Dead Town Nothing EP

Dead Town Nothing

Dead Town Nothing are from the Isle of Wight and if I had my genre-detective hat on I would describe them as being a Metalcore band who fall closest to the Punk/Hardcore side of that genre. That genre being a sub-genre itself, so I guess we are into sub-sub-genres now; a minigenre? Microgenre perhaps? Anyway that’s enough of that shit!

DTN’s debut EP starts off with an intro track with a gang vocal exclaiming “We stand and fight; we won’t back down!”, and this mission statement is a token of what’s to come. The songs are bitter barbs of passionate hardcore with themes of strife and endurance.  The two vocalists have a similar roar-range and there is the occasional death metal growl and some melodic sections. The band don’t seem afraid to throw various styles and tempos into each song, and this helps greatly to keep it sounding exciting.

Opener “The Plot” is speedy hardcore with beefy breakdown sections which lend a modern Metalcore vibe to it. Piecing catchy Hardcore Punk together with heavier Metal stylings is clearly one of the band’s strengths. “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat” is a bit of a belter, starting with a stuttering verse riff which leads into a chunky chorus. This then leads into several breakdowns and a dual  vocal, take-everything-you-slut, fuck-everything part. This band definitely likes to use banging-your-head-against-the-wall desperation in both the lyrics and the vibe of the music.

Definitely most bestest and interestingest song is the closer, “Another False Start”. This track is much more melodic than the others, and the band just seem to naturally be more comfortable with it. The harsh vocals carry on as normal, but there is a melodic, clean retort in the chorus and it just seems to fit. This track has some of the most memorable sections and riffs, and is just slightly more laid back than the others. Somehow this one did it for me, which is odd cos I usually like bands’ more brutal songs.

There’s obviously a lot of work gone into this EP. The striving and longing in the songs sounds genuine and the band will find their own sound from playing with the (micro)genres they blast through on this face-slap of a CD.

P.S. The band obliged by including vocal outtakes as a secret track – truly hilarious man-wobble voices in abundance!

My favorite metal albums of 2011

In 2011 I got married, turned 30 and became an emotional drunk. I also decided a metal quest was in order and went hunting for music that I like rather than waiting for it to come to me. Here are my favorite albums of 2011! If you like METAL in any way, this lot might appeal. If you don’t, you probably aren’t reading this. Oh, and if any of these weren’t released in 2011 you can SUPER suck my balls.



The Contortionist – Exoplanet
Youtube
I used to think that coming up with infinite sub-genres for music e.g... Post-Grindcore... was unnecessary and made music more cliquey. I was being a cock. “Pigeon-holing” as i thought of it, is actually people who are up to their tits in one broad style of music trying to describe and differentiate strains of each type of music from each other. If you are listening to Slipknot and Dimmu Borgir, the heading of “Metal” doesn’t quite cover describing both of them accurately unless you are an outsider to the whole genre. If you are a metal fiend and you are interested in finding things which you might like based on the musical style, the more description you get of the sound; the better. The people “pigeon-holing” bands are the people trying to come up with words to describe what they are hearing. The terms they use will probably become widely accepted and probably go in the dictionary at some point (is Djent in there yet?). Anyway, The Contortionist are referred to as Progressive Deathcore. It piqued my interest because of my lack of understanding of Deathcore and my love of Prog. These guys make the usual Deathcore open E/D/C/B (or whichever open chord the kids are using now) chugging less boring by interspersing it with melodic passages and some subtle electronics. The vocals are brutal but not horrific, and some clean singing is also present in places. The lyrical content seems to be metaphysical stuff like Meshuggah, and a lot of stuff about exploring the universe (aaaaallrighty then). The production is absolutely gorgeous - anyone who likes their metal dirty will not like the bouncy guitars and punchy drums on this record. The band are clearly highly talented in both playing and creating arrangements in this style, and making the songs more accessible and likable by switching up the styles on show here. Flourish features a protracted melodic rock section in the middle which is well placed and welcome, while Contact starts with a superb djenty guitar lick before heading off into a space-cadet of a sweeping melodic chorus. Top class tech-metal - there is hope for Deathcore yet. If you like your Deathcore standard, be prepared to go “why aren't they playing muted open chords all the time?”


The Black Dahlia Murder – Ritual
Youtube
BDM is almost new to me. I didn’t really get it before for some reason, but then I spent a bit of time listening to their 2009 album Deflorate and I was suddenly bitten by it, and contracted the same strain of blackened death metal virus that their enormous fanbase seems to have. Dahlia are fast as feck, and their rarely-relenting pace is probably the reason I didn’t get it at first. Ritual sees them carry on with speedy death metal, heroic lead guitars and two-tone guttural-then-screamy vocals. Vocals tend to make or break it for me because I can’t stand Ackercocke-type grunting or Despised Icon pig squeals. Trevor Strnad has a mighty sound when using his high or low pipes and it doesn’t get on my tits in any way, even on Blackened Seas of Boiling Blood in which he employs his low-tone for the whole song. This album isn’t a drastic departure from their style, but does carry on from Deflorate by making the songs more distinctive and likable. Tracks like Moonlight Equilibrium and Carbonized in Cruciform are as instantly likable as this kind of music can be. Excellent demon-slaying tunes. Not as good as Deflorate. Tour with Fleshgod Apocalypse in January is gonna be bestial! If you like Black Dahlia Murder, be ready to go “Oh, it’s another Black Dahlia Murder album”


Fleshgod Apocalypse – Agony
Youtube
I haven't listened to this album enough to fully appreciate the songs, so it is here for the pure shock-rock value of it. Holy Christ - this sounds like the end times! Fleshgod Apocalypse are from Rome and play Symphonic Death Metal. At the speed of light. The blastbeat drumming is so fast and full-on it is very hard to listen to unless you are highly accustomed to the style. Also the mix is very unusual - the drums seem to be at the top of the mix, with vocals and orchestral strings way down in the mire. The death metal growls are accompanied by the bassist’s tortured, wailing yet tuneful cries. The sound really is something to behold! Someone told me that the drummer has only been playing for four years, which I find astonishing. This is the fastest, gnarliest thing I have heard in ages and unlocking its secrets is going to be rewarding I’m sure, when I get past the shock factor! If you like your Death Metal Italian, be prepared to go and craft a lasagna out of drummer sweat and bassist dribble.


Revocation – Chaos of Forms
Youtube
I discovered this band this year and got a rock ‘n roll hard-on within moments of the thrash-tech wonderment penetrating my ear holes. I almost immediately got all three of their albums and was enraptured to find they are all excellent. Revocation sound a bit like what I imagine Megadeth would sound like if they were somehow reborn and were finding their sound in 2011 rather than 1985. The metal riffs and solos are super-technical, thrash-compliant and refreshingly experimental. The songs are mostly short and catchy, and veer off into technical dabbling towards the end. Revocation have clearly been working on the hooks for Chaos of Forms, and the songs all seem much more accessible and memorable than on previous albums. Choruses are singalong in some places, like on No Funeral. This album has chaotic, balls-to-the-wall metal moments and more delicate, explorational, concept widdly bits which keep attention levels high. Hell, you can even find some horns and an organ in The Watchers. This is fantastic metal, and Revocation’s ability to sound modern and exciting while staying true to classic metal is as rare as it is thrilling. If you like your death metal delivered with a thrash bent, Revocation will cut your hair into an 80’s mullet and, using the same scissors, cut slits into the knees of your skintight, pale denim jeans.


Turbid North – Orogeny
Youtube
Turbid North are Alaskan, and use that environment as the concept for this album. The band moved to Texas to concentrate on making music, and took a DIY approach by doing all of the recording for this album by themselves, in their house. In between recordings, the singer picked up his brush and painted the album artwork (♥). I have read a few reviews talking about their similarity to Mastodon, and there is a connection for sure. The difference is Mastodon are quite glamorous, premier-league metal and have considerably more mass-appeal nowadays, while Turbid North are grizzly, gristly and a much darker, death-rok prospect. There is, by coincidence, a track here called The Hunter, but it has nothing to do with Mastodon’s polished rock-metal album, which looks set to win all the awards this year. Turbid North’s sound incorporates trad-death metal and classic metal guitar work, with dual gutteral-screech vocals for the most part. The band sound adventurous - trawling the depths of snail’s pace death chugging, death-thrashing along to keep up with the big guns like The Black Dahlia Murder, and exploring cold, sparse acoustic or clean sections with Pantera-style classic metal lead guitar work. They give off the impression they are some dudes interested only in making cool music - no bullshit or gimmicks. If you fancy something challenging and interesting to listen to within the Death Metal sphere, Turbid North will track you through a snow-blanketed pine forest before finishing you off with an ice pick.


Vale of Pnath - The Prodigal Empire
Youtube
These dudes are straight-up Technical Melodic Death Metal, and sound quite similar to a lot of the latest crop of bands within that genre. The difference with Vale of Pnath is simply that they are really fucking good at it. This album is a real showcase of how technical and asskicking you can make this kind of music sound, while throwing in memorable melodic sections and refrains. Opener Legacy of Loss is one of those tracks which instantly tells you whether you will like this or not. The guitarwork is the most impressive thing here, and if you dig heroic dual leads and complex riffing passages VoP will not disappoint. Outro Cerulean Eclipse is a particular favorite of mine, perfectly showcasing their mad guitar skillz. If you like Tech-Melodeath, Vale of Pnath will more than likely condemn you to a Lovecraftian part-hell where demonic entities will ruin your lunchtime plans. Repeatedly.


Hatesphere – The Great Bludgeoning
Youtube
This is the absolute shit. I never heard these Danish geezers before, but I will certainly be listening up from now on. This is part Death Metal, part commercial 90s metal; which I love. The band have a very distinctive mid-pace, bouncy tempo, and the sound has a familiar gore/nastiness flavour which is executed brilliantly. This album is like irresistible pop in the wake of all the other shit I’ve been listening to, so I feel refreshed listening to it. The vocalist has a Vader/Misery Index tone to his voice, and sings of the walking dead, serial killers and, um, journeys into hell and stuff. I fucking love audio journeys into hell. If you also love audio journeys into hell, this album will craft a Ouija board out of your Warhammer 40,000 gaming table, roll a D6-6-6 and cast you into an eternity of suffering and damnation. Just like it would be if anyone discovered you were into Warhammer.


Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
Youtube
This album is reeeeeally hard to listen to. It is thoroughly uncompromising and difficult, is ice cold in its delivery and impenetrable in places, has almost no traditional song structure and is not in any way flowing or coherent. I fucking love it though. This band have properties in common with Meshuggah simply in terms of the other-worldliness of the sound and the bleak alienation that you will feel upon first listen of this. It’s like they’re saying “Fuck off and listen to something easy like Black Dahlia Murder”. Persevere though, and Fallujah are dizzying and satisfying. The Tech-Death is full-on, while they are obviously keen on throwing in virtuosic, melodic sections which make me think of Meshuggah and Devin Townsend. “Throwing in” isn’t wrong either - most of the tracks start with speed-death and clunkily progress into, well, progressive bits. It’s full-on terrifying stuff for the first couple of tracks, then the second half of Become One changes the pace and the jazzed-out spacey leads do their thing. The lead sounds on this album are straight-up fantastic, and there is an interesting and welcome use of different guitar tones and effects. Why the flip don't more bands do that? The Flame Surreal is a slower paced instrumental, and the best example of the extreme jazz metal skillfest these blokes have going on. Fallujah seem to have musical ADHD; switching up riffs the instant they become established. Being a Soilent Green fan, I love that. Technically, the musicianship is all of the highest quality, save for the vocals which I find quite standard. That said, there is one hilarious moment where the vocalist roars “CEREBRAL HYBRIDIZATIOOON!” as the chorus for the song of the same name. I love metal. In fact I love this bit so much I have nabbed the name! This album commands a lot of dedication in order to appreciate, but I do think the effort is worthwhile: these nutters are more tech and more capable than a lot of the more mainstream metal bands around today, even if the composition is erratic. Just be prepared to feel like a kid on the first day of school for the first couple of listens. If you love a challenge, and don't mind being made to feel like you don’t know anything about metal, existence or the space-time continuum, Fallujah will trap you in a multi-dimensional spatial prism and force you to miss your drum lesson.