Megadeth - Super Collider Review

Megadeth - Super Collider [Hard Rock]

The new Megadeth album is not even a thrash metal release.


The entire album chugs at mid-tempo with Dave Mustaine trying his best to sound like David Draiman (who also stars in the song 'Dance In The Rain' and 'Forget to Remember'), despite age and vocal limitations. They aren't memorable riffs, as the emphasis on the album is radio-friendly rock. I will talk about good things first: the album has possibly the best production Megadeth has had in their career. The bass and drums are very pronounced and the highs and mids of the guitars sound clear and clean.


The problem now, is that the vocals are pushed all the way to the front. Dave Mustaine's vocals. Conversely, David Draiman sounds like his voice was recorded by an iPhone on 'Dance In The Rain', what the intention was I will never know. 'Don't Turn Your Back...' is possibly the fastest song on this album, for fans who like the thrash metal element of Megadeth.


This album is a commercial album. The songs are so tame and lack anger that it is hilarious, painful to listen to. Chris Broderick's solos are forgettable finger exercises that execute speed but completely lack emotion. He drops a solo on every song and the worst part is that they don't even fit in with the new friendly rock sound (think 80s hard rock with the motivational lyrics and nonsense solos). One of the songs even feature a goddamn banjo ('The Blackest Crow'). Dave Mustaine is on his worst ego trip on this album, singing alongside Bon Jovi riffs. Shawn Drover is having the time of his life playing slow, simple rhythms. The album's only saving grace, is David Ellefson's bass. It loud and groovy, but who can honestly shut out the rest of the music and isolate the bass?

This album is mediocre at best. Megadeth's reformation peaked at Endgame, which wasn't even a complete success with half the album as filler. The album is too slow, and that itself isn't the problem, but Megadeth can't pull off slow, melodic songs. Definitely not with Dave Mustaine's vocals. If you like this album, you're better off just listening to 90s arena rock, because that's certainly better than this rubbish. Just listen to the Thin Lizzy cover, 'Cold Sweat'. It's the only good song on the album (and it wasn't written by them)

★☆☆☆☆

Deafheaven - Sunbather Review

Deafheaven - Sunbather [Blackgaze] [Black Metal + Shoegaze]

The blackgaze genre was started by French one-man band Alcest. Since his debut, Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde, many acts have tried to pin down the genre, with the raw, primal emotion of black metal and the psychedelic, ultrasweet melodies of shoegaze. Deafheaven's debut, Roads To Judah, in 2011, wasn't groundbreaking. It was just four songs long and showcased dynamics and fusion ideas already demonstrated by Alcest, but with an added punk vibe that didn't come across as convincing across a mere four songs.




Two years later, we are presented with Sunbather, an album that completely obliterates the debut album with far superior songs (seven songs now) and a more convincing approach to the music. Its timing could also be only too welcome, coming in the wake of the absolute downer, Les Voyages De L'Âme, Alcest's overly self-indulgent album last year that signalled the end of the blackgaze movement. This album is rife with blastbeats, blood-curdling screams, and a fantastic sense of melody. The punk elements are more pronounced than ever, and the huge contrast of the wretched vocals against a gorgeous, beautiful shoegaze music is surprisingly emotive and thrilling.

The album's opening songs, 'Dreamhouse' and the aptly titled ambient instrumental that follows, 'Irresistible' are worth the weight of the album alone. The former has a fantastic chord progression that is at once bittersweet, an ambiguous combination of various emotions that made me fall in love with the genre. The song is also well-written in that it commands your attention even though its a verse-chorus that's repeated twice over the span of eleven minutes. The tempo is pleasant enough for a casual listen but George Clarke's vocals are intense and violent. This may upset fans who were initiated by Neige's soulful clean singing in Alcest, but this gives Deafheaven a very important sonic dynamic and identity. Some of you may find the music too pretty to even have vocals, but this is a subjective issue.

The album incorporates a lot of sounds from various genres whilst retaining the core sound of its predecessor. The title track, for instance, features post-rock atmosphere in its chorus and this eases the tension created by numerous blastbeats weaved into the song. This seamless pacing between dreamy warm chords and monstrously fast, heavy sections is a feat, the two forms of music stand side by side without contradicting each other. Elsewhere, 'Vertigo' starts off with a slow, post-metal guitar solo that relies on space and introversion before effectively bursting into a black metal frenzy. The transition was unpredictable and the song is one of the definite highlights of the album.

New drummer Daniel Tracy is a very strong addition to the group's sound. His blastbeats are ferocious, but his contribution to the shoegaze sections by guitarist Kerry McCoy and bassist Derek Prine are lucid and sensible, especially on 'Vertigo' and the title track. The band works with fantastic synergy, and this adds to the sense of passion that is abundant on the album. The closing ambiance of 'Windows' and the the warmth of 'The Pecan Tree' also form a sense of fulfillment by closing the circle that began the album with dark tones to a happy, euphoric end, or at least some juxtaposition of emotions.

All in all, I have no complains for Sunbather at all. It is an essential listen, it is a severely needed release after the decline of blackgaze, and it is dripping with passion. The musicians themselves are soaking in their music, unlike the commercial albums that have been spreading like a plague this year. With such a rich sound and approach, Deafheaven may not be your cup of tea, but it's damn well one of the best releases this year with respect to its genre.

★★★★★ Excellent - Undisputed classic for critical listening

Immolation - Kingdom Of Conspiracy Review

Immolation - Kingdom Of Conspiracy [Death Metal]

Since 1991's debut Dawn Of Possession, the death metal veterans have been putting out nothing but consistently respectable material and this ninth album is no different.



There isn't much I can't break down on the album because that is how lean and gimmick-free it is; no keyboards, no acoustics, no mind-blowing vocal shifts; just plain death metal. It does, however, have a very different approach to the genre that most practitioners have forgotten about; song-writing. There are very few blastbeats on the album, despite Steve Shalaty providing some fantastic footwork here. It never sounds predictable, and works wonders even when bound by an overprocessed drum sound (what the intention of such a mix is, I wouldn't know). Steve Shalaty's drumming is engaging and stands out particularly in 'Keep The Silence'. Robert Vigna takes up the title of riff lord, with his signature atonal riffs taking up centrestage yet again. The production for his guitars are exceptionally well-produced, overlaying subtle riffs over in your face riffs accentuated perfectly by the drums, the result is a multi-faceted sound at any point in the album. His style of using guitars rather than synthesizers and keyboards for atmosphere also lends the album a more convincing legitimacy. The result is a cold, mechanical sound that sounds brutal in its pursuit of clarity rather than the dirty underground swirl of a lo-fi mix most bands are using.

Songs-wise, the album doesn't depart much from Majesty And Decay at all, which is by no means a problem at all. In fact, this album is logically the Part 2 of the former, with more muscle and less fat. True, this makes for a dull listen when compared to many other bands pushing the boundaries, but Immolation weaves in enough tempo changes (and they happen on  the dot here, without losing sense of musical direction) into the songs to keep every album a bit refreshing without compromising style. The mechanical nature of the production contrasts with the completely free form song structures here, giving the music some for of inhuman liveliness, in the form of building uneasy tension and dissipating them with aptly placed guitar solos that are frenetic and wild.

As for the negatives, the album's main strength is also its possible weakness; as the album relies mostly and tempo changes and rhythms rather than melodies, this is sure to be a major turn off for casual listeners, even if they are self-confessed death metal fans. Also, because of the album's nature, it demands listening at proper situations, at night, or maybe during cold weather. As with black metal, the album seems dull and meaningless when listened to in broad daylight.

Also, I may confess that I still prefer Majesty And Decay over this. The songs here are too concentrated and dense for casual listening, whilst Majesty And Decay made ample use of space and drone to ease tension between the off-kilter songs. As with Portal's offering earlier this year, Kingdom Of Conspiracy is too intense to the point that the album is an overkill. It has to be listened at sparing intervals.

But maybe that was the point of these death metal veterans.

★★★★☆

Kylesa - Ultraviolet Review

Kylesa - Ultraviolet [Sludge]

Kylesa are one of the fast-improving bands of the last decade, achieving mainstream success on 2009's Static Tensions, and following it up with the critics' darling, Spiral Shadow in 2010. I would advise you to add these albums to your library if you're a fan of Baroness and Mastodon. The band has a signature sound in a female vocalist and, more importantly, two drummers. Yes, two. Sometimes they play the same beat for a heavy raw sound, more recently they play two different beats simultaneously, a move that would have been scoffed at by detractors of Slipknot's three drummer approach, but the sound works well here.


The main draw on Ultraviolet is a more psychedelic sound as opposed to the raw, heavy sound of their past. Guitars still sound abysmally heavy (this album is definitely heavier than Spiral Shadow). Also, guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants has a greater role to play on this album, more than any other Kylesa album. Her voice shifts from primal screams to melodic singing, and this creates a fantastic dynamic with fellow guitarist/vocalist Phillip Cope's screams, you see this most obviously in 'We're Taking This', the album's midpiece.

The album is also a lot darker than the pop-sensibility of Spiral Shadows, they are less hooks and sing-along choruses. The shift in priorities over atmosphere may derail the newer fans, but I find the ominous guitar swashes and effects interesting enough, especially on 'Unspoken' and 'Long Gone'. This is obviously an album that works well as a full package rather than a collection of stand-alone songs, because the atmospherics permeate most of the songs on the record, with only a couple of songs, namely 'What Does It Take' and 'Vulture's Landing' holding enough pop hooks and melodies for quick listening.


This isn't a fantastic record, good but not enough to be an important album for critical listening. Spiral Shadow was definitely the crowning achievement of the band, this album feels more like an experiment, no doubt one with it's perks, but not as memorable as Spiral Shadow. The departure from pop tunes has sorta backfired on the album, at least in my case. Some songs feel like filler even in such a short and concise album (about less than forty minutes). The drums also fail to create the memorable poly rhythmic rhythms the band is famous for, choosing heaviness over progression. It is a good album, but not a good introduction to the band.

★★★☆☆ Average - Half of album is listenable

Ghost B.C - Infestissumam Review

Ghost B.C - Infestissumam [Occult Rock / Pop]

The follow up to 2010's massive debut, Opus Eponymous, is a bit disappointing.




The group's debut was an eclectic mix of early black metal (think Mercyful Fate) and Sabbath-style doom / occult riffs. Still anonymous, lead singer Papa Emeritus II definitely sounds like a younger Kind Diamond and the infectious grooves of Opus haven't gone stale in three years since inception. This of course got the band to superstardom with a lot of press from Decibel and recently because their initial album art for this album was deemed too offensive by retailers, hence postponing album sales. Whatever the gimmick, nothing matters more than the actual music, which isn't fully delivered here.


If you ever were a fan of the band, you may still like this album. Or you may not. Having listened to this album for the last month or so, I am still divided on my opinion of the album. The sound is definitely more polished and crisp, perhaps so much so that the music sounds like a pop album. Not that that is a bad thing, but the result is an album that lacks the balls of the debut. Add to that the fact that the songs are more vague and complex as opposed to short and straightforward catchy. There are still a few hooks here: the brilliant 'Year Zero' and excellent closer 'Monstrance Clock' are clearly inspired by the band's catalogue.

On the other hand, you have long unwanted songs like 'Ghuleh - Zombie Queen', a song that starts off with an almost alternative rock crooning and piano before suddenly venturing into some 70s rock segment with elements of swing and organs (with a few seconds of doom rock in an insufficient scream). The idea is not dull but the execution comes out as clumsily handled, and the lack of hooks make the some seem longer than it actually is. 'Body And Blood' doesn't come off as memorable either, with its nonchalant verses and glacial pace. Lead single 'Secular Haze' isn't as instantly accessible as, say, 'Ritual', but it does show the band's shift to pop ambition. 'Per Aspera Ad Inferi' sounds too similar to 'Con Clavi Con Dio' off opus, without being as catchy or arresting, especially because it is the heaviest song on Infestissumam but doesn't juggle the contrasting styles well, abruptly shifting from heavy doom rock riffing to a synthesizer-driven chorus.

Much like Baroness' Yellow & Green, the band has definitely focused on their strength; pop accessibility, whilst forsaking the hybrid factor that propelled them to fame. It's by no means a bad album, but one that doesn't do the band justice. Do check this out if you like 70s inspired occult rock though. Or if you didn;t like this check out Jess And The Ancient Ones or Orchid.

★★★☆☆ Average - Half of album is listenable

Device - Device Review

Device - Device [Exactly-the-same-as-Disturbed 'Industrial']

As to why David Draiman would put Disturbed on hiatus to create a band and make an album that sounds exactly like Disturbed simply confuses me.

Right off the bat; the sound is so slow and chugging it's infuriating. David Draiman tries to do soulful melodic singing, but it's dry and flat. Sadly, he screams less on this album, not a surprise since he has stopped screaming since Disturbed's The Sickness.  The guitar sound is weak from Geno Lenardo, its boring and uninpsired as hell.

There are special guests on record, but most sound forced and failed. Serj Tankian, one of my favourite childhood singers, sounds COMPLETELY out of place on 'Out Of Line' and the bass from Terry Butler doesn't do anything to save the song. The only time Serj Tankian sounds interesting is when he does background vocals towards the end of the song (and on a side-note, Serj you still sound good). Lzzy Hale guests on the Ozzy Osbourne cover 'Close My Eyes' and ironically enough, Draiman sounds better than her. Tom Morello's guitar solo on 'Opinion' is all but a few seconds long but worth the entire song itself. Weirdly enough, the best vocal contributions here were Glen Hughes (though like Serj, the contrast between his high voice and the music didn't really work out) and more surprisingly, M. Shadows on 'Haze'. His baritone goes perfectly hand in hand with the low pitched guitar and he provides one of the few interesting moments on this album.

Other than that? None of the songs are actually memorable. David Draiman's song-writing is unbelievably blunt and pathetic, with almost every chorus having the same uplifting tune as that from Disturbed's older song 'Stricken'. I have always thought of him as a monotonous singer (because, past his gorgeous tone, his vocal range is a joke) and this album does nothing to change my opinion. Talk about a major flop. Also, David Draiman assumes that whatever he does on this album is industrial.




This is industrial. Device is not. To quote Metalsucks.net:




Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Fall Out Boy - Save Rock And Roll Review

Fall Out Boy - Save Rock And Roll [It's actually blatant pop]

It's hard to take an album seriously when its title is itself a self-parody. That itself reflects on how the band wants you to take their album - as fun, light entertainment. Nevermind that the main hook off 'Death Valley' is a direct derivative from 'Moves Like Jagger', or that Courtney Love's spoken rant that kick starts 'Rat A Tat' sounds more like a joke than some attempt at punk (or that the actual song is completely irrelevant to her), or Elton John's pathetic four line part on the last song (and thank the gods when I realised it was ending). This album isn't so much music than it is a bunch of Top 40 songs made by band members who decided to end their hiatus once the flow in banks starts to slow to a drip.


Also, if you feel the album is unrelentingly long, you are definitely not imagining it- all the hooks are generic and the songwriting is simple. A lot of the choruses are peppered with "Whooaaa"s to try and accentuate the hook. The London Symphonic Orchestra sounds pitifully weak even on my largest atmospheric cans, and it is used as a backdrop on the first and last song, a cheesy way to bookend the album. The art is also soooo deeeppppp only true FOB fans can understand (apparently means the monk is the band's old days and the modern boy is the band's new direction). Big Sean's contribution to 'The Mighty Fall' is as useless as a white crayon.

There isn't a lot I can complain about the album. The production is plastic, it's lacking identity and it's a sellout. There isn't much to expect from commercial artistes anyway. It's only saving grace is Patrick Stump's tremendously improved vocals. I think it warrants a no star, but since it was more bearable than the Paramore album, I will award it one star.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Paramore - Paramore Review

Paramore - Paramore [I-am-so-indie pop]

How the mighty have fallen indeed.

I will confess immediately that I have never experienced the appeal that many have succumbed to when listening to this band, but back then, I assumed it was just a matter of taste. Now, about a 100 reviews into this blog (yeah!!11!), I believe it cannot be a matter of taste. Whilst the band's previous outputs were relatively harmless, with what pop-rock sensibility and hooks they had, the latest self-titled is a serious test of patience and tolerance. At least they had a punk-ish vibe that suggested youthfulness back then, the latest output is plastic and soul-less.

That is hideous make-up. The soul-less look would foreshadow the lack of music in this album.

The lead single 'Now' is a serious cause for concern and showed the band aggressively pushing towards a mainstream pop sound, and the chorus 'Now-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhh' with its overproduced vocals and autotune is a far cry from the once more respected female vocalists in the pop-rock realm (yeah there are tons more better female vocalist than her). The departure of Josh and Zac Farro and their seemingly dubious message about Paramore now being 'a manufactured product of a major-label' is instantly felt in the album.

Songs move in and out in vapid fashion, with no song actually taking up your memory after it has finished. Hooks are mostly absent. The influence of multi-instrumentalist Ilan Rubin on drums may have given the band the dangerous confidence to play styles which they cannot exactly pin down. Yes it is a mixed bag, but a bunch of good songs played earnestly is always a lot better than a plethora of styles which are not within your grasp, as Heyley William demonstrates on this album, with either underwhelming dull vocals or over the top autotune on songs like the lead single, the gospel breakdown of 'Ain't It Fun' (and its cringeworthy lyrics "Don’t go cryin’ to yo’ mama, ‘cuz yo’ on yo’ own in the real world"), the sleep-inducing, aptly titled 'Daydreaming'... in fact nearly every song is a disastrous Katy Perry imitation.

Add to this boredom the inclusion of three segues literally called 'Interlude...'. Why do you need three interludes for a pop rock album? All three have hints of gospel with Hayley spewing forth unmemorable lyrics over a barely audible banjo, cheesy as hell, with the worst being the last, titled 'I'm Not Angry Anymore', and its lyrics are literally just that for almost a minute. Why would a commercial band attempt anything this stupid? Interludes work extremely well when well written and integrated- listen to Korn's 1999 album Issues, it is rife with eerie psychotic rhythms and transitory vocals and really bridge the songs as well as create a tense atmosphere.

I do not know what is the downfall of this band, whether they are trying the 'experimental' route since that is the 'cool' thing to do nowadays, or if its the departure of the Farro brothers, or whatever it is. Commercial critics are lavishing praise upon this album blindly, seeing that most of them are musically illiterate and have little exposure to underground music anyways. If you loved Paramore before, be wary, this album may make you reconsider your feelings for the band. If you were never a fan, congratulations! Here is another reason to stay away from this band.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆