REVIEW: Your Memorial - Redirect (2012)

Artist: Your Memorial Album: Redirect Rating: 4.8/5 Facebook! In an era where so many bands release albums with nonsensical titles and track names, it can be tough to glean what exactly the band is trying to impart to the listener. Sure tongue-in-cheek remarks and gimmicky puns are great for drawing attention and catching one’s eye, but more often than not, there is no meaning behind the content. It falls flat, failing to leave a lasting...

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REVIEW/HISTORY LESSON: I Shot the Sheriff - 2007 Demo [EP]

Artist: I Shot the Sheriff Album: Demo (2007) [EP] Rating: 4/5 Heroes are important: in times of dire need, they give people hope. In times of stagnancy, they provide movement and inspiration–progression, if you will. While “progression” might not be the first word that comes to mind when listening to Californian deathcore group, I Shot the Sheriff, the listener cannot deny the influence their 2007 demo has had on deathcore bands today–from...

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REVIEW: Be'lakor - Of Breath and Bone

Artist: Be’lakor Album: Of Breath and Bone Rating: 4.5/5 Facebook! I don’t know about you, but track lengths over five minutes consistently register as a unique mix of foreboding and promising when I’m first looking at an album. Seven minutes is a lot of time for a band to fill–especially without running the risk of getting repetitious. However, it’s all the more time for the artist to really reach out and engross the listener in...

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REVIEW: Chelsea Grin - Evolve [EP]

Artist: Chelsea Grin Album: Evolve - EP Rating: 4/5 Facebook! Progression. One word. Three syllables. Yet, such a small notion can often times make or break a band, lest done in moderation. At one extreme, a band can quite literally refuse to change their sound, leaving all but the most loyal of fans to become bored with the sound. At the other extreme, there are bands who undergo such rapid and constant progression that their fan base...

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REVIEW: Thirteen Bled Promises - Heliopause Fleets

Artist: Thirteen Bled Promises Album: Heliopause Fleets Rating: 4.75/5 Facebook! Imagine being buried alive. Trapped in a box six feet underground, suffocating as every breath you take means you’re just one breath closer to asphyxiation. The pressure is nearly palpable as the thought of your impending demise causes your heart to beast faster and your breath to quicken. This collecting pressure is much akin to Madrid-based deathcore...

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REVIEW: Signal the Firing Squad - Abnegate

Artist: Signal the Firing Squad Album: Abnegate Rating: 5/5 FACE-FUCKING-BOOK! Every so often, a release becomes so built up that it seems unfathomable that it could possibly live up to its own hype. This can happen for a variety of reasons–incessant touring and advertising, internet hype-beasting, absurdly early announcement, etcetera. All of these were true for Australian deathcore giants Signal the Firing Squad, and their sophomore...

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REVIEW: Forsaken - Witness/Hell [EP]

Artist: Forsaken Album: Witness/Hell [EP] Rating: 4.75/5 Facebook! Check 'em out! It’s becoming increasingly easy to write off bands in just about any genre for just about any arbitrary reason. More and more it seems common to hear about how deathcore band X “just isn’t heavy enough,” or “not technical enough” and metalcore band Y has a “mediocre singer” or “cliche album art/name/album title.” Every band seems to have to fill some sort...

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