Rick's Discoveries Volume XXVIII
Posted 10/11/2012 10:35AM by Rick Gebhardt as Rick's Discoveries
Friends, readers, listeners, whoever you are… I'm coming up empty for a good intro this time around. So… just go check out these 10 bands and enjoy!
Exotype - Emerge
This 5 song EP floored me the first time I heard it. Exotype, instead of fitting into some pre-defined mold, mesh together all that is good about industrial metal, djent, alternative metal, and even bits of melodic metalcore. You get bits of Sybreed, Enter Shikari, Meshuggah, and Celldweller, as well as a synthesis of these bands' various parts and the sub-genres they hail from. This EP left drool running out of the side of my dropped jaw after a couple of listens. Talk about a stellar first impression!
Daylight Dies - A Frail Becoming
If you enjoy Swallow the Sun, you'll enjoy Daylight Dies. I could simply leave it at that, but I should point out that Daylight Dies do tread a little more into the doomy arena than Swallow the Sun and there are really no clean vocals to be found on A Frail Becoming, but both bands share a striking amount of similarities beyond those two items. One other thing you'll get here are a couple of nice guitar solos, which are a bit rare in this genre, so it's nice to see them spicing things up.
Wide Eyes - Volume
Volume is quite the appropriate album title for this release. With 26 tracks and nearly 2 hours of music, you'll definitely get your fill of djent and progressive metal from Wide Eyes. Playing in the same playground as Paul Wardingham and TesseracT, but keeping it completely instrumental, Wide Eyes traverse the entire djent landscape. In fact, there's so much material here, you'll actually start to get a little run down on it by the time you get through all of it. That being said, if djent is your cup of tea, this is an overflowing pot to keep your cup constantly full.
The Unwinding Hours - Afterlives
I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't had a number of days in the recent past where I was overwhelmed with melancholy and bittersweetness. Life changes can do that to you. Afterlives took up residence on my playlist for a bit, as it very nicely fit into that melancholic mold. The indie and shoegaze influenced slowcore that The Unwinding Hours plays is perfectly suited for those long, contemplative moments you have sitting with yourself. There's also a slight edge of hope and happiness to some tracks, giving a nod to better days ahead, which is what everyone that is down and out needs to have as they crawl out of the rut they're in.
In Hearts Wake - Divination
Like the new Parkway Drive album, but wish there was a tad bit more melody on it? Then get up on this album! Heck, it even has a guest spot from Winston McCall for good measure (along with spots from the vocalists of Legend, Northlane, and The Color Morale). This is straight forward metalcore with some bits of melody here and there (seems like almost every metalcore band has to toss some in). It's not too cheesy and doesn't detract too much from the overall heaviness of the album, thankfully. The band is easily at their best when they're going 110 mph forward, heavy as can be. When they go melodic, it detracts just a bit, but not a lot. Anyways, just go grab this and start floor-punching already!
F-777 - Smash It
The nice thing about my diving back into the electronic music scene the last couple of years (yes, I realize mostly because of the rise of dubstep) is stumbling upon things I wouldn't necessarily be seeking out, but end up loving anyways. Smash It is an upbeat, high-tempo, bouncy trance album, which isn't my usual cup o' tea, but it is infectiously catchy. At times sounding like a triumphant video game soundtrack, at others the backing for a booming club… there's simply no way to ignore the pure energy of this album.
Everything in Slow Motion - Red
Yes, this is only a 2-track 7", but it contains two of the best songs you'll hear this year. The band is the brainchild of Hands' Shane Ochsner and you can tell… because it sounds a heck of a lot like a couple of Hands songs. But, for me, that's awesome considering how much I love Hands. So if you dig sludgy post-hardcore with a very emotional core, then this is for you. Even if you don't, just go listen to it. You'll love it.
All Hail the Yeti - All Hail the Yeti
I've been at a loss for how to categorize this band. I suppose at their core they're a southern metalcore outfit, but that's not really covering everything that they add to the mix. There are some filthy sludge riffs here and there, sometimes coming across like they're bordering on groove metal stylings. I also hear some grunge influences and even some hardcore aesthetic at times. All Hail the Yeti is truly a unique beast that needs to be heard because they simply defy traditional genre confines.
Hand of Mercy - Last Lights
Australian metalcore strikes again! Hand of Mercy go for the jugular with Last Lights, putting together a hearty helping of moshable hardcore. Think Bury Your Dead or First Blood or Parkway Drive. There are some big, meaty guitars throughout this album and the whole thing feels HEAVY. There's not much else to say, really. Either this is your thing and you'll love it, or it's not going to do anything for you.
Collapse Under the Empire - Fragments of a Prayer
This post-rock duo is a busy pair, having released an EP in 2008, two albums in 2009, and an album every year since (adding a split with Mooncake in 2011 just for good measure). Honestly, I can't get enough of this band so they should keep their output level up. The band falls under the upbeat, twinkly post-rock classification, but their songs aren't of an epic length like many of their contemporaries. They also add a lot of electronics to the mix, giving them more of a God Is an Astronaut feel than an Explosions in the Sky feel. Their songs also feel very cinematic in scope, adding to the uniqueness of the band.
Comments
Reno, NV
Curious about that Exotype, even though its not my go-to style, I love those first impression albums that floor you like you mentioned. I'll second the All Hail the Yeti album recommendation. There were a couple weeks that that record did not stop spinning (digitally). Such a cool genre mash-up and contender in my year end list for sure. Everything in Slow Motion needs to kick it in fast forward and get a full album recorded pronto!
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London, UK
Unwinding Hours features a couple of guys who used to be in Aereogramme
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Leprous - Coal
Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer
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Fishers, Indiana
I have been following Exotype since they dropped their first single teaser, but because they post so many fucking teasers, I am totally bored with them and haven't actually listened to the EP now that it's out.
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Minnesota
Ha! I hadn't actually even heard of Exotype until I saw them reviewed on another music site. That's why I don't pay attention to teasers. I just wait for the real deal.
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Fishers, Indiana
http://www.decoymusic.com/news_posts/35193
JUST SAYING.
grumble haven't even heard of them before other sites grumble
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Minnesota
How was I supposed to remember some news post from January about a teaser??????
Sorry.
Still, it's a good EP. You should give it a chance.
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Columbus, OH
All Hail the Yeti reminded me a lot of He is Legend meets a groovier Every Time I Die. It's not a spot-on comparison by any means, but if you like those bands, you need to check out the Yeti.
Currently Listening To:
Lo!- Monstrorum Historia
HeavyArms- Burning Crowds
Shining- One One One
I already have or really want every album you've listed Rick. Cheers as always for the recommendations and GO THE AUSSIES!! :-D