Review: The Human Abstract - Midheaven

Artist: The Human Abstract
Album: Midheaven
Label: Hopeless
Released: 8/19/2008

BSTscore: 99

When I first heard Midheaven I was left scratching my head with a bit of a dumbfounded look. For anyone that was familiar with The Human Abstract’s first full length, Nocturne, you would have expected something vastly different. At the time, I was a little disappointed, but that would fade with each listen. Gone was the prog-metal and screaming (for the most part). I really had to cleanse my head of all of that before I could truly appreciate this album.

Some might say the band went soft. Others might say they sold out. After realizing the band lost one of their primary songwriters during the recording of the album, it’s a little easier to grasp the change, whatever the cause of it. For anyone who did hear the first album, you’ll know the amazing musical ability of this band. Midheaven is no different. The collective ability of this band is only rivaled by the likes of Protest the Hero. There is another level and this band has it. The most obvious change is that instead of breakdowns, there are more melodies. Not stripped-down, boring melodies, but off-timed, progressive, elaborate melodies. Mix in the intricate guitar work and thundering rhythm and you have some of the most complete songs I’ve ever heard.

Nathan Ells did little to display the true depth of his voice on Nocturne. After listening to Midheaven, it’s easy to understand the departure from the screaming. His vocal range and overall melody is terrific. And while there are occasional screams from song to song, I feel the band made an excellent decision when they chose the new direction. Lyrically, you won’t find any verse, chorus, verse on this album. The “concept” approach is certainly not my favorite, but the strength of each song by itself is enough to erase my skepticism.

Every time I have listened to this album, I have been more impressed. There is a depth to each song that you have to hear to truly appreciate or understand. Midheaven is remarkable in so many ways. There are “catchy” parts that I have found myself singing when I’m not even listening to the album (“A Dead World at Sunrise”, “Calm in the Chaos”) and there are absolute technical masterpieces (“Metanoia”, “Breathing Life into Devices”). I can’t even think of another album I own that can claim both of these. That is saying a lot. I’m not ready to anoint The Human Abstract as the greatest band on earth, but Midheaven is one hell of an album.

Musicianship: 100
Vocals: 95
Creativity: 100
Impact: 100

Favorite Song: “Counting Down the Days”

Listen to The Human Abstract

Review: Rise Against - Appeal to Reason

Artist: Rise Against
Album: Appeal to Reason
Label: Geffen
Released: 10/7/2008

BSTscore: 88

It’s still a bit strange for me to think of Rise Against as mainstream, but with their 5^th studio album, the band is bigger than ever. I never thought I’d be listening to the same music as my 12 year old niece, but I guess that’s testament to the band’s ability to reach a wide array of listeners. As someone who has followed the band from the beginning, I can’t say that Appeal to Reason is the band’s best release, but it certainly does not disappoint.

Rise Against’s strength has always been driving melodies with a little dash of pop hook here and there. Their song structures won’t overwhelm you, but that’s what makes it so catchy. I definitely think the band has stuck with what works for them, without dumbing things down to sell records. While I do think there is definitely a radio appeal to their sound, they didn’t change anything to get there. It may not be revolutionary, but it’s effective. I’m being nitpicky, but while the acoustic “Hero of War” is a tremendously honest (if not ironic) song, I’m not sure if the band needs this style of “token” song on every album. As long as it is effective, I guess it’s hard to argue.

Vocalist Tim McIlrath still has one of my favorite voices in the punk genre. His unique harmony blends flawlessly with the band’s sound. His lyrics, while at times politically charged, are not as edgy on this release (except “Hero of War”). You certainly won’t be confusing this for Strike Anywhere or Boy Sets Fire. Just don’t take his ability to deliver passionate messages for granted.

Overall, Appeal to Reason played out much differently for me personally. Typically, I can listen to a Rise Against album as a whole and enjoy it from start to finish. With this release, I found myself breaking it down into 2 parts; the poppy, radio-friendly first half, and the melodic, passionate second half. Of course my preference is for the later half. Songs such as “Audience of One”, “Savior”, and “Whereabouts Unknown” highlight this half of the album.

Musicianship: 85
Vocals: 90
Creativity: 85
Impact: 90

Favorite Song: “Hairline Fracture”

Listen to Rise Against

Hardcore the Vote

It's Election Day Eve, and I already took advantage of early voting. Have you? If not, this is a friendly reminder to get out and do your civic duty tomorrow, November 4th.

Gobama.

Video Killed the Internet Star

I'd like to announce the addition of video reviews to the Syndicate.

Our good friend Drew Walton has begun transmission from an undisclosed location in the middle of Arkansas. You might remember him from some guest review work way back in the day. We know you'll love Drew's infectious personality and sense of humor as much as we do. And it doesn't hurt that he's a pretty damn good drummer and hardcore connoisseur either.

Expect to see more video offerings from him in the near future.

Video Review: I Killed the Prom Queen—Music for the Recently Deceased

Artist: I Killed the Prom Queen  Album: Music for the Recently Deceased Label: Stomp Records/Metal Blade Released: 7/31/2006

BSTscore: 89

Musicianship: 90
Vocals: 95
Creativity: 85
Impact: 85

Listen to I Killed the Prom Queen

Video Review: Between the Buried and Me—Colors

Artist: Between the Buried and Me Album: Colors Label: Victory Records Released: 9/18/2007

BSTscore: 96

Musicianship: 100
Vocals: 95
Creativity: 100
Impact: 90

Listen to Between the Buried and Me

Second Opinion Review: Misery Signals—Controller

Artist: Misery Signals Album: Controller  Label: Ferret Music Released: 7/22/2008

BSTscore: 84

Let me get this out of the way before you potentially jump to a conclusion. Controller is a good album by a great band. I enjoyed the work as a whole, and it's a solid upgrade over Mirrors. Instrumentally, it's the Misery Signals we all know and love—technical guitar work, tight percussion, and complex song structures that meander back and forth between aggression and melody.

However, Misery Signals is like a high-performance engine running on all but one cylinder.

Vocally, this album falls short. While I put up with Karl Schubach's monotone growls on Mirrors, I've grown tired of them on Controller. The vocals rarely wander past the midrange, which causes some of the denser songs to be quite difficult to sit through, such as "Labyrinthian." The vocals have a tendency to mesh together into a bland blanket of sound—covering the good stuff. Also, the attempts at singing are inconsistent in quality and oftentimes clash with the flow. There were many times I wondered how Jesse Zaraska, Misery Signal's previous singer, would have fared with the material.

Granted, the vocals aren't atrocious. They aren't even bad. But, they are average at best and adversely affect the music. Schubach has his one trick scream down to a science, but that's far from enough to match the stellar instruments. It's truly unfortunate.

Nevertheless, the class of this album comprises the yin and yang "Weight of the World" and "Coma." "Weight of the World" is a furious three minute salvo, featuring nice injections of melody near the end. "Coma" ramps up the melodic quotient with intricate strings and a diverse framework. Other notables include "Parallels," "Set in Motion," and "Ebb and Flow."

What can I say? I knew what to expect with Controller. It's a good album, and I still enjoy Misery Signals. I guess my tolerance has waned a bit with the band's primary weakness. This release should be in 90 territory, but I have to listen to my heart—and my ears.

Musicianship: 95
Vocals: 70
Creativity: 85
Impact: 85

Favorite Song: “Weight of the World”

Listen to Misery Signals

You can also read Rob's take on the album.

Misery Signals—"Weight of the World"

Couldn't Help Myself

This may be the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Or the greatest.

BSTscore: 95

Click here for an encore, or here.

On a more important note, vote Obama.

Review: Unearth - The March

Artist: Unearth
Album: The March
Label: Metal Blade
Released: 10/14/2008

BSTscore: 98

The March is the 4^th full length from Boston’s Unearth. Yet again, the band delivers a haymaker to the metalcore world. The first riff of “My Will Be Done” (the opening track) is a blissful reminder of everything that makes Unearth so great. Blistering tempos, punishing beats, amazing guitar harmonies, and crisp vocals are delivered flawlessly. What lies ahead are ten tracks that only further the band’s stake as one of the best bands in metal today.

Despite constant assurances against it (including from front man Trevor Phipps in our interview a few years ago), my biggest fear with Unearth has always been that the band would stray away from their bread and butter or begin to repeat riffs or breakdowns. I can assure you; this is still not the case (and has pretty much eased my fears). The only change is that there isn’t as much thrash metal with this release. Regardless, The March is undeniably an Unearth album, and the songs remain unique and identifiable.

The obvious strength of the band’s music is the dueling guitars of Buz McGrath and Ken Susi. Their ability to layer riff after riff into solos is matched by few and still leaves me shaking my head. See “Hail the Shrine”, “Crow Killer” and “Cutman” for examples on this album. I’m further impressed by the seamless transition to new drummer Derek Kerswill. The beats are powerful and thundering from start to finish. The creative breakdowns and fills are executed to perfection. Call it cliché, but The March is definitely heavy and metal.

Equally as strong and impressive on The March is vocalist Trevor Phipps. His clear, crisp delivery is easily the best in the metalcore genre and makes the band easily identifiable. The power of his voice is something that gets your blood boiling and makes you scream along. Again, check out “Hail the Shrine” and “We Are Not Anonymous”. Lyrically, the songs show passion and depth, as well as anger (as always). Favorites for me include “Grave of Opportunity” and “Letting Go”.

Every time I review an Unearth album, I feel like I’m just repeating myself, and there’s good reason for that: There’s not another band out there that can consistently produce music like this. I could ramble on and on about how great this album is, but I think you should find out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

Musicianship: 100
Vocals: 100
Creativity: 95
Impact: 95

Favorite Song: “Letting Go”

Listen to Unearth

Spotlight - October 10, 2008

Unearth, Protest the Hero, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, Gwen Stacy

Gothic Theater, Denver, CO

The following is a recap of the show:

We arrived a little past the show start time, but I was a bit surprised that Gwen Stacy had already played. The show was listed as a 7:30 start and apparently it started early or the band only played for ten minutes. Either way, I can’t comment on what we missed, so I guess it’s on to what we did see.

The first band of the night (for us) was Whitechapel. Hailing from Knoxville, the sextet delivered their punishing brand of deathcore with energy, but did little for me. I am not much of a fan of the genre, so it’s hard for me to get into the band. The three guitarist approach certainly gives the band the ability to make things heavy and fast, but the lack of flow to the music is frustrating. It’s like speed bumps on a racetrack.

Next was the Acacia Strain. Vocalist Vincent Bennett is one of the more entertaining front men in metal. His energy is constant and he conveys the passion of the bands music on stage very well. Also impressing me was the band’s sound, despite the fact they tour with only one guitarist (and record with 3). Obviously, some of the depth of songs is sacrificed by this approach, but nevertheless, the band was solid. Their mix of older material and a few songs (“Skynet”, “Dr. Doom”) from their latest release, Continent, was well received.

Protest the Hero is one of those bands that people either love or hate. I, for one, love this band. The depth, technicality, and uniqueness of the band’s sound are something that the metal world needs. The fact that they don’t really care what other people think only helps the effectiveness of the band. Their set flowed well with offerings from Kezia and Fortress. Highlights included “No Stars over Bethlehem” and “Bloodmeat”. Every time I see this band, the more impressed I am with their musical abilities.

The headliner was Unearth. Supporting their recent album, The March, the band is as strong as ever. This was, hands down, the best set of the night. And I would venture to say, one of the best Unearth performances I’ve seen. Especially in the last 3 or 4 years. The band blistered through “Endless” and “This Lying World” before taking so much as a breath. The energy and power conveyed in their set is something that cannot be described, it has to be felt. There are countless reasons that I think this band is the best in the business, but shows like this only further my point. My only complaint was the overuse of the strobe lights, but that was offset by the guitarists taking turns with a beer bong. The band mixed in “My Will Be Done” and “Crow Killer” from the new record, as well as the staples “Giles”, “The Great Dividers”, and “My Desire” before ending with “Black Hearts Now Reign.” It was an excellent end to good show. I feel sorry for anyone who missed their set.