LMP #8

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IN THIS ISSUE: L E X I N G T O N MUSIC PRESS

NO.8 OCTOBER 2010

FOUNDER/EDITOR Nathaniel Lay GRAPHIC DESIGNER Christian Johnston UNSIGNED DIRECTOR Mario Trevizo CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ryan Williford Rob Harris CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS John Joh Tay Lee LMP 37930 CHAPTICO ROAD, MECHANICSVILLE, MD 20659 E-MAIL: nathaniellay@live.com WEB: www.lmpmagazine.com LINKS www.twitter.com/lexingtonmp www.myspace.com/lexingtonmusicpress www.facebook.com/pages/Lexington-Music-Press-dot-com/297171065443 www.issuu.com/lmpmagazine FRIENDS www.audiopinions.net www.outburn.com www.ampmagazine.com www.hailsandhorns.com www.smnnews.com FOR EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING INFORMATION, PLEASE USE THE E-MAIL LISTED ABOVE. RATES ARE NEGOTIABLE AND AFFORDABLE! LMP will be offering advertising spots on our website starting September.

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Links to our web posts are greatly appreciated. If you bring us traffic, we love you. Plain and simple.

Lexington Music Press (LMP) is an online source for the latest music news, reviews, interviews, and more. We respectively went live during the summer of 2009.

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Unsigned Band Spotlight................................4 Unsigned Reviews..........................................8 Artist Lookout!.............................................12 A Sequence of Ghosts..................................16 All That Remains..........................................18 I am Alpha and Omega...............................22 Vanna.........................................................24 The Sleeping................................................28 The Wonder Years.......................................32

w CHIODOS.....................................34

This Day Will Tell.........................................42 I the Breather..............................................46 The Graduate..............................................48

Rise Records................................50

Miss May I.............................................................53 DanceGavinDance..................................................53 Tides of Man..........................................................54 Scarlett O’Hara......................................................55 Woe, is Me............................................................56

Reviews.......................................................60 lexington music press

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D E N G I UNS

R A D A R SPOTLIGHTS

NATIONAL

A Sequence Of Ghosts

Seladora

Faith can be a very strong aspect in a persons life. The struggles of finding it, holding onto it, and even losing it can be overwhelming. Using music to cope with faith is a therapy many musicians share in common. One of these unique artists comes from the town of Augusta, Georgia. Having played together for two years now, this four piece band known as Seladora, hits the stage with a progressive metal sound. Deep in their lyrics listeners will find a straight message of love. “We have way too many people in this world that go through hard times with our economy, our government, and health that they do not need hate in their lives to make it harder.” Seladora has recently released their first full length album The Restless Wanderers which was produced at Glow In The Dark Studios in Atlanta, Georgia (UnderOATH, The Chariot, MyChildren MyBride). With songs like “An Artist’s Discovery” and “Disconnect: Reconnect” new listeners will find a nice blend of heavy and soft music styles collaborated perfectly. (MT)

Halfway To Winter

A five piece band from Detroit, Michigan, Halfway To Winter is doing nothing short of printing their name to the stage. Known for their authentic post-hardcore/screamo sound, these guys have been slaying kids since April of 2008. Believe it or not, each member is still finishing up their high school careers. Finally after two years of hard work, the band has gone on to release their debut EP “To The Wolves”, which came out in early April of 2010. From start to finish, each song rages with hard hitting verses and perfectly placed melodies. With songs like “The New 46th Street” its near impossible to not be drawn into their sound. With the power and complexity behind their music, H2W has the ability to play with multiple artists.

Their most recent song release and probably their greatest “Tom Cruise Control”, will have you playing the track on repeat for days. 2010 is all about progression for these guys. Expect more songs, more touring, and more everything. (MT)

At Our Expense

Deep in the realms of the San Fernando Valley of California, six individuals arise. Collaborating genres such as

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Coming out of Orange County, CA, The Sweet Repose play honest and heartfelt rock that runs in the likes of early Matchbook Romance and The Early November. This three piece has been around for seven years now, and recently released the impressive Lay Your Axe To Rest (review included with this issue). Unlike most bands starting this day, The Sweet Repose aren’t interested in shopping labels. Currently looking to set up some tours, the band is keeping busy by writing up new demos in an attempt to possibly release a second record in the same year as Lay Your Axe To Rest. (NL)

alternative, post-hardcore, and screamo, this band goes by the name At Our Expense.

Influenced by everyday situations and personal interests, AOE is able to create a very honest feel in their music. For the last year and a half the band has been hard at work to prepare for their first EP release Save The Decade, which features their hit track “Call Me Old Fashioned”.

Beyond their release, these guys have gone on to share the stage with multiple national acts including The Ataris, Four Letter Lie, and Eyes Set To Kill to name a few. Having their new EP finally out, At Our Expense looks to tour on the album and reach to as many new fans as possible.

For full streaming of Save The Decade check out their MySpace now. (MT)

The Sweet Repose

A Sequence Of Ghosts has been a band since March of this year, and they already have already generated a buzz and released a well recorded EP. These five guys from Kansas City are set to break out with their posthardcore sound and hard work. They recently finished

up an east coast tour with My Ticket Home and Myka Relocate. After that, Dylan Plyes states, “In October/ November we will be going into the studio to track an exclusive single, and we’ll be using our days off to write and prepare for our second release, which we’ll be recording and releasing by early 2011.” And on to why people should listen to the songs, Dylan states, “Well, we’re all very confident and passionate about the music we make, and we hope that people see that in our live show and hear it in our songs. But other than that, it’s up to the listener to take it as they’d like.” (RW)

INTERNATIONAL A Crush On Yesterday

This German artist has a lot of talent going for him. Having released two EP’s in the past year, Chris writes often quiet, alternative rock best displayed acoustically. Since the creation of A Crush On Yesterday in ‘09, Chris says he takes a lot of influence from artists like Alexi Murdoch, Envy, and American Football. Having done some touring internationally, we hope to catch A Crush On Yesterday actually making it to the East Coast sometime soon. If Chris continues to work as he has thus far, we can probably expect a third EP or his first full length early 2011.

Cross your fingers. (NL)

Built On Secrets

Who needs to add screams to their sound when you can rock heavy with your music alone? Built On Secrets, that’s who. This five piece ambient rock band from Melbourne, Australia has been killing crowds for the last two years. With a melodic/ambient mix between rock and post-hardcore, their sound stands far beyond interesting. Touring all over the continent with numerous national acts including The Amity Affliction, Heroes For Hire, and Capulet, BOS is securely making a name for themselves. So far the band has gone on to release an EP titled Reflections. With hit songs like “Lessons For Liars” and “The Space Between” inside, new fans will surely be blown away after their first listen. Currently the bands main focus is to continue writing in preparation for their upcoming full length. Beyond writing, Built On Secrets looks to release a music video for their single “Lessons For Liars” and continue touring nationally. The future looks bright for these guys, something you don’t want to miss! (MT)

IExplodeLike

With the rising popularity of the digital hardcore sound, bands from all over the globe are creating very new and unique styles. One very fast growing artist is a six piece by the name IExplodeLike. Dancing their way through their hometown of Melbourne, Australia, these guys focus heavily on a mix between hardcore, dance and synth sounds. Two of their hit songs, “The Angry Wolf” and “Tricky Tricky”, can be easily found on their MySpace.

Recently, the band finished an Australian tour with US artist Senses Fail, and now puts their main focus in finishing up with their first upcoming album. With a very high energy vibe backing them, it’s hard to not turn your head twice with these guys. Watch out for more tunes as they finish up with this new record on the way. (MT)

Beyond The Fall

Making their mark all over Canada, an exhilarating Rock/ Pop-Punk band known as Beyond The Fall is coming out big. Playing together for a total of two years, this band has gone on to release one extremely successful hit track “A Day In The Death Of”. While every song on their EP is amazing, “A Day In The Death Of” will bring you back for more, time and time again. Some of their main music interests include Green Day, My Chemical Romance, and Three Days Grace. When you listen to BTF, expect fun filled choruses, catchy verses, and a whole lot of ROCK. Three words that best describe this band are Energy, Melody, and Passion without a doubt. The world needs to watch out, Beyond The Fall is here and ready to take over! (MT)

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UNSIGNED

REVIEWS

RATING SCALE: 10 = Perfect / 9 = Excellent / 8 = Very Good / 7 = Good / 6 = Decent / 5 = Average Anything lower is not worth your time!

Writers: Nathaniel Lay (NL) / Mario Trevizo (MT) / Ryan Williford (RW) / Rob Harris (Bubbs)

HAPPY BODY SLOW BRAIN Dreams Of Water

Score: 8.5 Stream: “Everything You Know” Happy Body Slow Brain is the new band from former Taking Back Sunday guitarist, Matt Fazzi. Their debut, Dreams Of Water, is a sound scape of melody and emotion, far different in style from his last band.

Starting with “Everything You Know”, the listener is instantly reeled into the beautiful and electrical tones of the album. While this track does have a 80’s vibe to it, the song that follows is more alternativefocused. “Move At Different Speeds (On The Road)” brings in more rock elements, while still keeping it fairly calm and relaxed throughout. While not vastly experimental, the album does take you down several different paths, all of which are quite interesting. “Never Loved” feels almost like a trance during its verses, “Time” is more raw in the likes of recent Spill Canvas material, and “Drag This On And On (Rain Song)” successfully molds the majority of styles explored here. If it wasn’t enough that the band is turning out great track after track, Dreams Of Water provides you with thirteen of them! In a time where many bands are starting to do less on their albums, this is greatly appreciated. This is definitely a job well done for Happy Body Slow Brain.

(NL)

THEY WERE HEROES For Those Who Sleep

Score: 8 Stream: Any track Let us get one thing straight before we continue with this review. They Were Heroes is not trying to reinvent the wheel; they just want to make music they love and have fun while doing it. With that in mind, they have just released their newest EP, For All Those Who Sleep, to the masses. What you are greeted with is some phe-

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nomenal instrumental work throughout, and a mixture of screaming and singing. The thing is that the band is often complimented for the way the screaming and singing play off each other, because they both work well together. Ben Daughtry does not have a voice of an angel, but his singing is memorable and feeds off of Colin’s screams well. You then add in the instrumental work, and the band has the potential to make it big in the next year or so. The older fans will notice that they rerecorded the three songs off their self-titled EP to be included onto this release. While nothing really new is added to those songs, it is nice to hear them better recorded, as they are the band’s most well known songs when they play live. But each song featured is top-notch and any fan of the genre will love it. (RW)

ENEMY LOGIC

Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind

Score: 5.5 Stream: “The Iron Law” Hailing from Ireland, Enemy Logic’s MySpace describes their sound as “uncompromisingly heavy yet melodic”. While we don’t hear the “melodic” part, they are certainly heavy. However, that doesn’t mean a band is automatically good. In fact, metal acts have to try harder than most genres just because so many of them sound exactly the same. While not original, Enemy Logic do at least have a sound not overused. Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind brings to mind several bands at times, including Eighteen Visions, For Today, and Caliban. They use hardcore elements a lot, which helps them branch out a bit more in their genre. This is best heard during “Final Movement”. While there are moments on this album that are memorable, there also plenty of generic and tiresome ones. As a result, Enemy

Logic may appeal at first, but then become boring before you’ve gotten half way through their album. Some of their styles show potential, but there’s a lot of work that they need to do before their sound will be developed enough for the big leagues. (NL)

EVER AFTER Once Upon A Time

Score: 8 Stream: “Hypocritease” Upon first listen of Once Upon A Time, the listener will notice that the music is good enough for what they do.

The band is still growing everyday and this EP should help them with that process. The screams fit the music well and are smartly used as the backbone of their sound. Whenever the singing comes in, it feels low in the mix, so it hurts the mood of those parts, but you can get the feel of what the band is trying to achieve. The band was lucky enough to land Daryl, vocalist of the now disbanded My Hero Is Me, for a guest vocal spot at the end of “Hypocritease”, and it works out very well. The instrumentalists do not do much out of the ordinary, but what they do they pull off well. With a bit more time together and just growing older Ever After will get even better, but as it stands they are good enough to get signed if they wanted to try to go that route. (RW)

SELADORA

The Restless Wanderers

Score: 9 Stream: “An Artist’s Discovery”, “Family Table” A new band on the rise, Seladora comes out with what seems to be a very promising sound that deserves recognition. Starting out the album is a quick and subtle intro track that gives a glimpse of the band’s softer side.

Safely bringing you to a heavier setting with “Disconnect: Reconnect”, things start to pick up. Unlike many rising artists, Seladora take a step away from the typical “hardcore” approach. With riffs that drift in and out like waves, the band is able to combine singing and screaming quite flawlessly. Each song in the first half of the album merely touche on the bands capabilities. By combining elements of various genres, the band creates a style that is clearly unique to them. Once the second half of the album starts, things begin to really pick up. Songs like “Artist Discovery” or “Family Table” reflect a complete elaboration of Seladora’s abilities by presenting a stronger focus on the unique traits that make up their sound.

Anyone interested in a new sound that doesn’t follow the typical “core” formula, will find pleasure in this album.

(MT)

A CRUSH ON YESTERDAY Strong On The Surface

Score: 9 Stream: “Locked Up Inside”

This European artist has a lot of experience under his belt, so it’s no surprise that his second album is another success for acoustic/folk musicians. This five song EP is track after track of beautiful and sad sounds. From the start of “Impatience”, Chris is bringing in the big guns.

Each song is deep and engrossing, whether it’s due to the lyrics or the instrumental work. In a literal view, it may not seem all that complicated, but it does immerse the listener very easily. A Crush On Yesterday has a knack for making moving music, and Strong On The Surface is no different. Now if we could only get Chris to tour the whole U.S....(NL)

BACKSEAT GOODBYE The Good Years

Score: 9 Stream: “Letdown Of The Year” After his last album, we feared Chad Sugg had lost his touch. Luckily, he has returned Backseat Goodbye to its original sound with The Good Years. The opening track, “Elliot Smith Is Still Alive”, immediately shows fans that Chad is back to his old self (which may have something to due with the album’s title).

There is, however, still a growth to be heard here. Unlike the last album, these mature steps forward don’t hinder the upbeat tunes Backseat Goodbye was founded upon.

Tracks like “Hey, You’re Not Alone” show this great balance, making it even more clear that Chad is an incredible musician not receiving his dues. These songs may not be as damn catchy as his older material, but they still have heart and honesty one can’t ignore. The Good Years is a marvelous return for Backseat Goodbye. If you don’t know Chad yet, then this is a great time to join his fan base. (NL)

INTERCEPT

Symphony For Somebody Else

Score: 8 Stream: “Last One To Show” For their second album, Intercept have released the beautiful and melodic Symphony For Somebody Else.

Mixing mostly indie and alternative rock styles, this album is track after track of sweet sounds and flowing music. Not every song is a hit, but there are a good many that really stand out above the rest. “Made To Fall”, “Last One To Show”, and “100 Times” probably come out as the top three, but there is a lot to love here. It’s surprising this band hasn’t been picked up by any labels yet; they truly have the talent to go places. Make sure to check out Symphony for yourself and become a fan. (NL)

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HALFWAY TO WINTER To The Wolves

Score: 9.5 Stream: “She Looks Like A Biz Markie”, “The Right Hook” If there was a contest for best EP release of the year, To The Wolves would certainly be a nominee with high recommendations. To add some extra emphasis, Halfway To Winter are pretty admirable in themselves. Forming at the beginning of their high school careers in April, it is quite apparent the skill and focus put into their sound never saw a dull moment. Although the EP is a quick five tracks, it seems like much more once you finish listening to it from start to finish. Opening the release is an explosive and catchy song by the name “Demons Don’t Need Peons To Chop Wood”. And yes, for any of you “nerds” in the house, this song is a reference to the World Of Warcraft. As the following four tracks play along, the power and technicality progressively increases. It’s hard to pick and choose a favorite as each song brings it’s own personality to the table. While To The Wolves takes a modern post-hardcore approach, it plays stronger and tighter than most current releases. The riffs are catchier, the breakdowns are heavier, and the singing hits all the right notes. New listeners will certainly lose themselves in the wake of tracks like “The New East 46th Street” and “The Right Hook”. (MT)

AT OUR EXPENSE Save The Decade

Score: 6.5 Stream: “Nothing Personal, It’s Just Business” Like a mix of At The Skylines and Before Their Eyes, At Our Expense mold soaring vocals with screamolike breakdowns and speed variants. The first actual song of Save The Decade, “Nothing Personal, It’s Just Business”, is instantly likeable and favorable. The recording of the instruments is professional, while the vocals have a live quality to them that works well. The singing often seems distant and forlorn, whereas the screams are upfront and more in-your-face. This interesting balance helps make At Our Expense more separate from the other bands of its genre. The only real fault of this band is their lack of explosive moments. A lot of the tracks don’t jump out at the listener, and therefor aren’t memorable. However, there are plenty of parts throughout this album that show

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major potential. If the band did some tightening and song re-construction, At Our Expense could really make a name for themselves. As it stands now, Save The Decade is more than solid. (NL)

THE SWEET REPOSE Lay Your Axe To Rest

Score: 9 Stream: “Take Me Away” Think of Matchbook Romance before they lost their touch. Now bring in elements of The Early November, Sherwood, and Jimmy Eat World. This is more or less the formula of The Sweet Repose, a truly interesting band that could fill the void most of these artists left behind.

This alternative force really sticks out upon immediate listen, and unlike many potential artists, they keep this spark throughout Lay Your Axe To Rest. This is one of those releases that works best when heard start to finish.

These tracks are dripping with talent and naivety. The Sweet Repose will likely bring to mind simpler times, as well as take you off into your own little world as you listen to your speakers. (NL)

CAR PARTY Someone Like Me

Score: 7.5 Stream: “Pittsburgh” Considering we fell in love with “Love Online” months ago, Someone Like Me is a bit of a disappointment.

The recordings all sound like demos and unfinished, making them less approachable. The tracks are also not what we were expecting. “Love Online” was really atmospheric, whereas these songs seem more straightforward (even the new version of “Love Online”).

These complaints aside, Car Party do mold some interesting sounds together (most notably with “Pittsburgh”) and show promise throughout. With a better studio looking out for them, these songs could be re-recorded for a glorious return. (NL)

EVERY MINUTE CAN KILL Get Your Groove On

Score: 6 Stream: “There’s A Snake In My Boot” There are plenty of bands out there that sound great when briefly heard in passing, but then lack the ability to keep your attention when heard in whole.

Every Minute Can Kill falls into that category more often than not. Get Your Groove On has plenty of elements going for it, but it also fails to be memorable as a complete collection. Everything is performed well, but the vocal parts don’t really come out at the listener.

A song that gets the crowd moving and participating is a good song. Every Minute Can Kill doesn’t really get you moving or interested in singing/screaming along.

As a result, this album falls short. It shows plenty of promise, but the formula needs to be tweaked as well.

Give the band a year to find their true sound, and they may just blow us away next time around. (NL)

THE RUNNING LIST No Holds Barred

Score: 8.5 Stream: “About Letting Go” It’s Alright, We’re OK showed us The Running List was a punk/rock band worth hearing. Their latest EP, No Holds Barred, is a three track collection that follows in the same footsteps. Each song is bouncy and fun to play, so there’s no doubt that The Running List can get a room moving live. It’s hard to pick one song, as there are only three, but “About Letting Go” sounds the most diverse for the band. Either way, each track of No Holds Barred can hold its own. This is short, but sweet. Another job well done from a band we recommend to the fans of Man Overboard and Junior Battles. Maybe we’ll just pass these guys along to No Idea Records...(NL)

TAREK KASMI The New Century

Score: 9 Stream: “We’re Not Sorry” With a voice and style similar to a mixture of Bayside and Anberlin, Tarek Kasmi is immediately engaging and entertaining. Despite being the release of a solo artist, The New Century sounds like it was written by a full band. It’s encouraging to hear a young dude come up with all this himself. Right from the start with “We’re Not Sorry”, this EP is catchy and keeps the listener hooked. “The Quiet Of Morning” is the only all acoustic track, and gives you an idea of how Tarek sounds without help from other musicians. Every track of The New Century is well worth your time, as is this artist in general. Check out Tarek Kasmi as soon as you can.

We look forward to hearing more from him soon, as should you. (NL)

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UNSIGNED

!

T U O K O O L T ARTIS

Artist Lookout is a new section that is less than a feature, but more than a tweet. Here are some solid unsigned artists that deserve attention. With AL!, we cover the main facts of each band that you’ll want to know. - Mario Trevizo

Call The Calvary

Genre - Post Hardcore Hometown - Hamilton/Ontario, Canada Recommended Track - “Coda” Link - myspace.com/callthecavalry What’s to like: Call The Calvary puls off the post-hardcore sound flawlessly with their dual vocalist style. Introducing a front woman for melodies and front man for screams, both feed off each other equally to make an addicting sound. One listen to “Coda” will draw anyone back for more.

In Alcatraz 1962

Machree

Genre - Progressive/Experimental/Rock Hometown - Saint Louis, Missouri Recommended Track - “Vulchurch” Link - myspace.com/wearemachree What’s to like: If there was a reward for most innovative underground sound, Machree could most likely expect to win it.

While they are labeled as progressive/experimental rock, it’s rather hard to put a solid finger on them.

Check out their tunes to see for yourself.

Screaming Eyes

Genre - Hardcore/Metal Hometown - Nova, Virginia Recommended Track - “Winter Sun” Link - myspace.com/inalcatraz1962 What’s to like: With a solid fan base on the east coast, IA62 is making quite a name for themselves. For some time now, the band has taken the sounds of hardcore and metal to a whole different level. Listen to a few tracks and they will sound much bigger than they appear.

Genre - Hardcore/Metal Hometown - Mondovi/Cuneo, Italy Recommended Track - “Everlasting Farewell” Link - myspace.com/screamingeyeshxc What’s to like: When it comes to metal in Italy, there’s no joking around. Screaming Eyes is a perfect example of that.

With two power-house tracks on their MySpace, it goes without question how skillful these guys are. Mixing a variety of different elements into their songs, it is near impossible to not crawl back for more.

Dead City Sunday

Aim For The Sunrise

Genre - Alternative/Pop Rock/Screamo Hometown - Sacramento, California Recommended Track - “Dress Up” Link - myspace.com/deadcitysunday What’s to like: Dead City Sunday is a mix between so many genres that they are just fun to listen to. Whether you are in a mood for a catchy rock n’ roll riff, or something to scream to, they’ve got it. Want a great forgotten track?

Check out their first album on MySpace and listen to “The Remaining Years”; have fun.

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Genre - Post Hardcore/Metal Hometown - Sweden Recommended Track - “Saints Never Surrender” Link - myspace.com/aimforthesunrise What’s to like: Aim For The Sunrise brings back a classic blend of singing and screaming. While the majority of the music is very heavy, the melodies play together quite well.

Definitely a band with smooth transitions making for an easy listen to grab onto.

that completely pulls the listener in that makes you pay attention to every aspect of the sound, so this is something we strive towards. Our stylistic approach is to keep a steady dynamic of heavy and melodic, soft and loud. We know this is something that has been done before, but our goal is to do it in a way that no one has yet, with more passion and drive than anyone has yet to approach this style with.

What was it like recording with Kevin Gates and what was the most memorable experience from the process?

A SEQUENCE OF GHOSTS Interview w/ Dylan Pyles (Guitar) by Ryan Williford Hailing from Kansas City, A Sequence Of Ghosts play some truly impressive post-hardcore that will ultimately lead them to a label soon enough. Having just released their debut EP this past July, the band has kept a solid touring schedule throughout the summer with more dates still coming. Contributing writer Ryan Williford had the chance to interview the band, following their unsigned spot in our last issue.

You guys have only been a band since March of this year and there seems to already be a buzz around you guys. Why do you think this is the case?

JC: I would say there are several factors involved. It helps a lot that we had a specific game plan in mind when we started the band in the first place. All of our previous bands toured on a national scale, and because of that, each of us formed an extensive network of friends and fans. We also like to think that we have an extremely dedicated work ethic and we take selfpromotion very seriously. We feel that in the independent music scene, the best tool you can use for your band is yourself. Everyone does everything they can to spread the word about this band and the things we are doing; there’s no one who just sits around and doesn’t contribute. We try to generate as much word-of-mouth publicity as possible, and if people like what we’re doing, word will continue to spread.

Within this time period, you also were able to write and record an EP. What can you tell us about the EP?

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JC: We recorded it with our buddy Kevin Gates at Engaged Audio in Springfield, MO. He’s a really great guy and was able to do a great job with our limited time frame. Like I said before, we had a game plan in mind when we first started writing together, and cranking out an EP was part of it. We took the first couple of months we were together solely to write and re-write until we had a set of songs that we were especially happy with, then took them down to Springfield and tracked everything in three days. We’re all very pleased with the way it came out and are happy to see that people are catching onto the songs and enjoying them.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before, and which song off the EP best exemplifies this description?

JC: I would say we have a lot of influence from standard melodic hardcore, but we like to keep an undeniable heaviness somewhere in each of our songs. We all listen to a lot of really atmospheric and ambient instrumental music, so that sneaks its way into a lot of our writing also. We try to make each song an experience.

Most great bands have that ability to create something

JC: It was a really fun and awesome time. Jesse and Zane’s old band recorded with him and had nothing but good things to say, so the rest of us were excited to meet him and get to hang out. Kevin has a great handle on getting down to business, but also keeping things fun and lighthearted. We would take routine breaks to watch YouTube videos and various scenes of Jurassic Park. I would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to get great stuff done with their music, but also have a good time. We stayed at our friend Seth’s house for the days we were tracking, and nothing but a good time went down. We got ourselves into a bad situation with a terrorist wasp (thank God for used drum-heads) and urinated out of the window on numerous occasions (shh, don’t tell Seth). But the most memorable experience was definitely the poor decision we made one sweltering afternoon to eat lunch at the infamous “Incredible Pizza”. Let’s just say, it did not do good things for our bodies, especially Jesse’s.

You guys are also set to tour this fall. Can you share any details with us?

JC: Absolutely! We will be leaving on September 7th and doing a few shows on our own, then meeting up with My Ticket Home and Myka, Relocate on the 11th in Ohio. The three of us are headed out to the East Coast, where we’ll be doing a run of dates together.

The package is intended to feature three up-andcoming bands who’ll hopefully be making waves soon. We’re extremely excited about hitting up a lot of places we’ve never played and spreading our music to a wide range of audiences. The other two bands are very talented and we can’t wait to create relationships with them. It’s going to be a great time. The dates as planned go like this: September 11th -Mansfield, OH September 12th -Toledo, OH September 13th -Pittsburgh, PA September 14th -OPEN September 15th -Rochester, NY September 17th -Syracuse, NY September 18th -Boston, MA September 19th -Hartford, CT September 21st -Port Jervis, NJ

September 22nd -Allentown, PA September 23rd -Virginia Beach, VA September 24th -Richmond, VA September 25th –TBA, NC September 26th -Greenville, NC After that, we will be going on a short stint as part of another package, the details haven’t been announced quite yet, but the dates will be mostly in the Southwestern U.S. Then, doing more independent touring through all of the central United States.

Has there been any talks about potential plans in the winter yet? If so, can you let us in on any details?

JC: We’re going to be recording an exclusive single after we finish our Fall touring, then doing some regional dates and focusing on hanging out and writing. Trying to get a tighter and better overall [sound] as a band.

We keep the mindset that no matter where we’re at as a band, we can always get better and be doing more.

So we’ll focus on that for a while, then hopefully going in to the studio and recording a whole new set of songs to be released in early 2011. After that, we’ll be back on the road for… a really freaking long time.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being unsigned for you guys?

JC: Well, we will always work as hard as we can, doing everything we can to spread the word of this band. We know that we would be working just as hard whether we were signed or not. As an unsigned band, it’s nice to have freedom to make every choice for yourself and being confident in the decisions you make for the band. Not to mention we think it’s a lot of fun doing all of the dirty work for the band, we enjoy putting time into doing things the way we want.

Obviously, a label can do a lot for a band if they put adequate time and effort into working appropriately with a bands potential, but a lot of times bands get so carried away with the idea of “getting signed” that they’ll take any offer thrown at them by any label. This is something we definitely stay away from. When we do sign, we want it to be with a label that understands what we’re trying to do, just as we would have to understand what they’re doing. Sometimes a label can do more bad for a band than good.

Thank you for your time! Any final thoughts?

JC: Thank you! Appreciate the interview. Just be sure to check us out on any tour dates that are coming near you and keep up on our MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook for updates! You can also add all of us personally on Facebook if you want, then talk to us about whatever is on your mind. Especially if it has to do with the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls or the Kansas City Chief’s potential for a play-off run this season.

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easily pick out what song came from what album in this band which I think is very cool. A lot of bands put out two or three albums in a row that sound exactly the same,

ALL THAT REMAINS

Last decade was all about illegal downloading, album leaks, and auto-tune. What do you feel will take over this decade as the biggest news items and why?

MM: What I see happening in the next decade for pretty much every kind of music, and it already happens in the rap world pretty often, is the demise of the full album.

With the lack of attention spans these days, and the ability to just download single songs from so many different bands, I just don’t see how full albums will be relevant.

You see a lot of rappers releasing one big hit single, then they go tour for a few months on that one single. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened to all kinds of music. There aren’t many people who listen to albums front to back anymore, unfortunately.

Interview w/ Mike Martin (Guitar) by Ryan Williford

Even if you aren’t a fan, you’ve probably at least heard of All That Remains. With their fifth record coming mid October (For We Are Many), listeners of the band have a lot to be hopeful for. Not only is the album full of what made ATR who they are today, the guys have naturally added some new elements along the way.

Y

ou guys are set to release For We Are Many October 12th. How would you compare this album to the rest of your discography sound wise?

MM: I think the cool thing about this album is that it has a bunch of aspects from each album in our catalog. It’s the best variety of songs I think we’ve ever come up with. There’s definitely stuff on it that would fit right in with either Darkened, The Fall of Ideals, or Overcome.

There is also definitely some fresh stuff that we’ve never done in there before that will catch people’s attention for sure.

Why did you guys decide to go back to Adam D. to produce the new album over Jason Suecof, who produced Overcome?

MM: We went back to Adam basically because he was available this time around. We always prefer to record at home as opposed to traveling. Jason was awesome

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and did a great job, but if the option is there to stay near home and record, we’ll take it every time.

Throughout For We Are Many, I hear a few parts, ideas, and sounds that I have not heard from you guys before. Did you guys set out to do a few things like this, or did it just flow into the songs throughout the process?

MM: I think we always set out to do some stuff we’ve never done on each album. For us, it’s part of the natural flow of writing the album. I think you could always very

and expectations for the upcoming tours?

MM: The current tour we’re on with Unearth and As I Lay Dying has been amazing so far. We’ve toured with both bands so many times over the years, it’s like being out with family. The Carnifex guys are great guys too, so it was nice to get to meet them as well on this run.

This tour ends in California and our headlining tour with Asking Alexandria and Born of Osiris starts immediately after this ends in San Francisco. That’ll take us to the middle of November. Then after Thanksgiving, we head to Europe for about a month of shows with Caliban and Soilwork; then Australia for Soundwave in February, and hopefully Japan sometime around then as well. That’s as much as I know for now, but there will be plenty after that as well I’m sure.

Thank you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me. Any final thoughts? and people get bored. We’ve always been proud of the fact the each of our records has a different sound and feel.

On a related note, what albums were you guys listening to and/or being influenced by during the writing and recording of this album, and how do you feel that affected this album?

MM: My final thoughts would just be to go buy our album when it comes out on October 12th! Don’t steal it! (Haha) Also, keep an eye out for tour dates because we’re hitting every place in the world pretty much in the next year. Be prepared!

MM: I don’t think there were any other albums really that influenced the writing of this album or any other album.

Most of us don’t really even listen to this style of music when we are not playing it. Plus, sometimes listening to too much of the same stuff can influence you without you even knowing it and you end up writing something that sounds too much like someone else already without realizing it.

You guys are currently in the middle of a massive touring cycle throughout the states. How has this current tour been for you guys and what are the details

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Why did you guys decide to write the more mellow “Chasing”, and was it written on a personal experience or just to remind people that God is always there to accept you into his arms?

IF: Honestly, we weren’t even sure if that song would make it onto the album. We were so busy working on all the other songs, and knew that we wanted to close the album out with a worship-type song, and eventually the last day of tracking for the album came around, and it

I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA

Interview w/ Ilya Fish (Guitar) by Ryan Williford

After some recent problems with label contracts, I Am Alpha And Omega have finally chosen a home with Come & Live Records. With this news came the official release of the band’s long anticipated album, The Roar And The Whisper. Even better, IAAAO gave it away for free online as a sort of apology to their fans for the wait. In support of their new record and label, we sent out contributing writer Ryan Williford to talk with guitarist Ilya Fish about everything going on. Please forgive his lengthy responses. ;-)

Y

ou guys have just released your new album The Roar And The Whisper. What can you tell us about the new album?

IF: This album, for us, is arguably the definition for our up and down spiritual walk with Jesus Christ. I think there were times during the process of writing and recording this album when I would go from feeling super close and intimate with God, to absolutely distant and far away.

And, for me personally, I think writing and recording music during those times enabled us to capture both extremes, to the point of where every time I listen to a song, I instantly say to myself “I remember when we wrote that. I remember how I felt”, and that is incredibly powerful to me because kids come up to us or message us and tell us how they love this album, or how a certain song moves them and I say to myself “wait a minute, I was so broken and completely not in an intimate place with God at all when that song came about, how come

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He still used that?” And when you see all of that happen around you, it helps you get a better glimpse of who God truly is, and realizing that He will use you, no matter where you are, close or far, is the most breathtaking feeling ever.

Personally, the title track and “Chasing” are my favorite songs. Which songs are your favorites from the album and why?

IF: I love “Chasing”. It’s been one of my favorites from the album, also along with “Beaten, Betrayed, Denied” just because they just have this awesome spirit of pure worship behind them, and every single time that I hear them I just feel the Spirit and it’s just so amazing. Besides those, I think “The Lost and The Captor” is one of my favorites too just because it’s just really catchy, upbeat, and fun to open up our set with.

was like 9 and we were scheduled to go to 12 and realized that we hadn’t even touched that song, so Dave, our producer, basically said to us “you have two hours to write this song or it doesn’t go on the album” and it was basically down to the last minute but it ended up getting done. As far as the lyrical content, it’s definitely personal experience with just being apart from God and His constant love and pursuit of us.

Before the release of the album, you guys were in label discussions that broke down due to unfortunate circumstances. With the release of this album, will you guys start talking to labels again for the next album?

and trying to get things going. It might be self-booked, it might be opening. We have no idea, but regardless of what it is, we are definitely planning on playing this record out as much as we can, as soon as we can nationwide. Our vehicle situation has always been a source of bad luck/spiritual warfare, depending on how you look at it, and we are currently without a vehicle and trailer as we had to sell a lot of what we had to pay for the repair bills from the last tour we did. With that being said, we have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund a van and

trailer for us to hit the road. So definitely keep an eye out for that!

Thank you for your time! Any final thoughts?

IF: Thank you! I would just say be sure to pick up a copy of our album, either through purchase or download, from us directly of course, and tell your friends about the album too. Come out to a show when we hit the road again and say “hi”, talk to us, and just hang out!

IF: Honestly, we have no idea. We haven’t sat down and discussed that at all. I think for us right now, our biggest focus is to tour this album, play it out, meet and hang out with all of our fans and just do our thing. If “doors” open, we will pray about them and see what God wants, but right now we’re just focusing on the whole ‘at the moment’ thing, and allowing God to lead us and not make any plans of our own because when you do that, God ends up having something different in mind anyways. So there’s no use in making your own agenda.

Are there any plans to tour this Fall or Winter?

IF: Yes. We are currently talking to a few different people

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and find a new vocalist. Davey is a real close friend of the band and has toured in some of his other bands with Vanna (Always and Forever, Seeker Destroyer). He seemed almost like a natural pick to not only fill the spot but really come together with the other four guys and really make VANNA. Felt so right on both sides.

Tell us about the cover art to this EP

What led you guys to bring back “Dead Language” from your first EP? It’s a fan favorite, and the song has evolved with the newer guys and time that we just knew fans would love it, and we just wanted to do it for us and them.

Plus, maybe introduce new fans to it as well; bring it full circle.

It’s a reflection of the album title; it has a lot of the album’s lyrical imagery in it. We think it’s pretty cool.

What led you guys to choose “Trashmouth” from the last album to be re-recorded for the EP?

Why the title Honest Hearts?

Also, again fan favorite and band favorite. Davey did just about the whole album cycle touring on A New Hope, so that song is as much his as it is Vanna’s, and we had this concept for a while so we said let’s do it, spice up the EP with a video, and of course we wanted Davey on it, so there it is!

We wanted a title that represented this record and us. We just have felt slighted at times in this industry by insincere people/bands/whoever, and we work hard and are real dudes. We have honest hearts, plain and simple. That’s us, that’s our friends, that’s our fans.

In

This EP has a live quality to the vocal recordings They have that energetic rush as if they’re being performed right on the spot. Why is that? Was it intentional?

Interview w/ Davey Muise (Vocals) and Chris Campbell (Drums) by Nathaniel Lay

After signing with Epitaph late 2005, Vanna began their trek with the release of The Search Party Never Came EP. It was a unique metalcore album that introduced a unique band to the scene. It was then followed

by Curses and A New Hope (their best album). Soon after this last Epitaph release, there were some member changes, including the addition of new vocalist Davey Muise. Now with their Artery debut EP nearing release, Vanna are busy gearing up for some heavy touring and the responses to come for The Honest Hearts.

W

hat made you guys decide to go with an EP over a new full length?

We really wanted to get material out with Davey on it, and we all felt like we all had music/lyrics inside of us that we wanted to get out. We also wanted to do a video and remake an older track, so an EP seemed the way to go. Just to try something out and make something solid.

How did you guys come to signing with Artery?

What happened with Epitaph?

We felt like after everything we’ve been through as

band, we didn’t have a home anymore. Like we didn’t belong. I think we felt lost at Epitaph and we think they felt the same way. We parted ways and we searched for a home for this band, a place where we were believed in, and truly found that at Artery. Couldn’t be happier.

Is this new release ONLY digital?

We will have physical copies on tour with us, which includes the “Trashmouth” video and footage.

How did Davey Muise come to joining the band?

Chris Preece was leaving, and we decided to press on

Davey and Evan bring passion to what they do. Davey brings a new unique energy to the table in the studio and on stage. He’s full of, well, everything (haha).

Hope, rage, frustration, love, anger – you name it. And Evan does what he’s always been doing, but he’s really come into his own with his vocal melodies and arrangements. They both just brought it.

Tell us about your upcoming tours, such as the Ghostbustour We are really excited to hit the road with Iwrestledabearonce on their headliner. Those are super close friends of ours and we can’t wait to party and share the stage with them, as well as with The Chariot, Eyes Set To Kill, and our label mates Chelsea Grin.

Stoked to be on the road. It’s what we are here for, you know.

several ways, this feels like a return to the sound of The Search Party. Tell us how you approached writing and recording this EP I think we just went back to our raw roots without going too far or remembering who and what this band is. We went to an amazing hardcore/punk producer Jay Maas and just jammed it out. It just represents Vanna after all the changes and touring and trials and triumphs. It’s us, we know who we are and where were going.

head there after sessions and just swim and hang. It was peaceful and perfect and it brought us closer together.

Just to be able to chill like that had a huge influence on the record. It also fits perfectly with the vibe of the whole record. The Big Deep of emotions.

This album is noticeably more exploratory and atmospheric. What made you guys decide to mature the sound so much?

DR: We didn’t really decide...it just came together very organically. Some people, when it comes to music, think of the word “mature” as “not as heavy” or something lame like that, which I think is an absolute stereotypical comment from people who don’t accept growth. We all grow, even if we don’t want to. It’s nature. As for the music itself, I honestly feel our music has gotten heavier but in an atmospheric way, which is the heavy we have ALWAYS wanted to be. We have always wanted to take a listener on one consecutive journey, which I do feel we have done on every record, but not nearly as focused as this record.

This record is going to hopefully make the listener stop and take a deep breath after hearing it and feel a way they have never felt.

Was it harder writing these kind of songs?

W

hat have you guys been up to since the release of What It Takes in ‘09?

DR: Becoming a completely different unit. As much as we all loved What It Takes...we were in a state of confusion with where we were at. We had just gotten Paul and Chris on board and rushed straight into writing for WIT. We needed to figure out ourselves individually and as a whole before continuing and a lot of that started happening as WIT album cycle started coming to a close.

Interview w/ Doug Robinson (Vocals) by Nathaniel Lay Since 2007, The Sleeping have released three records through Victory Records, The Big Deep being the fourth.

Just last year, the band released the amazingly addictive What It Takes. However, the band was in the midst of some member changes, leaving them feeling a bit unsure which direction their next album would take them.

So what exactly changed from that album to this one? A LOT. With a much deeper and more mature sound (I mean it as a good thing, Doug!), The Sleeping have returned with a new album that will surely turn heads and make people think.

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Tell us about the new record. Why the title The Big Deep?

DR: The new record is by far the best thing we have ever created. Each album has a special place in our lives, but this is by far the most we have ever pushed ourselves and we feel it all came together very naturally. Vibe-wise, it is the deepest we have ever written. People are going to feel this record and dive right into the story. In a sense, this record is a concept record about growing up and facing certain truths we all run away from. It has a lot to do with the past year and a half of my life and I hope that people will feel a connection with it. The Big Deep is actually a swim hole right down the road from the studio. We would

DR: I wouldn’t say harder, but we were definitely more in tune and focused with ourselves than we ever have been.

I remember right when the record was ready for mixing... we all looked at each other and couldn’t believe we were finished tracking. It had nothing to do with the time length, because we were there for over two months. It was just that we were so heavily focused and in a creative zone that we never seemed to realize how everything was coming together. We just worked and worked and worked.

Even when we were relaxing from sessions. We were just always amp-ed and talking about ideas and whatnot.

What tracks are your favorite off the new album? Why? DR: I love every single track. This is by far the most brutally honest I have ever been lyrically...and I like to think that I am always honest with my lyrics. However, this one, to me, just surpasses anything else. Musically as well... everyone really stepped it up to the point where I still can’t believe that we created something like The Big Deep. Not to mention I am a second guitar player on this record, which I absolutely love. I am extremely proud of us and I mean that in the most humble way possible.

Have any of the new songs been played live yet?

DR: Yes, we have been playing the second track, “Boroughs of the Ocean”, and the fifth track, called “Deafening the UK”.

What’s the story behind the cover art?

DR: The whole record is a journey which has to do with the last year and a half of my life. Where I was at physically and mentally, which

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happened to be all over the place. I moved from NY to LA and back in a matter of months. I ran away from

ferent ways with your band members. You create stronger bonds and it becomes a huge breath of fresh air.

What are your touring plans?

DR: Touring every second. We have some dates with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, followed by Finger Eleven dates, and then we will be starting The Big Deep Tour, which we will be headlining and playing with awesome bands, like Tides of Man and Pmtoday. Also, Just like Vinyl and Happy Body Slow Brain will be on select dates. Very stoked.

How would you compare this record to your previous releases?

DR: I can’t compare this one to the others, but I will say that we will always have our sound, even if that sound completely differs from the previous, because what has always made our sound is the fact that we thrive on progressing and bettering ourselves. I think this record is a very deep rock record from five dudes who are giving it their all and releasing every emotion into their instruments.

problems only to face the fact that I ran away from problems. I wrote all the way there and all the way back. The cover is an open suitcase, which represents the mental and physical aspects of one’s journey. Throughout the whole layout you will see that there are different terrains on each page which represent the journey itself. On the back cover, you see the suitcase closed on a wooden floor, representing a return home. I want people to hear this and have the cover in their hand, because under each page of lyrics rests a different terrain. It brings the listener on their own journey while taking my hand and walking through mine. One of my very close friends designed the layout, which made it even more important to me. He knows what I have been through and he created that whole layout without even listening to a single song. We sent him all of the song titles and gave him free reign. That’s why friends save lives. There’s always someone who knows exactly what you’re going through.

I am thankful for friends like Jeff Ramirez (www.allinvisiblethings.com).

What was the studio experience like?

DR: It was amazing. We have done two previous records with Mike Birnbaum and Chris Bittner, but what made this experience more memorable had a lot to do with the fact that we recorded throughout the whole summer. We have ALWAYS recorded records in the winter. It’s just the way it always worked out. For once, we were able to fully explore our surroundings (Woodstock, NY) and all of its beauty. We were able to do so many cool things together because of the weather. We spent a lot of time as friends, which is extremely important when you’re constantly touring. As amazing as touring is, it’s nice to be able to take a step back and experience things in dif-

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What albums has the band had on heavy rotation?

What music influenced you guys when writing The Big Deep?

DR: I was personally on a huge Notorious B.I.G. kick during the recording process. Even though there is no comparison of styles or genres, Biggie was nothing but brutally honest with his lyrics. He told his stories about his struggles, trying to do anything he can to make a better life for himself and his family. I respect that to no end. I obviously don’t agree with killings and whatnot, but I absolutely respect the gift he had. He would listen to his beats one or two times around, tell the producer he was ready, and that would be the song. It doesn’t get anymore honest than that and I am thankful for artists like that. I was also playing a lot of Fiona Apple...she has a very similar gift with her lyrics. She is as honest as they come. Her ability to tell her stories about her life and make you just want to be there for her. That’s a connection. Almost like a cry for help. I admire people who take leaps like that. Not to mention her voice and her music is absolutely incredible. She’s actually one of my top five all time favorite artists. As for everyone else in the band...there was a lot of The Police, The Exit, Bloc Party, Silversun Pickups, Bjork and Pink Floyd in heavy rotation.

Are there any songs off this album that you think will become the new set openers or closers when on stage?

DR: Not sure yet...but we are hard at work!!

Final words or announcements for fans DR: Thank you all for sticking with us. The Big Deep will not disappoint. You can pick it up on September 28th!

Follow us on Twitter too: @TheSleepingNY

headlining the shows and they’ve been well-attended, so I’ve been super happy with everything. The Four Year Strong/ Comeback Kid tour is going to be a blast.

We’re so stoked to get back on tour with so many great guys and to play some of our favorite cities.

You guys have stated that you would love to release a new album by summer of next year. Is this still the plan, and have you guys started to plan and schedule time to write and record the album?

DC: That is the plan, and we have a total of four months off this Fall/Winter to write and record our next LP. With Hayley of Paramore doing guest spots now, have you guys thought about asking her to do guest vocals on a song? able to make it out to your Wilmington, NC Ithatwas date with New Found Glory. Was every stop of tour as insane as that one?

DC: Oh yeah, that was a great show. We had a bunch of great responses throughout the New Found Glory tour which was such an amazing feeling for us. Not to mention seeing New Found Glory every night in such small rooms; definitely one of our favorite tours to date!

In hindsight, how has the New Found Glory tour helped you guys out in the short term, and how do you guys expect it will help out in the long term?

DC: In the shortterm, it helped out with morale because I can’t think of any tour we’d have been happier to do.

And in the long run, I think it’s going to help effect our decision-making. New Found Glory gave us a lot of advice about how to approach a lot of things that we had never thought about before, and I think we’ll be taking a lot of that advice.

You guys are about to hit Australia for a short run and then you guys play the states again in October.

What can you tell us about each of these tours?

DC: The Australian run marks our first time down under, and we’re super excited to be a part of it. We’re

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DC: We’ve only met Hayley once, and while she was unbelievably nice, I don’t think we’re on the level to ask her to sing on our record. The girl does have a ridiculously good voice though.

What led to you guys switching from No Sleep to Hopeless, and how have each treated you guys?

DC: Our contract with No Sleep was up and Hopeless approached us. We really liked what they had to say and we’ve really adapted very easily. I think half of the reason for that is that the relationship is so similar to the one we had with No Sleep where they’re our label but we’re really all just good friends.

What are your thoughts on illegal downloading and CD’s getting leaked onto the internet?

DC: Shit happens and it sucks when it happens to you. We deal with it when it occurs and understand why kids download, but sometimes it’d be nice for people to hear the songs you wrote the way you intended them to be heard.

Thank you for your time! Any final thoughts?

Thanks so much for taking the time out to chat, and just a quick shameful plug: The Upsides re-release will be out September 21st! Pick it up and check us out on the road this fall with Four Year Strong and Comeback Kid.

S O D CHIO Interview

iel Lay

ls) by Nathan

olmer (Voca w/ Brandon B

H

ow did you come to join Chiodos? Were you with the band for a while before it was announced?

BB: I was friends with Tanner before he joined. He told me that he had been writing songs with them. I was curious what the instrumentals sounded like and asked him for something to hear. He sent me two demos, but at this point I wasn’t really trying to be in the band; I was just a curious what their direction would be. I gave it some thought and recorded some ideas - I ended up really getting into it and found myself attracted to the thought of doing something new for myself. I sent two rough demos back to Tanner so he could show the guys, waited for a couple weeks, then got a call that they were interested in me. They asked if I could fly out in two days - it was a lot of pressure, but it was exciting. So I flew to Michigan at the end of 2009 before Christmas and re-recorded some of my demos with the guys. They were all digging it and the chemistry was great. I think it helped a little bit having Tanner there as kind of a bridge between the guys and me. I flew home for Christmas and went back to Michigan on January 6th, 2010. From there, I spent a month writing in Michigan and a month recording in New Jersey.

I’d say I was in the band for a month and a half to two months before it was announced. We had originally planned to announce it at Bamboozle Left, but it was a little harder to keep a secret than we thought.

Was the transition to Chiodos easy or difficult?

BB: The transition from Yesterdays Rising to Chiodos was surprisingly smooth. The end of YR and the entry into Chiodos happened within a few days, and it was a lot easier than I had anticipated. The band and team of people that work for Chiodos helped out a lot…they made it really comfortable for me to transition into the band.

The guys were really down to earth and humorous too. That made it super fun.

stage of frustration where we didn’t know what we wanted to do. After a while, we all realized that things were stagnant, and it wasn’t exciting anymore. We ended up just writing a lot of songs in a studio and that was cool, but that was it. It just became something we had to do, not something we really wanted to do. The motivation was gone, and that, for any band is a sad moment… especially when you’ve been together for eight years. We had a band meeting, discussed the issues, the rest of the guys agreed that it was time to go our separate ways, and it was a peaceful split. We’re all still friends and we all support one another. I love those guys, and we accomplished a lot of great things together.

Tell us the story behind the album title and what the recording/writing process of Illuminaudio was like.

BB: During the writing process, we had talks about album titles, but we wanted it to come naturally and just kinda hoped that we’d stumble upon something that made sense without putting too much thought into it. Early on we agreed that it should somewhat represent a struggle, but something that had an optimistic attitude as the band was very optimistic through their past struggles. “Illuminaudio” is a word we came up with after the recording process. To put it simply, the word would mean something along the lines of “an enlightening sound scape”, or “sounds that represent a struggle, and a light at the end of the tunnel”.

The writing / recording process for Illuminaudio was very fast-paced, but surprisingly, noth-

What happened to your old band?

When Chiodos announced the departure of Craig Owens, many were unsure of the band’s future. Luckily, Brandon Bolmer (Ex-Yesterday’s Rising) has brought the band back to life with a revised sound and presence, as heard through Illuminaudio. This interview with the new vocalist will surely give you new respect for Bolmer and what he has accomplished.

ALL PHOTOS OF CHIODOS BY TIM HARMON

BB: Since about 2006/2007, Yesterdays Rising had been trying to get back to a level that seemed to come easy during the 2003-2005 time frame. We wrote a lot of great songs and we progressed, but we couldn’t seem to get back to where we were. We were also pretty broke, trying to survive, and that makes things that much harder. We were trying to recreate the vibe that caught people’s attention early on, but at the same time we wanted to grow, progress, and do something different. We were in this

ing ever felt forced. It was almost strange how things just worked out, and the time frame we were given to write and record was the perfect amount. We started writing from the moment I made it to Michigan (early January). The band had been writing for a while before I joined, so I’d

say they were about 60-70% prepared for recording. We wrote for a month in Michigan, doing our own demos and preparing as much as we could before we met with Machine (producer). I ended up having about 40% of my parts done when we hit the studio, so I wrote during the recording process too. The pressure was on, but I like a good challenge. Once we got into New Jersey to start recording, we rented a two story, four-bedroom house together, and stayed there for a month. We spent most of our time recording and working on the album, but we got to hang out in Jersey, and

lenging one another, and making sure that each of us were doing our best for every single part.

What was it like placing yourself in Craig’s shoes? What was the response from fans?

BB: It was risky putting myself under a microscope for the loyal fans of Chiodos to critique. I knew that I was potentially making a fool of myself for trying to take the place of such a well-known vocalist. In all honesty, in some ways I felt weird for taking this role because I’ve met and toured with Craig before, and I never wanted there to be any bad blood because of that. I have

I already knew would happen...I was ready for all the “he is this, he isn’t that...” stuff.

I’ve had friends that have gone through this before like Cove (Saosin) when he took over for Anthony Green, and kids are still talking about that years later - some will never get over it, but shit happens. So at first, fans were very skeptical. There was a lot of gossip, but it never really got to me. I feel like the overall ratio of positive and negative talk was about 50/50, and that was fine with me. It seems like once we started playing shows, and videos made their way to the Internet, kids turned their heads a little bit - and with each step we’ve taken toward the release of the new album, more people have accepted it. We’ve put out a few new songs before the release date and the response has been great! I see so many comments from kids that are surprised, kids that never thought they’d listen to Chiodos again. It has been really positive feedback…it’s amazing to me! It’s rare in this industry. A singer change is often the end of a band’s career, and I don’t wanna jinx anything, but it seems like we’ll be able to pick up from where they left off. The shows have been really fun too – kids are moving and singing!

The screaming on this record sound often distorted or digitally messed with in some sense.

Can you tell us more about that?

made our way to New York a few times, our place was right by the Lincoln Tunnel. It was so awesome living with these dudes. The energy was always positive, and they’re a funny bunch - they’re always cracking jokes, and that’s nice because even in the most stressful times, they bring light to a situation. Machine was a blessing to work with as well; he helped me and the guys progress and create the record that we needed to make.

He’s like a boxing coach; he knows how to motivate and he’s got a lot of energy all the time - he was the perfect producer for this record. If I could go back, I wouldn’t change a single moment of the process. Above all, we worked very hard - we put ourselves to the test by trying new things, chal-

spoken with Craig since my entry into the band, and we fully respect and support one another. I knew I was up for a challenge, and knew that I would have to prove to others that I’m capable of taking this spot - and it’s not over...I’m still doing that now, and working hard at it. I know what I’m capable of; I’ve done this before, only this time I’m stronger and I’ve refined my craft. I feel I’ve grown as a singer/performer since the last recording that people heard from Yesterdays Rising, and I’m going to continue to grow...I’m wearing my own shoes. I’m doing this to start a new chapter for Chiodos.

Although, there was some positivity floating around. There was an initial freak out response, which was totally expected. It was something

BB: I’ve always enjoyed the vocal production of bands like Muse, Deftones, Queen of the Stone Age, and Norma Jean’s album Bless The Martyr and Kiss The Child, so I think that plays a big part.

Also, it’s always been challenging to capture the sound of my live scream in the studio. The vibe and environment are completely different from one another. With the intensity and energy of an on-stage performance, I scream full blast into the mic, giving me a natural distortion through the front of house speakers. My scream is fully pushed, like screaming for help - I also grip the microphone super hard

because my body wants to naturally tense up, and that’s something you can’t do in the studio because the mic is often tubed, expensive, and not something I can grab like I need to. In the studio, I’m in this small, fully soundproof, dead-silent space and it’s really hard for me to be intense like I am on stage. I mentioned that to Machine and we ended up doing some of the screams with a little distortion and compression on an SM58 microphone to capture the sound people will hear at shows. I like the way it turned out…you get these intense breaths and small imperfections with a hot mic setup. You’ll also hear that sound over a few of the clean vocal parts as well. I think Machine knew what I was looking for and he managed to do it in a tasteful way that we both liked.

What song(s) are your favorite and why?

If I absolutely had to play favorites, I’d say “Caves”. From beginning to end, it has a great vibe, and I LOVE the drums in that song - especially the beginning, it’s HUGE! The lyrics are about fear, risk, chance, and change.

Fear is something we all deal with - it’s a wall.

Flying to Michigan to write and record with people I’ve never played with wasn’t something I thought I’d do, but I wanted change. It was one of the biggest decisions of my life and I gave it a lot of thought. I didn’t want to kick myself in the ass six months later if I never gave it a shot. There’s a line that says “The last time you walked away from this, you were looking back to see what you missed”, and that says it all. Live with no regrets, make changes…you might be surprised with the outcome.

Some other favorites are “Modern Wolf Hair”, “Notes in Constellations”, “Scaremonger”, “Stratovolcano”, and “Closed Eyes Still Look Forward”…did I mention I love the whole record too?!

made you guys go with the cover you chose?

BB: The artwork is somewhat simple. We wanted the music to be the main focus. The lyrics are included, and there is a neat fold out. I like the cover because it’s simple, yet the “C” logo brings an intricate feel. We went with a black cover and a revamped gold “C” because it felt classy and bold.

Tell us about the Congregation of the Damned tour coming up in late October.

BB: The COTD tour starts October 20th and goes until November 27th. We’ll be going all around the U.S. and Canada. Bands included on the tour are Atreyu, blessthefall, Chiodos, Architects (UK), and Endless Hallway. Should be a fun time. We’re looking forward to touring with a new album!

At the start of the second track, you have a cool “ba da da” kind of part to open the song. It’s one of my favorite sequences of the album. Tell us about how it came to be.

BB: Well, once I heard the drums and intro for that song, I knew it was going to be a big sounding part. It needed something subtle, atmospheric, and simple. I tried a few ideas with lyrics, but nothing felt as good as a simple “do - do-do-do - la-da-da - da-da-da - dada-da” melody. I wanted the part to feel like a soundtrack, something you’d hear at the climax of a movie. There are also a few parts on the record that are similar, melodies with no lyrics.

Machine and I do this thing called “Blah Blahs” when we have no lyrics for a part. It’s complete gibberish; singing with sounds just to get a good melody, then write lyrics after. There was a few times where I became so attached to the “Blah Blahs” that it was hard to write actual lyrics because I fell in love with the sound of the gibberish. Weird, right? For the chorus of this song, I wrote the melody with this “Blah Blah” technique before I had written lyrics, and it ended up being so catchy that it made it really hard to write actual lyrics because nothing sounded as good. So, it’s a great technique to find a melody that fits, but sometimes it comes

back to bite ya in the ass! It all worked out in the end.

Are there any lyrical themes through the album?

BB: Illuminaudio isn’t a concept album, but there are definitely some reoccurring themes. A lot of the album is written about the journey to start something new. Some reoccurring themes you’ll find are experiences of fear, vexation, decision, transformation, loss, determination, strife, solidarity, control/manipulation, and socalled “freedom”. There are also a couple songs that are based on movies.

What new songs have been played live so far?

How have they been received?

BB: We’ve played “Caves”, “Love is a Cat From Hell”, and “Let Us Burn One” live. Parts of “Modern Wolf Hair” and “Notes in Constellations” were also incorporated into the set list. I think they were received well for being new songs; some kids would even sing the intro vocal to “Caves” by the second rotation. That was awesome!

The cover of this album is somewhat plain. Is there hidden artwork inside or anything? What

before I left to Michigan to join the band. At the time, I was unsure of my future with my girlfriend because I was going to be so busy with the band, and it was hard to know if things would work between us - our relationship was fresh and I didn’t know how she would handle the writing/ recording process and touring. It’s a hard thing to deal with, when you can’t see each other, so it was something I wanted to write about. This song was mostly written before I joined the band, but we made some adjustments to fit the vocals and it turned out to be one of my favorite songs on the album. When we recorded the vocals, the room was dark with candles. I sat in a chair when I sang this one; it’s very personal and Machine (producer) loved it!

What are your top 5 albums that got you into music, and what makes them so special to you?

Track 6: “SCAREMONGER”

BB: This is always hard for me; there is so much inspiring music. I grew up listening to bands/artists that my parents listened to...Pink Floyd, The Doors, Led Zepplin, R.E.M., Michael Jackson, Sade - I still love all that. I listened to a lot of R&B / Hip Hop as I grew up, and I think that’s what got me singing. After that, I started listening to bands like New Found Glory and Blink 182, then I found bands like Incubus, The Used, Deftones… and that’s when I really became inspired to play music and what made me want to be in a band that wrote original songs. It was vocalists that stood out to me like Brandon Boyd (Incubus), Bert McCracken (The Used), and Chino Moreno (Deftones) that gave me the confidence to get off my ass and do it. These days, my music library is filled with the most random stuff: Imogen Heap, Muse, Deftones, various electro / dance / dubstep artists, classical music, film scores by composers such as Hans Zimmer / Danny Elfman / Jonny Greenwood, truthful hip hop artists and groups like The Game / Lil Wayne / The Roots, and soft tunes by artists like Sade and Morcheeba. I’m a sucker for slow songs. I like long songs that take forever to build and songs that really make you think about your life.

This song is one of the more diverse songs on the album. The beginning of the song is very spazzy, and to me the intro has an At The DriveIn feel. The lyrical concept is about control and manipulation. It’s written in a way where it could be about the hard life of a child with strict parents, or it could be about the fear factor used in media to control mass populations. We wrote part of this song before recording, and part of it in the studio. I love the chorus of this song, the lyrics mean a lot to me.

BRANDON PICKS HIS FAVORITE SONGS: Track 5: “NOTES IN CONSTELLATIONS” This is a somewhat mellow song filled with electric pianos and soaring vocals. The song was written about a trip I took to the snowy mountains of Big Bear, CA with my girlfriend, her sister, and my best friend Notes. It was a fun getaway just

Track 11: “THOSE WHO SLAY TOGETHER, STAY TOGETHER” This song was based on the movie 28 Weeks Later. The plot of the song is a little different than the movie, but there are similarities like a spreading epidemic, and survival. It was Brad and Jason’s idea to write a zombie song...they wrote it before I joined the band, so the song was mostly done when I came into the picture. The progression of this song intrigued me from the first time I heard it. This song has parts in 4/4, 3/4 and 5/4. When a band is able to transition smoothly into different time signatures, I think it showcases a certain talent that some don’t possess. Although the lyrics are based on a zombie story, it also represents the band and sticking together for a particular purpose, in this case...music and survival.

perience. Recording at Joseph’s house was great. You wouldn’t believe that all of the vocals for the record were recorded in a very small, dark upstairs closet (haha). We learned a lot in the studio about ourselves and about our music and how it all came together to make the record that we made. Out of the studio, we spent half of the time we were in Alabama sleeping in a Wal-mart parking lot in my SUV, and we spent most of the time that we weren’t recording either at Sam’s club eating hotdogs or at the local Whataburger stealing wifi.

How did you guys approach writing this album?

MS: We had most of the record done before we got signed (minus “Nature”, which we wrote the day our contract came in), and we wrote those songs just with what we were feeling at the time. Struggles we were going through, things we were doing as a band at the time, and everyday stuff that inspired us. Inspiration comes in many forms and we’ve definitely felt it in many unexplainable ways while writing our music.

Describe your sound and influences

MS: I would say we all have different influences. I’m influenced by bands like A Day To Remember, The Devil Wears Prada, and Our Last Night. Some of the other guys pull influences from bands like Silverstein, Glory of This, Stray From The Path, Emery, and even bands like Mewithoutyou. We come together to make a sound that is all our own, and will hopefully blow everyone’s minds.

What songs are your favorites off the album? Why? MS: My favorite song is “Get Over Yourself”. The song is really personal to me and definitely the heaviest song on the album, but I encourage anyone who listens to the album to give every song a chance as they all have their own feel and emotion.

What songs are the fan favorites so far?

MS: The only song we’ve publicly released is the first track on our record, “Sweet Dreams, Meet You There”, and everyone on our social networking sites have given it awesome reception. Close friends and other people are really digging on “Seattle’s No Place For Batman”, a song that shows the lighter side to our music with a

Interview w/ Michael Silver (Vocals) by Nathaniel Lay

Newcomers This Day Will Tell recently signed with Indianola Records and are preparing for the release of their debut, Too True To Be Good. Make sure you check it out and see the band on tour this October!

How did you guys come to signing with Indianola?

MS: They sent us a message on MySpace back in June after discovering us through a massive search of over 10,000 bands. We managed to stand out to them, and about a week later we received a contract from them and the rest is history.

over the summer with Joseph McQueen at Echelon Studios in Trussville, AL. We combined our prior EP, Making Love is Easier Done Than Said, with six new songs to make this record what it is. I know it sounds cliche’, but we put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into making this record, and we really hope listeners will hear the emotion behind it.

Tell us about your upcoming debut, Too True To Be Good

What was the studio experience like recording this album?

MS: It’s an eleven song full length that we recorded

MS: It was a really comfortable and enlightening ex-

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helping heap of emotion.

What kind of touring do you have planned for the rest of this year?

MS: We’re doing October 1-16 as our CD Release tour with Heartcake Party (Summerville, GA) and Beware The Neverending (select dates for each band). Then we’re hopping on with To Speak Of Wolves (Solid State) and Holding Onto Hope (Come& Live) for October 18-30.

Then we’re going back out with Heartcake Party Oct 31-Nov 13th. We’re really looking forward to all of the touring with these awesome bands!

What do you have planned for 2011?

MS: January, we are looking to do our first full US tour, hitting a lot of the states that we don’t hit in the rest of this year so we can reach all of our fans around the country!

How do you guys go about writing a song?

MS: Usually, Brandon or Jacob come up with a guitar riff and bring it to practice where we then jam on it and decide if everyone likes what we’re coming up with we then record it using some basic studio stuff I have at the house and work it out from there.

Tell us about “Whatever You Like” MS: We were really wanting to do a rap cover song to reach out to more fans who may not be into heavy music, and when we heard the original song by T.I. we knew that would be it. T.I.’s lyrics definitely have their meaning and place on our album.

How did the band come to be? How did you guys get to where you are today?

MS: We became a band back in May of 2008. At the time I was running Avenue, so any time I had a show that fit, I would just throw us on. We weren’t taking it too seriously and were content with being a local band and just playing locally until Jacob got into the picture. He pushed us to try to make something more of it, and helped us take ourselves seriously. After Jacob joined, we did some weekend warrior type touring, and continued to play most of the bigger shows around our hometown. In trying

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to release some material we have been to around eight different studios, and got screwed by 80% of them. I have probably four different versions of “The Chase” on my computer (haha).

What kind of sound/experience were you shooting for with this debut? How do you hope people will react/ say about it?

MS: We were never necessarily shooting for a specific sound with this album. This album has been us feeling out our place in the music scene and we’re really happy with what we have! That in mind, we will probably have a more defined sound with our next release. Overall, we really just want people to feel something when they listen and hopefully they’ll be inclined to come out to a show and hang out with us! We mainly want to have fun and make friends so don’t hesitate to befriend us at a show!

Final words and/or announcements: MS: Here’s the first half of our October tour, come hang out with us!!

Oct 1 Pensacola FL- @ The Big Easy Tavern Oct 2 Crestview, FL - @ The Crest w/ Texas In July, This or The Apocalypse,& More Oct 3 Hattiesburg MS- @ The Grove Church in Turtle Creek Mall Oct 4 Baton Rouge, LA @ HTGThrift Oct 5 TBA Louisiana Oct 6 Pascagoula, MS- @ The World Famous The Celtic Oct 7 Columbus GA @ The Warehouse Oct 8 Augusta GA @ Sector 7G w/ Hundredth Oct 9 Dacula, GA @ The Awake Venue Oct 10 Savannah GA- @ Sweet Mellissas Oct 11 TBA Florida Oct 12 TBA Florida *Oct 13 Gainesville, FL @ 1982 Bar Oct 14 Tifton GA The Lamplight Pub Oct 15 Douglasville GA @ The 7 Venue Oct 16 Mobile AL @ Saraland Civic Center Check us out online for more dates really soon: http://www.facebook.com/thisdaywilltellband http://www.myspace.com/thisdaywilltell http://www.twitter.com/thisdaywilltell

Y

ou guys have had a big summer this year. Five years down the road, how will you guys remember this summer?

What was the most memorable moment from that whole tour?

MW: My most memorable moment from the tour would have to be our show in Dayton, Ohio at the Attic. The kids were insane! It was definitely our best show on the tour. To top things off, I executed my first tour prank: I made an alliance with some guys and we threw Shawn (our vocalist) in a dumpster.

MW: Big summer indeed. I’ll remember this summer as being the biggest learning experience for this band. It was our first tour and a lot of bands taught us a lot of things. We definitely all came home with a knowledge of how everything works on the road.

The biggest news out of this summer was the announcement of you guys signing with Sumerian Records. How did that come about and what was the process like?

MW: Our signing to Sumerian Records came about once we recorded a demo with our producer, Durv.

He pushed it to our now manager, Chris Joselyn, who pushed it to Ash and Shawn out at Sumerian. The process of signing was very smooth and easy. We got put to work right away, started recording our CD, as well got confirmed on Scream The Prayer.

What details can you give us on the debut album from you guys?

MW: The CD is something I’m very proud of. It’s very heavy and in your face! The musicianship on the album is very dynamic; it is definitely a CD that will make you want to move. It consists of eleven songs. The lyrical content was based off of some of me and Shawn’s personal problems with being lost in our faith at times, but always finding a way in our Lord. We are finishing up the final touches on the CD and it will be out very soon.

Are there any plans to tour this Fall and/or Winter?

MW: Right now, we are finishing up our CD and that will come out this Fall/ Winter. As well are some tours in the works!

A lot to look forward to for sure.

What are your thoughts on illegal downloading and CD’s getting leaked onto the internet?

MW: It’s definitely something I wish was impossible. I think it takes a lot away from the band or artists work they put into that CD that someone maybe downloading.

It’s disappointing to see all your work just being stolen basically over the internet. So I do not support illegal

You guys were on this year’s Scream The Prayer tour.

What was that experience like?

MW: Scream The Prayer tour was amazing for us. It allowed us to be tested as a band. It’s a very hard tour to be on. Long drives, early load-ins, and late nights. We learned a lot from this tour, as well as met a lot of great friends. Every band that was apart of the tour has become our great friends, and we all had a summer to remember. We played great shows and great venues every night. All the kids who came out were always amazing. It was awesome playing venues we’ve never played before and getting such great responses from kids. A lot of memories were made on this tour for me.

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downloading.

Thank you for your time! Any final thoughts?

MW: Thanks a lot for the interview! Go check out I the Breather @ www.myspace.com/ithebreather Interview With Morgan Wright by Ryan Williford

Razor & Tie picked us up so we could finish recording it the right way.

How did you guys pick up the pieces and keep the band going?

CW: It really helped that we didn’t lose any members in the process. We have a small group of people we work with who never gave up on us and pushed us to finish the album, like Brian McTernan, who produced the new album along with Anhedonia. As cheesy as it sounds, the music is what kept us together. We were all excited about the songs we were writing and needed to see this through to the end.

How did you come to signing with Razor & Tie?

THE GRADUATE Interview w/ Corey Warning (Vocals) by Nathaniel Lay

CW: After recording 6 songs with Brian, we started shopping them around and Razor & Tie seemed to get us right away. We were able to finish the record the way we wanted to do it with them.

How was it working in the studio with Brian again?

CW: Brian has been like a 6th member of our band on this album. Sometimes I think he understands our band more than we do.

Formed from two defunct band in central Illinois back in ‘05, The Graduate quickly got to work. By 2007, the band had already released two EP’s and signed with Icon MES Records. With this label backing them, The Graduate put out their debut full length, Anhedonia. Unfortunately, Icon MES soon fell apart, leaving the band to fend for themselves. For most bands, this would set them back to the point they may even break up. That wasn’t the case with The Graduate, however. The band began writing their next record and signed with Razor & Tie during the time of tracking Only Every Time. We were lucky enough to ask vocalist Corey Warning some questions about it all a couple weeks before the album dropped in stores.

W

hat made you guys decide to give away the first track of the new album (“Don’t Die Digging”) for free online?

CW: It’s been a long time since we’ve released any new music. We thought it would be a nice gesture to give away a track while we finished up the rest of the record.

Who came up with the design of the cover? Does it have symbolism to it?

CW: Josh Kenyon and Colby Nichols (collectively known as Jolby) have been working with us on several projects over the past few years. We’re big fans of theirs, and they’ve heard most of our songs going from early demos onto mastered songs so it seemed natural to work together.

Where does the album title come from?

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CW: We start touring with The Bigger Lights in a couple weeks, then we’re throwing a few CD release parties in our hometowns, and that leads right into 5 weeks with Ludo. We haven’t hit the road this heavy in some time, and we’re really glad we’ll be out with our friends in Ludo. We’ve toured together several times already and being out with friends makes playing shows even better.

Tell us about the label collapse in 2008 After Icon fell apart we had to start over. We spent 2 years writing almost 30 songs on our own dime until

How do you feel about the new album? How does it compare to your last one?

CW: I think this album feels a little more complete to me. We had so many songs to choose from. The 12 songs on Anhedonia were the only songs we wrote; there weren’t any b-sides or anything left out. For Only Every Time, we were able to pick the best songs that played off each other to make the album more focused.

What were some of the albums you were listening to a lot of when writing this record?

CW: We came up with the title after we received the finished album cover. We wanted something that expressed a cycle or process of something over a long period of time, which Jolby fully captured.

Tell us about the tour(s) you’re on now and the upcoming tour with Ludo

you have to slave over for days or weeks, or sometimes months in our case. We would bring year old songs to the studio, so when it was time to tear them apart and try to come up with something new, the songs didn’t always cooperate.

CW: Over the past few years, Arcade Fire, Stars, Bloc Party, Radiohead, and Band of Horses have been in heavy rotation.

Let’s discuss some of the lyrical themes and stories of this album CW: A lot of the songs are about being out of place, trying to find your path, and the process of getting where you want to be.

What song(s) were the hardest to write and which were easiest? Which were hardest to record and which were easiest?

CW: Some songs just come together really naturally.

“End of the World Delight”, “Pull Me In”, “For the Missing”... we didn’t stress over these at all. Others

What bands most influence you?

CW: We grew up listening to band like Braid, Park, and Jimmy Eat World. We’re still rooted to those bands, but we try to incorporate aspects of the music we’re into now. We don’t sound anything like Radiohead or Arcade Fire, but you can hear a little nod to those bands in some parts of the songs.

Any final words/announcements?

CW: Our new album is out August 31, and you can pre-order now at thegraduatemerch.com

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band, but that was a different situation sort of. So yeah, it’s not too common we do that.

How is it different from a normal release?

CE: Basically, it’s the same. I treat it like the same, except I’m not allowed to ship CD’s or sell product outside of the U.S. So basically Your Demise is just a United States deal, so I wouldn’t advertise it in any foreign magazines.

Basically, just focus on the U.S. and treat it like any other release. Licensing it is just owning the masters, so it’s not too far off. I still treat it like one of my bands.

Is that coming out this year, or is it a 2011 thing?

CE: It’s October 26th, so it’s coming out in about a month a half.

This feature – including all interviews – was written/conducted by Nathaniel Lay

With over thirty artists on their current roster, Rise Records has become increasingly popular over the last five or so years, and for good reason. Founded on the idea of securing spotlights on unknown talent, Rise has brought us current scene leaders Drop Dead, Gorgeous, The Devil Wears Prada, Emarosa, and more. Over the past year or so, the label has really taken wind on signing new bands to its roster (Scarlett O’Hara, Tides Of Man, Pmtoday...) , as well as taking in some already established ones (From First To Last, This Is Hell, The Bled...). With many releases and tours this year already, as well as a new imprint label (Velocity Records), it looks like Rise won’t be slowing down any time soon. Just a few months after my AMP interview with him, I recently had the chance to speak with label founder Craig Ericson once again, this time focusing more on what’s to come (including some secrets first divulged to me). Interestingly enough, there’s a lot of the interview that wasn’t included below!

I imagine it’s been crazy at the office. What’s it like there?

CE: There isn’t like one job title. We kind of do it all, man. It’s busy, though. We’re going to put out like close to thirty records in 2010.

Wow. CE: Yeah, it’s been a crazy year. We had planned on maybe doing twenty-three, and a few just came at us. We couldn’t say no, like with Your Demise. That one just came out of blue. We

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Good month. October has a ton of good releases coming out.

CE: No doubt. That’s going to be our last of the year.

After that, we’ll be on 2011 stuff.

How was Warped Tour for your bands and Rise this year?

didn’t plan on it. We got the opportunity to do it, so we threw it into the release schedule, so that worked out great. But yes, it’s been busy.

You said Your Demise...is that a new band you guys signed?

CE: Yeah, the band’s from England. They just got done touring with The Devil Wears Prada and Miss May I. They’re a hardcore band. And we weren’t going to announce it until next week, but the band got antsy I guess and announced it on their Facebook page. We’re licensing it from Visible Noise Records out of the United Kingdom, which is Bring Me The Horizon’s home label.

So we licensed it for America and we’re stoked. Check it out, man. The official press release will be coming soon, but the band kind of leaked it. (Laughs) Is this the first time where Rise is actually licensing a release? Because in the past it’s been the other way around.

CE: Yeah, we don’t often license albums. We licensed the Red Shore from Australia last year and just did Your Demise, but that’s pretty much it. That’s all I can think of really. We also licensed the Piebald material from the

CE: Very good, man. It was an extremely successful Warped Tour for the bands and the label. We had a label booth this year and we had our best year for sure. We sold lots of cheap $5 CD’s, which always helps the wallet there. It was just great. The bands had a great response.

Attack Attack! definitely had those big draws every night.

Same with Emarosa, Of Mice & Men, and In Fear And Faith. Everyone did very well. The Portland date was awesome. The last day I was there, it was of course a hundred degrees, which happens like once a year in Portland. It just happened to be on the Warped Tour date and it was tough. It was one hell of a long and hot day.

Warped Tour is awesome though, man. That’s like our

ground zero. That’s where we like to be.

Now, you said October will be the last of Rise releases...

CE: Just for CD’s. We’re doing some digital stuff in November and December, which we haven’t announced yet.

I can tell you right now if you want me to.

Is this like digital singles or albums?

CE: Both, both. You want to hear about them real quick?

I haven’t told anyone, so this is like breaking news.

That would be cool. Is this something you want off the record or no?

CE: No, tell it man!

(Laughs) Go ahead then!

CE: So we’re doing Ghost Runner On Third, which is Jonny Craig’s first band he was in like five or six years ago, out of Seattle. So it’s like a five song EP that has Jonny on it as a younger gentleman, his first actual recorded album. So he dug up the masters and I’m going to re-release it through Rise just digitally.

Making physical CD’s is a commitment and these little, fun things are perfect for digital.

So we’re going to throw that up November 9th I believe.

Then we’re going to do a Bleeding Through single in December, and a b-side off their record. Then we’re going to do a This Is Hell single as well in December. And we’re going to do a band called My Ticket Home, which I just signed, which we haven’t announced yet, but we’re going to do it next week. So feel free to post it now and let it spread. So My Ticket Home is from Columbus.

They’re like Attack Attack!’s little baby brother band.

They’re awesome. They have a seven song EP coming out in November that Caleb actually recorded and produced himself, and it sounds phenomenal. In fact, Caleb is going to start a new studio in Columbus. He bought gear and it’s sounding amazing. If anyone wants to book time, hit me up. I think I’m helping him out for a little bit.

So we have that coming out. We have My Ticket Home,

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Ghost Runner On Third, Bleeding Through single, This Is Hell single, and then we have Ten After Two coming in October as well, which is not just digital. It’s an EP CD, and digital as well. Then, of course, Your Demise October 26th, which will round out the year.

The Day and Sleeping With Sirens, so I have two bands playing on that tour. I’ve never seen Mswhite, and I’m a

MINI INTERVIEWS To go with this Rise Special, we decide to collect some interviews (despite how brief some are) with a few of the leading bands on the label at this time (as well as two newly signed ones). Enjoy!

Awesome, sounds cool.

MISS MAY I

CE: Definitely. I’m stoked. The Jonny stuff is awesome. It’s a little rough around the edges, but there are some sweet parts, man.

How would you describe your sound?

LT: Dark, pissed, and unpredictable.

What tours do you have planned?

LT: We don’t have anything set in stone at the moment.

We’re taking our time writing for the full-length making sure we have everything in order before we go out. But we’ll be out later this year, or early 2011 for sure.

CE: Pretty much, except for the Piebald stuff. We dug up everything. The six Piebald CD’s I put out...they’re three double discs. It was like 129 songs or something crazy. Besides the Piebald, we haven’t done a re-release like that in forever, I think. >>Interview w/ Ryan Neff (Bass, Vocals)

How is the Velocity imprint doing so far?

Is From First To Last broken up or just on a break?

CE: They’re on a break and definitely not breaking up.

They’re going to play summer festivals around Europe and America. Matt joined Craig’s new band, and a couple of the dudes joined I Set My Friends On Fire... but definitely not broken up. They’re just going to be a part-time band. They’re not going to play often, but they aren’t going to officially break up. We’re going to do a b-side record for From First To Last next year.

They have like twelve unreleased songs from their career, so we’re going to put that out just for fun next year as well for the super die hard fans. They’re still out there. We still like them.

What tours are you most looking forward to?

CE: I’m looking most forward to the Mswhite tour because they’re from Italy. They’re playing with Haste

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When can we expect your debut?

LT: Early 2011. We’re about half way done with our fulllength!

Is this the first time you guys have gone into something like this, where you’re releasing old material? Like going back and digging up stuff.

CE: Well it’s been going great. We had our first release last Tuesday. Then we have Mswhite coming out September 28th, and Abandon All Ships October 5th.

So we’re basically putting all three out within a month of each other, just about. It’s a partnership with Dave Shapiro. He’s a booking agent for a bunch of my bands as well. He’s a great guy to work with. He wanted to start a label, came to me first, we worked out a deal, and here we are.

was on Rise, and after I quit my old band, my new band was offered a contract with Rise and we took it.

How has the new album been received so far?

huge fan. The Attack Attack! Tour with Of Mice & Men and In Fear And Faith is going to be awesome as well.

Let’s see...Emarosa, the Alternative Press Tour with Bring Me The Horizon, August Burns Red, and This Is Hell will be amazing. Jonny Craig’s solo tour, even though it’s not coming to Portland – I’m pissed about that. Those are the ones I’m looking most forward to.

Which release are you most looking forward to from the remaining of the year?

CE: I guess Abandon All Ships, because that was Dave and mine’s first signing on Velocity/Rise. It took a little extra time and we had to work hard, because other labels wanted them. We had to really put in extra effort to get them.

We actually edited about 20 minutes from this interview to save space and random discussions we had on some of the bands. I tried to only use the important questions above for our readers. I would like to thank Craig for another great interview and a good chunk of it was friendly “banter” about his artists and what they’re doing. It’s always cool talking to you, dude!

RN: Our fans are very excited about the new album so far. Everyone is excited about all of the new songs and all of the additions we made to our sound on Monument.

Main link to your music LT: www.myspace.com/theplotinyou

DANCE GAVIN DANCE

What songs are the live favorites?

RN: So far we have only played “Our Kings” and “Relentless Chaos” live, but we will be adding lots of new tracks on our upcoming tours!

Tell us about your upcoming tours RN: We will be supporting Whitechapel throughout most of October on the East Coast, and immediately after we will be doing our very first full US headlining tour with support from Confide, Bury Tomorrow, and Abandon All Ships. After that, we will be going to the UK to support Asking Alexandria.

THE PLOT IN YOU

>>Interview w/ Will Swan (Vocals, Guitar)

>>Interview w/ Landon Tewers (Vocals)

How did the recent member changes come to be?

How did you come to signing with Rise/Velocity?

WS: A fairy in a dream told me that it was the right thing for the band.

LT: Well to make a really long story short, my old band

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When can fans expect the second part of Downtown Battle Mountain?

WS: It’ll be out April of next year.

Have you already begun writing new songs?

with the bass and drums, individually, and build the songs piece by piece. We really concentrated on writing songs, as opposed to jam sessions and movements.

What songs do you feel came out best? Why?

Emo’s in Austin, Texas. Round the corner, Artery were hosting their own Showcase at Red 7, I think it was. So we managed to get in, English Charm and we met Craig for the first time,which he said, “I’m signing your band!”

Which surprised us, but it turns out he had been into the band for a long time before. That was the first thing he said to us (haha)! That’s pretty much how it happened.

How are you guys approaching live sets with the songs Jonny wasn’t around for?

TP: My personal favorite is “Home”, because I consider it to be the most perfect song we have ever written. It gets to the point and is catchy and meaningful. Plus the production on it is exactly what we wanted. People seem to like “Salamanders and Worms”, which is probably the least serious song we’ve ever made.

WS: We’re not.

Tell us about the cover art

How would you describe your sound?

When will you guys start touring with the new line up?

TP: The cover art is inspired by fantastical German artist, Carl Roehrig, and was created by Glenn at wearesynapse.com. It kind of symbolizes a dream, in both senses of the word, and in the album booklet the ship finally reaches home. Viewing something in a magical or fantastical way makes it more mysterious and appealing.

It’s a very melodic, fast paced hardcore sound, but with big choruses , punk rock, metal, and pop punk elements.

WS: The new songs are developing nicely. We’re really stoked on the new material.

WS: We’ll be doing a U.S. headlining tour in March of next year.

Can we expect another tour with Emarosa since Jonny is leading both bands?

WS: Haha, no.

TIDES OF MAN

You have some really interesting lyrics. What kind of thoughts/stories/feelings do you explore on this album?

TP: This album is not a story line, like the last one, but there are recurring themes in a number of the songs. My goals have changed a lot in the last couple years, and things that weren’t important to me before are becoming much more important. I guess to sum it up, not taking the life you have for granted is the theme of the album lyrically. People chase happiness like it is a destination, when it can be easily achieved in the way you live your life and treat other people.

What touring plans do you guys currently have?

TP: We just got off an amazing tour with Karnivool, an incredibly talented band from Australia. We have a November tour with The Sleeping and Pmtoday, as well as an unannounced December tour. We are also supporting a huge tour in March and April that I am also not allowed to talk about yet.

Our debut album on Rise, The Kids We Used To Be.. will be out in America and Canada on October 25th 2010.

What tours do you have planned?

We are on the Imperial Never Say Die tour with Parkway Drive, Comeback Kid, [and] Emmure [during] October/ November in the UK/Europe. Then we are doing a European Headliner February. Then we have our very first Australian tour in March. Then April we are heading back out to the states, not sure on what tour! But we shall be there (haha)! Then hopefully Warped Tour.

Main link to your music The main link is www.myspace.com/yourdemise to hear our music, but you can stay in touch with us at www.facebook.com/yourdemise www.twitter.com/yourdemise www.yourdemiseofficial.tumblr.com

SCARLETT O’HARA

TP: We approached this album a little differently from Empire Theory, which was already mapped out before the music was written because is was a concept album.

On this one, a lot of the songs were written by either Spencer or I sitting in a room alone, coming up with a song structure and essential riffs. We would then work

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YOUR DEMISE

AS: Well we originally planned on the album being called Lost In Existence. We named that particular song after the album because the song is definitely a roller coaster with a happy, melodic beginning which is how life all begins…no problems, no worries, just enjoy it. Then the first breakdown hits you unexpectedly like the first troubles in life. Then it just takes you on a ride, you never know what to expect.

What bands influence your music?

AS: We definitely have a lot of influences in our music and playing style. We all love hardcore/metal bands such as The Devil Wears Prada, Bring Me The Horizon, Asking Alexandria, and Miss May I. But we also love listening to bands like Circa Survive, The Maine, Emarosa, Lower Definition, and all the way back to 80’s metal.

Describe your sound. What sets your band apart from the rest?

TP: We actually started writing Empire Theory three years ago and recorded it over two years ago. Rise Records picked up the old recording and released it a year after it was recorded. So we have been aching to get a new one out for a while. We are much more proud of the product we got while recording Dreamhouse.

How did you approach writing your new album?

How did you guys come to naming the album Lost In Existence?

When can we expect your debut?

Was it difficult writing another album so soon after the release of your debut?

>>Interview w/ Tilian Pearson (Vocals)

always hard. Sometimes you just get lost in life.

AS: We’re going for a hardcore/screamo/metal sound, but we also like to throw in more melodic chords like in “Lost In Existence”. With that song, we basically tried combining The Maine with hardcore bands like TDWP and BMTH. Our goal with the album was to bring all the best parts of different genres and throw them together. >>Interview w/ Alek Samodouroff (Guitar) and Eddie Cano (Vocals)

How did you come to signing with Rise/Velocity?

Tell us about the cover art for your debut

It was actually pretty awesome. We had just played a showcase at South By Southwest at a venue called

AS: The cover art represents how sometimes people feel they are just being shredded apart by the things they encounter in life. It’s not always easy; in fact, it’s almost

What songs are band favorites and which are fan favorites?

AS: Band favorites are definitely “Welcome To The Brodeo”, “Empires”, and “I Make My Own Karma”. Fan favorites we’d have to say “Lost In Existence”, “Dude, You’re Being That Guy”, and “Empires”.

Tell us about the lyrics behind “Empires”.

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AS: The lyrics of “Empires” are about addiction, it’s real meaning and my experiences with them. Losing control of your personality and close friends in exchange for fame, thus came the name “Empires”. So high above the crowd and all alone, but washed out.

us all something to work hard toward and live for, put faith in, and reach out to others, rather than living by our old shitty ways.

WOE, IS ME

What was the significance of naming the album Number(s)?

TC: It pretty much represents the number[s] you gain and lose in life, the people who leave you, stick by you, or the people you impact. We will always have our own number[s] if we have nothing else.

EC: “There’s no self control left in these veins to tie these hands back together.” / “We’ll sink to the surface, quit living just to walk with the dead” What’s with the silly song titles?

AS: (Haha) I’m so glad you asked! Well, why do you really listen to music? It’s because it’s fun to listen to, isn’t it? Well we all just love to have fun and play music and goof around in the process. We figure if we can give you a great song and a laugh, then there’s nothing better. Life’s too damn short to be serious all the time. Sometimes you just gotta “Watch Where You’re Christopher Walken”, ya know?

How did you guys choose the name Woe, Is Me?

What are your touring plans?

>>Interview w/ Tyler Carter (Vocals)

AS: We have a tour scheduled in November with A Skylit Drive, Motionless In White, For All Those Sleeping, and Woe, Is Me (check the dates on our MySpace). We’re also working on some sick tours for 2011! We’ll keep you all updated!

How did you come to signing with Rise/Velocity?

How do you feel about being part of the famous Rise label?

AS: Wow...where to begin...it really is a dream come true for all of us. It’s an honor to be apart of the very distinguished label RISE and ARTERY management who have helped us so much!

There are a couple areas on this album where you have some electronics. How did these parts come to be? Who does them? Are they done live as well?

EC: Well, we all like electronica, trance music, and the way it’s influenced hardcore music is amazing, so we knew we had to throw in some synth every now and then. Alek makes them using Reason with some input from the other members as well. They will definitely be played live!

Final words and announcements AS: We want to thank EVERYONE who pre-ordered and bought the album; we can’t thank you enough!

For those who haven’t heard it yet, expect the unexpected! Expect a new sound from a group of guys who fuck-shit-up and ask questions later. Oh...and if you download it, you’re a communist!

TC: We recorded some demos after spending God knows how long changing them and rewriting them and tossing songs to the side and just trying everything to make it perfect; finally got contacted by Artery Management, and later released a cover of “Tik Tok”

by Ke$ha that won over fans and label reps. That’s a tiny bit of the process.

What was it like recording your debut? How much was already written/recorded before joining the labels?

TC: We only had the three demos when we signed, and the label gave us only about three weeks to write a full length before we hit the studio to record it.

Tell us about your touring schedule TC: We just got off a pretty big tour, and first tour at that. We have some major tours lined up for the rest of the year and on, but as of now they are unannounced!

How has the album been received so far?

TC: The album so far has sold very well, and is only growing in hype!

What tracks are your favorites to play live? Why? TC: We probably have the most fun playing our intro live just because it’s such a strong start to every show and the jumpy breakdowns give the whole crowd a chance to loosen up with us and just go crazy!

Do the electronics make live sets difficult?

TC: Actually, the electronics make the live set a lot

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tighter than if we had none. We all are able to listen on stage at the electronics and sometimes if a guitar comes out of tune we will know immediately because it doesn’t fit the key of the electronics, which are mostly backtracked with a click for our drummer’s in ear, which really is the base behind our timing.

How do you guys go about writing a song?

TC: Usually our drummer, Austin, and our two guitarists, Kevin and Tim, get ideas in their heads, chords, structures, breakdown patterns, and they will sit in our practice space for hours and work off each other. We record our own pre-production that Austin will listen to and build electronics with keyboard influence from Ben. When it comes to lyrics, I (Tyler) will usually ask the band what situation anyone has an idea for me to write about. If they have something or know someone who has something going on that is worth writing about in order to reach out to our listeners personally.

TC: It’s really just a common phrase also used in the bible. It was also used in Shakespeare, which is an influence to our metaphorical lyric style. It means: I am distressed; sad; grieved. We all in some circumstance faced this before we started this band.

What are you looking forward to most with the rest of 2010?

TC: Shooting our music video and touring! Hoping to get on 2011 Warped Tour. Vote for us!

How do you plan on leaving a mark on the music scene?

TC: It’s tough, but we just wanna keep striving to mix our heaviest of influences as we are doing. We are having fun setting new records and bars for newer bands, but more than that, we just wanna impact the scene and our fans with our lyrics and music as a whole.

Tell us about the interesting cover art TC: The art shows a man working on a child’s head, putting machine parts inside in order to manipulate him to live and work the right way. The child is obviously “broken”. It, in a way, represents us as well as anyone who relates to us, by showing that sometimes you are broken and are living the wrong direction, and it takes something greater, (the man) in our case our band, to pull you from the dirt. Our band has really given

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REVIEWS RATING SCALE: 10 = Perfect / 9 = Excellent / 8 = Very Good / 7 = Good / 6 = Decent / 5 = Average Anything lower is not worth your time!

Writers: Nathaniel Lay (NL) / Mario Trevizo (MT) / Ryan Williford (RW) / Rob Harris (Bubbs)

THE SLEEPING

CHIODOS

[Victory Records] Score: 10/10 Stream: “Boroughs Of The Ocean” The Sleeping are back with their darkest and best album to date with The Big Deep.

Many people did not really buy into the sound that The Sleeping went with last year (What It Takes), and wanted more of what made the first two albums great.

That did not happen, and as a result we got something that is much more amazing and mind blowing. The Sleeping has turned the atmosphere to “dark and gloomy”, where you will not find tracks like “Bomb The World.” Here you find tracks with titles like “Beautiful Gloom”, “Dark Days”, and “Boroughs Of The Ocean” (and a lot of snyth). It seems that The Sleeping set out to create a beautiful album with a dark and gloomy feel and atmosphere, and it works so well for the band. This album brings me into the world of Southern Gothic, and more specifically Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People”.

The sound, the concept, and the album art all tie into the Southern Gothic theme and “Good Country People”. The listener could also imagine this being the sound way back to the years that the Southern Gothic stories take place; a very dark and gloomy place yet there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Everything flows together seamlessly from the vocals to the instruments, to the lyrics and themes. This is the perfect album for anyone. (RW)

[Equal Vision] Score: 8 Stream: “Caves”

The Big Deep

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Illuminaudio

It’s no secret that there’s been a lot of talk involving this record’s success. The main reason: it’s the first record from Chiodos to not feature original frontman, Craig Owens. In response to this major member loss, the band brought in Brandon Bolmer (Yesterday’s Rising) to step in the vocalist’s shoes. So how did he do? Illuminaudio does not sound like Chiodos’ previous material at all really (with the exception of “Scaremonger”), but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, this collection is far from bad. Despite sounding like a new band, Chiodos have made quite a good return. It’s hard to compare this to their past two releases, but it will happen. Probably most noticeable is the lack of piano work. The screams are also a big change, as they often sound distorted electronically. These qualms aside, the first half of this album is great. “Caves” instantly reels in the listener with its simple, yet addictive “do do do” opening. From there, the song has moments of increasing fury and energy, helping it leave a lasting impression. The track is then followed by “Love Is A Cat From Hell”, a song that is mostly fueled by its entertaining chorus that will surely impress live. “Modern Wolf Hair” also comes out on top; it practically calls out for crowd interaction throughout. As a whole, Illuminaudio does lose steam a few times during the second half, but it always remains ‘strong’ at the very least.

With some work on the screams and complexity of songs, Chiodos could easily get back at top with their new vocalist. Brandon Bolmer definitely deserves props for keeping the band in the game when so many of us thought this would be the end of Chiodos – it’s NOT. (NL)

THE SCENIC Bipolaroid

[Victory Records] Score: 8 Stream: “Sunday Morning”

Do you miss the days of good pop-punk/ rock? Well you are in luck! The Scenic’s Bipolaroid is the epiphany of what made those classic poppunk/rock albums, well, classic. The album opening, “Sunday Morning”, and the first single, “Uh Oh”, bring back memories of those albums and time periods, while also calling for you to pay attention to The Scenic. While the rest of the scene is going modern rock or adding hardcore elements to their songs, The Scenic are staying true to their sound. This is a pop-punk/rock album though, which means there are songs that just miss the mark. For the most part, “Magic” is one of those tracks if you take out that fantastic guitar solo they included near the beginning of the song. The band then rebounds with “Sparrow Song”, which would probably get major airplay if given the chance. You then continue throughout the album, and “Magic” seems to be the only misstep the band took.

The rest of the album is purely amazing and very emotionally. This just may be 2010’s edition to the classic poppunk/rock collection as nothing else released this year can come close to how well this album is. (RW)

BRING ME THE HORIZON

There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret.

[Epitaph] Score: 9.5 Stream: “Anthem”, “Alligator Blood” Suicide Season was not only one of the best releases of 2008, it is also still an addictive album to return to this day. So it’s needless to say that the band’s third album has been very much anticipated by fans. The title may be annoyingly long, but it comes from a hauntingly great lyric chanted dur-

ing the opening track, “Crucify Me”. Bring Me The Horizon waste no time in making this album sound large in almost every way, as heard immediately through this track. The six minute long song comes to a slow close with soft whispers before revealing a drum “count off” at the beginning of “Anthem”, a track that relies heavily on speed and crowd participation. This would be an excellent song for the band to open a set with. The chorus is done with gang vocals, so it would certainly get the crowd screaming along. Similar to “Crucify Me”, the song then winds down during the last minute before leading explosively into “It Never Ends”. As with Suicide Season, Oli Sykes has made a gradual move from the death metal squeals of their first album, to more shouts and growls than anything else. Personally, I believe this helps the band stick out even more so; not too many bands do this style, and it sounds great. It’s always nice to actually understand what I band is screaming about. With “It Never Ends”, this is an especially helpful trait, as there are several great lyrics on this track you’ll want to learn.

The next song, “Fuck”, is full of foul language and aggressive nature, much like a Gallows track; as a result, it’s just plain fun and useful when you’re in a bad mood. Another great thing about Bring Me The Horizon is their ability to broaden their horizons. Take “Don’t Go” for example.

The track starts with some beautiful string work before gradually opening up into a strained plea from Oli, as well as some female guest vocals. It instantly goes down as a unique song for the band, as well as a vulnerable moment for the band leader. The rest of the album consists of chorus choirs (“Home Sweet Hole”), assault-like anthems (“Alligator Blood”), experimental death metal (“Blacklist”), and largely constructed grandeur (“Blessed With A Curse”).

Rather than end on a fade out (as we may have expected), Bring Me The Horizon decide to take the quick and furious route with “The Fox And The Wolf”. Once all is said and done, this album is ultimately larger than Suicide Season.

However, each record can keep its own for one reason or another, so it’s hard to choose a favorite between these last two. After all, Bring Me The Horizon have fucking skill, and There Is A Hell... proves just that yet again. Haters be damned; this is a great album. (NL)

AMELY Hello World

[Fearless Records] Score: 6 Stream: “Sing To You”

Amely’s debut EP, Hello World, is an EP that the listener hears one song and gets excited, and then the listener hears the whole EP and is disappointed. Not to say the band is bad; they are talented enough to make good songs. It’s just the fact that the entire EP is boring and does not hold the listener’s attention. The vocals are so low you could fall asleep to them, and the

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instruments are not doing anything special because it is a pop-rock album. The only standout track is the first song they released to promote the album: “Sing To You”. I think the reason that song works so well is because it incorporates more rock into their sound on that song while having a soaring chorus. The band should take note of this and base their full length off that track, as this will lead to a lot of success. “I’d Rather Be Alone” is another good track from this batch of songs, but it’s more unique than great.

They could also find some success with this type of sound if they worked on it and improved it to the way they want it. At this point in time, Hello World is going to showcase the potential of the band, but the band needs to work on their full length and decide if they want to me pop, rock, or a better blend of the two. (RW) SECOND OPINION Score: 7 Stream: “Now Or Never” Much like the other Fearless pop/punk bands, Amely are sweet sounding and melodic without actually standing out from the pack. This EP is catchy, but the band doesn’t do much to make themselves different from the others. As a result, it’s hard to think “I want to hear pop/punk. Which band should I choose?” and come out with an answer of “Amely!”. There are bands doing this genre better, and this keeps Amely from leaving a lasting impression. After all, there are tons of artists out there doing this exact same thing pretty much. That being said, Amely are definitely good enough, and most certainly better than Go Radio, so still check them out just in case. You never know; Amely might be the answer to your question if you’re tired of Artist Vs Poet or All Time Low. (NL)

WHERE THE OCEAN MEETS THE SKY Empires

[C1 Records] Score: 7 Stream: “Regime Discarded” Everyone meet the next August Burns Red and Texas In July, Where The Ocean Meets The Sky (WTOMTS). All three bands signed on with CI Records for the debut albums. August Burns Red is now huge, and Texas In July just signed with Equal Vision. Does WTOMTS have what it takes to follow in the footsteps of those two bands? The best answer is possibly. The band is solid enough and very talented, but it all depends on how the band is promoted and if they stick at it. The first thing you will notice is that WTOMTS are very technical in the approach of their instruments, but they know the line and do not cross it into being too technical. The screamer has powerful screams, and that should help the band, as his vocals do not need any work at all.

The singing is a little low in the mix and not as fitting as the screams, but the band has time to fix those little nuances for the next release. Overall, this is a very solid release and should hold over fans of technical metalcore until the next release in the genre. (RW)

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VICTORY IN NUMBERS Killing. Mourning. Love.

[Bullet Tooth] Score: 9.5 Stream: “The Last Time”

Victory In Numbers is an up and coming band that people need to start taking notice in. Their debut release, Killing. Mourning.

Love., will have leave any music lover happy. They combine many different aspects that melt together into one beautiful beast of an album. You have some rock, pop-punk, pop, hardcore, electronica, and dashes of other genres to please anyone. The vocals are the best part, as they are diverse and very fitting for the part they are found on. To fit the diverse genres and vocals, you have diverse song types and structures that accompany the rest of the album.

Victory In Numbers obviously know how to write albums and keep listeners interested. The band has everything going for them at this point. They have a great album, great label support, and a music scene that needs a diverse album like this. This may very well be the sleeper album of the year just because there is no busy surrounding it, which is a crying shame. (RW) SECOND OPINION Score: 7.5 Stream: “Falling To Pieces” This was one of those unsigned bands that received enough buzz that you probably heard about them even if they weren’t local for you personally. With their label debut, Victory In Numbers has put together a pretty catchy and enjoyable record that certainly foreshadows great things to come. A lot of these songs have the making for excellence, but may not quite reach the heights they’re capable of for one reason or another. With some tightening and more explosive choruses, this band could really release an amazing record next time around. As this one stands, Killing. Mourning. Love. is certainly worth hearing for yourself (especially for fans of All Time Low and Count Your Blessings). (NL)

THE DANCE PARTY Touch

[Hell Ya!/Atlantic] Score: 9 Stream: “Sasha Don’t Sleep” Their name says it all; The Dance Party are here to cure your groove and get you moving. Touch does just that with its catchy vocal parts and bouncy instrumental work. Almost every track is memorable in its own way, and a good lot of these will get stuck in your head rather easily. “Sasha Don’t Sleep”, the opening track, is a perfect example; it really shows the listener what the band is all about right off the bat. It is then followed by another favorite, titled “Pretty Girls”. A good number of these songs may feel fa-

miliar if you were around for the 80’s, but it’s also a style the scene has been lacking. The younger crowd will probably be blown away by all this (even though it’s actually all been done before). For the older groups, The Dance Party will probably feel like a relief to their ears. Either way, it’s a good chance that Touch will appeal to a large array of ages. The lyrics are sexy, the beats are contagious, and the shit is just fun. If you’re tired of heavy music, then give this a listen. You may just fall in love with this old school genre. It’s quite refreshing. (NL)

MIDDLE CLASS RUT No Name No Color

[Bright Antenna] Score: 8.5 Stream: “Busy Bein’ Born”

It’s hard to choose a track to spotlight with No Name No Color; this album is full of memorable tracks one should check out. Middle Class Rut begin their debut full length with “Busy Bein’ Born”, an aggressive song that almost immediately sticks with the listener. In all honesty, the same could be said about this album in general. No Name No Color is often frantic, strained, honest, and angry throughout. These songs are either touching on personal feelings of resentment and pain, or diving into the problems our society faces on a daily struggle.

From a musical standpoint, Middle Class Rut show a lot of hard rock and punk influence. Bands like Nirvana come to mind, so expect something raw and real with this band.

“USA” shines mostly through the lyrics of its verses, “New Low” slows things down while remaining catchy (in its own nature), and “Alive Or Dead” serves as a good stab in speed and energy. While there are moments that feel too similar on this album, No Name No Color is an intriguing and impressive debut that features plenty of great moments worth exploring. Let’s hope Middle Class Rut stick around for a while. (NL)

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE Creatures

[Fearless] Score: 8 Stream: “Count Choculitis” Like a mix of Atreyu, The Word Alive, and Asking Alexandria, Motionless In White are constantly brutal and over the top. Usually, bands that are influenced heavily by the dark matters (goth, industrial, vampires, and what not) only appeal to, well, the more depressed and creepy crowd. Luckily, Creatures doesn’t delve into these styles too much, despite the band being described as such an act. While the instruments do have a good variety of range,

it’s the vocals that steal the show for Motionless In White.

There are multiple scream types (screeches, growls, and the latter), and the singing is quite smooth and impressive.

When the band is mixing them all up, they’re at their best.

This variety really aids in making the songs more engaging, as well as finding appreciation from a wider audience of listeners. There are, unfortunately, dark and Gothic moments sprinkled throughout the album. If you’re into that sort of thing, then you’ll probably love Creatures for everything it offers. Others may grimace during these sequences. Either way, it’s hard to deny the monster this album can be. After all, these guys are all great musicians that know how to pull out heavy and original music. They’re not necessarily one of a kind, but they are still pretty unique. Great breakdowns, vocals, instrumental talent... this band has a lot of potential. If they could make their large sounding songs a bit more memorable, they could really have something here. As they are now, Motionless In White have released a pretty engaging and intense debut for Fearless. We will probably see them on many tours in the coming months. (NL)

SENSES FAIL The Fire

[Vagrant] Score: 10 Stream: “Landslide”

Constantly one-upping themselves, Senses Fail have returned with another fantastic album that builds upon the best of their last record. The Fire may follow in similar footsteps as Life Is Not A Waiting Room and Still Searching, but also feels more upbeat surprisingly.

Lyrically, Buddy likes to discuss hatred, family history, and broken relationships. While he still does this with The Fire, the music has a happier sound to it (for the most part). For example, “Saint Anthony” soars despite lines like “I feel for my life / As the current tonight / Is stronger than the will I have to survive”. However, Buddy then follows this up with “I’ll make it through this / No matter the odds” and “It’s always darkest before the dawn”, showing a growth in his views on life. The Fire does a lot with this manner of thinking; things may burn down, but from the ashes, life is born. Moving back the songs themselves, there are plenty of tracks that breath excellence. In all honesty, this album doesn’t miss a beat ever really. Each song offers up something gripping in some sense, keeping the listener coming back for more. “Safe House” has a great lighthearted nature to it, “Coward” is energetically fast and angry, and “Landslide” features some of the best Senses Fail vocals yet. However, you will strike gold wherever you go within this album, so don’t just pick at the track listing; hear it

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all. Once you’ve done so, you’ll want to again and again.

As is their nature, Senses Fail have outdone themselves again. The Fire is their finest effort yet, though we’ve said that with every passing release. What does that tell you about the band? (NL)

ALL THAT REMAINS For We Are Many

[Prosthetic Records/Razor & Tie] Score: 8 Stream: “The Last Time” All That Remains is back and they have new tricks up their sleeves with For We Are Many. The album has that signature sound of All That Remains, but the songs still sound fresh and amazing. They are also still great at writing songs as evident in songs like “The Last Time” and the title track. “Some Of The People, All Of The Time” features death growls and a breakdown at the end of the song that you would never expect to hear from All That Remains, and it surprisingly works on the song. Then on “Won’t Go Quietly”, you get an amazing guitar solo with a great effect added to it. These are only a few examples of the new tricks to be found throughout the entire album. All That Remains has become popular enough to crack the billboard, and this album deserves to break it; this is one of their best efforts as a band, and you can even call the album a bit diverse. This is one of the must have releases in the mainstream metal scene this Fall, and maybe even year. (RW) SECOND OPINION Score: 8 Stream: “The Last Time” It’s been a while since I’ve followed this band’s releases, so I can’t make any real comparisons between their albums. That being said, For We Are Many does bring back old memories of the All That Remains I knew years ago. Their sound hasn’t changed much at all, though there are some more death metal elements now showing themselves from time to time. “The Last Time” is clearly a stand out track of the album thanks to its memorable chorus of uprising, but there are a handful of other strong moments on this record you could point to in detail (such as the intense “Some Of The People, All Of The Time”).

For We Are Many is a success on many levels, despite not providing us anything truly new along the way. (NL)

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DISTURBED

Asylum (Deluxe Edition) [Warner Bros/Reprise] Score: 7.5 Stream: “Innocence”

The possibility of Disturbed ever topping The Sickness is slim. Back when it was a recent release, fans hoped the next one would be its “sequel”, but album after album have proved it’s not going to happen. That being said, each Disturbed album has been, at the very least, good. Ten Thousand Fists really had some faster moments that stood out, and the dark nature of Indestructible grew on the listener with repeated plays. With Asylum, Disturbed shows a much more mature side to their music. This doesn’t mean things have slowed down or anything like that, though. However, these songs do seem...pulled back if that makes any sense. It does feel like, at times, the band is trying not to go big when they could. Also, there are plenty of moments where long time fans will question if the band has already played the part you’re hearing.

These problems aside, Asylum does offer up memorable tracks. When given a chance, this album will creep back in your mind from time to time. “The Infection” starts off sounding like it’ll be one of the heavier numbers, but then the vocals begin, unfolding the softer and more beautiful nature of the track. “Warrior” feels slightly generic in areas, but is catchy at the same time. “Never Again” has a classic Disturbed vibe to it, “Crucified” features the best vocals on the record, and “Serpentine” would have felt right at home on Ten Thousand Fists. However, it’s “Innocence” that will probably come out on top; it has a well rounded structure to it, bringing in all the best elements of Disturbed (minus the crazy, monkey screams made famous on The Sickness). For those of you who pick up the Deluxe Edition, you’re in for a treat. Like “Shout 2000”, the band has done another great cover to accompany Asylum. Their version of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” is just as good as the original U2 recording.

The bonus tracks also include two new songs, “Leave It Alone” and “Living After Midnight”, both of which are solid rock anthems. Best yet, “Down With The Sickness” and “Stricken” have been included in live recordings. When all is said and done, Asylum probably won’t become your next favorite Disturbed album, but it does beat out Indestructible for the most part. Fans should definitely pick it up either way. (NL)

I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA The Roar And The Whisper [Come And Live] Score: 6.5 Stream: “Deceiver”

It was a long wait thanks to label contracts, but I Am Alpha And Omega have finally released their full length debut, The Roar And The Whisper. For those of you just stumbling across this band, IAAAO is a Christian posthardcore band of sorts.

Their screams are deep and their singing is high, so they’re one of those bands combining the heavier elements with the more melodic ones through verse/chorus switch-offs. This being done by many bands this day, it leaves the formula feeling less fresh than it would have maybe a year ago. The band also lacks the punch to really get a song stuck in your head, unfortunately. This means that The Roar is entertaining to listen to, but not all that memorable. “The Lost And The Captor” features a pretty catchy chorus, and “My Greatest Need” does have some soaring vocal parts. Probably the most stand out track on the album is “Deceiver”; it’s energetic, more diverse, and sticks out more from the pack. Another significant track is “Wolves”. The song builds on and off, making it feel more dynamic and large in sound. Once everything has played through, The Roar And The Whisper leaves the listener feeling slightly unfulfilled. It seems like a lot more could have been done with this debut, or that the band just wasn’t sure what overall sound they wanted to go for.

Some tracks flow well, while others just seemed out of place. All in all, this was a decent debut that may lead to something greater down the road. (NL) SECOND OPINION Score: 8.5 Stream: “The Roar And The Whisper” After label talks, I Am Alpha And Omega decided that releasing The Roar And The Whisper was more important now than signing with a label. And for those people who were eagerly awaiting the release of this album, they were not disappointed at all. This album has everything a music lover would ever want on an album. Passionate lyrics, amazing singing, screaming, and well written songs. The perfect example of this is the title track, as it combines all of this into one song, and is also one of the standout tracks of the record. One of the best aspects of I Am Alpha And Omega is their ability to write different types of songs in the same style of music as at its base. Even when the band goes soft, it is included at a spot on the album,

where it gives the listener a break from the heaviness of the songs before it (“The Rescue”) or at the end where they can leave the listener with a powerful message to think about it (“Chasing”). A lot of Christian bands have started to end their albums with worship songs, but I Am Alpha And Omega are the only ones to really succeed at writing one that will appeal to anyone that is willing to listen. This is not only a great album, but it is also entertaining to listen to and should be one of the standout albums of the year for many lists. (RW)

ANBERLIN

Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place

[Universal Republic] Score: 8 Stream: “Take Me (As You Found Me)” In 2008, Anberlin released the energetic and memorable New Surrender. It was their most fused and catchy album to date, so anticipation for the followup was high. However, Dark Is The Way... is more in the likes of Cities – melodic and more reserved.

This will be a letdown for some fans, but the album is still well worth your time. Almost every track could be labeled as “beautiful”, making this a more approachable album for all ages. The younger kids may get bored by it, but anyone in their teens and older should dig the sound.

It’s not very intricate or complicated, but it is very well constructed and impressive throughout. “We Owe This To Ourselves” opens up the album on a faster note than with the rest of the tracks, and is soon followed by one of the standout numbers: “Take Me (As You Found Me)”.

This song almost immediately plants itself in your head, causing the listener to sing along by the chorus repeat.

“Closer” is a little darker and quicker paced, helping it reserve a secure spot on your playlist. While the majority of this album is a bit slower compared to past releases, it does still have these kind of songs from time to time.

“To The Wolves” is more aggressive in tone, “Down” is an acoustic track that is thoroughly interesting, and “All We Have” does a solid job in bringing the album to an end.

Fans of New Surrender may need to hear this one more than once to fall in love with it, but it is highly likely to happen for anyone. Dark Is The Way... is another triumph from Anberlin. (NL)

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LUDO

Prepare The Preparations

[Redbird / Island] Score: 9.5 Stream: “Too Tired To Wink” To no surprise, Ludo have returned with another fantastic album.

Prepare The Preparations is a fun ride that entertains from start to finish. From the beginning of “Too Tired To Wink”, Ludo bring you catchy and humorous lyrics, as is their nature. Even the most simple things leave an impression, such as the “ooo” parts of the first track. “Anything For You” is an acoustic and cute number, “Manta Rays” features a soaring and vulnerable chorus, and “Skeletons On Parade” is one of those Ludo songs Tim Burton could have easily used in one of his movies. One thing fans will probably notice about Prepare The Preparations is its larger use of slow songs, like with “All The Stars In Texas” and “Safe In The Dark”. They seem slightly more used with this album, and all of them shine brightly. When examined, this disc is about half and half with slow and fast numbers. It’s a nice balance and works quite well. Rather than bore you, the more reserved tracks actually call you back for further exploration. As was expected, Ludo have done it once again. Prepare The Preparations is not a disappointment by any means. It may even be better than their famous You’re Awful, I Love You album. (NL)

CHROMEO

Business Casual

[Atlantic] Score: 6 Stream: “Hot Mess” This feels like a blast from the past. In the likes of Michael Jackson or any pop artist of that generation, Chromeo offer up dance tunes dipped in classic sounds and recording styles. Coupled with a good amount of electronics and enhancements, Business Casual is certainly groovy and entertaining at first. The opening track, “Hot Mess”, is instantly likeable and memorable, and “When The Night Falls” would have worked

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well as the soundtrack of that 80’s movie Night Shift. The problem with this album is just how similar it all feels.

There are also plenty of tracks that just don’t ever reach a high, causing them to never really “pop”. Nonetheless, there are a few really fun songs here worth exploring (“The Right Type” is another catchy number you’ll return to from time to time). Chromeo will probably sound refreshing to the new generation at hand, but for those of us who remember this style, we’ll likely be less impressed. (NL)

SCARLETT O’HARA Lost In Existence [Rise] Score: 9 Stream: “Empires”

Debuts have become less explosive over the years. It used to be that the first album was the best a band was ever going to offer. Now it seems to be the other way around for a lot of newer acts. Luckily for us, Scarlett O’Hara have released a debut worth playing over and over again, defying the odds. Lost In Existence is immediately brutal and savage as we were hoping, bringing the walls down with its opener “Welcome To The Brodeo”. From there, Scarlett O’Hara deliver track after track of hard hitting screamo accompanied by catchy, sung choruses. The sparse death metal growls and screeches may feel a bit out of place, but that’s a rather small concern with this disc. So much of it is addictive that you’ll hardly notice its minor flaws. “Empires” has probably the most memorable lyrics (found during the chorus), “Dude, You’re Being That Guy” features a great breakdown near the end that will easily become stuck in your memory, and “Call It Reckless” is fueled by the line “Doctor! Doctor! This masquerade is killing me!”.

Whether you’re someone who listens to an album as a whole, or skip around to find your favorite parts, you won’t be disappointed. Lost In Existence is an energetic ride at every turn, successfully combining aggressive verses with melodic choruses. This may be a formula overly used these days, but it’s hard to care when it’s pulled off so well. Scarlett O’Hara will surely win over new fans with this debut. It is, after all, a contagious one. (NL)

WEEZER Hurley

[Epitaph] Score: 8.5 Stream: “Unspoken” It feels like just a few months ago Weezer released Raditude, but the band is already back with a new album. Luckily, Hurley is a huge improvement over that last mess of an album. Unlike the band’s previous collection, Hurley focuses less on making things electrodance and more on making catchy rock anthems. In other words, it’s more of a return to the styles that influenced more recent bands like Motion City Soundtrack. Let’s say it all together: THANK GOD! Weezer has returned in a big way with this one. Hurley immediately opens up with the great track, “Memories”. If this song doesn’t make it’s way on your playlist (or have you hitting “repeat”), then nothing will. It is then followed by “Ruling Me”, a song that has a 90’s alternative feel to it, despite it’s soaring chorus. “Trainwrecks” is actually fueled by its verses (instead of it being the other way around), “Unspoken” is an acoustic masterpiece you won’t soon forget, and “Where’s My Sex” has that gritty, raw feel to it that helped make the band famous in the past. Listen to this one from start to finish and you’ll realize it doesn’t really have any low points. Hurley is pretty damn strong throughout, keeping the listener from ever becoming bored. Even better is the deluxe edition of this disc; four bonus tracks that may feel rough, but genuine and loveable nonetheless. Weezer are back to their old selves.

Rejoice! (NL) SECOND OPINION Score: 7.5 Stream: “Unspoken” I may be primarily known as the metal dude around here, but I jumped at the opportunity to review the new Weezer record. That’s right, I like Weezer. You want to make something of it? Anyhow, I’m digging the hell out of Hurley, the latest offering on Epitaph Records, which also shares the name and bears the smiling mug of one of the greatest characters of one of the greatest shows in history. All that aside, the music is pretty damn good too. Weezer have always had a knack for dishing out tasty slabs of alternative rock, and Hurley is no exception. It did take a minute to hit me hard, as the first two songs have a little bit more of a dance pop feel than I can easily stomach, but once the superb lyrics and happy vibes of “Memories” and “Ruling

Me” took hold, I quickly overlooked the synth pop crap and saw the album for what it really is: another great time courtesy of Weezer . In fact, I’d say that this is one of the best albums since their self titled debut. “Unspoken” is my favorite track on the record. This little ditty reminds me so much of the first album, it could have easily been a throwback track from that recording session. “My Sex” is kind of like “Hash Pipe” in that it has the catchy chorus and sing-along aspect that Weezer fans know and crave. The rest of Hurley follows right along with memorable songs that will be stuck in your brain until the next Weezer collection. Let’s face it, Weezer have been doing this for twenty years, and they know exactly how to do what they do the right way. I recommend this to those who have been down since the beginning, as well as to those who may be discovering Weezer for the first time. This is a solid album for serious music fans. (Bubbs)

FRANK AND EARNEST Old Francis

[Bermuda Mohawk] Score: 7 Stream: “Clever” There are tons of underground bands in the punk scene that prefer to keep unknown and on the down low.

Frank And Earnest share a lot of these characteristics.

Old Francis has that gritty sound punk bands thrive on; paying top dollar for recording just isn’t their thing. It also just so happens that this style suits the music they play. While the first half of this album is faster and more straight forward, the last few tracks have a different feel to them. They’re still punk, but they’re more thought out and developed. As a result, they stand out more from the rest. “Stick A Fork In Me, I’m Done” is probably the best of the first half, while “Clever” takes the ticket for the last half. Surprisingly, Old Francis has a lot of personality to it for such a short album. Frank And Earnest aren’t generic like a lot of other underground punk groups, but they are still able to keep that familiar sound as to not alienate their scene. In other words, this is a pleasant surprise. Old Francis does have some very memorable moments, perhaps foreshadowing great things to come down the road? We can only hope for now. (NL)

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PUSCIFER

Sound Into Blood Into Wine

(Puscifer Entertainment) Score: 7.0 Stream: “World Up My Ass” There is no mistaking the talent and genius of Maynard James Keenan. The legendary singer, songwriter, and composer has mystified us on numerous occasions with his work in the mighty Tool, A Perfect Circle, and several other projects. Puscifer is his latest brainchild, and has provided the soundtrack to the quirky film based on Keenen’s, as well as others’, love for and manufacturing of wine. The songs on the soundtrack are as diverse as you could hope to hear. The album starts off with a weird rant that sounds like Les Claypool rambling over tribal beat, reminiscent of David Byrne’s solo work, that will put you in a trance if you’re not careful. After that, name a genre and there is a song that fits it. There are hip-hop-esque moments, acoustic numbers, and the country western craziness of “World Up My Ass”, which really reminds me of the country style material from The Supersuckers, which is a must listen. I figured that, if I was going to listen to an album that was meant to go well with wine, I would have a nice Cabernet and make a night out of it. It isn’t very often that I laugh out loud when listening to music, but Keenan’s off beat sense of humor takes center stage and had me rolling a few times. I can’t wait to see the film now. When you listen to this record, you can tell that MJK really enjoys life and gets the most out of it as he can, which is something we should all try to do. After all, what could be more enjoyable than a nice glass of wine and some good music?

Cheers! (Bubbs)

LINKIN PARK A Thousand Suns

[Warner Bros] Score: 7 Stream: “Wretches And Kings” There’s a lot to be said about this release. Let’s face it: Linkin Park have changed dramatically since the days that made them famous. As a result, a good percentage of their original fan base has left their side due to the last couple years. When the band made their return with Minutes To Midnight, a lot of people were surprised by just how much Linkin Park had evolved. While half that album did certainly grow

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on you and become memorable, there was another half to it that fans would just skip over. With A Thousand Suns, it seems the band has chosen to further explore the more ignored sound of Minutes. There may be fifteen tracks to this disc, but around six of them are short interludes or sound bits. This will either lead the listener to think “what’s with all the filler?” or “wow, this album goes out of its way to flow from track to track”. Both thoughts would be correct. While the introduction (“The Requiem”) does have an interesting sound to it, it also feels like the album takes its sweet time getting started. It takes about six minutes before any real vocals start on A Thousand Suns. Granted, “Burning In The Skies” does grow on you with repeated listens, it feels a lot like a disappointment initially. In all honesty, the first couple times long time fans hear this album, they’re probably going to be upset. If you grew up on Hybrid Theory or Meteora, A Thousand Suns pretty much feels like a kick to the shins. There is “evolving” and then there is becoming an entirely different band. Linkin Park may as well change their name at this point. The sound of their first two albums is almost completely gone at this point. All this being said, when given the chance, A Thousand Suns does have a chance of impressing you.

For example, I personally hated this album at first. But, after six or seven full listens, the songs started to get stuck in my head. In other words, this is a collection that has to grow on you. “When They Come For Me” feels like a complete violation of everything the band once stood for, but here it is. You may hate its lyrics at first, but they’ll start to creep back in your head if you hear them enough.

The same goes for a lot of these songs. Not necessarily that the lyrics are bothersome, but the vocal set ups are just so different from before that you won’t like them at first. A good chunk of this track listing is composed of slow numbers. The hardest the band gets is with “Blackout”, a track that is atmospheric and electrical as Chester screams distorted into his microphone. One can’t help but wonder how a lot of these songs will play out on stage.

There is one track, however, that is almost immediately entertaining without having to be heard multiple times through: “Wretches And Kings”. It feels very much like the remixes Linkin Park has released in the past through the likes of collaborations and Reanimation. Probably most interesting is the way the band chose to close this album.

“The Messenger” is an acoustic piece that, surprisingly, sounds quite good. Chester may scream somewhat at times, but it actually aids in making everything feel more strained and heart felt. In conclusion, A Thousand Suns basically requires one to develop a tolerance to its sound in the beginning for it to become enjoyable. However, if you do this, then you’ll find that A Thousand Suns does offer up a lot of interestingly constructed sounds throughout. It’s just a shame how much Linkin Park have changed over the years. It’s also a bit insulting that fans have to basically forget the band they once loved to truly enjoy their latest release. Oh, well... (NL)

ACCEPT

Blood of the Nations (Nuclear Blast) Score: 9.0 Stream: “Pandemic”

Do I really need to tell you how awesome the new Accept record is?

If you are worth your weight in denim and leather, you already know how significant this band has been in shaping heavy metal into what it is today: the greatest form of music known to this or any world. After a long hiatus, where the band was uncertain as to when, if ever, they would return, Accept has come forth with new vocalist Mark Tornillo (Ex-TT Quick) and the baddest ass metal record to come from the German powerhouse since Metal Heart. It’s all here: the riffs, the solos, the power, and the glory that you can only get from a true legend of heavy metal. After forty plus years, the only thing that has slowed down on these guys is the growth of their hair and the function of their prostates, because the music is as aggressive and fistpumpingly radical as an old school metal soldier like myself could dream to have grace my ears. Wolf Hoffmann’s guitar work is as crisp and tight as it was in the 70’s and 80’s, if not better. The rest of the band is right on par as well, and Tornillo’s vocal delivery is one of the best you will hear this year, period. I really can’t tell you how great this album is; you just have to hear it for yourself. If you consider yourself even the slightest bit into metal, you don’t know shit until you have let Blood of the Nations flow through you. (Bubbs)

RIOTGOD S/T

(Metalville Records) Score: 8.0 Stream: “The Time is Now”

Riotgod could be considered a super group, or a side project, but whatever it is, it rules.

Formed by Monster Magnet’s Bob Pantella, Riotgod is just the thing that rock music has been missing a lot of lately,….rockin’. Imagine a time when bands like Soundgarden were at the top of the heap and Blind Melon were releasing the all time great Soup, and you can kind of see where I’m going with this. This is

good old fashioned rock’n’roll with just enough of a modern touch to make for an album that will resonate just as well thirty years from now as it does today. In fact, these guys would have held their own among the ranks of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix had they released this record back then. I know what you’re saying to yourself: “Did he just compare this band to Zeppelin?”. Yes...yes, I did.

You see, I am one of those rock fans that appreciates the blueprint laid out by the forefathers of rock, and Riotgod follow it perfectly. From the opening blast of guitar driven madness found on “Light of the Sun”, to the tribal acoustic trance put on by “The Time Is Now”, along with every single track on the album, this self titled offering is hands down better than anything you are going to hear on your local rock station, and I’d be willing to put money on it.

If you like it heavy, but don’t necessarily feel the need to be too extreme, check out Riotgod. You won’t regret it.

(Bubbs)

THIS DAY WILL TELL Too True To Be Good [Indianola] Score: 8.5 Stream: “The Chase”

Too True To Be Good starts out as a healthy balance of screamo and melodic rock, but later evolves into something more technical and heavy as it gets towards the end. In the beginning, This Day Will Tell resemble a mixture of older Silvertstein, Emery, and Underoath. The opening track, “Sweet Dreams, Meet You There”, is fueled by a catchy chorus that soars into growling verses and whirling guitar work. “Get Over Yourself” starts off as a breakdown that immediately gets the listener’s attention, though slows down some near the half way mark, making for a sweet interlude within itself. These elements can be heard throughout the album, so rather than discuss how every track mixes in something cool and unique, I’ll just spotlight my absolute favorite moments. While not an original song of theirs, “Whatever You Like” is an amazingly addictive rap cover that you’ll want to blast for weeks to come. I know because I’ve been doing it for a while now. That song is then followed by “We Left What’s Left Of Us In A Cloud Of Dust”, a song that perfectly balances the crooning lyrics with its heavier moments. It is at this point in the album that things start progressively becoming more technical and angry sounding. “The Chase” feels like a collapse of mankind, while “And They Say Blah Blah Blah” goes back and forth between breakdowns and soft vocals. The final track, “Making Love Is Easier Said Than Done”, starts off like a punk/rock song of sorts, but then becomes increasingly more experimental throughout. By ‘experimental’, I mean it feels like the band was kind of

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doing whatever came to mind as they wrote the song.

Rather than sounding messy, however, it comes out like a collectively building number. When all is said and done, This Day Will Tell have released a highly entertaining debut from a label that has been missing in the action for a while now. This disc should really help the both of them.

(NL)

ABANDON ALL SHIPS Geeving

[Rise/Velocity] Score: 9.5 Stream: “Geeving” Think of a mix between Attack Attack!, I See Stars, and For The Fallen Dreams if you want an idea of how Abandon All Ships sound.

Geeving, their debut album, is instantly likeable. After just one time hearing this album through, you’re going to want to replay it again and again.

Twenty play through-s later and you’ll know every great moment it has to offer. It’s one thing to say an album grows on you, but when it starts off great already, then you know you really have something worth getting into.

This is the case with Abandon All Ships. Geeving brings you track after track of addictive, brutal, and swinging anthems that are enough to get any fucker moving.

Even the songs that don’t hit you as hard the first time through will become favorites soon enough. Out of the many amazing moments here, “Geeving” has to be one of the top tracks available. However, the band gives you a lot of well executed styles to drool over throughout this disc, so it’s hard to talk about just one song. The heavier stuff is more hardcore than anything, while the singing is almost all auto-tune. This is something I usually hate, but Abandon All Ships are definitely able to pull it off. Most of the breakdowns heavily rely on the electronics, but that’s OK considering just how good those are. This is probably the best band using synth right now. If not the best, they are in the top three for sure. Everything flows impressively, and you can’t help but get these songs stuck in your head. This one has been in heavy rotation for me weeks now, and it’s not going anywhere soon. Check out Abandon All Ships as soon as possible. Don’t just hear one song; sample several at least. Geeving is a masterpiece for this genre. (NL)

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THE PRETTY RECKLESS

THE BLACK PACIFIC

BAD RELIGION

[Interscope] Score: 8 Stream: “My Medicine”

[SideOneDummy] Score: 5 Stream: “The System”

[Epitaph] Score: 9 Stream: “Only Rain”

Light Me Up

Having just released an EP early summer, The Pretty Reckless have returned with their debut full length, Light Me Up. The album features several favorites from their previous album, including “My Medicine”, which kicks things off.

“Make Me Wanna Die” also returns here, and for good reason. Both of these tracks are addictive, and once again come out on top. As far as the new tunes go, The Pretty Reckless have kept with their classic rock feel for the most part. “Goin’ Down” is instantly interesting, both lyrically and energetically. The title track also has a solid beat, as does any other track for that matter. Most stand out is the closing track, “You”.

Acoustic and solemn, it brings the album to an end quite beautifully. If only the band had added a couple more songs, this would have felt more like a complete collection. Nonetheless, Light Me Up is pretty damn good rock ‘n rock for the soul. Enjoy. (NL)

SYSTEM DIVIDE The Conscious Sedation

[Metal Blade] Score: 6 Stream: “An Intoxicating Affair” Like a cross between In This Moment and Job For A Cowboy, System Divide mold beautiful singing with guttural growls and squeals. The Conscious Sedation either sounds like a mess or well constructed as a result, depending on which track you’re talking about. “An Intoxicating Affair” has an interesting opening to it that then leads into a mix of vocal types, keeping everything quite crazed and sporadic. This kind of trait is used often throughout the album, so you might want to get used to it. At times, the band does try to branch out a little. “The Apex Doctrine” begins with some sort of interference to set the mood, “Lethargy” closes with a haunting chant, and “(N)ether” uses more of the keyboard than anywhere else on the disc. All in all, System Divide certainly show promise and potential in a lot of areas (listen to the closing track, “Stagnant Progression” for a sweet balance of techniques). With some work, they could really be onto something. (NL)

The Black Pacific

This debut from The Black Pacific may start off pretty strong with “The System”, but this album gets old pretty fast. Fronted by exPennywise leader, the band sounds nearly exactly like that band.

There are some occasional “screams” to back the main vocals from time to time, but that’s about the only real difference. The first few tracks are energetic and catchy enough, but before you’re even half way through this album, things are becoming tiresome. “The System”, “When It’s Over”, and “Almost Rising” definitely take a shining to the listener, but not much else will. This debut may not be bad or anything, but it isn’t anything special either. It probably won’t turn too many heads. Shame.

(NL)

THE GRADUATE Only Every Time

[Razor & Tie] Score: 8 Stream: “Don’t Die Digging”

The Graduate have been through a fair amount since their debut a couple years back, but it has seemed to strengthen the band’s music. Only Every Time is instrumentally brilliant and sonically beautiful in many aspects. “Don’t Die Digging” will become one of your favorite songs right off the bat, causing you to add it to any future playlists made on your iPod. It was a smart move for the band to start the album with that one, but that isn’t to say Only Every Time dies down quickly either. “Stuck (Inside My Head)” is also highly addicting, and tracks like “Make Believe” and “Choke” seem to have more upbeat styles to them. This album is composed of a lot of soothing tones and well performed vocals, but the best part is how it flows. If you’re to listen to this album as a whole, it will feel like a relaxing canoe ride down the river. You have your amazing scenery, calming sounds, and occasional bursts of energy as things pick up. Only Every Time is a great return from The Graduate. Let’s hope it’s not their last outing. (NL)

The Dissent Of Man

Bad Religion have been around for a very long time, so it’s awesome that they are still releasing music that matters. Their latest collection, The Dissent Of Man, is another fantastic album you’ll want to pick up for yourself. In a time where illegal downloading has been made so easy, this is one of those records you’ll actually want to pay for, so open them wallets. Starting with “The Day That The Earth Stalled”, The Dissent Of Man goes from track to track, bringing you something memorable and lasting every time. “Only Rain” easily makes its way into your memory, “The Resist Stance” is a homage to quick punk, and “The Devil In Stitches” is propelled by a soaring chorus and familiar beat. Out of fifteen tracks, there isn’t even one dud. That’s something to really be proud of. The Dissent Of Man is just hit after hit. “Pride And The Pallor”, “Meeting Of The Minds”, “Ad Hominem”...there’s just so much to choose from. Bad Religion still got what it takes. This is a vinyl well worth a place in your collection. (NL)

CONDITIONS Fluorescent Youth

[Good Fight] Score: 9 Stream: “Better Life”

In the beginning, Conditions was compared to Saosin often as they rose the unsigned ranks and garnished attention for themselves. Listening to Fluorescent Youth, I don’t really hear it, but maybe that’s just me. If anything, I’d have to say Conditions resemble Anberlin. Any how, this is a great album.

Each track offers up something memorable, but “Better Life” has to be one of my top favorites. The chorus feels like an energetic stab with every word, making them stick with you after the song has ended. Several songs share this characteristic, actually. “When It Won’t Save You” has a sad and beautiful feel to it, “Keeping Pace With Planes” is one of the most energetic and fast tracks, “...Made Ghosts” starts off slow and builds, and the final track (“Illuminati”) wraps everything up in an explosive nature. If you didn’t know Conditions before, know them now. They’re fucking kings. (NL)

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MSWHITE Squares

[Velocity/Rise] Score: 6.5 Stream: “Sinking Nowhere Over The Wisdom” Musically, Mswhite feel like a cross between The Color Morale and Four Letter Lie. Vocally, however, the band resembles UnderOath (when screaming) and Rosaline (when singing). This somewhat mix matched combination actually works surprisingly well, making the clean vocals desired often. The main problem this band faces during their debut, Squares, is their lack of originality from track to track. Each song has the same basic feel, causing no track to really stand out above the rest. “I Breathe The Sun” features some nice clean vocal parts, “Sinking Nowhere Over The Wisdom” mixes up the speeds more interestingly, and “V.I.T.R.I.O.L.” is the most uniquely constructed song out of the twelve. Once again, however, the band rarely does anything to truly spice up their sound as Squares plays through. Even when a track seems to get off at a good start (“Now I Can See Clear”), they more often than not fall short as the song really gets going.

Maybe next time, Mswhite will release a more compelling and engaging album to fans. Squares leaves a lot to be desired, despite sparking some interest along the way.

(NL)

MADBALL Empire

[Good Fight] Score: 8 Stream: “Danger Zone” These guys have been around for a while, and for good reason. Madball play a mix of punk and hardcore that is simple, yet invigorating. Their latest release, Empire, spans sixteen tracks of energy, anger, and inspiration.

Madball may not be changing the scene, but that’s partly because they helped build it to begin with. They’ve kept to their style, so if you were ever a fan, Empire won’t disappoint. Among the memorable moments is the anthemlike “Danger Zone”, the rise up “All Or Nothing”, and the engaging title track. Roger Miret makes an appearance with “Shatterproof”, which also becomes an easy favorite. There are other fast songs, of course. “R.A.H.C.” is a quick track about hardcore, “Tough Guy” is a crazy attack of curse words, and “Glory Years” is a solid combination of elements. There may be a lack of variety with this album, but that’s because Madball have chosen to stick with their tried and true formula. If you don’t mind this, then chances are you’ll enjoy Empire for what it is: hardcore. These guys know the genre, and this is album is no exception. (NL)

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WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH MMX

[Lifeforce] Score: 8 Stream: “To Age And Obsolete” Keeping their pattern of releasing new material shortly after another, War From A Harlots Mouth are back with MMX, another brutal assault of fast and crazy technicalmetalcore. You can expect more of the same, but don’t take that lightly. War From A Harlots Mouth may not change things up much, but their energetic style of music is quite refreshing nonetheless. The speed and vocal work is all enticing, whether you’ve heard their work before or not.

This is loud music. This is jumbled music. This is hell.

And you’ll love it. MMX tears at your ears like any other WFAHM release, so fans will surely be into it. For those of you just coming to the game, this is a good collection to start with. “To Age And Obsolete” has a slow bridge half way that aids well in connecting its breakdowns, “C.G.B. Spender” feels large in construction, and “Spineless” is an experimental piece that weaves a variety of styles and parts magnificently together. War From A Harlots Mouth are practically kings at this style, so make sure you find time for them. MMX is very likely to please any listener of loud, angry, and fast music. (NL)

BAD BOOKS Bad Books

[Favorite Gentlemen] Score: 8 Stream: “The Easy Mark & The Old Maid” Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra have joined forces as Bad Books, a band that (as you may expect) play cool and collective indie rock. These songs are relaxing and atmospheric, bringing the listener sweet sounds and well constructed lyrics. Perfect as a bedtime lullaby, the band’s self titled debut combines intricate and simple sounds to make something quite interesting and refreshing. Bad Books isn’t for everyone, but the older crowds will likely dig this for what it is. There are some good beats and interesting moments

throughout this one. Out of the available formats, vinyl is recommended. (NL)

VANNA

The Honest Hearts [Artery] Score: 9 Stream: “Passerby”

With a new label and lead vocalist, Vanna have chosen to return with a new EP featuring three new songs and two re-recorded. The Honest Hearts feels like a combination of their very first release (The Search Party Never Came) and their last Epitaph outing (A New Hope). Surprisingly, Davey Muise sounds an awful lot like Chris Preece, so there’s not much of a vocal adjustment here. Also interesting is that the two re-recorded tracks on this EP are from the releases mentioned above.

“Dead Language” is back from The Search Party, and “Trashmouth” from A New Hope. Both songs sound more or less like their original recordings, other than having a live quality to them that The Honest Hearts boasts throughout.

This doesn’t mean that the studio audio is bad, but rather that the vocals feel more frantic and real (as they would on stage). As a result, this short collection really feels like an in-home performance by the band, which is quite cool. As far as the new tracks go, “Passerby” comes out on top. The song opens in a panic, and is fairly fast throughout. “Lost And Bound”, the first track, would sound right at home with their last album as it is a healthy mix of breakdowns and soaring vocal work. Lastly, “Sending Vessels” shares a lot of the elements Vanna first possessed in the beginning (when their music was slightly more even paced and constructed larger in style). Overall, The Honest Hearts is an excellent return from a great band you really should be listening to. Definitely pick this one if you’re already a fan.

If you’re not familiar with Vanna, this is a good chance to hear a mix of their new and old. (NL)

AUGUST BURNS RED Home

[Solid State] Score: 7 Stream: “Back Burner”

There are enough bands out there that have amazing albums, but suck live. August Burns Red is not one of them, luckily. Instrumentally, they sound just as good as any of their recordings. Vocally, things are still very good. You’ve got to keep in mind how much oxygen and energy it takes to do this job live on stage, as opposed to doing “takes” at a studio. Considering all this, Jake Luhrs does quite a good job. At times, he does growl lower than on the albums, as well as speak in a hardcore fashion, but otherwise sounds very close to his recordings. With the exception of Fragile After All, a couple tracks from each ABR album make an appearance on Home. Fans should be able to find at least one favorite from each album here.

You have “Back Burner”, “The Eleventh Hour”, “Meddler”, “A Shot Below The Belt”...the band was good about grabbing a little something something from each release. When deciding if this is a worthy purchase or not, one must ask their self if live recordings are their thing. If not, then there isn’t much reason to pick this one up. Of course, there is a DVD we didn’t get to review; it might be awesome for all we know. (NL)

JIMMY EAT WORLD Invented

[DGC/Interscope] Score: 6 Stream: “Heart Is Hard To Find” It’s no secret that Jimmy Eat World did their best work in the earlier days. The last couple albums have not been bad, but they haven’t been anything great either.

With Invented, Jimmy Eat World have taken the atmospheric elements of Chase This Light to a new level, pushing them ever further from their original identity.

This being said, their latest release feels like its composed of hymns for the most part.

There are only a couple tracks that show a different face.

“Heart Is Hard To Find” features some interesting lyrical writing, “My Best Theory” is the closest thing to their older material you’ll find on this disc, and “Action Needs An Audience” is a quick rock song that has a somewhat dark feel to it at times. Other than these tracks, Invented is mostly atmospheric and sweet sounding. It’s a really different sound from the days of “The Middle”, which kind of sucks.

Fans are either going to appreciate this new formula or hate it. Personally, I feel Jimmy Eat World have abandoned their roots too much. (NL)

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RUNNER RUNNER Runner Runner

[Capitol] Score: 6 Stream: “Hey Alli” With this genre drowning in sound alike-s, it’s hard to get too hyped on Runner Runner. Their self titled debut may be composed of catchy beats and synth, but the subject matter is more or less generic. This means you’re going to hear songs about girls and parties more than anything else. On top of that, the music doesn’t really differentiate itself for the masses. A good chunk of this album shares a similar feel, but there are some tracks that mix it up a bit. “Life After You” is such a track, as it is slowed down and more mature sounding. The funny thing about Runner Runner is their ability to sound fun instrumentally, but lack the vocal construction to stick with you. In other words, not too many lyrics are going to get stuck in your head. Isn’t that what this genre is meant for, though? To get stuck in your head and be contagious? That isn’t really the case here. Runner Runner may have the makings for such a band, but they aren’t there yet. (NL)

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T. MILLS Ready, Fire, Aim!

[Uprising] Score: 4.5 Stream: “Stupid Boy”

Mixing rap, pop, and electronica, T.Mills is doing just what you’d expect from this kind of artist. Lyrics deal a lot with sex, drugs, and doing whatever you want to do. You can also expect plenty of foul language that will make you more stupid.

In fact, this kind of music kills brain cells as it is.

That being noted, there are catchy moments sprinkled throughout this debut. However, it can’t save T.Mills from the fact he’s performing inappropriate music. Interestingly, things are at their best when auto-tune is in use. The rap is typical and nothing special. The beats aren’t even that good, surprisingly. For a genre meant to get you dancing, it’s hard to see people jumping around to these songs. This Day Will Tell could probably make these tracks sound way better. To be fair, I’m not a fan of this genre. Someone who is may reward this a better score. Oh, well. (NL)

REVIEWS ARCHIVE (NO. 7 AUG/SEPT) What you missed...

Albums in blue-green received a score of 9 or higher, and are therefor highly recommended purchases.

ALL OUT WAR – Into The Killing Fields – (8) AMERICAN HI-FI – Fight The Frequency – (9.5) ANGELS OF BABYLON – Kingdom Of Evil – (6) ARCADE FIRE – The Suburbs – (7) ASHERS – Kill Your Master – (7.5) THE AUTUMN OFFERING – The Autumn Offering – (6) AVENGED SEVENFOLD – Nightmare – (8) BARS OF GOLD – Of Gold – (6.5) BASEMENT – Songs About The Weather – (8) THE BLACK PACIFIC – The Black Pacific – (5) BUCKCHERRY – All Night Long – (5) THE BURIAL – The Winepress – (8) CAUSE A SCENE – Volume One – (4) COMEBACK KID – Symptoms And Cures – (8.5) CONDITIONS – Fluorescent Youth – (9) CRUEL HAND – Lock & Key – (6.5) THE DANGEROUS SUMMER – Live In Baltimore – (9.5) DAWN OF ASHES – Genocide Chapters – (5) DEATH IN THE PARK – Death In The Park – (7) DECEPTION OF A GHOST – Speak Up, You’re Not Alone – (6.5) DESTRUCTION OF A ROSE – American Hell – (9) THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA – Zombie – (9.5) DEW SCENTED – Invocation – (8) EATMEWHILEIMHOT! – xALBUMx – (8) EVOLETT – For Your Consideration – (6) FLESHWROUGHT – Dementia / Dyslexia – (6) FOR TODAY – Breaker – (8.5) GOOD RIDDANCE – Capricorn One: Singles & Rarities – (8) GO RYDELL – The Golden Age – (7) THE GRADUATE – Only Every Time – (8) THE GREAT AMERICAN BEAST – Domestic Blood – (8.5) HELL WITHIN – God Grant Me Vengeance – (7.5) HEY MONDAY – Beneath It All – (6) HISTORY – We’re Only Getting Older – (9) ICE NINE KILLS – Safe Is Just A Shadow – (8) INTERPOL – Interpol – (4) IN THE MIDST OF LIONS – The Heart Of Man – (5) IVORYLINE – Vessels – (8) THE LAST FELONY – Too Many Humans – (4)

LATIN FOR TRUTH – Diatribe Or Die! – (7) THE LIMOUSINES – The Limousines – (8) KID LIBERTY – Fight With Your Fists – (8), (7) KING OF ASGARD – Fi’mbulvintr – (3) KNIGHTS OF THE ABYSS – Culling Of The Wolves – (5) MAD CADDIES – Consensual Selections – (8) MIKE POSNER – 31 Minutes To Takeoff – (6) MISS MAY I – Monument – (8.5) MOZART SEASON – Nightmares – (8), (9.5) MSWHITE – Squares – (6.5) OF MONTREAL – False Priest – (7) THE NARRATIVE – The Narrative – (6) THE NEW CZARS – Doomsday Revolution – (7) NIGHTFALL – Astron Black And The Thirty Tyrants – (4.5) THE OTHER – New Blood – (7) PAPA ROACH – Time For Annihilation – (9), (8) RA RA RIOT – The Orchard – (7) RAUNCHY – A Discord Electric – (7.5) RUFIO – Anybody Out There – (9), (7) RUNNER RUNNER – Runner Runner – (7) RYAN STAR – 11:59 – (9.5) SECONDHAND SERENADE – Hear Me Now – (5) THE SHOWDOWN – Blood In The Gears – (6.5) SMILE AND BURN – Smile And Burn – (9) THE SPILL CANVAS – Formalities – (8.5) SYSTEM DIVIDE – The Conscious Sedation – (6.5) TERRIBLE THINGS – Terrible Things – (8) THIEVES AND VILLAINS – South America – (9.5) TIDES OF MAN – Dreamhouse – (6.5) TWOTHIRTEEN – Goregasm – (10) THE WALKMEN – Lisbon – (3.5) WE WERE SKELETONS – We Were Skeletons – (7.5) WITCHERY – Witch Kreig – (7) WITHIN THE RUINS – Invade – (8) WOE, IS ME – Number(s) – (7.5) THE WORD ALIVE – Deceiver – (9) WRETCHED – Beyond The Gate – (6), (7.5)

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