Salt The Wound

Posted by JAMEZ on Nov 11, 2009 in Death Metal, Deathcore | Comments Off

Salt The Wound, from Cleveland, Ohio, have released their follow up to 2008′s Carnal Repercussions, with Ares. They have stayed true to the path of delivering melodic deathcore chalked full of formulated break downs, high pitched vocal squawks, and monotonous guitar riffs. Unfortunately, Ares is sub par to their debut.

Only a couple things have changed, as far as their sound is concerned, and they both revolve around the vocals. Salt The Wound, just as Job For A Cowboy, has taken the axe to the “pig squealing” and have put an interesting twist to the high pitch screams which is most noticeable on “From My Hands.”

Most of this album dwells in mediocrity. Every track sounds the same. Ares drags at the same moderate pace the entire album. I feel like I am listening to the same drum beat and guitar riff the entire time. “When People Are Shameless” is the only track containing an original sounding guitar part which is only presented in the first quarter of the song. There is really not much to say about Ares other than its simply, O.K. If you never hear this album, you wont be missing much. And do we really need another album themed around the god damn Romans?

Artist: Salt the Wound
Album: Ares
Genre: Deathcore
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/saltthewound

-Tracklist-
1. Mutations
2. From My Hands
3. Foot of the Thrown
4. An Era of Revolution
5. When People are Shameless
6. Jafar
7. Hail the Locusts
8. Take a Bow

Try Album [Megaupload] | Salt The Wound – Ares

Carnifex

Posted by JAMEZ on Jul 15, 2009 in Deathcore, Metal | Comments Off

Heavy music has been rising in popularity over the last few years, with each trend getting more radical than the last. For a while, post-hardcore was the hip thing, and when fans grew tired of that they sought out something more extreme but still accessible. This lead to the explosion of metalcore, which has recently created a new cash cow offshoot in the form of deathcore. The subgenre, an amalgam of death metal and metalcore, features the speed and technicality of the former mixed with the heavy breakdowns of the latter. The scene has become over-saturated with bands following the fad, and labels are seeing how profitable it has become. Victory Records’ newest contribution comes in the form of Carnifex.

The Carnifex moniker comes from an Old English word meaning “executioner,” and I could say that the name is appropriate given the sheer brutality of their output, but their latest release, The Diseased and the Poisoned, is nothing but a by-the-numbers deathcore release. Frankly, I’m surprised Victory signed them, given how similar they sound to labelmates With Blood Comes Cleansing. Don’t get me wrong – they deserve to be signed, I’m just surprised they were picked up by such a high-profile indie label that already has a similar act. Others do it better, but there’s also hundreds that are much worse. If you’re a fan of the subgenre then you will surely enjoy this release.

The music is predictable and formulaic, but the San Diego-based quintet is fine at what they do. Noteworthy are the constantly pummeling blast beats from drummer Shawn Cameron and mosh-worthy breakdowns from guitarists Cory Arford and Ryan Gudmunds. Scott Lewis’ vocals range from deep growls to higher pitched shrieks, which he frequently switches between; he can be heard screaming about unrequited love and the despair and hatred that comes with it. The first words on the album, after all, are “This is hate and all the passion that goes with it / This is love and all the sickness I feel because of it / Because of you” from “In Coalesce with Filth and Faith.” There are some embarrassing moments lyrically, such as the Senses Fail-esque line “Death’s romance wanders like lost love upon this blackened dreamscape” in “To My Dead and Dark Dreams.”

The disc sounds precise and polished thanks to the top-notch production job from Zeuss (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Unearth). The Diseased and the Poisoned is a tad more aggressive than the band’s full-length debut, 2007′s Dead in My Arms, but overall it’s just more of the same. It’s certainly nothing special, but if you’re looking for a new deathcore band for your top 8, Carnifex could certainly fill the void.

Review By AbsolutePunk

Artist: Carnifex

Album: The Diseased And The Poisoned [2008]

Genre: Metal / Deathcore

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/carnifexmetal

-Track List-

1. “Suffering” – 0:50
2. “In Coalesce with Filth and Faith” – 3:16
3. “The Nature of Depravity” – 3:16
4. “Adornment of the Sickened” – 2:27
5. “Innocence Died Dreaming” – 2:45
6. “The Diseased and the Poisoned” – 2:37
7. “To My Dead and Dark Dreams” – 3:10
8. “Sadistic Embrace” – 2:54
9. “Answers in Mourning” – 2:46
10. “Aortic Dissection” – 2:58
11. “Among Grim Shadows” – 2:46
12. “Enthroned in Isolation” – 3:30

Try Album [Mediafire] | Carnifex – The Diseased And The Posioned

Job For A Cowboy

Posted by JAMEZ on Jul 9, 2009 in Death Metal, Deathcore, Metal | Comments Off

Man JFAC has come a long way. It didn’t hit me until my 2nd or 3rd listen of Ruination just how far this band has come. They have jumped leaps and bounds ahead of their 2005 Doom EP, which started circulating through myspace. JFAC ultimately became one of the faces of deathcore. Their major label debut Genesis saw them breaking away from their deathcore roots. Which, while it was a step in the right direction, the album itself was very bland and generic sounding. Ruination picks up where Genesis left off, in the sense that JFAC is still distancing itself from deathcore.

First off, this album is undeniably technical death metal. Though not mind blowing in it’s technicality. This album is very straight forward in it’s delivery. A band that instantly popped into my head when thinking of this style of technical death metal, was Decapitated. This album has that “Decapitated” feel to it, so much so that if it weren’t for Jonny Davy’s stand out vocals, it would be hard to distinguish the two in some occasions.

Though naturally one would point out that JFAC has gone through several line-up changes since it’s first incarnation, and this is most likely why they sound so different. While this is true, and new comers Al Glassman (Despised Icon; Guitar), and Jon “The Charn” Rice (Drums) certainly bring something new to the table, the band overall has matured. The first noticeable difference, is there is virtually no pig squeals. Gone are the days of Jonny Davy relying on them like a crutch. Though to be fair, he had already been moving away from using them, however there were still some featured on Genesis. Returning guitarist Bobby Thompson has matured as well. Brent Riggs’ bass still isn’t audible, which isn’t surprising for death metal.

One of the few stand outs from Genesis, was the lyrics. Instead of typical death metal themes (I.E. gore, death etc) JFAC chose to write more about religion, and the apocalypse (not very unique, I know). Genesis was in a nut shell about the birth of the anti Christ, and how he becomes this huge politician and ultimately takes over the world via the VeriChip (or, the “mark of the beast”). Ruination, while not a concept album like Genesis, still follows similar topics. Ruination’s topic are more political than anything else. Ranging from human rights in North Korea to the use of torture in American military tactics.

Despite being technical death metal at it’s core, Ruination still exhibits influences from various different genres. For instance, the solo at the end of “March To Global Enslavement” is clearly melodeath. Which, while it is short and not amazingly mind blowing, it is played flawlessly, and sounds very crisp and refined. Which is generally how the album is overall. It’s not terribly creative, but what it does, is done right almost to perfection most of the time. Another example of this, would be the solo midway through “Unfurling A Darkened Gospel”. Again, while not terribly creative, it’s played well, and also showcases power metal influence. Also on “Unfurling A Darkened Gospel” is a short breakdown at the end of the song. It doesn’t have the core band breakdown feel to it, but it does feel misplaced. At the beginning of “Ruination”, there’s almost an ambient black metal sound going for it.

One of my few complaints, is the album burns out through the second portion. The last track, “Ruination” is a good example of this. While it does serve as a good ending track (slower nature songs generally are), it still feels tame in comparison to the rest of the album.

Also, while the production is very good, there’s a few occasions where it’s almost as if the vocals and guitar are fighting to grab your attention. It feels as if they are clashing, and sounds clunky and unorganized. The ambient effects may potentially be viewed as overkill as well. They really aren’t needed, but they aren’t very abundant, and at least to me, seem to work for the most part (at the beginning of “Regurgitated Disinformation” for example).

The straight forward nature may also potentially be a turn off. Ruination has no intros/outros, or instrumentals for that matter. Aside from the title track, this album does not slow down. The sheer brutality versus technicality may be another deal breaker as well. If, for instance you like to have your face melted by mind blowing technically (Necrophagist, for instance), this may not be your cup of tea. If you prefer a band like Decapitated, this album is right up your alley. Though, let’s face it, JFAC is no Decapitated.

When it all comes down to it Ruination is undoubtedly a step up from Genesis. A surprising turnaround from a once hated deathcore band. JFAC has certainly proven to be one of those bands that learns from their mistakes.

Review By SputnikMusic

Artist: Job For A Cowboy

Album: Ruination

Genre: Death Metal / Deathcore

MySpace: http://myspace.com/jobforacowboy

-Track List-

Try Album [Megaupload] | Job For A Cowboy – Ruination