Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora's Pinata – 5/5

If you've never seen the band live you won't quite understand how eclectic an experience it is. Sure, you get the token group of youngsters forming a mosh pit as seems compulsory with any band with any vague resemblance to metal (though I have no idea why) and the guys at the front limited in movement by the crushing swarm behind them to the token 'nod of appreciation,' but it's when you get a little further back that things get more interesting. The shy kid shuffling his feet in the corner somehow finds himself progressing into a full blown running man; a strange sort of square dance that would fit 'Cotton Eye Joe' just as well (though being a Swedish Redneck inspired Techno/Folk/Bluegrass band, they're a little bit odd themselves), convincing strangers that often need quite frankly very little convincing into joining the party, with some weird skanking on the side. I expect it's been out of vogue for long enough that nobody can quite remember how to dance the swing jazz inspired portions, and so nobody seems has a clue how really to react to the music, everyone reacting in a different way. The only thing that's a certain is that you will react, and it's this little fact that the band has played on here.

If describing their sound was difficult when they first emerged the problems have compounded even further; if before they could largely be defined by their combination of hard hitting metallic beats and their swing jazz influences, topped off with the operatic vocalist of course, then no longer does that feel the case. I'm not going to even try; you name a genre, odds are it's in there. One track opens up to a sort of noise rock/Shibuya-Kei (Bossa Nova/Electro/J-pop) blend. Opens. As in, is that way for maybe a minute before progressing in some other direction. There's a sort of Industrial/Dub-Step breakdown at one point (I mean, why not?). If I'm honest, their debut at times came across as a little two-tone; either they came out swinging with a dominative Jazz element or it felt a little smothered in Classical tones. Now sure, at some points it feels like a lost 'Madamme Butterfly' track, and others wouldn't go amiss on a Buddy Rich album, pandering ever more to the extremes of their original style, but there's so much variety in between. Some bands are able to break the mould and succeed in finding a niche sound. Fewer still are capable of varying that sound with each new album in order to keep things fresh. Diablo Swing Orchestra have gone one step further, re-inventing themselves on each track, and the scariest thing about it all is just how well it seems to fit despite every fibre of my being telling me how much it shouldn't.

The album's title, too, feels much more than a simple play on words, alluding to the tale of Pandora's Box; a Greek myth where Pandora opened her mysterious box and released all the evil unto the world. If Pandora carefully opened it, unaware of the consequences of doing so but driven by curiosity, these guys are blindly beating it with a stick to see what comes out for fun. There are atmospheric passages of such emotional weight that you'll find yourself getting bleary eyed, even if the chances are it'll have come so abruptly you'll have no idea why (and if you pay attention to the lyrics, you'll just get even more confused). You'll want to bang your head and dance to the funky grooves. Often you'll want to do all three at the same time. Most bands strive to accomplish one, and many can't even quite do that, so to do all three is quite the feat. Guys, you've really outdone yourselves on this one.

Highlights: Guerilla Laments, Black Box Messiah, Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball

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Ne Obliviscaris – Portal of I – 4/5

I never quite caught this band before, despite all the hype surrounding them they never really made it onto my radar. When I spotted this album rolling around I thought it was about time I heard what all the fuss was about, and it's about this point I realised that this was still their debut; a long awaited album for a band whose demo sparked more interest than those with long standing careers, and it's not difficult to see why. They might be called “Progressive Black Metal,” but like 'Thy Catafalque' before them, even if this was their origins, I'm not sure I'd still call them by that now. These Aussies have so many ideas and influences that permeates their music, adding delicate flavours to a basic blackened backbone that I don't think many would be offended if I referred to them as Avant-Garde.

It might have taken them five years to complete but to say they had a few idea's they needed to pen would be something of an understatement, and not only because this album clocks in at 72 minutes whilst still retaining a somewhat frenetic pace. There was one point that reminded me of the acoustic melody from “Diablo” (though since Diablo III was released, it might have somehow triggered the memory). Much of the violin melodies reminded me of “Profugus Mortis” (perhaps better known as “Blackguard before they fired the violinist”). There were passages that reminded me of “Les Fragments de La Nuit” (a French Neo-Classical Darkwave artist), and others with more of a folk tone, usually Celtic but the occasional Chinese-like flourish emerging. Flamenco acoustic guitar work and shredded solo's, contrast the almost Alcest-like ethereal ambient passages. Sometimes the bassist gets to break out a funky groove, sometimes a guitarist will join him, and I mean that with all the Jazz influences implied. There are two vocalists; the expected growls and a Prog/Power clean vocalist that trade off lines. In one short period I counted that there was a bass riff, independent – albeit similar to – a rhythm guitar riff, whilst the lead guitars solo'd, whilst the violins played for atmosphere and both vocalists sung at the same time.

Three guitar lines, two vocal lines and a violin line. At the same time. The fact that they have so many ideas and want to get them all out is in fact one of the major problems I had confronting this release; even when there aren't so many independent lines going that you could divide them quite happily into two entirely different songs, the tracks shift so often, never going too far from that singular tone that forms their backbone, but neither into territory that feels altogether similar to what came before it. In fact, it changes so often that I often can't remember what came before it; I can't tell one track from the next, but not because they all sound the same. There is simply nothing memorable about much of what's on display here, except perhaps of course, how unmemorable it is. When you employ so many influences so frequently throughout each of the tracks, replacing the standard catchiness of the riff and it's simplicity allowing it to become absorbed, memorised, and repeated throughout a songs length with these elements, there's nothing for the mind to latch on to.

This fact is a mixed blessing as they've created some of the most powerful crescendo's I've heard all year, slow violin and acoustic guitar lines suddenly give way to the blackened abyss and the result is without equal. I'd give you a more specific example except I can't remember where most of them are, and indeed often don't remember until it's upon me once more. There are other minor gripes as well; with so many lines to consider, mastering this release must have been a production nightmare and it's a miracle they've managed to do so well, retaining a raw live feel to many of the lighter passages whilst allowing each element to maintain a decent sense of audibility through the more complex. The drumming largely feels somewhat lacklustre, the snare at times feeling just a little bit too loud for the atmosphere being strived for; an issue that becomes even less significant when you consider just how varied the rest of the instrumentation is. The clean vocals, too, feel a little underwhelming at certain points, never quite capable of mustering the power to dominate over the proceedings as it feels they sometimes should.

That they have a whole host of ideas present on this album is never in question. That the violins perform a duty so well that it seems like other contemporary black metal artists have been missing out all these years, the albums stand out performer without question; that they know how to integrate all these elements in a manner that never feels unnatural, their ability to perform complex ever-shifting arrangements or their understanding of the power of subtlety, of all this there can be no doubt. Given all that it's hard not to be impressed by the work they've created, but whilst their ability to harmonise so many elements coherently seems limitless, it's the individual track compositions that let them down. Without any distinguishing features to stand out in the mind, all the tracks blur into a singular piece, and the result is that it feels somewhat purposeless, never quite sure on what specific atmosphere they're striving at or what point there is to it all, or indeed even if there is a point to it all. Aesthetically appealing, certainly, but it never engages you on a deeper level or makes you think, and ultimately it comes across as rather shallow. The fact that this is a debut album yet feels so mature and that I can think of nothing to really compare it to is genuinely incredible, and they show the potential to be a real tour de force, but not if nobody can remember what they sound like as soon as the music stops playing.

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Allegaeon – Formshifter – 4.5/5

I missed their debut album. Listening to this I'm kinda wishing I hadn't, though I might not appreciated as much as I do now, but that's all irrelevant. I did miss it, and if it was close to the quality on display here it probably would have been the best albums of the year, as this one is almost undoubtedly going to end up being. You may have heard them in passing as a “Technical Melodic Death Metal” band and gone 'oh, so like another version of Arsis then?' No. Arsis are a four-piece that are so intent on playing things at a blistering pace that they forget to make half their songs memorable. Allegaeon are a Death Metal band that just so happen are capable of making solo's melt your face off whilst you nod your head to the melodic grooves. Quite frankly they're worlds apart; the focus is entirely the other way around and it's all the better off for it.

From the epic roar that is the opening you quickly realise they aren't gonna be pulling any punches, the focus on the melodies already making itself apparent as it steadily builds up to the chaos that is to ensue. The drums power on with enough presence to lend a real bite to the tracks, produced to be crisp but not so overdone as to be mechanical, the session musician responsible largely being used to great effect as a metronome for the guitarists. The bassist might spend a lot of his time doing little of note in the back (he is given one track to shine, however), but the focus of this act was always going to be on the guitars, and make no mistake they are more than capable in this department. A flurry of tapped riffs and no shortage of high speed displays of technicality pepper this album from start to finish, but what's more interesting is their lack of reliance on sheer speed, not only changing tempo but showing an emphasis on composition over technical ability. The backbone of each track is never constructed around the lead guitar work but on the rhythm, providing groove-laden line after line to sink it's teeth into you, the lead tastefully adding creative flourishes on top. Never is this focus more prevalent than when you get to the flamenco-esque acoustic sections that present themselves, an unusual choice that is never overdone, instead utilised to perfection to lend contrast to the album.

It's not without it's flaws, however. The production is capable of showing off every talent – even the bass lines often remain delightfully present, felt if not perhaps heard, and adding a thickness to the atmosphere that counteracts the guitars that left alone might otherwise sound all too thin and tinny. It's been so carefully balanced and spit-polished to perfection that it seems a little too perfect; there's no grit to it, no sense of that raw grinding, gnashing aggression that makes it all sound a little too easy to listen to, a little too 'metalcore' that detracts from it all. The vocals on occasion do little to help with this, at times sporting what sounds like the genre's trademark rasp, sounding like every other bland metalcore act when he limits his range to the mids, sounding far better when juxtaposed with the howling lows. It's perhaps fortunate then that the drums thunder so loudly, the rhythm retains such a smooth groove and the lead guitars rarely fail to deliver on a lightning quick lesson in performing that it isn't long before you couldn't care less about the little details. When the bulk sounds this impressive, it's hard not to find yourself on the edge of your seat, eagerly anticipating every note whether you're listening for the first time or the thirtieth (as I suspect I'm now approaching).

Highlights: Behold (God I Am), Iconic Images, From the Stars Death Came

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Sage Francis – Li(f)e – 4.5/5

If you thought I was done with this particular hip-hop artist then you can think again; returning years later with another monumental release, changing his style but retaining the intelligence to reveal an entirely different side to his personality. In fact, I'm not entirely sure I can really call this hop-hop any more – a fact that is sure to anger a lot of his fans – his apparent disregard for the scene manifesting as he distances himself from the genre he once found his footing. Instead its a weird mix of styles and genres, experimental to say the least, taking a step back from his more aggressive style and venturing further into the world of spoken art poetry, devoting much of his time towards religion. As the album suggests, the motif on display is how much of his life was a lie and naturally religion plays it's role in that, but more than that it's an introspective reflection on his own life and how certain events changed his views, looking back retrospectively on how it resulted in who he is. As he said himself, “If it wasn't for mistakes, I probably wouldn't be here today.”

Rap, is in a sense poetry, but his displays of technical ability take a back seat as he states his case, carefully making sure that every word is able to sink in. His use of metaphors, too, have been toned down and drawn back, at times feeling as though he's holding his tongue and presenting a case for the audience to decide, though invariably his own thoughts on the matter still uncontrollably seep through. Speaking in a manner that could almost be seen as condescending given his past repertoire - talking down to the 'lay man' - it works by virtue of that fact that really he just wants to tell a story and make sure everyone can understand it. It's a situation he can't really win; speak in tongues and come off pretentious and arrogant, or simplify his words and come across condescending. Given the two options I'd have said he chose the lesser of two evils, but this is far from the largest change that this album sees - oh no - his use of backing tracks is what really sets this album apart.

Working with musicians ranging from the atmospheric Avant-Garde multi-instrumentalist Yann Tiersen to Chris Walla (guitarist for “Deathcab for Cutie), the notion of the usual 'simple back beat' has gone out the window of the top floor of a skyscraper, now lying obliterated on the concrete floor. It's a bold move but one that has its pay off and goes a long way to making this such a memorable release, but doing such an act is fraught with perils which he hasn't quite managed to avoid. The fundamental difference hip-hop has from many other genres is the lyrical focus; when tracks such as 'Little Houdini' and it's country backing, or Yann Tiersen's work in 'Best of Times,' arrive it manages to pull off such a success that you can't help but wonder why so few have followed suit, the styles compatible to the point that it can greatly add to the atmosphere without removing emphasis on the actual words being spoken. Whether you're hanging onto every word or listening to it in the background, the emotion the twinned aspects create is above and beyond the capabilities of either one left bare.

The difficulties invariably arise when everything slows down and leaves the work feeling bare and incomplete by comparison, or worse still is when a more intensive indie rock style is chosen, demanding more attention to the instrumentation. The production work forces a battle for domination; the two aspects fighting each other; the ever more upbeat and rapidly spoken lines not quite far enough in the forefront left to duel the rocking beat rather than working together in a battle that, whilst working wonders for some artists, sometimes sees both aspects ultimately coming off as the loser. It is in these tracks the listeners ability to divide their attention and absorb both sides to the coin really comes to the fray and is ultimately the determining factor in how successfully the track achieves its goal. For the most part he handles this distinction remarkably well with just a few sub-par tracks bringing it down, but an appreciation for both sides of his new sound are required to get the most out of this. Short of that, this is going to be disappointing a ride for those expecting a continuation of his previous work, but if you're up for the challenge then Sage Francis has created nothing less than some of the best the genre has to offer.

Highlights: Little Houdini, Diamonds and Pearls, The Best of Times

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Sage Francis – A Healthy Distrust – 4/5

Sage Francis is a dick and he knows it. He's that annoying kid who sat behind you in class correcting the teacher, raising his hand because he clearly knows better, snorting in laughter at your pathetic opinions, using long words and complex speech more to annoy and confuse you than to make any real argument. He's that guy on the internet who can't stand that someone might be 'wrong,' even if it might on a subjective manner, and will argue the topic until you bow before his intelligence or give up trying to respond. His sense of wit and sarcasm is so unapologetic, bombarding you with line after line, using his intelligence to make his points strongly enough that rather than try to argue back you're more likely to just want to punch him squarely in the jaw. He doesn't care what you think and he's not interested in presenting questions for the listener to find the answer, or even gently leading you to draw the same conclusions that he's come to, he's firing his opinions out of a cannon and it's mighty difficult not to get blown away by them.

I've mentioned before that intelligence in rap is still prevalent as soon as you stop looking at what's being paraded around and Sage Francis seems to epitomise that; between his social and political commentaries, ranging from his distaste for those supporting foreign war but unwilling to do go there and directly contribute (“Slow Down Ghandi”) to crudely describing the mainstream hip-hop scene; calling them all Sea Lions clapping their hands for a crowd; “Dance Monkeys” who create repetitive cyclical beats; sarcastically mocking the promotion of the gun culture and the fact that many in the industry can't even hold a microphone without pretending it's a firearm; telling the underground that maybe the reason they aren't making it big is because they aren't very good. The grumpy old man before his time; there doesn't seem to be anything he's really happy with; he hates the industry, he hates the direction his country is going in, hates both political parties and he even hates those that join him in his hatred but don't do anything about it. I'm not even sure he considers this work really 'doing anything to change things,' making the whole album something of a lesson in nihilism.

Now hatred on it's own hardly seems like an unusual thing for hip-hop, everyone sounds like they're pissed off about something, even Eminem, an artist who spent his entire life rapping about things that annoyed him growing up, striving for mainstream success then start rapping his hatred for people who want to talk to him once he achieved it. A happy hip-hop artist seems to be pretty damn rare but rarer still are those like Francis; he's pissed off but he always has a point, his attitude so inherently offensive that it makes you want to frustratedly and furiously argue back how narrow minded he's being before you really think about the subject at hand, being talked down before you've begun, that is assuming you've figured out what he's talking about. Half the tracks still remain a mystery to me but I've no doubt they'll click eventually. The beats always manage to strike a complementary atmosphere and are nothing if not creative and varied, his technical proficiency leaving little to be desired but that's just the icing on the cake. Sage Francis is sometimes a little too smart for his own good, but no matter how frustrating it might be, he is smart, and that means he's always interesting.

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She – Orion – 3.5/5

Let me begin by shattering a few basic expectations. 'She' is not female, but the pseudonym of a man called Lain Trzaska. With a name such as that you'd also be correct in thinking that, despite the Japanese woman on the front – an image of a woman generated entirely using photoshop - Japanese lyrics and vocals – really a composite of five different vocalists, but don't ask me how on earth that really works, just accept that it does – the Japanese label (Pony Canyon) to which they're signed and their popularity in – you guessed it – Japan, that he is not Japanese but Polish. That's two expectations already shattered, but let me drop on you one final bombshell; yes, he writes dance music, but to say that's all he does would be like saying 'King Crimson' made rock music. Both statements are true, but they're also grossly inaccurate and selling their influences far too short.

Now I wouldn't exactly call 'She' progressive but certainly within their respective context the comparison seems quite apt; both have penchants for concept albums for example, 'She' telling the continuing “Blade Runner” type story of the cyberkinetic replicant known only as “She,” (though I've read she has finally been given the name of Sarah, not that I would be able tell that from the music). Both artists also seem to release albums markedly different from their last, and neither have any issues taking multiple influences to fabricate their artwork. The fact is, I'm not sure there really is a decent way to classify this band and if there were, it'd change with each new release; the 'danceable' feeling certainly runs throughout it's course – bar a few ambient tracks – but the vocals lend an 'electropop' catchiness to the proceedings, using chiptune to provide an almost ethereal and ambient like atmosphere. It flows between these styles from track to track so fluidly, gradually introducing and replacing elements, that at first I thought it all a bit repetitive, and it's only when I listened a little closer that I realised just how different the album was closing, taking a far more downtempo approach from the dance anthems that open it.

And sadly, that's part of the problem I find myself with. There's a lot of styles on display and he restrains himself from throwing them all into one chaotic composition, but simply acknowledging that isn't enough. It doesn't engage me enough and the result is that it ends up feeling like something of a glorified dance album; one that at its best will have you tapping your toes and mouthing the words and at its worst, just drifting off pleasantly in the background. The whole concept is no doubt fully realised in the artists mind but doesn't yield enough detail to make more than a basic stab at what on earth is actually happening, the track listing and often Japanese language just adding more barriers to the understanding of the story; all I could really discern is that a woman escaped from some people who had her locked up and now she's running from them. It allows him to more readily add variety to the proceedings but, quite frankly, if you have to set up a portion of your website explaining everything, it feels as though admittance of failure. It's certainly something a little bit different, but is ultimately only a shadow of what it could have been.

Highlights: Atomic, Ride, Orion

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Desultor – Masters of Hate – 3.5/5

If anyone can still recall the last time someone tried to incorporate Power Metal elements with an extreme genre of metal music, namely Demoniac, you'd probably understand my worry about how awful the combination can become, and whilst these guys take an altogether different approach to the combination, utilising an old school Swedish death metal tone and coupling it with power metal vocals, that worry was nonetheless prominent in the back of my mind. The conception remarkably different, it is only upon listening to what I had little hope for that I realised the two genres may have more in common than I first considered. Double drum kicks are almost as common in Power Metal now as in more extreme genres, the riffs are often different more in tone than in the technical details, and certainly both genres lend themselves well to “Epic” and “Progressive” monikers.

It never comes across as a case of a band unable to decide what genre they wanted to play so haphazardly mixed elements of two, they've focussed on what commonality is shared between the two styles and through this odd blend a coherent sound emerges. The vocals carry a sense of power but lend an ethereal, almost doom-like darkness to the proceedings, and whilst he comes short of delivering on a mind blowing performance he lends a welcome variety to his range, and it is the atmosphere he conveys that carry many of the tracks forward. It's so pivotal in fact, that almost five full minutes of this thirty minute release are spent on ambient work, reminding and reinforcing the tone that, arguably, should be present within each of the songs themselves.

The major issue presented here is in trying to find a match of the two styles that works, they've left themselves with too little wiggle room for creativity. It sounds almost odd to think that such a blend could end up being boring but ultimately that is the crux of the problem; solo's emerge all too infrequently enough to maintain the interest and the riffs are repeated for far too long and feel uninspired, the same style of 'Gothenburg' riffs and excessive use of quick pull off's between chords lending the only recycled variety to the melodies. The vocals are present but feel purposeless and unemotional, the drums mechanical and lifeless. There's a sense of catchiness to some of the lines but they all become forgettable in the end. Desultor have spent so much effort in trying to find a sound that works that they've forgotten to write interesting compositions, and that's a shame as you would think they'd have already done the hardest part.

Highlights: Division Insane, The Luxury of Pain, Master of Hate

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As I write this response to the latest results of the “Golden Gods” award show, I'm tired having just worked a 12 hour shift but inspired to point out how laughable this list truly is, and I don't mean laughing because it's funny, I'm laughing to prevent myself make a head-shaped hole in the wall. Let's be honest with this, I never really expected a huge amount from a mainstream magazine promoting their 'best of year' and I think anyone would be foolish to think a popularity contest about an inherently unpopular genre of music is going to turn up a decent result, but this is just incredible. Lets ignore the fact that it's arriving almost half way through the following year for a moment and take a closer look at the actual results. The first thing that leaped out at me is the fact not a single metal band won an award. For an awards show celebrating a years worth of great metal, the fact that there is no metal band holding an award just screams 'metal sucks,' which is something of a kick in the teeth to anyone who actually enjoys the genre. Couple this with the fact the largest UK music festival has an electronic dance music band headlining, and the second largest music festival announced it's failure to get anyone interested at all, I think it's safe to say Metal in the mainstream is officially pushing daisies. But enough yabbering, let's look at the worst offenders:


Best Guitarist:
Jinxx and Jake Pitts (Black Veil Brides) WINNER*
Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook (Five Finger Death Punch)
Willie Adler and Mark Morton (Lamb Of God)
Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel (Machine Head)
Dave Mustaine and Chris Broderick (Megadeth)
Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu (Trivium)

Here we have a screamo band who spend more time on their hair than their music, a couple of generic metalcore bands, a band pretending to be Metallica and the one Metal band in the list. I'm not sure the winners know how to actually play anything more than a few power chords which makes their nomination almost as bizarre as the fact they won. Mustaine's personal dickery aside, at least he knows how to write a god-damn solo. At least the other bands can be said to contain 'metal influences,' even if it doesn't form the core of their sound. At this point I'm already wondering if the writers over at Metal Hammer didn't have huge trollface grins on their faces and we haven't even gotten to the worst bits yet.

Who Should Have Actually Won: Tosin Abasi

Jokes about his guitar playing have seen no shortage amongst fans, but the reason they emerged is because they're based on truth. He plays an 8-string guitar but it's not for show, he actually uses all those damn strings; he's playing too many notes not to use both hands half the time, doubling up as a guitarist and a bassist, and he even has a knack for creating melodies. I'm not the biggest “Animals as Leaders” fan but I'm not gonna argue the dude doesn't have some pretty damn major chops.


Album Of The Year:
Anthrax, "Worship Music"
Evanescence, "Evanescence"
Five Finger Death Punch, "American Capitalist"
Foo Fighters, "Wasting Light"
Korn, "The Path Of Totality" WINNER*
Lamb Of God, "Resolution"

I'm not going to confess to having listened to half of these albums, I have better uses of my time, but I can see that nominated are two rock bands, two metalcore bands, a band from what I've heard still play some form of Thrash – if as always their unconventional brand of it – which being the only metal band on the list should have won, but what actually got to take home the prize? A Dubstep album. Not a metal album, not one of the rock albums on the list, a genre that makes a living going 'wub wub wub.' The best metal album of the year is... dubstep. I'm sorry, I still don't quite follow. I think you just admitted you should stop and liquidate any company responsible for even considering nominating this album as you don't think any good metal happened last year, or at the very least rename your publication “Wubvolver” or something.

Who Should Have Won: Mastodon (Leprous)

I've already ranted about Leprous producing my album of 2011 previously, they're unique and brilliant at it, but also far too readily inaccessible for the 13 year old's who still seem to concoct these lists. Taking a more plausible approach, taking a gander towards the questionably-metal and well-known artists, Mastodon succeeded in revitalising their sound and producing an album even most long-time fans were applauding despite being drastically different, which something of a feat in itself. And you know what? Mastodon have garnered enough long-term die hard fans over their career that they would have voted in bulk had they been y'know, actually nominated. And seeing as they were nominated for other categories it certainly wasn't exactly impossible for someone to actually have noticed they released an album last year.


Comeback Of The Year:
Anthrax
Dream Theater
Evanescence
Ministry
Slipknot WINNER*
Van Halen

Ooh boy what a corker this one is. Ministry disappeared for three years, hardly long enough for anyone to notice – and I hadn't even realised they reformed if I'm honest – and three just replaced members, so of all the options only two can be said to have 'come back' at all (Anthrax and Van Halen)! Taking out Halen for playing Hard Rock leaves us with... Slipknot? Really? A band with so many members half of them could die and you wouldn't notice? That haven't actually done much of anything yet, except tour with a session guy to plod along to the root notes and spend three years finding someone actually willing to don a silly Halloween mask on stage. Are we applauding the fact that he managed to finish his last album before taking a drug overdose? That they finally have an excuse to replace a member with one with talent? Or are we getting ahead of ourselves in assuming that their future release will not be quite as bad as their last one?

Who Should Have Won: Just About Anybody Else

The list of bands that could take this prize is immense, particularly seeing as a band doesn't appear to need to go anywhere to 'come back' and the last few years have hardly seen a shortage of old bands coming back into the fray; perhaps “Accept” would make the best candidate being actually metal, actually having gone away somewhere, having replaced a man previously thought irreplaceable and having been received by fans pretty darn well. Cynic are another that returned last year with “Carbon Based Anatomy” which many fans loved. If we're talking about tragic bassist deaths, Versailles' loss of bassist “Jasmine You” came out of the dark being in perfect health three days earlier and requiring the band to rapidly record his parts for the album due for release in a few months time, whilst trying to find a replacement so they could keep their end of the contract in doing an international tour, which for a Japanese band don't exactly come cheap, and then STILL managed to release a follow-up last year, which seems to me to show a rather greater ability to return from a setback. Atheist made a return too with a solid, if not an instant classic like their earlier material. That's already four better options right there.


Best International Band:
Behemoth
Lacuna Coil
Rammstein
Sepultura
Meshuggah
X Japan WINNER*

If you were expecting me to applaud a Japanese band winning this award, expect to be wrong. X-Japan are a bunch of dicks. Go back to their origins; a speed/thrash band with a penchant for melodies releasing two solid albums in the late 80s/early 90s. Then they went all 'Black Album' on us and started playing hard rock, gradually taking preference for ballads over even their original harder tinge. After their fifth album they then 'disappeared,' except they didn't really, they just became lazy releasing a grand total of ten fucking compilation albums. They started drip feeding DVD's of random clips they'd done for TV shows and performances that someone happened to record (9 DVD's in total), four different box sets; to say they were milking their fans is putting it mildly. And then after ten years of all this shit, we finally get the first single of original material in all that time – apparently what we're basing this award on – and you know what? Once you get past the occasional instrumental which suggest they might ironically fit well in the 'comeback' category, and it's a god damn power ballad!

Who Should Have Won: Meshuggah

Ok, I'll go on record in saying they might have actually got one nomination right. Lord knows I'm not much of a fan, but there can be little disputing the fact that they actually play metal, and the fact that so many bands have started to employ their trademark 'djent' tone; the likes of Periphery, Tesseract, Animals as Leaders, Vildhartja, Monuments, Chimp Spanner and countless others that have emerged in the past year; to say they've been pretty god damn influential on the genre this past year sounds like a ridiculously obvious statement, and you don't get to be influential unless a fair few people actually like the shit you're doing.

That's it, I'm done ranting. If all this has taught you anything let's hope it's that awards shows are full of shit. I'm gonna get some sleep before I get carried away any further.

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Ever Forthright – Ever Forthright - 4/5

Somewhere in the depths of the blossoming US underground djent scene, between the lands of Periphery and Animals as Leaders a new contender emerges, and given the presence of former Periphery front man Chris Baretto, comparisons between the two are going to be inevitable. Yes, there are many similarities in their sound, but they are far from clones of one another. Rather, the style of playing the Periphery employ is closer to the rhythm layer presented here; it's the bare bones from which the meat is built upon in the form of saxophones, keyboards, riffs of the 'unbridled technical' nature, all interspersed with Ambient interludes to contrast the periods where they all get a little too excited and their sound strays to the side of Deathcore. Needless to say, things are gonna get a little crazy around here.

Let's just begin with Baretto himself, because he is such a pivotal element in their sound and not just because he doubles up as the bands saxophonist. His versatility as a vocalist stretches beyond his ability to sing cleanly and rasp, displaying all manner of variations of softly sung ethereal lines and guttural aggression but at times displaying a more conventional rock sensibility, even briefly foraying into the world of rap (for better or for worse). The guitarist proves he's more than just able to fly off into the land of dissonance but creates some genuinely beautiful harmonies, at times begging the question why he doesn't do so more often. The drums don't just manage to keep up with this chaos but even manage to find the occasional snippet of time to play a fill here or there, though understandably he doesn't exactly get much time where he sounds like he's not supposed to be flailing wildly. Even the bass makes it's presence known with perhaps only the keyboards spending too much of their time in the background. That's no snide comment against the production either; when six musicians all are given independent lines, balancing it all so that they can all be heard is no easy feat and one handled here remarkably well.

The usage of the jazz stylings, most notably the saxophone seems like something of an odd instrument to use in this context (never mind how 'Sigh' manage to pull it off in their Black Metal) but it lends a distinctive Jazz Fusion-like experience to certain passages, and most importantly does work surprisingly well. Part of the reason is that they don't go into things haphazardly; there are brushed drum lines, piano melodies and crisp and clean guitar melodies, making it all feel about as far removed from a 'gimmick' as you can get with genuine consideration clearly gone into working it into their composition. In fact my only real complaint is that they didn't utilise this hidden talent more often and give them a genuinely unique spin compared to the rest of the scene. This isn't the only trick up their sleeves either, though is perhaps the most prominent; the album is littered with subtle electronic tones arising from their full time keyboardist, and at the peak of their aggression, the combination of rasps and djent rhythm lends an odd “Between the Buried and Me,” deathcore feel to many of the passages.

It's clear they have a lot of ideas, and at nearly 80 full minutes of full blown technical musicianship that never lets up, well it's a difficult pill to swallow. There's a reason many artists in this vein keep their work short and too the point, and whilst it never feels as though passages are there for mere filler, I can't imagine me really ever becoming comfortable with the dissonant lines to the point that I can recall where they're going. At no point will I be able to remember what track had which passage I particularly liked, and there's little in the way of differences in their sound between tracks making it all sound rather derivative by the albums end. They've certainly proven here they have more versatility in this style of music than anyone else I've heard from the continent but it's their composition that needs the most work. There are gentle jazz lines ruined by the rhythm guitarist playing a djent riff and undermining the gentle atmosphere beneath it; there are piano lines that fail to steadily build into the more aggressive passages, all too jarringly transitioned. There lacks a certain element of fluidity in their tracks and melody in their guitar lines, and whilst they need to learn when to move elements of their sound to the forefront, to call this an impressive debut would be something of an understatement.

Highlights: The Little Albert Experiment, Screen Scenarios, Infinitely Inward

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Accept – Stalingrad – 4.5/5

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