undeniably drum'n'bass, but have just enough originality and eccentricity to tickle the more subversive tastes without losing mainstream appeal. Unfortunately, I fear the latest installment Invaders Must Die has lost some of their eclectic inventiveness, although there is defiantly still a spark of genius there. Turns out I've been hearing songs off this album for months at clubs and in shops and just assumed they were by Pendulum or some other run-of-the-mill rock'n'rave band, and only realized what I'd been hearing when I got my copy. Don't get me wrong, they're all good tracks, but they seem a little tame and overproduced. I realize calling something "overproduced" in a genre that is, by definition, more reliant on computers and technology in making music than actual musical instruments is a bit of a moot point, but if you compare this album with classics like Spitfire or Firestarter you'll notice a distinct lack of Prodigy's old edge. I can't help but think that most of these songs sound a little too much like something you might hear in a TV advert, but on the other hand I would never accuse The Prodigy of playing "safe" music. All it needs is more of Kieth Flint yelling shit and acting crazy.
Ravnenes Saga by Svartsot is a good solid Melodic Death/Folk Metal album from Denmark. Imagine a band with the guitar and vocal styles of Amon Amarth, playing songs written by Eluveitie and Korpiklaani and you won't be far off Svartsot's sound. Don't let the guttural vocals and bleak album cover deceive you, these songs are mostly about feasting and drinking, both things I hope to do excessively while I'm in Denmark. Looking at their current live dates, they seem to play a lot of shows around Denmark, so maybe I’ll get to see them live if I can time it right.
Blues/southern rock/grunge/punk isn't usually at the top of my favorites, but Supersuckers have made it up there somehow. Comedic, feel good blues rock is done better by few bands, and tracks like "I'm a Fucking Genius" and "Paid" pack enough punch to keep me entertained through the quieter moments, along with a few epic bluesy solos performed with true Lynyrd Skynyrd dexterity. Bands like this often seem to put on great live shows too, and their current tour stops off in my town very soon so I may have to put on my cowboy hat, grab a bottle of Uncle Jack and go check them out.
As I mentioned yesterday, Brain Drill are amazing. Technical Death Metal with old school Brutal Death Metal sensibilities. Obscenely fast, gore obsessed and dangerously nihilistic, Brain Drill were formed by Dylan Ruskin after his ill fated band Burn At The Stake bit the dust, and also originally featured Marco Pitruzella, formerly of Vital Remains and The Faceless. The weird thing is, their songs are strangely catchy and don't bleed into one another as happens with a lot of death metal bands. Their lineup is now complete again after a few changes, so I'm hoping to see them live sometime this year if they come to the UK.
It is proven fact that everyone, even hardened metallers, love The Prodigy. They're undeniably drum'n'bass, but have just enough originality and eccentricity to tickle the more subversive tastes without losing mainstream appeal. Unfortunately, I fear the latest installment Invaders Must Die has lost some of their eclectic inventiveness, although there is defiantly still a spark of genius there. Turns out I've been hearing songs off this album for months at clubs and in shops and just assumed they were by Pendulum or some other run-of-the-mill rock'n'rave band, and only realized what I'd been hearing when I got my copy. Don't get me wrong, they're all good tracks, but they seem a little tame and overproduced. I realize calling something "overproduced" in a genre that is, by definition, more reliant on computers and technology in making music than actual musical instruments is a bit of a moot point, but if you compare this album with classics like Spitfire or Firestarter you'll notice a distinct lack of Prodigy's old edge. I can't help but think that most of these songs sound a little too much like something you might hear in a TV advert, but on the other hand I would never accuse The Prodigy of playing "safe" music. All it needs is more of Kieth Flint yelling shit and acting crazy.
Ravnenes Saga by Svartsot is a good solid Melodic Death/Folk Metal album from Denmark. Imagine a band with the guitar and vocal styles of Amon Amarth, playing songs written by Eluveitie and Korpiklaani and you won't be far off Svartsot's sound. Don't let the guttural vocals and bleak album cover deceive you, these songs are mostly about feasting and drinking, both things I hope to do excessively while I'm in Denmark. Looking at their current live dates, they seem to play a lot of shows around Denmark, so maybe I’ll get to see them live if I can time it right.
Blues/southern rock/grunge/punk isn't usually at the top of my favorites, but Supersuckers have made it up there somehow. Comedic, feel good blues rock is done better by few bands, and tracks like "I'm a Fucking Genius" and "Paid" pack enough punch to keep me entertained through the quieter moments, along with a few epic bluesy solos performed with true Lynyrd Skynyrd dexterity. Bands like this often seem to put on great live shows too, and their current tour stops off in my town very soon so I may have to put on my cowboy hat, grab a bottle of Uncle Jack and go check them out.
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