Metal Reviews

Killswitch Engage, the Red Chord, Reflux, Dillinger Escape Plan, Glass Casket, Buried Inside, Shadows Fall, As I Lay Dying, Unearth, Lamb Of God, Trivium, The Postman Syndrome, Between the Buried and Me, Bloodjinn etc.... :roll:

The reason I posted this in the first place was to try and get the cream of the current deluge of metalcore bands that have appeared out of nowhere. Apart from the odd lot like Dillinger EP, they are all very similar.

And, Stefan, Avenged Sevenfold?! (didn't the frontguy use to be a dancer for Cliff Richard?) Atreyu?! Very posey, and not even metal, but pop masquerading as such.

There are simply too many good bands for me to be hunting down (eg Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Dissection, Morbid Angel, Meshuggah, Darkthrone, Neurosis, Nile, Carcass, Red Sparowes + Isis, Amon Amarth, the whole of power metal, want more? :roll: ) for me to waste time on some second-rate little metalcore group who this time next year are going to be serving burgers at some pathetic bar. There are exceptions (DEP), but not many.

And BTW, Trivium would be so much better if they dropped the hardcore vox (which they probably will when they get huge :roll: Next Metallica? Yeah right!)

Too many bands like Unearth and Diecast and Avenged Sevenfold are NOW metalcore bands when before they were more or less hardcore bands. They jumped on the bandwagon quick!

Listen to these tracks for some fucking tremendous metalcore bands:

Cataract - Nothing's Left

No bullshit, no standard screamo verse/melodic chorus, just fucking heavy from the first song to the last!

Website: http://www.cataract-collective.com/

Before The Dawn - Unbreakable

A surprise $2 find in Boston. I really like this band, not as metalcore as some, but still fairly unique to the style. They sound like To/Die/For meets In Flames. It's really good.

Website: http://www.beforethedawn.com

Caliban - The Beloved And The Hated

Another good band from the recent crop of metalcore breakouts. They don't bring anything real original to the mix, but quality is key here. They're better than most, in my opinion.

In an age of over-stimulation and desensitization, anything can seem mundane and formulaic after only limited exposure. Musical standards have come a long way in the past few years; bands concoct new formulas that force us to completely rethink what we know about metal. Radiation 4 are the anti-formula; "Wonderland" is a rather ambitious look into the schizophrenic mind.

Although highly experimental and very distinct, Radiation 4 aren't reinventing the wheel with "Wonderland". Their mix of metal-fueled psychotics with atmospherics and ambience reminds me in many ways of Fantomas. Furthermore, their vocal delivery seems to draw inspiration from Patton, particularly in their "opera-parody" croons and use of vocal distortion/effects. Regardless of influences, Radiation 4 firmly defies categorization and deliver an extremely refreshing alternative to the usual mix of hardcore, mathcore, and metal in general. What I really like about this band is the way they treat music as a collective aesthetic as opposed to a sequence of riffs and beat patterns. "Wonderland" ushers forward some very interesting production ideas that stem from the interplay between instruments, rather than from knob-turning.

Vocally, Radiation 4 go all over the place: high vocal screams, low death growls, sarcastic croons, and more. There's a heavy dose of vocal distortion that is at times grossly exaggerated for the sake of adding to the discordant ambience. There's a lot of high-end hardcore screaming, so fans of death growls be warned. The mathcore-inspired guitar riffs are extremely spastic and very nonlinear, with equally spontaneous drumming. I can't stress enough how "conceptual" this music is; guitar riffs and drum patterns are thrown onto the soundscape to further develop the collective sound aesthetic. If you try to listen through "Wonderland" as a traditional rock/metal album and hear each riff as an isolated entity, you'll hear nothing but discordant chaos. Keep an open mind.

"Tick. Tock. Tick." is perhaps the album's most accessible tune, if you can even call it accessible. Plenty of driving beats and hooky offtime riffs make this track slightly more digestable. The mocking chant of "La, la, la" towards the end of the song is dripping in sarcasm, reminding me slightly of Devin Townsend's eerie "La, la, la" chant at the end of SYL's "Oh My Fucking God". "When Animals Attack" fuses waltz beats and circus ambience with mathcore fury, while "John Vs. Elephant" features classic Patton-esque croons and beat-intensive riffing. "The Prize", clocking in at over 15 minutes, boasts black metal riffing and vocal experimentation with thick distortion. The discordant vocals cease to be vocals and instead become a percussion tool, further injecting offtime beats and tempos into the track.

"Wonderland" certainly isn't for anyone. It's experimental, non-linear, and very daring, and for many the lack of any sort of central progression or common thread will make this a difficult listen. On the flipside, I strongly urge fans of Fantomas or anything Patton to give this a try, as it is a grueling chaotic lesson in experimentation and metal-laced ambience. Although I find myself overwhelmed at times while listening to this record, it settles in nicely after several listens and after you find an appropriate mindset. "Wonderland" is without a doubt one of the most refreshingly different albums I've heard in a while.

Radiation 4 is an awesome band too.... (try their only album "Wonderland" )



and, Eyesore, I know all these bands and they sure are not bad though I find all to be somehow second rate... and Caliband started to put some clear vocals on their last album... going emo ?

to sum things up, I would say thta the same goes with Metalcore & Metal scenes.. the best known bands are not necessarilly the best... the underground is quite rich and thus it's worth searching... :roll: