You can even watch their two guitarist play 2 tracks!

Buy “The Concept of Dreaming” on merchconnectioninc.com or iTunes

Goatwhore and The Black Dahlia Murder lit it up with a fury and were really thriving at Skully’s — perfect size venue for the evening’s lineup. I very much like shows where fans can get carried a way on stage for a few seconds, dive tastefully back into the pit, and not get man handled by a bunch of dudes in yellow polo shirts.

I can’t decide whose stage presence I like better: Skeletonwitch’s Chance Garnette or TBDM’s Trevor Strnad. Strnad was just as I remember him from other shows: getting this incredible high off the crowd’s energy and throwing it right into the performance

I couldn’t resist the urge to say hello to Garnette at the show and tell him how much I love their shit. Looking forward to seeing them at Ruby Tuesday November 19th!

I hope they have more metal shows at Skully’s…awesome night. Check out these tour dates to see when these guys will be in your neck o the woods.

p.s. I would love to be able to review Arkaik, but we were unfortunately so carried away celebrating and mingling during their set…you know how it goes. Bunch of stoners.

I listened to the music of Martyr, and I thought, “Yeah, I could be in the mood to listen to this. This is solid.” And it was good. Always awesome to learn about a new listenable band. That’s a good day in my book.

You might like this song. I did. MOST ENERGETIC REVIEW EVER. Sworn Against Myspace

It’s almost impossible, once you’ve started listening, not to plow through the record.  The menacing attack that inevitably hits in each track finds itself smoothly interrupted by melodic guitar breaks from time to time, an approach not often taken by Whitechapel in previous recordings. While still holding true to the sounds that got them to this point, the addition of these melodies to their otherwise brutal sound emancipates Whitechapel from the strictly deathcore genre in which they’ve thrived, proving that all three guitarists Ben Savage, Alex Wade and Zach Householder and bassist Gabe Crisp are now not merely chug-masters, but are truly honing their artistry as musicians. The melodies serve their purpose, beautifully interspersed, giving a little relief and then providing the path towards a deeper plunge into the merciless pummeling: Whitechapel dole out the punishments all over this record. Kevin Lane absolutely annihilates his drums, which actually take the beating in stride… I need to ask him how big his toms are. They sound deep, dark and huge. I can hear a little Randy creeping into Phil’s voice, but perhaps that’s just the Richmond air I’m smellin these days… he still has his thick gutterals going full blast.

“Devolver” is brilliant.  ”Breeding Violence” makes me wanna bounce up and down, making that track the one I’m most excited to see Whitechapel play live this summer, especially with Phil’s intoxicating vocal cadence. I always love an Acacia Strain riff, which is apparently green-lit since Vincent shows up on “Murder Sermon.”  ”The Darkest Day of Man” – “it’s only getting worse” – has a fabulous d-tune on the downswing, and the guest vox on “Reprogrammed To Hate” woke me right up (not that I was asleep, mind you) – most certainly the gnarliest vox Deftones‘ Chino Moreno has put down in recent years.  In “End of Flesh,” I’m pulled by the lolling guitars, antagonized by Kevin’s rolling double kicks and enticed by Phil’s vocal vomiting.

Whitechapel have certainly created something of which to really be proud. “A New Era Of Corruption” drops today from Metal Blade Records, go buy that shit.  They’re currently doing the European festival circuit (with As I Lay Dying) and will back in the states for the Warped Tour in July.  Can’t. Wait.

myspace.com/whitechapel

aneweraofcorruption.com

Andrew Whiting of Attack Attack! and the dreaded crabcore pose. I do no approve of this on the list. I think they could have found some one a lot better, and talented. Because it almost appears as if he’s taking a massive crap, and he had a little too many grilled cheese sandwiches the night before.

Now of course you’re going to see James Hetfield on this list. For he, James Hetfield, the lord of the “Oh Yeaaah-aaah”.

You can view the full list of  Guitar Faces Hall of Fame here.

I also find it fitting that Adam D (who I last saw playing beer pong with a box from a case of beer as a hat) from KSE is heading up the production on this one, as his band also convinced me to rejoin the metal world at that time. Adam has perfected the sonic sheen on metal records – for example check out any of the albums in the last 6 years from All That Remains, Norma Jean, Unearth, Underoath and of course his work on all the Killswitch records solidly identifies the bands to which he puts his touch.

As I Lay Dying may be the only metal band that actually makes me feel like I’m falling in love – the emotions they evoke with their guitar melodies, it’s almost like dark chocolate for the ears. Their fifth full-length record is The Powerless Rise. All in all, I think this one completely annihilates their last record in brutality. “Anodyne Sea” is my favourite on the first couple of listens, and will most certainly become a perfect addition to the already stellar line-up of AILD classics.

“The Plague” has the meat, right out of the gate and I’m back to swooning for the guitars (Nick and Phil, geniuses, both) in “Upside Down Kingdom,” while Josh rounds out the tones. Solid drumming from Jordan on this one (no surprise there) – the drum sounds are big and fat and a little verby…maybe a little too verby, but that’s just me.

I am a huge Tim Lambesis fan, and smile to myself when I hear a little Austrian Death Machine vox sneak in there (bound to remind me, of course) and although my tastes tend to run dark and evil (I’ve been known to shudder when any band breaks into harmonies…) now I find that I don’t mind so much anymore. In “The Blinding Of False Light” Tim melds his monstrous vocals with Josh’s melodic singing flawlessly.

As I Lay Dying has established themselves as amazing musicians, with a solid discography, a Grammy nod and a sound that many try to duplicate and fail miserably. (Unless they get Adam D… then they can get a little closer, at least.) The Powerless Rise drops from Metal Blade Records on May 11th. Can’t wait to see them live again. Oh look, I can on Thursday:

Mon 05/03/10 Des Moines, IA People’s

Tue 05/04/10 Springfield, MO Remmington’s

Wed 05/05/10 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall

Thu 05/06/10 Richmond, VA The National

Fri 05/07/10 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock Cafe

Sat 05/08/10 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small’s Theatre

Sun 05/09/10 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small’s Theatre

Mon 05/10/10 Nashville, TN Rocketown

Tue 05/11/10 Chicago, IL House Of Blues

Wed 05/12/10 Minneapolis, MN The Cabooze

Thu 05/13/10 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club

Fri 05/14/10 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre

Sat 05/15/10 Magna, UT The Great Saltair

Sun 05/16/10 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House

Mon 05/17/10 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert House

Tue 05/18/10 Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre

Thu 05/20/10 Reno, NV Knitting Factory Concert House

Fri 05/21/10 San Diego, CA SOMA San Diego

Sat 05/22/10 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues

Out on tour with not a lot of my favourite bands, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go early. They’re also booked to rock the Download Festival with AC/DC on June 11th in the UK and on the 25th, playing at Gods Of Metal in Italy. Fuckin’ right, guys.

Listening to Option Paralysis instantly transported me to the first time I heard Calculating Infinity. I remember hearing “Sugar Coated Sour”, and it tasted like nothing else. I didn’t think another record could make me feel again, like I did on that day, “I have never heard anything this amazing….ever!”. Option Paralysis proves yet again that for The Dillinger Escape Plan, there is no box.

It’s immediately evident that you are in for something over your head when the ominous guitar chords strum your doom on the record’s intro track “Farewell, Mona Lisa”. The intense progression gives you that anxious excitement that only something more amazing then your expectations could. The standard Dillinger ferocity that we’ve all learned to expect becomes unexpected, faster and louder. Though, Option Paralysis now presents complimentary and sometimes contrasting melodies, breakdowns and emotive piano sections. What!? Elegant jazz piano on a metal record? FUCK yes! There’s not night with out the day, and all the same this record boasts highs and lows to keep you rock’n til your tits melt off.

The band’s sound has really evolved since Calculating. This album sounds BIG, while being made of up a multitude of “tiny” fast sounds. Dissonant guitar strikes, made to stand your hairs on end, while heavy bass and drum progressions maintain a heavy back bone that rock you harder than you will ever be rocked again (until the next record perhaps?). Ben Weinman’s masterful composition of guitar parts surpass those of previous records. His fast riffs sound faster, dissonant chords attack harder, and chugs chug heavier. I guess you could say everything is magnified on Option Paralysis. The band has found out how to be delightfully more obnoxious, while falling deeper into those building grooves.

The drumming of Billy Rymer gave this record the perfect middle ground between the band’s previous two drummers. The expressive finesse of Chris Pennie, and that “Shit Yeah” pocket playing of Gil Sharone all rolled into one, is made apparent in songs like “Room Full of Eyes”. His expert usage of double kick adds balls to sections that the other drummers might have left untouched.

Perhaps the golden nugget that makes Option Paralysis so savory, is the vocals of Greg Puciato, who has come a long away from the days of Miss Machine. Puciato has literally found his voice in this band. The dynamics of his screams alone gave Miss Machine the magnetic force that can’t come from only screaming your balls off. With minute variation he gave us something real. Even more real are Puciato’s evocative building vocal melodies, that transform Option Paralysis in an epic masterpiece. Melodies on songs like “Gold Teeth on a Bum” and “I Wouldn’t if You Didn’t”, cut your soul in half and bring you to your knees singing “Couldn’t you help me, so that I may believe…” Puciato’s growth into a screaming/ singing/ whispering/ blood thirsty monster gives the band the ability to be anything it wants to be.

Option Paralysis’ final track confirms that The Dillinger Escape Plan will always give you something you never expect. This band dares to stay true artists, pursuing whatever their bizarre twisted minds come up with. They continue to push the real line, the one that boxes in artists to their genre, their sound, saying “can not, should not”. With a discography like this, it’s clear Dillinger can not, and will not be stopped. Go buy it.

“Hi! I should be on the guestlist…?”

Two texts, a phone call, a handing-of-my-phone-over-to-the-nice-smiling-chica-running-the-will-call-office-who-then-handed-the-phone-to-her-boss…. And we were in. (New town and a newer venue for me to frequent… you never know if it’s going to come through or not… but it did.  Thanks to all of the wonderful people involved in that exchange!)

Unfortunately, we missed Between the Buried and Me, which I was relatively bummed about, but I HAD caught them at the 9:30 Club in DC on their last tour in 2009 – I want to say it was when they were out with the Faceless, so it’s not as though it was the end of the world.  I’m sure they were fantastic. (If you were there, please feel free to comment below… on Valient Thorr‘s performance as well!)

Mastodon took the stage after 9p.m.  Projected behind the big, hairy men was a film that seemed to include Rick Rubin (playing Rasputin, of course) who eventually got into a sword fight with the devil… along with a naked male who kept appearing in a very precarious situation with his, um, highly extended, coiled umbilical cord lit like a stick of dynamite… Symbolism. Ha. All of the images came from the amazing artwork from not only C.T.S. (including the starlit night sky for the astral projection imagery) but as the evening progressed, previous album artwork as well.  (I actually grabbed a sweet drawing from deviantart for this review – http://deathbox-was-taken.deviantart.com/art/Mastodon-Blood-Mountain-92434242 )

Mastodon kicked off the set with “Oblivion” which got my blood pumping right away, but, as pointed out by my gf, perhaps due to the fact that it’s towards the beginning of the tour, Brann’s vocals were nowhere in the mix.  Maybe he wasn’t singing.  Maybe Brent was supposed to be doing Brann’s part. No clue. But that was a little awkward.  After the rough start though – which may have just been an audio glitch – and Troy’s apparent little struggle with his in-ear mix, the rest of the set was practically flawless.  The sound was thick, the lighting appropriate and tastefully done as to not interfere with the constant images on the screen.  They rocked out tons of tracks off their newest record, Crack The Skye, with favourites thrown in like “Seabeast” and “March Of The Fire Ants” in their encore, which I can’t imagine NOT hearing when venturing out to catch these boys live.  Honestly, I don’t think it’s possible to walk away from a Mastodon show not completely impressed.

We were lucky enough to get to grab some time with most of the band afterwards and even shared a couple beers at the Capital Ale House (good god is their beer list massive.) Brent mentioned his passion for all the side projects he’s been doing – I’d check out fellow ATL band Zoroaster’s new track “White Dwarf” as an example…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkFe-oDoRyo&feature=player_embedded

The dudes got their bus call and Suzy and I, as our luck continued, grabbed a ride home from yet another nice, hairy boy before heading straight to bed (it was a Sunday evening, afterall…)

By all means necessary, go catch this show.  Baroness, along with Valient Thorr, is on the tour for the duration and please try not to miss BTBAM like me… go early.

April 21st Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom

April 22nd Hartford, CT – Webster

April 23rd Worcester, MA – Palladium

April 24th Burlington, VT – Higher Ground

April 26th Pittsburgh, PA – Palace Theater

April 27th Rochester, NY – Water Street

April 29th Grand Rapids, MI – Orbit Room

April 30th Indianapolis, IN – Vogue

May 01st Columbia, MO – Blue Note

May 03rd Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater

May 04th Tucson, AZ – Rialto

May 05th San Diego, CA – House Of Blues

May 07th Pomona, CA – Fox

May 08th Oakland, CA – The Missing Link

May 09th Reno, NV – Knitting Factory

May 10th Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater

May 11th Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory

May 13th Billings, MT – The Shrine

May 14th Fargo, ND – The Venue

May 15th Omaha, NE – Sokol Hall

May 16th Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall

May 18th Madison, WI – Orpheum

May 19th Urbana, IL – Canopy Club

May 20th Memphis, TN – Minglewood

May 21st Knoxville, TN – Valarium

May 22nd Lexington, KY – Busters

And although there doesn’t seem to be anything super interesting about this video, other than the flashes of “priests” torturing a chick in the woods and committing other acts that men of the cloth should probably never commit, I still get a thrill from the fact that there is a video at all… and you can see it here:

bloody-disgusting.com.