Of Mice & Men Release Best Album

Of Mice & Men haven't always been the best band. Their music on their past albums was generic metalcore and had a few great songs but nothing too amazing. Then last month the band released their third record Restoring Force.
This album combines in a nu-metal sound. While nu-metal isn't usually good (Limb Bizkit, Korn) it can sometimes be great (Otep, older Kittie) and bands like Suicide Silence have had nu-metal influences on their recent records.
The band have finally found what makes them great. The band's vocals don't really vary that much from the traditional metalcore mold. Screamed verses by lead vocalist Austin Carlile who is well known for being in Attack Attack! for their first record and clean vocals on the choruses done by Aaron Pauley.
This is really done well on songs like "Feels Like Forever," "Glass Hearts" and "Bones Exposed. These songs are some of the best on the disc. These songs contrast with other songs such as "Would You Still Be There," "Space Enough to Grow," "Identity Disorder," and "Another You" which feature predominantly clean vocals by Pauley. On "Break Free" Carlile gets to shine as most of the song is unclean vocals. This song is one of the heaviest song on the album and has a chorus that is mostly unclean vocals with some cleans by Pauley peppered in. "You Make Me Sick" is another example of this. This song is the heaviest on the record and it's angry and will be sure to induce mosh pits for many shows to come.
The album's two best songs are the album opener "Public Service Announcement" and first single "You're Not Alone." "Public Service Announcement" is an angry song that tells off internet haters and anybody who doubts the band or talks negatively about them. This song is so honest and that's why it's an album highlight. "You're Not Alone" has a very nu-metal melody and is a catchy, fun, heavy song that just gets stuck in your head for days.
Restoring Force is by far Of Mice & Men's best record and it sets the bar pretty high for them in the future. Hopefully things can only go up from here.

Five Finger Death Punch Shine On Second Album Of 2013

Metal titans Five Finger Death Punch released their phenomenal fourth record,  The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1only four months ago and they're already back for more with the band's fifth record Volume 2. The album's both featured the band's signature heavy mix of groove metal and hard rock.
The album opens with three best songs on the record. "Here to Die" is a heavy and aggressive song that features the band on their signature sound of hard music with angry lyrics. "Weight Beneath My Sin" continues along the same route as the first track. "Wrecking Ball" continues along with the same intensity and aggression that is found on Five Finger Death Punch songs.
"I'm a motherfucking wrecking ball," singer Ivan Moody screams during the chorus.
The album then slows it down with the first single "Battleborn." This is a power ballad about the band's life on the road. The song shows a softer side of the band while still maintaining their edge. The album then picks back up with the next song "Cradle to the Grave." This is heavy and contains lots of fury and epic double bass drumming. The album keeps things going with "Matter of Time." This song may be the heaviest song on the album, but when most of the songs are so heavy it's hard to tell.
The album changes things up again on the next track "The Agony of Regret." This song starts out with a human heartbeat and then changes into an acoustic beat which gives the listener a small reprieve from the assault of the faster songs. This instrumental song is barely even two minutes and then segues nicely into the next track "Cold." This song starts out with pianos and Moody singing sadly. This song is a remake of a song by Moody's old band Black Blood Orchestra. The song soon picks up the pace and becomes a rocker.
Next up is "Let this Go" which keeps up the band's fast pace and is sure to start many a mosh pit. The chorus of this song is one of the best hooks on the album. It's so catchy and soulfully sang by Moody. "My Heart Lied" is an emotional cut about realizing that a relationship has come to an end and realizing that it wasn't really love. The song features Moody singing predominantly in clean vocals on this track. Next up is "A Day in My Life." The song is a good song but it sounds too similar to the band's other songs and this song has been done better by the band so many times.
The album closes with a cover of the folk song "The House of the Rising Sun." The band start it out as a slow ballad but then it becomes a rocker. Moody's vocals shine on this song, as well as all of the others.
While this album isn't as good as Volume 1, it is still a great record. Five Finger Death Punch always know how to write great songs and make killer albums. Hopefully they never quit or get lame like Otep, All That Remains or In This Moment did.

Butcher Babies Rock Out On Debut Album

Heavy Metal band Butcher Babies released their mosh pit-inducing debut album Goliath last month. The album was preceded by the single "I Smell a Massacre" as well as the band's reputation for being a gimmick, thanks in part to fromwomen Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey. Harvey and Shepherd are known for performing close to naked, with only black duct tape X's covering their nipples. This took away from their credibility as musicians, but with Goliath, this changed. This record is so face meltingly good that no gimmick can undo the greatness of it.
Every song is a rocker and it shows off the duel vocalist's talents. Their screams recall other female fronted band such as Otep, Kittie, In This Moment, Arch Enemy and Straight Line Stitch, while their cleans recall In This Moment, Kittie and Eyes Set to Kill. Most of the clean vocals as well the more growled harsh vocals are done by Harvey and the more high pitched, In This Moment styled screams are done by Shepherd. The music is a mix of classic heavy metal and thrash metal.
The ladies mix in their clean vocals well with their harsh screams on songs like "Magnolia Blvd," "Grim Sleeper" and the single and best song on the album "I Smell a Massacre." However on the title track, which is one of the best songs, the ladies don't sing one clean note. Screaming aggressively over the metal as fuck guitars. This approach is quickly given up on "In Denial" in which the heavenly cleans of Harvey are heard again. Going on to "Give Me Reason" the ladies sound more like Otep than they have on previous songs. The band also rock hard on "The Mirror Never Lies," which like the other songs is heavy as can be. Harvey's cleans on the chorus of this song are perhaps the best cleans on the entire record.
The next song the slower "Dead Poet." Harvey's cleans are the most prominent vocals on the song. "The Deathsurround" is a sonically different song than the rest. The vocals are different here than on other songs. The album closes with a remake of the song "Axe Wound" from their self-titled 2012 EP.
This album is quite possibly one of the best metal albums of the year so far. Butcher Babies have proved that they are much more than a pair of pretty faces. Here's to hoping the band keep up with this for years to come.

Butcher Babies Release Great Single From Debut

Metal band Butcher Babies are more known for their sexy female vocalists who often wear nothing but shoes and duct tape on stage released their first single off of their debut album Goliath. "I Smell A Massacre" is the first great song that the band have come out with.
The single has Otep style spoken word mixed with screamed verses and Kittie style sang/screamed chorus. The band had few memorable moments on their self-titled EP.
"Save yourself this is straight war," Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey sing during the chorus.
The music is just your average heavy metal sounding music but the girl's charisma is what makes the song such a turn on. It's catchy and aggressive and in your face.
"I Smell A Massacre" is a great preview of what the band will sound like on their debut. With In This Moment making lame albums and Otep retiring, the metal world needs new queens. Goliath is due for release July 9 on Century Media Records.

Final Otep album is a pile of shit

Nu-metal band Otep have released their sixth and final album Hydra. The album is based off of a graphic novel that vocalist Otep Shamaya has been writing for close to two years. Otep have always been known for their albums being a mix of songs that are heavy and emotional and more traditional and then seven minute long spoken word wastes of time.
After four stellar albums, Sevas Tra, House of Secrets, The Ascension and Smash the Control Machine, the band released their awful album Atavist. On that album Shamaya got lazy in her songwriting and the songs weren't as great as past hits like "Warhead" and "Sacrilege."
Shamaya has said that Hydra is inspired by American Horror Story as well as her graphic novel and that really comes out on the shitty ass "Hematopia," "Necromantic" and "Quarantine" that all blend together to form one big mess. Then there's the spoken word "Voyeur." This "song" is a spoken word pile of garbage about a kid who takes webcam videos of himself killing animals. Shamaya then goes on to murder him and rip out his jaw. Hot mess.
There are some real songs like "Blowtorch Nightlight" and "Hag." These two are the best songs on the album, but there isn't really anything memorable about them. Other songs like "Seduce & Destroy," "Crush" and "Feral Game" are also more traditional songs but lack the spark that older Otep songs had. There are no meaningful lyrics, no catchy screamed chorus, nothing to make each song stand out.
The single "Apex Predator" is a hip hop song that is weird, but something about it works. Yet these moments of greatness are overshadowed by the weird spoken word songs like "Livestock" and "Theophagy."
This album makes me sad because Otep announced that Hydra was their last album and they're going out on such a low note. Otep's fans are so loyal that they love this terrible album. It's sad that a person's past work can blind people from the atrocity that their last two albums have been. Thankfullly Otep will never make another album again.

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.

In This Moment losing too much blood

Metalcore band In This Moment launched their career in 2007 and released three phenomenal albums. With the release of their latest record, Blood, last month the band took a huge step backwards. While several of the songs rank up there with the band's best, this album has some huge problems.
The main problem being that for some reason frontwoman Maria Brink finds the need to do a shitty Otep impression on "Whore" and the single "Blood." Brink doesn't have the screaming chops that Otep Shamaya, frontwoman for Otep has and while these songs are great they aren't as good as the band's older music.
Another issue with this album is the fact that Brink has become lazy in her lyrics. "Shut up, shut up, shut up/Shut up, shut up shut up/Shut up, shut up, shut up/You're gonna listen to what I say this time," Brink screams during the chorus of the catchy yet stupid "You're Gonna Listen." While it's a fun song to listen to the lyrics simply take away from what could have been greatness. The music of the song is similar to their older albums but the lyrics are just ridiculous.
Another song that isn't good is "Burn." It's clunky and tries to hard to be heavy and deep but the lyrics are just silly. "Set me on fire and watch me burn," Brink screams dramatically during the chorus. This song is just silly and Brink seems to be a drama queen.
There are some great moments on Blood. "Whore" features Otep styled rapped verses and a screamed chorus. Brink's clean vocals in the pre-chorus sound heavenly and beautiful. This song is different from other In This Moment songs but it's great. Another highlight on the album is "From The Ashes." From the chugging guitars and gorgeously sung vocals, this song is a winner. It almost sounds like it could have been written for their second album The Dream. "Beast Within" starts out slow with Brink doing spoken word verses before singing the pre-chorus and singing and screaming in the chorus.
Blood has a few great ballads. While the album closer "11:11" is boring slow songs such as "Scarlett" and "The Blood Legion" are gorgeous while mixing in some heavier influences on the second halves of each song.
The best song on this album is by far "Adrenalize," a sexed up rocker featuring Brink seductively singing the verses and screaming the choruses. The song also features a breakdown similar to their Beautiful Tragedy and A Star-Crossed Wasteland albums. The song is a great reminder of what In This Moment have been and hopefully what they will become. The song sound like if Lady Gaga started a metal band, which is not a bad thing.
The album all in all sounds like if Korn didn't suck and were fronted by a woman. While this album is still great, it falls short of topping the masterpiece that was their last album, A Star-Crossed Wasteland. Hopefully the band will stop trying to be something they're not.