"I Am Abomination - To Our Forefathers" (2010)

I Am Abomination is a progressive/hardcore band from Michigan; "To Our Forefathers" being their second studio album. I just picked up this album when I was browsing for new music, and when I got around to listening to it, I was pleasantly surprised.

On first listen, I was instantly hooked by the mixture of speedy technical riffs, and 80's hair metal-esque guitar solos coupled with powerful, clean singing. This album starts with arguably the best song on the album. "Since 1776" has the perfect mix of complex and simple riffs, catchy hooks and harmonious melody. As the album progresses it is very enjoyable, but not necessarily memorable. Songs that stuck out for me were "Rock N' No Soul" with it's explosive guitar solo melded with a gothic sounding symphony in the background, and "Creatures Of The Night" with it's ridiculously catchy opening riff and all around "epic" feeling. The guitars were interesting and drums weren't too exciting, but they kept my interest. This album is a catchy, accessible, and is all around well written. Personally, I wouldn't say that this is a very memorable album, but absolutely worth a listen. ALSO; this album's lack of agressive vocals and experimental style make this an album that you can expect to appeal to a larger crowd then then your obligatory underground band that you love that nobody has heard of. (Which we all should have.)

Overall: 7/10 Good

This band has quite a grasp on melody and their riffage is impressive to say the least. The main downfall of this album is at times it feels very overproduced. I was very satisfied with the tone of the guitar, but the vocals at times achieved 'melodramatic popular song' status. I would recommend this to fans of bands like The Human Abstract, Dream Theater and I would even go as far as Protest The Hero.

Botch- "We Are The Romans" (1999)

Since my last review was of an amazing tech/hardcore album from 1999, why not do another? Here we have Botch, contemporaries to The Dillinger Escape Plan who are unfortunately not nearly as well known. While TDEP has moved on to become one of the front runners of America's new wave of metal/hardcore, Botch has stayed mostly out of the spotlight in comparison. Botch however has probably had just as big if not more of an influence as TDEP though when it comes to hardcore bands who aren't afraid to go a little bit technical. Unfortunately, they have been disbanded since 2002 and have no plans of returning to the scene. But anyway, without further ado, here is my review of "We Are The Romans".

"We are The Romans" is nothing like your typical hardcore album. There are no toughguy antics, no faux-motivational lyrics about perseverance and staying true to the scene. The songs are not cookie cutter "insert breakdown A behind two step B " outings. Rather, each Botch song is like a strange journey into an alternative version of the planet earth where free-form jazz, metal riffs and hardcore punk all share the same space in some musical commune from hell. The only real drawbacks to this album are the vocals, which are pretty standard and the overall pace. The only song that ever feels like it really picks up is the driving "St. Matthew Returns To The Womb". That being said, this is still one hell of and album. I personally find it a very enjoyable listen. Pick this one up if you are a fan of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge or Coalesce.

Overall-4/5

Just a note.

I've been listening to a lot of amazing music, and most of my reviews for now are going to be on albums that I regard as "gifts to humanity" or "one of the greatest albums to grace this earth", but there will be bound to be albums that I don't like as well. If you have any suggestions, comment this with the name of the band and the album and I will try to review it promptly.

The Dillinger Escape Plan- "Calculating Infinity" (1999)

Well here it is. The dillinger Escape Plan's debut album. Calculating Infinity. This album is aural equivalent to having a jagged piece of glass plunged deep into your temple and then having it wrenched out. Heavy, technical hardcore is the game on this cd and it is a game played well. Opener "Sugar Coated Sour" (blindingly fast guitar intro-Check) combines machine gun bursting blasts of drumming with jackhammering guitar riffs and throat lacerating screams. The second track "43% Burnt" ups the ante with discordant riffing in what has to be one of the best breakdowns ever played. The album soon becomes a whirlwind of sound and unstoppable chaos with your only reprieve being the ambient and somewhat creepy "#.." on track 4. Whether it be "Weekend Sex Change" or the title track you will not be dissapointed. Get it!


Overall-4.5/5

Between The Buried And Me - The Great Misdirect

Between The Buried And Me. Where do I begin? This album is a mix of heavy and melodic bliss. It's nearly impossible to accurately categorize this band. Every song on this album is it's own work of art. Let's start with Mirrors. This song is the furthest from heavy that you can get. It starts as a sad ballad that slowly builds into a strong adult contemporary/jazz groove with gentle guitars and soothing synth. This is a 'feel good' song for sure until it explodes into track 2; Obfuscation. Instantly you are barraged with a whirlwind of melody compacted into a soaring guitar riff. It proceeds to speed up into a train wreck of sound which slowly lessens into a soothing interlude to the second sensory attack. Track 3: Disease, Injury, Madness starts out with a heavy chugging riff that suddenly drops off into a ominously tranquil finger-picked, peaceful guitar and jazzy drums accompanied by clean singing. This album will bash your face in and then nurse it back to health multiple times.

Vocals: 10/10
Singing. Screaming. Growling. Grunting. Whatever it may be at that point in the song, it is done flawlessly. Tommy does it all, great singer, great vocalist in general. Top notch, interesting vocals throughout the album, never gets old.

Guitar: 11/10
I give the technicality of the guitar on this album a 10 out of 5. The guitars are just incredible, masterful melodies, impossible riffs, seamless jump form genre to genre. This is talent. But that's what i've come to expect from BTBAM. From Mirrors' masterful plucked melodies to "Disease, Injury, Madness" slamming, tightly technical, controlled chaotic riffs this album leaves you satisfied.

Drums: 10/10
CRAZY drums. Just crazy. The amount of creativity expressed in this band as a whole is RIDICULOUS. The originality factor is through the roof, and quite frankly this is one of the most original, entertaining albums i've ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Overall: 10/10 Godlike

Norma Jean - O' God, The Aftermath

Norma Jean's second studio album, and one of the most influential albums to me to date. This album is simply a masterpiece. The production on it is fantastic, yet it feels so 'raw'. O' God, The Aftermath took a whole new approach from "Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child" and went borderline mathcore. This album is a high energy, sensory assault that will leave you on the edge of your seat up until the final song "Scientifiction (I. A Clot Of Tragedy; II. A Swarm Of Dedication)", where it is wrapped up and the album ends, leaving you to recollect yourself. The plethora of time signatures will leave you constantly being slammed with new and impossibly unpredictable riffs.

Vocals: 9/10
The vocals on this album are absolutely terrifying. They are not the typical screams that you hear in most metalcore/hardcore bands. All the vocals are highs, but they can only be described as agonizing, tortured and straight up painful. You may look at that and think that sounds just terrible, but it makes for an amazingly emotional album.

Guitar: 8/10
The guitar on this album is very screechy and lots of chaotic riffs, followed by bone crushingly heavy technical breakdowns. Norma Jean definitely had a formula for the guitar on this album, on first listen it seems a bit repetitive, but that just made all the songs equally enjoyable for me.

Drums: 10/10
Impossibly technical, there is nothing boring about them. The drum parts have a level of creativity that bring them out, and put them on display in each song. This album's drumming shares a style reminiscent of Lower Definition's "The Greatest Of All Lost Arts" album. You will hear a ridiculous amount of fills and seemingly impossible choppy, unpredictable phrases. The drumming is genius, to say the least.

Overall: 8.5/10 Excellent