Over the past year there is a band that has peaked my interest. Instead of releasing an album right away, they instead started dropping a single at a time. With each single released, you couldn’t help but at least check it out and then there is “that moment” in the song when it all clicks. Now, on September 17, 2021, Spiritbox is finally releasing their debut album. This album features songs like “Holy Roller,” “Circle With Me,” “Constance” and new single “Secret Garden.” Also, Architects singer Sam Carter lends his vocals to the song “Yellowjacket.” Spiritbox is one of the newest bands to really start making an impact. They have the appeal to cross over to more straight-forward rock fans as well as curing the craving for the heavier music fan.
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the upcoming DC Comics Dark Nights Death Metal soundtrack. The soundtrack features new songs from Mastodon, Greg Puciato, HEALTH with Chino Moreno, Idles and many more. Today though, the song with Chelsea Wolfe was released and it’s drenched in haunting beauty. The song was written by Chelsea Wolfe, Tyler Bates and Ben Chisholm. Jess Gowrie provided the drums and absolutely crushed the performance. I do hope this song makes it into Chelsea’s set for future shows. I can picture this one being pretty damn amazing live.
A while back a good friend of mine told me to check out a band that she thought I might dig. Considering she’s never steered me wrong, of course I gave it a shot. What I heard was something I definitely dug on and it made me even more curious to see what they are all about. Allow me to introduce you to the band, ERRA. These guys have a sound that mixes a heavy prog sound mixed with mid 2000’s metalcore. If I had to name a band they are sort of similar to, I’d go with Architects. Through the course of their career, they’ve released five studio albums and three EPs. Their latest offering, a self titled album is chock full of the right amount of brutality, massive riffs, hard hitting rhythms and soundscapes that create a really cool ebb and flow between parts. Finding yourself lost within the odd time signatures, technical aspects and ambience makes listening to ERRA quite fun. You might have seen them on tour with Born Of Osiris, August Burns Red, After The Burial and Northlane. Through a few different lineup changes as well, the band has evolved to incorporate different textures and intricacies in order to separate themselves from their peers. It’s going to be interesting to see where ERRA goes after this album. I look forward to checking them out live and seeing them rock the place.
The great Two Minutes To Late Night is back with a new cover from their quarantine series. This one is really, really, really, damn good. Here you have a Bjork song “Hyperballad” covered by Stephen Brodsky (Cave In/Old Man Gloom/Mutoid Man) on vocals with Sergio Vega (Quicksand/Deftones) on bass, Adam D (Killswitch Engage/Times Of Grace) on guitar, Jordan “Gwarsenio Hall” Olds (host of 2MTLN) on guitar, Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe) on keys and Tanner Wayne (In Flames) on drums. It’s a great cover and Stephen Brodsky is absolutely amazing on this track. He’s really found a whole other voice which I hope carries over to all of his musical ventures.
This week has seen a plethora of good tunes come out. Lots of new singles and videos were released that need your attention as well as a few albums that are excellent! I’ve got you covered with new jams by Angels and Airwaves, Times Of Grace, The L.I.F.E. Project, Wristmeetrazor, L.A. Rats (Rob Zombie, Nikki Sixx, John 5) covering Geoff Mack, an unreleased Stone Temple Pilots demo, Black Map with a superb coverly medley of Billy Joel and U2, The Crew (Tim Armstrong, Matt Freeman, Mike Muir, Fletcher Dragge), Satanic Planet, and Yautja,
Angels And Airwaes- Euphoria:
Times Of Grace- The Burden Of Belief:
The L.I.F.E. Project- Ignite:
L.A. Rats (Rob Zombie, Nikki Sixx, John 5)- I’ve Been Everywhere (Geoff Mack Cover):
Stone Temple Pilots- Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart (Early Version):
Satanic Planet- Liturgy:
The Crew (members of Rancid, Pennywise & Suicidal Tendencies)- One Voice:
Wristmeetrazor- THIS SUMMER’S SORROW Ⅱ: GROWING OLD IN THE WAITING PLACE
Yautja- The Weight:
Black Map- Eyes Without A Face/Exit (Billy Joel/U2):
Angels and Airwaves has always been a band/project that has peaked my interest. At first I was a little eh about it but, over the years and how this band has evolved I’ve taken a closer look and have found a lot to like about it. Tom DeLonge has really crafted something intriguing and on a level that couldn’t have been done during his tenure with Blink 182. The songwriting has grown by leaps and bounds and having multi instrumentalist Ilan Rubin joining him the past few years, has really made Angels and Airwaves stand out on it’s own merit. Recently, AVA released a new song “Euphoria” and it’s simply superb. The mix of spacy synths, precision drums, hard charging guitars, and soaring vocals on “Euphoria” showcases the best of what Tom and company can do!
Back in 1992, Anthrax appeared on an episode of Married… With Children. Their part on the show was pretty damn funny. This was during season 6 episode 18 on an episode called ” My Dinner with Anthrax.” The premise of the episode is: Bud and Kelly trick Al and Peg into going on vacation in Florida for their 20th anniversary, because the kids have won the chance to have thrash metal band Anthrax over at their house. The vacation turns out to be a timeshare scam with Edd Byrnes as one of the tenants (who lives there only because it was offered to him for free). Things get interesting back home when the band members scavenge in the refrigerator and sample Peg’s “mystery package” (that no one ever wants to try) and begin to hallucinate. Interestingly, supposedly the episode was inspired by an MTV sponsored a contest in which the winner had her home trashed by the Anthrax. Fred Willard even guest stars on the episode too!
For the past couple weeks I’ve been on a Cave In kick. Actually it started back when Two Minutes To Late Night released the videos of their Splitsville series when Every Time I Die covered Cave In’s “Youth Overrided.” From that point, I’ve been delving back into the Cave In catalog. During this time I’ve spent a lot of time with the album Perfect Pitch Black. I remember when this album came out and how strikingly different it was from Antenna, and thankfully so. I do like Antenna a lot but, you can tell that there is something lacking about it in terms of energy and passion on certain songs. Perfect Pitch Black is a wonderful encompassing of everything Cave In had done to that point. It has the the grit and heaviness of Until Your Heart Stops, the spacey and proggy vibe of Jupiter, and the craftsmanship of Antenna. So many stand out songs are on PPD like “Trepanning,” “Off To Ruin,” “The World Is In The Way,” and “Screaming In Your Sleep.” One of the songs that has always stood out to me is the awesome instrumental track “Ataraxia.” This song is perfectly placed on the album and it gives the record a moment to reflect as you get swept away by the sea of rhythm and riffs. This is another great example of just how diverse and deep Cave In are.
I thought this would be a fun new topic and I can showcase a few albums that have been in my constant rotation for a while now. It’s all over the place genre wise too which makes this topic quite fun. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures anymore. Like whatever music you like. Enjoy it and play it loud! Here are 5 albums to sink your teeth into this week!
01) If It Kills You- Infinite Hum:
This band is absolutely fantastic. They’ve got this really great post-hardcore vibe mixed with the right amount of 90’s alternative. One of the best new bands I’ve heard since the turn of the century. Just by listening to this album too, you can feel the energy just waiting to burst out.
02) In Parallel- Fashioner:
Another fantastic band that should be on your radar. This album in particular has yet to leave my record player or my bedtime playlist since I got it. The perfect balance of ambient and heavy along with bits of shoegaze and dream pop. You can get swept away by this album. It truly is phenomenal.
03) Genghis Tron- Dream Weapon:
So far in 2021, this is my album of the year. This is 100% an album and it should be played that way. It’s a journey all in itself. Everything about it from the layers, tones, songs, performances it all comes together to make a masterful album. Not only is it my album of the year, it’s also one of the best comeback albums I’ve ever heard. This is an album that, like the other two above, deserves your attention.
04) Greg Puciato- Child Soldier; Creator Of God:
This was my album of the year for 2020 and I’ve yet to go a day without listening to at least a few of the songs. As a whole, it’s a masterpiece. One of the coolest and best solo albums out there. There’s so much to digest on this that every listen you find yourself getting more and more into it. I could go into a ton of detail about how amazing this album is but, it’s more fun for you to listen.
05) Rob Zombie- The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy:
This is one of the best albums Rob Zombie has been involved in. It’s got parts that are reminiscent of White Zombie as well as early Rob solo. This is just a really fun album. It’s the album that fans have been wanting and it delivers for damn sure. I recommend this album when you need a good jolt of energy and some fun in your life.
I’ll never forget the first time I heard about Amenra. I was a little perplexed but, also very intrigued. I was at a show, think I went to see Boris and Torche and there was a guy wearing this really awesome shirt. I of course had to ask about it. After finding out who they were I did what I always do and started to delve into their catalog. What I found was something epic. Fast forward many years, my friend and I went to see Neurosis and Converge. As we walked in I completely forgot that Amenra was the opening act. The lights had just dimmed and then it all made sense. Holy wow, this band is amazing. From that point I’ve been anticipating something new from them and now here we go. On June 25 via Relapse Records, Amenra will be unleashing their new album De Doorn. The First single “De Evenmens” is magnificent. Just listen and let it soak in and you’ll hear the magic that this band emits.
audioeclectica 