Title Fight’s Spring Songs EP is streaming on Pandora.
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After releasing their extensive CD/DVD set, The Retinal Circus, last week, the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT is now premiering a video clip of “Kingdom” taken from the DVD! View it below
UK singer/songwriter Ed Tullett has just released a FREE remix EP titled "Oxblood Remixed.” The EP can be streamed/downloaded at www.edtullett.bandcamp.com
Tracklist:
01 Oxblood (Shinamo Moki Remix)
02 Oxblood (TWYNS RMX)
03 Oxblood (French Remix)
04 Oxblood (Stop The Car Remix)
05 Oxblood (Modern Lightning Remix)
Fall Out Boy will be performing on this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It airs on November 28 at 9am on NBC.
Eminem is one of the biggest rappers in history. One of the first white rappers to conquer the charts, he’s built a career on producing shocking, controversial and often funny albums, covering everything from sex, death, drugs and even self-harm. ‘Marshall Mathers LP 2’, AKA ‘MMLP2’, is Eminem’s eighth studio album and a sequel album to his ever-popular and often shocking ‘Marshall Mathers LP’. There are certain things you can expect here; abusive, explicit language and content, dry humor and some fantastic lyrics.
But there is also some new things here too, although that should be expected from an album that may just be his retiring album. There are a few little issues here but this is easily one of his more solid releases in recent years and could become one of his greatest albums to date. Be sure to listen out to nods to his previous songs too, as they do feature here too.
Well… this album begins very hit-and-miss. With ‘Bad Guy’, it is straight up fifty-fifty on how I feel about it. It starts off rather forced sounding, due to either the editing of the track or just because Eminem was stuck on how to open the album right, either way, the first half of the song is a little tasteless and lowers any expectations you had almost immediately. But it then kicks in properly halfway through and you automatically think back to the song ‘Stan’ off the first ‘MMLP’.
And oh so suddenly, faith is restored. You move into the skit on the record which moves into ‘Rhyme Or Bust’ which is a rather weak song. A good premise but, again, it feels rushed and forced so, yet again, standards have been lowered. But, apparently, Eminem seems to enjoy lowering standards and then suddenly blowing you out of the water when ‘So Much Better’ comes on. This is purely offensive stuff with some of his best writing in recent years. The lyrics make you laugh whilst still being able to shock you, a trait Eminem is well known for. You’ll also, again, think about how similar it is to one of his previous songs, particularly that of ‘Kill You’.
It is a great track, blending uncomfortable, offensive comedy with superb lyric writing with apparent ease. The next few tracks, ‘Survival’, ‘Legacy’ and ‘Asshole feat. Skylar Grey’ deal with Eminem rapping about surviving the rap scene (and life in general), questioning his own legacy and also taking it upon himself to go as far as calling himself an asshole. All three are great tracks that deal with subjects that obviously affect Eminem, ‘Legacy’ being my favorite out of the lot. You then have ‘Berzerk’, which is pretty much berzerk.
One of the singles on the album, it is a good track that keeps you entertained, strong enough to still keep the overall flow of the album going. But then we reach what is by far the highlight of this album. The best track on here? Easily. One of his best songs ever? Definitely. Yes, ‘Rap God’ sums up exactly what Eminem is, with this track alone showing that. The lyrics are superbly written, the flow is smooth and continues without the song once going dull and it shows Eminem at his peak. It is reminiscent to ‘Lose Yourself’ and is superbly well done.
If the lyrics weren’t enough for you however, stick around for the track because Eminem then turns into a rapping minigun. Spitting out words faster than a minigun could fire out its rounds, Eminem proves that he is what the track title suggests to us. It took me by surprise and is sure to blow anyone away listening to it. It is one heck of a great song and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t amaze anyone that listens to it.
It is pretty hard to be amazed by any other track here after that performance and the next two tracks, ‘Brainless’ and ‘Stronger Than I Was’, aren’t the strongest on here. Not weak but, compared to most tracks before hand, they aren’t really breaking any new ground but they at least help fill the album, providing some decent hooks to keep the vibe up.
'Monster' is the next track, another single, this time featuring Rihanna. Last time these two collaborated together was with 'Love The Way You Lie', a song which explored their darker demons. The same formula is here, again, exploring their darker sides. However, the tone
is a little different and it proves that these two know how to make fantastic collaborations together. A solid track, it is well worth the listen and reinstates the epicness of the album once more. ‘So Far’ and ‘Love Game feat. Kendrick Lumar’ are good tracks, although the latter not being as good as the collaboration that was done previously with Rihanna.
But they keep up a good vibe, still maintaining the overall effect the album has on you. The second to last track is another great collaboration, this time with Nate Ruess. This collab is entitled ‘Headlights’ and features the best lyric writing on the entire album. It is a moving portrait of how Eminem admits to loving his mother, a person who he seemed to despise in his earlier works. It is sung with heartfelt dedication and it is one of the most touching tracks throughout his entire career. My personal favorite collab on here, it is beautiful, upsetting and amazing.
The final track is ‘Evil Twin’, a great closure to an album that had built up a lot of hype. It has a great vibe that features Eminem’s signature rapping style used to its full potential. A perfect ending to an album that started off being rather disappointing to suddenly blowing your mind. The beats here all work, fitting in with Eminem’s rapping style and switching between the typical beats Eminem has used over the years to beats that will take people back to the days of classic hip-hop. The mix is great too, making sure that Eminem and his guests are the main focus of the album. Overall, this is superb work and, if it is his closing album, then damn… it is one way to finish a career.
To finish up this lengthy review, it is safe to say that this is one of his best albums to date. With an incredibly powerful range of songs, dealing with so many different things, this has to be something that will help define his legacy. So there are some minor faults but they are so easy to ignore because the songs that help build back up the hype do it so damn well, doubling the hype you started out with.
As a stand alone record of his, this is one of his best but, as a sequel to his critically acclaimed masterpiece, ‘Marshall Mathers LP’? Does it deliver the same feel? Not quite. However, this is still a perfect sequel to an album that was hard to beat. If this really is the album to end his career on, then it is the best career-ending album made. Period. Eminem, I applaud you for this, you are truly a rap god.
10/10
- Asa
Transit are set to release their first ever entirely acoustic EP, Futures & Sutures, on December 2, 2013 (Cyber Monday). The EP, produced by member Torre Cioffi’s brother Gary, features a collection of stripped down tracks from the band’s two previous full-length albums. Transit will also be heading out across the U.S. in January/February 2014 as the headliners of the Acoustic Basement Tour.
Futures & Sutures is now available for pre-order as a 7” vinyl in gold and a CD Digipack. Pre-order here: http://transitband.com/futuresandsutures/
Futures & Sutures complete tracklisting:
1. Long Lost Friends
2. So Long, So Long
3. Listen & Forgive
4. Young New England
5. Over Your head
6. Futures & Sutures
Impending Doom are becoming a big name amongst the Deathcore scene, providing some of the heaviest, grittiest and astonishing tracks put to record in recent years. When they released ‘There Will Be Violence’ back in 2010, many fans were scratching their heads, wondering if the band they loved had started down the path of being less heavy and heading towards mainstream Metalcore. So with this release, has the band managed to capture the gritty brutality that they originally captured in their earlier years?
The answer, by the way, is yes. As we get closer to the end of the year, it seems that each new Metal album is becoming heavier and heavier. This is the case here. The amount of times I have listened to an album and called it the heaviest album of the year is unbelievable and this is no exception. This IS the heaviest album of this year, thus far. And it is something I loved listening to as well, being one of the better albums released so far this year.
'Death Will Reign' starts its stupid amounts of brutality with opener 'Ravenous Disease'. Surprisingly, that is kind of how this track feels. It is fast, it is heavy, it is genuinely earth-shattering. The guitars chug, the bass pounds and the drums seem to open up the earth causing mass destruction. The vocals are some of the best in recent years, maintaining their constant feel of hatred and anger that just pours into the mic. The title track follows, unleashing hell with its jaw-dropping breakdowns that will make you just want to annihilate anything and everything within your sight. This is more terrifying than facing off a shark and probably delivers the same adrenaline rush too.
I don’t know how a band can get increasingly heavier with each track but this ends up being the case, spreading world-wide destruction, possibly bringing the world to a halt. But amongst the heaviness is the whole beauty of the album. It showcases Deathcore and Death Metal at its finest, being one of the most solid releases in a long time. The album progresses through tracks ‘Beyond The Grave’, ‘My Own Maker’, ‘Doomsday’, ‘Rip, Tear And Burn’, ‘Hellhole’, ‘My Blood’, ‘Endless’ and ‘Live Or Die’ before ending with the hellish and ferocious ‘The Great Divine’, a track of sheer brutal force that lasts over and epic length of eight minutes.
I can imagine that this is what the apocalypse would sound like with highlights ‘Doomsday’, ‘Hellhole’, ‘Death Will Reign’ and ‘Live Or Die’. These tracks were made to cause hell and carnage, not to mention lyrics that will likely offend a few people. The closing track fits perfectly with this whole album and I will be damned if someone could deliver something as terrifying, as beautiful and as heavy (all at the same time) by the end of this year because this is ranking very high, ticking all boxes and proving that Deathcore can become something extremely devastating.
The chuggy guitars, melodic interludes and intros, solid riffs, intense vocals filled with anger and unrelenting amounts of power, the fierece bass-lines that thunder away and the drums that could cause the planet to just simply stop functioning and the sun to implode in on itself, ‘Death Will Reign’ is a solid release, producing the best Deathcore album since last years ‘Hate’ by Thy Art Is Murder and thus the heaviest album of this year as of now. Yes, this is downright stupidly heavy. It is also darn amazing.
So then, having being beautifully mixed and everything working so well together, Impending Doom have crafted a beautifully deranged album of delightful brutality that is filled with nothing but sheer force and power. It grips you and doesn’t allow you to take a breath until it’s done. It leaves you speechless, taking your breath away with its heaviness that just explodes the moment you press play. This proves that Impending Doom are a band to not take so light-heartedly as they are a brutal force to be reckoned with. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Satan himself made this record. Terrifying, heavy, beautiful, ground-breaking, amazing. This gets my stamp of approval. Pick it up if you want something that grabs you and doesn’t let go.
10/10
- Asa
A bunch of musicians came together and did their best to make a Xmas album that’s nowhere near as good as August Burns Red’s Sleddin Hill
MOTÖRHEAD is pleased to announce the re-scheduled tour dates for their upcoming UK/European tour. Last week, Lemmy announced that the dates would have to be postponed, but in a quick turnaround, all dates have been re-scheduled and confirmed. Ticket holders should hold on to their tickets as they will be honored at these re-scheduled dates.
UK/European dates:
February 13, 2014 - Scotland, Glasgow @ Academy
February 14, 2014 - England, Newcastle @ City Hall
February 16, 2014 - England, Manchester @ Apollo
February 17, 2014 - England, Wolverhampton @ Civic Hall
February 19, 2014 - England, London @ Brixton Academy
February 20, 2014 - England, Nottingham @ Royal Concert Hall
February 22, 2014 - France, Paris @ Zenith
February 24, 2014 - Belgium, Deinze @ Brielpoort
February 25, 2014 - Germany, Hamburg @ Sporthalle
February 27, 2014 - Germany, Munich @ Zenith
March 1, 2014 - Germany, Frankfurt @ Jahrhunderthalle
March 2, 2014 - Germany, Berlin @ Velodrom
March 4, 2014 - Germany, Dusseldorf @ MEH
March 5, 2014 - Germany, Stuttgart @ Schleyerhalle
March 8, 2014 - Sweden, Linkoping @ Cloetta Center
March 10, 2014 - Denmark, Horsens @ Forum Horsens
March 12, 2014 - Norway, Oslo @ Sentrum Scene
March 14, 2014 - Finland, Helsinki @ Hartwell Arena
After The Burial have returned with what is being hailed as their career defining album, Wolves Within, which is now set for a Dec 17th release. It’s been three years since the band has released any new material, but upon first listen it’s very evident that it’s been well worth the wait. The tech wizardry is amped way up, the breakdowns are massive and face melting and the vocal delivery is the most devastating yet. Already lauded for their technically impressive yet well structured style of songwriting, AFTER THE BURIAL certainly takes things up a notch or two with this newest outing.
AFTER THE BURIAL has also re-signed with longtime label Sumerian Records and will hit the road across North America this week with DevilDriver and Trivium. A brand new AFTER THE BURIAL track, “A Wolf Amongst Ravens,” can be heard now at the link below and be sure to visit www.facebook.com/aftertheburial to view all tourdates.