Review: Converge – No Heroes

Drew Beringer Oct 24, 2006

This Halloween, just like any other, many people go out looking for something that’ll scare them. They search for something that rattle their bones, haunt their dreams, and leave a lasting impression on their senses. While most people will look for this sensation in the wrong places, such as going to cheesy haunted houses or wasting eight bucks on Saw III, I am here to point you towards something that is truly horrific, brutal and unforgiving. This “something” is nothing but Converge’s latest hardcore offering, the ruthless No Heroes. The longtime Boston outfit – vocalist/madman Jake Bannon, guitarist Kurt Ballou, bassist Nate Newton, and drummer Ben Koller – are back to old habits here, as fans who were disappointed by 2004’s You Fail Me will be happy to notice somewhat of a return back to the style of Petitioning The Empty Sky and When Forever Comes Crashing. Produced by Ballou and guided by Bannon’s artistic vision and meditative lyrics, No Heroes is here to take no prisoners.

AbsolutePunk Oct 23, 2006

You may love to rip them for what you perceive their image to be. But there’s one thing you can’t take away from the powerhouse known as My Chemical Romance: This is a group of talented musicians with a vision that refuse to apply the brakes to their imagination, creativity, and ability.

The New Jersey quintet – singer Gerard Way, bassist Mikey Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, drummer Bob Bryar – has pulled out all the stops for The Black Parade and has released anything but a sequel to their last material. The 13-track (14 if you want to get technical and include the “Hidden Track”) effort will leave you with a feeling like that of being in a theatre on Broadway, watching dancers and singers bring to life the latest Andrew Lloyd Weber tale.

AbsolutePunk Oct 23, 2006

Maynard James Keenan would be proud.

Being the new millennium and all, alternative music of today has strayed from the place of where alternative music came from in the early 90s. Bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Tool stood as monuments for how rock and roll would be angrier and more personal, intuitive and unabbreviated. On Vices, Dead Poetic have certainly bottled that charisma and whittled away any form of screamo critics thought they were. Capturing themes of—you guessed it—vices, the lyrical development of Vices strains through sexuality, pride, vanity and ultimately redemption.

AbsolutePunk Oct 18, 2006

Every so often, a band comes into the music scene and establishes an enigmatic relationship with their fans. Not in a Radiohead-esque way, but they look just a little bit deeper than everyone else and their fans grow fiercely loyal, just as the haters ruthlessly defend their feelings. Copeland is one of those bands. Three original studio albums into their career on The Militia Group, each has been an exercise in creativity, expansive songwriting, and flamboyant musical excess. Eat, Sleep, Repeat, despite its mundane title, is the pinnacle of the band’s career so far, and both sides of the scene will be coming to blows for years over this CD.

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Review: A Static Lullaby – A Static Lullaby

Drew Beringer Oct 16, 2006

In 2003, a small five-piece from California named A Static Lullaby released their debut album, …And Don’t Forget To Breathe, on Ferret Records and where one of the first bands to make the “sing-scream” pattern huge. Forget To Breathe was a gateway album for many people, as it was the first album kids heard of this style. As they developed a devout following, they signed to major label Columbia records and released what we would call the sophomore slump. ASL released Faso Latido in 2005 and switched up their style a bit, making their sound more rock-orientated. Needless to say, this blew up in their face; they were dropped by Columbia and were near breaking up. 3 original members – bassist/vocalist Phil Pirrone, drummer Brett Dinovo, and guitarist Nate Lindeman – quit the band to pursue other projects, leaving the other two members, vocalist Joe Brown and guitarist/vocalist Dan Arnold in a tight spot. Instead of retiring A Static Lullaby for good, they recruited three new members – guitarist John Death, bassist Dane Poppin, and drummer Jarrod Alexander – and signed to a new label (Fearless) to release their self-titled third album. Produced by Steve Evetts (Saves The Day, He Is Legend, Lifetime), A Static Lullaby is a return to their roots; Brown’s scream dominates many tracks and the song structures closely follow those of Forget To Breathe. This album is meant to bring back their old fans, which this album succeeds at doing.

AbsolutePunk Oct 7, 2006

Justin Timberlake obviously missed the whole “quit while you’re on top” lecture. Too stubborn to exit the public after his stint on the Mickey Mouse Club with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and JC Chasez, Timberlake recruited a juggernaut boy band which danced and moaned their way to the fastest selling album of all time, 2000’s No Strings Attached. Still craving an artistic outlet, a few more heaping piles of cash, or perhaps simple celebrity, Timberlake embarked on his solo journey after ‘N Sync’s 2002 demise. Rather than subtly testing the waters of solitude, the former paragon of all things squeaky clean and role model-worthy made ferocious waves everywhere by inundating fans and detractors alike with both a redeveloped persona and revamped sound. Conquering the masses with his debut chart-topper Justified, which sold a towering 7,000,000 some-odd copies worldwide left J.T. feeling unfulfilled still. Enter FutureSex/LoveSounds.

Drew Beringer Oct 4, 2006

It’s just another stretch of highway. 
I never asked for ordinary. 
Time and time change. 
If I rewrote this it might just sound the same.

Those are the words that begin Spitalfield’s third album, Better Than Knowing Where You Are. That intro (titled “Dare To…”), backed by dreamy guitar tones and softly sung by vocalist and guitarist Mark Rose, displays the writing perspective from the Chicago quartet. Spitalfield has never written the same record twice, from the pop-punk goodness of their debut, Remember Right Now to the more rock-orientated second album, 2005’s Stop Doing Bad Things. These lyrics can also be directed towards Spitalfield’s fans, the majority of which despised the critically acclaimed Bad Things, longing for the pop-filled hooks that dominated Right Now. Fans need not worry about the groups latest (and best) offering yet. Combining the hooks and melody of the first record along with the maturity of the second, Better Than Knowing displays how much progression this band has made over the course of their eight year existence.

AbsolutePunk Sep 28, 2006

And if we had the power 
to bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on the door

John Mayer aims straight for the heart with his poignant fourth studio album, Continuum. The anti-war anthem and lead single “Waiting On the World to Change” gives listeners, both old and new, an idea of how far Mayer has come. To be frank, this is no “Your Body Is A Wonderland.” With Continuum, Mayer broadens his fan base by infusing a very blues and R&B-influenced sound. On the next track, Mayer strips down the soft-pop sound and builds “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” around an effervescently jazzy guitar piece. He has proven both his durability and versatility as a songwriter with Continuum. Mayer designs each melody delicately in order to best capture the listener’s heart; this stellar CD should attract an amalgam of old and new fans.

AbsolutePunk Sep 26, 2006

Last summer, my friend Scott Weber told me I must get into mewithoutYou—that they are a pivotal band, creative and non-linear—every five-dollar word Pitchfork Media would use to worship a Sufjan Stevens or Mogwai album. Putting it nicely, I thought they were rather over-the top and boring at the same time. Where were the driving choruses and upbeat melodies? I mean you have to have one or the other right? Fast forward almost a year later and I’m singing their praises, first acknowledging the pure poetry of their art—from there it was all butter.

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Review: Senses Fail – Still Searching

Drew Beringer Sep 26, 2006

In the August issue of Alternative Press, Senses Fail vocalist and lyricist Buddy Nielsen had this to say about his lyrics for the new album: “No violence; no blood; none of that stupid shit. I want to be as honest as possible. Most of the songs are about the past year of my life, when I had a mental breakdown – I basically went crazy.” These words hold true on the New Jersey quintet’s second album, Still Searching. Gone are the songs about chainsaws, digging up dead girlfriends, and his obsession with fire. Instead, Nielsen’s lyrics are self-reflective and open about his struggles with depression and alcohol. This is a nice change from the cliché-ridden lyrics from Let It Enfold You and instantly you can tell Senses Fail have grown up, which was helped by Midtown guitarist Heath Saraceno, who joined the band on tour and then played and influenced the sessions of Searching. Immediately, the musicianship, most notably the guitars, have improved tenfold, thus strengthening all thirteen songs. The effort still has some notable flaws, but that’s not to take away from how much this band has matured and improved over the course of 2 years.

Jason Tate Sep 19, 2006

New Found Glory have always been a musical-staple of my summers. Since the release of Nothing Gold Can Stay, so many years ago, it seems that when the weather gets warm the pop-punk goodness of NFG is always close in tow. However, the band’s latest album hits us as the summer months fade and the air bends to the onslaught of fall. Incidentally, the band’s musical thermometer is still intact. Instead of an album full of summer-fist-pumping-anthems they’ve released the perfect music by which to watch the leaves fall from the trees.

The changing of seasons seems to be the perfect metaphor for New Found Glory; however, it’s important to note that while the color of leaves may change, the underlying nature never does.

Jason Tate Sep 12, 2006

I am going to be up-front with you right now: This band is not for everyone. In fact, there are a good many of you that are going to straight up hate this album. There are quite a few reading this that would probably rather place nails in their ears than ever listen to this band. I, however, am not one of those people. In fact – I think this is one of the best albums to be released this year and one of the most creative and innovative bands to be creating pop/punk/rock music in our, or any, genre.

Read More “The Matches – Decomposer”

Review: As Tall as Lions – As Tall as Lions

AbsolutePunk Sep 11, 2006

The idea of a summer record invokes for most people thoughts of an album such as New Found Glory’s Sticks and Stones, The Beach Boys’ Sounds of Summer, or who knows… maybe Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up The Sun” is the only smooth jam on your iPod “summer love” playlist. Either way, when sound waves and heat waves collide it’s the fair-weather combination of energetic melodies, warm tones, and lifting progressions that we love to turn up while we roll the windows down. This being the case, As Tall As Lions’ self-titled full length, in all its murky, ambient glory, would appear very much a fish out of water as an early August release. Who’s the genius over at Triple Crown who thought we would take Head Automatica, Gym Class Heroes, and Hellogoobye out of our stereo for this semi-challenging, mostly somber, and generally soft-tempo collection of songs? Well, whoever he or she is, they deserve a promotion, for As Tall As Lions is perhaps the most awesomely anti-summer album of all time.

Drew Beringer Aug 30, 2006

Alexisonfire are like a cult. They aren’t wildly popular and haven’t rode the wave of “popular screamo” like most bands have, but they have a fiercely passionate core of fans and two albums that match that intensity. After spending a few years on the Equal Vision roster, Alexis has jumped ships to one of the biggest independent labels ever, Vagrant, to release their third album, Crisis. Possessing one of the finest vocals talents in the scene, Dallas Green, Alexisonfire are looking to break into new ground. Incorporating three styles of vocals (from Green, George Pettit, and Wade MacNeil) with dual guitar work, Crisis is a bag full of mixed results. Throughout the eleven tracks, you’ll come across some songs that are good, some that are horrible, and a lot that sound like watered down versions from Watch Out!.

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Review: Over It – Step Outside Yourself

Jason Tate Aug 29, 2006

The best way to describe Over It’s major label debut Step Outside Yourself is as a giant coming out party for everyone involved. The vocals are strong and impressive, the lyrics are poignant and refreshing, the guitars are predominately displayed, the bass is powerful, the drums blistering, and the production flawless. Every single aspect of this album is a step above everyone’s past work and in reaching this new plateau the album sits a step above their peers as well.

The time is ripe, the stage is set, and the curtains drawn. If there was ever a time when the phrase “the next big thing” was perfectly fitting – that time would be now.

Review: Converge – No Heroes

Review: My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade

Review: Dead Poetic – Vices

Review: Copeland – Eat, Sleep, Repeat

Review: A Static Lullaby – A Static Lullaby

Review: Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds

Review: Spitalfield – Better Than Knowing Where You Are

Review: John Mayer – Continuum

Review: mewithoutYou – Brother, Sister

Review: Senses Fail – Still Searching

Review: New Found Glory – Coming Home

Review: The Matches – Decomposer

Review: As Tall as Lions – As Tall as Lions

Review: Alexisonfire – Crisis

Review: Over It – Step Outside Yourself