190 Proof Music tag:puregrainaudio.com,2005:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/reviews Textpattern 2012-05-27T16:34:40Z Chris Gonda gonda@puregrainaudio.com http://puregrainaudio.com/ Bruce Moore 2012-05-27T16:34:40Z 2012-05-27T16:34:40Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-25:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/55c867f35f3993efe24eea20d1cfe4f9

Rewind hits stores at the perfect time of the year; with a unique Summery beach sound I feel this is the perfect soundtrack for hanging out on the shore. With lots of harmonies, more than a few sing-along moments and a heavy pop/punk slant, this makes for a fun, enjoyable record that made me want to grab a cold one, bury my feet in the sand and watch the bikini clad women stroll by. This is not a heavy record by any means, but I really dig it. If it gets the exposure it deserves, I think Summertime Dropouts will have a big success on their hands.]]>

Mark Wilson 2012-05-27T16:20:09Z 2012-05-27T16:20:09Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-26:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/91348010f5b333a221d8129cd29f59f8

Anomie is a completely mind-blowing piece of post-hardcore music. This Toronto based band has managed to top their previous release Analytical Dreaming in every way. Anomie expands on the sound the band forged with the previous record with excellent use of dynamics and flawless time signature changes.]]>

Bruce Moore 2012-05-27T14:50:53Z 2012-05-27T14:50:53Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-27:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/f8cadb88c8b8272a8a56f31d34d1cfcc

Walk With Me! is quite a fantastic collection of songs that will have you moving and grooving in no time at all. I really liked everything about this disc including the terrific production and the rather humorous song titles. If, like me, you're looking for music that is heavy yet unique, then look no further than Zombies and Diamonds. This was a killer find and I highly recommend checking out this mega-talented act.]]>

Bruce Moore 2012-05-27T14:19:43Z 2012-05-27T14:19:43Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-25:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/bc5fbc4bd755748e9667d66ff5615507

Underground 'N' Roll was the 2009 release from Italian band Devastator. Stylistically this record lies somewhere at the intersection of thrash metal and punk rock, with driving beats and lots of big background vocals and chants. As a fan of both thrash and punk I wish I had something really good to say about this release, but for me it just does not work. The melding of both genres seems very disconnected and at times scattered; so much so that I had a hard time getting through the whole disc. Another problem I had, and perhaps it's not quite politically correct, is that something seems to be lost in the vocal presentation when the Italian singer belts out his lines in English... again, it just didn't work for me at all.]]>

Ramon Martos Garcia 2012-05-26T16:55:41Z 2012-05-26T18:01:56Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-25:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/df02cca5ccb0fd39ead3ab1d9240b1f3

En Vivo!. Filmed at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago de Chile during their 2011 world tour in support of the The Final Frontier album, this concert offers everything Maiden fans would die for. The well-balanced set list mixes classics like "The Trooper", "Hollowed be Thy Name" and "The Wicker Man" with some the band's recent material, including "The Talisman", "When The Wild Wind Blows" and "El Dorado".]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-26T16:40:59Z 2012-05-26T16:41:59Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-19:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/9b8b9892bacdd3fbb633f6d8058227bd

Immersion is their first major release outside of a demo and an EP. The group is billed as progressive death metal, but are nowhere close to that category. Instead what you get is some catchy, "rock n roll" death metal a la Clayman era In Flames - and much like Clayman, most of the songs are of the fist-pumping, get a crowd worked up and have a good time style.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-26T16:32:23Z 2012-05-26T16:33:17Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-20:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/ebbea87e53064a6c6b4bb55f029f3709

Rational Pain. For a disc this good, I am utterly shocked that it hasn't been talked about more by the metal community. The band has an interesting sound which is described in their bio as a cross between Faith No More and Strapping Young Lad - a pretty spot on description if you ask me. Vocalist WS sounds like a French, The Real Thing era Mike Patton, while the rest of the group pull off so many different style changes that it makes for an interesting listen.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-24T18:48:29Z 2012-05-24T18:48:29Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-18:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/8295bfdf6c4e3ce80b37109b4678bb44

Tragedy Has Spoken, their third album to date, gives you pretty much what you would expect from a Swedish death metal release - lots of melodic parts, lots of catchy brutality and even a bit of (gasp!) clean singing thrown in for good measure. The group also ventures into some technical death metal on songs such as "White Light/Black Rain". Not a hell of a lot of originality here, but the guys do what they do quite well. Anyone into Swedish death needs to take a listen here see what they're missing.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-19T11:18:15Z 2012-05-19T11:18:15Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-19:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/27460b7dd45bce6d7075902e87af5bb8

Prisoners is the third release by Montreal's The Agonist, and again the band offers mellow death metal with the occasional clean vocals. I've seen the group occasionally referred to as metalcore due to this approach, but really they're not. The Agonist writes some crunchy, brutal songs that will have even the most jaded metalhead, fist-pumping along.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-18T15:01:59Z 2012-05-18T15:01:59Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-17:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/02c080ab0a19e0cc7fd11b26d152547d

Spectrum of Death is another one of those "classic" 80s underground metal albums that die-hard metal fans apparently wet their pants over. I've often found that when I've sought out these kinds of albums they usually end up being major disappointments. Generally the albums feature horrible production and sub-par playing. Morbid Saint's Spectrum of Death however, is well-deserving of high praise.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-18T14:55:04Z 2012-05-18T14:55:04Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-18:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/845f0c5e4d1fbc99eb4f98f62ede93f6

Death By Metal should be considered to be a historical metal document. This said, the album's sound is incredibly muddy and as a result hard to listen to at times. While most casual listeners won't be able to get past this, those who can will find some scorching songs. As far as historical albums go, Death By Metal should be heard by all extreme metal fans at some point, just to see how the genre evolved. Casual listeners on the other hand should avoid.]]>

Daniel Sassone 2012-05-18T01:50:54Z 2012-05-18T01:50:54Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-10:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/8a47d4e3d9186012968c7b527630b386

Vulnerable marks the first album in which the band has 100% creative control, an album the group calls their best record ever. While I may not completely agree with that, it is definitely their best effort since 2004's In Love And Death.]]>

Will Lyon 2012-05-17T19:30:46Z 2012-05-17T19:30:46Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-17:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/1d0ee0e7a12a216fe0c1a59504004f25

Misha Kotok 2012-05-17T13:15:49Z 2012-05-17T13:15:49Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-15:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/3fbd2a59f7ba318a42745d0f722505e9

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-17T01:44:07Z 2012-05-17T01:46:03Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-13:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/d4bf62e38c31d63244a92f928931c66a

Bruce Moore 2012-05-16T23:34:22Z 2012-05-16T23:34:22Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-16:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/9cfb037ab3fc9a92d57147543fbd4eae

The Museum of Wonders is more of a statement on the ugliness of prejudice and greed in society than a horror flick. Thinly veiled in a horror movie shell this film works on a much deeper level. The group of side show performers and freaks may not be your typical family, but I would argue that they are indeed a family and serve here as a microcosm for society as a whole.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-16T22:52:36Z 2012-05-16T22:56:09Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-16:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/cd20bb8d7db00b52862665c25a82a290

Monolith of Inhumanity is one of the best albums of this year so far. Between this release and Katana and Eternal Helceraxe's newest offerings, extreme metal bands are going to find it hard to top these three albums. Granted we are only 5 months into 2012, but damn this is some good stuff!]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-16T22:43:12Z 2012-05-16T22:43:12Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-16:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/f7af5e15dbb092bbe1fae17b04f4b9d6

A Perfect Evil, may be the release that actually breaks the band to the metal masses.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-16T22:25:14Z 2012-05-16T22:25:14Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-16:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/5a7f1cd9865a23d7d3e2df4a8f726d73

The Ghost of Heritage is a re-release of Winterfylleth's debut album which originally came out a few years ago. Besides being remastered, the album also features two new tracks that were not on the original release. Now, as someone who had never heard the album before, I can't tell original purchasers whether or not a re-purchase is necessary, but I can say to those of you who who haven't that it is definitly worth buying.]]>

Daniel Sassone 2012-05-15T21:08:28Z 2012-05-18T00:27:18Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-15:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/d1ec6a8d12709852cfbcbc2846e18e7e

Nightmares and The Hear and The Now, you will be sorely disappointed. The band has pretty much abandoned all the things that made those albums what they were and have joined the masses with this un-remarkable, un-memorable, and very generic sounding album.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-15T17:07:50Z 2012-05-15T17:07:50Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-14:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/1e22e7978de84f216093f93a482edbdd

Land of the Freaks is apparently a re-release and originally came out in 2009 in Europe. According to the band's bio, their music has had extremely limited access in North America. I can kind of understand why as the band play a really odd style which genre hops at the drop of a hat amid quirky lyrics about racism ("God Save the Spleen, "Honey, You're A Nazi"), bashing on the internet ("Hip Hop Hoorah") and other hot-button topics. The band has a pretty interesting and unique style as a result.]]>

Bruce Moore 2012-05-14T15:54:58Z 2012-05-14T15:54:58Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-09:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/3348a460b4b3dcb865d5eafd7bc8a357

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-14T15:32:33Z 2012-05-14T15:32:33Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-14:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/2c34c37e5a3afa04664adbdbf2dc6433

Sins of a Life Past is the debut EP by California's Fates Demise, a band whose bio frequently references death/thrash and black metal as comparison styles to their sound. Personally I see the band more as a "death metal lite" group, similar to Only Inhuman era Sonic Syndicate or even more core-ish bands like Killswitch Engage, As I lay Dying and early Trivium - especially in reference to the band's use of harsh and clean singing styles.]]>

Ramon Martos Garcia 2012-05-14T14:55:45Z 2012-05-14T14:55:45Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-04:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/47302f44eb669d5ce86f8d4f2ac47dc1

Will Lyon 2012-05-14T14:40:47Z 2012-05-14T14:40:47Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-13:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/08fd0e6a5d7b9192145f92cab37ddd33

Bruce Moore 2012-05-11T19:04:30Z 2012-05-11T19:04:30Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-10:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/0d25b8ce1944258c5e4f4a3a310ab4c0

Odalheim is Unleashed's eleventh full-length effort to date, and as a longtime fan of the band I can say that of their entire catalog, it's probably my favorite. While Odalheim might not stray far from the path they've forged over the years, this is actually a good thing - Unleashed are one of the most consistently reliable bands in the death metal scene.]]>

Bruce Moore 2012-05-09T17:51:39Z 2012-05-09T18:03:09Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-09:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/1a48941475a68d0e0ebff22c66c4b1f4

Little Piece Of Dixie - The EP is a twangy, country rock and roll record with a heavy dose of Southern rock thrown in for good measure. While I'm not a very big fan of Southern rock, I can still appreciate good music when I hear it. That said, I think Blackberry Smoke has done a good job with this EP; the songs are well-written and engaging and the production is top notch, making it good listen... even for me. While consuming the record I couldn't help but conjure up images of backwoods roadhouses and small town country bars; places I imagine Little Dixie would be just blaring from the speakers. At the end of the day I think fans of Southern rock will totally dig this release.]]>

Curtis Dewar 2012-05-09T17:20:10Z 2012-05-09T17:20:10Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-08:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/141fe7427ac5211d20ddc1f7b369dfad

Dismal Hollow to that same list!]]>

Bruce Moore 2012-05-09T17:01:41Z 2012-05-09T17:01:41Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-05-09:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/091edad605e11194e8753e4edeb4e67f

Heavy Metal Maniac in 1983) and I feel they are synonymous with the old school thrash metal scene. That said, the title of this 2008 record, Thrash Speed Burn, is perfectly fitting as it's exactly what you get when the album starts up; it's a full-on fast, thrash metal record with blazing guitars at every turn.]]>

Chee Kam 2012-05-07T17:45:11Z 2012-05-07T17:45:16Z tag:puregrainaudio.com,2012-04-19:f1fae069640fab9b7cd5536427f7161e/da02263b5237cdb3c74ffc826b9a3743

MyChildren MyBride, features a tweaked line-up (now with five members instead four) and begs the question, with an extra member, did it greatly affect the group and their music?]]>