With Danny Worsnop back in the picture and a year -give or take- between their last release ‘The Black’, Asking Alexandria has released their fifth studio album.
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Black Veil Brides and Asking Alexandria announced a giant co-headlining tour! Will you be going?
Photos from Asking Alexandria in Buffalo, NY by our photographer Sam Reed!
We got the exclusive details on the reason Denis Stoff left Asking Alexandria! Find out more info below.
Calling all Crabcore fans, 2016 may finally be the year the genre rises back to the top of list for metalcore listeners. Here are some bands defending the revival:
Ohio’s Metalfest was a show that was very highly anticipated and I have to say that that anticipation was justified as well as delivered. This was my first Metalfest and I caught as many bands as I could between the two stages. Before I go on, I’ll list off the bands I saw because there were a lot of great artists there and only so much time to get around to everyone (some bands didn’t make it to the show so the times were a bit messed up as well)
I made a note to try and get around to the more notable acts but I definitely caught some of the smaller bands as well. My knowledge of each band ranges as some of them are my favorite but others I had only their reputation to go off of.
I saw:
I See Stars
The Word Alive
Periphery
Born of Osiris
Structures
Sworn In
Veil of Maya
Each band played for 30-45 minutes and in general, they were all great. Some were definitely better than others and the heavily reverberated ballroom at The Rave made a lot of the main-stage sets sound muddy and at some points, inaudible. But, I did my best to keep all of those things in mind and focus on the quality of the playing of each band as well as their presence on stage.
I See Stars started things off on the ballroom stage at around 2:00pm and they definitely got things going in the room. As they came on stage, the room was immediately filled with an energetic atmosphere and the floor quickly filled up. The crowd was anxious before they came on but the second they stepped foot on the stage everyone was excited. They played great and ranged from their more famous songs like “NTZ48” as well as playing some newer ones off of their new release. Despite some small technical difficulties, the set went pretty smoothly and the band played great. The singer was the most impressive part of their live show. He hit just about every part spot on and he didn’t cut corners around the higher notes.
Many singers in this genre will half-ass their parts and often times they won’t even sing some parts. I See Stars was different as both vocalists (synth/screams) were amazing and really made them stick out in my mind. Their stage presence as well was notable as the members were all moving around constantly and keeping the audience engaged. At one point a man in a full body chicken suit jumped into the crowd from the stage.
After I See Stars came The Word Alive on the ballroom stage. This band kept the energy up throughout the entire set and the crowd was able to keep up their excitement and movement high. This band was especially tight live. The guitar solos and intense vocals were near perfect onstage and this made everything more enjoyable and immersible during the show. The Word Alive played many crowd pleasers off of their newest release Life Cycles which was a good thing in this case as it kept everyone entertained as they could sing along to each track. The band ended their set with Telle (vocalist) repeating a memorable line from Life Cycles as well as a backflip.
The next band to take the stage was Veil of Maya. Although this band has a incredibly impressive recorded material, it didn’t hold up as well live. Overall, the set was good but I felt they were carried a bit by their excessive backtracking and lack of ability to really deliver their sound live. I had a lot of respect for their one and only guitar player as he was able to carry most of the weight of the guitar parts, but all synth parts and some guitars were played entirely through the speakers.
This was a bit of a buzzkill for me personally but I do understand the necessity. The band’s presence onstage was good as I especially enjoyed the fact that they didn’t talk too much in between songs. Many of the bands at the festival repeated the same generic crowd-addressing lines and it was nice to see a band get straight to the music!
The next band I saw was Sworn In down at the theater stage. I have to say that I had seen videos of their live show but it was still very…unique. As far as the quality of their performance goes, when the vocalist screamed, he was very good and was able to match what was on the recordings. He did unfortunately speak a lot of his parts and cut corners a bit. The drums were spot on but the guitars seemed a bit sloppy. Even through the unbearable sound quality, it seemed they were off a bit. Nonetheless, Sworn In put on an amazing live act, sucking the audience into their dark and awe inspiring atmosphere.
Each member was a part of the entertainment and the band really has created something new and original with their stage presence. It completely matches their music and their style of wearing their own matching merch live only adds more to the effect. If you haven’t seen this band yet, you are really missing out on something very creative. See them.
After Sworn In I was back upstairs to the ballroom stage to see Born of Osiris. Everything about this band’s live show was great except that they had a backing track guitar in the right speaker during the entire show. Samples I understand but it was just a bit too obvious at how perfect the other guitar was and it didn’t really match the whole style of playing that the band was showing. Other than that aspect, this was definitely one of the better shows of the day. They played a wide range of their material dating back to early tracks as well as staying current with songs off of their newest release. Each instrument was tight and the band packed the floor within minutes of them starting.
Following up Born of Osiris was what I thought, the best band of the day: Periphery. This band sets the bar extremely high with their recorded material but the fact that they met that expectation was astounding to me. The band has many busy parts on each instrument and I was worried that the sounds would clash too much only leaving a confusing muddy sound but the band pulled through. Keeping each note perfect and staying true to the tracks, the band had the samples through the speakers which gave the songs the identity they needed.
Although it was disappointing at times to see how much was actually being put through on a recorded track, the band more than made up for it with their perfect playing abilities. The highlight of the day was watching Spencer (vocalist) hit every note onstage. One of the most talented vocalists in the genre, he absolutely amazed the crowd live with his ability to recreate his parts onstage. He blew away every other vocalist and the bands humor and relaxing vibes made everyone like them.
Last but most certainly not least was Structures. I had heard amazing things about their album “Divided By” and was told I was in for a treat to see them live. I had heard some of their music before but never got around to really focusing on listening to it. Despite that, I headed back downstairs to catch their set. Structures is definitely near the top for the day as they had one of the most energetic performances I had seen all day. With a smaller group they were able to work the stage and the crowd with their music throughout the whole set. Each member was entertaining and even though I didn’t know any of the songs I very much enjoyed them.
Metalfest was a show to remember and even though I did catch more than the bands above, I wasn’t able to watch their entire sets so I didn’t feel I could write accurately about their performances. My experience was great and it was a dream come true to see so many of my favorite bands in one day as well as delve into some newer ones! If you ever get a chance to go to a festival like this one, I highly recommend it as they are easy to navigate and you can save a ton of money seeing your favorite bands all in one night!
Rating: 9/10
-Nic
Down & Dirty (currently unsigned) are in the studio with producer Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men) recording some songs towards a full album.
Still hot off this summer’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival, EMMURE plan to enter the studio later this year. Their sixth full length album for VICTORY RECORDS will be released Spring 2014. EMMURE will be closing out 2013 by headlining the Never Say Die Tour in Europe (October 4th to 26th) and then a full US tour (October 29th to November 22nd) alongside ASKING ALEXANDRIA, SEVENDUST, ALL THAT REMAINS, and FOR TODAY.
Stray From the Path are known for their Hardcore Punk sound, but their seventh studio album is their most mature and hard-hitting release yet, only paving way for further excellent future releases.
Anonymous kick-starts its aggressive assault on the senses with the ball-gripping ‘False Flag’. Taking you from the get-go, it attacks you with furious power and grips you, never letting you go. Furious Punk Metal inspired guitar riffs and face-smashing drumming is only filled together by the consistent, ever-present bass-lines that fill the track. Drew York provides you with some of the greatest Hardcore Punk vocals known to mankind. It’s one heck of an opener and the album only ever seems to get better. Moving into the second single from off the album, ‘Badge & A Bullet’ grips you with some intense stuff that just seems to pour out of the guitars and bass whilst the drums apparently just seem to get pounded. Not the fastest song on the album but filled with some great riffs and truly severe amounts of ass-kicking drumming, it is a brilliant track filled with Drew’s hard-hitting and aggressive vocal style. It also contains some great hooks that make the song
strangely catchy.
The album aggressively drives forward its fast and brutal onslaught with tracks ‘Radio’, ‘Black Friday’, ‘Tell Them I’m Not Home’ and the title track ‘Anonymous’. It feels like you’re taking a hammer to the face but yet you can’t help enjoy it as Williams provides a shed load of truly great Punk Metal riffs, filled by the ever-present bass-lines that Anthony just seems to pour. Not to forget Dan Bourke’s fast, furious beating of his drum kit as he spreads endless amounts of destruction throughout the album, making it seem so easy. And as for the vocals by Drew… they’re simply wow. Aggressive in his approach, Drew grips you from your private parts and pounds your face in with the astonishing force that his vocals provide. You can’t help but smile as he screams and shouts catchy hook after catchy hook, controversial line after controversial line directly into your face. Everything in this album is great and not one track can be considered for even being slightly weak. All of them powerful and dealing with strong lyrical subjects such as politics, freedom and friendship (may not seems strong but Drew makes sure that it is), you can’t argue with the power of the album.
Not to forget the great ending to the albums other single, ‘Landmines’, which leads into the final track (the album’s title track) of the album. Along with the great amount of power, aggression and force that the album portrays, it is apparent that a lot of thought has gone into the production of the album. Production is often over-looked when people listen to music but yet it is more important than the songs themselves. Seeming as production is about how the track/album is mixed and the audio quality of the tracks, it is highly important. Luckily, Anonymous doesn’t suffer from the bad production and is helped along with the great mix and quality of its tracks. With the production keeping the aggression in place and making everything so free-flowing and
consistent, it is time to mention the two guest vocal contributions on the album.
As mentioned before, there are two appearances on the album and they come from Jesse Barnett (Stick To Your Guns) and Jason Aalon Butler (letlive). Jesse is featured on the third track on the album, ‘Radio’ and Butler makes his appearance on the albums fourth track entitled ‘Scissor Hands’. The contributions on the album are easy to spot and help add a bloody good punch to the tracks. The appearances are something which people can enjoy and adds a little more to the album as a whole. It is safe to say then, that this album is downright bloody great.
Stray From the Path have crafted a Hardcore Punk Metal masterpiece here with Anonymous. Fast, aggressive, consistent, intense and gripping, it is an album that grabs you from the start and only intensifies as it progresses, letting go of its grip at the end but making sure that it still remains within your head. Featuring ground breaking drumming, intense and consistently aggressive guitars, supportive, ever-present bass-lines and ferocious, intense and head-crushing amounts of vocal power, Anonymous is an album rammed to the brim with awesomeness. This is like a modern day Rage Against the Machine album only more aggressive.
This is an album that feels like it is what Violent Delight could have done if they progressed with their career. Yet this is somehow more than just that too. This is more than just your usual modern day album. It is a downright statement on what our world has become that will grip you with every bass drum beat (which there is a lot of!) for months on end. It will make you think, it will make you want to rebel, it will even make you want to just destroy stuff and break everything within your sight. But yet in a good way. This is pure, relentless aggression and is the bans finest effort to date. This is an album that is as powerful as it is enjoyable.
This isn’t considered being just the one of the best albums so far this year because it IS the best album so far this year. It beats Black Sabbath, Asking Alexandria, Megadeth, DevilDriver and
Avenged Sevenfold by a pretty longshot. If you want something aggressive, something that has meaning and something that is downright bloody amazing to listen to, then pick this up. I must admit, it isn’t something everyone is going to enjoy but it is like that with every album. So be sure to check out one of the singles first (either ‘Landmines’ or ‘Badge & A Bullet’) but if you like what you hear then you must pick this up. If you like Punk, listen to this. If you like Hardcore, listen to this. Screw it, if you just like Metal than give this a listen because it is guaranteed that you’ll like something about this. Astonishing, powerful and beautiful, all at once. The best album so far this year. Give it a try.
10/10
- Asa