Anxious Wave Debut EP Review

   I was given the opportunity to write about Anxious Wave's new Ep before gets release so I said why the fuck not. I was very intrigued by the demo with the unorthodox hardcore punk sound and knew I would enjoy some new stuff. 

   With better production on this one, I can actually differentiate multiple influences I may not have realized before. Listening to this I could compare the sound to the classic punk bands I've mentioned before (Dag Nasty, Bad Brains etc.) but now with a little non single Nirvana type of stuff, and even hints of dare I say...The Blood Brothers? In my opinion, its there. Anxious Wave keep the furious funk punk style in check even more with this ep, sprinkle in some Blood Brothers style slow parts with the dissonance, and the aggressive Nirvana "Negative Creep" style riffs, mostly makes me think of that song.

   The first song gives off that eighties punk vibes with a nice bass line joined in by an anxious punk riff and some Rollins style vocals. Plenty of funk with that bass throughout the song and thats what just makes me think its a good time live. All I can think of is two step city. A good intro that wastes no time and jumps right in.

   Now the next song starts off like a Blood Brothers song I feel. Think of something like "Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck" but not as obnoxious. Clean sounding guitars, and a smooth drum pattern. Now that I think of it, the whole song kinda reminds me of BB. The vocal styles in this one get passionate with some "Woah wo's" or whatever the fuck its called and still remain aggressive and hoarse. Guess you could consider this one a ballad.

   The next one is a straight punk sound, but blended together with that Rock 'n' Roll guitar style and some heavy bass. Gotta love the lyric "I'm sorry, all your friends are dead!" only to have that chorus lead into a hard slow breakdown that actually has tremelo picking. The tremolo only leads to a slower and heavier riff guarenteed to Bring Da Muthafuckin' Ruckus. I think this one is my favorite.

   The next song is another slower ballad style. I say ballad but don't worry its not melodic or anything. This one is still pretty dissonant and mirrors the BB style I mentioned, it does speed up at times and eventually leads into a heavy one chorded breakdown. This song is a pretty powerful wave of emotions with the sound.

    Time to get back into the chaos. The following tune starts off with an eerie sample and leads into a dissonant riff I don't even know how to describe. All anxiety inducing aggression in this song. the guitr patterns move up and down constantly but doesn't hide that groovy Rock 'n' Roll bass. Call it mosh city when you see it, The lyrics in this one seem pretty relatable too for bonus points.

     As for the last song, let's call it the Outro. This is interesting. All you hear is an eerie piano riff and quiet symbols along with some strange yelping, almost sounding like a cry for help. Kinda makes me think of a movie where someone is going through a lot of shit and the camera shows the sky and revolves around it while show transparent images of the character suffering. 

   So this is my experience with Anxious Wave's new Ep, I hate doing x/10 type of stuff, but take my word for it. My favorite type of hardcore is the bands that take the genre and use obscure influences to spice it up. Anxious Wave are a good example of it, I think what seperates them from the rest is the eighties vibes they give off.

   

The new EP will be available Nov. 23rd, write it down, bitch.

KEN Mode and Birds in Row w/ BEDTIMEMAGIC, and American Ethos @ ONCE Somerville

   I can't get over this flier, I love it. Almost as incredible as the show. A fantastic display of talent from each bands that, as American Ethos pointed out, do not have more than three members. I live for chaotic sludge like KEN Mode and Birds in Row I've been a fan of since my junior year of high school. Bonus points to Grayskull for the two openers who fit the bill like a pair of new socks on christmas morning.

American Ethos

Genre: Noise Rock/Hardcore Punk/Post-Hardcore FFO: Unsane, Uniform

So this one's gonna be short because I only caught the last three songs of the set due to my need for pizza (thanks Veggie Crust). American Ethos are more than what I expected, punk with alternate influences. From what I did get to see, the attitude from the music was shown well threw the bands movements. The feedback was loud and blaring only to go straight back into some angry punk rock riffs, and the vocals, gotta love it. Like a teenager beating up a cop with a skateboard. If you dig the odd side of hardcore punk, American Ethos show it off well.

BEDTIMEMAGIC

Noise Rock/Sludge Metal FFO: Kowloon Walled City, Fight Amp, Whores.

These guys were....interesting. Only a drummer and bassist were on stage, but the catch? They both wore a all over print pug face leotard. As silly as this was these guys were wild. Both did vocals, some of those riffs made you question if you were hearing a bass or guitar, and the drummer was also playing an organ. Goddamn! I mean if you're gonna play as a two piece, you really gotta make it worth everyones while, the odd time signatures and drastic changes along with it, the chaotic riffs, and the crazy vocals, these guys had it all. I'm only slightly surprised I'm only finding out about them now. Insane amounts of potential and talent in these two nutcases. Great way to gear us up for the chaos to come.

Birds in Row

Genre: Chaotic Hardcore/Screamo/Melodic Hardcore FFO: Converge, Dead Swans, Ampere

These guys in my opinion stole the show. Holy fuck. If theres one thing I thought I would regret, it was missing these guys at O'Briens, then I heard about this show originally at the middle east, and thought, I think I'd rather see them there. However, moving this show to ONCE was the best move for a band like this. The lighting shined down just behind them with faint colored lights as well and the atmosphere of the ballroom and the curtain behind them just makes the perfect image for them. The way Birds in Row played, you could just feel the passion they had with a hard hit of anguish from the sound and a glimmer of hope from the slower stuff. These guys were pacing back and forth, whipping their guitars around, and the guitarist broke a string after just the first song. They explained that some of their songs revolve around current events, for example how tragedies are hidden by numbers. Luckily for me they did play an old song, "Pilori" and the bands movements during the chaos was just plan spazzy, the bassist whipped his guitar around by the strap, and almost lost grip. Deathwish really knows some talented artists to sign and Birds in Row are a shining symbol of it.

KEN Mode

Genre: Chaotic Sludge Metal/Metalcore/Noise Rock FFO: Fight Amp, Helms Alee, The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the whole set. I caught probably the first half hour but again, holy fuck.  Canadian chaotic powerhouse is an understatement. KEN Mode have been a band for almost 20 years and with a ton of albums under their belt, they still got it. It was hard to even comprehend the songs just because of how rediculously sporadic they played. There were songs where they straight up played two basses and no guitar, you straight up could not tell. The sound was super muddy and the noise rock parts were scratchy with the amps blaring out. The sound quality was impeccable. They nailed every sudden time change and the chaotic stage presence is always a plus in my book. There were times where the vocalist would look directly into my eyes while yelling, I'm sure he did it to just about everyone in the venue but regardless what a magical moment. Even for a short probably half set I got to witness, I left more than satisfied and almost shaking from the vibrations. Pretty sure KEN Mode caused a minor earthquake last night.

Spectacular!

Kero Kero Bonito @ Brighton Music Hall

   Welcome back to your adolescent years where everything is fun and the world doesn't suck. KKB took us on a Kero Kero journey for the night and it was just what we all needed to escape the horrors of adulthood. Everytime I attend a show at BMH its always something on the aggressive side of music, this one was a good change of pace, even with their....surprises?

    There was an opener for the night who I didn't get the name of as they didn't do much talking, and when they did, it was hard to hear. Apparently the name was Tanukichan, and it is a solo project. While the sound was not my personal preference, it was still rather enjoyable. Very chillwave-esque with a hint of indie, very comparable to Mitski. The crowd didn't really seem to care, I think I heard them talking over her more than the music.

     Now if you've listened to KKB before, you know it's primarily the three people pictured above, two of them doing electronics, and one of them doing vocals. with the new album, the added guitars bass and drum, while keeping the electronics. This night, they played as a full band.

    The drummer was the first to come out and began playing a punk drum pattern, also would like to point out what my man Phil pointed out, the drummer was wearing a Darkthrone shirt. The guitar and bass followed suit, then the keyboardist, and finally Sarah, with her white her, and dark sparkling dress. They opened with the first song off Time 'n' Place, "Outside". The curse of Brighton Music Hall took effect and you could barely hear her sing at first. 

    I couldn't tell but it looked like Sarah was pulling props out of a bag/box or something, inbetween songs she pulled out a stuffed flamingo and held it straight up in the air, I'm sure you know what that means. They immediately began the song "Flamingo" with the crowd clapping and singing along. Luckily the curse wore off and we could hear Sarah clear as day. she danced around with the flamingo holding it on her head or shaking it over the crowd. You could tell she is just a child who never wanted to grow up. The song did sound vastly different due to being played with live instruments and personally, I found it more enjoyable.

    Upon playing "Only Acting" was the first of the biggest surprise Sarah brought. If you know the song you know the glitchy noise parts, and how it almost sounds like shes screaming, I can confirm that she is screaming in the recording. Sarah let out death metal growls during these parts, and some of the noise parts I can compare to Full of Hell....I'm not kidding this really happened. The end glitch even played, and Sarah threw a garbage bag full of balloons into the crowd.

    KKB had many props this night. For the song "Break" Sarah took out a pink telephone during the phone call skit in the song with one of the other members. I can't get over the goofy look on her face when they did this. Other notable one was a stuffed frog(?) that she played with for I think two songs straight. Similar to the flamingo, she would dance with it, hold it on her head shake it over the crowd etc. When she put it back, she gave it a big smooch hoping it will become her prince. 

   KKB played mostly the new album and ended abruptly. They fans were screaming for more, until they came back, I bet you can guess what song they played....Time's up, it was "Trampoline". Again they played as a full band with the song sounding incredibly different, this was amazing though. The crowd shouting every word and once the chorus hit, everyone jumped up and down as if the flooor was a trampoline. the end of the chorus where Sarah echoes the word "bounce", she death metal growled it again while the band played a riff similar to a breakdown.....again I'm not joking. I had to turn to Neil and just say, "Dude am I wrong or is KKB heavy!?". She let out more death metal growls throughout the song and the crowd just cheered louder each time, the even progressively played fast to the point where the drummer was playing d-beats in the end.

   I've never been to a show where I've had a smile on my face the whole time to the point where it hurt. KKB really know how to make you feel young again and are a perfect escape from reality. I gotta say, this experience really showed me KKB know a lot about music and could really be making whatever they want. Also Sarah's growls could easily impress Corpsegrinder.

The TA13OO Tour: Denzel Curry w/ City Morgue

    Denzel Curry took us all to the darker side of town last night with his unbelievable performance. I knew the moment I finished listening to the newest album that it would be something to see live so of course I couldn't miss out. 

    Beginning the show was a group called City Morgue consisting of two rappers who introduced themselves as: KillaZami and Sosmula. I bet ZillaKami sounds a little familiar right? Any way, these guys were ignorant. There was a projection screen flashing their logo behind them. They had a pretty short set for rap I think clocking out after 30 minutes. Every song ZillaKami would force that pit open and would constantly stage dive. Tons and Tons of energy from these two. At one point, the two of them ordered that the crowd split into two for what he said "a tribute to the best band ever". They pointed two each side and said "You! Fuck them up! And You! Fuck them up!". They began a countdown and to my surprise Spit it out by Slipknot began playing with the two of them screaming along. 

    City Morgue prepared the crowd for the last song and brought multiple people from the crowd on stage only to nose dive back in, the two rappers followed behind while continuing the song. Upon finishing their final song, City Morgue gave one big goodnight as Heretic Anthem began playing with another wall of death spawning forth.

    A single mic stand stood in front of the stage as the projection screen showed a red curtain with the words ACT I. The lights dimmed and after a large applause, Denzel walked out wearing a hawaiian shirt, visor, and tightish black jeans. The curtain on the screen opened as Denzel began Taboo|TA1300, revealing images of Denzel holding Black ballons with a smile on his face in different heavenly backgrounds. If you've listened to the album, you know it works in three acts with the album getting darker as it progresses. He immediately proceeded into the next song on the album and then brought it back with a few older songs. His dancing and movements got more and more fierce the moment he began Sumo|Zumo. As you would expect, the crowd followed suit with each song, bouncing, moshing, and rapping/screaming along. I gotta give this crowd some props, the pit had me worn out to the point that I had to chill on the balcony.

    After Sumo|Zumo, Denzel walk off stage as the lights dimmed once more and the projection curtain closed and presented: Act II. Denzel came back and the curtain opened revealing a black and white background with images of Denzel with his black and white paint (as seen in Clout Cobain|CLOUT CO13A1N). He then began the next song, Switch It Up|ZW1TCH 1T UP with the crowd singing along. Denzel began to actually yell and scream the lyrics and would do the classic hip hop countdown to get more energy flowing. If anything he actually sounded borderline pissed during SUPER SAIYAN SUPERMAN|ZUPER ZA1YAN ZUP3RMAN when yelling "KILL SHIT KLL SHIT MY NAVY SEALS SHIT!" with the beat hitting hard and Denzel's sporadic movements. 

    Before one of my personal favorites of the album, Denzel stated that it is an important one to him and gave his praise to the guest feature J.I.D. That's right, SIRENS|Z1R3NZ. Unfortunately the song was cut short due to J.I.D.'s absence and faded away as Denzel chanted "fists up!'. I don't think there was a bigger sing a long than CLOUT COBAIN|CLOUT CO13A1N. A song about depression is something I'm sure we all relate to. I was deeply amazed at how Denzel goes from aggressive to heartfelt just like that. Almost like flipping a switch. Denzel stated that one song almost didn't make it on TABOO|TA13OO, I don't remember which, but the proceeded to play "The Black Balloons that didn't make it on the album." Denzel walked off once more as the lights dim, and the projected curtain closes.

    The curtain was projected: ACT III. Denzel walked back on stage with his posse this time including City Morgue, as the curtain opens revealling a darker background, this time with Images of Denzel, covered in blood or upside down in a straight jacket. Welcome to hell bitch. As you should know, Act III is the darkest one with his most aggressive songs. I should state he did not play these in order. I thought Denzel was angry before but the speed and anger when he performed PERCS|PERCZ was insane. You could see the darkness in his eyes and his movement was even more spastic and fast. At one point, he yelled X's up at the crowd. This was to honour his fallen friend xxxtentacion. I will put my personal opinion aside about xxxtentacion for the sake of the reader's opinion. I recently learned in Denzel's most recent interview that the two were once roommates/best friends so it only makes sense. he proceeded  to cover two of his songs (I don't listen to xxxtentacion, I don't know the songs) with his image projected on the screen. I'm sure you could guess a majority of the crowd were getting heavily involved as well as Denzel's posse shouting along with their own mics, especially ZillaKami. He then proceeded with the over-memed song Ultimate. I gotta admit, the beat for these songs made me feel like I was seeing a doom metal band with how hard it hit. Denzel yelled at the crowd to split in two, and it parted like the red sea as you hear the beginning to my personal favorite song on the album, BLACK METAL TERRORIST|13 M T. The moment the beat hit and Denzel started rapping, the crowd was anarchy. If you got sucked in, you weren't coming back. The way he was screaming, and the chaotic movements would make you think he's fucking possessed. It was absolutely wild. The song ended the lights shut off and every body walked off stage. 

    The crowd needed more and wouldn't leave until they got it. After much praise and chanting. The prejection screen revealed Denzel's face with blaring red eyes with the word "Encore" beneath it. He proceeded to the stage with his crew once more and played two old songs. I'm sure you noticed what song off Taboo I haven't mentioned. Well guess what, the crowd has been waiting for it all night. That's right, he closed the night with VENGEANCE. The crowd got back into the chaos ensuring one more endless, gigantic pit, and yeah you guessed it, ZillaKami did his guest spot and thats what made me realize who he is. Denzel and ZillaKami were grabbing people on stage and would follow suit in jumping into the crowd. When the song ended, the two placed the mics on the ground and gave them there energy Dragonball Z style as they both walked out.

   What an incredible night. People have mentioned to me how they've seen Denzel upstairs at the Middle East and while I was not there, I'm sure this was just as fantastic and maybe even next level with the visuals. I give Denzel my praise for being a hero that mainstream rap needs with his art.

    

Pumpkin Spice Playlist 2018

Welcome back to Halloweentown. Last year the fall/halloween playlist was the first playlist I did and it was such a hit, I made playlists a thing for the blog. Here are some additional installments to add to last year's. this time I'll throw the spotify link here including stuff from the previous playlist and more, since Pete ask me to do this. Enjoy!

AFI - The Art of Drowning
Genre: Hardcore Punk/"Horror Punk" FFO: Misfits, Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio


'Last year we started with AFI so of course We're doing it again. This was the last album AFI released before going emo. This one wins best artwork in my opinion and features the classic aggressive Misfits style with attitude. We all love AFI.

The Autumn Offering - Revelations of the Unsung
Genre: Metalcore FFO: Unearth, Darkest Hour, Caliban


If there's no metalcore, it ain't my playlist. The Autumn Offering is more than appropriate for the fall in more ways than just the name. These guys got riffs that are like sun rays thru the trees in a state forest. At least that some images that come to my mind. Welcome to 2004 bitch.

Joey Bada$$ - B4 DA $$
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap FFO: MF Doom, Nas, Mobb Deep


I love this album for many reasons: Nostalgic even though its newer, emotional, passionate, relatable, the list goes on. I couldn't feel more at peace walking around Boston just before dark in the cool windy weather with a hoodie and earbuds jamming this album. The sight of graffitti and tall buildings surrounding me was ideal. Joey is the hero today's rap needs.

Devil Sold His Soul - A Fragile Hope
Genre: Metalcore/Post-Metal/Zachcore FFO: The Ocean, Rinoa, Poison the Well


Holy fuck this album is incredible. I was listening to this recently in a light rain while watching leaves blow in the wind and it fit the music perfectly. Easily one of the most underrated bands and albums ever. Imagine if The Devil Wears Prada decided to collaborate with The Ocean and they wrote everything while drowning.

Christian Death - Only Theatre of Pain
Genre: Post-Punk/Death Rock FFO: Bauhaus, Alien Sex Fiend, Joy Division


The legendary and highly influencial release from the great Christian Death. Ironically these guys are playing a Halloween show this year, felt appropriate to include them on here. Most darkwave artists consider this a monument to their sound, and it shows. Take some time out of your day and understand the meaning of goth.

Melvins - Stag & Stoner Witch
Genre: Experimental Sludge/Stoner/Grunge/Punk FFO: Boris, Nirvana, Weedeater, Mr. Bungle


The Melvins have a massive discography that most don't finish in their lifetime and I guarantee there's more halloween/fall related ones. On top of that, they have probably the most unique styke I have ever heard considering it changes with almost every song. I have been on a huge Melvins binge recently and so far these two caught my eye for the season best. A fantastic combination of heavy  fuzz, grungey grooves, weedy moods, and silly tunes. When you jam the Melvins, you get a perfect doseage of talent and humor.

Denzel Curry - TABOO|TA13OO
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap/ "Horror Rap" FFO: Danny Brown, Vince Staples, Lil Uzi Vert


A while back I got a text from Billy Mourned saying "Dude I know you're not really into him, but I think you'll dig Denzel Curry's new album" and surely enough, Billy doesn't steer me wrong. I love this album just from one listen. If the artwork doesn't hype it enough for you, just know it gets darker and angrier as it goes on. This is one album I've been listening to a lot this year and it definitely screams Halloween more than most. Hopefully gonna catch Denzel at the Paradise soon.

Isabella Amarga - Confinement
Genre: "Dark Pop"/Indie FFO: Lana Del Rey, Zola Jesus


My friend/super talented artist Casey Valentine introduced me to her friend Bella and her music as well and all I can say is her style is unique and fantastic. Bella has a soothing and beautiful voice and its matched with a dark electronic background almost as if you're listening to a siren's song in the middle of the woods. Its as beautiful as it is eerie, I got the opportunity to experience her music live and it was just as incredible as it is on record.

November's Doom - The Pale Haunt Departure
Genre: Death/Doom Metal FFO: Opeth, October Tide, Evoken


I feel November's Doom is a band many know the name of but not the music and those who know the music don't think of a certain album. Personally I don't think they have a bad release. I'm sure you could tell by the cover, this is a fall album. November's Doom are all about sorrow and The Pale Haunt Departure personify it in the most melancholic way possible. This album will cause spirits to haunt you forever and you'll be to far into despair to even notice.

Lingua Ignota - All Bitches Die
Genre: Noise/Black Metal/Avant-Garde/Ambient FFO: The Body, Full of Hell, Revenge


This is an absolute horrific masterpiece in the most beautiul form of art. This album instantly begins with chaos, and softens up with operatic parts. basically the whole album goes from chaos to ballad and its done very well, Looking forward to seeing her live.

vein - errorzone.
Genre: Experimental Metalcore/Mathcore/Alt metal FFO: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Thumbscrew, Deftones


vein are taking over the world. The release of Errorzone earlier this year gave them mass appeal from basically every crowd of aggressive music fans. This album keeps the dissonant and chaotic horror movie hardcore sound in check and better than ever. Some have been comparing them to nu metal, but I gotta say I disagree.

The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal
Genre: Death Metal FFO: Arch Enemy, At the Gates, Behemoth


The gothic artwork says it all. My second favorite Black Dahlia album after the great Unhallowed. This album will cause everything to go black. Nocturnal was an album with a stronger black metal influence than the others but still with the classic Black Dahlia style that only they can really pull off.

Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone out
Genre: Post-Punk/Goth Rock FFO: Siouxsie & the Banshees, Joy Division, The Sisters of Mercy


Bauhaus redefined goth and gave it a darker meaning with the release of the song "Bela Legosi's dead" which is unfortunately not featured on this album. The Sky's Gone Out still has the nihilistic and depressing vibes that remove all color from your surroundings. The album even can get flamboyent at times.

Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway
Genre: Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal FFO: ISIS (the band), Neurosis, The Ocean


This is a personal one for me. If you need more city fall vibes, throw this on driving down mass pike, and when you get to the city you just feel the wind blow in your face and you enter a new world from the monolith of a song, "Dark City Dead Man". I've experienced this already and plan on it again soon.

Himsa - Courting Tragedy and Disaster
Genre: Metalcore FFO: Darkest Hour, God Forbid, Light This City


Himsa were an old school metalcore band to start but eventually became more At The Gates-esque with their sound. This album is no exception. One thing I notice that Himsa do is the manage to make the signature metalcore riff sound even more evil as well as add in some blackened tremolo picked riffs. Throw Himsa on in your car and you'll feel like you're driving a hearse.

The Body - I Have Fought Against it, But I Can't Any Longer
Genre: Avant Garde, Noise, Sludge, Experimental


Nobody is more terrifying than The Body. The duo really out did themselves with this one with many many guest features of all talents to create a dark musical masterpiece. This one I would call their best release yet and is a good escape from reality with the experimentation even from the original sound the Body is known for.

Ampere - Like Shadows
Genre: Screamo/Emo Violence FFO: Pageninetynine, Orchid, Jeromes Dream


For me, fall ain't fall without screamo. In high school this was a routine. Ampere features members from Orchid, Kindling, and probably more bands and the sound is destructive as it is emotional. If you wish Orchid could come back, Ampere is a perfect substitute.

3TEETH - <shutdown.exe>
Genre: Industrial Metal FFO: Sister Machine Gun, Youth Code, Chemlab


This one may be new, but its an instant classic. You don't hear about industrial music enough. 3TEETH are a band that brings heaviness to the gothic world of industrial music. Most probably know them from the final H.I.M. tour but I discovered them through the collab they did with HO99O9. The band is very eerie sounding and will put you into the setting of an abandoned warehouse only to be ambushed by robots.

Neurosis - Given To The Rising
Genre: Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal FFO: Cult of Luna, ISIS (the band), Amenra


I feel this Neurosis album gets overlooked but I'm telling you its a goodie. Much like A Sun that Never Sets, this one features a folk influence to add to the dark atmosphere that Neurosis bring with each album. If you really need an adventure, read along to it.

Ritual Howls - Into the Water
Genre: Darkwave/Post-Punk/Gothic FFO: Drab Majesty, Cold Cave, Night Sins


For the past year and a half, I dove deeper into darkwave and what a journey it is. Ritual Howls is a good gateway for people that don't know it well. I recall many falling in love with Drab Majesty's latest release, I recommend checking this one for a darker mood and diving into the darkwave void for more.

Will Haven - S/T
Genre: Metalcore FFO: Snapcase, The Banner, Vision of Disorder


Will Haven's self titled release is a dark venture into old school New York style metalcore. The lyrics are much darker, and the riffs have the structure of Snapcase with some evil attitude right in your face.

Witchfinder General - Death Penalty
Genre: Doom Metal FFO: Black Sabbath, Cathedral, The Obsessed


If you couldn't tell from the past couple of reviews and instagram posts, Bill's Rock 'n' Roll Weekend worships doom just as much as metalcore. Witchfinder General are one of the original Sabbath worship bands along side Vitus, The Obsessed, and maybe even Pentagram. If your into raw evil riffs with a good blues influence a.k.a. Sabbath style, Witchfinder General is for you. Usually if theres boobs on a metal album cover, its at least a 7/10.

Raein - Il n'y a Pas De Orchestre
Genre: Screamo FFO: Loma Prieta, Suis La Lune, Joshua Fit For Battle


Legendary skramz nerds from France constantly remind me how worthless I was in high school. I would listen to Raein on rainy days when I would be walking 2 miles to get to school. This band has some depressing lyrics that actually are in english, whether you understand or relate is up to you. The album translates to "There is no band" if you didn't know.

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
Genre: Death Metal FFO: Cannibal Corpse, Pestilence, Obituary
 

Classic death metal. Morbid Angel have a select number of albums I enjoy but I have the generic favorite of this one. No gimmick just straight up evil ass death metal.

October Tide - Rain Without End
Genre: Death Doom Metal FFO: Novembers Doom, Saturnus, Swallow the Sun


October Tide are from the same era as Novembers Doom and have a very similar sound. I find it humourous because of their names. October Tide is rather melancholy but slightly more melodic than Novembers Doom. Consider this caption basically the same as Novembers Doom's.

Ash Code - Perspektive
Genre: Industrial/Darkwave/Gothic FFO: The Agnes Circle, Youth Code, Ritual Howls


Euro goth powerhouse Ash Code released this masterpiece earlier this year and I've had it on repeat ever since. These guys manage to make darkwave slightly more heavy but keeping the gothic darkwave background. Warning:: This album will spawn sunglasses onto your face while its dark out.

Suis La Lune - Quiet, Pull the Strings!
Genre: Screamo FFO: Raein, Orchid, Touche Amore


The best screamo bands don't come from the states. Suis La Lune are Swedish skramz underdogs who kept the game going with a emo as fuck album like this one. I wish this style was still relevant but there's a good chance it never will.

The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace
Genre: Post-Punk FFO: Suicide, Magazine, Siouxsie & the Banshees


Why not end it hear, a playlist about the fall season, ending it with The Fall. This band has a vintage punk rock feel as one of the original post-punk bands to form in the 70s. Mostly a political vibe but the tunes are good for cool weather under any setting. The Fall is best listened to during the fall.



Happy Halloween Bitch.

Emma Ruth Rundle & Jaye Jayle @ Great Scott

    Always an adventure seeing the wonderful Emma Ruth Rundle perform. Joined by her familiar Jaye Jayle made for quite a showcase of both darkness and beauty. I have witnessed both artists before: Emma with Deafheaven and This Will Destroy You, and Jaye Jayle with OathBreaker and Sannhet. This night definitely blew the previous performances away.

    Jaye Jayle I am still not entirely familiar with but I do enjoy the atmosphere the music brings. A very dark aroma fills the room with his haunting voice and rather mellow instrumentals. It was like reading a scary story as a young child. A good warm up for the night considering Emma writes similar music.I gotta give him credit for the appearance as well. You know how in certain television series, a character may have a near death experience and may speak to the devil or the reaper and it turns out to be a dashing man dressed very nice? Consider that Jaye Jayle.

    Now I said already that I saw Emma open for Deafheaven, but believe it or not, this night was next level. She walked out, introduced herself and began playing and the entire crowd including myself was hypnotized. This was a rare night that I thought I could survive without earplugs and Emma's volume was just below pounding, basically ideal but you could still feel the sound surrounding you. Skipping out on the plugs really made it a full experience. 

    Emma performed with a full band that included Jaye Jayle, and I believe she said members of her band Marriages (I apologize if I misheard). The instrumentals made every song borderline sound like I was listening to a melodic Russian Circles song with Emma's b e a u t i f u l voice singing over it. I noticed as well Jaye Jayle was playing slide guitar (I believe he was with his own band as well). 

    With the instrumentals sounding this way, "Marked for Death" sounded actually heavy when the chorus came in. Almost as if the scenery around you changes. One second you're at Great Scott, the next your in a meadow at dusk, then an abandoned house, the song ends and boom you're back at Great Scott. I always have some kind of imagery come to mind when I see a project like this, Emma really paints an incredible picture with it.

    Emma is an incredible musician and songwriter. Her performance this night was just straight magical no other way to describe it. You can Tell she puts as much passion into performing as she does recording. I highly recommend her newest album "On Dark Horses" and catching her when she comes to your area. You will see life a different way. Magical.

Killing Joke: Laugh at Your Peril - 40th Anniversary Tour @ Paradise

   One of the most influential bands of all time has officially reached the 40 mark. I first heard Killing Joke in high school my sophmore year and they introduced me to the genre that is post-punk and industrial metal bands like Godflesh among others.

   If you never heard them, Killing Joke began as a post-punk band that experimented with industrial elements as well as hardcore and metal. Many bands cite them as an icon including but not limited to: Metallica, Godflesh, Nirvana, Ministry, Faith no More, Nine Inch Nails, My Bloody Valentine, Soundgarden, the list goes on and on. If you enjoy any band that these guys inspired, I guarantee there is at least one album you will enjoy.

   Beginning the night, there was another english band opening, I believe they simply called PIG. This band I don't know anything about but the appearance of the band was quit astonishing. The vocalist was wearing a catholic priest's collar and robe under a flashy Rob Halford style disco jacket, shades, and cop hat. He eventually took the jacket off to reveal he was also wearing BDSM gear. My guess was he was trying to look like a gay priest. The other two members just wore black eye shadow.

   PIG's sound was just plain and simple KMFDM style industrial metal. Nothing too impressive in my opinion but the appearance was what made it. The vocalist would constantly be doing flamboyent dances and pacing back and forth on stage. Certain vocals were sampled but occasionally, the guitarist would do some backing vocals and it was clear as day and I actually thought the vocals were sampled. 

   The moment Killing Joke walked out on stage, you knew the night has only begun. One thing they are known for is dressing up on stage. The guitarist walked out in a soldiers uniform, the bassist in a goofy hat. Jaz with his signature goth makeup and a jumpsuit and the keyboardist in a goth getup as well. THey began with the song, "Love Like Blood" and I could not believe how soothing Jaz's voice still is after 40 fucking years. For the first few songs of the set, it was the post-punk songs. Hearing these songs in the flesh is a huge step up from a recording from the 80's. The lighting made the songs visual even more vibrant.

    The first song they played where Jaz would do his more hoarse vocals was of course "Eighties", you may know this one as the song Nirvana ripped off. Jaz switched between his two vocal styles flawlessly and I still can't believe it. These guys really earned their mileage. His movements on stage were subtle and almost frankenstein like but some songs when the tempo would pick up, he would follow suit. The more the night went on, the heavier and more aggressive the set would get. The crowd would even participate in "Asteroid", the music would stop just before the chorus for the crowd to scream it. If there's one song that blew me away the most, it was definitely "Loose Cannon". Jaz headbanging and shouting "I'M A LOOSE CANNON!" as passionately as he could matched up with the riffs sounding 10x times heavier than normal as well as the sporadic lighting just made me feel llike I was seeing KJ in there prime.

    In between songs, Jaz would give speeches but keep them rather short, just how I prefer it to be honest. He would discuss the current state America is in, mostly because of the president. KJ pay attention to our country because it affects them too. After hearing this a member of the crowd shouted "Sorry!" to which Jaz replied "No need to apologize, it's not your fault". Another thing he mentioned was being in Boston just makes him think of historical events such as the tea party.

    Killing Joke ended the set with "Pssyche", thanked the crowd and walked back stage. Barely even a minute later, they came back with a whopping 4 song encore. Their allowed to do this, they're a big deal. First with "Primitive" to get back into the 80s post-punk vibe, the "Death and ressurection Show". The last two they picked up the heavy with "Wardance" and ended with "Pandemonium".

    This had to be the oldest band I've seen live at this point. I'm more than impressed at how well Killing Joke manged to keep up with the times and remain an incredible band with I believe a majority of the original lineup. 40 years spent well.