What Are You Listening To Now - The Revolution Edition

First Post July 27, 2020 02:35 AM

Converge - "All We Love We Leave Behind" (2012)

Sometimes you can stumble over a release that shows you in no uncertain terms just how much your taste can change over time & how your current mindset & environment can influence your opinions. Converge's eighth album is fine example of that for me. When I first gave it a few spins around the time of release I found that I quite liked it but wouldn't have suggested that it was anything all that special however after this week's revisit I think it might just be my favourite Converge release. I can't believe how much energy & virtuosity this band maintains throughout the entire tracklisting & their sludgier moments are nothing short of crushing. I've never been a fan of front man Jacob Bannon's vocals but this might just be the record to turn that opinion around as he's got a lot more intelligibility & power here. And then there's drummer Ben Koller who is utterly mind-blowing & has been one of my favourite musicians for many years now, only this time he's reached another level altogether. Unlike some of the band's earlier classics though, "All You Love You Leave Behind" never sees Converge needing to extend themselves into mathcore territory for too long because they're far too efficient at their craft for that now & have ultimately transcended the requirement. This is rabid, classy, monstrous metal-infused hardcore based on controlled chaos & intelligent violence. Amazing!

4.5/5

August 08, 2020 01:41 AM

Gulch - Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress

This short and sweet 15 minute metal-grind-core...thing...was interesting to me, since it has a ton of Grind qualities presented in a Metalcore fashion. Even though it's a bit too short-winded for me, there are some chunky riffs and impressive vocals in this one, pretty exciting stuff for the more hardcore Metalcore scene. Honestly I'd like to see what Daniel thinks of this one as he's the resident Grind-head, if The Horde monthly features are any indication.

August 08, 2020 02:07 AM

Challenge accepted! I'll investigate this release over the next couple days & report back.

August 10, 2020 02:41 AM

OK, so I gave "Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress" a few solid spins this morning & I have to say that I was really impressed. Gulch are a band that are right at the peak of their powers from both a technical & creative point of view & I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It's interesting that there's a heated debate going on at RYM around the primary & secondary subgenres employed on this release. To my ears it's a shared metalcore & hardcore punk primary with a grindcore secondary. The hardcore element is stronger than the metal one most of the time but those hints at grindcore represent some of the most exciting parts & I'm a little disappointed that they haven't expanded on them further to be honest. Perhaps that's half the attraction though as Gulch never sit still for very long & seem to be racing against the clock to chuck all of their ideas into the shortest space of time possible. It's hard to understand how no one has nominated  grindcore as a secondary on RYM though as it's really pretty obvious. In fact, I'm just as surprised to see death metal & deathcore being tossed around by most people because I can hear very little of that.

Thanks a lot for the tip-off Xephyr. Andi, you need to get on this one.

4/5

August 10, 2020 05:16 AM

No problem, Daniel! I shall review that Gulch album, plus that After the Burial album Rareform because I'm a fan of a couple of those bands you mentioned:

Djent-fueled Minneapolis deathcore for fans of Veil Of Maya, Within The Ruins & Rings Of Saturn.

Quoted Daniel
October 04, 2020 06:56 PM

Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It

British Post-Hardcore/Mathcore outlet Rolo Tomassi's fine 2018 album that I discovered late in the year and really impressed with its melodic flare, songwriting and clean production. I'm surprised it hasn't been heard by more Metal Academics. FFO: The Dusk In Us by Converge

9/10

https://rolotomassi.bandcamp.com/album/time-will-die-and-love-will-bury-it

October 19, 2020 06:54 PM

Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?

I will post in The North clan as well, but this English Hardcore group is pulling out all of the stops bringing in elements of Black and Post-Metal into a one of a kind experience that I never knew that I needed! FFO: Rolo Tomassi, Astronoid & Harakari for the Sky

9/10

https://svalbard.bandcamp.com/album/when-i-die-will-i-get-better-2

June 01, 2021 09:55 PM

Converge - "Axe To Fall" (2009)

I dunno why it's taken me so long to get around to checking out Massachusetts metalcore legends Converge's 2009 seventh album "Axe To Fall" as they've been a pretty big band for me for a long time now & never leave me disappointed. There's no exception being made here either as we see the band presenting us with their most ambitious offering to the time & collaborating with a number of mutually-respected musicians to great effect. The album really sounds very fluent & well-defined despite covering a fair amount of musical territory & I particularly enjoy the contribution from Neurosis' Steve Von Till given my strong affiliations with the post-metal masters.

Converge's classic metallic hardcore sound receives good coverage & is complemented by some straight-up hardcore punk tracks ("Effigy", "Losing Battle", "Dead Beat" & "Slave Driver"), a sludge metal monster ("Worms Will Feed, Rats Will Feast") & even a couple of more atmospheric & cerebral post-sludge excursions ( "Cruel Bloom" which reminds me very much of Tom Waits meets Neurosis & the epic album high point that closes out the album "Wretched World"). They've included just enough compositional complexity to keep the listener on their toes & reminded of the elite class of the artist they're indulging in without ever feeling overly showy or pretentious which is a rare quality in this form of art. The production & musicianship are unsurprisingly spectacular too, particularly my man Ben Koller behind the kit who is always the highlight for me. Front man Jacob Bannon puts in one of his best performances too which is well appreciated given that I haven't always loved his delivery. He seems to have gotten better with age with more weight behind his screaming violence.

Unlike most fans, I've never regarded Converge's early 2000's classics as their creative peak, despite the undoubted quality they offer. I've always found the band's appeal to grow stronger as they started to take alternative routes & expand on their sound with 2012's "All We Love We Leave Behind" representing a real highlight for the metalcore subgenre & my personal favourite. "Axe To Fall" very much leaves the impression of being the entrée for that main course & I subsequently rank it as my second favourite Converge release these days. It should be essential listening for all fans of more serious metalcore/hardcore.

For fans of The Chariot, Every Time I Die & Norma Jean.

4/5


P.S. The album cover is absolutely stunning too & beautifully compliments the music in my opinion.

October 12, 2021 08:26 AM

This is how much I'm enjoying and listening to the new Trivium album, In the Court of the Dragon, along with my outside-world friends' reaction:

Totally looking forward to giving it a review once the album gets added to the site...

November 16, 2021 11:28 AM

Knocked Loose - "A Tear In The Fabric Of Life" E.P. (2021)

21 minutes of fairly brutal Kentucky metalcore featuring abrasive vocals, djenty breakdowns & a deathcore weight to some of the riffage. I'm not a huge fan of the vocals & those breakdowns can be pretty generic at times however the production & execution are very strong & there's a genuine consistency to the blemish-free tracklisting that sees me reaching a positive outcome.

For fans of Gulch, Year Of The Knife & Sanction.

3.5/5

February 03, 2022 09:26 AM

Of the 2 new Underoath albums since they reformed, here's what I prefer:


March 05, 2023 09:52 PM


Almost a year after doing my track-by-track genre analysis of Trivium's The Crusade, I decided to do the same for their new album In the Court of the Dragon. Throughout the year and a half that I've been listening to this album (among many other metal albums of course), I begin to realize this is more than just a melodic metalcore album, with different diverse styles mixed with the genre that is still the main one. So before I declare Judgement Submission Day on this album, here's how I would tag the genres in the 10 tracks:

1. X - orchestral intro

2. In the Court of the Dragon - melodic metalcore

3. Like a Sword Over Damocles - melodic metalcore/progressive/thrash metal

4. Feast of Fire - heavy/alternative metal

5. A Crisis of Revelation - melodic metalcore

6. The Shadow of the Abattoir - heavy/power/symphonic/melodic metalcore

7. No Way Back Just Through - melodic metalcore

8. Fall Into Your Hands - melodic metalcore/symphonic/progressive/thrash metal

9. From Dawn to Decadence - melodic metalcore/thrash metal/hard rock

10. The Phalanx - heavy/power/progressive/symphonic/melodic metalcore

So based on what I've analyzed, In the Court of the Dragon is still primarily just a melodic metalcore album with only one full song not being part of the genre, "Feast of Fire". However, there are many secondary influences appearing here, each in 3 tracks, so here's how I would list the genres for this album here:

Primary: melodic metalcore

Secondary: progressive metal, thrash metal, heavy metal, symphonic metal

So I won't have to make any judgement submissions for this album, but a few RYM genre votes from me await!

August 28, 2023 09:54 AM

Exactly one year ago, August 28, 2022, I discovered this glorious band when my brother was blasting this EP (among other songs) in a not-so-ordinary family car ride. As I give this epic extreme release another listen on the one-year anniversary of that historical event, I'd like to once again thank my brother for this incredible discovery:


September 04, 2023 01:51 AM

I heard my first two Atreyu albums today: Lead Sails paper Anchor, and Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses.  Meh.

November 25, 2023 01:46 PM

Converge - When Forever Comes Crashing (1998)

My only previous experience of Converge is their 2021 collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe, Bloodmoon: I, an album I enjoyed very much. As you all know by now, I am not much of a fan of metalcore and, in all honesty, When Forever Comes Crashing has done very little to change that. There were times, especially when the band would drop into a groovy, chugging riff, that I was thinking "OK, now here we go", but soon the ascerbic dissonance reasserts itself and the album loses me again. I understand that Converge are a big deal in the metalcore scene and especially, considering the early release date, that they were a seminal band in the development of that genre, but they also manifest those aspects of the genre that are the basis for my reticence towards it, which is the seemingly spasmodic guitar work, screamy vocals and general aura of chaotic dissonance. Ultimately I respect what the band were doing and they do sound proficient but, unfortunately, the genre they were pioneering does very little for me and when they do appeal, it is when they drop into those chugging riffs they occasionally unleash. This is a release that ultimately I can respect, but not enjoy that much.

3/5