Album Review: Nightwish – Imaginaerum
A look back at Nightwish’s 2011 album Imaginaerum.
https://vimeo.com/182731956
Album Review: Young Guns – Echoes
Young Guns attempt to let go of the past and move toward a brighter future with “Echoes”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTH4xk569vU
https://vimeo.com/182570397
Text Review:
Last year Young Guns released an energetic and vibrant album titled Ones and Zeros that proved that the UK rockers had more flare than many people may have given credit. Now after spending 2016 on the road and working across the Unites State’s sweaty summer with Warped Tour, the band is releasing their fourth full album Echoes only 15 months after their previous release.
Young Guns success has been growing steadily over the years after successful tours across the world with bands like Breaking Benjamin and having their song Bones be the theme of Wrestlemania. And in a world where bands are made famous after one youtube mashup or American Idol audition, here is a band from the UK who did it all the old fashioned way of travelling the world and writing their OWN music. Where Ones and Zeros was more of an energetic and upbeat vibe, the new album Echoes feels a bit more serious and down to earth. In a quote taken from the band’s Instagram: “Echoes is about letting go of the past and moving on towards a brighter future—we’re ready and are a better, hungrier band than we’ve ever been before.”
That statement of letting go and moving on is reflected in many of the tracks on Echoes and you really feel a progression in style from the previous album to now. In Echoes, you hear a band who sounds more matured and reflective: a group of men who are climbing the next mountain. Even if it’s only been a short time since 2015, there is a more earnest attempt involved currently. From the opening song Bulletproof you are greeted with the familiar rhythm heavy sound from Young Guns and that style stays consistent through most of the album. It doesn’t so much kick the door down, but rather opens it and grabs your attention.
The first single from Echoes was meant to be a big anthem style rock song. While I’m not sure it falls into the category of something you can chant along with Queen style gives a strong rhythm and chorus thanks in part to the vocals of Gustav Wood. At just barely over three minutes the song doesn’t feel too short or too long, but it flows and sets the pace for the rest of the album well. As the track list goes on to other songs like Echoes and Careful What You Wish For, you understand what I said about a band who somehow feels more matured and reflective even though they are still fairly young. Lyrically it all feels deeper and the music is paced to flow rather than loud and furious. It’s a matter of preference of which style you prefer, but Young Guns prove they are capable of more than one speed.
As the album goes on you do feel a bit of a lull in the middle. After a song like Paranoid or Mad World you find you may be losing focus on what you are listening to, but are then picked right back up by song a song like Awakening or Mercury in Retrograde. The album never goes too long with the same song (most tracks in the three-and-a-half-minute range) and there is just a subtle change after a couple tracks to regain interest.
While there feels like a slow break in the center of the album, the beginning and end are definitely the strong points. Tracks like Mercury In Retrograde and Afterglow feel refreshing while still keeping the same overall flow as the majority of the album. Mercury In Retrograde especially has that feature of a well-paced rhythm and bassline that helps highlight the vocals and lets the chorus shine. Echoes was not what I was expecting after such an energetic and uplifting entry in 2015 and then hearing & seeing the band jam at Warped Tour in 2016. But while having the occasional dead space, there is still more than enough to become invested in the listening experience. It’s a different experience than many may expect, but it still can be satisfying if an open mind is kept going in.
Echoes is a fantastic example of an album that will grow on you. On first listen much of it may not sink in while going through the songs, but after repeated listens you’ll realize just how much there is to hear. I won’t say every song is the band at their best, but there are high moments that definitely make you realize just how talented this band is. Overall, Young Guns attempt at moving toward a brighter future is one that shows the band’s ability to become more mellowed and patient. It may not be the energetic and vibrant sound of last year, but long time Young Guns fans will still have enough to hold on to and enjoy in Echoes.
7/10
Highly Suspect Announce New Album/Single
2x Grammy nominated act, Highly Suspect debut new single:
+ announce sophomore album; The Boy Who Died Wolf
due November 18, 2016 via 300 Entertainment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljvZ928YGrQ
2x Grammy nominated act, Highly Suspect are pleased to announce their sophomore LP, The Boy Who Died Wolf, due November 18, via 300 Entertainment. The first single from the album, “My Name is Human,” is available now for streaming on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and other digital services. Album pre-orders for The Boy Who Died Wolf are also available on iTunes in North America beginning today.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly; band frontman, Johnny Stevens says “I was the boy, and was a wolf,” he explains referencing a hard upbringing in Cape Cod and the last eight years as a band desperate for a break in Brooklyn. “Everything was a fight and a struggle. I killed that part of me, and now the man is left.” The album was recorded in Bogota, Colombia and Brooklyn, New York with Joel Hamilton (The Black Keys, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), who also worked with the band on their 2015 debut breakthrough record, Mister Asylum which was nominated for 2x Grammys- one for Best Rock Album, and a nomination for Best Rock Song, for their single, “Lydia.”
The 300 Entertainment recording act is one of the music industry’s most exciting artist development stories. Mister Asylum was released in July 2015 to critical praise from FADER, Consequence Of Sound, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Blackbook and many more. The album’s first single “Lydia” continues to be a staple at Rock and Alternative Radio, and has also garnered millions of streams for the groundbreaking video which premiered on MTV. Highly Suspect also made their network television debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers last September, as well as a performance on CONAN this past January.
Since the release of Mister Asylum, the band has been on the road tirelessly as a headliner and also opening for acts like Catfish And The Bottlemen and The Struts while playing various festivals around the globe including Lollapalooza,
Top 10 WORST #1 Rock Songs
Remembering who #1 was shouldn’t feel so embarrassing.
https://vimeo.com/180529406
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Album Review: Alice In Chains – Jar Of Flies
A look back at Alice In Chain’s 1994 EP Jar Of Flies.
https://vimeo.com/179494552
Album Review: Gemini Syndrome – Memento Mori
Gemini Syndrome return to continue their journey from Lux to Memento Mori.
https://vimeo.com/179359320
Text Review:
It was back in 2013 that Gemini Syndrome made their debut into radio play and becoming a staple of the rock festival scene with their debut album Lux, spearheaded by the single Stardust. Since then the band has earned an extremely dedicated fanbase in a short time due to the group’s fantastic live performances and deeply written music. Now after some new members have joined the band we are presented with their 2nd of a trilogy of albums. Their debut album Lux, meaning “Birth”, will be followed by Memento Mori, meanings “Remember We Die”. These themes are consistent throughout Gemini Syndrome’s music along with the deep rhythm and unique vocals of Aaron Nordstrom. While not exactly Cradles of Filth levels of depressing and dark, Gemini Syndrome is capable of bringing the mood down and making you think through relatable lyrics while still keeping the speed and volume up. This is due in part to the fantastic rhythm section of Brian Steele and Alessandro Paveri. It’s the low and deep beat that these two create that carry much of Gemini Syndrome’s sound and reflects so well with Nordstrom’s vocals.
Coming into Memento Mori, there is a certain standard that the band has already set from their 2013 debut. With an already unique style, fans and other listeners who have heard Gemini Syndrome have an instantly recognizable sound to compare to whatever the band will bring next. The thematic level that the band is capable of bringing will be expected by many “synners” as they are called. The opening track Anonymous with its accompanying 360 music video puts aside the questions on if the band will continue the same deep thematic elements of self-reflection and thought. It’s instantly recognizable and what synners expected from the band. The album opener sets the tone with Nordstrom’s singing completely reverberating through your listening experience and it carries this entire track. The piano notes add an ominous feel as connecting verses and the drum work from Brian Steele is prominent and adds the volume until Nordstrom cuts loose and growls in his screaming in the bridge and final chorus.
The first song on Memento Mori leads in to the translated title track, which also leads into the following track Zealot. Throughout most of this album there is a carrying feeling that the mood flows seamlessly over. Tracks do not feel out of place and you aren’t taken out of the experience. The deep, low, hard hitting drum and bass are visceral and it feels like your ear drums are being hit while listening. These loud and vibrant tracks are frequent and the standard on Memento Mori. Even in the quieter interludes that allow for a more melodic peaceful moment to take place, they still do not break away from the overall mood and flow of the album. There is a dark atmosphere that despite its tone and topics, still feels very energetic and forceful.
The drive from verse to chorus in songs like Zealot, Sorry Not Sorry and Awaken have this gradual build that makes the high points feel like this big moment. It doesn’t have the standard rock feeling as much as it has a true build up and climax in each song, whether that’s a few lyrics, a full chorus, an electronic effect, or a vocalist screaming his throat out. The only drawback of the album is that when listening from beginning to end you will feel a zone out effect. The deep rhythm and overall mood when played for too long will cause you to forget which song you are listening to after a while, especially in the second half of the album. Even when that happens though it still doesn’t take away from the overall feeling of the album and doesn’t lessen any element in the music.
It’s difficult for a band to gain a dedicated fan base that sticks with them after their debut album and especially with a big gap until their next release. It shows a lot of grit and talent when musicians are able to keep going and still deliver on expectations. Gemini Syndrome have proven that they are capable of being consistent. Overall, Memento Mori successfully continues both the trilogy of albums AND the career of Gemini Syndrome in positive ways. It will not disappoint anyone who enjoyed the 2013 release and the future looks bright for the band and all of its synners.
8/10
