Album Review: Fallujah-The Flesh Prevails

Bay Area technical/progressive death metal act Fallujah has been rapidly rising in the extreme metal ranks of late. Their 2013 EP Nomadic took them out of the relative underground and launched them into the front of the pack of up-and-coming bands in the crowded death metal scene. As someone who's been watching Fallujah closely since their infancy, I feel this recent wave of hype and string of accolades bestowed upon them could not be more justified. Their wholly impressive second full-length, The Flesh Prevails, should only add to their growing legion of fans and simultaneously shatter any skeptics doubts about the future of American death metal.

The Flesh Prevails is a logical progression from Nomadic as the band further ramps up the atmosphere of that record and takes the technicality down a (slight) notch. It becomes clear that Fallujah is going for a more atmospheric vibe when the first notes of opening track "Starlit Path" kick in. "Starlit Path" features over a minute of mellow guitar and bass before launching into all-out bedlam with punishing blast beats, grinding guitars and the tortured, black metal-tinged vocals of Alex Hofmann. "Starlit Path" sets the tone for the stacked first half of the album as Fallujah once again perfects the delicate balance of death metal ferocity and ambient beauty. Previously released tracks "Carved From Stone" and "Levitation" are the two heaviest songs on the album, but also feature striking moody passages including the eerie clean vocals in the bridge of "Carved from Stone" and the subdued guitar solo in "Levitation" that give these tracks a spine-chilling emotional edge to contrast the onslaught that occurs for the rest of the song. While all three of these tracks are excellent, the third track on the album "The Night Reveals" is easily the biggest triumph of not only the first half, but the entirety of the record. The middle-eastern influenced guitar scales, prominent, winding bass line and constant tempo shifts make this one of the most well-crafted and flat-out bonkers songs Fallujah has ever made.

The second half of The Flesh Prevails see the focus shifting to the instrumental side of Fallujah, with the previously released "Sapphire" being the only song with prominent vocals to appear in the latter portion of the record. The instrumental tracks on The Flesh Prevails are a welcome reprieve from the chaos that ensues for the rest of the album as they mostly focus on the strictly progressive side of the band.From their inception, Fallujah's strongest point as a band has been their ability to craft intoxicating and haunting melodies and when the instruments completely run the show, the strongest melodies in their repertoire come out. "Allure" and "Chemical Cave" feature constantly-shifting harmonies that are consistently stirring while also serving as the perfect showcase of just how talented everyone in this band is. "Alone with You" is a completely different animal than the other instrumental tracks as it expands on the droney vibe of Nomadic's "Silent" with heavy use of electronics, stripped-down drums and a few gorgeous understated vocal lines from Roniit- who also provides vocals on "Levitation" and "The Flesh Prevails". Fallujah has this sense of subtlety in their music that is incredibly rare for this type of music and it especially comes through on the instrumental tracks. Fallujah certainly does their fair share of traditional death metal pummeling, but they also have a desire to change things up and heavily explore atmospheric territory. It's refreshing to see a band not only challenge the rules of the genre, but effectively break them, and possibly change them forever.

The Flesh Prevails is a dense, challenging listen that substantially rewards patient listeners who are willing to soak in the vast number of layers this record has. It takes numerous listens to process everything that's going on here, but once you, you realize just how special this record is. While The Flesh Prevails is a brilliant record, I don't believe Fallujah has come close to reaching their ceiling yet. Whenever they finally hit that ever-elusive ceiling, the metal world should be in for a serious treat.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.The Night Reveals
2.Sapphire
3.Levitation

2014 NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Safeties

The 2014 NFL position ranking series comes to a close with my picks for the top 30 safeties in the league. Hope you enjoyed all of these lists and a recap of all the lists will be up shortly.

30.Will Hill (Ravens)

29.William Moore (Falcons)

28.Glover Quin (Lions)

27.Danieal Manning (Bengals)

26.Mike Mitchell (Steelers)

25.LaRon Landry (Colts)

24.Rafael Bush (Saints)

23.Bernard Pollard (Titans)

22.Dashon Goldson (Buccaneers)

21.Rahim Moore (Broncos)

20.Reggie Nelson (Bengals)

19.Tyvon Branch (Raiders)

18.Michael Griffin (Titans)

17.Chris Clemons (Texans)

16.Aaron Williams (Bills)

15.Antonie Bethea (49ers)

14.Tyran Mathieau (Cardinals)

13.Reshead Jones (Dolphins)

12.Kenny Vaccaro (Saints)

11.Eric Reid (49ers)

10.Donte Whitner (Browns)

9.Antrell Rolle (Giants)

8.Troy Polamalu (Steelers)

7.Eric Berry (Chiefs)

6.T.J. Ward (Broncos)

5.Devin McCourty (Patriots)

4.Eric Weddle (Chargers)

3.Kam Chancellor (Seahawks)

2.Jarius Byrd (Saints)

1.Earl Thomas (Seahawks)

Movie Review: Hercules

Is there really anyone in Holywood more perfect to play notorious half-man, half-god warrior Hercules than Dwayne Johnson? Johnson's combination of immense charisma and hulking physical presence would have made casting anyone else in the role a sin. Unsurprisingly, Johnson turns in another excellent, larger-than-life performance in the title role and is a large part of why Hercules is such a fun and efficient late-summer blockbuster.

Director Brett Ratner (The Rush Hour trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand) specializes in making films that entertain without being overly complex or serious, and everyone involved with this film bought into Ratner's philosophy. In an age where blockbusters are becoming more and more elaborate, it's nice to see a blockbuster take the simple, direct route with its premise and execution. The plot involving Hercules and his team of mercenaries (Rufus Sewell, Aksel Hennie, Reece Ritchie, Ingrid Bolso Bordal and Ian McShane- who is a stitch as a wisecracking prophet who keeps falsely predicting his own death) being hired by a king (John Hurt) to fend off a brutal warlord who may or may not be not a centaur (Tobias Santelmann) from taking over his kingdom is easy to follow and offers a few nice twists along the way. As with any sword & sandal epic, the real star of Hercules is the battle scenes, and the film certainly doesn't disappoint in that regard with a handful of beautifully shot and choreographed large-scale fight sequences. The first major battle in which Hercules and co. face off against an army made up of green body-painted savages is the standout-especially when McShane's character comes through with a chariot tricked-out with two large blades on the side to slice through the remaining barbarian troops at the scene's climax. Hercules is an old-school blockbuster that manages to entertain without getting bogged down by a muddled, overly-complex plot or half-baked political message. It won't go down as a classic by any means, but Hercules is still a no frills good time at the movies that further solidifies Johnson as the finest action star of his generation.

3.5/5 Stars

2013 in Music Revisited

As the eight month of 2014 approaches, it's the perfect time to look back at the year of 2013's music and how it holds up in the next calender year. The 2013 list didn't have as much of a shakeup as previous years, but there were a handful of great releases that I didn't get around to until after I published my 2013 year-end recap. Here is my updated rankings for 2013 for both EP's and LP's from worst to best with star ratings and some quick (and some not-so-quick) reviews for the new entries on the list.

EP's (previous ranking)

8. (new) Jhene Aiko-Sail Out (2.5/5)

Jhene Aiko had a huge breakout year in 2013 thanks to guest spots on tracks by Drake, Big Sean and Childish Gambino and the success of her debut EP Sail Out. The beauty of Aiko's voice is undeniable and it doesn't waver throughout the duration of Sail Out, its just that her music lacks soul and direction. The production- mostly handled by Fisticuffs- is boring as hell and Aiko's lyrics leave a lot to be desired. Not even a strong group of guest artists headlined by hip-hop heavyweights Kendrick Lamar and Gambino can lift Sail Out out of the depths of mediocrity. Aiko has the vocal chops to be a star, but suffers from a distinct lack of personality and emotion in her music. 

7. (new) Real Friends-Put Yourself Together (3/5)

In the wave of new pop punk acts, Real Friends is smack dab in the middle in terms of quality. They're too catchy to be written off completely yet too repetitive to make a really strong impression. Put Yourself Together is relatively compelling stuff when you're listening to it, but it escapes your memory almost immediately afterwards. 

6. (5) Glass Cloud-Perfect War Forever (3/5)

5. (4) Kitty-D.A.I.S.Y Rage (3/5)

4. (3) Action Bronson-Saaab Stories (3.5/5)

3.(2) Hundredth-Revolt (4/5)

2. (new) Black Crown Initiate-Song of the Crippled Bull (4/5)

Every year, there's an up-and-coming band in the metal scene that I get really excited about. In 2011, it was Fallujah. In 2012, it was The HARRP Machine. In 2013 that esteemed title goes to Pennsylvania's Black Crown Initiate. Black Crown Intitate plays a striking mix of classic death and new-wave prog metal. Think of them as a modern-day version of Opeth with a sense of groove. Song of The Crippled Bull is a promising start for Black Crown Initiate and hopefully they'll capitalize on their potential with their debut full-length, which is tentatively set for a September release.  

1. (1) Fallujah-Nomadic (4.5/5)

LP's

112.(100) Atilla-About That Life (1/5)

111.(99)  Daft Punk-Random Access Memories (1.5/5)

110.(98) Eminem-The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2/5)

109.(new) Deafheaven-Sunbather (2/5)
The single most overrated metal record to be released in years. Every single song sounds exactly the same with jarring, awkward tonal shifts, horrible production and ear-piercing vocals from George Clarke that are about the saddest excuse for black metal vocals I've ever heard. Making matters even worse is the album features pointless interludes after each actual song that do nothing but add length to an already bloated, overlong album. The ambient parts have some interesting moments, but it's not nearly enough to save this absolute snore of a record.

108.(97) A Loss for Words-Before it Caves (2/5)

107.(96) Arsonists Get all the Girls-Listen to the Color (2/5)

106.(95) Thee Oh Sees-Floating Coffin (2/5)

105.(94) The Weeknd-Kiss Land (2/5)

104.(93) Kid Cudi-Indicud (2.5/5)

103.(92) 2 Chainz-B.O.A.T.S II #METIME (2.5/5)

102.(new) Scorpion Child-Scorpion Child (2.5/5)

Scorpion Child isn't a bad band at all. They're actually quite the opposite, possessing a lot of talent across the board. It's just that their brand of vintage hard rock doesn't click with me in the slightest. Despite my indifference towards this record, I highly recommend fans of bands like Kiss and Thin Lizzy to check this out immediately.

101.(new) Lorde-Pure Heroine (2.5/5)
There were few artists that enjoyed more success in 2103 than Lorde. The 17 year-old broke out of obscurity with smash hits "Royals" and "Team" and, is now one of the most buzzed about artists in pop music. Her first full-length, Pure Heroine, is a refreshingly raw affair with some huge highlights ("Tennis Court", "Glory and Gore") and sharp lyrics that manage to put a fresh spin on familiar topics (fame, love, partying, etc.) Even with its slick lyrical content and efficiently minimalist style, Pure Heroine is an inconsistent effort that fails to establish traction for any extended period of time. For every "Tennis Court" and "Glory and Gore", there's a boring track like "White Teeth Teens" or "400 Lux" to kill the momentum. Lorde has plenty of great ideas and has the dynamic voice and intelligence to express them, she just needs to express them with more consistency and moxie. 

100.(91) Dropkick Murphys-Signed and Sealed in Blood (2.5/5)

99.(90) Palms-Palms (2.5/5)

98.(new) Paramore-Paramore (2.5/5)
Paramore's first full-length without founding members and primary songwriters The Farro Brothers sees the Tennessee-based band heading into a more pop-based direction. The Farro's musicianship and knack for catchy riffs is sorely missed, but the band is able to stay afloat thanks to vocalist Haley Williams. Wiliams' voice is tailor-made for pop hooks and she lets that be known throughout this album with some of the biggest and bubbliest hooks Paramore has done in their career thus far. Unfortunately, the generic pop-rock instrumentation can't match up to Williams' stellar vocals, making Paramore a giant mixed bag on the whole. 

97.(89) A.F.I.-Burials (2.5/5)

96.(new) Fall Out Boy-Save Rock and Roll (2.5/5)
Fall Out Boy aims to save rock and roll by making a pop album? Fall Out Boy may not save rock and roll on their first LP since 2008's Folie a Deux, but they did at least make a somewhat respectable return to music after a four-year hiatus. Save Rock and Roll certainly doesn't lack in theatrics as Fall Out Boy experiments with orchestration and heavy use of keyboards/synthesizers to create a larger-than-life ode to the pop albums of the 80's and the electronic music of today. Fall Out Boy's new sound results in an erratic album which at its best is incredibly catchy pop bliss ("The Phoenix", "Death Valley", "Just One Yesterday") and at its worst is an obnoxious, whiny, scattered mess ("Alone Together", "The Mighty Fall", "Miss Missing You"). There are certainly some major kinks to work out on future releases, but there's still enough of the energy and sense of fun that made Fall Out Boy such a success in the first place present on Save Rock and Roll to make me optimistic about the next era of the band.

95.(88) Juicy J-Stay Trippy (2.5/5)

94.(87) Korn-The Paradigm Shift (2.5/5)

93.(86) Bring Me the Horizon-Sempiternal (2.5/5)

92.(85) TesseracT-Altered State (2.5/5)

91.(84) Clipping-Midcity (3/5)

90.(new) I, The Mighty-Satori (3/5)
A great vocalist in Brent Walsh is letdown by a mediocre band that has no sense of variation. Satori is certainly not a bad record, but it is an incredibly repetitive one. 

89.(83) Vampire Weekend-Modern Vampires of the City (3/5)

88.(80) Gorguts-Colored Sands (3/5)

87.(new) Flatbush Zombies-Better Off Dead (3/5)
Flatbush Zombies show a little bit of progress on their second mixtape Better Off Dead. Meechy Darko and Zombie Juice are still dropping a plethora of not-so-sophisticated verses about drugs and hoes, they're just more fluid and less annoying than they were on their breakout 2012 tape D.R.U.G.S. In-house producer Erick Arc Elliot remains the only real standout part of the Brooklyn trio with his wide-ranging and consistently spectacular beats. Flatbush Zombies are slowly getting better as a group, but they have a long way to go before they're anything above Brooklyn's best drug-and-pussy rap group named after the living dead.

86.(82) A$AP Rocky-Long. Live. A$AP (3/5)

85.(81) Bad Religion-True North (3/5)

84.(78) Ghostface Killah-Twelve Reasons to Die (3/5)

83.(77) Touche Amore-Is Survived By (3/5)

82.(76) Alice in Chains-The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (3/5)

81.(75) Queens of the Stone Age-Like Clockwork... (3/5)

80.(74) J. Cole-Born Sinner (3/5)

79.(73) Dark Tranquility-Construct (3/5)

78.(72) Reflections-Ex(i)st (3/5)

77.(71) Northlane-Singularity (3/5)

76.(new) Childish Gambino-Because the Internet (3/5)
You really have to admire Childish Gambino's (a.k.a comedian/former Community star Donald Glover) ambition on his second LP Because the Internet. The record is all over the place production-wise with everything from eerie, ambient samples to saxophone solos and features a concept about the various effects the internet has on modern society- which is further detailed in a screenplay that was enclosed with the deluxe edition of the album. Despite all of the experimentation and forward-thinking that's featured on Because the Internet, the record still manages to be disjointed and really can't decide what direction it wants to go in. On the positive end, Gambino shows much more confidence and skill on the mic and the straight hip-hop tracks("Sweatpants" and "Crawl" in particular) on here are mostly pretty good. Where Because the Internet falters is a majority of the R&B-fueled tracks (the Jhene Aiko collab track "Pink Toes" being the notable exception) on here. Gambino has a half-decent singing voice, but his vocals are not nearly strong enough to carry an entire track by themselves. Not to mention that the album's concept is incredibly feeble and ill-conceived, with only a couple of tracks having anything even remotely meaningful to say about the problems the internet and social media cause in the modern day. Because the Internet is simultaneously a major improvement and a huge missed opportunity to create something special for Gambino.

75.(79) A$AP Ferg-Trap Lord (3/5)

74.(70) mr.muthafuckin' eXquire-Kismet (3.5/5)

73.(69) Terror-Live By the Code (3.5/5)

72.(68) R.A the Rugged Man-Legends Never Die (3.5/5)

71.(67) Noisem-Agony Defined (3.5/5)

70.(66) Arcade Fire-Reflektor (3.5/5)

69.(64) Kylesa-Ultraviolet (3.5/5)

68.(63) Volbeat-Outlaw Gentleman & Shady Ladies (3.5/5)

67.(62) Havok-Unnatural Selection (3.5/5)

66.(61) Doomriders-Grand Blood (3.5/5)

65.(59) Chimaira-Crown of Phantoms (3.5/5)

64.(58) Captain, We're Sinking-The Future is Cancelled (3.5/5)

63.(57) Within the Ruins-Elite (3.5/5)

62.(56) Ramming Speed-Doomed to Destroy, Destined to Die (3.5/5)

61.(60) iwrestledabearonce-Late for Nothing (3.5/5)

60.(55) Tyler, the Creator-Wolf (3.5/5)

59.(52) Red Fang-Whales and Leeches (3.5/5)

58.(46) Earl Sweatshirt-Doris (3.5/5)

57.(53) Children of Bodom-Halo of Blood (3.5/5)

56.(51) CZARFACE-CZARFACE (3.5/5)

55.(35) Death Grips-Government Plates (3.5/5)

54.(47) Last Chance to Reason-Level 3 (3.5/5)

53.(32) Fleshgod Apocalypse-Labyrinth (3.5/5)

52.(49) Mac Miller-Watching Movies With the Sound Off (3.5/5)

51.(54) Amon Amarth-Deciver of the Gods (3.5/5)

50.(65) Kvelertak-Meir (3.5/5)

49.(48) The Story So Far-What You Don't See (3.5/5)

48.(50) Chance the Rapper-Acid Rap (3.5/5)

47.(45) Big K.R.I.T.-King Remembered in Time (3.5/5)

46.(44) Coheed and Cambria-The Afterman: Descension (3.5/5)

45.(43) Born of Osiris-Tommorow We Die Alive (4/5)

44.(42) Finntroll-Bloodsvept (4/5)

43.(41) Crossfaith-Apocalyze (4/5)

42.(40) Vince Staples & Larry Fisherman-Stolen Youth LP (4/5)

41.(39) Warbringer-IV: Empires Collapse (4/5)

40.(38) Rivers of Nihil-The Conscious Seed of Light (4/5)

39.(37) Pusha T-My Name Is My Name (4/5)

38.(36) Defeater-Letters Home (4/5)

37.(34) Devildriver-Winter Kills (4/5)

36.(33) Rob Zombie-Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor (4/5)

35.(30) Heaven Shall Burn-Veto (4/5)

34.(31) Intronaut-Habitual Leviations (Instilling Words With Tones) (4/5)

33.(27) Rotting Out-The Wrong Way (4/5)

32.(26) Counterparts-The Difference Between Hell and Home (4/5)

31.(25) Suffocation-Pinnacle of Bedlam (4/5)

30.(new) Ovid's Withering-Scryers of the Ibis (4/5)
If all deathcore bands were as forward thinking as Ovid's Withering, the genre would be not nearly as frowned upon as it currently is in the metal community. Ovid's Withering plays a combination of deathcore, prog, djent and symphonic black metal that sounds like a jumbled mess on paper, but is enthralling and wildly original in practice. The breakdowns are pummeling, the orchestration is beautiful, the vocals are loaded with black-metal and the tempo shifts are flawless. If you're a fan of extreme metal that isn't afraid of a band that has breakdowns, you'll be rewarded handsomely with the bonkers ride that is Scryers of the Ibis. 

29.(29) A Day to Remember-Common Courtesy (4/5)

28.(28) Action Bronson-Blue Chips 2 (4/5)

27.(22) The Wonder Years-The Greatest Generation (4/5)

26.(new) State Champs-The Finer Things (4/5)
There must be something in the water at Pure Noise Records. The label is previously responsible for launching the careers of new-wave pop-punk behemoths such as Four Year Strong and The Story So Far and have shown time and time again that they have an ability to find and sign the best bands in the genre. Pure Noise's newest success story is New York's State Champs, whose debut LP The Finer Things is the gold standard for the next wave of pop punk bands. State Champs have more of straight-punk crunch than most of their peers without sacrificing the traditonal pop punk catchiness. Ampflying the band's treasure trove of bouncy riffs is the impressive vocal chops of Derek Discanio. Discanio goes above and beyond the call of duty for your average pop punk vocalist with a unique style and range that could apply to a variety of other styles of music. State Champs are the easily the finest pop punk to emerge since their labelmates The Story So Far and I can't wait to see where they go from here.

25.(new) Night Verses-Lift Your Existence (4/5)
Say hello to Nigh Verses, the next great post-hardcore band. Vocalist Douglas Robinsion-formerly of The Sleeping-has an incredible range that allows him to sing over both aggressive ("Rage", "Antidepressants" and emotionally-charged, melodic tracks ("Yours", "Blind Lighthouse") with equal levels of success. The scope of Lift Your Existence is insane and that diversity leads to one of the most satisfying and challenging records this genre has seen in the last decade. 

24.(24) Death Angel-The Dream Calls for Blood (4/5)

23.(23) Soilwork-The Living Infinite (4/5)

22.(21) Conducting from the Grave-Conducting from the Grave (4/5)

21.(20) After the Burial-Wolves Within (4/5)

20.(19) Scale the Summit-The Migration (4/5)

19.(17) letlive.-The Blackest Beautiful (4/5)

18.(16) Clutch-Earth Rocker (4/5)

17.(15) Hatebreed-The Divinity of Purpose (4/5)

16.(14) Anciients-Heart of Oak (4/5)

15.(13) Misery Signals-Absent Light (4/5)

14.(18) Kanye West-Yeezus (4/5)

13.(new) The Safety Fire-Mouth of Swords (4/5)
There's improving from your previous record, then there's what The Safety Fire did with Mouth of Swords, the follow-up to their subpar 2012 effort Grind the Ocean. It's almost unbelievable just how much they progressed over the course of one album. Mouth of Swords sees The Safety Fire go from talented, but ultimately underwhelming act to one of the most unique and interesting forces in progressive metal. A majority of the improvement found on Mouth of Swords can be attributed to vocalist Sean McWeeny. His vocals on Grind the Ocean were grating to an extent that the band was almost completely unlistenable. His vocals on Mouth of Swords on the other hand are the most endearing aspect of the entire record. McWeeny's screams are still a little bit suspect, but his cleans are absolutely astonishing and more than make up for any deficiencies his harsh vocals have. The Safety Fire has gotten stronger instrumentally as well with more striking melodies and sneakily technical guitarwork that perfectly complements McWeeny's vocals. It's been six months since I heard this record for the first time and I still can't believe just how great it is. Kudos to The Safety Fire for vastly improving as a band and releasing one of the best records of 2013.     

12.(12) August Burns Red-Rescue & Restore (4/5)

11.(11) Danny Brown-Old (4/5)

10.(10) Run the Jewels-Run the Jewels (4/5)

9.(9) The Black Dahlia Murder-Everblack (4.5/5)

8.(8) Hope for the Dying-Altheia (4.5/5)

7.(7) Skeletonwitch-Serpents Unleashed (4.5/5)

6.(6) The Ocean-Pelagial (4.5/5)

5.(5) Battlecross-War of Will (4.5/5)

4.(4) Protest the Hero-Volition (4.5/5)

3.(3)The Dillinger Escape Plan-One of Us is the Killer (4.5/5)

2.(2) Killswitch Engage-Disarm the Descent (4.5/5)

1.(1) Revocation-Revocation (4.5/5)

2014 NFL Position Rankings: Top 50 Cornerbacks

The last phase of the position ranking series starts today with cornerbacks. Here my selections for the top 50 currently playing in the NFL.

50.Xavier Rhodes (Vikings)

49.Logan Ryan (Patriots)

48.Kareem Jackson (Texans)

47.Bradley Fletcher (Eagles)

46.Corey White (Saints)

45.Drayton Florence (Free Agent)

44.Nolan Carroll (Eagles)

43.Rashean Mathis (Lions)

42.Tramon Williams (Packers)

41.William Gay (Steelers)

40.Corey Graham (Bills)

39.Alan Ball (Jaguars)

38.Chris Crocker (Bengals)

37.Jimmy Smith (Ravens)

36.Adam Jones (Bengals)

35.Stephon Gilmore (Bills)

34.Casey Hayward (Packers)

33.Cortez Allen (Steelers)

32.Walter Thurmond (Giants)

31.Tramaine Brock (49ers)

30.Brandon Flowers (Chiefs)

29.Chris Owens (Browns)

28.Tarrel Brown (Raiders)

27.Sam Shields (Packers)

26.Desmond Trufant (Falcons)

25.Leodis McKelvin (Bills)

24.Antonio Cromartie (Cardinals)

23.Charles Tillman (Bears)

22.Brandon Boykin (Eagles)

21.Brandon Browner (Patriots)

20.Byron Maxwell (Seahawks)

19.Jason McCourty (Titans)

18.Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Giants)

17.Chris Harris (Broncos)

16.Leon Hall (Bengals)

15.Prince Amukamura (Giants)

14.Lardarius Webb (Ravens)

13.Captain Munnerlyn (Vikings)

12.Keenan Lewis (Saints)

11.Jonathan Joesph (Texans)

10.DeAngelo Hall (Redskins)

9.Tim Jennings (Bears)

8.Vontae Davis (Colts)

7.Aqib Talib (Broncos)

6.Brent Grimes (Dolphins)

5.Alterraun Verner (Buccaneers)

4.Joe Haden (Browns)

3.Patrick Peterson (Cardinals)

2.Darrelle Revis (Patriots)

1.Richard Sherman (Seahawks)

50 Most Underrated Albums of the 2000's (So Far): #22

22.Atmosphere-Seven's Travels (2003)

Hip-hop group Atmosphere finally released the masterpiece they had hinted at in their years of grinding in the underground scene with 2002's God Loves Ugly. Some acts take a steep decline after releasing a landmark album, but for Atmosphere the release of God Loves Ugly marked the beginning of a streak of excellent releases for the group. Seven's Travels, the immediate follow-up to God Loves Ugly, marks the last of Atmosphere's not entirely serious records and remains a highly enjoyable and refreshingly original listen over a decade after its release.The bizarre interludes scattered throughout prevent it from reaching the heights of God Loves Ugly, but the actual songs are some of the strongest Atmosphere has ever released. "Trying to Find a Balance" is the perfect Atmosphere song with its anthematic hook, powerful lyrics and memorable production while the grimy banger "Cats Van Bags" is an uncharacteristically aggressive track from the typically laid-back duo. While Seven's Travels is mostly a light listen, there are some profound tracks ("Reflections", "Bird Sings Why the Caged I Know", "Suicidegirls") that pack a serious emotional punch. Seven's Travels is the perfect antithesis for the varied behemoth of a record that was God Loves Ugly and the somber material of the records that followed it.

Standout Tracks
1.Trying to Find a Balance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X51sL4SzVG4
2.Cats Van Bags http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeTa8BSiih0
3.Reflections http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llDczT9BzAg

Concert Review: Deathwish Fest Day 1 (Converge/Trap Them)-- Cambridge, MA-- July 22, 2014

Converge frontman Jake Bannon's Beverly, Massachusetts-based record, label, Deathwish Inc., kicked off their first-ever festival at The Middle East in Cambridge, Massachusetts yesterday. A sampling of Deathwish's stable of standout hardcore and sludge acts made up the bill for the label's inaugural festival and as excepted with a label of this caliber, the evening was a grand success.

The only thing that was not great about Deathwish Fest was the entry process. The line was unlike anything I've ever seen at the Middle East before as I waited over an hour in line to get into the venue. Upon entering the venue, I figured out that the delay was caused by the fact that they needed to verify that everyone that was supposed to go (the show was moved to the Middle East from another venue in Cambridge) to the show got into the show. The venue had to go through a bunch of hard-copy lists to figure out who was on the list for single day and two-days passes, which as you can imagine, is a very tedious process. Despite getting to the venue right after the doors opened, I ended up missing the first two bands while waiting in the unholy-long line.

Thankfully, I was able to get into the venue right before the first band I wanted to see, Cult Leader, started their set. For those who don't know, Cult Leader rose from the ashes of Salt Lake City sludge/grind outfit Gaza and features the same lineup they had (minus vocalist Jon Parkin) before they disbanded in early 2013. Cult Leader has pretty much the same amount of raw heaviness that Gaza has with a little more of a pure sludge edge. Vocalist Anthony Lucero isn't quite as intimidating of a frontman as Parkin was -namely because he's not 6'8- but he still possesses the fire and rage that made Gaza such a force as a live band. They played all of their debut LP Nothing For Us Here plus a new track with basically no time in-between songs, making their set that much more crushing. Unfortunately, Cult Leader got a lukewarm crowd reception and left the stage after their half-hour set with perhaps the most indifferent round of applause I've ever heard in my life. Despite the collective shoulder shrug from the crowd, I thought Cult Leader was great and I'm glad to see they're just as effective of a live band as Gaza was.

Doomriders was up next. These guys were the only band on the bill that I'd seen before and just like the first time I saw them opening for High on Fire last November, they were great. Their wide-ranging material and knack for catchy, memorable riffs makes them one of the most pure fun bands to see in all of metal. Frontman Nate Newton- who pulled double duty last night as he is also the bassist for Converge- is an excellent frontman who really knows how to work a crowd. Despite Newton's best efforts, Doomriders still went over like a fart in church. It was really odd to see Doomriders' riff-heavy brand of sludge/stoner metal go over so poorly with a Converge crowd when one of their members is in the band, but I guess their music just doesn't appeal to the hardcore-based crowd Converge draws. Doomriders is a dope live band and I'd love to see them again with a better crowd.

Based on the reaction to Cult Leader and Doomriders, I expected the crowd to wake up for the first hardcore band on the bill in Blacklisted. I was correct. People not only woke up for Blacklisted, they lost their fucking minds. I enjoy hardcore, but I'm not fully immersed in the scene, so I had no idea who Blacklisted was before this show. That all changed after their performance as Blacklisted put on one of the evening's finest performances by far. These guys are one of the most dynamic hardcore bands I've ever heard tackling everything from thrashy, in-your-face Terror-esque hardcore to full-on experimental, progressive material over the course of their 35-minute set. In a genre that typically stays to a clear formula, it's great to see a band that goes all over the map and excels at every style they try out. Adding to the unpredictable nature of their music was the immense passion of frontman George Hirsch. He was suffering from an illness and was pretty hoarse in-between songs, but he poured his heart and soul into every song and sounded amazing vocally throughout the set. Blacklisted has traveled to the top of my must-listen list and I look forward to hearing their new LP this fall.

Modern Life is War was up next. Of all the bands not named Converge on this bill, they were the band I was most intrigued to see. I'd heard nothing but amazing things about things and it's always cool to get an opportunity to see such an iconic band perform. For reasons I can't quite put my finger on, Modern Life is War slightly underwhelmed me. About the only logical explanation I can think of is that Modern Life is War had the rough task of following Blacklisted, who is a much more varied act that plays the same style of music. I seemed to be the only a-hole who felt this way because Modern Life is War had arguably the most explosive crowd reaction of the entire show. Vocalist Jeff Eaton constantly got mugged for the mic by a sea of crowd surfers and stage divers while giving all of that energy right back to the crowd by repeatedly going into the crowd himself and encouraging even more people to get up front and yell the words into the mic with him. During the second-to-last song, Eaton asked the security guard standing on the side of the stage what the crowd could do during the song. The security guard responded by saying "anything as long as it's not stupid". Of course with the type of unintentional blessing for chaos from security, the room launched into an all-out warzone for the entire song with a non-stop flow of people getting on stage and the pits expanding to fill the entire front of the room. That is one of the things I love about hardcore shows, the fans are incredibly passionate and go absolutely crazy at every possible opportunity. Modern Life is War put on a solid and wildly energetic performance, they just didn't impress me as much as I expected them to.

The first of the two headliners, Trap Them, took the stage. It was amazing how much of the room cleared out after Modern Life is War, but the people that remained for Trap Them were every bit as passionate as the diehards who were present for Modern Life is War. Trap Them is a band that I've slept on for a long time and after their performance last night, I kind hate of myself for it. These dudes have a level of grit that few other bands in the scene do. Every single song has this unique, grimy aura to it and it's just beautiful to listen to (if you enjoy sloppy, heavy bands that is.) Their music has so many dark, punchy riffs that you start to lose count by the time they've played a couple of songs. "Salted Crypts" off their new record Blissfucker set the ominous tone with a barrage of slow doom riffs while closer "The Facts" from 2011's Darker Handcraft is a full-on punk anthem with fast riffs galore that would make the legends of the genre ecstatic. The bottom line is that regardless of the pace of the song, Trap Them has the perfect riffs to accompany it. Despite a plethora of amazing riffs, the highlight of Trap Them's set was vocalist Ryan McKenney. McKenney is one of the most quietly intense frontmen I've ever seen perform. In-between songs, he's a soft-spoken, reserved guy, but when he's doing vocals, he becomes this almost otherworldly being who seems solely focused on destroying everything in his path. McKenney is the perfect frontman for a band that makes music that's as dark and evil as the material Trap Them makes. Trap Them's performance here has instantly made me a fan and I plan on delving into their older discography (I listened to Blissfucker in its entirety before the show) immediately.

The men of the hour and the reason this fest exists in the first place, Converge, came on at 11:15 to wrap up the nearly six hours of music I heard on the evening. Despite also hailing from their home state and being a fan of theirs for over five years now, the stars had never really aligned on me seeing Converge until now. Now that I've seen Converge, I'm really frustrated that I hadn't seen them sooner. All the hype I'd heard about their live shows over the years was 100% true. Converge is every bit as good, if not better live than on record. The utter chaos, power and beauty of their music really takes flight in a live setting. The ringleader at the forefront of Converge's wild performances is vocalist Jake Bannon. Bannon is one of the most intense and flat-out insane frontmen of all-time. His signature shrieking vocals are just as menacing live and he barely stopped moving for the whole hour they were on stage-constantly running around and holding the mic out for fans in the front to scream/sing along. Bannon wasn't the only member of Converge that was active on stage, bassist Nate Newton carried over the energy he had with Doomriders by flailing and jumping around like a crazy person while drummer Ben Koller and guitarist Kurt Ballou provided tons of energy as well despite the complexity of the material they're playing. Underneath all the energy they give off and musical bedlam they provide, Converge is one of the single most talented bands I've ever had the pleasure of seeing perform. Koller's leads the rhythm section with his mesmerizing drumming which features a surplus of mind-boggling fills and blast beats (especially on the newer material) while Newton shines on bass every time he gets the chance to be heard in the mix. Ballou is a similarly freakishly gifted musician with the solos on "Reap What You Sow" and furious set closer "Effigy" showing his penchant for unconventional and genre-defining guitarwork. Watching these guys play in person made me appreciate them that much more as musicians. Converge gets a lot of love for their contributions to the genre over the years and have had numerous acclaimed records, but the individual members of the band still don't get nearly enough credit for how brilliant they are at their respective instruments. As for the setlist, it was damn near perfect with a plethora of material from their 2001 classic Jane Doe and their two most recent releases Axe to Fall and All We Love Be Leave Behind made up an overwhelming majority of the set. The Jane Doe material including "Concubine" and "Homewrecker" was as insanely heavy as I expected them to be, but it was the more recent album standouts like "Trespasses", "Glacial Pace" and the aforementioned "Reap What You Sow" that were the most enjoyable and purely energetic tracks of the evening. It was a treat to finally see Converge and I have no doubt in my mind that day two of Deathwish's festival will be equally fantastic. Here's hoping this becomes an annual event.

Scores:
Cult Leader 8/10
Doomriders 8/10
Blacklisted 8.5/10
Modern Life is War 7.5/10
Trap Them 8.5/10
Converge 9/10

Setlists:
Cult Leader:
Played all of their LP+ 1 new song, they closed with Driftwood.

Doomriders included:
Come Alive
Black Thunder

Blacklisted included:
I Am Weighing Me Down
Turn the Pike
Rip Tide
Matrimony
New Song (it was the title track from their new LP, the name just slips my mind

Modern Life is War included:
John and Jimmy
Fuck The Sex Pistols
Health, Wealth & Peace
Currency (closer)

Trap Them included:
Salted Crypts (opener)
Lungrunners
Fucking Viva
Savage Climbers
The Facts (closer)

Converge:
Eagles Become Vultures
Aimless Arrow
Veins and Veils
Drop Out
Heartless
Heartache
Trespasses
All We Love We Leave Behind
Runaway
Reap What You Sow
Cutter
Glacial Pace
Heaven in Her Arms
Homewrecker
Concubine
Fault and Fracture
Disintegration (The Cure Cover) (w/Stephen Brodsky, first proper live performance according to Jake Bannon)
Effigy

2014 NFL Position Rankings: Top 50 Outside Linebackers

Today's entry in the 2014 NFL position ranking series is at arguably the deepest position in the league, outside linebacker. Here my picks for the 50 best at this talent-rich position. 

50.Barkevious Mingo (Browns)

49.Sam Acho (Cardinals)

48.Brooks Reed (Texans)

47.Stephen Nicholas (Falcons)

46.Nate Irving (Broncos)

45.Alec Ogletree (Rams)

44.Quinton Coples (Jets)

43.Zach Brown (Titans)

42.Dan Skota (49ers)

41.Bruce Carter (Cowboys)

40.Akeem Ayers (Titans)

39.LaMarr Woodley (Raiders)

38.Jarret Johnson (Chargers)
37.Dont'a Hightower (Patriots)

36.Manny Lawson (Bills)

35.Paul Kruger (Browns)

34.Brandon Graham (Eagles)

33.Junior Gallette (Saints)

32.Whitney Mercilus (Texans)

31.Koa Misi (Dolphins)

30.Calvin Pace (Jets)

29.Bruce Irvin (Seahawks)

28.Spencer Paysinger (Giants)

27.John Abraham (Cardinals)

26.Jamie Collins (Patriots)

25.Conor Barwin (Eagles)

24.Jason Worldiis (Steelers)

23.K.J. Wright (Seahawks)

22.Sio Moore (Raiders)

21.Ryan Kerrigan (Redskins)

20.Trent Cole (Eagles)

19.Lance Briggs (Bears)

18.DeAndre Levy (Lions)

17.Malcolm Smith (Seahawks)

16.Danny Trevathan (Broncos)

15.Ahmad Brooks (49ers)

14.Chad Greenway (Vikings)

13.Elvis Dumervil (Ravens)

12.Terrell Suggs (Ravens)

11.Thomas Davis (Panthers)

10.Jerod Mayo (Patriots)

9.Brian Orakpo (Redskins)

8.Vontaze Burfict (Bengals)

7.Justin Houston (Chiefs)

6.Tamba Hali (Chiefs)

5.Aldon Smith (49ers)

4.Robert Mathis (Colts)

3.Lavonte David (Buccaneers)

2.Von Miller (Broncos)

1.Clay Matthews (Packers)

Concert Review: Killswitch Engage-- Providence, RI-- July 19th, 2014

Being from Massachusetts-where a majority of high-profile tours come when they roll through New England- I don't attend shows in other states very often. On the off-chance a tour doesn't come to Massachuetts, Rhode Island is typically the place they end up playing. The last time I went to a show in Rhode Island (Black Dahlia Murder/Skeletonwitch/Fallujah last October) it ended up being one of the best shows I attended in 2013. The Killswitch Engage/Unearth/After the Burial show at Lupo's in Providence last night was not only one of the best shows I've been to in 2014 so far, but one of the absolute best shows I've ever been to.

The fact that this show ended up being so memorable is pretty amazing considering how the night started off. There was a series of complications that occurred a couple of hours before the show which caused my friends and I to leave later than we'd planned to. Our delayed departure caused us to miss Code Orange, which kind of bummed me out since I've never seen them before and I've heard nothing but great things about their live show. Thankfully, they're coming to Massachusetts in early October on a co-headliner with Twitching Tongues, so I'll hopefully get the chance to see them then.

By the time we arrived, After the Burial was about to go on. As always, After the Burial put on a tight and extremely energetic set. Vocalist Anthony Notarmaso and lead guitarist Trent Hafdahl are an absolutely lethal tandem. Notarmaso is an elite vocalist whose low and high-pitched screams have equal bite while Hafdahl has a level of precision and technical flair that few in the genre possess. The set was even split between material from their last three records Rareform, In Dreams and Wolves Within; which gave the band ample opportunity to show off their propensity for frantic guitar solos and crushing grooves. It was great to see Wolves Within standout "Pennyweight" in the set and "Berzerker" never fails to be a shitload of fun live. The only lowlight of the set was Hafdahl's guitar briefly going out during the middle of the solo in "My Frailty". Of all the OG Sumerian death/metalcore bands, After the Burial is easily the best live act and I really hope I can see them play a longer set before the touring cycle for Wolves Within is complete.

Unearth was up next. I just saw these guys a month and a half ago on their 10th anniversary tour for The Oncoming Storm and it was a pleasure to get to see them again in such a short window of time. While they weren't quite as sharp this time around as they were on that tour, they still put on a hell of a show. The consistency and intensity of their shows is a big part of the reason why Unearth has achieved such longevity in the scene. Aside from the pleasant surprise of "Last Wish" from Darkness in the Light, the setlist wasn't particularity adventurous with the staples from The Oncoming Storm once again dominating the set. The lack of variety in Unearth's set is certainly a valid cause for aggravation for people that have seen them a lot over the years, but it really doesn't bother me that much. Tracks like "The Great Dividers" and "Endless" are amongst my absolute favorite songs by them and they're always amazing to hear live. Of course, I would love to hear some lesser-played cuts from III: In the Eyes of Fire and The March, but given the fact that I've seen them so many times without much variation in the setlist, I know that's probably not going to happen. Unearth crushed as always and I'm pumped for their new record to come out in October.

After about an approximately half-hour wait, it was finally time for Killswitch Engage to take the stage. Of the four times I've seen Killswitch Engage, this was far and away the best. The combination of guitarist Joel Stroetzel having to miss the show due to a family emergency and this being Jesse Leach's first show in his hometown of Providence since he rejoined the band in 2012 gave this show a massive emotional edge. The band went above and beyond to pour every ounce of their heart into their performance. You could tell that Stroetzel's absence was making them distraught and they wanted to go out there and put on the show of a lifetime for him. Let's just say they succeeded in that goal and then some. The entire band exuded an unreal amount of energy for the 75 minutes they were on-stage and somehow manged to collectively sound even better than usual. The setlist was beautiful with material from their two best records, Alive or Just Breathing and End of Heartache, making up a vast majority of the set. Classics like set opener "Fixation on the Darkness", "My Last Serenade" and "A Bid Farewell" were awesome, but it was the leaser-known tracks that really impressed. Alive or Just Breathing deep cuts "Vida Infra" and "Temple From the Within" were totally unexpected and it was incredibly satisfying to actually hear them live after all these years. I actually made a comment before they went on saying how great it would be if broke out rarities from Alive or Just Breathing like "Vida Infra" and "Temple from Within", so it was really surreal when they ended up actually playing those tracks. The most striking moment of the evening and the tipping point for the show's highly poignant vibe was Disarm the Descent ballad "Always", which was dedicated to Stroetzel and his family. Leach gave his best performance of the entire night and I was almost moved to tears with the sheer power and heartfelt delivery of his vocals. "Always" has struck a chord with me recently with its themes of losing someone close to you after one of my best friends died in a car accident last December. He was a huge Killswitch fan and it was one of the first songs I listened to after he passed away, so hearing it live was a beautiful and gut-wrenching moment for me. Hearing "Always" live on such an emotional night for the band was a beyond powerful experience that I will truly never forget. Making Killswitch's performance that much more special was the insane reception they received from the crowd . Both After the Burial and Unearth got an excellent reception, but the room was absolutely on fire for Killswitch with just about every person in the room losing their minds and singing along at the top of their lungs throughout the set. This was a special set for Killswitch Engage and I feel truly blessed to have been able to witness it.

Side Notes:
-Killswitch played the first 10 songs as a four-piece then had Ken Susi from Unearth join them as a second guitarist for the last six songs
-Matt DeVries from Fear Factory filled in on bass for Unearth

Scores:
After the Burial 8.5/10
Unearth 9/10
Killswitch Engage 10/10

Setlists:
After the Burial:
A Wolf Amongst Ravens
My Frailty
Berzerker
Pennyweight
Aspiration
Your Troubles Will Cease and Fortune Will Smile Upon You

Unearth:
Watch it Burn
New Song
This Lying World
Last Wish
The Great Dividers
Endless
Giles
My Heart Bleeds No Longer
Zombie Autopilot
Black Hearts Now Reign
My Will Be Done

Killswitch Engage:
Fixation on the Darkness
Rose of Sharyn
In Due Time
Life to Lifeless
Take This Oath
No End in Sight
Breathe Life
The New Awakening
Vida Infra
Temple From the Within
Always
My Last Serenade
A Bid Farewell
Numbered Days
My Curse
The End of Heartache

2014 NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Inside Linebackers

30.DeMeco Ryans (Eagles)

29.D.J. Williams (Bears)

28.A.J. Hawk (Packers)

27.Perry Riley (Redskins)

26.Paul Worrilow (Falcons)

25.Curtis Lofton (Saints)

24.David Harris (Jets)

23.Jon Beason (Giants)

22.Wesley Woodyard (Titans)

21.Vincent Rey (Bengals)

20.Brandon Spikes (Bills)

19.Jerrell Freeman (Colts)

18.Nick Roach (Raiders)

17.Lawrence Timmons (Steelers)

16.D'Qwell Jackson (Colts)

15.Daryl Washington (Cardinals)

14.Paul Poslusnzy (Jaguars)

13.Daryl Smith (Ravens)

12.Brian Cushing (Texans)

11.Donald Butler (Chargers)

10.Bobby Wagner (Seahawks)

9.James Laurinatis(Rams)

8.Karlos Dansby (Browns)

7.Stephen Tulloch (Lions)

6.Kiko Alonso (Bills)

5.Sean Lee (Cowboys)

4.Derrick Johnson (Chiefs)

3.NaVorro Bowman (49ers)

2.Luke Kuechly (Panthers)

1.Patrick Willis (49ers)

Album Review: Goatwhore-Constricting Rage of the Merciless

In the world of extreme metal, there's not many acts you can consistently count on. Veteran bands frequently fall off later in their career by either having their proven formula lose steam (Children of Bodom), suffering the loss of a key member (In Flames) or just go completely off the deep end and develop an odd love for electronic music and arena-rock chants (Morbid Angel). Goatwhore does not fall into this camp as they're continuing to put out killer music well into their second decade as a band as evidenced by their sixth LP, Constricting Rage of the Merciless.

Constricting Rage of the Merciless is still very much rooted in the same death/black/thrash metal mold Goathwhore has followed for their entire career. Clearly it's not anything groundbreaking at this point in time, but it never becomes stagnant or dull, and that's really all that matters.While the record mostly sticks to this formula, Goatwhore strays from it more here than they ever have in the past. "Cold Earth Consumed in Dying Flesh" has an almost doom/stoner vibe with a staggeringly dreary atmosphere and gloomy riffing throughout. At almost six minutes in length, "Cold Earth Consumed in Dying Flesh" is essentially an epic track for a band that typically makes songs that clock in at just over three minutes. "Schadenfreude" is another track that defies the Goatwhore formula with the use of a prominent melodic guitar line. While it's certainly out of character to hear Sammy Duet lay down a melodic riff for even a second, it works surprisingly well. I would like to see Duet lay down some more of this type of riff in the future as it serves as a nice reprieve from the typical speed and unapologetic heaviness Goatwhore specializes in.

The slight experimentation is certainly a nice touch, but there's no denying that Goatwhore is at their best when they're ripping the listeners faces off. The handful of thrashers on Constricting Rage of the Merciless are amongst the most savage creations they've ever made. "FBS" and "Externalize the Hidden Savagery" feature clean, fretboard-melting solowork that sounds like its been ripped straight from the genre's heyday in the 80's while "Reanimated Sacrifice" has an almost crossover appeal with a prominent hardcore/crust edge to balance out the furious speed of the track. While all of these tracks are incredibly impressive, the crown jewel of the album is lead single "Baring Teeth for Revolt". "Baring Teeth for Revolt" is an absolute barn burner with some of the most substantial riffing I've heard in the past few years as well as a ridiculously catchy hook that's almost too catchy to appear on such an evil and fast track. Goatwhore has that rare energy level and high density of quality riffs that is needed to master the art of thrash metal. If Goatwhore was an exclusively blackened thrash band, they'd without question be as revered as current genre heavyweights Skeletonwitch and Toxic Holocaust.

Constricting Rage of the Merciless shows that Goatwhore hasn't lost even a bit of their touch after all of these years. Goatwhore may not trek into a lot of uncharted territory on this record, but that doesn't take away from how engaging and memorable of a listen it is. These guys deserve a ton of credit for grinding along for so long making grimy blackened death/thrash metal with the same level of ferocity and enthusiasm as they were on their 2000 debut The Eclipses of Ages into Black. Goatwhore is one of extreme metal's most unheralded, blue-collar bands, and I sincerely hope that never changes.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Baring Teeth for Revolt
2.Externalize the Hidden Savagery
3.Schadenfreude  

50 Most Underrated Albums of the 2000's (So Far): #23

23.Behemoth-Evangelion (2009)

Poland blackened death metal icons Behemoth made a triumphant comeback earlier this year with The Satanist- their first record to be released since vocalist/guitarist Nergal beat leukemia. However, Evangelion, their last record to come out prior to their multi-year hiatus is an even more savage and fulfilling listen than The Satanist. Evangelion takes Behemoth's pummeling death metal sound and beefs it up with a beautifully contrasting middle-eastern influence. The use of sitars, spoken-word pieces and Arabian-inspired guitar scales make Behemoth's already epic sound even more grandiose. Evangelion has all the ferocity of a typical Behemoth record with an added layer of excitement and experimentation with music from an area of the world that needs more exposure. 

Standout Tracks

1.Daimonos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yLDSFoIU6w

2.Shemhamforash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8hZbHTmLYA

3.Ov Fire and the Void http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plk7cn4wJhs

     

50 Most Underrated Albums of the 2000's (So Far): #24

24.Revocation-Existence is Futile (2009)

In late 2009, the music video for Revocation's "Dismantle the Dictator" went viral in the metal community. The video captivated the masses thanks to the virtuoso guitarwork from vocalist/guitarist David Davidson and their unique sound that was an equal blend of death, thrash and progressive metal. The success of the video for "Dismantle the Dictator" served as the catalyst for Revocation becoming one of the most popular bands in modern extreme metal over the past several years. While "Dismantle the Dictator" got plenty of attention, the album it's featured on, Existence is Futile, did not. Existence is Futile is loaded with tracks that feature the same technical wizardry and infectious ferocity that made "Dismante the Dictator" such a breakout hit. The high-flying solowork, crunching riffs and soaring melodies of "Pestilence Reigns", "Deathonomics" and "Leviathan Awaits" are further proof that Davidson is the most gifted guitarist of his generation, while instrumental tracks "Enter the Hall" and "Across Forest and Fjords" focus more on the impressive dynamic Revocation has as a group. The most overlooked aspect of Existence is Futile is the fact that Revocation was only a three-piece at the time this was recorded. Having a band that makes music that's this complex and powerful with only three members is a huge accomplishment. Revocation went onto to add a second guitarist during the touring cycle for Existence is Futile and went onto sound even more immense after doing so, but I'll never stop being impressed by how big of a sound they were able to achieve as a trio on this record. Existence is Futile is the record that laid down the blueprint for Revocation to become one of the biggest forces in modern extreme metal.

Standout Tracks
1.Pestilence Reigns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPFsBWPPu-Q
2.Leviathan Awaits http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-EaVzXvZL0
3.Dismantle the Dictator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmg3jr7Bhfo

50 Most Underrated Albums of the 2000's (So Far): #25

25.Hope for the Dying-Aletheia (2013)

2013 was full of hidden gems, but none fell more under-the-radar than Aletheia by Illinois metalcore act Hope for the Dying. Hope for the Dyings definitely bears a resemblance to Between the Buried and Me, with a number of songs that run between 7-13 minutes and are loaded with well-executed tempo changes that sprawl across a number of genres and off-the-charts technicality. The dynamic instrumentation Hope for the Dying uses here makes heavy use of instruments such as acoustic guitars and keyboards, that don't normally have a place in metalcore. The old-school black metal-inspired keys are the star of the band setting an undeniably dark and unpredictable tone that Aletheia embodies throughout. Occasionally, Hope for the Dying break their experimental mold and uses traditional metalcore staples such as clean vocal lines and breakdowns to perfection. The presence of these genre cliches may bother some people, but I have no problem with either when they're used to punctuate the power of the music like they are on this record. With Aletheia being Hope for the Dying's third full-length, I'm honestly disappointed that took me this long to find such a talented and adventurous young band that challenges the rules of progressive metalcore. If you dig bands like BTBAM, The Human Abstract and Misery Signals, you need to check out Aletheia immediately.

Standout Tracks

1.Acceptance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdXlntsUMzc

2.In Isolation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4ZDKBNlGdU

3.Iniquitous http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epCjg_c_AjU  

 

50 Most Underrated Albums of the 2000's (So Far): #26

26.Avenged Sevenfold-City of Evil (2005)

City of Evil is widely known as the record that launched Avenged Sevenfold into super-stardom, in large part due to the mainstream success of single "Bat Country". What City of Evil should be known for is being one of the best pure heavy metal/hard rock records to come out since the dawn of the new millennium. City of Evil saw Avenged Sevenfold pretty much abandoning the metalcore sound they favored on their first two records for a more old-school heavy metal/hard rock approach. The change in sound worked out beautifully for them as the subpar harsh vocals from M. Shadows are no longer in the equation and the unbelievable strength of their instrumentation is pushed into the spotlight. While the first half has some great fast-paced ragers including "Beast and the Harlot" and "Burn it Down", its the complexity of the seven-minute plus epics on the second half of this record that ultimately make City of Evil such an exhilarating listen. The last five tracks are simply astonishing with an abundance of great guitar leads, wild drumming and prominent bass lines that should silence anyone that believes that Avenged Sevenfold lacks talent as a band. City of Evil was a successful reinvention of sound for Avenged Sevenfold and as of right now, is the last consistently great record they put out.


Standout Tracks
1.Sidewinder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9lKttA3K5o
2.Beast and the Harlot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fM3ylFs3hs
3.The Wicked End http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VM4vNmSXkM

Concert Review: Warped Tour-- Mansfield, MA-- July 10th, 2014

For the third summer in a row, I found myself at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts in the middle of July for the Vans Warped Tour. Of the four Warped Tours I've been to, the 2014 edition was easily the best.

The Ghost Inside was the first band I had an interest in seeing at the nice and early time of 11:40. I hadn't seen them since Warped Tour 2012 and it's crazy to see how big they've become since then. During their last run on Warped, they were on the mid-sized Monster Stage where they had a passionate, but average-sized crowd. Two years later, they are on one of the two Kia-sponsored main stages playing to one of the largest, wild crowds of the day. Their live show is a large part of the reason The Ghost Inside has exploded of late. Their combination of honest and emotional lyrics, well-time breakdowns and huge stage presence of vocalist Jonathan Vigil make their performances amongst the most memorable in the modern hardcore community. The band was solid throughout, but the last couple of songs were absolutely amazing. "Dark Horse" and "Engine 45" are easily my two favorite songs in their catalog and  the crowd participation made them especially mesmerizing live. The Ghost Inside are a great live act and more than deserve their place as the most popular band in hardcore right now.

State Champs was the next band I caught. Per usual, the pop punk I was most excited to see on the day interfered with my favorite overall band on the bill- which for this year was Every Time I Die. Unlike the past two years where I had to completely miss sets from A Loss for Words and The Story So Far in order to see my favorite band on the bill, I was at least able to catch almost half of State Champs' set before Every Time I Die started. State Champs has been my favorite pop punk discovery of late with their 2013 LP The Finer Things being one of the best records I've heard from a modern pop punk act. Their live show isn't quite as great as their studio recordings thanks to their almost complete lack of energy and the occasional botched vocal line. However, their performance did keep getting better by the song and I'm pretty bummed I had to leave when their set was really starting to gain momentum. Hopefully I can catch a full set from State Champs in the near future so I can get a complete idea of their capabilities as a live act.

I perfectly timed my arrival to the Monster Stage to check out Every Time I Die, as their intro music was playing within seconds of me getting there. I was a bit worried about this performance simply because the last time I saw Every Time I Die in March of last year was one of the single best live performances I've ever seen. Those fears were quickly put to rest as Every Time I Die completely decimated the Xfinity Center for 30 minutes. They've always been a damn good live band, but the last time two times I've seen them they've been nothing short of mind-blowing. Keith Buckley is the blueprint of what a frontman should be in this genre. He's hilarious in-between songs, he's an expert at working a crowd and his vocal performance is spot-on. The setlist was perfect for a half-hour festival slot splitting time between classics like "The New Black" and "Floater" and a few tracks from their new record From Parts Unknown. The From Parts Unknown material was the highlight for me since I'd never seen it live before and unsurprisingly, it sounds immense in the setting. "Thirst" and "If There's Room to Move, Things Move" are brief and chaotic while "Decayin' With the Boys" is one of the most pure fun songs I've ever seen live (the "I've got so much soul, I'm barely alive" section gave me chills.) I felt bad for the rest of the bands playing the festival because there was pretty much no way anyone the bill could put on a show that's as intense, energetic and memorable as Every Time I Die.

After Every Time I Die finished up, my buddies and I rushed over to the Kevin Says Stage to catch the rest of Neck Deep's set. What impressed me the most about their set was the size and enthusiasm of the crowd. These guys have only been a band for two years and have already built up a following that rivals pop punk revival veterans The Wonder Years and The Story So Far. As for their performance, they were decent enough. Their music has more of a straight punk/hardcore edge to it than your average pop punk, but the vocals can get a little grating after a while, and that didn't change in a live setting. Neck Deep is a respectable act, but they don't hold a candle to the top-tier pop punk bands of today.

After a brief water and merch break, it was time for the only pure, old-school hardcore band on the bill, Terror, to take the stage. The first time I saw Terror last year at NEMHF ended up being a letdown due to me picking the worst possible place to stand at the back of the upstairs stage at The Palladium, causing me to not be able to see the stage. This time was a completely different story as Terror absolutely tore shit up. Terror made it their purpose to show everyone at Warped Tour what a real hardcore show was like with frontman Scott Vogel jumping in the crowd repeatedly and standing on the edge of the guardrail so kids could scream the words into the mic. Basically, this was the Terror performance I expected to get the first time around. Vogel also seemed really excited to be on Warped  Tour, pointing out that these aren't crowds they're used to playing to and they're blown away by how great a reception they've gotten. I echo Vogel's sentiments completely. I didn't think Terror would have so many people in the crowd singing along and generally going crazy during their set. Now that I've seen a legit Terror show, I can say without hesitation that they are one of the most impressive live hardcore acts I've ever seen.

Vanna immediately followed Terror on the Monster Stage. Just like the last time I saw them opening for Every Time I Die in March 2013, Vanna's live show was pure fucking chaos. Vanna is just a step below The Dillinger Escape Plan and letlive. in terms of energy and amount of crazy shit they do during a performance. The setting of Warped Tour (a.k.a. having to have a rail in front of the stage when they play) causes them to hold back a little, but it wasn't even close to enough to derail the insanity their performances offer up. Frontman Davey Muise spent more time in the crowd than usual, even performing an entire song in the middle of the audience. Muise came off as a way less of a douche this time around than the last time I saw them- keeping his pseudo tough-guy rambling to a minimum. With Muise being far less annoying, I was definitely able to enjoy Vanna's set more this time around. Vanna's studio material still does nothing for me, but they are a spectacle to behold in a live setting.

The party at the Monster Stage continued as Born of Osiris took the stage next. I wasn't planning on watching Born of Osiris since I don't like them as much as I used to, and I've seen them four times already. However, there was no one else I was interested in watching playing during that time, so I said screw it and decided to watch their set. I'm actually really glad that I did because this was the tightest performance I've seen Born of Osiris give in ages. Ronnie Canizaro has gotten a bit of the bite back to his vocals that he's been lacking over the past couple years and Lee McKinney finally seems completely confident in his role as lead guitarist. The setlist was dominated by cuts from their newest record, Tomorrow We Die Alive. Tomorrow We Die Alive is all over the place in terms of quality, but the band chose many of the best cuts to play, which made the set highly enjoyable. The guitarwork on "Illusionist" is the perfect showcase of McKinney's improved chops while "Exhilarate" shows off the strength of the dual-vocal attack of Canizaro and keyboardist Joe Buras. Born of Osiris will probably never hit the peak they achieved on 2011's The Discovery again, but at least they seem to be reestablishing themselves as an entertaining and precise live act.

There was ample downtime between Born of Osiris and the next band I wanted to see (Four Year Strong), so I used that time to relax at the two amphitheater stages. Real Friends was the first band I saw and they were the only act of the day that I saw a full set from that wasn't enjoyable. They're just a really middle-of-the-road pop punk act who's live show has no redeeming qualities. I briefly left the amphitheater to try and meet Parkway Drive, but after failing to do so (you needed a wristband to attend their signing and they were all gone by the time I got to the AP tent), I decided to return to the amphitheater to sit down for a bit longer.

Air Dubai had just start playing when I got back and they were surprisingly pretty damn good. Their style was very unique as the verses were rapped and the choruses were sung in a soul/R&B style. The two drastically different ends of their sound meshed very well together and every song they played was catchy as hell. As you would expect, an R&B/soul/hip-hop hybrid did not go over well with the Warped Tour crowd. There was barely any applause after each song and most people there just seemed to waiting for The Ready Set to go on after them. Air Dubai was a nice departure from the pop punk and metalcore bands I'd been watching all day and it's a damn shame that they didn't get a better reception.

The time for Four Year Strong had finally arrived and just like the last time I saw them, they impressed the hell out of me. I've seen a lot of pop punk acts since I got back into the genre a few years ago and none even come close to matching the commanding stage presence that Four Year Strong has. Their towering stage presence is actually more reminiscent of an arena rock or a metal band than a pop punk/post-hardcore act. Considering how well they play on a big stage, I can't even imagine how crazy they are in a smaller room. Of course a big part of what made Four Year Strong's set so great is that fact that this is a hometown show for them. Their fanbase in Massachusetts is as rabid as humanly possible and you can tell the band truly loves playing here more than anywhere else in the world. Four Year Strong is the pinnacle of what a live act should be in this genre and I really need to see them in a setting outside of Warped Tour at the next opportunity I get.

The moment had finally come for Parkway Drive. While I'm a bigger fan of Every Time I Die, Parkway Drive was the band I was most excited to see on the day since I haven't seen them since Warped Tour 2010. Parkway Drive didn't just meet my expectations, they completely shattered them. Their performance this go-round was so much better than the first time I saw them it was almost like seeing a completely different band. What really makes Parkway Drive such a standout live act is their chemistry. They've had the same lineup since Horizons came out in 2007 and all that time together has made them an incredibly well-oiled and efficient unit. Just like on record, the best part of Parkway Drive's live performance is Winston McCall's vocals. McCall's vocals are easily amongst the best in the metalcore genre and he sounds exactly the same live as on record. Seeing him nail some of the more demanding high-pitched screams on "Wild Eyes" and "Carrion" was incredibly impressive. There are a fair share of vocalists in the scene that don't give 100% effort on the challenging notes, but McCall goes for every single one and I commend him immensely for doing so. The quality of Parkway Drive's performance is particularly impressive since they mostly played material off Deep Blue, my least favorite record of theirs. Obviously I would've loved to have seen more tracks from Horizons and Killing With a Smile, but it's a huge testament to the power of their live shows when they're playing a majority of their lesser material and still putting on an unreal performance. After this performance, I hope to hell it won't take me another four years to see Parkway Drive again.

The Story So Far closed out the evening for me. Per usual, they put on a really fun show. Parker Cannon's vocals were sharper than when I saw them headline last November and the setlist was way better with a vast majority of the best tracks from Under Soil and Dirt and What You Don't See being played. I owe a lot to this band as they are the main reason I got back into pop punk a couple years ago, which subsequently exposed me to a lot of great bands and shows with a fun, community vibe not unlike my typical stomping grounds in the Massachusetts metal scene. I'm elated that they've achieved so much success of late and have one of the most rapidly-expanded and dedicated fanbases in all of music. The Story So Far was the perfect end to another great Warped Tour. Here's hoping that next year's lineup is similarly awesome because this tour is too much god damn fun to miss out on.

Side notes:
-There were two guys dressed up as Spider-Man dueling off in the pits during The Ghost Inside. It was honestly more intense than anything in The Amazing Spider-Man
-Some girl flashed Keith Buckley during Every Time I Die's set, which led to the most hilarious piece of between-song banter of the day as Buckley stated how happy he was to have "finally seen a pair of breasts" and how they were "everything they were cracked up to be". Buckley then proceeded to lift his shirt up in the girl that flashed him's direction during the next song. Easily the funniest moment in a day full of funny moments.
-There's a suicide prevention group sponsoring the tour this year and their spokesperson gave a speech before Vanna started playing. As she was giving her speech, some kid in front of me just said "this shit would never happen at a hip-hop show". Way to be sensitive bro....
-After I bought my Killing With a Smile vinyl, Parkway Drive's merch guy was telling me that a few days earlier a girl who was filling in at the merch booth for him left one of the vinyls out in the sun and it melted. He showed me the vinyl afterwards and it was crazy to see how fucked it up got from being out in the sun all day.
-Parkway Drive also had the best sign I've seen on a tip jar at a merch table in my life. The sign read "Help! I need to feed my koala back home" with another sign under it that read "Thank You Based God".
-Lee McKinney from Born of Osiris was wearing a cape during their set.
-After Born of Osiris was done, my friend and I walked past the Beatport stage where Crizzly was playing. We had just passed the stage, when we heard him playing a dubstep version of Jibbs' "Chain Hang Low". Trust me, It was just as ridiculous and terrible as it sounds.
-I watched a song from Ice Nine Kills just because they're from my hometown. I wish I could support them, but I really just don't like the music. Despite some half-decent instrumentation, I had to leave during their second song because the clean vocals were so annoying.
-This was the first time in the four years I've been to Warped Tour that I was actually able to leave early and not get stuck in a shitload of traffic.
-My buddy and I determined that we're starting a feminist deathcore band-tentatively named Women's Rights- when we're in the parking lot after the show.
     
Scores:
The Ghost Inside 8/10
State Champs 7.5/10
Every Time I Die 9.5/10
Neck Deep 7/10
Terror 8.5/10
Vanna 7.5/10
Born of Osiris 8.5/10
Real Friends 5/10
Air Dubai 7/10
Four Year Strong 8.5/10
Parkway Drive 9/10
The Story So Far 8/10

The Ghost Inside:
The Great Unknown
Between the Lines
Unspoken
Outlive
Test the Limits
Faith or Forgiveness
Thirty Three
Dark Horse
Engine 45

State Champs (first 4 songs):
Deadly Conversation
Remedy
Hard to Please
Critical

Every Time I Die:
Floater
Bored Stiff
Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space
Thirst
Decayin' With the Boys
Ebolorama
The New Black
If There's Room to Move, Things Move
We'rewolf
No Son of Mine

Neck Deep (second half of the set):
Crushing Grief (No Remedy)
Silver Lining
A Part of Me
All Hype, No Heart
Over and Over

Terror:
Strike You Down
Stick Tight
Live By the Code
Spit My Rage
One for the Underdogs
You're Caught
Keep Your Mouth Shut
Keepers of the Faith

Vanna:
Year of the Rat
We Ate the Horse You Rode In On
Piss Up a Rope
I Said I'm Fine
Digging
Safe to Say
When in Roam
Trashmouth

Born of Osiris:
Divergency
Abstract Art
Exhilarate
Follow the Signs
Illusionist
Bow Down
Machine

Four Year Strong:
What the Hell is a Giggawat?
Heroes Get Remember, Legends Never Die
Stuck in the Middle
Bada Bing! Wit'a Pipe!
Find My Way Back
Maniac (R.O.D.)
Go Down in History
It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now
Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)

Parkway Drive:
Wild Eyes
Sleepwalker
Karma
Home is for the Heartless
Deliver Me
Dark Days
Carrion

The Story So Far:
Quicksand
Things I Can't Change
Roam
Right Here
All Wrong
Empty Space
Swords and Pens
Daughters
Stifled
High Regard

Album Review: Suicide Silence-You Can't Stop Me

2014 has been the year of the comeback in the world of heavy metal. Behemoth, Body Count and Son of Aurelius are amongst the plethora of bands that have returned from hiatus to release new material this year. California deathcore act Suicide Silence is the latest to join this movement with You Can't Stop Me, their first release since the death of vocalist Mitch Lucker in late 2012.

Taking the vocals reigns from the late Lucker on You Can't Stop Me is ex-All Shall Perish frontman Hernan "Eddie" Hermida. Coming in and replacing a vocalist who passed away at a young age under such tragic circumstances is not an easy task, but Hermida handles it gracefully. Not to dump on Lucker's memory, but I feel like Hermida's presence has improved the quality of Suicide Silence's music. Hermida's vocals are far more varied and powerful than Lucker's ever were. The most obvious example of this is on the rerecorded version of Suicide Silence EP cut "Ending is the Beginning". If you play both versions back-to-back, it's alarming how much better the song is with Hermida on vocals. Numerous times on You Can't Stop Me, Hermida's vocal performance is able to single-handedly salvage a track. Otherwise forgettable cuts like "Warrior" and "Don't Die" are made listenable thanks to Hermida's blend of dynamic high-pitched screams and impressive albeit standard guttural lows. Not since Jason Richardson's brief stint in Born of Osiris has a metal band gained so much from a single member change as Suicide Silence did with the addition of Hermida to their ranks.

Musically, You Can't Stop Me is pretty much nothing out of the ordinary for Suicide Silence. Their song structure still consists of heavy use of slamming breakdowns and nu-metal-esque groove riffs behind competent yet dull drumming on just about every track. From time to time,  they'll break the mold with some decent enough atmospheric guitarwork segments ("Ourobous", "Sacred Words") or play a bit faster than usual ("Cease to Exist" , "Control"), but they're still far too reliant on their chugfest ground game for these few moments of variation to make much of a difference. I will give them a bit of credit for improving as songwriters from their last record The Black Crown. The few guitar solos here are actually pretty solid and at the very least, there's definitely more of an attempt to mix things up here than on their past records. Despite the slight improvement in songwriting, the instrumentation of Suicide Silence still really holds them back as a band. With a top-flight vocalist in Hermida at the helm now, Suicide Silence has the potential to be one of deathcore's standout acts. Instead, they are just a step above forgettable thanks to safe songwriting that is too afraid to challenge the boundaries of the genre.

You Can't Stop Me is the most complete work Suicide Silence has ever made, which ultimately isn't saying much because their discography is so middling. Hermida has certainly made a positive impact on the music and there is an undeniable passion throughout this record to honor Lucker's legacy; it's just that Suicide Silence's music is far too one-note and predictable to be anything above mildly satisfying. If they truly want to become the unstoppable force the title of this record alludes to, they're going to have to breakout of their stereotypical deathcore comfort zone and start to push themselves as musicians. Suicide Silence has shown enough flashes of potential over the years (especially on their past three records) to make a damn fine record, but You Can't Stop Me is certainly not it.

3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Control
2.Sacred Words
3.Monster Within          

50 Most Underrated Albums of the 2000's (So Far): #27

27.Slipknot-All Hope is Gone (2008)

As someone who grew up listening to nu-metal, I'll always have a soft spot for Slipknot. While they've never been one of my absolute favorite bands, they've made some great tracks and a couple of excellent records over the years. Nine years after dropping their classic, angst-ridden self-titled debut, Slipknot finally buckled down and released another noteworthy album in All Hope is Gone. Slipknot will always be known as the over-the-top angry band, but on All Hope is Gone, their trademark rage was transferred from the more simplistic "fuck the world" anthems of their early years to more dense topics such as politics and dealing with the loss of friends and loved ones. The change in lyrical topics was refreshing for the band and ended up making a huge difference for the quality of the record. It just wouldn't feel natural if they were still making songs like "Surfacing" and "People=Shit" in their mid-to-late 30's so kudos to them for changing things for the better at this stage of their career. That growth in the lyrical department carried over to the actual music as well. All Hope is Gone is simultaneously the heaviest and most experimental record Slipknot has ever released with songs that range from full-on ragers ("Wherein Lies Continue", "This Cold Black", "Gemartia (The Killing Name)" to country-tinged ballads ("Snuff"). Above all,  All Hope Gone will go down as the last Slipknot record to feature the late Paul Grey and Joey Jordison. Grey and Jordison's contributions will be sorely missed on the new Slipknot record- which could end up being released by the end of 2014. All Hope is Gone is a page-turning album for Slipknot that shows substantial growth as musicians without giving up any of the raw energy and anger that put them on the map.

Standout Tracks

1.This Cold Black http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBGnxWSbMc0

2.Wherein Lies Continue http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeHfQRVYMeI

3.Dead Memories http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE78EE1TDuU