Album Review: Death Grips-The Powers That Be Disc 2: Jenny Death

In an era full of conformity in the music industry, Death Grips are one of the only truly rebellious acts left. From leaking their own album after their label refused to release it (and subsequently getting released from their contract because of it) on time to faking their disbandment just to get off a tour with Nine Inch Nails last summer, they've proved they genuinely don't give a shit about adhering to industry norms or becoming famous. Death Grips continues their reign of musical anarchy on their latest LP Jenny Death, which is easily the most well-rounded and enjoyable release the California-based trio has put out in years.
  
After their inconsistent experiments with straight-up electronica on 2013's Government Plates and psychedelic pop on 2014's Niggas on the Moon, Jenny Death marks a return to the group's abrasive hip-hop/punk roots. The absence of constant musical chaos played a large role in the disappointment of their previous two albums, so to have the sense of danger and unpredictability return to their music here was beyond welcome. True to Death Grips' no BS mission statement, Jenny Death comes out of the gate full steam ahead with "I Break Mirrors with My Face in the United States". With the trademark psychotic yelling vocals from Stefon "MC Ride" Burnett, spastic drums from Zach Hill and thumping synths from the group's secret weapon Andy "Flatliner" Morin, "I Break Mirrors with My Face in the United States" is a no-holds-barred adrenaline rush that puts the listener in a vice grip and doesn't let go. Later tracks such as "Why a Bitch Gotta Lie", "Pss Pss" and "Centuries of Damn" manage to build upon the tone set by "I Break Mirrors with My Face in the United States" by delivering listeners a series of powerful tracks that are pretty much guaranteed to destroy any speaker system they're played on. However, of all the slabs of aggression Death Grips drops on Jenny Death, "The Powers That B" is definitely the strongest. The drums are loaded with a metal-esque intensity and the synts drops hit so hard that they might cause electro/dubstep fans to shed tears of joy.

Making punk-infused experimental hip-hop is nothing new for Death Grips. Where Jenny Death distinguishes itself from the rest of the band's catalog is with its use of guitar. Adding guitars to the fold for the first time in their career allows the group to experiment with genres such as post-rock and shoegaze. Guitars appear on just a little under half of the album, but the group gets the most out of every note. The ambient guitarwork on "Beyond Alive", "Turned Off" and the instrumental finale "Death Grips 2.0" offer a nice contrast to the unfiltered aggression Death Grips typically serves up. The majority of Death Grips' compositions are still driven by keyboards, synthesizers and drums, but it was nice to hear finally hear some guitars in the mix, and they'll hopefully continue to experiment with them on future releases.
 
The creative fire of Death Grips was definitely wavering for a while, so it's great to see Death Grips come back with a vengeance on Jenny Death. When they're on their game like they are here, Death Grips is easily one of the most exciting and unpredictable musical groups in the entire music industry. While I doubt they'll ever release another earth-shattering masterpiece like 2012's The Money Store ever again, they're certainly capable of continuing to put really solid records for years to come. Jenny Death has helped me rediscover why I loved Death Grips and that fact alone makes this album worthwhile

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.The Powers That B
2.Centuries of Damn
3.Turned Off

2015 NFL Mock Draft 5.0 (Updated 4/13)

1.Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Jameis Winston, quarterback (Florida State)

2.Tennessee Titans-Leonard Williams, defensive tackle/end (USC)

3.Jacksonville Jaguars-Dante Fowler Jr., outside linebacker/defensive end (Florida)

4.Oakland Raiders-Kevin White, wide receiver (West Virginia)

5.Washington Redskins-Shane Ray, outside linebacker/defensive end (Missouri)

6.New York Jets-Vic Beasley, outside linebacker (Clemson)

7.Chicago Bears-Amari Cooper, wide receiver (Alabama)

8.Atlanta Falcons-Bud Dupree, outside linebacker/defensive end (Kentucky)

9.New York Giants-Brandon Scherff, guard/tackle (Iowa)

10.St. Louis Rams-DeVante Parker, wide receiver (Louisville)

11.Minnesota Vikings-La'el Collins, tackle (LSU)

12.Cleveland Browns-Danny Shelton, defensive tackle (Washington)

13.New Orleans Saints-Malcom Brown, defensive tackle (Texas)
14.Miami Dolphins-Trae Waynes, cornerback (Michigan State)

15.San Francisco 49ers-Arik Armstead, defensive tackle (Oregon)

16.Houston Texans-Breshad Perriman, wide receiver (Central Florida)

17.San Diego Chargers-Jordan Phillips, defensive tackle (Oklahoma)
18.Kansas City Chiefs-Andrus Peat, tackle (Stanford)

19.Cleveland Browns-Ereck Flowers, tackle (Miami)

20.Philadelphia Eagles-Marcus Mariota, quarterback (Oregon)
21.Cincinnati Bengals-Randy Gregory, outside linebacker (Nebraska)

22.Pittsburgh Steelers-Kevin Johnson, cornerback (Wake Forest)

23.Detroit Lions-Eddie Goldman, defensive tackle/end (Florida State)
24.Arizona Cardinals-Todd Gurley, running back (Georgia)

25.Carolina Panthers-D.J. Humphries, tackle (Florida)

26.Baltimore Ravens-Jalen Collins, cornerback (LSU)

27.Dallas Cowboys-Melvin Gordon, running back (Wisconsin)

28.Denver Broncos-T.J. Clemmings, tackle (Pittsburgh)

29.Indianapolis Colts-Landon Collins, safety (Alabama)

30.Green Bay Packers-Paul Dawson, inside linebacker (TCU)

31.New Orleans Saints-Eli Harold, outside linebacker/defensive end (Virginia)

32.New England Patriots-Tre' Jackson, guard (Florida State)

Concert Review: Decibel Magazine Tour-- Boston, MA-- April 10th, 2015

Decibel Magazine has a long track record of sponsoring diverse and talent-loaded tour packages. Their most recent tour featuring At the Gates, Converge, Pallbearer and Vallenfyre,which rolled through the Royale in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday night, proved to be yet another booming success for the metal magazine.

Vallenfyre got things started bright and early at 5:30. I'd never listened to their music nor I had I heard any positive or negative buzz about them before they took the stage, so I was going into their set completely blind. Fortunately, Vallenfyre ended up being pretty solid. They played a style of death metal that was a nice combination of atmospheric gloom and brisk, Cannibal Corpse-esque sloppiness. The one common denominator between both sides of their sound was an aptitude for strong riffs. No matter what subgenre of death metal you're playing, memorable riffs are a must to be successful and Vallenfyre delivered in spades in that department. It also helped that their vocalist Gregor Macktintosh is an absolutely hilarious frontman. All of his between song banter was fantastic with a mid-set rant about the disco lights at the venue standing out as the highlight. After this performance, Vallenfyre has definitely gained a new fan in me.

Pallbearer was up next. With just a mere two albums under their belt, Pallbearer has already become one of the most critically-lauded metal bands of the past 15-20 years. Despite the heavy hype around them, Pallbearer has never really clicked with me and, their performance here did nothing to change my mind. Their music was actually more grating and lifeless in a live setting than it is on disc. Every song they played in their three song, 30-minute set was so plodding in nature that it felt like they were on the stage for a fortnight. Not only is their music extremely boring, they also had a god awful sound mix. I've heard in the past that they purposely bury their vocals in the mix and that certainly seemed to be the case here. Their mix was pretty much entirely guitars and drums with the vocals only occasionally piercing through. However, it was a probably a wise choice for them to hide the vocals because they sounded horrible at the few points of the set where they were audible. Pallbearer is one of the most overhyped bands in metal today and their underwhelming performance here only further confirmed that.

After Pallbearer had put me into a monotony-induced coma, I needed something to pick me back up. Thankfully, there is pretty much no one better at injecting life into a room than Converge. Their impact as a defibrillator for the heart of the crowd was felt within seconds of them starting set opener "Eagles Become Vultures". "Eagles Become Vultures" incited the first pits and crowd-surfers of the night, and put an abrupt stop to the alarming stillness that had plagued the room for the past hour. The energy and passion level from both the band and crowd didn't let up as they ripped through material from their two most recent records, Axe to Fall and All We Love We Leave Behind, at a breakneck pace. While the entire set was captivating, the closing duo of tracks from their 2001 classic Jane Doe served as the evening's finest moment. "Concubine" was chaotic even by Converge standards while "Jane Doe" is an 11+ plus epic that reenforces just how gifted they are at tempo changes and incorporating melody into their music when called upon. Converge never fails to bring tornado-like destruction to the stage and it's never less than thrilling to watch.

After a 20-minute-changeover, it was finally time for At the Gates to hit the stage. Their 1995 masterpiece Slaughter of the Soul was one of the records that got into extreme metal during my early high school years and it remains one of my all-time favorite albums to this day. Despite my love for At the Gates, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about the quality of their live show. This is a band that just recently reunited full-time after disbanding twice and they haven't done a full U.S. tour since their first-reunion tour in 2008. Those doubts were erased as soon as the band came thundering onto the stage with "Death and the Labyrinth". The whole band sounded excellent and they were visibly excited to be performing together again. The setlist was primarily devoted to material from Slaughter of the Soul and their 2014 comeback album At War with Reality. The Slaughter of the Soul material was clearly the highlight for me, but the material from At War with Reality sounded significantly better live than it did on record. "Heroes and Tombs" and "The Circular Ruins" were particularly great and managed to hold up surprisingly well against the standout tracks from Slaughter. Unfortunately, I did have to leave the show a little bit early (At the Gates had 7 songs left when I departed) in order to make it back to my hometown to see my friend's band play. Despite the fact that I had to leave before they finished, it was still a distinct pleasure to finally see At the Gates live and I really hope that I will get another chance to see them in the near future.

Scores:
Vallenfyre 7.5/10
Pallbearer 4/10
Converge 9/10
At the Gates 8.5/10

Setlists:
Converge:
Eagles Become Vultures
Dark Horse
Aimless Arrow
You Fail Me
Trespasses
All We Love We Leave Behind
Predatory Glow
Reap What You Sow
Cutter
Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast
Concubine
Jane Doe

At the Gates (partial):
Death and the Labyrinth
Slaughter of the Soul
Cold
At War with Reality
Terminal Spirit Disease
Raped by the Light of Christ
The Circular Ruins
Under a Serpent Sun
Windows
Suicide Nation
Heroes and Tombs
Nausea (left during this song)

Movie Review: Furious 7

Ever since the long-running Fast and Furious franchise shifted away from being movies strictly about illegal street racing with 2011's Fast Five, the series has become the gold standard for action blockbusters in Hollywood. The latest installment, Furious 7, continues the franchise's recent hot streak with yet another endlessly entertaining thrill ride.

Like any good sequel, Furious 7, takes the strength of its predecessors and raises them to the next level. In the case of Furious 7. raising things to the next level means making the action sequences even more jaw-dropping and over-the-top than they were before. With stunts that range from dropping cars out of an airplane to jumping speeding cars from skyscraper to skyscraper, it's safe to say the filmmakers succeeded. This series has long left behind the concept of realism and honestly, it's much better for it. The cartoonish action sequences have made the Fast and Furious franchise a unique grand-scale spectacle and elevated the series to heights of exhilaration that the earlier films couldn't even dream of matching. 

Director James Wan picks up right where previous director Justin Lin left off by brilliantly capturing all of the film's mind-boggling mayhem. Lin had done such a great job directing the previous four installments of this series that I was skeptical that anyone could duplicate his success, but Wan proved to be more than up to the task. Wan, a veteran horror director responsible for recent hits Insidious and The Conjuring, had never directed a major action film prior to this, but you'd never know that with the veteran-like proficiency he shows in directing the constant combats scenes here.

The chemistry and general likability of the cast are just as essential to Furious 7's success as the action sequences. The rapport Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Tyrese Gibson have built up over the years of making these films is truly remarkable. Diesel's character Dom Torretto regularly preaches about how his team is his family and as a viewer, you can tell that closeness amongst the group continues well after the camera is turned off. Series newbies Jason Statham and Kurt Russell as the film's primary antagonist and a nameless FBI agent that hires Toretto's crew to retrieve a priceless piece of advanced new technology respectively both prove to be natural fits within the cast and add even more to the camaraderie surrounding Furious 7. Most long-running film franchises have well-matched casts, but the genuine, family-like bond of this entire ensemble of actors is unlike anything I've ever seen in modern Hollywood.

Above all, Furious 7 is a love letter to Walker, who tragically died in a car accident on November 30th, 2013. While a majority of the film had already been shot prior to his death, the narrative was clearly re-framed following his untimely passing. The way the filmmakers chose to handle Walker's character's future in the franchise was perfect, with the final scene in particular serving as a genuinely moving tribute to his life and the legacy he left behind. Walker's success as an actor was largely defined by this franchise, so its only fitting that his last on-screen appearance was in a Fast and Furious film. Furious 7 may be a flat-out ridiculous film with no shortage of plotholes and unnecessary melodrama, but it's also a near-perfect action film that made for one of the funnest viewing experiences I've ever had in a movie theater.

4.5/5 Stars   

Concert Review: Revocation-- Cambridge, MA-- April 5th, 2015

Easter Sunday is a spiritual day for Christians as they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Metalheads in Cambridge, Massachusetts celebrated with their own spiritual gathering of sorts this Easter Sunday as death-thrash titans Revocation returned to their hometown for a headlining show at The Middle East Upstairs.

Local band Coagula opened the show. I'd never heard of them prior to the show, but considering the mediocrity of a majority of the bands in the Massachusetts metal scene at the moment, I wasn't expecting much from them. Within seconds of the start of their performance, Caligula proved me wrong. Their energy level was through the roof and their grimy hybrid of crust punk and thrash (they reminded me a lot of Trap Them) was pretty damn infectious. Coagula was a really solid opener and managed to restore some of my faith in the Massachusetts metal scene.

The second local opener, Sexcrement, came out shortly afterwards. These guys have become notorious in Boston-area metal circles because they have go-go dancers and strippers join them on stage during their performances. The use of scantily-clad women as part of their stage show may sound like a stupid gimmick, but Sexcrement is no joke. These dudes play some of the tightest, heaviest and badass brutal/slam death metal I've ever heard. The pig-squealing vocals are top-notch and each song is loaded with an abundance of memorable riffs. Their set was honestly one of the most pure fun performances I've seen in quite some time. For my money, Sexcrement is the best local band Boston has to offer at the moment and I will continue to be elated anytime they open a show.

The first national act on the bill, Black Crown Initiate, took the stage after a roughly 15 minute setup period. These guys have been on the road constantly since the beginning of last year, but this was somehow the first time I'd seen them. Outside of the puzzling choice to open the set with "The Malignant"- which is arguably the most melodic song in their entire catalog, Black Crown Initiate put on a pretty solid performance. Just like on record, the biggest strengths of their live shows were the performance of vocalist James Dorton and drummer Jesse Beahler. Dorton's powerful vocals carry the death metal side of their sound and Beahler is one of the most gifted, unique and underrated players in the genre today. On the downside, their choice to open with two of their slower songs was pretty questionable considering the nature of the other bands on the bill and their relatively restrained stage presence drained some of the absurdly highly energy level Sexcrement had established before they took the stage. That being said, Black Crown Initiate is still a very good live band. Between their work ethic and remarkable cohesiveness for a band that's still in its relative infancy (they formed in 2013), I have little doubt that Black Crown Initiate will be a fixture in the extreme metal genre for years to come.

After a pretty quick sound check, it was finally time for Revocation to take the stage. One of the perks of living in Massachusetts is getting the opportunity to regularly see Revocation (this show marked the seventh time I've seen them. Despite getting frequent chances to see them live, this was somehow only the second time I got to see them headline. Getting the chance to see them headline again paired with the fact that the Middle East Upstairs- with a capacity of under 200 people- is the smallest venue I've ever seen them perform in, made this the best Revocation show I've ever seen by far. Further solidifying the quality of this show was the absolutely sensational setlist. They played a majority of the best material from their most recent album Deathless as well as longtime set staples ("No Funeral", "Dismantle the Dictator") and a couple of prime cuts from their back catalog ("Leviathan Awaits", "Bound by Desire"). As a self-admitted Revocation fanboy, I especially freaked out over "Leviathan Awaits"- which has been one of my favorite songs by them since the release of Existence is Futile in 2009. Considering the fact that pretty much entirely ignore playing material from Existence is Futile live, I figured there was pretty much zero chance I would ever see them perform "Leviathan Awaits" live, so it was completely surreal to actually hear them play it. The only minor complaint I have about their set is that they played pretty much the same exact new material (save for the set opener "A Debt Owed to the Grave") that they played when I saw them open for The Contortionist in February. While the four repeat songs from Deathless were amazing, I would've loved to hear some of the other material from Deathless such as "Scorched Earth Policy" and "The Blackest Reaches" that I hadn't previously seen live. Petty complaints aside, Revocation put on a ballistic, technically-flawless and consistently exciting show that is the standout performance amongst the plethora of standout performances I've seen them give over the last four years. 


Scores:
Coagula 7.5/10
Sexcrement 8.5/10
Black Crown Initiate 8/10
Revocation 9.5/10

Setlists:
Sexcrement included:
Glory Hole Casserole
Beef Curtain Call
Colostomy Bag Condom

Black Crown Initiate:
The Malignant
A Great Mistake
The Fractured One
To the Eye That Leads You
Stench of the Iron Age

Revocation:
A Debt Owed to the Grave
Deathless
Madness Opus
No Funeral
Invidious
Labyrinth of Eyes
Bound by Desire
Dismantle the Dictator
Witch Trials
Leviathan Awaits
Empire of the Obscene

2015 NFL Mock Draft 4.0 (Updated 4/6)

1.Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Leonard Williams, defensive tackle/end (USC)

2.Tennessee Titans-Jameis Winston, quarterback (Florida State)

3.Jacksonville Jaguars-Dante Fowler Jr., outside linebacker/defensive end (Florida)

4.Oakland Raiders-Kevin White, wide receiver (West Virginia)

5.Washington Redskins-Brandon Scherff, guard/tackle (Iowa)

6.New York Jets-Vic Beasley, outside linebacker (Clemson)

7.Chicago Bears-Shane Ray, outside linebacker/defensive end (Missouri)

8.Atlanta Falcons-Bud Dupree, outside linebacker/defensive end (Kentucky)

9.New York Giants-Malcom Brown, defensive tackle (Texas)

10.St. Louis Rams-Amari Cooper, wide receiver (Alabama)

11.Minnesota Vikings-La'el Collins, tackle (LSU)

12.Cleveland Browns-DeVante Parker, wide receiver (Louisville)

13.New Orleans Saints-Randy Gregory, outside linebacker (Nebraska)

14.San Francisco 49ers-Arik Armstead, defensive tackle (Oregon)

15.Miami Dolphins-Trae Waynes, cornerback (Michigan State)

16.Houston Texans-Jaelen Strong, wide receiver (Arizona State)

17.San Diego Chargers-Danny Shelton, nose tackle (Washington)
18.Kansas City Chiefs-D.J. Humphries, tackle (Florida)

19.Cleveland Browns-Ereck Flowers, tackle (Miami)

20.Philadelphia Eagles-Marcus Mariota, quarterback (Oregon)
21.Cincinnati Bengals-Jalen Collins, cornerback (LSU)

22.Pittsburgh Steelers-Landon Collins, safety (Alabama)

23.Detroit Lions-Eddie Goldman, defensive tackle/end (Florida State)
24.Arizona Cardinals-Melvin Gordon, running back (Wisconsin)

25.Carolina Panthers-T.J. Clemmings, tackle (Pittsburgh)

26.Baltimore Ravens-Breshad Perriman, wide receiver (Central Florida)

27.Dallas Cowboys-Todd Gurley, running back (Georgia)

28.Denver Broncos-Andrus Plat, tackle (Stanford)

29.Indianapolis Colts-Eric Kendricks, inside linebacker (UCLA)

30.Green Bay Packers-Kevin Johnson, cornerback (Wake Forest)

31.New Orleans Saints-Maxx Williams, tight end (Minnesota)

32.New England Patriots-Marcus Peters, cornerback (Washington)

Quick Movie Reviews: Insurgent and Get Hard

Insurgent: Of the slew of dystopian YA novel adaptions that have hit theaters since the first Hunger Games film was released in March 2012, 2014's Divergent was easily the strongest. Shailene Woodley was excellent in the lead role, the action sequences were well-crafted and above all, the film was gripping as all hell. The second installment in the franchise, Insurgent, has pretty much the same strengths as the original, except this time the proceedings are more efficient. The one glaring problem with Divergent was that it took a bit too long for the main story to develop and made the film run 15-20 minutes longer than it probably should've. With the setting and stakes of the film's world now firmly established, Insurgent is able to get right down to business, which allow this to be a more briskly-paced and action-packed film than its predecessor. Woodley is once again the driving force of the film with her fantastic performance as the film's heroine Tris Prior, but Theo James, who plays her love interest Four, gives a substantially better performance than he did the first time around. There's a real budding chemistry between Woodley and James that should only grow stronger in the final two films of the series. The only thing that really bugged me about Insurgent was the ending. Given the extremely tidy note this ends on, I have absolutely no idea how they're going to drag out this narrative for another two films. Insurgent more than likely won't silence any of the original's detractors, but fans of the series should be very pleased with this thoroughly entertaining sequel.
3.5/5 Stars

Get Hard: I'd be lying if I said Get Hard isn't one of the most juvenile, predictable and occasionally wildly insensitive comedies to be released in recent memory. That being said, it's still pretty damn funny. The first 30-35 minutes are pretty shaky with very few jokes actually landing, but once the relationship between James King (Will Ferrell), a yuppie executive who's been sentenced to 30 years in prison for embezzlement and fraud and Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart), a parking garage attendant who lies about being previously incarcerated to King and is subsequently hired by him to prepare him for life behind bars, develops in the second half of the film, the laughs are pretty consistent. The cliche-ridden (cue dozens upon dozens of prison rape and blow job jokes) screenplay from Key & Peele writers Ian Roberts and Jay Martel and Tropic Thunder scribe Ethan Cohen (who also directs) is rescued by the talent of its two leading men. Ferrell and Hart work great together and their collective comedic prowess makes this material far more effective than it should be. While Get Hard is undeniably weaker than expected, the electric presence of Ferrell and Hart are still enough to make it worth a watch.
3.5/5 Stars