REVIEW: The Black Dahlia Murder – Ritual

Trevor Strnad – Vocals
Ryan Knight – Guitar
Brian Eschbach – Guitar
Ryan Williams – Bass
Shannon Lucas – Drums
Mark Lewis – Producer

It has been 10 years since the formation of Detroit’s The Black Dahlia Murder(and 8 since the release of their first full length album) during which they released 2 demos and 4 albums. During this time they have seen highs(spot on Ozzfest, Billboard appearances for their last 3 cds) and lows(frequent replacements in the band especially at Bass and Drums) but that has yet to stop them as they forge on and try to cement their spot in Death Metal.

When it comes to the fifth album a lot of times bands in Metal(especially Death Metal) start to become stale and release albums that sound increasing like the album before it at best and at worst take a stunning fall in quality. And while their last album Deflorate was a really good album it didn’t exactly help in terms of showing any change in the band other than line-up. This in turn made Ritual an important album for the band as it would either make the band set the bar for themselves and the genre or it would continue the downward spiral most bands take at this point in their career.

After listening to Ritual I think it is safe to say Melodic Death Metal just had the bar raised yet again. Guitarist Ryan Knight(who joined the band right before the recording of Deflorate) makes a huge impact on this record in terms of song writing. This is also a very experimental record for the band which includes using strings to intro the first track of the album titled “A Shrine to Madness”. Now while they try to experiment with new elements they do not lose any of their strengths in the process(which is usually the case when the word “experimental” is thrown around)

The next track “Moonlight Equilibrium” is the sound of TBDM that you have come to know and love(if you are in fact a fan) showcasing Trevor Strnad’s excellent low Death Metal growl and his high pitch scream that has made his voice become frequently copied in the extreme metal scene and the great technical guitar work of Ryan Knight(formerly of Arsis). This creates a new dynamic for all the songs which helps to freshen a band up.

“Carbonized in Cruciform” is another standout track that is 30 seconds of piano and acoustic guitar work sandwiching 4 minutes of sheer brutality that TBDM is great at delivering with one of the most technically sound solos you will hear on record by Ryan Knight. Right after this is “Den of the Picquerist” that is an unrelenting 90 second punk tinged assault that showcases the ability of bassist Ryan Williams and drummer Shannon Lucas(formerly of All That Remains) best.

The final track of the cd titled “Blood in the Ink” is probably the most captivating of the record. It is an expansive track that takes the strings from the opening track and takes a deeper turn in this song helping to give it an orchestral texture that combined with the band’s sound makes it as beautiful as it is brutal and as harmonic as it is pulverizing.

Overall this is 12 tracks of absolutely no filler. If you are into this genre of music this will end up being put up there with albums like At The Gates’ “Slaughter of the Soul” and Carcass’ “Heartwork”. They do what very few bands have done in topping their previous album while at the same time setting the bar really high in their genre which is I am glad about due to the flack the band gets from some Death Metal fans due to utterly stupid factors like how they dress and the patterns on their merchandise. Hopefully this album gives this band the credit they have been fully due since the 2003 release of Unhallowed.

I will rate this album 5 out of 5 based on technical proficiency, Strnad’s vocals, and the fact that the experiments they do in this album work wonderfully with their sound.

Written By: Mike Falcone
Twitter: @BrainstuFalcone

REVIEW: Dropkick Murphy's - Going Out In Style

The Celtic band returns with their best album in, well, ever...

Dropkick Murphy's are:

Tim Brennan - Guitar

James Lynch - Guitar

Al Barr - Vocals

Ken Casey - Bass

Matt Kelly - Drums

Josh "Scruffy" Wallace - Bagpipes

Jeff DaRosa - Mandolin, Tin Whistle

I've been a fan of these guy's for years. When I saw them in concert a few years ago in New York, they put on the best performance I've ever seen by a band live. They not only play their songs great live, but their entire show with stage presence, audience participation, cover songs, etc. puts this band in a league of their own. If you ever have the chance to see Dropkick Murphy's live, I strongly suggest you go see them.

Now, onto the album itself, which in my opinion, is the best album they put out. This beats "Warriors Code" by miles. The album tells a story of a fictional character named Cornelius Larkin. The story's told on the album are taken from the band's personal experiences. The first track on the album is "Hang Em High", and in true DKM fashion, it kicks your ass through your stereo.



Another track on the album I especially like is their version of the traditional Irish song, "The Irish Rover".



After multiple listens to this album, I'm very happy they didn't fall in the trap Green Day did with telling a story through multiple songs on an album. Growing up a Green Day fan, they had their sound and their style. Over the past few years they have become a completely different band, trying to sound like their original selves. Not Dropkick Murphy's. This album is the sound you expect to hear, with clever, very well written lyrics.

One track that really impressed me is "1953". It's a well written, deeply emotional song that tells a fantastic story about love and friendship. Normally a song like this will get "this song's gay" comments. Not this one. It's fantastic.



Every single track on this album is excellent. My favorite track though is probably the title track "Going Out In Style".



This song will be one of their all time classics that everyone will know the words and sing along to at their show. My friend said to me that he wants this song played at his funeral. I don't blame him, this song's amazing.

SUMMARY: Dropkick Murphy's return with their first studio album in 4 years and in my opinion, their masterpiece. Every single song on this album is brilliant and you will listen to it over and over again. Perfect.

MY RATING: 10/10

Written by: Hammy
Twitter: @BrainstuHammy

REVIEW: Woods Of Arden - Short Fuse Dynamite EP

A fantastic EP by an even more fantastic band...

Woods Of Arden is:

Alex Kostov - Vocals

Mario Traina - Lead Guitar

Chad Cresante- Rhythm Guitar

Jordan Wolfson - Bass

Michael Gambino - Drums

First off, let me first state that while I'll always like a mainstream band I follow that puts out a great album, what I love even more is an unknown, local, unsigned band that just "get's it". When I say that, I mean they know what they are doing with their music and understand their sound. They don't try any bullshit with effects on their instruments and vocals. It's just them, kicking ass. When I first popped this EP into my car stereo, by the end of the first track "Over The Line", I nodded my head and said to myself "Yeah, these guy's get it".



I've heard a lot of demo's and EP's by local bands that want to make it. Most of the bands were wannabe rip offs. Some were just not good. Others tried to be Linkin Park and mess with Auto-Tune and made their record sound like shit, when it could have been a pretty decent record. Not Woods Of Arden. They go right around the garbage that is Auto-Tune and deliver 6 amazing Rock tracks that rival the mainstream artists.

This EP has everything I look for in a good band: Good sound from all the instruments, catchy guitar riffs, smooth bass, good drum technique and a singer that can deliver the goods live. Today's technology, while amazing and brilliant, can make the worst singers sound like Sinatra. I was worried about this band being another one of those disappointments, until they performed "Crazy" on an episode of Ham Radio not to long ago...



I was blown away by these guy's. They took an already great sounding song, toned it down to make it into a deep, dark sounding acoustic song. It reminds me of early Nine Inch Nails, which is saying a lot. The only criticism I have if anything, is on the studio version of "Crazy", instead of going right into the vocals, they should have started it with the acoustic guitar chords and kicked in the vocals like they did in that video. I tried to find anything else about this EP I didn't like. I failed. I looked up videos of them performing live and I came across this...



It's the best video of them live I could find where you hear everything in a live performance. There is no doubt in my mind that on the EP that is all Alex's voice, not Auto-Tune. That to me is what makes a great band.

Although my favorite track on the EP is "Twice As Nice", every song is a 5 star effort.

Summary: Woods Of Arden, a local band from Staten Island, NY, created a 6 track EP that is nothing short of epic. Why they aren't signed to a label and have heavy rotation on Rock stations everywhere is mind-boggling. I strongly suggest you get this EP on Itunes. It's the best $6.00 you could spend.

MY RATING: 9.5/10

Written by: Hammy
Twitter: @BrainstuHammy

REVIEW: Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

It has been an interesting couple of years since Kanye West released his hit album Graduation in 2007. First his mother died after complications from cosmetic surgery in late 2007. Then his follow-up to Graduation titled “808s and Heartbreak” was released and was subsequently panned by most listeners despite decent critical reviews. After that came the VMA's incident where he went on the stage and interrupted the speech of Taylor Swift, which generated much backlash against Kanye. After that he became the butt of jokes by everyone ranging from the writers of South Park to internet meme sites like YTMND. With all that happening in that span, you would almost allow it to automatically be an excuse for a sub-par record when he got around to recording his next album.

Thankfully for us, the listener, “My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy” is probably Kanye West’s best work since Late Registration. I can’t think of anyone else in the music world that could put out something that is such an example of a grandiose musical spectacle as Kanye West is capable of. What makes this album great is that you can feel the emotional complexity of Kanye in both the lyrics and the production. It has spectacular highs and depressing lows with every bit of egotistical self declaration and low self esteem that he has shown ever since College Dropout dropped.

Another thing to point out on this album is the amount of star power present on the guest appearances. You have well known rap vets like Jay-Z, RZA and Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan fame then you got new blood like Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Kid Cudi. Also thrown randomly in the album are the likes of John Legend, Alicia Keys, Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, and even Elton John lays some piano tracks and some vocals to a song here. One song in particular (All of the Lights) features 11 different guests on the song. Granted most of them are instrumental guests or only have a single sentence or two of vocals. Still, when I saw the people featured on the song, it was unbelievable that Kanye was able to fit all those appearances in a 5 minute span.



The production on this album is also some of the best on one of his CDs too with Kanye bringing in RZA, No I.D., Jeff Baskher, and others to add more variety to the production level of this album and it shows. There are moments of Kanye’s “vocal samples to enhance a beat” technique, more guitar laden beats, piano infused beats, and even a few moments where it sounds more like an something out of a Nintendo-core band’s instrumentals than a rap cd.

One place where Kanye has improved is with his lyrical delivery and lyrics themselves. Not that he was really bad at it but he stepped up his game big time as if he had something to prove after "808s And Heartbreaks". His lyrics on this release range from self-aggrandizing, to romantic, to sexual, to escapist, to self doubting. No matter what the shift in lyrics are, they all feel real which is what makes Kanye West who he is. There are no frills to his personality and that is one of the reasons this reviewer is a fan of his work.

I would say my favorite track on “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” has to be “Blame Game”, which features John Legend.



The song sounds utterly depressing in tone and lyrical content. At the very end of the song during the last piano notes, there are clips of Chris Rock played to lighten the mood as if this were the musical equivalent of Greek drama, where they would do something funny to break up the tension of the dramatic play going on. Another track I have to point out is the second track of the CD titled "Gorgeous" which features great verses by both Kanye and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon.



The first single off this album, “Power”, is another standout track as is “All of the Lights”(along with the interlude into the song which enhances the track as a whole).



If there is one knock I have on the album it is some of the guest appearances. Nicki Minaj isn’t that good and I kinda wonder why Fergie got the longest vocal part in "All Of The Lights" when there were more talented guests on the song who only got one sentence or two in it. Another knock on the album for me is the track “Lost In The World” which is the kind of auto-tuned song that you’d see on 808s.



Overall though these minor knocks are nowhere near enough to dampen my review of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in any way. It is worth at least a listen with an open mind (which I know is hard for some of the more opinionated Kanye West haters).

I rate it 4.5 fish sticks out of 5

Written by: Mike Falcone
Twitter: @BrainstuFalcone
Facebook: Michael Falcone

What I'm Listening To: Brooke Fraser- Flags

Ok.....So, I will be seeing Mrs. Brooke Fraser (Ligertwood) in concert live on November 19, 2010 at The Highline Ballroom with my sister and cousin. I can not tell you how excited I am. The last time I saw someone perform live was Adele (also at The Highline Ballroom) when she was an unknown and I have been addicted to her music since. It's an amazing experience hearing someone live. It's a raw, unfiltered performance that will either have you loving the artist or hating them in the end. So, that being said; I have a digital download of Brooke's newest album Flags. I'm speechless! Maybe I'm bias (whatever) but I didn't think she would be able to top Albertine but I guess I was wrong. I can't even review it. All I can say is go out and get a copy; she sings about different people and situations and it's so vivid that you see the picture she is painting for you.......SMH. I have nothing more to say. I just can't wait until the 19th.
image source: brookefraser.com

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You Give Me Something.....

If you haven't noticed a lot of my blog entries are titles to songs. I grew up in a family where music was always around us. My mother raised me on Contemporary Christian (Point of Grace, Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, etc, etc, etc) and Classical Music. As I got older, I branched out into Christian Rap (didn't last long), and ended up in the genre that I love now: Christian Rock & Worship. I also look at my past relationships and I noticed something as well: each relationship I was introduced to a genre or an artist. I remember one of my friends introduced me to James Morrison and Marie Digby (he wasn't Christian, lol). I fell in love with the song "You Give Me Something". I remember just listening to the song and identifying with that feeling. I love when that happens with Worship music. When you hear a song for the first time and you know exactly how they feel and what they are talking about. Like Lincoln Brewster "Lord I'm Amazed"; that song just puts chills through me. To know that its not just you that find the things that the Lord does that are amazing makes you realize how powerful and awesome He is.....sigh.... it's late, time for bed. Be blessed.

That is NOT Entertainment!

I was on Youtube today looking up the video to a song my sister told me about. I stumbled across an "artist" (and when I say artist I use that term loosely) named Lady Gaga. She has a video to a song called "Poker Face". One word to descibe that experience: HORRIBLE! I am not someone to attack anyone but that video wasn't even mildly entertaining. I think she would have potential if she really sang and not focused so much on her "look". You know who can sing? Leona Lewis. She reminds me of the old-school singers. She's so talented. The sad thing about this is that Lady Gaga has 3 singles on the Top 20 List (so I have been told) and Leona? None. Can you really tell me that America is so into the image of things that we don't care about the actual product? It hurts me to think that talented artists are sucessful in other countries but struggle when they get here. Does that make any sense?