Slipknot- All Hope Is Gone Review

If you thought Nu-Metal was about to fade guess again. Slipknot has single handedly saved Nu-metal with their release of their new album All Hope Is lost.

In what seems like forever (4 years to be exact) slipknot has returned with their best and arguably most brutal work ever. This is hands down the best Nu-metal album ever created and Slipknot has upped the ante for other nu-metal/metal bands in general. The opening instrumental/song gives you a feel for the direction the album is going in and as soon as you hear Joey beating those drums, you know your ears are in for a treat.

The album first song is somewhat of a continuation of the opening instrumental track and it picks up where Joey left off. This continues on through the first 4 songs at which point we get a taste of the more melodic side of Slipknot. It’s obvious that Root and Taylors band Stone Sour had some influence on Corey Taylor in this album, this also holds true in the most shocking song on the album.

If you were to hear “ballad” and “Slipknot” in the same sentence you would probably say I’m crazy, however, this is the case and there is a ballad on this album. This is the strongest track on the album and definitely has “hit single” written all over it. The title track ends the album and picks up where it left off before the slower tracks on the album (Dead Memories and the aforementioned ballad Snuff).

It goes out the same way it started by kicking your ass and taking your name in the process. Musically speaking, in every sense, this is the best work Slipknot has ever produced and I can only hope the new album will continue the efforts of this. There is really nothing bad that you can point out about the album, except maybe the running time which clocks in around one hour.

Slipknot is back in a big way and is poised to take over as the leaders of the Nu-Metal Scene with this album. The Part that sticks out the most about the album is the incredible drummer of Joey Jordinson. The lyrics are also the darkest the band has ever written and when Corey Taylor says this album will “rip your fucking face off” he isn’t lying. This is exactly what the album does. Another strong part of the album? The Work of the guitarist Jim Root and Mick Thompson. While this album isn’t for most, and I can guarantee it isn’t, it is a worthy pick up and the best album of the year so far.

Final Score-100%

Slipknot is:

Sid Wilson-Turntables/Keyboard

Joey Jordinson-Drums

Chris Fhen-Percussion

Jim Root-Guitar

Craig Jones-Samples

Shawn Crahan-Percussion

Mick Thompson-Guitar

Corey Taylor-Vocals

For Fans Of: Stone Sour, Korn

Produced By: Dave Fortman

Recorded At: Sound Farm- Jamica, Iowa

Label-Roadrunner Records/Nuclear Blast

Tracklisting:

1. “.execute.”
2. “Gematria (The Killing Name)”
3. “Sulfur” 
4. “Psychosocial”
5. “Dead Memories”
6. “Vendetta”
7. “Butcher’s Hook”
8. “Gehenna”
9. “This Cold Black”
10. “Wherein Lies Continue”
11. “Snuff”
12. “All Hope Is Gone”

Slipknot @ Myspace

An Open Letter To John Mccain

Matt Friction & The Pink Spiders have written an open letter to John Mccain. The letter can be seen in the comments.

The Cast Before The Break – “As Your Shoulders Turn On You” Review

The Cast Before The Break – As Your Shoulders Turn On You

1. Onward Love
2. From The Earth At A Crossroad
3. Agnosia
4. Understanding The Universe
5. Cerca Trova
6. Relying On A Respirator

“I’m terrified of who I am inside. I’m a broken matchstick man, be my conduit.”

What if Thursday and Moving Mountains had a baby? The Cast Before The Break is the exact and only answer to that question. Released in March, I actually just discovered the band and their EP As Your Shoulders Turn On You after scouring through Absolutepunk.net’s “Absolute 100” feature. So why am I even reviewing it, you ask?

Well, because this album is special. This is that rare album that comes out once a year – maybe. As Your Shoulders Turn On You is this years Pneuma.

The album starts with “Onward, Love,” a six minute mostly instrumental track that sets the tone for the rest of the album – moody, atmospheric, but yet carrying an overarching epic feel to each movement in the song. Lyrically explaining that we are our own instruments to destruction, the song leads into “From The Earth, At A Crossroad,” arguably the most accessible song on the album. A pacing beat around a floor-tom and snare behind a simple bass line carries a ridiculous amount of intensity up to each chorus, then back to the same beat up until the ending, which brings the ceiling of the song down on you with crashing guitars and vocals demanding that “If Jesus taught you everything, then nothing is what you’ve learned.” But, the song is actually about a car accident and everything that surrounds it. I know, tons of songs about accidents, right? Here’s what I kept from you: this album is about the narrators last half hour of life as it is played out through the EP. Self discovery, loneliness, and revenge are all explored in many different ways, from the mostly acoustic “Relying On A Respirator” to the beautiful “Understanding The Universe.”

So what makes this album so special besides that it is a genius idea for a concept album? Well, for starters, Geoff Rickley is pretty much fronting this band. TJ Foster, the vocalist, nails his Geoff impression throughout the album. I am not kidding when I say that I imagine Geoff singing some of these songs when I am listening. From the strained vocals to the unmeasurable passion, the vocals really shine throughout the EP.

However, there is no better way to say it: this album is strong because the songs are just really well written. Every song is epic. Every song goes from tons of instruments to just a basic piano and percussion arrangement, and yet, nothing feels left behind. The energy is retained. The EP carries absolutely no filler within itself, and everything that happens in each song is there for a reason. Nothing feels forced. Nothing feels misplaced. The flow of the sounds is quite simply breathtaking. This is an EP that needs to be listened from the beginning to the end, not from the middle.

“As Your Shoulders Turn On You” will be a contender for one of the top albums of 2008 and may possibly take the crown. There simply is no better way to say it. Whether its the hard hitting ending of “Cerca Trova” or the trick ending to “Understanding The Universe,” The Cast Before The Break keeps raising the bar song after song during your first listen. Very few albums have left me so impressed on the first listen – to name a few, Vheissu, Pneuma, and Transatlanticism were albums that left me with similar impressions. Big things are going to happen to this band. Just wait and watch.

Rating: 9.4/10

RIYL: Moving Mountains, Thursday, Moving Mountains, Thursday, Moving Mountains, Thursday

Sax Player From Dave Matthews Band Found Dead

The Saxaphone Player From Dave Matthews Band has passed away. Details can be found here.

A tribute to Him:

R.I.P

The Academy Is Review

Generally when you think of Summer bands and albums you think of bands like New Found Glory and Blink 182. You can Now add The Academy Is to this list.

The band is back and in Summer fashion and a what seems to be recurring high school theme The Academy is take the crown for Summer Gems. However, This is far from the bands best work and should not be discounted as a poor album or a “slump” album.

Right off the bat you can tell the band has continued to mature musically and William Becketts voice has gotten better since Santi. As I touched on before there seems to be a recurring theme of Relationships/Higschool/Friendship throughout.

The first song(which also happens to be the first single) kicks off on a high gear and dosent look back and this continues on into the third song(His Girl Friday). On the fourth song you can see the natural progression/maturation of the band again and its also one of two ballads on the album. The Next 2 songs kick right back into the energetic The Academy Is that fans have grown to know and love and the production on these songs is superb.

After The Last Midtown Show is the best song on the album and features Andrew Mcmahon of Jacks Mannequin fame and is a beautifully structured song and is arguably the best song the band has ever written. After that the album gets a little weak and doesn’t really end on that high of a note which is where my problem lays with this album. It starts off really strong and just falters towards the end. Perhaps the band could have arranged the song order differently to have avoided this problem.

The album seems to have the best elements of Almost There and Santi but there’s something missing that I just cannot put my finger on. The album does have more strong points than weak points going for it. Musically(production wise, sound wise) this is the best the band has ever sounded. It’s mature and energetic and captures the style of the band perfectly, and the two what seem to be ballads do not take away from this at all.

The band seems to have also rushed this album it released 15 months after Santi and this is generally unusual for a band to do. Would I Recommend this album to people? Absolutely. Would I say its the bands best work? No. That crown belongs to Santi. So to Recap this review in a few points:

-Strong Production
-Continued Progression/Maturation
-Strong Beginning/Poor Ending
-Energetic

Final Score: 84%

The Academy Is:
William Beckett-Vocals
Adam Siska-Bass
Michael Guy Chislett-Guitar
Mike Carden-Guitar
The Butcher-Drums

For fans of: Fallout Boy, Paramore, Valencia

Produced by-Sam Hollander
Recorded at-Avatar Studios Ny, Ny
Label-Decyande/Fueled By Ramen/Atlantic Records

Track listing:
“About A Girl”
“Summer Hair=Forever Young”
“His Girl Friday”
“The Test”
“Rumored Nights”
“Automatic Eyes”
“Crowded Room”-Ft. Gabe Saporta

“Coppertone”
“After the Last Midtown Show”-Ft Andrew Andrew McMahon
“Beware! Cougar!”
“Paper Chase”
“One More Weekend”

The Academy Is..@ myspace.com

Jonezeta Post New Song

Jonezeta have posted a brand new song on their myspace. The bands new album titled Cruel To Be Young is due out Sept. 16th on Tooth And Nail Records.

Underoath Press

Underoath will be on the cover of the October Alternative Press. Cover can be seen here.

Congrats To Norma Jean

Norma Jean had a strong opening week. The band opened at number 29 on The Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, number 2 on The Billboard Top Christian Albums and number 4 on The Billboard Hard Music Chart. Check out the press release and thoughts on the album in the comments.

50 Cent No More..

50 Cent is now the Richest Rapper in the world. He made 150 Million this year knocking off last years Champ Jay-Z who came in second this year with a total of 82 million.

Jared Leto Responds To Virgin Lawsuit

Jared Leto has responded to the Virgin Records lawsuit, who claimed that 30 Seconds to Mars have not fulfilled a five record contract.

“We had been signed to our record contract for nine years,” he wrote. “Basically, under California law, where we live and signed our deal, one cannot be bound to a contract for more than seven years. This is widely known by all the record companies and has been for years. In fact, so aware of it are they that they desperately try to make deals outside of California whenever possible. It is a law that protects people from lengthy, unfair, career-spanning contracts. This law also gave us the legal right to explore other possible opportunities.” -Jared Leto