My favourite albums of 2013

Here are the albums I enjoyed the most this year, there are of course others I have only listened to a few times and they might make it into this list later (Kayo Dot, Russian Circles, Red Fang...) but for now, these is my personal selection.

1. TesseracT - Altered State - Nocturne (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqLPb0_ygKk)
2. Protest The Hero - Volition - Drumhead Trial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMPd_WEMrLM)
3. Death Grips - Government Plates - Anne Bonny (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4CpypI7SOo)
4. Coheed And Cambria - The Afterman: Descension - Dark Side Of Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl1Dubqke28)
5. The Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer - Understanding Decay (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lihaS9b1DXQ)
6. Pinata Vandals - Birthday Cake - The Melody Haunts Her Reverie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxLObMJK7XA)
7. Leprous - Coal - The Cloak (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9o2nVY8FZ0)
8. Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt - Sirens (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQXP6TDtW0w)
9. The Aristocrats - Culture Clash - Louisville Stomp (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm9ISM7zFpc)
10. Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork - I Sat By The Ocean (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOXaUjGk-yY)
11. Pez - Nueva Era, Viejas Mañas - Nueva Era, Viejas Mañas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGp5TKpGiSo)
12. Scale The Summit - The Migration - Odyssey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXpq6XZDRBI)
13. The Dear Hunter - Migrant - Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0_gYRlqVPM)
14. Karnivool - Asymmetry - We Are (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_E5ae9ZTwk)
15. Bosnian Rainbows - Bosnian Rainbows - Worthless (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQjo3rmlTj8)
16. Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez - Unicorn Skeleton Mark - Sea Is Rising (http://omarrodriguezlopez.bandcamp.com/track/sea-is-rising)

Happy new year to everyone!
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Periphery Announce "Clear", A New "Experiment" Album

Periphery have announced a new release to kill time while you are waiting for their third LP. The new album features a track created and produced by each of the members of the band, built around a "melodic theme" from the album's intro track. 

The album will be released on January 28th, meanwhile you can watch the teaser video to get an idea of what it sounds like as a whole.

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[Review] Death Grips - Government Plates

Death Grips have received a lot of praise and a lot of hate in the last year and a half, after releasing their landmark album The Money Store in 2012 they went on to cancel a full tour, release the next album for free (which ended their relationship with Epic) and then cancelling another tour, as well as not showing up to a show in Chicago... but what about the music? Well, it's no less chaotic and agressive than their recent approach to label and tour obligations.

While their previous three albums featured MC Ride prominently, Government Plates (which was released for free and to the complete surprise of their fans) is much more experimental, spacey and electronic. Only a few songs feature Ride regularly, while most are majorly instrumental or feature just a few lines or samples that give personality to the wall of noise and electronic beats behind.

Government Plates is a short, agressive and psychedelic journey that feels like listening to rap on a variety of drugs.

From the short, fast paced, electronic bubbling track "Big House" to the crawling glitch-hop of "I'm Overflow" and finally the impressive wall-of-noise behemoth "Whatever I Want (Fuck Who's Watching)" the album has a lot of variety to offer in it's 35 minutes. From Ride's in-your-face-verbal-abuse shouting/rapping, to Zach Hill's frenetic beats to Andy Morin's electronic sweeps and heavy synth riffs the album has it's own personality and shows a new "progressive" face of the californian band.

There's no doubt Death Grips have a lot of personality both in the studio and outside of it, and they still have a lot to offer musically.

8.5/10

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A Wild Death Grips Album Appears!

Death Grips have once again surprised everyone by releasing another free album. "Government Plates" features 11 songs with a total lenght of 35 minutes. The album can be downloaded here and here, or streamed through Soundcloud. Is Death Grips becoming the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of experimental hip hop? I guess we'll have to wait and see...

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CYNIC Announce Follow Up To 2008's "Traced In Air"

Progressive-metal band CYNIC have announced the release of the long awaited follow up to 2008's Traced in Air. The album, titled Kindly Bent To Free Us will be released on Valentine's Day next year.

Drummer Sean Reinert had previously commented on the album, saying: "It's a bold new sound for CYNIC and marks a gigantic leap in the band's progression.".

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[Review] Protest The Hero - Volition

Canadian progressive-mathcore-metal band Protest The Hero are back with their crowdfunded follow up to 2011's "Scurrilous", with Chris Adler of Lamb of God replacing Moe Carlson on drums and a number of guests on vocals (including long time contributor Jadea Kelly), their new album "Volition" takes them on yet another new direction. Whereas "Scurrilous" was dark, sad and instrumentally spacey at times, "Volition" is compressed, fast and agressive. While it feels than none of the songs in "Volition" are as epic in scale or exhilarating as "Blindfolds Aside", "Sequoia Throne" or "Hair Trigger" the album is enjoyable at all levels from beginning to end.

The album is both lyrically and instrumentally diverse, adressing discrimination and misogyny at one moment and stepping on the toes of dishonest musicians the next and the unending "Star Wars vs Star Trek" debate. It also features what is probably the most agressive song Protest The Hero has released: "A Life Embossed", with "Animal Bones" a close second.

The album sees the return of PtH's (post)hardcore roots in many of it's songs, with the closer "Skies" being the perfect example (specially in the second half). The constant jump between unhindered aggression and attractive choruses keeps the album fresh at all times and vocalist Rody Walker's range is one of the main attractions. In short, PtH has managed once again to keep things fresh in a genre often bloated with carbon-copy bands, while mantaing a high standard of quality in the whole album. it may take as long as 10 listens before the album really sinks in, because of everything it throws at you at the same time, but once it does it's immensely rewarding.

9/10

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Mastodon Announce "Live at Brixton", a Digital Only Live "DVD"

Mastodon have announced the release of a live "digital video album" of their Feb 11th 2012 performance at London's O2 Academy. The release will feature 23 songs and will be released in December 10th. So far hard copy editions or audio only releases haven't been announced.

[Review] Pez - Nueva Era, Viejas Mañas

Free download from the band's website: http://www.pezapesta.com.ar/bajadas/Nuevaeraviejasmanias.rar

Pez is an argentinian rock band formed in the first half of the 90's in Buenos Aires and known for reinventing themselves album after album, as well as being notably prolific (they've been releasing albums at an average of 18 months from each other). Througout their nearly 20 year long career, Pez has included elements from genres as diverse as punk, progressive rock, jazz fusion and metal.

"Nueva Era, Viejas Mañas", which translates to "New Era, Old Knacks" is the return of the band to their old roots in punk and hard rock, though undoubtedly showing what they have learned in all these years, specially in the songwriting department. The line up is mostly the same as it was 20 years ago, Ariel Minimal on guitar and vocals, Franco Salvador (who entered the band in 1996) on drums and backing vocals and "Fosforo" García (who had contributed backing vocals on their debut album in 1994) on bass and backing vocals.

The album features distorted guitar riffs, pounding drums, groovy bass lines and an equilibrium between clean and raw vocals; the band has reduced their scope after their expansive and epic album "Volviendo a las Cavernas" from 2011. Their new formation doesn't include "Pepo" Limeres on keyboards and piano anymore, an element that was present in almost all of Pez' albums since 1998. As a result of this and the fact that the album is mostly comprised of heavy hard rock/punk songs, "Nueva Era" feels a little unidimensional compared to their previous offerings, and though I wouldn't put it very high in their album ranking it's still a pretty solid record and a fresh start for the band.

If you've been reading this blog for some time and feel identified with most of the music I review, I'd recommend leaving this album for a later date and starting with "Los Orfebres" or "Volviendo a las Cavernas" instead (you can also download them at http://www.pezapesta.com.ar/audios.html).

The lyrics have returning themes in all of Pez' albums, mainly discussing social conflicts, ideologies and existencialism.

Overall, it features everything that you could expect from a Pez album, but narrows down their sound to something more specific an simple.

8/10

A Perfect Circle Announce "Greatest Hits" Album

A Perfect Circle has announced the release of a greatest hits compilation on November 19th. The album is available for pre-order via Amazon in standard and deluxe editions. "Three Sixty" will include a studio version of the song "By And Down", which the band performed several times during their last tour.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Plan B-Side Album For Black Friday

Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced the release of a b-side album for Black Friday this November 29th. The 17-track collection, cleverly titled "I'm Beside You" features all the singles from their I'm With You Sessions releases and will be out via Record Store Day.

[Review] Coheed & Cambria - The Afterman: Descension

Last year Coheed and Cambria released "The Afterman: Ascension", a prequel of sorts to their 2009 album "Year Of The Black Rainbow" and the first part in the double album release "The Afterman", which takes place in the same universe as YOTBR but acts as an alternative reality in the "Amory Wars" storyline.

Mythology aside, "Descension" sounds a lot like it's predecessor, but towards the second half it gets mellow and almost calm. The album opens with "Pretelethal", continuing with the sound of "Ascension" and acting as an introduction, but after "Sentry The Defiant" and the hard rock anthem "The Hard Sell" things start to get more mellow and melacholic. Starting with "Number City", a funky and equally sad and cheery tune, and following with songs like "Away We Go" and "Iron Fist", the album gets considerably lighter on the ears than "Ascension" and concludes the double release with a happier tone, despite some of it's darker lyrics (And I was wrong to let you go/ I accept my mistake, but you will never know/ This is my love into a ten ton truck/ Baby, please remember the better me).

As with their previous album, "Descension" sounds thick and saturated when it gets heavy and meticulously arranged in the quieter parts, where some electronic elements are also present and add a lot to the partially futuristic feeling of the album. The production is pretty good, though drums may sound a little compressed for some, but each instrument can be individually picked apart even in the heaviest sections and as with every C&C album (unless you have become used to it) it might be a little while before you take a liking to vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez' vocals.

Overall "Descension" is a more than solid follow up and another worthy addition to Coheed and Cambria's ever expanding universe of albums, novels and comics.

8.5/10

Protest The Hero Reveal Artwork And New Song Ahead Of Their Second Single

Protest The Hero have revealed the full cover of their upcoming album "Volition" out on October 29th. The band had initially released another image which they revelead was "just a taste" of the real artwork, which was painted by Jeff Jordan.

A new song titled "Drumhead Trial" was also uploaded by the band on Youtube and you can listen to it here.

Robert Fripp Announces The Return Of King Crimson

Via an update of his online diary prog rock legend Robert Fripp has announced that King Crimson is in "Go!" mode. The band had been on hiatus since they cancelled part of their 40th anniversary tour in 2009.

Fripp's entry for September 6th confirms the new band is back as a seven-piece with three drummers, Bill Rieflin (ex-Ministry, R.E.M.) being one of them, while the previous entry hinted at Tony Levin on bass.

Mastodon To Head For The Studio In November

Mastodon have announced through their Facebook page that there won't be any more touring in 2013 and that they'll use the time they have left to dive deep into the writing and recording of the new album with aims of finishing before 2014.

The band had previously referred to some of the songs they've been working on as "radioheadish" and "spooky".




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The Fall Of Troy Announce Reunion Shows For December

The Fall Of Troy are getting back together for a few shows this December. The band had separated in 2010 with Thomas Erak going on to form a new band called Just Like Vinyl which is already working on their third record. 

The dates were announced via Facebook and they will consist of three shows at Red 7 in Austin, TX on December 27th, 28th, and 29th where they will play "The Fall of Troy", "Doppelgänger" and "Manipulator" in their entirety.

New Pearl Jam Single Turns Down The Volume

Pearl Jam have released the second single off their upcoming album "Lightning Bolt". The song explores new grounds for the seattleite band, a tender love song that sounds exactly like "a rock band in their forties" which is not a bad thing at all, specially for a band that has always shown a high level of maturity in their work.

"Lightning Bolt" will be released on October 15th, meanwhile you can watch the video for "Sirens" below, or check their first single here.

Protest The Hero Debut New Song And Reveal Artwork For Volition

Canadian band Protest The Hero are back with a new single from their upcoming album "Volition". The follow up to 2011's "Scurrilous" will be released on October 29th. The artwork was painted by Jeff Jordan, who is primarily known for his work with The Mars Volta and also painted the cover for Leprous' Coal. The new song, titled "Clarity", can be streamed here.

[Review] Karnivool - Asymmetry

Karnivool is a prog rock/metal quintet from Perth that has often been compared to Tool by a number of reasons, musical or not; their dark sound, sometimes cryptic lyrics, polyrythms and odd time signatures have drawn comparisons between both. Curiously enough they share the last three letters out of their names and a tendency to take 4 or 5 years between releases.

But how deep do these similarities go? Well, Karnivool has made certain that they draw a line between both bands with their new record, Asymmetry.

The band has incorporated a few elements from hardcore and post rock, the songs are mostly fast, equally melodic and agressive, the guitar arrangements often sound loose and more like part of the background sound of the band than something that is meant to draw attention, leaving that role to vocals and drums. Both guitars and bass mix and melt into a wall of sound that surrounds the listener. The production contributes to this feeling, even when there's not a lot of layers to pick apart, the guitars are often hard to tell from each other in the noisiest parts, and drums feel like they are mixed too loud, with cymbals that sound too distorted and trebly.

Overall the album pays homage to it's name. Asymmetry can be easily divided in two halves, the first being compact and comprised of mostly upbeat songs, with The Refusal peaking in agressivity. The second, much more melodic and laid back, has some songs separated by long ambient and instrumental interludes. This, in my opinion, is not inherently good or bad. While it feels like the album lacks focus or a clear background idea it also keeps things from getting stale; for an album that clocks at about 67 minutes having most of it composed of songs like those in the first half would tire the listener too fast. The lyrics deal mostly with existencialism (though not exclusively), with lines like "Try to understand/ There is no great plan/ We will cross the line/ With an open mind" and "I want us to face the shape we're in/ A world of confusion awaits our sons and kin/ Let's reset it all".

There's no doubt this album is a grower, while initially it feels like it goes nowhere, once you memorize some of the songs and review the flow of the album in your head, the rest starts to sink in slowly and then it becomes a much more rewarding experience. Show patience and you'll see the results soon enough.

7.5/10

New Kayo Dot Song Released

A new Kayo Dot "single" has been released two days ahead of the launch date of "Hubardo", their latest studio album. The song, titled "Passing The River" can be streamed at CVLT Nation's Soundcloud page.

Listen To A New Song By Death Grips

The song, titled "Birds" was released earlier today through their label's site and Youtube. The band didn't clarify if the song will be part of their new album, which will come out in 2014 through their own label Third Worlds, or if it's just a bside of sorts.

Release Date Announced For Protest The Hero's "Volition"

Protest The Hero has just released a short update about their new album via Facebook, stating: "We are proud to announce the official release date of our new album will be October 29th. It's called "Volition" and contains a couple of blazin' bangers we hope some / most of you will enjoy! We will be peacing on a North American tour beginning of November which will be announced shortly. Stay tuned for tracklisting, artwork, and all that other crap bands usually release come album time ."

New Nine Inch Nails Single "Copy Of A" Released

The new single off Hesitation Marks, out on September 3rd, has been released as a free download through Amazon. Get it here.

New Project From Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann & Jordan Rudess

The new album, simply titled "Levin Minnemann Rudess" will be released next month, on September 5th to be precise. The deluxe edition (which features extra footage and a 24bit wav format copy of the album) can be pre-ordered from their site at http://www.levinminnemannrudess.com/, where you can also find some audio and video previews.

[Review] Scale The Summit - The Migration

In a world where the term "instrumental metal" has become a synonym of "squeezing as many notes and transitions as possible into a 7 minute long composition" it's hard to find bands that defy that formula. When I first listened to Scale The Summit a few years ago I instantly noticed there was more to them than just 4 insanely skilled musicians playing together. 

The band has come to describe their sound as "adventure metal" and once you listen to one of their albums from beginning to end it's easy to see why, each of their albums take you on a journey through a myriad of sonic landscapes. But while their previous efforts have had songs ranging from dark, heavy, intense metal to more laid back, calm and jazzy compositions, The Migration narrows the scope a little, and not always for the best.

Through the album does a flawless job at making you feel like you are running under a cloudless sky in a cool day with the sun hitting your face, it sometimes feel like the album could benefit from a little variety. In this regard it's good that it clocks at 42 minutes, because it's an adequate ammount of time for the scope of the album.

The Migration also starts in the same way as it ends, with two fast, lush and busy songs, and it's very difficult (if not impossible) to find a point in the record that could be described as a climax. The only one that strays a little from the lively sound of the album is "The Dark Horse" which lives up to it's name from beginning to end.

All in all, these things don't stop Scale The Summit's fourth record from being a breath of fresh air in the progressive metal scene, the skill and vision of their members is beyond question and there's no doubt The Migration sounds exactly as they intended, from the sunny landscapes it paints to the way the two guitars interwine constantly, it's evident that every note has been put there deliberately. Overall, a carefully crafted and solid record that struggles to achieve the scope of it's predecessors.

7.5/10

Rush Announce New Remix Album For Vapor Trails

Rush have announced the release of a long awaited remixed version of Vapor Trails, something fans were hoping for after two songs from the album were released in 2009. 

Bassist and frontman Geddy Lee had this to say about the album: “Vapor Trails was an album made under difficult and emotional circumstances – sort of like Rush learning how to be Rush again – and as a result, mistakes were made that we have longed to correct. David Bottrill’s remixes have finally brought some justice and clarity to this deserving body of our work,”.

Vapor Trails: Remixed will be released in two months, on October 1st. The same the band will be releasing a box set with all of their studio albums released through Atlantic Records.

New TV On The Radio Single "Mercy"

Though TV On The Radio hasn't yet announced plans for a new album they have just released a new single titled "Mercy". Another song titled "Million Miles" has been announced and should be released soon on David Sitek's label. You can listen to "Mercy" here.

Listen To Two New Nine Inch Nail Songs Live

Live footage of two songs from Nine Inch Nails' upcoming album has been uploaded to Youtube. Hesitation Marks will be released on September 3 this year, their first since 2008's The Slip.

[Review] The Aristocrats - Culture Clash

Supergroups come and go these days, often building a lot of hype before collapsing after a release or two; sometimes chemistry never happens between the members and it never really ends up being a group but just a few musicians with backgrounds too different to work together as a band. Once in a while though, magic happens and bands like The Aristocrats come around. 

Formed after a NAMM show in California that almost didn't happen, Bryan Beller, Guthrie Govan and Marco Minnemann certainly felt there was something special in the air when they first jammed together in 2011, and soon after that they released their self-titled debut album, which received good reviews all around, praising their individual talents as well as their collective sound.

Two years later the trio strikes back with their second LP titled "Culture Clash", pointing at the cultural diversity of their members. Each of them contributed three songs to the album, though if you ask me they must be in the same headspace because the album flows very well and feels very heterogeneous.

Culture Clash is more focused than their first album, there's only one song under the 5:00 mark but the songs rarely feel too long for their own good, the album is filled with groovy bass lines and drum fills as well as long, engaging guitar leads and solos.  Though the album could be defined as a fusion of rock, a little blues and jazz (even a little metal here and there) each song has it's own sound and personality, from opener Dance of The Aristocrats, which sounds like Primus without their usual weirdness, passing through bluesy, fast paced Louisville Stomp, the dry tones of Desert Tornado and the heavy hitter that is Living The Dream.

It's fairly evident for those that have seen this band live that they both don't take themselves too seriously (you can see a video of the band stopping mid song to jam with their smartphones) and that they love messing around both live and in studio, and this shows in the tone of their compositions, often adding a cheery element to it.

Culture Clash is an album for those that like shredding as much as carefully composed rock songs, balancing both sides evenly, never sounding like the band is going too far in either direction. A must for all musicians out there.

8.5/10

http://the-aristocrats-band.com

New Song By Vista Chino (Formerly "Kyuss Lives!") Released

Vista Chino, the band we formerly knew as Kyuss Lives! has released another song from their upcoming album "Peace" via their label's Soundcloud page. You can listen to the song at this link. "Peace" will be released on August 30th, you can preorder the album in several formats and editions here.

Listen To "Asymmetry", Karnivool's Latest Album

Karnivool's third LP "Asymmetry" will be released tomorrow, but you can listen to the album today at http://www.karnivool.com.au/listentoasymmetry . The album was recorded at 301 studios in Byron Bay, Australia.

New Puscifer Remix Album Next Month

Maynard James Keenan has announced the release of a new remix album, this time featuring remixes from Puscifer's previous LP "Conditions Of My Parole". The album, titled "All Re-Mixed Up" will be released on August 27th.

New Tool Album Far From Ready, According To Drummer Danny Carey

Speaking to Loudwire, Tool's drummer Danny Carey referred to the state of their upcoming album saying "We’re working everyday on it and it’s going really well, so I’m hoping we’ll get into the studio by the end of the year." However, when asked about a possible 2013 release he said there was still much to be done: "I doubt it. Right now, since we haven’t started tracking stuff at this point, it’ll be hard. [...] We’ll see how it goes. Most likely, it’ll be early 2014.".

Eureka The Butcher's new video "Desert Rituals"

Eureka The Butcher is Marcel Rodriguez Lopez' electronic side proyect. Desert Rituals is the tenth song off his recently released album "Music For Mothers", whose cover shows Marcel with his mother Frances, who passed away last year.

[Review] Bosnian Rainbows - Bosnian Rainbows

Most of us know Omar Rodriguez-López for the super-prolific multi-intrumentalist madman he has become in the years after At The Drive In's break up, never really focusing in just one project at the time. Having released an album and formed a "temporary" band with every musician he has come in contact with so far, no one expected Bosnian Rainbows would become his main project in so little time.

Many fans anticipated The Mars Volta's breakup since the release of their 2009 album Octahedron, but a few hiatuses later TMV was still going, and with the incorporation of Deantoni Parks on drums, Omar and Cathy Pellow (head of Sargent House and Omar's partner in his own label) heralded the arrival of a new TMV.

At the same time, Omar adopted Teri Gender Bender's band Le Butcherettes into his own label, so it was a matter of time before both had an album of sorts. It wasn't a surprise when it was announced that the newest incarnation of Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group would feature Teri Gender Bender, but the group soon had it's own name and after a few months of silence it was announced that The Mars Volta was no more.

Naturally there's has been a lot of hype about the two bands risen from the ashes of TMV (Cedric Bixler Zavala went on to form Zavalaz with Juan Alderete and a few friends), so now that the album has dropped there's no doubt Bosnian Rainbows is anything but "a new TMV", but some elements still remain.

Their self titled debut is somewhere between Noctourniquet and Omar's experiments with electronic music in albums like Tychozorente (2010) and Saber, Querer, Osar y Callar (2012). The bass has been replaced by synths, Teri Gender Bender lays down some dark, more conventional (and often punk infused) vocals instead of Cedric's anguished wails, Deantoni plays a stripped down kit while also playing keys and Omar, surprisingly, rarely stands out over his bandmates. Every instrument has the same level of protagonism, Omar's guitar playing has become subtler in the last year to the point where he's just another part of their aural spectrum.

This new equilibrium isn't all for the good though. While the album starts with a few really solid songs, it soons begins to feel a little too flat, there's few suprises after the first three or four songs, and while there's a nice variety of tunes here it feels like Bosnian Rainbows is missing an element that raises the band above their self imposed limitations. This why I feel the strongest tracks on the record are opener "Eli", which slowly builds up into it's great chorus and "Worthless", featuring an infectious drum beat by Parks, a great "solo" by Omar and again a great outro by Deantoni in the closing seconds, along with a solid performanced my Teri Gender Bender through and through.

Bosnian Rainbows could become so much more if they let themselves shine some more individually, but for now it feels like a band whose sound still doesn't feel greater than the sum of it's parts.

7.5/10

Pre-orders up for John Frusciante's new ep "Outsides"

Pre-order links for "Outsides" have been made available via John Frusciante's website, along with a lenghty description written by John himself.

On August 27th, John Frusciante will release the Outsides EP via Record Collection (August 14th in Japan). The bonus track “Sol,” available in hi-quality source audio, comes as an instant download with each pre-order.

Read more about the album at http://johnfrusciante.com/article/outsides-ep

 

The Aristocrats' Culture Clash Song Preview

Listen to the title track from The Aristocrats' upcoming album Culture Clash, out on July 16th.

New Pearl Jam Album Out In October

Pearl Jam are preparing for the release of their tenth studio album this October 15th. "Lightning Bolt" was produced by Brendan O' Brien, who also produced their previous album "Backspacer".

You can preorder the album at http://pearljam.com/lightningbolt and listen to the first single "Mind Your Manners" below:

New J. Frusciante EP "Outsides" out soon

Japanese website "CD Japan" has released information about a new John Frusciante EP coming up next month, on August 14th to be precise. The site describes it as "CD from John Frusciante features three tracks total, including a bonus one. Comes with lyrics and a description.".
Another description which is written in japanese suggests the album will be similar to PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone.

UPDATE: Tracklist revealed

[Review] The Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer

The Dillinger Escape Plan is a band known for crafting albums that come close to rupturing your eardrums and for doing it in a way that is remarkably enjoyable for the listener (or at least those adventurous enough for the sonic ride). While this is true for their newest album One Of Us Is The Killer, their first in Sumerian Records, the band has been experimenting with more traditional and even melodic compositions.

Make no mistake, the album still kicks and punches and it's knuckles have cymbal-shaped studs, but from time to time the album abruptly changes from a carefully crafted mess to a more traditional hard rock sound and vice versa. The title track is an example of this new refined songwriting that the band "experiments" with, making use of soft verse-loud chorus dynamics and keeping a slow, steady tempo for the whole song.

Each member has something to offer to both their new sound and their "old" one. Ben Weinman's riffs are lightning fast, dissonant and they sound like pure evil, specially when combined with James Love's rhythm guitar, Greg Puciato's furiously versatile vocals are largely responsible for the melodical side of their new sound, effortlessly jumping from quiet breakdowns to chaotic shredding to more melodic yet hard rocking segments, Liam Wilson adds a lot of atmospheric bass lines and Billy Raymer's epileptic drumming are a driving force in the hardest hitting songs and a source of groove in the breakdowns, taking the spotlight for the instrumental CH 375 268 277 ARS (something that instantly reminded me of Hella's 2011 album Tripper) and contributing a great fill for the phenomenal title track.

The production is very good, every instrument can be picked apart, even in the midst of chaos, though at the cost of trying to sound loud and agressive the album has a bit of clipping; sometimes the drums may sound too compressed and some of Weinman's arrangement's are partially lost in the mix.

In short, it's still DEP, it's not for everyone, it hits hard, it's raw and it's noisy, but the band shows it's not afraid of going into new directions and broadening their horizons, something I have always respected, and something to be expected from those who put their hearts into their music.

8.5/10

[Review] TesseracT - Altered State

There's a lot of discussion around the use of the term djent, similar to the way people use the word indie to describe a particular sound or "genre", there's a lot of musicians who either embrace the term or refuse being refered to as a "djent band".
British rock band TesseracT has separated from the djent tag not by speaking out against or in favor of being tagged as a djent band, but by expanding and growing their sound release after release; commencing with their 2011 debut LP "One" (in my opinion a masterpiece of progressive metal) and later with their 2012 EP "Perspective", introducing a new vocalist and showing an unexplored side of the band.

Altered State goes further in that direction, leaving out growling vocals completely, turning down the distortion in favor of a more processed, electronic sound and refining their songwriting. From the first song you are greeted with new vocalist Ashe O'Hara's (Voices From The Fuselage) vocals and the sound of distant, echoing guitars before the song jumps in volume through a crescendo of processed guitars.

While some songs like Exile and Singularity are long and have a strong progressive feeling about them, most of the compositions offer more traditional structures, often building around different variations of the same riff or beat. The drumming keeps the songs together, both keeping a straight 4/4 beat and laying down heavily synchopated polyrhythms regularly, which are one of the trademark elements of TesseracT's sound. The first single Nocturne is a perfect example of both these things, and it does a very good job at showing what this new record is about.

Altered State keeps things fresh and shows the band hasn't suffered at all from changing vocalists three consecutive times, an excellent record overall, and one I'll be listening to for a long time.

9.5/10

[Review] Leprous - Coal (2013)

One has heard the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover" so many times at this point that it has almost lost it's meaning, well, I made that mistake when first looking at the cover for Leprous' new album Coal. Their previous album Bilateral was a very strong contender for my personal album of the year when it came back in 2011. Jeff Jordan (mostly known by his work with The Mars Volta) took care of the artwork last time with his signature saturated-high contrast-bad trip made painting style, and it fit the variety, density and texture of the album perfectly, so when I took a look at Leprous' new cover artwork (also by Jeff Jordan) I thought they had gotten heavier and darker than ever and I expected a lot of double-bass and growling vocals... well I couldn't have been more wrong.

Coal is a completely new direction for the band, much more melodic, softer but also heavier at times and with a strong emphasis on groove not as prominent in their last album. The first thing I noticed when I first listened to the first two tracks was the drumming is very different, for a moment I was sure Leprous had replaced Tobias Andersen, but after checking the credits I was suprised to see that he's still behind the kit.

The drumming, just as in Bilateral, is great yet on a completely different way, with much more groove, laid back at times and less "metal", often sounding a little gospel. The same could be said about the bass, keeping the songs together and adding a lot of groove in between instrumental sections. The keyboards are much more prominent and the building blocks of songs like The Cloak and The Valley, adding to the atmosphere and Einar Solberg's dramatic vocals, who really shines in The Cloak.

There's also a great change in the songwriting, with the songs being more focused, each instrument making it's way into the sound the band creates before reaching an instrumental climax near the end.

In short, Leprous has managed to surprise me with this album, setting aside the pressure of crafting a follow up to 2011's Bilateral with a strong new direction and complete cohesiveness.

8.5/10

Watch the video for "The Cloak"