Metal Militia

Meshuggah give us a reason to live !

2012-01-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Swedish experimental extreme metallers Meshuggah have issued the following update:

"After a long time of deep soul searching and intense wrecking of the psyches, the new album is finally done. Soon you will meet this colossus that will pulverize your being. Welcome to the other side on March 27."

In a 2011 interview with Guitar World magazine, Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal was asked whether the band has been working on new music. "Yes, we are working on a new album and have been for a long time," Fredrik said. "I'm so excited about this one. We've always tried to change how we write songs to keep it exciting, but on recent albums we've also been moving further away from working together as a band. On this album, though, everyone is working together. Every day that we're in the studio, we'll play whatever song we're working on, record a demo version of it to analyze at home, and then come back the next day, talk about it and try to make it better. I think because of this, it's going to be our best album yet."

Regarding the approach to the new music, Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake told Decibel magazine in a 2010 interview, "Maybe not try to be as anal about every single little hit [that] has to be super-tight but be more focused on the vibe of a track and let some of those tiny errors slip through. I think that kinda breeds a bit of life into a song."

Cynic - Carbon Based Anatomy (Progressive ,Fusion, Groove Metal)

2011-11-07T06:10:00.000-08:00

Cynic started off as a band with fusion elements and "robotic" processor based vocals. Their wagon got momentum with their first LP "Traced in air" which was nothing short of brilliance. Fusing elements of Jazz ,metal and blending beautiful tonal atmospherics Cynic is a band which comes along once a decade. "One album wonders" have made way into the market and still do almost everyday but with their new EP - Carbon Based Anatomy - Cynic just reached the new checkpoint in their musical journey.

The EP is short. 20 minutes is all you get.The album fuses elements from India - Tabla ,shlok(hymn) and some odd timed sitar work. If this is the first record you will be hearing from Cynic i urge you to do so on a noise canceling headset. Jaw dropping interludes at the most unexpected places is their specialty.

The much appreciated (also ridiculed at the same time) robotic vocals snug in perfectly in every song. The way these guys stick to their tight song writing and detail to each passage in the song is commendable.The songs are NOTHING like their first album. They managed to change their "Sound" and yet sound amazing!

"Carbon based anatomy" the 2nd track of the album - has the most downright melodic outbursts supported by drums sounding like gunshots. A feast to the ears and you get depressed when it ends in just 20 mins ( with 3 interludes).
"Box up my bones" has the Cynic complexity to it and "Elves Beam Out" gets you bouncing to the most synth-prog-metal fusion you would hear in recent times.

Progressive metal/music certainly has its best year with the slew of releases and Cynic just added a gorgeous Ep to the list.

Ive never thanked the internet so much - and thanked possibly my existence - their album and now their EP is the best thing to have fallen on my humble ears.

Carbon Based Anatomy : -

Keshav Dhar- Indias first Djentleman !

2011-11-04T10:43:00.001-07:00

Keshav Dhar probably also knows how to MAKE an instrument by now.He does everything that is ever related to conceptualizing and materializing music.

He plays the guitar,produces music and also has his solo project - Hydrojent.

Probably India's first band to have Maximum Djent Twang!

Keshav Dhar got the fame (much deserved) when he released two of the most progressive, ambient and layered tracks iv heard in recent times. Best part being- from an indian artist!

Hold your breath when i say - vocals - Dan Tompkins ( ex- TesseracT) and guitars- Daniel Tompkins( ex TesseracT)and Marty Friedman -( ex Megadeth) !

The lineup for these two tracks ,with the featuring artists , itself made me anxious .

And what i head was more than music! Keshav makes way for a unique "sound" thats not only ambient and soothing but also heavy and djenty.

Dan's vocals are perfectly suited and Marty rolls up his sleeve big time to create something not usually in his style of playing.

The two tracks - Celestial and Catharsis are definitely a big add on in the increasingly popular subgenre of progressive metal .

To experience the awesomeness check this out!

1.Celestial
2.Catharsis
both featuring Dan Tompkins (ex- TesseracT) and Marty Friedman(ex- Megadeth)

Celestial (ft. Daniel Tompkins, Vishal J. Singh and Marty Friedman) by Skyharbor

Catharsis (ft. Daniel Tompkins and Marty Friedman) by Skyharbor

Uneven Structure - Februus (Djent,Math,Progressive Metal)

2011-11-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Uneven Structure - Februus

Apart from their mouthwatering cuisine and romantic hotspots , the french have yet again offered us something to savor - Uneven Structure.

They came out with their EP in 2009 - time when the Djent scene was picking up pace - and it wasnt untill a year later that their efforts got the credit(globally) it deserved. These guys have been on my ipod for almost a year now and their musical brilliance still baffles me.

Two words to describe this album - Heavily Ambient
Right from the first track "Awaken" to the aptly named "Finale" you are made to bow down before this pagan-god themed album. The echoing screams and the crystal clear vocals blend in effortlessly into each track.
The beauty of Februus is that even when the songs reach their climax in terms of heaviness - the atmosphere created is nothing short of serene.
"Frost" - my pick from the album- has its atmospheric passages which make you feel you are actually coming in terms to something that is beyond words and celestial . The influence of Tesseract is quite audible but the dark ambient passages which throw a bright light of maximum "djenty twang" is something that is signature Uneven Structure.

With the saturation of bands trying to go over-board with Djent guitar tone - Uneven structure preserves their progression from their EP and add up brilliant atmospherics and insane drum rudiments to their debut LP.
Fans of ANY sub-genre of metal can seamlessly fit into their style of music as it caters to ears that crave for melody as well as musical complexity and brutality.

This album is a sure winner in the slew of releases of the similar genre (as of yet - we still have Vildhjarta to surprise us) and marks the beginning of a band which knows exactly HOW to harness the power of Djent .

Recommended Tracks
1.Frost

...and the whole album!

Five Finger Death Punch - American Capitalist (Modern Metal)

2011-11-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

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Five Finger Death Punch - American Capitalist

Love them,hate them - they will be going with evil grins to their bank accounts.
3 albums old and these guys have made a mark and probably a new genre in the metal scene. Touted as "Modern Metallers" , their approach focuses on mainstream melody packed with realist lyrics and quintessential metal elements

"American Capitalist" is a perfect gift to a oven-fresh metalhead friend of yours . It is nothing new - musically. But it packs the punch in terms of melody and catchy songwriting and has the essential "RAWRRR" element to it. The songs are easy to pick in the first listen itself and you might find yourself humming them unknowingly.
Their first release "Way of the fist" lacked the mainstream sound that they were trying to find (i think) . But after their 2nd album "War is the answer" they finally found what they actually wanted to make.
Songs like "Under and Over it" and "Coming Down" are good getaway if you have saturated your head with complex bands like Meshuggah or Opeth and will leave you pleasantly surprised with their heaviness yet catchy outline.
"The Pride" could be America's national anthem in these difficult times since the lyrics and song production seem government funded - superimposing the goodness of America.

When you have commercial success in just two releases bands tend to either crack in pressure or come out with "just another album". FFDP did manage to up the ante a little bit but doesn't give fans a reason to look forward to their next release. The brutality combined with chunky melodic patches in "Way of the fist" or the brilliant war-ballad "Far From Home" in their 2nd album "War is the answer" would make fans revisit their prior work rather than give this one a second listen. Although the vocals are the BEST part of this band . Every album they just get getting better and better - probably the only reason why i go back to their previous work and could pass comfortably through this one.

Recommended Tracks
1.Under and over it

2.Coming Down

3.Generation Dead

Haken - Visions (Progressive Metal)

2011-11-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

: Haken - Visions (Progressive Metal)

Last year saw the rise of this unique band from USA . Their debut LP "Aquarius" stunned critics and masses alike with the seemless progression and extreme rhythmic highs and lows.

Many listeners initially called them "Dream Theater with a different drummer" but their "Aquarius" proved everyone wrong. They made an album and stuffed in a solid punch with their soothing yet solid vocals and versatile drum rudiments.

Visions takes these young boys to musical puberty. The transition from their previous to this one is perfect. Blending high vocal scales with the keyboard and trippy segments in between heavy ends , Haken take you on a ride right from the first beat to the last note.
"Nocturnal Conspiracy" would be my pick of the lot. Groovy and heavy it packs all the necessary HAKEN elements you would look as a fan of their previous work. "Insomnia" and "Portals" easily tells you Opeth and DT are their gods. Some solid odd-time signatures and tight songwriting is evident in these two tracks.

On the down side - the signature Haken moments are totally absent. The small but powerpacked growls of "Streams" from their "Aquarius" are badly missed. The album is total clean vocals ,which is NOT a disappointment, but considering fans who praised their heavy moments in their previous album would be a bit disappointed .Although the keyboardist makes most out of this one - they have not given up the metal-ness just for the sake trippy style of music that they have a penchant for.

In conclusion ,for every progressive rock/metal fan Haken is a must listen but my suggestion would be listening to BOTH their albums back-to-back as it would make a greater impact and leave you wanting more.

Recommended Tracks.
1.Nocturnal Conspiracy -

2.Portals

3.Insomnia

Textures - Dualism

2011-10-31T08:45:00.001-07:00

Textures - Dualism

Textures reached the epitome of technical and musical talent with their previous- "Silhouettes". But a change in line-up ( Daniel De Jongh (ex-Cilice) and Uri Dijk (Ethereal) join in as vocalist and keyboardist respectively) paves way for a new "sound" and probably a new perspective to their entire music making process.

The first released single "Reaching Home" and the best track of the record tells you that they have mellowed down the technicality and pumped up the melody.

"Reaching Home" has its moments and one of the "laced with instruments" songs i have heard in recent months.

"Burning the midnight oil" is brilliant and is so complex yet melodic that you are left confused as to which "beat" you should head-bang. The best part about it being - its instrumental !

"Singularity" and "Minor Earth,Major skies" gives the ardent Textures fans a reason to rejoice since they pack maximum punch and maximum growl.

With this release the band resonates their name in true sense - the songs are woven ,one after the other -creating varied textures of rhythmic outbursts and ambient serenity.

As musicians they stick to their Math Metal songwriting but the sound now caters to more alternative sounding song structures.

I am tad disappointed because i was looking forward to another ground-breaking technical ear-blast. The growling is bare minimum and those epic surging moments of their previous albums take a backseat.But after a few listens and a unbiased mindset - the clean vocals mixed with strategically placed growls make sense.

This one is not certainly THE album but they manage to venture into new territory and win substantial part of it.

They MAY loose a bit of their fan-base but at the same time face a fresh new "alternative" audience and make most of this release with their decent "reaching home" music video and strong PR.

Recommended Tracks.

1.Reaching Home-

2.Burning The Midnight Oil

3.Singularity -

4.Constant Hemispheres

Megadeth-Th1rt3en(13)

2011-10-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

Megadeth - Th1rt3en

13 will never be an unlucky number again !
Megadeth's 13^th studio LP record literally tames the unlucky .
13 tracks on the record, 13 candles on the artwork(CD cover) - the first look of it makes you realize you are up for a treat. Most bands have a linear quality graph and Megadeth stands out in the crowd. Their “ENDGAME” was a benchmark and 13 is a perfect successor to this success story.
Outstanding production and sticking to old school roots makes it the perfect blend of mindless thrash and fast paced melodic rollercoaster. The album packs elements from Cryptic Writings to "Killing Business..." which makes it fit for almost another decade to come.

Probably the only band to put up a weak track as their first , the album opens up to “Sudden Death” which is a Megadeth standard track and honestly quite passable. The real album starts from “Public Enemy No. 1”. Bass and Cymbals come crashing down on your ears at the very start and you know “IT” has begun. All your enemies flash before your eyes and you cant keep away from giving an evil grin when Dave screams “you wont believe the things ive done – and the killing was just for fun”
Probably the most explosive track with epic riff-age.
“Whose life(is it anyway?)” is my personal pick from the album – you still don’t understand how this pothead comes up with such layered tracks with such simple melody. Best part is there is NOTHING special – simple riff,simple basic thrash rudiments but it stands out as a perfect early morning eargasm.
Only Dave can make lyrics like “your Sa-sa-security” and still like-able “Gun,Drugs,Money” takes you into a rapidly changing “laid-back” to “feet hammering” songwriting.”Never Dead” is the most technically sound and high production track in the album and probably the bands best choice for releasing it as a single.
“New world order” is reminiscent of Testament-ish way of chorus repetitions which literally make you sing like you are in a church choir after ever AMEN!
"Black Swan" is a shred-fest and "Millenium of the Blind" tells you where the Metallica sound ACTUALLY came from - a track which proves heavy need not be fast! I literally closed my eyes to grasp the heaviness when Dave sings at a lower tone "Lies follow - blindly" .The album ends with "13" which is aptly placed,aptly named and perfect end to a realm of thrash lords who stick to their roots and make music not to sell but because they love to.

Recommended Tracks (you-tube links)
1.Who's line (is it anyway?) -
2.Public Enemy No.1 -
3.Never Dead -
4.Black Swan-

5. Millennium Of The Dead
6.Fast Lane