ZAO Puts Up New Music

Umm...
So, like their MySpace says ZAO is alive and has new music.
Gonna be honest too, as much crap as I give this band for dying, coming back, and repeating millions of times over, this song is effing raw. I'm all about it.

[link]

MUSIC VIDEO: Sky Eats Airplane - Numbers

Had a chance to play some shows on tour w/ these dudes. Technically sound, for the most part, fairly cool dudes haha. They like to have a good time, and like looking professional, that's all I can really say. Good band though.

Iron Man v. Bruce Lee

From Kanye's blog.
A cool toyanimated video
check it out.

[link]

12 Year Old Father

Wow, saw this on a website and figured I would forward it on.
The author basically says everything I was thinking.

[link]

Spike Jonze Spotlight

It seems like hype for the Where The Wild Things Are movie is CRAZY right now, and rightfully so.

Most people might know this, but for those that don't, I thought I would highlight the film's director: Spike Jonze

Jonze is most notably a director of music videos, and I figured I would throw some of his AMAZING work up for everyone to see, but most likely you've already seen some of these!

Weezer - Buddy Holly
Fatboy Slim - Praise You
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Tenacious D - Wonderboy
Kanye West - Flashing Lights

There are a TON more great videos, just check em out on YouTube!

REVIEW: Impending Doom - The Serpent Servant

I'm not really a fan of deathcore type bands. In the past 5 years, the genre has gained quite a bit of notoriety for extremely heavy music, sometimes tuned down to B tuning, piercingly gutteral growls, and a DIY type of attitude. Bands like Job for a Cowboy, Despised Icon, and a bunch more helped bring modern Deathcore to its prominence, but enough with the history. After all, I'm not very well versed in this genre.

Impending Doom burst out of Redlands California's amazing scene of Christian aggressive music a few years ago, catching the eyes of Facedown records. Their debut record Nailed, Dead, Risen fell in line with most counterparts. Extremely heavy, crappy recordings, and overall a bit tedious and boring.

Jump forward to today, Facedown is much more of a notable record label, and has invested in finding quality producers for their artists. Impending Doom's most recent, The Serpent Servent, was produced by As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis, and he has done the band justice. The fast is faster, the heavy is heavier, and the band sounds better. Impending Doom's live presence is much more noticeable, and not one track lets up.

The track "More Than Conquerers" is the album's high point. It's a sonic onslaught, highlighting the bands ability to write an epic, breakdown filled deathcore song, that remains interesting from start to finish.

Now, this label by no means is going to win an award of artistic quality, or originality, but the bands ability to stay true, but evolve via recorded performance sets this record apart. There is a sense of uniqueness when recording metal bands, and Impending Doom is a perfect example. In a music style that prides itself on playing ability, recording perfection is basically required, and this album is a perfect example of that.

FINAL GRADE: A-
For Fans Of: The Great Commission, White Chapel, MyChildren MyBride

New Converge Album Teaser/Video

Check this...
so stoked.

CONVERGE New album out soon on Epitaph/Deathwish

New Brand New Track

Found this floating around.
It's a live Brand New track that's been floating around.
People are calling it "Bride" right now, and it's taken from a Jesse Lacey solo gig.

Have fun, great song.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ujnaf0gz2um

Some Cool Trailers For You!

The first trailer is for Judd Apatow's (40 Year Old Virgin) new film featuring a great cast, including Adam Sandler, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, and the amazing Seth Rogen. The movie is a tad more serious than Apatow's other films, but still funny i'd say. Look for one character wearing a UK shirt in the movie!



The second is called Public Enemies, and it features Johnny Depp as the infamous bank robber John Dillinger. The movie looks like classic 1900s badassness.

Invisible Creature Headbanger Blogs

In design news...
One of my favorite design companies, Invisible Creature, blogged on the Headbangers Ball blog. The article highlights the design process when designing a Lamb of God article for Revolver Magazine.

Check it out here.

xDeathstarx breaks up

According to Lambgoat, Facedown band xDeathstarx has broken up.
Great band, but all 3,948 of them are in separate bands including one of my favorites, Sleeping Giant.

read the story here.

It Prevails - Capture & Embrace

It Prevails debut full length came at the hands of recent scene success label Rise Records. The album seemed unfitting for a label who tends to capitalize on underground teenybopper trend. It was an ode to melodic hardcore counterparts who had come before them, and it didn't come to a surprise when the band and it's first label parted ways.

Along the way, the band decided to continue and front a record for themselves. The product became Capture & Embrace. Without a doubt, a fair progression from the previous record. Song are more composed and organized than usual, and singer Ian Fike has decided to showcase his phenomenal singing ability.

Please allow me to transition paragraphs by saying: Ian Fike has decided to graciously allow us to listen to a recording of his phenomenal vocal endeavors. Literally, heavy music vocalist please take note; this is without a doubt one of the most stand out records, vocally, from a hardcore band I have ever heard. Fike releases relentless aggression upon our ears via harsh screams, segues into chordal sing/screams, only to complement the melody, with a harmonious singing voice, and not once does he fail.

Beyond the singing, again, the songs are arranged amazingly. In no way is this more a hardcore album than anything else, but that's why this particular genre is so amazing. Melodic Hardcore bands, no matter how you want to define it, by definition are few and far between. Though the music might not be fast paced and punk oriented, it is the attitude that brings the hardcore-esqueness to the genre, while the melodic part speaks for itself.

This record is defining among the genre, and not only will be on of the best this year, but one we will look back on for years to come.

Screw petty points because this band basically put out this record on there own.

FINAL GRADE: A+

A Plea For Purging - Depravity

I can't really say i've always been the biggest Plea for Purging fan. The bands first release on Facedown records displayed a semi technical, yet cheesy metal record that was extremely sub-par in production value. However, Plea's second Facedown release has come during the second coming of Facedown records so it seems.

In the past two years, the label has gained some of the most notable, and honest bands in heavy music, and has stayed pretty consistent in quality across various rock genres. Depravity starts off well, setting the tone for the entire record, and that tone is dark.

Probably the most outstanding event on the whole record is the amazing production value. Joey Sturgis at Foundation Studios in Connersville Indiana has been a focal point in heavy music production in the last few years, and they have only gotten better. Love them or hate them, they continue to put out records that sound great, and this one is no exception.

Everything is crushing, and nothing skips a beat. On the performance front, the band still plays pick friendly metal melodies, but it is toned down quite a bit, and the band mixes some of the most heavy and earth shaking breakdowns i've heard in a long time. Usually this comes off as downright ignorant. However, the musicianship on this record keeps it low key and thoughtful.

As Depravity punches forward, the entire album works together as a cohesive unit, providing an epic audible fusion of metal and hardcore at best.

My only criticism for this record is that some parts seem redundant when noticing how talented this band is. I know it's not usual for metal bands to have quick songs, but when you tend to through in odd chaotic parts, but repeat extremely simple parts, the logic in that kind of song writing doesn't make much since. Regardless, this is a great record if you're into Facedown band, talent filled metal, and extremely heavy, breakdown filled music. I personally can't complain.

FINAL GRADE: A-