Over Your Threshold - Facticity (2012) (Album Review)

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Progressive Death Metal
Location: Munich, Germany

Review:

To start with, Over Your Threshold is from Munich, Germany. 

They play, what I think, is a very unique style of Progressive Death Metal. Blending fast pace drumming, with complicated guitar and bass work, and powerful vocals to round everything out. 

However, they also have lots of awesome guitar solos, 

as well as calmer passages to a lot of the songs on the album.

With first listening to it, I was having a very hard time thinking of who they're similar to, 

and it's a really hard call to make. 

There's some elements of Black Metal with some of the tremolo picking, 

Folk tinted riffs with some of the slowed down melodies, but with all the different styles I can pick out in this I can still hear the main element of Death Metal.

This album is only 43 minutes long, but it delivers in so many ways. 

The first song "Cortical Blindness" packs some heavy punchs with an intense pace right out of the gate. 

The first few riffs of the song feel a little thrashy, which I like a lot as the riffs are extremely catchy and get
you banging your head. About half way through, they take it in a totally different direction 

with a sweet solo and a more Melodic Death Metal feel to the whole thing. 

The following song, "Contextual Fluctuating" follows a similar style to "Cortical Blindness" but 

it's a little eviler sounding and the smooth, fretless bass tones are just really nice to hear. 

At 2:43 in, there's a riff that sounds so good but at the same time, makes me want
to quit playing guitar with how technical it sounds.

The 3rd song of the album, "Obscure Mind Stasis", is probably my favorite off the album right now. 

It sounds like the kind of song you would hear when going out into war, quick and fast start to get going, followed with a nice little solo/interlude before jumping right back in with the groovy
and catchy melody. They throw in a sexy solo around the half way mark to this 6 minute monster and then finish off the rest of the song with technicality
and style.

I'm not going to do a song by song review, because I could go on for a 

long time about each one, so I'm going to keep it short. The remaining 6 songs
on the album are all done very much the same as the others. 

By that, I don't mean they all sound the same, I mean that they are all very technical,
very well written and composed. The guitars, drums, fretless bass impressed me to 

no end with each song I heard and the vocals are perfectly matched.
One song, I will make a special mention to is "Desolation Row", it is probably the 

heaviest and most hellish song on the album. 

It sounds like it couldbe the devils theme song.

In closing, I would recommend Over Your Threshold to you if you enjoy Technical or Progressive Death Metal, Black Metal and Polish Death Metal.
For fans of Obscura, Hate, Skeletonwitch, Amorphis, and Behemoth.

Overall: 9.5/10

The album "Facticity" is due for release August 28th, 2012 on Metal Blade Records.

Review by: Marty DePietro of Fivebyfive Records

My Ransomed Soul - The Chains That Bind Us Review

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Christian Metal / Hardcore

Location: Maryland, USA

Tracklist:
1. Conflict
2. A Modern Plague
3. Desensitize
4. Fragile Lives
5. The Sleepless Dreamer
6. The Chains That Bind Us
7. Resolution
8. Light The Sky
9. Clouded Minds
10. The Message

My Ransomed Soul, a 5-piece band from Mount Airy, Maryland that is a Christian metal/hardcore act with a impressive resume, just released their debut full length titled “The Chains That Binds Us”.  I have never heard of these guys till now to be honest. The one thing that stands out is how tight these guys are and the vocals are pretty brutal. I’m actually not a big fan of the metalcore singing parts but to each their own at least there is not too much of it and doesn’t sound like T-Pain.

The album, which has a total of 10 tracks, starts off with an intro track titled ‘Conflict’ which seems like a declaration. I’m not sure of the lyrics but that is the feel I get. There is a little build up but nothing to crazy, like a teaser of what how the band actually sounds (if you’re like me and never heard of them before). I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect with the next track but the vocals really stood out on this intro, very powerful. It was for sure not what I was expecting from a Christian band.

‘A Modern Plague’ kicks in with a catchy little intro riff and now you get the full picture of the bands sound as the song progresses. There is a good amount of energy it’s not real heavy but has a lot of elements mixed into their style including breakdowns with bass drops. The drumming is very tight with the guitars not only with this track but all tracks.

Again, many of the riffs are not real heavy but have a catchy pop metal type sound. This can be heard more so on the next track ‘Desensitize’ which has clean singing on it a few times but it’s not whinny and actually doesn’t sound bad. This track seems to go by pretty quick there is a nice solid pace to this one that doesn’t stop.

‘Fragile Lives’ starts right off with a decently heavy riff that is matched by the drums perfectly. I think this might be one of my fav tracks off the album I like the feel of this one and the chorus is a bit catchy the other track I really like is #9 ‘Clouded Minds’.

Track titled ‘Sleepless Dreamer’ is a little short and seems kind of rushed overall. It also features clean vocals but this time over screaming/growling in the background. I did enjoy the start of the track the snare hits matching the guitar are very tight and the following riff has a nice heavy flow.

The title track ‘The Chains That Bind Us’ is the 2^nd longest track on the album at 3:53 (Desensitize is the longest at 3:57) this track has a lot going on with lots of guitar riffs playing different riffs on top of each other, which sounds great. Again there are clean vocals a few times with some screams layered in the background. There is a nice little calm before the storm break mid way with a smooth transaction.

With ‘Resolution’ I had to check my player to see if it was the same band, it is very different then the others and is the shortest track at 1:23. It’s a mix of spoken word and rap. It is very P.O.D sounding and there is not much going on musically on this one. The last few tracks ‘Light the Sky’, ‘Clouded Minds’ and the final track ‘The Message’ wrap up the album. The last track ‘The Message’ sounds like it even has a prayer being spoken over on part.

Most of all the other tracks have a very energized feel but seem ‘safe’ as in they aren’t overly brutal but sellable which isn’t a bad thing. Each track also has really good production everything is mixed very well with a warm sharp tone. The playing is well laid out and the guitars nicely layered. These guys have a machine type sound that is catchy. There are only 2 tracks I enjoyed the most off this album ‘Fragile Lives’ and ‘Clouded Minds’. I do feel that hearing these guys live would be a different story and most likely sound heavier live.

Overall from a scale of 1 to 5, I give My Ransomed Soul a 4.

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Going Home In A Bodybag - Mindless

 Going Home In A Bodybag  - Mindless (2012)

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Melodic Deathcore

                                   Location: Sweden

Tracklist:

1. God Of Pain
2. Going Home In a Body Bag
3.Your Life Within Ruins
4.The Last Generation
5.Rotting In The Forest
6.Mindless
7.Unforgiving Pain
8. Plagued Humanity
9.Pray For Bloodshed
10. Choppity

 

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Swarm - Invasion (2012)

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Deathcore

Location: Czech Republic

 

Tracklist:
1.Threat
2.Invasion
3.Show your fear
4.New life

Preview Link:

 

Download Link:

As Myth - Nightmares Of The Masses (EP) (2012)

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Deathcore

Location:  Zwettl, Austria

 

Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. A Cheer To Th Public Victim
3. Nightmares Of The Masses

Preview Link:

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Merch Link:

Illuminator - Perspective (2012)

Genre: Heavy/Groove/Melodic

Location: Washington

Tracklist:

 1. Gaining ground 

2. Clairvoyance 

3. Intermission 

4. Rift; 

5. The exiled

6. Epiphany

Buy/Download Link:

Visionaries - The Corrupt Mindset Review

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Progressive Metal

Location: Bradenton, FL

   


Visionaries is:
Brandon Silva - Guitars
Dillon Hegarty - Drums
Ryan Schmitt - Bass
Tyler Shelton - Vocals

Tracklist:
1. Subverter
2. The Corrupt Mindset
3. An Abomination
4. Reconciliation
5. Shapeless
6. Nostalgia
7. The Emperor I (Transcendence)
8. The Emperor II (Devourer)
9. Eminence

As stated on their Facebook, Visionaries is a 4 piece progressive metal band from Bradenton, FL. Now upon reading that it gives you an idea of what you're about to hear, and that is "Combining fast paced riffs, in your face melodies, crushing breakdowns and an energetic live show we hope to leave the listener with severe neck cramps." Forming in 2010 the band has released a 5 song EP and an LP entitled "The Corrupt Mindset" which I will be reviewing shortly.

The band has many influences ranging from Within The Ruins and Veil Of Maya, to The HAARP Machine and Structures. Another strong idea of whats ahead, and that is going to be a lot of groove.

My first listen of "The Corrupt Mindset" was quick but extremely entertaining at the same time. I examined the cover art and tried to feel the mood of each track. The cover art displays the earths main features, nature, society, weather/climate, etc. Above the display are dark figures in cloaks, and above the figures is an all-seeing eye. The feeling of this image is dark, and you can immediately point out the mood. The cover art makes it obvious how the world revolves, and tries to convince the listener that the goverment takes control of most of the economy, and even nature. This is a perfect example of the bands name and what it stands for. A visionary is a person with ideas of how the future will be or look like. Giving you another idea, and that is how this band feels about our future. The feel of every song also has a political feel to it, which also reminds you of how dark the cover art was.

Beginning my second listen the intro has a theatrical/symphonic sound to it which also makes this album darker than it already feels. It prepares you for whats next, and that is the title track. This track is about how people live their lives, blinded by the governments ways, and binded by authority. Another relation to the album art, is how this song is lyrically put.

Three tracks in and I'm getting convinced that the beast is real. This band gives you a real image of how the government is structured. The pace of each riff just keeps your head moving, and keeps you thinking. This next track "Reconciliation" is a bit plain, and to the point. Its basic lesson is to not live in fear, although I agree with that fully, this song could've been put together a lot more superior.

Half way through the album on track five I stumble upon lyrics I agree with completely. "Shapeless" begins with a very down-tuned breakdown that shows the artists anger in this song. The lyrics are right on the spot of how many so many individuals feel about this life. People feel trapped everyday and want to get out, but cannot. Not only from the government but themselves. Track number six, "Nostalgia", is most likely about the song-writers past. Bad and good memories, fighting to make them go away and stay. It seems as though he doesn't want to be alive, and is suffering from his mind reminding him of what his past is.

Track seven and eight consist of two different parts titled "The Emperor". The first part titled "Transcendence" has a massive change of mood. The lyrics are much more opposing to the other tracks. Although the lyrics to both parts have to do with an MMORPG video game, they seem to have a hatred and want for revenge, and need to fight the enemy, rather than giving up and calling it quits like the previous lyrics. This tracks pace is probably the fastest out of all. The guitars pick up speed and bring you farther into the album. The next part of the "The Emperor" titled "Devourer" has a similar mood and could also be the more fast-paced track. The ending lyric of this track "Hail Sithis!" gives a direct hit on the other lyrical themes. "Sithis" is a deity, representative of emptiness and the void, featured in the game "The Elder Scrolls".

Last but not least, a more melodic track "Eminence" brings you to your feet with the words of Tyler (vocalist). He uses a much more uplifting tone and brings you in to feel exactly what hes feeling. The guitars in this track are much more melodic, and stay away from shredding. "Eminence" is a track that relates to each song as its played out, it holds you tight and makes you wonder at the same time what this album actually stands for. That the government and world is collapsing, and controlling individuals, instead of helping one another? Or if we should all just give up and fight for ourselves.


Rating: 4/5

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Atlas - ...And It Never Ends - EP Review

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Hardcore

Location: Watertown, NY

Tracklist:

1: Circle Of Life
2: Eaten Alive
3: Wearing Thin
4: Broken Homes

After listening to …And It Never Ends at least ten times through, I can safely say that Atlas is a band that everyone should check out, regardless of whether or not they like hardcore punk. As someone who primarily listens to metal, I can say that Atlas has successfully won me over, even though their music is not something I would have discovered on my own.

   My biggest complaint about …And It Never Ends is that the entire EP lasts around twelve and half minutes. That being said, I enjoyed every moment of it. Breakdowns are present, but Atlas does not rely on them to deliver an intense experience. Although …And It Never Ends is light on breakdowns, it should not be considered melodic. Melodic and brutal elements are incorporated to make …And It Never Ends a balanced experience. One of the biggest pitfalls that Atlas avoids is the use of gang vocals. In my opinion, gang vocals are often overused in hardcore and contribute little to the experience. Gang vocals usually hide the lack of traditional singing ability among the band members, and are disappointing or not performed live. The members of Atlas stays true to their personal skill and do not rely on any tricks to enhance their performance. With that said, fans of Atlas or hardcore in general will definitely not be disappointed with this EP.

The first track, “Circle of Life” starts out with something I didn’t expect: a sound sample. As the sample fades away and the guitars begin, you get the sense that it will be an awesome song. I am glad to say this is definitely true. Lasting four minutes and six seconds, the first track is the longest song by about half a minute.

 The second song, “Eaten Alive” is unfortunately only about half as long. In my opinion, it features some of the best breakdowns. Unlike in popular punk, and even metal for that matter, the breakdowns are varied and do not consist of simply repeating the same note at different speeds.

“Wearing Thin” is the name of the third track. “Wearing Thin” is arguably the catchiest song on …And It Never Ends. Brian of Thoughts In Reverse provides guest vocals midway through the song, adding to the level of intensity.

   Although “Broken Homes” is not the title track (there isn’t one), the last track of …And It Never Ends uses the name of the EP a few times during the song. Towards the end of the song, vocalist Damon from With Daggers (if I recall correctly) provides guest vocals. “Broken Homes” is an awesome song and a great way to end the EP.

   Unfortunately, Atlas recently announced that they will be breaking up. If you still want to buy the EP, check it out on Irish Voodoo and Contain Records. That being said, I would still highly recommend buying the EP whether you like hardcore punk or not.

Homeward - Strife EP (2012)

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Melodic Hardcore / Metalcore

Location: The Netherlands

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Unbounded
3. Resentful

Preview Link:

Download Link:

Total Deathcore Volume 4

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Deathcore / Death Metal / Grindcore / Hardcore / And More

 

Total Deathcore Volume 4 is a 50 track album for free download featuring underground metal artists from around the globe.

All donations will be used for purchasing more download credits.

Artwork painted by: Ken Sarafin (www.facebook.com/sarafinconcepts)


Official Tracklist:

1. AngelMaker - Decay (Intro) 01:55
2. AngelMaker - Hell 04:09
3. The Zenith Passage - Kaleidoscopic Tendencies 03:48
4. My Bitter End - Needleman 06:08
5. Thirteen Bled Promises - Five Levels Of Doom 05:33
6. Spawn Of Disgust - Into The Void 02:57
7. Ceruleus - Mariana feat. Michael Barr of Volumes 04:12
8. A Stranger To Remorse - TS-19 04:38
9. Betray Your Own - Ghillie Suit Surprise 04:54
10. Skorm - Sinking Ships 03:11
11. Cyanide Serenity - Consume Me 03:16
12. Within Her Depth - The Temptress 04:46
13. Arkham - Guillotine 01:47
14. Elysion Fields - Conquest Of Man 04:13
15. Heisenberg - Fatboy 02:49
16. Prophecy - Dahmer feat. Fonz of Attila 03:40
17. Wings To Burn - Prophecy Of Lukhan 03:48
18. Paris Is Burning - Our 7th Circle 04:07
19. Impale The Betrayer - Monsters Exist 04:16
20. Mutilation Of A Queen - F.E.A. 04:15
21. One We Created - We The People 04:38
22. Isolations - Equivocation 05:00
23. Murdoc - Six Deep 03:03
24. Lament - The Human Slutipede 02:44
25. Ovid's Withering - Terraphage (Instrumental) 02:06
26. Wings To Burn - Prophecy Of Lukhan 03:48
27. Vomit Your Brain - Slaughtered 02:35
28. Khalid alMansour - Chapter I 04:38
29. Montezuma - Tombs 05:58
30. Crowning Astaroth - Divinity 02:59
31. Oral Fistfuck - Cult Of Mictlan 05:41
32. Perdition - The Village 05:33
33. Haruspex - Tremors 03:19
34. Silent Havoc - This Night We Rise 03:37
35. Az'rael - Blackest Night 02:35
36. Verge Of Insanity - Imposition 05:44
37. Eulogy - Divergent 02:54
38. Rosewood - Date Night 02:35
39. A BloodBath In Boston - Hypocrite feat. Zach Campbell of Discord 03:05
40. Into The Abyss - The Generic Horde 02:44
41. The Boy Will Die - It Has Begun 02:48
42. The World To Come - It Was Inevitable 03:44
43. THEIA - Stray 03:04
44. Trauma - Thursday Night Junkies 04:14
45. Wombler - Behind The Lights 04:54
46. All The Way To The Bank - Disembodied Voice 03:13
47. Your World In Ruins - Telluris 03:00
48. Mouth Of The Serpent - Cisterna 04:41
49. Vena Amoris - Consuming Existence 06:28
50. Paragon - Outro (Outro) 01:23
51. We The Colossus - Walls Of Jericho (bonus) 04:01
52. Sarkophagus - Dirge (bonus) 04:11
53. Wombwrecker - Gutter Slut (bonus) 04:20
54. Busking For Change - White Roses (bonus) 03:23
55. Sidharia - Líbido Carmesí (bonus) 02:49
56. Warfear - Naked Scream Queen (bonus) 02:45

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*Note To Listeners*

Please, if you enjoyed a certain track too much, visit the bands Facebook! Give them a like! Buy their merch!

The whole purpose of this compilation is to spread the word about these amazing bands.

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I Killed Everyone - Dead Peasants - Album Review

Album Year: 2012

Genre: Death Metal/Deathcore

Location: Illinois

Tracklist:

1. Emperor
2. A Formless Awakening
3. And Kingdoms Will Fall
4. Earth Carcass
5. Beneath the Soil
6. Omophagia
7. Dead Peasants
8. The Art of Flesh
9. The Judas Throne
10. Synthetic Euphoria
11. Dominion
12. Re-Defiled

I Killed Everyone's (IKE) latest album, Dead Peasants, is an amazing progression for the band since their earlier work. Overall the album is crisper, better written, and not set on one sound. While this may not be a big deal to all of you, I for one, like to hear a band try and find that perfect sound for them. I would not call this album "experimental" by any means, but you will hear some heavily influenced material from black metal, to death metal, to good ol' deathcore. It's all here, and it's all blended in one brutal package.

Your ears are going to hear some ridiculously awesome things. The intro track reminds me of something straight out of Castlevania. The fourth track, "Earth Carcass" melds a grossly dissonant breakdown with a spooky sounding piano line, that then mixes with ambient textures and strings. You haven't heard that in previous IKE tracks, have you? If that isn't your type of music, you have nothing to worry about. Seriously. The very next track, "Beneath the Soil" just rips your head off the entire time. "Dominion" is a very interesting instrumental piece that is totally unlike anything they have done.This album is relentless.

I never want every band to sound the same, but I really hope some other bands take notice of this album. This is a direction I would really like to see deathcore progress towards. It isn't the same old "chug chug chug" binary deathcore we have all heard a million times. It's got blast beats, sweeps, breakdowns, ambient textures, and everything else you could possibly expect in a death metal/deathcore release.

IKE's Dead Peasants album is a step in the right direction. Not only for them, but for the deathcore/death metal music scene as a whole. They've stepped up and set the bar for the next wave of bands. This release is solid in every aspect. It's got heaviness, but knows when to yield. It's experimental in a sense, but knows when enough is enough. I sincerely hope that this album gets the recognition it deserves from their fans, people who have never heard them before, and labels alike. With a release like this, I cannot wait to see what more these guys can do. Pick up the album from the links below, you will thank yourself.

Favorite Tracks:

"Earth Carcass"

"Omophagia"

"The Art of Flesh"

"Synthetic Euphoria"

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With All My Hate - Dysthymic Disorder (2011)

Genre: Brutal Death Metal

Location: Spain

Tracklist:

1. The Origin Of Hate

2. Empathy

3. Civilized World

The Bleeding Process - Self Titled (2011)

Genre: Deathcore

Location: South West, England

Tracklist:

1. Black Sea Of Trees

2. Deplorable

3. Segregationist