365 Days of Metal: You Make My Heart Sing

In honor of today being Single's Awareness Day, what better way to celebrate than with something close to the heart.

Day 94

Carcass - Heartwork

Band Origin: Liverpool, England
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Earache Records / Columbia
Running Time: 42 minutes 
Release Date: October 18, 1993

Best Part: That dark atmospheric groove.

Favorite Tracks: Carnal Forge, Heartwork, Doctrinal Expletives, Buried Dreams, Arbeit Macht Fleisch, and Blind Bleeding the Blind

Grade: 5.0

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Heartwork in way more than 20 words or less:

Carcass' fourth full-length release was not only their best production, but a defining moment for a band that had already helped pioneer one genre, and would now help pioneer one of metal's most distinguished genres.

The Band:

Carcass is a four member metal band from Liverpool who have the distinction of not only helping to pioneer one, but two genres of metal. Formed in 1985, Carcass' earliest work served as a pioneering force in grindcore but also more specifically of goregrind because of they're gruesomely morbid lyrics and artwork on Reek of Putrefaction and Symphonies of Sickness. It was on their second album where Bill Steer, Jeff Walker and Ken Owen would move ever slowly from grindcore to using elements more characteristic of death metal. With the addition of Michael Amott in 1990, the band would go on to release their third album and at that point essentially forgo the grincore formula for that of death metal. But the biggest change was release of 1993's Heartwork, which no longer featured Steer's deep vocals but only the screams of Walker and had a stronger emphasis on layered guitar work. In 1995 Carcass disbanded following mounting problems with their record label causing delays to their fifth album which was ironically called Swansong. In 2007 Walker, Steer and Amott would reunite and together with drummer Daniel Erlandsson would go on to play a number of festival dates between 2007 and 2010, as well as re-issuing their entire catalog in 2008.

Carcass's other releases include: Reek of Putrefaction (1988), Symphonies of Sickness (1989), Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious (1991), and Swansong (1996).

Jay's Take on Heartwork: 

Playing an influential role in the evolution of a genre is enough of a distinction for any band, but to be at the heart (no pun intended) of two within such a short span of time is a testament to the staying power of Carcass throughout the years. Heartwork was a defining step in Carcass' evolution as a band and would grow to become one of the pioneering albums in melodic death metal alongside The Gallery by Dark Tranquility, The Jester Race by In Flames and Slaughter of the Soul by At The Gates. While many attribute the rise of melodeath and its standard elements to be most congruent with the albums to come out of Gothenburg, Heartwork was released nearly two years prior to the trio of seminal works from Sweden and encompasses many of the same elements that put it in the same class. The elimination of the early grindcore formula that the band had built in the late eighties came slowly over the course of their first three records, with slow shifts towards a more death metal oriented style. The end result of these changes was a sound that relied heavily on the layered guitar work built entirely by Steer which began to take root on Necroticism, and the vocal focus on Walker's raspy screams. Heartwork took the melodic elements of Necroticism and pushed them to the next level. Steer and Amott's guitars filling tracks that are iconic of the dual lead guitar style in melodic death metal, Owen's steady and still technical drum work filling out the remainder of the background, and Walker's vocal work inspiring many a young metal enthusiast to scream until they spit up blood the next morning trying to imitate those hoarse, raspy screams. This is an album that is a must have in the collection of any death metal fan - or anyone that considers themselves a metalhead to begin with. 

Sample of the Day:

A little loving for Single's Awareness Day, the title track and the tracks Carnal Forge.





- J

365 Days of Metal: On Wings of Sludge

Day 93

The Atlas Moth - An Ache for the Distance

Band Origin: Chicago, Illinois, USA 
Genre: Sludge / Stoner Metal / Doom
Label: Century Media 
Running Time: 45 minutes 
Release Date: September 26, 2011 

Best Part: That dark atmospheric groove.

Favorite Tracks: Coffin Varnish, Holes in the Desert, An Ache for the Distance, 25s and the Royal Blue, and Horse Thieves

Grade: 4.5

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An Ache for the Distance in way more than 20 words or less:

The second full-length release from this Chicago based sludge metal band is enthralling with its doom ridden groove, dark atmosphere and three intermingling guitars.

The Band:

The Atlas Moth is a five piece sludge metal band from Chicago that was formed in 2007. With a heavier doom oriented influence on the sludge metal genre, the band features at times up to three guitarists who work off of each other to create an interesting contrast of rhythms and grooves. And with the mix of clean, ominous vocals, almost black metal like shrieking screams, and psychedelic lyrics, what you end up with is a tenuous balance between serenity and the looming presence of impending doom. The Atlas Moth is a new favorite in the genre which I discovered while going through other more lesser known bands signed to Profound Lore.

The Atlas Moth other releases include two EP's and their debut full-length record A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky from 2009.

Jay's Take on An Ache for the Distance:

Sludge metal is one of my go to genres in a large number of situations, and has a stable of talented groups that I can always rely on, including Mastodon, Baroness, Kylesa and Black Tusk, just to name some of my favorites. In discovering their second full-length release, The Atlas Moth can now count themselves among the aforementioned. An Ache for the Distance is a record that constantly flutters between a kind of dark atmospheric energy, and a more doom like feel, which is a byproduct of both the instrumentation and the psychedelic take on life that the band covers on their tracks. There are a few elements that make The Atlas Moth stand out amongst their peers. Their choice of vocals which blends slow, gloomy clean sung passages and screams which sound more akin to black metal style shrieks is an aspect that really helps keep the dark yet serene feeling of the album intact. The other aspect lies in the instrumentation, which features the inclusion at times of three guitarists - something that is not a largely common setup in this type of genre. The end result is a layering of rhythms that adds just that extra bit of texture to the background, giving the doom trodden energy a more vibrant and enthralling groove. Despite my clear biased fanboism for Mastodon, An Ache for the Distance was still my favorite sludge metal record for 2011 - even if I may have ranked The Hunter higher in my top 20 rankings for the year.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: Fires? Women Love Fires...

Day 92

Arsonists Get All The Girls - Motherland

Band Origin: Santa Cruz, California, USA 
Genre: Deathcore / Experimental 
Label: Century Media 
Running Time: 38 minutes 
Release Date: May 17, 2011 

Best Part: West Cliffs.

Favorite Tracks: Avdotya, West Cliffs, Woebegone, and Will Someone Please Turn Down the Ocean?

Grade: 3.5

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Motherland in way more than 20 words or less:

AGATG returns with their second release with Jared at the helm and continues the path carved by Portals with the sporadic synth laden rhythmic crushing and ridiculously random lyrics.

The Band:

Arsonists Get All The Girls are a six member hardcore experimental band from California who have run the gamut of mixing together the brutality of deathcore with a synth and keyboard infused avant-garde style approach since coming together in 2005. Stringing together grungy dissonant assault of brute force with funky synth beats and ridiculous lyrics and song titles has been their constant modus operandi, especially on their first two records. After the departure of original vocalist Cameron Reed and the release of their third and most recent records with Jared Monette, the band has taken on a more cleaner sound in comparison to early work for example on Hits From the Bow which pushed a frenetic, dissonant and raw brutal sound.

Arsonists Get All The Girls previous release include: Hits From the Bow (2006), The Game of Life (2007), and Portals (2009).

Jay's Take on Motherland:

Arsonists Get All The Girls have frequently toured in this neck of the woods, and I've caught them in town on a couple of occasions while in school. That being said, this particular mix of music has never been heavily in my rotation, but early AGATG with Cameron Reed was raw, dingy, fast, erratic and fresh for the time - not to mention the live performances were always interesting. The 'new' Arsonists which was ushered in with their previous release Portals features higher production quality, and a cleaner feel, with a much higher emphasis on the more avant-garde nature of the band, with the keyboard solo's, interludes and synth driven sections of the music. Motherland continues with that change of pace and lets loose, with some interesting rhythm and electronic rushes. Jared's vocals are also a lot more pronounced, especially when he goes for those deep bile dripping guttural death growls. There are also some really nice touches on the album. The interlude tracks, add a good mix of texture to the album notably the track West Cliffs which is essentially one long clean keyboard solo that is a sort of break in style from the rest of the album. Then there's the breakdown at the end of Woebegone. And the janky guitar, synth and guitar solo on Will Someone Please Turn Down the Ocean?

I really have a hard time trying to describe albums like this because they're pretty much fucking insanity for 30 odd minutes, in every possible form, from the instrumentation down to the lyrics. So I'm just going to kind of leave it at that for today.

Sample of the Day:

Sunday Funday Double Down, with Woebegone and the keyboard interlude West Cliffs.





- J 

365 Days of Metal: This Was Not Written by William Faulkner

Day 91

As I Lay Dying - The Powerless Rise

Band Origin: San Diego, California, USA 
Genre: Metalcore 
Label: Metal Blade 
Running Time: 44 minutes 
Release Date: May 11, 2010

Best Part: Mancino. Mancino. Mancino. Did I say Mancino?

Favorite Tracks: Parallels, Anodyne Sea, Vacancy, Condemned, and The Plague

Grade: 4.5

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The Powerless Rise in way more than 20 words or less:

Steady progress and a knack for consistency make The Powerless Rise not only a solid release that most metalcore fans will enjoy, but earns the right to be called As I Lay Dying's best effort over their decade long career.

The Band:

As I Lay Dying is a five member metalcore band from California which was founded originally as a duo by vocalist and producer Tim Lambesis and drummer Jordan Mancino who named the project after the Faulkner novel of the same name. Lambesis has stated on more than one occasion that he does not consider As I Lay Dying as a 'christian' band, but rather than his faith, and that of the other members of the group inevitably comes across the music the band produces, despite the fact that the bands lyrical themes do not directly cover spiritual issues, bu rather every day life. As I Lay Dying has garnered a strong following in mainstream heavy metal, as well as many accolades, nods and appearances at high profile metal events including Wacken Open Air.

As I Lay Dying's previous releases include: Beneath the Encasing of Ashes (2001), Frail Words Collapse (2003), Shadows Are Security (2005), and An Ocean Between Us (2007)

Jay's Take on The Powerless Rise:

While Austrian Death Machine is arguably my favorite thing involving Tim Lambesis, As I Lay Dying was his first creation alongside Mancino and continues to be his primary focus despite his many endeavors both as a musician and as a record producer. The Powerless Rise is the follow up to An Ocean Between Us and is the culmination of nearly three years of work by Lambesis and co. Musically, As I Lay Dying follows the standard metalcore formula of screamed vocals, in-synch guitar harmonies and breakdowns. Lambesis has always been known for his powerful screams, but the clean vocals of Josh Gilbert are just as prominent throughout the record, in some cases even overshadowing the leading man. Not a terrible thing at all, as it adds in that necessary layer that really helps convey the emotions conveyed by the lyrics and the music itself. The instrumentation is well laid out, with some great riffs and interlaced lead and rhythm work. Mancino's work on percussion helps string everything together with the proper double-bass flourishes and of course on the breakdowns, his drum work has always been one of the signature elements of As I Lay Dying. The breakdowns feel less frequent across the record, and a tinge less powerful than you would expect - especially in comparison to some metalcore breakdown which are liable to blow out your o-ring. But the fact remains they're still there and they add that necessary but added layer of depth to the music.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: Rebecca Black Metal Friday vol. 9

Day 90

Cormorant - Dwellings

Band Origin: Novato, California, USA 
Genre: Folk / Progressive / Black Metal 
Label: Independent 
Running Time: 56 minutes 
Release Date: December 6, 2011

Best Part: The mesh of sounds is what makes you get enamored with this record - whether it's the delicate atmosphere or the dissonant rushes.

Favorite Tracks: Howling Dust, Junta, Funambulist, and The First Man

Grade: 5

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Dwellings in way more than 20 words or less:

Whether you're a fan of progressive, folk, post-metal inspired drives, black metal or all of the above, Dwellings has plenty of variety to leave you enamored with it.

The Band:

Cormorant is a four piece band out of California who play an interesting mesh of genres which includes progressive, folk and black metal, while also incorporating some post-metal elements. Taking inspiration from a real mixed bag of influential artists, Cormorant have created a sound which is original and most definitely interesting. Their debut self-released album Metazoa was very well received by fellow artists and critics alike, and earned them many nods and much respect as one of the more intriguing independent bands in metal.

Cormorant's previous release was their debut self-released album Metazoa in 2009.

Jay's Take on Dwellings:
 
When asked how to best describe their music Cormorant has referred to themselves as 'post-black metal weird shit', a description which while ultimately vague and random, is oddly enough spot on. There are lengthy periods on this record where no real black metal influences can be felt, so some people can question why the heck I would choose this for this edition of RBMF. Well Rebecca isn't just a fan of traditional black metal, but of all its varieties, and Dwellings is a perfect example of just that. Dwellings is the follow-up to their successful debut release and continues to explore the intriguing blend of styles that the band inspires themselves from. Dwellings features a number of extended tracks that cross between these different genres at different moments. What starts out as a mellow, atmospheric track with swelling post-rock/metal drives and clean vocals eventually shifts to an explosion of traditional black metal inspired tremolo picked dissonant guitar work and shrieked vocals and moves on to merge elements of both sound structures together. It's a feeling on first listen that leaves you wondering what looms around the next corner - it's slightly unpredictable but in a truly satisfying way. Another interesting aspect of Cormorants music is their lyricism which contains some very vivid imagery that is conveyed clearly regardless of the form of vocal work that is being pushed forward and includes passages in different languages, including Latin and French. And I mean look at that fucking album art - it's fucking amazing!

Most albums released late in the year are often either neglected by some listeners and/or critics, or get relegated to being eligible for consideration on 'Best of' lists for the following year. Dwellings will definitely be in consideration come end of year - this won't be the last time you hear about it on here, and you can quote me on that.
Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

Day 89

The Black Dahlia Murder - Ritual

Band Origin: Waterford, Michigan, USA

Genre: Melodic Death Metal / Metalcore / Deathcore

Label: Metal Blade

Running Time: 45 minutes

Release Date: June 17, 2011

Best Part: Trevor Strnad's vocal work.

Favorite Tracks: Moonlight Equilibrium, On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood, The Window, The Raven, and Conspiring with the Damned

Grade: 4.5

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Ritual in way more than 20 words or less:

The Black Dahlia Murder's fifth full-length album takes a step forward from the success of Deflorate and gives people another reason to question why anyone would label the band without the term melodic being involved.

The Band:

The Black Dahlia Murder are a five piece melodic death metal band from Michigan who are obviously not your standard order melodic death metal band. The band has found themselves more often tagged as a metalcore or even deathcore band because of Trevor Strnad's deeper death growls and piercing shrieks, and the bands heavier play style. The band however takes its primary influence from Carcass and Swedish melodic death metal bands, and then merges it with some American influence such as Florida based death metal acts like Morbid Angel - that would be early era Morbid Angel, not that travesty I told you all about yesterday. The combination is something that sometimes walk a fine line between styles which have their fair share of differences, but the end result is something brutal, melodic and original all in its own right.

The Black Dahlia Murder's previous releases include: Unhallowed (2003), Miasma (2005), Nocturnal (2007), and Deflorate (2009).

Jay's Take on Ritual:

The Black Dahlia Murder is one of those bands that I like to believe are at the center of bridging the gap between metal sub-genres that are generally mutually exclusive. But more so because they have often been labeled because of their look and on stage presence, rather than the sounds that come from that stage. So argue every which way you want about where the band fits in the grand scheme of things, but Ritual is easily the bands' best record to date and a great follow up to their previous release Deflorate. The blend of influences that one gets to experience on this record is apparent from track to track, and often sends you flying between the spectrum of melodic harmony and distorted, beastly heaviness, of which neither side is in short supply. The best part is when the two come crashing together to create some of the nastiest and beautiful music at once. The instrumentation and Trevor's vocal work on Ritual fits like a glove, with Trevor's lyrics coming in loud and clear, whether in the form of his piercing quick shrieks or deliberate, throaty growls. Each track is strung together by a careful balance of rhythm, speed and melody which includes a mixed bag of tricks that they incorporate from the many great influences they have. There are definitely moments while listening to a record like this where I get a nostalgic reel to listen to records like Heartwork. The album boasts some tight guitar melodies and some rightfully tasty guitar solos. The Black Dahlia Murder definitely covered all their bases with their most recent release.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: WTF Wednesday, Can We Go Back to 1989?

Day 88

Morbid Angel - Illud Divinum Insanus

Band Origin: Tampa, Florida, USA

Genre: Death Metal / Industrial (unfortunately)

Label: Season of Mist

Running Time: 57 minutes

Release Date: June 7, 2011

Best Part: Putting on Altars of Madness and forgetting this album even exists.

Favorite Tracks: N/A

Grade: 1.0

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Ilud Divinum Insanus in way more than 20 words or less:

Morbid Angel returns after eight years with an album that should have come out four years earlier, and may have benefited from it, as the end result is something that has left longtime fans running for the hills - or for their shotguns. 

The Band:

Morbid Angel is a four piece death metal band from Tampa, Florida and is one of the oldest, most successful and influential bands in the history of the genre. Their highly technical style carried forward by the guitar work of Trey Azagthoth and drummer Pete Sandoval were pivotal in creating the sound that would help carry the band forward, and the genre death metal forward from its earlier more thrash driven roots. Original vocalist and bassist David Vincent would leave the group after 1996, and a string of very successful releases, only to return to the band in 2004. It would take eight years for the band to deliver its next record, which was supposed to be released in 2007 but continued to be pushed back due to touring and writing new material.

Morbid Angel's previous releases include: Altars of Madness (1989), Blessed Are the Sick (1991), Covenant (1993), Domination (1995), Formulas Fatal to the Flesh (1998), Gateways to Annihilation (2000), and Heretic (2003)

Jay's Take on Ilud Divinum Insanus:

For a band that has arguably one of the best guitarists in death metal history, is the third best-selling death metal band in the United States, only behind Cannibal Corpse and Deicide, and is the owner of the best-selling death metal album of all time with Covenant, it's hard to think that Morbid Angel could really go in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, Illud Divinum Insanus did just that. 

Illud Divinum Insanus received a real mixed bag of reviews which dangled between praise and absolute loathing. The heavier of the balance of those reviews were on the negative end of the spectrum, and were most loudly heard through longtime fans of the band - myself included. The fact of the matter is Illud Divinum Insanus does an about face on the style that fans have come to know and love, and incorporates a more industrial element to parts of the album that sounds both forced, and just doesn't sit well in comparison with their prior albums. The album does have its good moments, with Azagthoth and session drummer Tim Yeung pounding through some heavy and technical passages which sounded as if they came from the cutting room floor of their previous release Covenant from eight years prior. But once again, it's the full package that really influences how I feel about this record. And as I mentioned when I named this album the biggest letdown of the year, it feels like that over the near 10 year gap between recordings that they forgot what band they were in. Since first listening through Illud Divinum Insanus I've played through the record maybe a total of two other times, and have yet to find any real replay value in comparison to their older, and much greater recordings.

Sample of the Day:

While there are a couple of tracks on the album, like Nevermore which are quite alright, you then get tracks like Too Extreme which show off that Industrial style that makes Illud Divinum Insanus sound like an enema gone wrong.





- J

365 Days of Metal: And I Open My Eyes to See A... Gray Landscape

Day 87

Uneven Structure - Februus

Band Origin: Metz, St-Etienne, Montpellier, France

Genre: Progressive / Ambient / Djent

Label: Basick Records

Running Time: 56 minutes (+35 on Disc 2)

Release Date: October 31, 2011

Best Part: This album flows seamlessly from start to finish, was my favorite record from last year and is one I continue to listen to in part at least every other day.

Favorite Tracks: Awaken / Frost / Hail, and Buds / Awe / Quittance

Grade: Over 9,000

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Februus in way more than 20 words or less:

The debut full-length album from another thinking man's European band, Februus takes Uneven Structure another step forward with its unmatched combination of ambiance and progressive rhythm.

The Band:

Uneven Structure is a six piece progressive metal band from France, which originally consisted of members playing out of France and Sweden. Their debut eight track EP, simply entitled 8, was released in late December 2009, and garnered them a fair bit of attention. It served as set piece to introduce another very talented group fusing progressive, rhythmic complexity and ambient sounds into a delightful brain massaging experience. The reception and comments received through the self-release of their EP would earn them spots alongside some of most familiar names in their respective 'niche', with a spot in last years Euroblast festival, as well as a tour with Paul Ortiz (Chimp Spanner) and TesseracT. Uneven Structure would go on to sign with Basick Records in 2011 while in the recording process of their first full-length record which was released later in the year.

Uneven Structure's previous release was their self-produced EP 8, which is available for free to download.

Jay's Take on Februus:

A few weeks ago now, I wrote at length about my Top 20 Metal Albums for 2011, including a real mammoth of an explanation behind why Februus was my choice as favorite among the pack. You can read the whole thing, if you hadn't previously by going through the second post which contains my choices for #10 thru #1, or by skipping through to the end, and reading what I had to say about Februus specifically.

For brevity's sake I've decided to rip the part about the album in that post and use it here, since it still follows the same general way I do this part of my posts.

Uneven Structure follows the formula they had with 8 and channeled it to another level with Februus in creating a record that flows seamlessly from track to track, and covering an array of various elements, styles and moods. On my first play through I found myself wondering when certain tracks would end, when they had actually crossed over into the next track nearly a minute prior. The tracks Frost and Hail are a perfect example of this, and are probably the best combo tracks on the entire record - Frost also being my favorite song from last year. The thing that makes Februus so different from other albums which follow the same ideals is the level of ambiance that is emphasized by the band. The enjoyment, and the experience of listening to Februus transcends the instrumentality itself when its in full swing, the ambient effects are really what make the album flow together so well, and help solidify the moods carried through the music. Februus also happens to be a double album, with the second disc comprising three purely ambient tracks. While the instrumentation and ambiance do well enough on their own to garner a nod as a phenomenal album, the vocal work and lyricism of the record fit perfectly with each track and explore the various emotions and concepts conveyed through the different songs. It helps in a way to let you relate to the music, and the messages being conveyed, which is probably the best feeling you can get when you listen to a song.

Since I've gotten my hands on Februus I've listened to a portion of it, if not all of it at least once, nearly every day. It's an album that I can listen to under nearly any circumstance, whether I'm working, trying to catch some sleep, just relaxing or want to get some musical enjoyment. It's basically the triple threat that made my decision to make it my favorite album last year final: it has genius level musicianship and quality, absurdly high replay value, and allows you to relate to the moods conveyed through the music.

Sample of the Day:

Two-fer Tuesday, video for Awaken recorded prior to the album release, and the track Frost - these are the two opening tracks on the record, and together with Hail flow together for what feels like one 18 minute long track.





- J