I Will Tear This World Apart are from Norway and play modern Metal.
The band rage and tear their way through these 9 tracks, concentrating on keeping things heavy and groovy while providing a memorable basis for a good old fashioned headbang.
I hear snippets of Earth Crisis, Hatebreed and even a bit of Sick Of It All in places, so these should serve as starting reference points.
This release boasts a state-of-the-art sound that accentuates every piece of aggression that the band throw out.
The singer is angry and there are no niceties here that might otherwise see the band straying into the dreaded commercial pastures. Instead, we get modern Metal played with passion and fire with elements of both Thrash/Melodic Death Metal and modern Hardcore vying for top position, all the time watched over by the Metal Gods who like things just plain heavy.
The majority of the songs hover around the three minute mark; long enough to make their mark but not long enough to lose interest in what they’re doing.
I Will Tear This World Apart successfully combine the trappings of Metalcore with the song know-how of Thrash and the aggression of Hardcore.
Coming from Switzerland, here we have Voice of Ruin.
A bit of an enigma this band in some ways; from the song titles I was expecting gore/porn-obsessed Death Metal but then the artwork is a bit unusual for that. Couple that with the band’s tendency to dress as farmers it tends to throw you a bit.
When you finally press play the style of music is actually a thoroughly modern Metalcore/Thrash influenced melodic Death Metal. From everything else about this release and the band, it’s quite unexpected.
Imagine Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God getting together to do a more extreme side band, (less commercial cleans, some blast beats, etc.); throw in a few modern Melodic Death Metal influences such as The Black Dahlia Murder and you should be there.
The sound is immense and state-of-the-art, with all of the instruments honed to crushing perfection and all aimed at utterly destroying. It does the music justice.
The songs are well written and have that thoroughly modern melodic crunch to them that will probably have just as many people running away from the band as running to them, such is the divisive nature of this kind of genre for some people.
It’s good though, very good, so don’t let preconceptions put you off discovering a talented band.
A short but devastatingly heavy split between US heavyweights Benchpress and Puerto Rico’s Martyr’s Tongue.
Benchpress offer us some lean, muscular Hardcore with plenty of brawn and attitude.
Penance rips out of the gate with belligerence and is astoundingly heavy. The vocalist tears things up with a confidence and brutality that’s perfectly at home with the aggression that the rest of the band create.
The second song Pissed Away is shorter and faster but no less heavy. The solid sound ploughs through anyone foolish enough to get in the way and the band create yet another Hardcore song to be proud of. Angry stuff.
Martyr’s Tongue are a similar beast but different at the same time; faster and more frenetic with more of a Metal, even Grindcore, edge to their sound.
Their first track Deconstructive Process starts things off with a bit of sampling/noise for half of its playtime before launching into a high octane assault with brutality and blastbeats. The vocals are not quite as angry as those of Benchpress but they are more individualistic and put an interesting spin on things.
Unholy Communion is next and once again they ramp up the speed and aggression. Sounding almost unhinged on occasion the band put their all into the performance and it shows. The second half of the song gets bleaker and almost Doom/Black Metal in aura and intensity, at least for a short while before we’re back with the crushing guitars once more.
The entire split lasts only 12 minutes – surely there’s room in your collection for this?
The first album from A Breach of Silence, (Dead or Alive), is barely cold and the band have already polished off their second. With this in mind it’s the perfect time to catch up with the band and get to know them a bit more…
For those who are unfamiliar with you – introduce yourself!
Hey, we are A Breach of Silence, we are from Brisbane Australia. There are 5 members. Cossie, Blairsy, Kerrod, Rhys and Stix. If you want to hear something fresh and you love metal/metalcore/power metal. Check us out :).
How did A Breach of Silence form?
We formed in 2009 when a bunch of us decided to get together and see if we could come up with something different and fun. That happened by meeting Blair at a party and seeing him sing and not just sing but hit falsetto’s that were so high that even Rob Halford would be proud of. We wanted to combine different elements of our favorite genres and make something different. So we set out to do that. Add our elements of traditional metal and metal core but add spice by putting in power style signing. I know that sounds weird and somehow might not work? But it does. Our debut Album dead or Alive is testament to that :). So after meeting Blair, we met our drummer Stix through mutual friends and then after going through quite a different number of member changes we have our current solid line up. With Kerrod and Rhys rounding it all out!!
What are your influences?
We have heaps of influences. Myself and Sticks love old school traditional metal and metalcore, Blair is into power metal and Rhys and Kerrod love all spectrums of metal, but mainly the newer style of metalcore and hardcore. Particular bands would be: Iced Earth, Killswitch Engage, Devil Driver, Parkway Drive, As I Lay Dying, and everything between Johnny cash, Toto and Fleetwood Mac.
What are you listening to at the moment that you want to recommend?
Things we have been listening to and would recommended would be the new Steel Panther (all you can eat), new Architects (lost forever/lost together) and we are still on BMTH (Sempiternal).
How did you decide on the sound for Dead or Alive?
The sound was really through trial and error and a lot of credit goes to Fredrik Nordstrom and Henrik Udd of studiofredman. Those guys really helped us pull together the concept of our writing style and help us produce a sound that we are incredibly happy with. Those guys are some of the best producers the world has to offer and you only have to hear the album to experience what they help us create. After getting the mix of riffs, blast beats, singing and screaming to a good balance we were able to work out our sound with the right smarts from the swedes :).
Are you happy with how the album came out?
We’re super happy how the album came out. Our Début release was done to set our foundations in the world of metal and we believe it really has done that. The songs, the sound and the response have been fantastic. We have appreciated every small and big step that this album has been able to offer us. It has been a fun journey so far.
What can you tell us about the lyrics?
Our lyrics are based around life experiences more then anything but we use subtle ways of expressing those views through other stories. Like Night Rider for instance, this song on the outside is about an outlaw gun slinger from hell that is there to take the bad guys to hell. The song is really portraying the message that, yes nobody is perfect, and you can have done bad things in the past, but its up to you and you alone to turn that around and that you can do it. In a sense a part of you can die but that leaves room for another part of you to breathe life. We like to look at things in a fun way and base our messages through stories.
What does the future hold for A Breach of Silence?
We have heaps of things going on :). We just finished recording our follow up album to Dead or Alive and can’t wait to release it. We are touring New Zealand and Australia in 2014 a few times, and we are trying to organize as we speak a tour to the USA later this year in support of the new album. We have just released a new film clip for our song Night Rider (watch at http://youtu.be/fVjFfxHj59c ), and we are about to release a few more live clips :). We have a bunch of surprises with the new album with us releasing a few things different to go along with the album! We are excited about the future and can’t wait.
Scars Divide are from Switzerland and play Melodic Metal/Metalcore with Progressive tendencies.
The riffs are melodic and meaty and don’t get reined in for safety purposes when they get a bit randy; rather they’re unleashed like the proverbial dogs of war and let loose to do what they may.
This is a key difference between Scars Divide and some of their more commercial cousins; Scars Divide are less concerned with opening in front of a big stadium, (although I’m sure they’re like to given half the chance), and more interested in creating modern Metal songs that entice, challenge and bludgeon.
It’s clear the band have an intimate relationship with their instruments and know exactly what they’re capable of. This is state-of-the-art Modern Metal that’s a refreshing change from all of the Djent/Lamb of God/At the Gates clones that seem to have been around forever.
The songs are inventive, interesting and above all Metal. Heavy guitars and a pummelling rhythm section keep things flowing nicely as the band get to work doing what they do best.
The vocals are impassioned and emotive without resorting to cleans or gimmicks, reminding of the Darkane singer on occasion.
Call me cynical, jaded, or whatever, but I am surprised at how good this is; I was expecting more Metalcore-by-numbers and I’m very pleased to be wrong. This is a premier league release that should hopefully see the band earning plenty of positive reviews.
Get in on the action while they’re still small, and help support a talented Metal band. This gets my vote.
Slovenly World are from France and play modern Metal.
This is quite a nice little EP here of modern Metal without any of the overt commercialism so rampant in this style otherwise. Songs are heavy and hard hitting, and the band know when to floor the accelerator when needed. They even have solos!
They remind of late 90’s/early 00’s bands like Mindjuice and Out only with an added dollop of more recent Metalcore.
Slovenly World are bruising but have plenty of melodic moments to off set the heavy guitars. These come mainly in the form of the singer who manages a some nice cleans as well as rougher vocals.
The songs are quite catchy and surprisingly infectious as the tunes worm their way into your brain.
Much more enjoyable than I was expecting; a band to keep an eye on.
Earth Crisis are from the US and this is their latest album of muscular Hardcore Metal.
These veterans are an institution in their own right, and I’ve been listening to them since first getting Gomorrah’s Season Ends in 1996. Which makes me feel very old, but let’s ignore that…
This is another prime slice of Grade A Metallic Hardcore guaranteed to get the pit moving and limbs thrashing.
The songs are short and to the point. There’s no need for messing around when you’re this focused and have your vision nailed down. They manage to combine a few different styles from their quite varied back catalogue.
Earth Crisis have always played the slower, almost sludge-infected riffs really well, and I’m pleased that there are still a good smattering of these on most songs alongside the more chuggy riffs.
Salvation Of Innocents is similar to their style on the brutal Breed The Killers album only with a lot more vocal variety; we get the standard bellowing, rawer shouting, semi-cleans that are still rough-around the edges, gang vocals, and most things in between. Although we never really get the ultra-melodic clean vocals that peppered their excellent Slither album, I’d say that this is roughly a cross between that release and Breed The Killers.
After the first two tracks of heaviness and aggression Shiver brings in melodic vocals with an almost orchestral chorus. It’s a welcome reminder that this is a band that have in fact a wide arsenal of weapons in their armoury with which to assault the senses with. This is ably shown by the next track The Morbid Glare which is an up-tempo rager and faster than Earth Crisis normally play.
I’m very pleased to say that I am not disappointed by this latest album and wholeheartedly recommend it to every and all fans of heaviness.
Enfeeble have released their album Encapsulate This Moment upon the world and it’s a varied and enjoyable collection of Metal. I asked the guys all about it…
For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!
Luke: Hi, we are ENFEEBLE from north Germany. Four guys with heart and instrument.
We write and perform music that we love ourselves. Maybe you will love it too – check it out. Quick said – that’s it.
How did you form?
Baal: It was a few years ago in 2005… Luke was the singer of the school band and I was looking for a singer & guitarist for a new band. I asked Luke if he wants to start a band with me and he was excited directly. A drummer and bassist were found quickly and so we started as a small Punk Rock Band. In the coming years we’ve had many changes on Bass & Drums. Since the beginning of 2013 we are in the current cast.
What are your influences?
Luke: Encapsulate This Moment is a collection of songs that we’ve written in the past 4 years.
We have continuously developed and always had new demands on ourselves, so there are a lot of influences like Punk Rock, Metalcore, Death Metal and Prog.
What are you listening to at the moment that you want to recommend?
Klaus: Make Me A Donut Chris: Carnifex Baal: Protest The Hero Luke: Periphery
You have an interesting and varied style – how did the songs come about?
Baal: In a few songs it’s just putting some riffs together. But mostly it’s when I have something in my mind I work it out and spending hours and hours to write it down, ’cause when I start do write a song and have a long break it becomes a puzzle of riffs and that’s how I ruin most of the songs. I am quite severe with myself in this way. Of 10 songs I write, 2 or 3 make it to the band and maybe they like it or even just a part…or nothing. Then we work on the subtleties together and Lucas tries to find the best way to combine it with vocals.
You have a lot of vocal variety on your album – was this a conscious decision?
Luke: Yes. I want to have a lot of variety in the vocals because you can express so much more feelings with a mixed vocal style than just with screaming or growling. Every song tells a story and the individual parts should be supported with matching vocals. Also I grew up with singing so I am always inclined to get everything possible out of the vocals. Everything else would be a waste.
Are you happy with how the album resulted?
Chris: No, not really. There are many parts that we could have done better on this album.
But as the saying goes: If we were already happy with this album, we would thwart our progression.
How do you see your sound developing in the future?
Klaus: There will be more riffs and demanding vocals. With Chris as our new drummer the new songs are getting faster and stronger. A beautiful experience that we will continue to expand.
What does the future hold for Enfeeble?
Luke: We are currently working on new songs for another album early next year. We will try to play a lot of concerts this year in order to spread our music. That is part of the plan to increase our fan base. Perhaps we will come to your country. We will always announce the dates on our website http://www.enfeeble.de
Enfeeble are from Germany and play Melodic Metal mixed with a more modern Metalcore style and a good helping of Heavy Metal.
The first thing I notice is how varied the vocals are; there are high shrieks, hardcore-style chanting, deeper shouts, grunts and clean singing.
The music is proficiently played, with the guitarist clearly knowing his way around the fretboard. There are lots of slick riffs and Melodic Metalcore standards in place, as well as mixing in more of a Classic Metal approach on some songs, (Flashedever, for example), although in typical Enfeeble fashion they mix this up with some modern heaviosity.
I enjoy how the songs are written. They mainly use elements of modern Metal, Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore, genres which have high-transferability, but you are never quite sure which bit of which of the genres they are going to ransack for the next part of the song. It’s a fun journey of discovery, but once you do know what’s coming next you are thankfully still left with something of substance as the tracks are enjoyable riff-alongs in their own right.
This is essentially a band that values variety a bit more than the average one-genre group, and by-and-large they manage to pull this off with flair and remain coherent.
An enjoyable release that combines a few different permutations of modern Metal to create an enjoyable album that may Encapsulate This Moment but also pays fealty to the past. Have a listen.
This is the début release from Australian band A Breach of Silence.
The band play a nice line in modern Melodic Death Metal combined with the huge sweeping chorus-style Metalcore that bands like Killswitch Engage popularised.
The singer has a very good voice; his growls are deep and enthusiastic and the clean vocals are passionate and a bit different from the usual of this type as they incorporate a little bit of Power Metal into their delivery, giving them a bit more of an edge.
The music has plenty of bite and aggression with the band playing their hearts out and preforming with gusto. Although they do have breakdowns and whatnot, they don’t completely abuse and over-use them as a lot of these kind of bands have a tendency to do; they seem to have struck the right balance. The songs are largely both heavy and catchy.
Ultimately this does fall into the more commercial end of the Metal spectrum, and won’t be to everyone’s taste. I haven’t listened to a new band of this style for some time and I think A Breach of Silence are very good at what they do. If you’re a fan of heavy modern Metal and don’t object to more commercial melodic clean choruses then check them out.
I Will Tear This World Apart are from Norway and play modern Metal.
Wonderbox Metal 