A look back on 2016

This year may have been a shit show for most of the world, but for metal it wasn't too bad. It had it's ups and downs, but there were a lot of great shows this year. So here's a list of the shows that Metal Cock Radio booked in 2016:

Jan. 17th: Axattack // Suppressive Fire // Sick Sick Sick @ Art Bar

First Metal Cock Radio show of the year and it was a good one! Circle pits, stage diving, and crowd surfing is rarely expected at a Columbia show, especially on a Sunday and ESPECIALLY at Art Bar! The one downside was the 21+ stipulation that barred a bunch of fans from the show, but despite that it was a great night.

Jan. 20th: Abacus // Funeral Chic // Joy // Unsettled // TONE @ New Brookland Tavern

First hardcore show of the year (at least first Metal Cock Radio hardcore show) and it was heavy! I had been wanting to get Joy down here for awhile and this show was one of those awesome shows that just fell into place. Second time seeing Funeral Chic, First (and only) time seeing Unsettled, first time booking TONE, and wrapped it up with Abacus. Good turnout and great bands!

Feb. 10th: Moon Tooth (ROUND 1) @ New Brookland Tavern

This was the first of 3 shows that Moon Tooth would play in Columbia this year, after 2 years since the first time they came down, and it was about damn time! This was on the heels of releasing Chromaparagon (See my Top 10 albums of 2016) and it was fresh! They played with Se'nam Palmer (before he moved away), Semicasual, and Trees on Mars (after Bocks dropped) and it was astounding. Turnout could always be better, but this solidified Moon Tooth's name in the Columbia consciousness and people definitely remembered.

Feb. 16th: Daedalus // Pallor // Republican Marriage // TONE @ New Brookland Tavern

This show was a bit of a headache to put together. I remember booking it as 2 touring black metal bands that ended up dropping their whole tour and I had to scramble to cobble the remains into something else. Daedalus and TONE thankfully jumped on what was Republican Marriage's first show! (if I remember correctly..) I remember Pallor in particular bringing the heat that night and blowing me away. In the end it worked out pretty well.

Mar. 2nd: Sex Knuckle // Waft // Favela @ New Brookland Tavern

This was a bit of a weird one. I booked Sex Knuckle to help them out since they hooked Axattack up in Asheville, but I wasn't really sure what to expect so I grabbed Waft and Favela (first time I saw them). It turned out to be a fun eclectic show with a decent turnout for a weekday. 

Mar. 10th: L.M.I. // Jerkagram // Sick // Cloud Witch @ New Brookland Tavern

Both L.M.I. and Jerkagram had been through Columbia before (although I missed Jerkagram last time) and both of them I knew deserved a better turnout then their previous shows. However, the date being so close to 2 other shows made it tough to get a decent crowd. The bands all got paid and had a good time though, good enough that L.M.I. may be coming back through again in 2017. 

Mar. 22nd: A Very Hungover Death Metal Show @ New Brookland Tavern

A fun attempt at an "After St. Patty's Day Metal Show" that worked out pretty well. I was asked to book a one man death metal band so I got Venality, Tyrannis (first and only show in Columbia), and Treacherous to hop on. The thing that really got me excited for the show though was the return of Deathstill with Matt Morris of Marrow of Earth and Pale Ritual (See my Top 10 albums of 2016) on drums! Then that one man death metal band (turns out he was a 19 year old kid) got busted by his parents for smoking pot and had to cancel the tour. Luckily, the slot was filled by the buds in Noctomb from Raleigh, which helped spark a relationship with them and Deathstill and lead to their Summer tour. 

Apr: 17th: THRASH SABBATH @ New Brookland Tavern

This show right here! This was a dream lineups of east coast thrash and was the first Axattack show in Columbia since the Art Bar show (first all ages show of the year)! I had Black Mass coming down for the first time and I had been a fan for a few years, so I knew Axattack was going to play. Nemesis had been wanting to come down from Charlotte for awhile so I happily had them on the bill and was lucky enough to get Deathstill on again too. While looking for one more band I was hit up by All Hell who were looking for a show around the same time. It fell together so perfectly and the lineup was so great, it turned out to be one of the most memorable thrash shows of the year. So good we did it again later on!

May 4th: Niah // Cloud Witch // Favela // Item @ New Brookland Tavern

This was a tough month for shows. Summer usually is. I had a hard time finding sludgey bands to match Niah's post metal aesthetic, but the bands I got put on a great show! It was the first time I saw Item in a while, Favela kept getting tighter and tighter, and I think this was also the last show for Cloud Witch before they changed their name to Prayer Garden, but I'm not sure. Regardless of turnout (despite putting corgi puppies on the damn flyers), it was a fun show with super cool dudes from Niah.

May 12th: Sein Zum Tode // Cave Moth // Cazador // Kill the Host @ New Brookland Tavern

Man this really was a rough month for shows. I mean, they were great shows just turnout sucked. This was the first time I booked Cazador and Kill the Host, and the 2nd time Cave Moth came through. This time they were a 2 piece and in my opinion were way tighter and more interesting this go around. And Sein Zum Tode made an appearance, which was great because they'd been alot quieter this year while working on new material. Awesome show; not enough people.

May 28th: Doomed II Thrash @ Art Bar

Ok, the turnout for this show actually was pretty good! Late addition to the bill, Alley Way, started the show off with some awesome Motorhead style rock n' roll, Dables with their eclectic performance, Hollowborn with what I think may have been one of their last shows in Columbia, Semicasual who helped set up the show in the first place, and Axattack headlining. I did Doomed To Thrash last year which seemed like a cool concept but didn't get quite a turnout. This year was definitely an improvement, although there wasn't really any doom on the bill... Whatever, it was fun!

June 4th: InAeona / Moon Tooth / Decadence / Lull / St. Jupiter @ New Brookland Tavern

Ok, this wasn't technically a Metal Cock Radio show. I helped secure some of the locals and promoted the hell out of it, but Hayden Graham from Trees on Mars booked this one. I had to put it on the list though because it marks Moon Tooth's round 2 in Columbia this year! And InAeona put on an incredible performance as well! Decadence pulled a boatload of people and it was the first time in a long while I got to see Lull. It was also one of the bigger shows my ambient solo project St. Jupiter played (I booked another St. Jupiter show this year but it isn't metal, nor was it a Metal Cock Radio Production, so yeah.)

June 7th: Cognitive @ New Brookland Tavern

Man I wanted this show to be so much better than it was. At least turnout wise; the lineup was fantastic. Cognitive has been getting alot of buzz this year, releasing a new album and playing MDF next year. Unfortunately all those announcements came after this show. The original lineup had Venality, Garrotte, Homicyde, and Treacherous. However both Venality and Garrotte had to drop off (and shortly after they both broke up) so I scrambled to get Kill the Host and Favela on the bill last minute. I will say that Favela put in some work and drew people out as they have for every show they've played. Seriously one of the most supportive locals in the scene right now (those guys go to EVERY show it's insane). But I was really disappointed in the turnout, ESPECIALLY for Homicyde's return! It was the first time in AGES I had them play and they still killed it! This show was a testament to how much the scene has shifted from Tech Death to Hardcore in the past few years. Not a bad thing, just interesting. I also haven't booked a show with a guarantee since. Ouch.

Jun. 19th: Torrid Husk // Pallor // Republican Marriage // Item @ New Brookland Tavern

Another lackluster crowd to an amazing lineup. A lineup that featured some impressive and unique black metal! Every band killed it, Torrid Husk was incredible, Republican Marriage and Item had started to build a bit of a following, and Pallor was as brooding as ever, but it wasn't enough to drag people out on a Sunday night. 

Jun. 24th: Carolyn // Lesser Life // Discomfort // Treacherous // TONE @ The Sludge Gutter

Holy shit 4 shows in June? Luckily this show was waaaay better attended then the previous two. This was my first time booking at Sludge Gutter, and I think my first time booking Carolyn and Discomfort! I'm ashamed to say I got sick and had to leave early so I missed a good portion of the show. TONE and Lesser Life slayed though, and Mike Busbee was awesome enough to play the show and settle with the bands on my behalf. Hell, he helped set it up and promote! In fact, TONE was a last minute addition per his request, and I'm glad they played.

July 3rd: Axattack // Satanarchist // All Hell @ The Sludge Gutter

This was Axattack's first show at the Sludge Gutter, and the first house show for us this year and it was spectacular. Satanarchist and All Hell brought black metal to Columbia and was VERY well received! For a lot of people this was their first time seeing Axattack and I've heard alot of people reference this show when talking about us. Such a fun night.

July 13th: The Lysine Contingency @ New Brookland Tavern

This was another show where I scrambled to get last minute bands, eventually booking hardcore band Withdraw and my solo ambient project St. Jupiter just to fill the slots. That being said the turnout was pretty good, and the last minute additions worked out well, accompanying Favela and the touring package: More of Myself to Kill and The Lysine Contingency. Lysine used to be called FX Zero and they were one of the few bands that could play a metalcore breakdown and get me excited. AND it had been some time since they'd been down here, so it was a blast to see them again!

July 28th: Last Metal Cock Radio Show of the Summer @ New Brookland Tavern 

This was a weird one. It started out as a show for Order of Leviathan, but when I got everything squared away the promoter told me that the band canceled their tour and forgot to tell me. Luckily I had a strong cast of locals on the bill already and this proved to be an exceptional show. Not only was it the Columbia date for Noctomb and Deathstill, but it was one of the only two shows that Pale Ritual played. With Item opening the show it was definitely a banger. Sadly, this was also the last Deathstill show in Columbia, as the band broke up after their tour. On top of that, as I said before, Pale Ritual only played this show and a show in Greenville before Cameron Morris moved up to New York. Luckily they're still writing music so we have more Pale Ritual to look forward to!

Aug. 12th: Moon Tooth // Gruzer // Invoking the Abstract // Fidelio @ New Brookland Tavern

Round three lets do this! Moon Tooth at this point had built a bit of a draw down here and I wanted to make sure that every band on the bill pulled from different crowds. Fidelio had been asking to play with Moon Tooth for awhile and I knew they'd draw from a group of people that wouldn't normally go to a metal show, seeing as how they're more rock based. With Invoking the Abstract's prog draw and Gruzer's monumental sludge/groove metal draw the show did very well. Moon Tooth themselves brought out people alone!

Oct. 30th: Heavy Halloween Finale @ New Brookland Tavern

Damn I really didn't book anything in September. I had been busy with a short Axattack run at the beginning of the month, and other promoters were busy too. Abigail Williams, Lord Dying and Joel Grind's new solo project, Baroness, and loads more came through South Carolina that month. Not to mention some huge hardcore shows, benefit shows, and Invoking the Abstract's album release. And I'm glad I took September off because October was FULL of shows. The last week of the month was dubbed Heavy Halloween Week (ok I was the only one calling it that, whatever). There was a show every night the last 6 days of the month, and Metal Cock Radio booked the one with the biggest lineup. Featuring Darsombra, Mo'ynoq, Treacherous, Lord Almighty, and Axattack (Bocks was supposed to play but had to drop off sadly), this show was awesome. And despite being the most expensive show of the week and being after several awesome shows, it did fairly well!

Nov. 15th: Thrash-acre @ New Brookland Tavern 

I hate booking Tuesday shows, but I couldn't pass this up. Black Mass and All Hell were on tour together and it just made sense to cobble together a Thrash Sabbath part deux! Sadly Deathstill was no more (and the show wasn't on a Sunday) so I couldn't call it Thrash Sabbath II, but the show was still awesome! It being on a Tuesday meant we didn't get the same crowd as the last show, but it was an awesome night regardless.

Nov. 19th: Occultist // Noctomb // Valle Crucis @ The Radio Room

This was the first Metal Cock Radio show that wasn't booked in Columbia, but in Greenville instead. The lineup was supposed to feature Enthean and Rapheumets Well but both bands had to drop off within a week of the show, and it definitely hurt the draw. It was still a good show with a decent crowd and it was Valle Crucis' first show! I'm glad we got it at Radio Room when we couldn't get it in Columbia. Occultist slayed and Noctomb was of course incredible as always!

Dec. 11th: Space Coke // Carolina Chupacabra // Mangalitsa // Item @ Art Bar

This was tricky because there was a punk house show the night before and a big house show the weekend afterwards. On top of that, Art Bar  had a last minute memorial service right before the show honoring local artist Anastasia Chernoff who ahd recently passed away. I think both of these things kept the show from getting the turnout it deserved, but every band played better than I had ever seen them. Granted I'd never seen Mangalitsa before but they were still awesome.

Dec. 16th: Axattack Release Party @ The Sludge Gutter

This was the last 2016 show for Metal Cock Radio and for Axattack and it was everything I could have asked for. The Ugly Chords opened the show with a tremendous performance and Death of Kings drove up from ATL just for the night and blew everyone away. It was a fitting return seeing as how they hadn't played NBT since March of 2014. The house was packed, everyone moshed, all the bands got paid, and Axattack got to have a proper local release for the new album.

2016 isn't over yet, and there are still shows coming up, such as Withdraw, Cutting Teeth, When I Say Jump and Soda City Riot and HET WARD, HISSY FIT, NTHNG, MERCURY UNCOVERED, not to mention the shows already booked for next year. To keep up to date go to Metal Cock Radio's Events page on facebook and subscribe!

BAT - Primitive Age

Tracklisting:

1. BAT

2. Total Wreckage

3. Code Rude

4. Rule of the Beast

5. Primitive Age

Band Members:

Ryan Waste - Bass/Vocals

Felix Griffin - Drums  

Nick Poulos - Guitars

Imagine if Ryan Waste from Municipal Waste decided to star a band where he played Venom style proto-black thrash with Felix Griffin from D.R.I./Blunt Force Trauma. Doesn't that sound awesome? Yeah, that's BAT. Hailing from Richmond VA, BAT is a force to be reckoned with.

The first track which is also the title track has everything you'd want in a release like this. The production has a low budget quality to it, but everything is still clear and mixed well. It sounds like Venom, if they learned to play their instruments a bit better, upped the production quality a little, and threw in more noodley solos.

Then Total Wreckage comes on smashes you in the back of the head with a half empty beer bottle. This song is fast and unforgiving. My only complaint for BAT's Primitive Age demo is that it's too short, but then it IS a demo, so I suppose I can overlook it. Definitely can't wait to see what these guys do next.

Follow them HERE

Get the demo HERE

Six In Line - Even Though We Go Way Back, This Ain't Like Old Times (Though We've Gone Back In Time)

Track Listing:

1. Even Though We Go Way Back, This Ain't Like Old Times (Though We've Gone Back In Time)

2. Prison Rules

3. When All Is Sad and Done

4. Happy Again

Band Members:

Kaptain Nuke - Vocals

Jonathan Von Swaan - Guitar

Adrian Seifi - Guitar

Daniel Hate Crew Arvidzone - Bass

Hampuss Hansson - Drums

Sick thrash from Sweden. I could end the review right there, but I won't. Six In Line are back with their best release to date, and possibly my favorite release name ever. Hell, even the abbreviation (ETWGWBTALOTTWGBIT) would be a mouthful. These guys are fantastic and this release really shows it better then their previous two releases.

The title track is everything you could want in a party thrash band. Sick riffs, mosh beats, and angry screaming complete with party gang vocals. Not much more I can say, you just have to listen! Their single, When All is Sad and Done, is every bit as good. Instead of talking about it though you can watch their video for it:

I was lucky enough to see these guys play with Sonic Pulse about a year ago and I got to interview Adrian and Daniel, along with my buddy Dave from Sonic Pulse. I learned that Swedes love cheeseburgers. Check it out:  

Awesome thrash from Sweden. Eat cheeseburgers, thrash hard, stay laid.

Support the band HERE

Download their music HERE

Turrigenous - Black Stone Opus

Track Listing:

1. Prima Materia
2. Drawn to an Edge
3. Hegira
4. Render Chaos
5. A Prism Divine
6. Whited Sepulchre
7. Citrinitas
8. The Annealing
9. Zephyr
10. Aurum Nostrum

Band Members:
Greg Giordano - Guitars/Vocals
John Vullo - Guitars
Phil Montalbano - Bass/Backing vocals
Ray Marte - Studio Drums

 This record solidifies the fact that Long Island is a hub for ridiculously good progressive metal. With fantastic guitar work and exceptional vocals, both harsh and clean (another one of those things that's becoming a rarity in modern metal), Turrigenous is dynamic metal indeed.  

One track in particular that stood out to me was The Annealing. It is everything you could want from a classic prog song. Awesome jazz influenced solos with rich full tone, heavy, epic, and melodic riffs, and Matt Barlow-esque vocals that all fit together so nicely. 

Another track, Aurum Nostrum kicks in and we're treated with a mid tempo heavy ass riff. And just as soon as you're getting into it, it kicks you in the nuts, yells "PSYCHE!" and blazes into a twin guitar speed metal riff before morphing into a thrash mosh riff. This song clocks in at 11:38 mind you, and in the first 2 minutes we've gone from groovy to Iced Earth to thrash.  

I won't go into too much more detail about the rest of the album, you're going to have to hear it for yourself. Turrigenous blends Dream Theater's best moments (sans Labrie and keyboards) with Iced Earth speed metal, and then puts its own modern prog spin on it (including the occasional deep gutteral). I'd also like to add that drummer Ray Marte provided drums for this album. He's also in Moon Tooth, which if you've read my blog before you know that I hold them in high regard! All in all, this album is worth your time AND YOUR MONEY.

Support the band at Turrigenous.com

Buy their album on iTunes, or CD Baby
Also check out their live album at Amazon.com

Cryptodira - An Unmarked Grave

Track Listing:

1. Descent

2. An Unmarked Grave

Band Members:
Scott Acquavella - Guitar / Vocals

Shane Kennedy - Bass / Vocals

Mike Monaco - Guitar / Vocals

Matt Taibi - Drums

Cryptodira: Seriously one of my favorite bands out there.This past year they put out a near perfect album, Recursions, (you can read my short review of it on my Best of 2013 blog entry) and now they're releasing a 2 song EP. Needless to say it's their most ambitious release yet. Everything they release is more mature and improves upon the formula they've already crafted of post metal interludes, prog/death metal riffs, and hardcore mentality, and An Unmarked Grave is no exception.

Vocalist and guitarist Scott Acquavella shines with this release. His harsh vocals are strong and his cleans are layered perfectly with reverb and harmonies that showcase his voice far better than their previous releases. Guitarist Mike Monaco has more vocal parts as well, which is a definite plus, bringing more of their hardcore influence to the forefront for a change. The guitar work is astounding, as to be expected, but then so are the bass and drums. Shane Kennedy is still one of the most impressive bassists I've seen and Matthew Taibi continues to blow my mind. Hell, here's a video so he can blow your mind too.

While the EP doesn't drop until Jan. 4th, both tracks can be streamed on the band's soundcloud page, and I highly recommend listening to them (I put them at the bottom for those of you too lazy to find it yourselves). If you're a fan of Converge, Isis, The Dillinger Escape Plan, or Cynic, there's something to love in this band. Even if you aren't a fan of any of those bands, Cryptodira are unique enough to set themselves apart from just about any band you've heard and they're worth your time.

Support the band HERE

Buy their other releases HERE

Carcharodon - Roachstomper

Track Listing;

1. Stoneface Legacy

2. Pig Squeal Nation

3. Adolf Yeti

4. Beaumont, TX

5. Jumbo Squid

6. Marilyn Monrhoid

7. Chupacobra

8. Burial in Whiskey Waves

9. Alaska Pipeline

10. Voodoo Autopsy

11. The Sky Has No Limits

Band Members:

Pixo - Vocals/Bass

Boggio - Guitar/Backing vocals

Zack - Drums

Max - Guitar

I know I come off as pretentious when I string together a long list of sub-genres to describe one band, but to hell with it: Old school southern sludge/death n' roll. If I want to go for the Golden Fedora Metal Hipster Award I'd throw in Italian at the beginning of that. But you know what, I don't care, because these guys are awesome and I want people to know just what they're about to hear.

Carcharodon's Roachstomper brings the old school southern sludge that EyeHateGod used to play, mixes in Entmobed guitar tone and d-beats and then wraps it up in a gravelly barking vocal style with a thick Italian accent. Tell me you don't want to hear that?!

The first track (Stoneface Legacy) starts off with a harmonized chant about drinking whiskey that then plummets down into a stomach churning sludgy as fuck riff that's soaked in Swedish death metal buzz saw tone. This song is epic, heavy, and abrasive.

A track that I'd like to highlight would be their single, Burial In Whiskey Waves. The album starts off with a sick tapping riff before you're launched into a what I can only describe as a circle pit during a hoedown (I could probably describe it differently, but whatever). In between the thrashy riffs, vocalist Pixo growls at you about getting drunk and various things of that nature. And you listen. And then the song drops you into a vat of slow, grimy, and heavy sludge metal. I won't spoil the ending for you, but the song ends on a completely different note. Go listen.

Roachstomper is unique, vulgar, diverse, heavy as fuck, and Italian. And I love it.

Support the band HERE.

Metal Cock Radio's Best of 2013 List

Now here's a little disclaimer: This is my personal top 10 list of 2013. These are the releases that I've been excited about, listening to, and just enjoyed the most this year. I'm also avoiding obvious big name releases (Carcass' new album will not be on this list) because every online publication will have virtually the same list, and that gets boring. So here, I'll go ahead and tell you what every other list will say:


1. Black Sabbath - 13
2. Deafheaven - Sunbather
3. Gorguts - Colored Sands
4. Carcass - Surgical Steel
5. Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us Is the Killer
6. Watain - Wild Hunt
7. Kylesa - Ultraviolet
8. Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed
9. Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance
10. Revocation - Revocation

There ya go. Granted each list may have some discrepancies in the order of the list (some will put Killswitch Engage or Bring Me the Horizon), but they all tend to be similar. So now that I've made my point, here's MY top 10 metal releases of 2013:

10.) Sein Zum Tode - Beeep.

 

Listening to Sein Zum Tode will cause your brain to boil out of your ears and make you throw up food you haven't eaten yet. It's pure fucking insanity. Think Mike Patton and John Zorn styled avant-garde nonsense thrown in a blender with Saturday morning cartoons from the 80s and you've got the grotesque mutated monster that is Beeep.



Favorite track: ManSteam

9.) Black Mass - The Second Coming

Massachusetts has some awesome thrash bands right now, and Black Mass is no exception. I stumbled upon their debut album The Second Coming and thought to myself, "How the hell did I not already know about this?" As much as I love thrash metal, I've always hated reviewing it, because I feel like I can't get my point across though words, so just listen to it. It's well worth it!



Favorite track: Infernal Worship

8.) Burnt Books - Burnt Books

 Burnt fucking Books. Something that always stands out to me is a band that I can't pin a sub-genre on. These guys bring influence from hardcore, sludge, and noise rock to make something that I've never heard anywhere else. And I LOVE it! It's so damn good. Crazy rhythmic time changes, hauntingly unique vocals, and a relentless drive in every song; this album is fantastic.

Favorite track: Dig a Little Deeper

7.) Possessor - Make Them Eat Metal

Surprise, another thrash EP! Because you didn't see that coming. Possessor brings a more classic Slayer style thrash to the table and their newest EP, Make Them Eat Metal is aggressive. Even the album art screams "You're going to listen to this whether you like it or not!" From furious yelling to over the top falsetto screeching, the vocals compliment the blistering riffs and pummeling drums. And hell, they even cover Nasty Savage!

Favorite track: Make Them Eat Metal

6. Recreant - Recreant

This album almost didn't make my list because it was digitally released last year, BUT I was informed that the official release didn't happen until March, so TECHNICALLY I can put it on this list. And I'm so glad, because it deserves to be on here! Recreant is one of the most unique crust bands I've ever heard, mixing post metal with hardcore crust, complete with haunting violin, intricate bass lines, and passionate lyrics/vocals.

Favorite track: VI - Burn (The United States' Economic and Academic Systems Are Systems Of Elitism, Corruption, and Falsehood)

5.) Whores. - Clean

 

I won't bore you with much of a review because you've heard it before, but I'll just reiterate how unapologetically heavy this release is. It punches you in the face, spits on you while you're down, puts out a cigarette in your eye and then asks "Was it good for you?" and you whimper "Hell yes."



Favorite track: I Am An Amateur at Everything

4.) Moon Tooth - Freaks EP

 

Once again, you've heard the review before, so I won't go into too much detail. I'll just remind you that this is for free on band camp and if you don't already own it, then you're living an empty life.





Favorite track: Silver Gallows

3.) Abacus - Abacus

 
Abacus is the band that taught me that hardcore isn't a dirty word (well to be fair, their vocalist Alex Strickland taught me that). Their self titled (untitled?) EP is phenomenal. If you're a fan of Converge, Trap Them, or Young and In The Way, then Abacus is right up your alley.



Favorite track: Grey Matters

2.) Razormaze - Annihilatia

This was clearly going to be on my list. I'm an unabashedly huge Razormaze fan and I had been waiting for their new album for years. I won't go into too much detail, you can go read my review for yourself.




Favorite track: Terminal Escape

1.) Cryptodira - Recursions

 

Cryptodira is one of the most unique progressive metal bands I've ever heard. Imagine this: a progressive metal band with the influence of Cynic and Between the Buried and me, with the attitude of Converge and Dillinger Escape Plan, the post metal interludes of Isis, and a healthy love for Death. These guys are my favorite progressive metal band, and Recursions is available on bandcamp for whatever you feel like giving them (give them a lot.)

Favorite track: Either Fly or Fall Faster

NOTE: Sein Zum Tode and Abacus were both featured on Metal Cock Radio's free compilation which you can get HERE.

For those of you who may be interested, here are a few non-metal releases that came out this year that are worth your time:

3. Trees on Mars - S/T EP

2. Valley Maker - Yes I Know I've Loved the World

1. Les Racquet - Whale Hail

Moon Tooth - Freaks EP

Track Listing:

1. Ebb/Flow

2. Goon

3. Storm Pill

4. Silver Gallows

Band Members:

Nick Lee - Gutairs, Vocals

Ray Marte - Drums, Vocals

John Carbone - Vocals, Percussion

Vin Romanelli - Bass

Very rarely do I find a metal band that captures my attention so quickly, yet I can't place what genre they are. I've always been one to classify bands into sub-genres for fun, but these guys are so incredibly unique that it makes it difficult to say. However, one thing I can say about them is that they are fantastic and their freshman release "Freaks" just goes to show that there is something proggy in the water up in Long Island, NY.

Right off the bat you're hit with Ebb/Flow which kicks up a fierce driving riff that makes me want to run in circles banging my head (usually I resist, being in public and all). Then the vocals come in.  John Carbone uses a clean vocal style that is very unique to the genre. It's not something you'd hear in a power prog band, but it's not raspy or rough enough to be in a stoner/sludge band. As far as metal vocals go, I have a hard time pinning his style to a particular sound, but I'll tell you this: if works beautifully. The vocal melodies and the timbre of his voice almost contrast with the driving riffs and heavy distortion, and then Nick Lee comes in with harsh backing vocals that add another level of complexity to this baffling style. And damn I love it. And just when you think you've gotten used to the style, they kick it up with the chorus, throwing in major key vocal harmonies and impressive guitar work.

I'll spare you the details for the rest of the EP, because I won't be able to do it justice; you'll have to listen to it for yourself. I will say this: Moon Tooth is a band that I'm EAGERLY awaiting new material from. I've had a taste of four tracks by this incredible band and now I'm starving for more.

Storm Pill (Official Video)

Download the EP HERE

Follow the band on FACEBOOK 

Whores. - Clean

Tracklisting:

1. Baby Bird

2. Last Looks

3. I Am Not a Goal Oriented Person

4. Cougars, Not Kittens

5. Blue Blood

6. I Am an Amateur at Everything

Band Members:

Christian Lembach - Vocals, Guitar

Travis Owen - Drums

Jake Shultz - Bass

There is a way to be heavy without drop tuning to oblivion, playing 8 string guitars, and using guttural vocals. Whores. does it better than most, and after waiting and waiting (I do a lot of that apparently) we are given their sophomore release, Clean; and it's anything but.

Whores. plays classic sludge metal along the lines of The Melvins and Acid Bath. Angry vocals, unforgiving bass, driving and impressive drums (you should see them live), and heavy catchy riffs; these guys do it fucking right. Seriously, everything about this release is on point, from riffs to tone, this EP is practically dangerous.

If you ever get the chance to see Whores. live, jump on it, because you'll regret not doing so for the rest of your life. Easily one of the heaviest three piece bands I've ever seen (and they did it without a single breakdown I might add).

Buy the album HERE

Follow the band on FACEBOOK

Razormaze - Annihilatia

Tracklisting:

1. Something Like A War

2. The Slowest Death

3. Worshipping the Void

4. Sink Below

5. Demagogue

6. Electric Deception

7. Terminal Escape

8. Without Words

Band Members:

Alex Citrone - Guitar, Vocals

Sam Nevin - Bass, Vocals

Joe Gettler - Guitar

Nick Lazzaro - Drums

This album was actually released a while back but I'm late to the reviewing party so here we go!

Thrash metal is making a comeback; that's a fact. Whether you're one of those people who think it's a tired and dated genre (fuck you) or you're like me who can't get enough of the shit, you can't deny that there are gems among the new wave of thrash metal that stand above the rest in terms of unique and impressive musicianship and songwriting. Bands like Havok, Lich King, and Revocation come to mind quickly to most, but for me there's one band that has a special place in my heart, and that's Boston's thrash heroes Razormaze.

The long awaited Annihilatia is finally out and it's amazing! Released on Slaney Records it's a lot heavier than their previous releases. Razormaze brings a lot more complexity to their songwriting this go around, and it definitely shows in both song structure and riffs.The production has been kicked up, the riffs are more plentiful and more intricate, the lyrics are deeper then before, and the vocals have more of a Chuck Billy feel to them instead of the almost cheesy vocals from True Speed of Steel (although I must say, I'm a big fan of cheese.) This album is also the first to feature new guitarist Joe Gettler, who, in scientific terms, fucking brings it. The solos are phenomenal and the guitar tone used for them is perfect.

My favorite song on the album is, without a doubt, Terminal Escape. From the bouncy intro riff to the circle pit inducing verses and gang vocal inspiring choruses. I mean, lets be real, its thrash metal, describing it won't do it justice, it'll just make it seem like every other thrash band, but if you hear it for yourself you'll feel differently. Buy this album and become another slave to the maze! (I don't give a fuck about how cheesy that sounds.)

Buy the album HERE

Follow the band on FACEBOOK

Mandroid Echostar - Citadels

Track Listing:

1. A Death Marked Dream

2. Ancient Arrows

3. Haunted Vows

4. To the Wolves

5. The Sleeper

6. Ethereal Dawn

7. Citadels

Band Members:

Stephen Richards - Guitar

Sam Pattison - Guitar

Michael Ciccia - Vocals

James Krul - Guitar, Vocals

Matt H-K - Drums

Adam Richards - Bass

Here's a release that I've been waiting for for about a year now! Mandroid Echostar blew me away with their self titled release, playing a catchy progressive metal that took the vocals and clever songwriting of Coheed And Cambria (don't judge) and the progressive prowess of Protest the Hero, finding an beautiful grey area between the two. Citadels is no exception, although I think it pushes more into the Protest the Hero side of the spectrum this go around. The music is catchy, melodic, and technical with impressive, sometimes straight soulful vocals.

Starting off with track 1, A Death Marked Dream, we're greeted with an acoustic intro, complete with harmonizing vocals. It's very beautifully done and the melody is gorgeous. All in all it's pretty standard for a prog release, but it's still a great track on its own.

The second track starts off similarly with a clean riff and hi-hat, building up to… a fucking power metal epic! This song sounds like a video game soundtrack and I love it! Twin harmonizing guitar solos, sweeping and noodling all over the place before the vocals come in and you're dropped right into Mandroid Echostar's fantastic progressive formula. The verse sports technical riffs bouncing around behind a unique vocal rhythm. The song stays pretty upbeat throughout and is a perfect opening song for any album.

This album does a very good job of being diverse without being completely all over the place, which I've always considered the mark of an on point prog band. Each song is different and brings a new flavor to the album while still sounding like the band. Check it out for yourself when the album comes on on Nov. 21st!

Buy the album HERE

Follow the band on FACEBOOK

Optic - Iris In

Tracklist:

1. Hemlock

2. Blind Apathy

3. Falling From the Sky

4. Breathe New Life

5. Moment of Impact

6. Withhold The Sun

7. Drown the Earth

8. Etched in Grey

Band Members:

Steve Christopher - Guitars, Vocals

Scott Genovese - Drums, Percussion

Mike Intrieri - Bass

Kenny Mahoney - Lead Vocals

Ryan Patane - Keyboards/Synths, Vocals

After waiting and waiting and waiting, Long Island NY's prog geniuses Optic finally give us their full length album Iris In, and it is every bit as impressive as expected. The songs are drenched in Dream Theater influence, which is NOT a bad thing, especially when it comes to the vocals. The musical prowess displayed on this album is nothing short of phenomenal. This is not the sound of a freshman release of an unsigned prog band.

The album opens with a short instrumental in "Hemlock," however, the song can stand on its own (albeit a bit shorter than the rest of the album) as a good song instead of just an introduction to the album. From "Hemlock" we get thrown into "Blind Apathy," which has a drive that sends me back to my early days of metal listening to Dream Theater and Blind Guardian. Clean vocals are something that I've come to miss in metal these days, and Optic does it so well. The vocals range from power/prog clean singing (FAR better than that of LaBrie I might add) to melodic death metal growls. One awesome things bout the harsh vocals is that they never seem forced and always compliment the music that's being played.

After a wonderful riff/solo filled track, we get the first epic clocking in at 10:45 with "Falling From the Sky." One of the things I've found that I love about this band is how prominent the keyboard is throughout the album. Ryan Patane doesn't sit in the back layering the songs with obnoxious synth noises, but rather is at the forefront of the band laying down solos as impressive as any guitarist. It's just something that you don't see a lot of in metal these days. Then, just as expected, the song takes a turn for the fast as it picks up speed and the harsh vocals kick in. These guys layer clean and harsh vocals very well, something that I've found most bands do poorly, sounding like a symphonic pile of generic boredom. And then we come to the first bass solo of the album, and yes it's good. The solo sections on this album feel important, at times feeling like riffs to the song more so than wanking for the sake of wanking. The keyboards never compete with the guitars as they seem to switch places and take turns in the spotlight of the song.

For those of you who haven't already been blown away by the Drown the Earth EP, both tracks are on the album and have been punched up in production a bit. One of these tracks includes the 13:19 epic Drown the Earth which is what drew me to this band in the first place. Withhold the Sun was also released early as a teaser for the album, so you've already heard that as well, right?

I'm not going to sit here and break down every song on the album for you, you can do that yourself by buying the album on bandcamp.

Buy the album HERE
Follow the band on FACEBOOK

Death of Kings - Knifehammer/Beneath the Obsidian 7"

Tracklisting:
1. Knifehammer

2. Beneath the Obsidian

Band Members:

Matt Matson - Guitar, Vocals 

Scott Price - Guitar, Vocals

Ash - Bass

Amos Rifkin - Drums

Death of Kings is a thrash metal band from Atlanta GA and they play metal in every sense of the word. Blistering fast, full of awesome riffs, blazing guitar solos, aggressive in your face vocals that aren't quite screams but definitely aren't clean, and lyrics about wolves and war and shit. These guys just released a 2 track 7" and it's by far the best produced and best written thing they've put out so far. I mean, how can you go wrong with a track called Knifehammer? You can't, because that song will literally hammer you with a knife. The 7" is being printed on glow in the dark vinyl and is available for digital purchase on bandcamp.com, so you have no reason not to own these two fantastic songs! And if you want to wait to buy the vinyl, Death of Kings will be playing here in Columbia at New Brookland Tavern on November 17th!

Download the 7" HERE

Follow Death of Kings on FACEBOOK