After the Burial Evolve On New Record

After the Burial's first two records were decent albums and cemented their blend of deathcore, melodic death metal, progressive metal and metalcore into one aggressive and catchy blend. Their first two records were nearly devoid of clean vocals except Forging a Future Self, their debut, had some sprinkled in. Then in 2010 the band released their opus In Dreams. This album was a little more melodic and had  prominent clean vocals on three songs. While fans weren't too fond of this, this album is what got me into the band.
Their fourth record Wolves Within, features no clean vocals, but it does feature evolution. The band sort of melded all three album's sounds into one on this record. Every song is good but the ones that truly shine go down with some of After the Burials best songs. Single's "Of Fearful Men" and "A Wolf Amongst Ravens" are catchy but also have some melodic moments thrown into their aggressive sound. "Pennyweight" is a fun song that begins with singer Anthony Notarmaso screaming "fuck yeah" in his signature high pitched shrieks. This song takes the band back to their earlier sound.
"Disconnect," "Neo Seoul" and "A Wolf Amongst Ravens" have the band's signature melodic intros before descending into the heavy melodies the band are known for. These songs could all have fit in well on In Dreams.
Singer Anthony Notarmaso's vocals sometimes are a bit much but usually they go well with the rests of the band. Especially the guitarists are skilled and the rifts are catchy and always stuck in your head.
After the Burial have always released good albums and with Wolves Within they prove that they aren't going anywhere for a long time to come.

Top 10 most anticipated albums of 2013

It's about that time again. There are so many great albums coming out this year I could literally make a top 50 list but who has time to read that? Here are my top 10 most anticipated albums of 2013.

10. Otep-Hydra
Nu-metal band Otep have announced their sixth and final album Hydra. The album is a follow-up to their terrible fifth album Atavist. On that album front-woman Otep Shamaya got lazy. Writing lyrics such as "fist-fuck their face/ God doesn't care!" Shamaya's lyrics used to be poetic and aggressive but on their her last album it felt childish and clichéd. Amazon.com has previews of the tracks up and they sound good. The first single "Apex Predator" will be released on January 15, a week before the album is released. Hopefully Hydra is good so Otep can go out on a good note.

9. A Day To Remember-Common Courtesy
A Day To Remember announced the title of their fifth album in May and their single came out last month.  "Violence (Enough is Enough)" is a great song but it's nothing special. This hardcore band have set trends and other bands try to be them. Their past albums were classic and this one is sure to be as well.

8. Leona Lewis-Glassheart
Leona Lewis has never made music that is very exciting. Her ballads are touching and fantastic but an entire album of ballads can be boring. This is not true with her third album. It mixes in synthpop and dubstep into her soulful R&B sound. The album is already out around the world but it has yet to be released here in the United States. Although not a single the title track is a dubstep and house song about the end of a relationship. It's catchy, yet sad and beautiful. While some of the songs on her album aren't that great this song makes up for it. The album is set to release in the US this year.

7. Kelly Rowland-Year of the Woman
Kelly Rowland has always been very underrated. Her albums are amazing and she definitely makes better music than her former Destiny's Child band mates. While a few of her singles have been hits  Rowland gets the short end of the stick. She released her first single "Ice" featuring Lil' Wayne. Her new album is set to be a return to the R&B sound of her older albums. The album is due out sometime this year.

6. After The Burial-Haunt and Catalyst
Little information is known about the deathcore/metalcore/melodic death metal/progressive metal band's fourth album except this rumored title. If it's anything like their last album In Dreams we're in for a treat. On that album the band mixed in clean vocals with their eardrum assaulting instrumentation. The album is set to be released sometime in 2013.

5. Vanna-Untitled
Post-hardcore band Vanna are always good to release catchy and aggressive albums. The band are set to release their fourth studio album sometime this year and while all of their songs tend to sound similar, they're always good. This album will defiantly be opening up mosh-pits all year round. The album is to be released sometime this year.

4. Lady Gaga-ARTPOP
Lady Gaga is known for being out there. Her first two albums mixed so many genres together. Pop, house, rock, metal, hip hop, and dance all seep into her songs. Gaga never disappoints. The album doesn't have a release date. It is said to be due sometime this year.

3. Katy Perry-Untitled
Katy Perry is set to release her third album this summer and it's sure to be a great album. Her first two albums are pop classics and this one is sure to be a hit as well. The sound is said to be a little darker. Perry got divorced from Russell Brand and had a few songs off of her re-release dealt with that topic. Mostly a breakup leads to a great album. Adele's 21 and No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom are both classic breakup records. No release date yet on a single or the album but it's sure to be great.

2. Paramore-Paramore
Paramore have been recording their fourth record for some time now and it's finally going to be released on April 9. The first single "Now" is set to be released on January 22. Paramore always make great albums so this one is sure to be getting heavy rotation once released.

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Untitled
Yeah Yeah Yeah's third album It's Blitz was released almost four years ago. It lacked the punch of their first two albums. The new wave approach to the songs just wasn't as effective as their garage punk sound of their older music. Buzz for a song the band played live last year was good, one reviewer compared it to Florence and the Machine. Hopefully the band get back to their classic sound on this album.