When Suicide Silence said that deathcore needed shaking up earlier this year, they weren’t exactly wrong. Even the most ardent fans of the genre can admit that, going down the line, it can start to blur together into one fat mass of chugs and growls. But with their attempt at changing things up feeling more … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Gravebloom’ by The Acacia Strain
The reason that the scene sat up and took notice when Beartooth first impacted was because it had to. Coming at a time when metalcore was hitting dire straits in terms of lack of inspiration and real drive, the Ohio wrecking crew virtually ripped that paradigm open for a whole new wave of acts that … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘AM/PM’ by The White Noise
Tracing Imagine Dragons’ career path up until now, it’s difficult to see what the appeal is anymore. Their 2014 debut Night Visions might’ve filled an easily-replaceable void left by the then-AWOL Killers, but its follow-up Smoke + Mirrors saw an already dimensionally-bankrupt radio-indie sound thinned out even more. The lead-up to Evolve didn’t look to … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Evolve’ by Imagine Dragons
For as much of a universal art form as music is, there has to be an admission when some styles are directly tailored to a certain audience. It’s not pandering per se, but rather adopting a sound that is frequently gravitated towards by a certain demographic. That seems to be the case with Chicago band … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘GN’ by Ratboys
Fort Hope’s debut full-length arrives at a less-than-ideal time, but that might as well be this band’s mantra at this point. They first came to prominence during the beginning of Britrock’s decline with a far more polished, staccato take that felt even more out of place considering what would ultimately replace it. And yet, rather … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘The Flood Flowers, Vol. 1’ by Fort Hope
The assertions of Nickelback being the “worst band in the world” are grossly exaggerated. Perhaps switching out “worst” for “most inoffensive” would be more accurate, as the band’s method of staying well away from any sort of boundaries has led them to become the faces of radio rock, for better or for worse. It’s easy … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Feed The Machine’ by Nickelback
The evolution of Hey Violet’s sound has been drastic to say the least. Even with their start of hard rock in Cherri Bomb before shifting to pop-rock upon their name change, barely a remnant of that original incarnation remains today. Last year’s Brand New Moves EP hinted at a smoother, tighter indie-pop sound that spawned … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘From The Outside’ by Hey Violet
Rozwell Kid might finally be able to catch a break now. Even though they’ve been knocking around since 2011 with three full-lengths, numerous splits and a compact fanbase under their belts, that big push to get them over the hill and into more stable territory has yet to arrive. It wouldn’t be too much of … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Precious Art’ by Rozwell Kid
A common stigma attributed to more technically-minded acts is the constant dourness that surrounds them, and that both they and their fanbase see their craft as the pinnacle of musical class and achievement. CHON clearly aren’t one of those bands. There are few pretensions towards high-concept depth on Homey, the California math-rockers’ sophomore album that … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Homey’ by CHON
Apparently the reason that a lot of “true” metal fans hate Babymetal is because such a ridiculous concept is “killing metal”. As such, it’s kind of ironic that those exact people are the ones that a band like Iced Earth have the most appeal to, especially considering there’s nothing inherently more ridiculous about them than … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Incorruptible’ by Iced Earth
