Friday, June 18, 2010
KINGDOM OF SORROWBehind the Blackest Tears (Deluxe Edition)
Relapse Records
I don't know why, but when KoS debuted their first album, I was less than excited to hear it. “Eh, another so called “super group”, I thought. I have yet to this day have heard anything from their first release. So why did I give their sophomore album, Behind the Blackest Tears a try? Two reasons. One, I always like an underdog story and two, any album that ditches the sophomore slump stigma deserves a good review. For those who don't know, KOS is a band made up of Jamie Jasta of Hatebreed and Kirk Windstein of Crowbar and Down fame. The twocombine for a southern metal symphony with just a hint of hardcore. Git er done!
TOP TRACKS: “God's Law in The Devil's Land” is hands down the best track on the album. “Envision The Divide”, “With Barely A Breath”, “Sleeping Beast” showcases the band's hardcore side. The deluxe edition available on Itunes has two cover songs which are worth the price of admission. “Soldiers Of Hell” is a Running Wild cover done to perfection and “No Class” makes Kirk Windstein a Lemmy doppleganger, and who wouldn't want to look and sound like Lemmy???
VERDICT: Not only is Behind the Blackest Tears a solid album, but I also think KoS may have started yet a new genre in heavy music... Southern Hardcore? No matter what category you lump it intoone thing is for sure. This is beyond any doubt in my mind, the best Southern Anything album since Down's first album.
RATING: 5/5
AS I LAY DYING
The Powerless Rise
Metal Blade Records
Many metal aficionados are torn when it comes to the San Diego metalcore band, As I Lay Dying. Frankly, I don't see why. I'll go out and say it. AILD is one of the most talented bands out there right now and maybe that way for years to come. They just do everything right. Vocals, riffs, blastbeats. Musically they are unstoppable. Many state that their Christian faith influences their music too much to be labeled“metal”. Bullshit. Lead singer, Tim Lambesis stated it best when asked about this subject in their FAQ section of the AILD website, “I'm not sure what the difference is between five Christians playing in a band and a Christian band. If you truly believe something then it should affect every area of your life. All five of us are Christians. I believe that change should start with me first, and as a result, our lyrics do not come across very 'preachy.' Many of our songs are about life, struggles, mistakes, relationships and other issues that don't fit entirely in the spiritual category. However, all of these topics are written about through my perspective as a Christian.” Well, if Tim decides this whle metal career isn't for him one day, I'm sure he'll find a job in politics. But enough jesus-talk. The Powerless Rise is a rebellion of sound from start to finish. They turned it up a notch since An Ocean Between Us in my opinion. Not taking anything away from Ocean (which is probably one of my top played on the 'ol Ipod) but Powerless is just heavier in my opinion.
TOP TRACKS: “Anondyne Sea” is a brilliant, aggressive way to open up the album. “Parallels”, “Anger And Apathy”, “Condemned” is a personal favorite and “Vacancy” is a nice dark ditty.
FINAL VERDICT: If I had the energy to list every song on the album I would. Lucky for me, you can all read obviously, so go grab the album and list them yourselves.
RATING: 5/5
The Powerless Rise
Metal Blade Records
Many metal aficionados are torn when it comes to the San Diego metalcore band, As I Lay Dying. Frankly, I don't see why. I'll go out and say it. AILD is one of the most talented bands out there right now and maybe that way for years to come. They just do everything right. Vocals, riffs, blastbeats. Musically they are unstoppable. Many state that their Christian faith influences their music too much to be labeled“metal”. Bullshit. Lead singer, Tim Lambesis stated it best when asked about this subject in their FAQ section of the AILD website, “I'm not sure what the difference is between five Christians playing in a band and a Christian band. If you truly believe something then it should affect every area of your life. All five of us are Christians. I believe that change should start with me first, and as a result, our lyrics do not come across very 'preachy.' Many of our songs are about life, struggles, mistakes, relationships and other issues that don't fit entirely in the spiritual category. However, all of these topics are written about through my perspective as a Christian.” Well, if Tim decides this whle metal career isn't for him one day, I'm sure he'll find a job in politics. But enough jesus-talk. The Powerless Rise is a rebellion of sound from start to finish. They turned it up a notch since An Ocean Between Us in my opinion. Not taking anything away from Ocean (which is probably one of my top played on the 'ol Ipod) but Powerless is just heavier in my opinion.
TOP TRACKS: “Anondyne Sea” is a brilliant, aggressive way to open up the album. “Parallels”, “Anger And Apathy”, “Condemned” is a personal favorite and “Vacancy” is a nice dark ditty.
FINAL VERDICT: If I had the energy to list every song on the album I would. Lucky for me, you can all read obviously, so go grab the album and list them yourselves.
RATING: 5/5
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