As I've said on this blog before, Americans such as myself are not good at the whole "screamy hardcore" thing. In fact, we totally fucking ruined it. I can't remember the last time I heard an American band playing in this genre that was anything but total junk. Fortunately, everywhere else in the world seems to be picking up the slack.
For my money, Envy is about the best band on the planet doing this kind of thing (the possible exception being Buried Inside) and I recently heard two pretty good Asian bands in the Envy mold wanted to give them a little push stateside.
Something I've been thinking about lately is the notion of music authorship, as in "who is it that writes a song?"
Despite not posting here for over two weeks, I've got plenty to write about. I've heard a bunch of good music, but just haven't been able to put words to paper about them. It just all comes out mush, for some reason, when I go to write.
Having said that, I'm having to push myself to write this fucking Braveyoung review, cause this shit is golden.
I'm still reeling from the agony of hearing that fucking Chickenfoot song for the first time. It's like getting over the flu. I also don't have internet yet after moving, despite AT&T telling me I would by last Monday, so I'm doing swell.
Either way, today, I'm giving you a heads up on a pretty rocking new band, Black Sleep of Kali. Fucking AWESOME band name. Really. Like, top ten ever.
They did it. They pulled it off. We knew they would and they fucking did.
It's like every bad bar rock song ever written played simultaneously in a whirling vortex of suck.
"Britannia Triumphant, the most recent release by England's The Winchester Club, came out a few years ago, but I only stumbled across it recently.
The Winchester Club describe themselves as "epic" at several points on their website.
I'm instantly skeptical of any band comfortable enough to affix such a glowing adjective to themselves.
Fortunately for The Winchester Club, they do a pretty good job of justifying their. presumption.
The first thing to say about Alpha Omega, the new album by Canada's [Monument of] Swords is that I can't look at their band name and not think "Monument of S-Words." I don't know why.
The second thing to say about it is that this is the kind of CD you actually have to hold. It has a really cool hand-screened, chipboard cover which practically demands you to run your fingers across it.
If I may have a word with France for a minute, here.
Dear France:
So as of today I'm officially done with classes, potentially forever. From here on out, any class I decide to take is purely an audit. Granted, I'm not even close to being done with my degree because I still have to do my fields papers and my dissertation, all of which will take an ass long time and be an ass lot of reading, research, interviewing, etc., but at least I don't have to go to class anymore.
So my computer is back to its old, working self, and they were even able to save most of my data which means that
a) I don't have to slit my wrists because I lost a bunch of school work, and
b) here is the promised Locrian review, all safe and sound:
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