Taking the cue from that feedback, Manson reverts back to his Antichrist Svperstar days with his new album Born Villain. He is at his all-time best when he draws the irk from everyone worldwide. Without controversy, Marilyn just isn’t so Manson. Third track “Pistol Whipped” begins with the lyrics “You look so pretty when you cry / Don’t want to hit you but the only thing / between our love is a bloody nose, busted lip / and a blackened eye” is sure to draw criticism from PTA groups and politicians all over – which I believe is the exact reason why this song was written. It’s a very catchy song that starts out with an electro snare and simple guitars before bringing out the band for a short chorus.

Although The High End of Low was a really good album, Born Villain is dripping with the classic, anthemic songs like the olden days. “Overneath the Path of Misery” is an excellent example of this. It’s a little reminiscent of “The Dope Show” in some ways. After a lengthy and drawn out intro, the guitars kick into gear with the drums providing the basis of which the song stands upon. Manson’s delivery is full of attitude that was mostly missing from his last two albums.

Continuing on a similar trend, “The Flowers of Evil” takes the same kind of approach, but with the bass giving the foundation of the song. There’s a fair bit of electronics to mix things up a little bit. Being the creepiest sounding song, there’s a fair amount of fading in and out instruments and Manson utilizing a certain vocal tone that I personally haven’t heard and couldn’t compare.

Having that sort of sound and lyrics that remind one of the old days, “Disengaged” is sure to be a fan favorite. It’s a song about isolation, suicide, and the other problems of being a social outcast, which will always remain catchy. There are so many examples of how Manson draws directly from his past and infuses it into Born Villain, this track being another great example.

Overall, this album is shining proof that Marilyn Manson is back from the slump of the last few albums and ready to reclaim the throne as the most controversial shock rocker of all time. Born Villain is an absolute must have of the year.

There once was a time when people were breaking the law with Halford and running to the hills with Dickinson. That time has thus since passed along with gaudy accessories and spandex.

All that debauchery was good stuff and I’m glad 3 Inches of Blood is keeping it alive. If you’re unfamiliar, this is a band that’s kinda power metal at best, though they’re testing serious pagan/folk elements on Long Live Heavy Metal.

Indeed. I mean, at first the title sounds so incredibly lame that I wanted to avoid it at all costs. Like damn, if you’re bold enough to wish for heavy metal’s long existence (which really, Manowar says to die for it) then it better be an album worth bringing to the table. No shudders.

For this Canadian five-piece, it’s not an issue. In fact one gnarly bass intro and the welcoming presence of vocalist Cam Pipes in “Metal Woman” works perfectly. Make your presence known, right?

The next few songs are songs of evil and death like “My Sword Will Not Sleep” and “Dark Messenger.” Then there’s “Leather Lord” which has that audio equivalent of flashing sirens to signal this is a single. People diss it, but the masses will like this song.

Pipes’ falsetto is beyond reminiscent of New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, especially in “Men of Fortune.” But it’s not all shock and solos – Long Live Heavy Metal has two pagan instrumentals that aren’t cheesy one bit (“Chief and the Blade” and “One For the Ditch”). They showcase the best of 3 Inches of Blood because it’s, you know, only slightly dangerous to go out on a limb and do folk metal. That’s something that could actually saw the branch out from right under a band, but damn does it work here. And that’s aside from the fast-paced “4000 Torches” in the middle of the record, where a few other songs are slightly melded together thereafter. Overall though, the album is a headbanger.

Long Live Heavy Metal feels like a story. All the gold, guts and glory one can handle. There are some sharp objects and shadowy figures. Some are betrayers and some are unexpected along the way. But nevertheless it’s a genre journey.

The nearly nine-minute opener “Agnostic Demon” sets the tone and vibe of this album in near-slow motion. Building on a simple melody that seeps and steers the ship with deliberate force, the band adds more percussion and variates on the melody as the track moves into the halfway point. The vocals are a bit grating to be honest, but they fit the band’s tone quite well. “Vitruvian God” follows a similar soundscape, building off of searing guitars as bursts of percussion make breakneck injections into the mix on this instrumental track. This is the odd one of the bunch, as it also only takes up a minute and a half of running time, almost making it feel unfinished.

The drum work on “Black Church” adds to the tension in the introduction, as creeping fills  lead to thundering toms once the vocals kick in. The dark melodic shifts here are also notable, as the sparse hits sound even better in the execution of tension when compared to the wall of sound bursts placed in between them. “Ambient Ambitions” also spotlights the drums a bit, featuring an off-kilter beat and a chance to create some texture while the guitars bleed with sound. It sounds a bit lost at times, but the track helps create some diversity in the mix. Twelve-minute closer “Flesh Tomb” does that as well, leading off with an up-tempo tom lead-in and backed-off guitars before submerging us in a dissonant sea of weaving melodies. The impact points sprinkled throughout the track help keep things moving as well by allowing the drone to still sound fresh as they move back and forth between parts. Though still very much based on the repetition we hear through this album, “Flesh Tomb” gives us quite a bit to taste from the palate of sound. Even the tom-backed mysterious melodies of the ending -save for the static finish- bring something interesting to the table.

With a dark atmosphere and an unapologetic drive for their brand of metal, Black Sheep Wall might not be the band for everyone. It might take some time to get into these guys, but I’ll be damned if listening to No Matter Where It Ends hasn’t resulted in me humming these songs for hours at a time.

What impresses me the most about this album is Demon Hunter’s ability to wrap their sound together and make it feel tight and compact. True Defiance is definitely the band’s most focused record. Their 2010 release The World is a Thorn was a bit more experimental (and harder to get into) than their older material, but True Defiance stays fixed on a more immaculate sound characterized by pulverizing guitar riffs that sound inspired by both classic and contemporary heavy metal, drum hits that crash and clatter, and Ryan Clark’s hearty vocal attack. It could be called a more straightforward approach, as the band’s sound is definitely more polished and marketable than their past works. Many fans may strike them down because of this, and I don’t blame them; however, I was still able to adjust to the band’s steadfast approach and appreciate their dynamics anyway.

Even with a more straightforward metal approach, Demon Hunter still strives to keep this record as genuine as possible, and this is mostly due to the great songwriting bleeding through the album’s heart. The band really outdid themselves on the lyrics, and songs like “Someone To Hate” and “Wake” feed off of the passion, transferring this energy into a sound that is full of meaning. Every guitar riff, every brutal melody, every frantic guitar solo, and every vocal cry is full of intense, emotional reverberations that are easily able to hold their own. It’s hard to recall Demon Hunter’s passion rising to levels quite like this in any of their past material. The band interchanges their remedial vocation with their brisk sound, and this makes for some of their most emotional ballads (“Dead Flowers”) stealthiest metal anthems (“God Forsaken”) to date.

True Defiance is powerful, even if it resonates sharply on the hinges of other metal acts that are like them, such as Haste The Day and Underoath. But with a more open mind, this record is chock full of depth, from its dazzling instrumental onslaught to the great vocal approach from Clark – a mix of cleans and screams that have evolved into a routine ravaging. Though there are some prizes of the pack, such as “Crucifix” and “Wake,” in its entirety the album sounds much stronger with its 11 tracks than any other Demon Hunter record – even if there isn’t one single track that matches up with “One Thousand Apologies” or “Carry Me Down.” A clash of brutality, melody, and meaning makes this one incredible piece of art.

Demon Hunter has done a more-than-ample job of creating arguably their staunchest work, pulling away from modern metal releases that sound gimmicky and overproduced. This results in a record that sounds good, is well-written, and represents the band’s philosophy well. Older fans will easily connect with True Defiance, and hopefully its easy palatability will help garner new fans. This record sounds mainstream and takes a fairly straightforward approach, but still doesn’t lack musically or lyrically. With how much enjoyment I found in Demon Hunter’s past releases, I have to say that this might just become my favorite album of theirs to date.

The first single “Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion” was either loved or hated by listeners. It is a much slower and spaced out track, being almost seven minutes long. But that doesn’t mean that they got any less technical. This track shows a brand new side of Meshuggah, where they use the seemingly random time signatures in a whole new way that, to the best of my knowledge, hasn’t really been heard of before. Releasing this track as the first single was bound to put fans on both sides of the fence. It’s not really anything that they’ve delved into much in the past, as they were busy pushing the very boundaries of how progressive math metal should be made while utilizing speed and technical time signatures together.

Luckily, “The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance” goes back to the insane speed that made ObZen such a hit. If you look up brutal in the dictionary, you will find one of the descriptions being this song. The amount of skill it takes to keep such a progressive and extreme speed for the entire track is mind-boggling to say the least. The way the guitars and drums work in tandem about 2:10 into the song, the way the bass and drums tear your face off, and the solo at the end make this is one of their greatest tracks ever.

Going back to their Chaosphere days, “The Hurt That Finds You First” is a more in-your-face approach that is more fitting of an older era. It’s got a slight thrash influence, mainly in the tuning of the guitars, and the overall composition in how the solos and bridge sections of the song complement each other. The drums also ooze pure thrash, sounding different than the rest of the album with the way the snare is used. But it still goes to a progressive sound at some parts in the song, most evidently around the 2:30 part. Near the end, the progressive and thrash elements meet in perfect harmony in a way only Meshuggah can pull off.

There are many unique elements hidden within every song on Koloss, but that is to be expected of a band that has written such a pioneering and unique page in metal history like Meshuggah. While I won’t venture to say it’s better than ObZen- that’s only a matter of personal opinion. I can see others proclaiming how the uniqueness of Koloss is better than ObZen in many ways. However, it’s not too much to say that it’s in the running for metal album of the year this early into 2012.

Make Me Famous:

The Ukraine kids were mega-Youtube famous before they got over to the states, but how did they hold up in the crazy live American festival setting? Well, their set was early so there wasn’t a whole lot of crowd watching, but enough to get things going. First thing I should note is they had technical issues mostly with the wireless for the guitarists, but it wasn’t enough to derail the set. About halfway through they really got the response up when they brought out the song that got them famous, “Make It Precious”. From there, they kept the momentum going. They were tight as a unit, and although they had the stage presence down, it just wasn’t enough to really stand out.

Rating: 6/10

Standout Song: “Make It Precious”

MyChildren MyBride:

What a force to be reckoned with, these guys are. They seriously came out swinging for brick walls, rather than wooden fences. They got the pit opened up immediately, and the kids were absolutely going nuts. Needless to say, it was brutal. They pushed and pulled through the set, breakdown after breakdown. It got a little hard to follow at times, but there were definite moments that they had everyone on their toes. They totally destroyed the crowd during “God of Nothing”. Most of the new record got played, with a couple off of Lost Boy and closing with “On Wings of Integrity” from Unbreakable; their relentless attitude was solid and most likely got them some new fans.

Rating: 7/10

Standout Song: “God of Nothing”

Attila:

The party-core quintet came to bring some noise, and by that measure they did. The aforementioned audio/technical problems were very prevalent during their set; as all you could make out a lot of the time was muddied chunks of drumming in the mix. That was very disappointing. Still, they powered through it and played hard. Regardless of the issues, they played most of their new record Outlawed, and a tad bit of Rage (although they didn’t played the title track, which really irked me). Most people don’t get their drug-addled appeal and neither do I, but either way I still enjoyed their set throughout the muddiness.

Rating: 6/10

Standout Song: “Nothing Left to Say”

Motionless In White:

If you haven’t caught these guys live yet, YOU MUST. They came out on fire, and from the get-go took to dropping insane fury on the crowd. Opening with “Abigial” off of Creatures (which is a tad unorthodox from their previous sets I’ve seen), the entire experience was synced right off of the bat: the crowd, the band, everything. They absolutely put the other bands to shame. They played mostly off of the aforementioned Creatures, and tore everyone to shreds. They had THE largest circle pit of their entire career during that set (they said so right after it was done) during “Creatures”. The breakdowns were pure monstrosities that everyone was into, and I mean everyone. It was pure insanity. Closing with Immaculate Misconception, the final breakdown of the song when they yell “So come and fucking get us!” was the easily one of the most chaotic moments I had ever experienced, so much even I had to get into the pit (I don’t hardly ever do that). It was easily the best set of theirs I had ever seen (I’ve caught them 4+ times), and easily one of the best sets of the day. They’ve improved so much that I can’t do anything but rave on them. Go see these guys, you will not be disappointed I promise.

Rating: 9.5/10

Standout Song: “Immaculate Misconception”

Euphony:

The local Dallas prog/hard-core group have got many tricks up their sleeve, and despite the terrible sound quality they brought them out as much as they could; one of them being new clean vocalist Lucas Cote. He was channeling gorgeous melodies on stage, while unclean vocalist David Escamilla traded back and forth and bringing the heat. For the most part, everyone was on their game. They only played a handful of songs, but they had enough variety to keep things interesting between old and new. Despite the problems, they stood out among the local bands and gave it their best.

Rating: 7.5/10

Standout Song: “Hurricane Season”

Set The Sun:

Also from Dallas, they tend to brush on the even heavier side of things when it comes to the local bands that graced the stage that evening. First off I must point out that their set was hardly enjoyable, but that is ONLY because the mix was so god-awful. Seriously, I was outraged at the conditions they played under. All you could really make out was vocalist Nate Anderson most of the time, with an incredibly low level of the other instruments behind him. I’m so proud of them for sticking through it. Off of that note, they brought the chaos with them. Clearly, they decided to push through it and have a fun time, and that they did. This is definitely a band you want to check out under more favorable conditions.

Rating: 7/10

Standout Song: “Armagetiton”

A Change of Pace:

What can I say, I missed these guys. The crowd size was small, but incredibly supportive and into the whole set (which I wasn’t expecting). They played a good mix of old and new songs, and it also marked the return of vocalist Torry Jasper; who delivered. His soul-influenced crooning sparked lots of praise during the set, as well as lots of appreciation. The entire set was full of tons of energy, and obvious emotion. The reunion is beyond awesome, and I’m so stoked for their return based off of their set. Welcome back, guys.

Rating: 8.5/10

Standout Song: “Weekend Warriors”

Emmure:

Not much introduction needed here, you know how this band of rap/destructo-core goes. They brought the damn walls down. The whole crowd was feeling it, and the pit was massive. They played a large chunk of their record Speaker of the Dead, as well as a few from Felony and their new single “Protoman”. They have got their stage presence down to the tee, and seeing them at any show proves that; whether you are into them or not. Also noteworthy was their relatively new drummer Mark Castillo, who was on fire. Not much more to say because it was brutal, but solid.

Rating: 8/10

Standout Song: “Protoman”

Even Cameras Lie:

These local Dallas hardcore kids have got the formula pinned down, and they despite many issues they pretty much nailed every aspect of their set. The main issue they had was the mix of the sound, because that made it a bit difficult to stay latched on. Each member of the band was on their game though, and put up a fight. I was in and out of the set, but what I did catch was solid. The best part of the set was the song they closed with, “Parallels”. These guys deserve serious kudos for their determination. Make sure to check them out.

Rating: 7/10

Standout Song: “Parallels”

We Came as Romans:

Another band that brings it every time they play, that night was no exception. Playing towards the very end of the evening, they had a large number of people at their stage to work with. WCAR had tons of energy, and luckily the crowd wasn’t tired enough yet to show theirs too. The pit was huge, especially during “A War Inside” and “Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be”. One thing they always have going for them is their ability to inspire during their performances, which this was also no exception. I especially enjoy watching their drummer Eric Choi, who is always a show of his own when he manages to employ various stick tricks and embellishments to his already near flawless style. They played a varied mix over their two records, To Plant a Seed and Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be. Overall, to close out a long but great day for heavy music, they never cease to impress.

Rating: 8.5/10

Standout Song: “Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be”

To cap the entire day off, there was an exasperating mix of good and bad times; but luckily there were plenty of saving graces of the festival (one of them not being the $20 parking). Would I attend it next year? Of course. It was definitely worth it. Would I recommend you to attend it? You bet. My recommendations? Cheaper parking, credit-card accepting food establishments, and better in-house audio/live-sound engineers. Overall, the experience was entirely worthwhile and if you’re not up for the long drive to Austin; come to this instead (you’ll at least be able to attain part of the experience).

Also, here is a list of various bands/groups I didn’t catch enough of their sets throughout the day, but still worth mentioning/checking out without a doubt: Harp & Lyre, Glass Cloud, Vanna, Secrets, With Shaking Hands, We Are The In Crowd, Chelsea Grin, A Tragedy At Hand, Blessthefall, Comeback Kid, Trivium, Hellogoodbye, Motion City Soundtrack, and The Early November (who by the way absolutely ruled, and are worth extra special mention).

Opener “Genesis” serves as the generic programming-filled/breakdown-clustered intro, and it doesn’t take off to ginormous lengths. Thankfully, things immediately change course with “The Oath.” This song has a dominating chorus, and the drums play a big part into making this song so good, courtesy of drummer Joe English. It’s because of an impressive series of drum fills near the bridge that totally took me by surprise. Also, I must admit there are more original moments elsewhere, but for such a young band they are expected to be given a free pass. “Somewhere In Hiding” is a song I was familiar with because of their PureVolume page, and this version is still as good as the original. Great hook, infectious vocals- definitely has the pump-your-fist type of mood.

Quickly bouncing around from more melody and clean vocal-influenced songs (See “Melodies” or “The Best You Can’t Be”), it’s obvious this band has a strong hold on melody (insert song title pun here). Of course, you will find your straight-up monsters of breakdowns and in-your-face raw yells all over the place (See “40 Below” or “Blindside”). Every so often though, the two are combined in mega catchy ways. “You Look Good In Plastic” demonstrates this well, with a strong fuck you attitude. “The Hardest Part” is a jab at a love song, and although nice, it falls short in terms of latch-able hooks to showcase their dynamic. “The Ascent” is one of their best songs in my opinion, and I’m glad it is the closer. It is serious lyrically, talking about losing one’s self to alcohol addiction and then finding strength to fight it (guess I’m not the man I wanna be/the bar’s my only friend, and it’s killing me). It is uplifting, and it’s nice to see that change of pace.

In general, this is an album that is similar to a lot of albums out right now, but shows signs of progression and improvement. Let’s put it this way: the secret’s out. They have ability and on their next record I’m looking forward to a more progressive sound within the crowded genre.

Being around longer than a good number of bands shoving their way through the scene now-a-days, these guys know a thing or two about solid music. “Lies” is a track boasting a pure infectious hook, slathered together with solid instrumentation courtesy of the whole band. What I love about this song is its depth wrapped in such a simple package. What I mean is that although it contains the simple verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge structure, the transitions are what make it flow. There are little breaks of short instrumentation here and there to stop choppy transitions. Nick Moore is a shining beacon here, because the line “I know you’re dying inside/the things that you hide/won’t let you rest at night/when you’re full of lies” in the chorus is as catchy as the common cold. There’s a pleasant balance of screams and cleans, and it never feels overpowering.

I like the controlled chaos approach that this band takes to their heavy parts, because they never take the inch and push it to a mile. There’s enough original instrumentation in the background to separate itself from other “chug-chug” styles of post-hardcore, but it could always go further. It doesn’t stray too far from previous material, so old fans will likely dig this track. I’m definitely hoping for more instrumentation and creative expression further down the road. Otherwise, this is a great start and I’ve got my fingers crossed for smooth sailing here on out.

I’ve had my doubts because of the success of The Dawn of My Death and Before Their Eyes, but I can say based off of this song that their upcoming release Redemption should be a tongue-in-cheek reference to a well-deserved return.

What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments section below!

“Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space” is the return of a raw, bombastic Every Time I Die, slathered in dissonant melody and Keith Buckley’s prominent growl. From the opening shout of ‘I want to be dead with my friends’, the track never gives an inch, pushing forward with the intent of punishing your eardrums with crunching guitars and trade-offs of driving drums and a blitz of snare drum-laden choruses. We journey through several passages of manic guitars and drums, though sandwiched near the center is a clean-vocal led break in the action that brings just as much heat instrumentally to keep the energy moving.

The track finishes off with a slowed breakdown that is sure to incite riots when played live, as Buckley’s ending lines of ‘I refuse to be the only man put to rest in a mass grave’ and ‘You are all there with me’ gives off a feeling of urgency and relates in a way to the arguably disturbing, but quite fitting nature of the music video the band has released to coincide with this track.

Rest assured, whether you are a fan of Every Time I Die new or old, this is the track to start your year – and anticipation for their new record Ex Lives – off right.

Buffalo’s magnificently brutal metallic punk ensemble Every Time I Die are set to unleash brand new album titled Ex Lives this March 6th via Epitaph Records. The new album was produced by renowned heavy rock producer Joe Baressi (The Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, Parkway Drive) and offers an unrelenting onslaught of ingeniously composed and furiously executed cathartic hardcore.

This is the band’s highly anticipated follow up to 2009’s raging masterwork New Junk Aesthetic which Absolute Punk heralded as a musical “weapon of mass destruction” and Allmusic.com described as “the group further refining its signature approach with a new sonic clarity – energized and passionate, delivering its blend of old and new sounds with a directness that gives the ferocious music an unusually broad appeal.”

You can now watch a video for the song “Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space” from the new album. The powerful clip was directed by the band’s vocalist and lyricist Keith Buckley and features a barrage of startling visceral images which perfectly match the raging brutality of the track. As Buckley explains, “In order to write lyrics I had to pay attention to the defeatism that the music suggested. To compile this video I had to acknowledge the masochism I wrote of to myself. You don’t get rewarded for your faith and you don’t get celebrated for your heroism. Just when you find yourself attached, you have lost it. Everything is borrowed. C’est la vie.”

Every Time I Die’s new album Ex Lives is currently available for pre-order at: www.ex-lives.com.