Spotlight—March 2, 2008

Those of you may remember the spotlight mp3s on the old site. Well, this is the new version, entitled Spotlight. The concept's not much different this time around. It's just a little more fleshed out. We're still sharing our favorite music. And with our new format, we can spotlight mp3s, videos, and other media. We'll structure our Spotlight posts however we see fit.

So on with the show.

We have to go with links, since we can't embed the music in this situation. A new window will open when you click on a song. Look for the title on the playlist, and come back here. Play while you peruse.

Eddy Mo's Spotlight for March 2, 2008:

• Above this Fire—Everything at Once
  • Great driving hardcore. If only the singer wasn't so monotone. Still, definitely worth a listen.
• August Burns Red—Composure
  • Amazing technical metalcore. Impressive musicianship and unexpected nuances throughout.
• Damiera—M(US)IC
  • I love this kind of sound. Spine tingling guitars and catchy melodies. An apropos break from the heaviness.
• Mikoto—Tired of Me
  • Featuring ex-Taken frontman Ray Harkins, his latest project doesn't even come close. But hey, it's still good. Listen for the devastating breakdown at the end.
• Secondsmile—Aspen Fears
  • Still can't get over the fact these guys mellowed out. Their talent, however, is unquestionable.
• Shai Hulud—Bear the Brunt of Many Blades
  • New Shai Hulud. Well, sort of (this is a 2006 demo). Apparently, this song will be on the new album. Enough talk, it's Shai Hulud. Go listen.

Here's to good music.

Doing More with Less

Two weeks since my last post. I'm getting better. Hey, I'm a workaholic. That usually gets in the way.

I thought it would be cool to share the new Minus the Bear video with those of you who haven't seen it yet. It's for the song Knights off the Planet of Ice album. I'm sure the video itself cost a measly sum to make, yet it's engaging and cool. Basically, a mirror effect was placed on footage of the band jamming. The effect is similar to the one I can get in Photo Booth on my Macbook.

The song's not bad either. Take a look, and listen, for yourself.



Minus the Bear—Knights

A New Beginning?

Hey Everyone,

Things have been kind of hectic around here of late, but as you can see, we have completed the new format. Both Eddy and I are adjusting to the new format, but we believe that we have created a more streamlined approach to bringing you new content. Obviously our site has been dedicated to the music community for the past 6 years (Can you believe it's been 6 years!), but we've also touched on many other subjects as well. Our new format will allow for us to provide insight on everything from music, movies, politics, or anything else that might be on our mind.

Keep checking back for new content in the next couple of days.

Thanks!

The End of an Era

It's quite ironic that I'm writing about the downfall of one of my favorite bands during the renaissance of this site, but I thought this was an appropriate way to start a new era by talking about the end of another.

Hopesfall, one of my favorite bands of all time, recently broke up. To many of you, this is old news. But I just found out about this within the last few weeks, and I think it's worth taking a little time to reminisce about the band.

The first time I heard Hopesfall, I was still getting into the whole underground rock scene. I had never heard such an amazing combination of ferocious hardcore and gentle melody before, and I was hooked from the beginning. For a good year, I listened to the No Wings to Speak Of EP on a daily basis. I couldn't get enough of it, and I salivated for the band's upcoming full-length release that I had been hearing about. That release turned out to be The Satellite Years, an instant classic that combined the passionate sound from the EP with a suave space rock touch.

To me, the band could do no wrong. Hopesfall was at the top of its game. It didn't matter that the band was going through lineup changes. The sound was still there, and it was evolving into something truly special. When I got word of a new release, entitled A Types, I was awaiting a genre-redefining effort. This was sure to be an album that would obliterate my playlist and earn a permanent place in my everyday catalog.

In reality, A Types turned out to be a colossal disappointment, a blatant attempt to penetrate the mainstream. The hardcore. The organic song structures. The soul of the music. All gone. In their place, a tried-and-true amalgamation of tired melodies and hard rock inspired vocals. Hopesfall's last release, 2007's Magnetic North, attempted to bring the sound back to a more aggressive place. But it too was uninspired and simply, not Hopesfall.

In the end, Hopesfall wasn't Hopesfall. The band had gone through myriad member changes. The last lineup did not include one single member that was involved in No Wings to Speak Of. A pseudo-reunion was attempted last year, when Adam Morgan returned to the band. But the reunion was short-lived. Once 2008 hit, the band imploded.

While this may read like a tragic obituary, I do want to celebrate the achievements that the band accomplished. Hopesfall will always be remembered for the sound it created in its melodic hardcore heyday, which inspired a new generation of bands. The chorus effect-driven guitars will live on in mp3 players around the world and in the hearts of those who will never forget what truly made this band special.

I only have one thing to say to Hopesfall: thank you.



Hopesfall performing The End of an Era, one of my favorite songs ever and the song that defined No Wings to Speak Of.

The New blood.sweat.tears

Welcome everyone.

You've happened to stumble upon the brand spanking new BST. The BST I've been talking about in my last couple of posts at the previous site. The one that's been over a year in the making.

Yep, it's finally finished.

As you can see, the site has been completely revamped. Out of all the versions we've been through, this is definitely the most dramatically different. You may also be noticing the blog format. We believe it will streamline the content creation process on our end, while providing a more dynamic viewing experience on your end. The days of writing an article and meticulously having to format the HTML are gone. This will save us an extraordinary amount of time, which means Rob and I will finally be able to post on a regular basis.

However, all the conveniences of our old site are still here, along with new ones. All our content will be filtered into topics, which you can access on the right. Also, you'll be able to make comments after each post. Remember the old BST Community? Well, we now have the opportunity to resurrect that dialog. Instead of news feeds, we'll post our articles right here, so you can immediately see what's fresh. And if you want to check out our previous site, just click on the link, also to your right.

Be sure to come back on a regular basis, as the content will definitely be flowing more frequently. I know that on my end alone, I have a ton of stuff I want to talk about.

And a big THANK YOU goes out to my good friend Mike Hardy for drawing the amazing sketch featured in our banner, which is also brand spanking new.

Thanks for visiting.

Review: Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies

artist: killswitch engage album: as daylight dies label: roadrunner records released: 10/30/2007 by: rob tatum musicianship - 13/15 Not much need for improvement here. As solid as ever. lyrics - 12/15 Certainly not lacking heart or passion, but for every personal line, there is an equally generic line. vocals - 14/15 Howard continues to utilize one of the most unique voices in music. His voice is easily one of the clearest to understand whether screaming or singing. Backing screams are crisp and clear as well and are well layered. songwriting/flow - 14/15 KSE are masters of writing melodic, heavy music. There are occasional parts that will remind listeners of the band’s blistering early material and may scare off the timid ear. impact/creativity - 12/15 This album doesn’t reinvent the wheel and picks up where The End of Heartache left off musically. The moment you hear it, you know it’s KSE. Very solid from top to bottom. “now” factor - 13/15 Something about KSE’s songwriting has this undeniable pop “hook” even with the screaming and occasional blast beats. It’s hard to argue against listening to them and even harder to turn it off once it’s playing. future/prediction - 9/10 Although KSE hasn’t strayed from their sound, this album will continue to get radio play and increase their popularity. Their ability to write catchy melodies will inevitably bring them further into the mainstream. favorite song: the arms of sorrow overall: 87/100 listen to killswitch engage

Review: Avenged Sevenfold - Self-Titled

artist: avenged sevenfold album: avenged sevenfold label: warner bros. records released: 10/30/2007 by: rob tatum musicianship - 13/15 The band picks up where they left off on City of Evil with amazing guitar work and drumming. They are one of the more talented groups in music today. lyrics - 10/15 Lead singer M. Shadows has switched his focus to more personal and spiritual lyrics. While his passion is conveyed well, the songs are somewhat erratic. There is room for improvement. vocals - 12/15 While the lyrics may not have won me over, Shadows' vocal training has definitely paid off for him. His range and clarity are phenomenal on the band's recordings (not so much live). He has recovered nicely from the key problems that eliminated the screaming in their songs. songwriting/flow - 11/15 I have always been a fan of the band's willingness to experiment with song structures, but I think they may have over done some of the effects on this album. The vocal arrangement in the chorus of "Lost" sounds like it was taken straight from the band Hellogoodbye. My favorite song, "A Little Piece of Heaven", is one of the more elaborate structures, but it has terrific melody. impact/creativity - 11/15 Avenged Sevenfold has definitely continued to distance itself from the rest of heavy music with this release. I don't think the band has broken new ground with this album, but they haven't repeated their past material. Originally I was disappointed that the band had strayed away from screaming and breakdowns, but after they last two albums, I have come to appreciate how unique the band is. “now” factor - 11/15 This album has made its way into my rotation and I would recommend it to any Avenged Sevenfold fan. future/prediction - 8/10 I don't think this album will have the band topping TRL again, but it will certainly bring more radio play and more popularity for the band. They have made a nice niche for themselves in the music community. favorite song: a little piece of heaven overall: 76/100 listen to avenged sevenfold

Review: Unearth - III: In The Eyes of Fire

artist: unearth album: iii: in the eyes of fire label: metal blade records released: 8/06 by: rob tatum First off, there is no better band making metalcore than Unearth. Unfortunately, this album does not show growth from The Oncoming Storm. If anything, this is a continuation of their last effort. III: In the Eyes of Fire is heavier and there is less of the clean singing, but there are not significant signs of change or evolution. The music is powerful, fast, and strong, as with every Unearth album. The drumming on this album is better than any of the previous releases. Trevor’s vocals seem more intense than ever. Their ability to write a great and creative breakdown is not lost even after 3 full lengths and a couple of EPs. Overall, you won’t buy a better metalcore album released this year and probably not next year. However, you’d be more impressed if you listen to their older material. This is leagues ahead of every other band in their genre and I can only hope that their next album shows more growth than this one. favorite song: "sanctity of brothers" rating: 91%/100% listen to unearth

Review: Bury Your Dead - Beauty and the Breakdown

artist: bury your dead album: beauty and the breakdown label: victory records released: 7/06 by: rob tatum “Tired.” “Too much like the last album.” “Just okay.” Those are just a handful of things I have said to describe this album. That is never a good thing. As much as I loved Bury Your Dead’s Cover Your Tracks, their latest release, Beauty and the Breakdown, is a pretty big disappointment. I spent an extra week on this review, just to give the album a chance to show me something that I missed when I first listened to it and unfortunately for Bury Your Dead, I’m still waiting… Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the band did anything bad on Beauty and the Breakdown, it’s just that there is nothing new to offer when compared to the last album. I think it’s good for bands to pick up where they left off and then let it carry them forward with their next release. This album is like treading water. It sounds like a B side to Cover Your Tracks. There is nothing to distinguish this album from the band’s previous two albums. Alright, enough with the negatives… This is still a Bury Your Dead album. It’s hard-hitting and full of energy. You still can put this into the “moshcore” stack of your collection and listen to it whenever you need to let out some aggression (ala Throwdown). Mat Bruso’s vocals are still some of the strongest in hardcore music and the musicianship is still just as in your face as before. The breakdowns are still powerful and the lyrics are perfect for screaming along. If I had never heard Cover Your Tracks, I would consider this an amazing album. Too bad that isn’t the case though. This is still better than a good chunk of hardcore music being released, but I don’t think the band spent enough time trying to enhance their songwriting ability and thus released, in my eyes, a sub par album for the group. Writing music doesn’t have to be about reinventing yourself with every release, but when progression is sacrificed, it’s never a good thing. favorite song: "let down your hair/mirror, mirror..." (tie) rating: 79%/100% listen to bury your dead

Review: All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals

artist: all that remains album: the fall of ideals label: prosthetic records released: 7/06 by: rob tatum All That Remains had every opportunity to “sell out” and tone down this record. They were getting recognition on MTV and received great reviews from their performances on last year’s Sound of the Underground. As a fan of the band, I’m glad to say that The Fall of Ideals picks up where their previous release, This Darkened Heart, leaves off and carries the band forward. Musically, the band did not reinvent the wheel for this album, but there is not repetition in their songs or structures. The guitar work and drumming are very strong and make each song just as powerful as the next. I especially like the fact that the 80’s metal riffs are not overdone and are a tasteful addition to the breakdowns and speed metal riffs. The band’s ability to write melody into such heavy music certainly has propelled them to the top of this genre. Anyone who listens to All That Remains has to notice the driving force behind the band. Vocalist Phil Labonte has one of the most diverse and talented voices in heavy music today. His ability to change from guttural death metal vocals to powerful screams to melodic harmonies is unmatched. The pure strength in his voice carries this band. The only complaint I have is that his lyrical style still needs some refining. This album does a better job of incorporating more specific lyrics, but largely, the songs are generic. Nitpicking aside, this is a great album. It won’t redefine any genres or get a Grammy nod, but this is what metal and metalcore should be. Heavy, energetic, and powerful. The Fall of Ideals is a good listen no matter what your mood may be. I love when good bands actually meet your expectations with a record. This definitely met mine… and then some. favorite song: "become the catalyst" rating: 92%/100% listen to all that remains