Reviews

Thrice | Vheissu | Review

Posted on by Mess Matty

Thrice are one of, if not my favorite band of all time. The music they create is some of the most fulfilling, heartfelt and honest you’ll ever hear. Each instrument is respected and plays a vital role in every song and there is never any wasted time or moments that aren’t thoroughly thought out. The lyrics are so deep that after 10 years of listening I’m still discovering more meanings and ideas that have been masterfully woven into each song.

They are revolutionary, inspiring, thought-provoking and genius. This is my review off Vheissu, which remains after 10 years as my favorite album of all time.

Review:

Man, where do I begin with this record. There’s so much here that it’s impossible to ever write down every single one of my thoughts. This album changed who I am as a songwriter and a person. It made me fall in love with music and learn to appreciate the art of songwriting. How you can layer on complexity without overwhelming the listener but also having deep meanings that could be analysed for years. There’s so much to dig into that this will probably be a long review. I won’t talk about every song since that would end up as an essay. These are just the ones I really want to discuss.

As the album begins you hear a classic anthem, ‘Image of the Invisible’ which at the time of released was disregarded as a standard singalong opening song. In many ways it is, I mean it has the rallying chant in-between each line screamed out by Dustin. It’s very easy to get into and yell along with him, however take a second to listen to what he’s saying before you disregard it. ‘We’re more than static and dial tone//We’re emblematic of the unknown’. Now think about how masterfully those lines contrast and work together. The first being relate-able to anyone while the next invokes deeper thoughts and pulls you in to a deeper meaning.

I now want to talk about ‘The Earth Will Shake’ and how I believe it should be considered as a true classic in modern music. Now that’s a bold claim but here’s why I think this. The song itself is made up what equates to three sections. There’s the huge chorus, the heavier verse and the softer sections that interlinks the other parts of the song. It’s in this simple structure where there is layers upon layers of detail and depth that truly make this track a classic. Have a listen to it before I go into detail. I’ve embedded a live version so you can really see the emotion in the song rather than just a lyric video. Thanks to Moshcam from filming this. 

The lyrics in the chorus, despite being deceptively simple have layers of depth and are incredibly powerful but in different ways dependent on the area of the song. At the beginning you get this sense of a lone soul looking to escape a prison, either methodically or literally which is yet another reason why it’s such an amazing song. You hear it pounding out and later in the song as a huge section that has crowds stomping their feet in unison. If you see it live, it’s a moment that can’t be replicated. The reason I think the song is so masterful is because it’s absolutely timeless. The way the lines of the verses call to each other, how the guitar work is constructed perfectly, ranging from heavy and massive all the way too soft and beautiful. The vocals are perfect. They’re gritty and forceful yet heartfelt with great amounts of passion behind every line sung. From the opening softness to the building aggression of the ending, the lyrics with the delivery are nothing short of perfect.

For the sake of readability I’m going to talk about two more songs in-depth even though I could go through every song in detail. The first I want to talk about is ‘For Miles’ which is another masterfully written song. It opens with a beautiful piano line and is accompanied by one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever heard. The emotion captured is astounding, it’s thought-provoking while having so much hope within sadness. it’s ultimately a more Christian song however it’s still open for anyone to relate too and interpret however they feel.

The song progresses until you come into a long bridge that gives you so much time to reflect on what you just heard. It gives you this moment of calm and allows you to digest everything before the ending of the song kicks in. Then you’re met with this intense emotional end that nearly pulls tears from me every time I hear it.

Now, the final and my personal favorite song of all time. ‘Red Sky’. The seer amount of raw emotion that this song invokes every time I hear it is incredible. Before I talk about it, hear it is for you to listen.

I just re-watched/ listened to it before writing this and every time I hear it, there’s just so much depth and emotion in the song. The way it begins with a piano and drums, then builds and builds with each element of the track adding so much. Until you hear the line ‘We’ll raise an empire from the bottom of the sea’ and then you are hit with the most uplifting moment in music I’ve ever heard.

It’s the most breathtaking and complete piece of music I have ever heard and will always remain as the only song I will ever consider perfect.

That’s just a few a of the songs from the album. Every song has its own merits and as a whole they all come together to form what I would argue as the greatest album of all time. It is timeless, emotional and heartfelt. If you’ve never heard it then go right now and listen to it. If you’re with me and heard before then just take the time to listen to it again.

Thrice crafted greatness with Vheissu and should be remembered as one of the great songwriters of our time.

10/10 – Best of the Best.

Mess Matty:
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS

Dawn Of Justice | Adventears | Review

Posted on by Mess Matty

Dawn Of Justice are Melodic Ambient Metalcore band from France. Their latest release, Adventears, is their second E.P after previously releasing a debut E.P and album. It’s available for you to pay what you like on Bandcamp or on iTunes for £4.74.

Review:

I like to discover new music and since I’ve started reviewing albums I decided to take the time to find and review some lesser known albums between the big releases. So I found myself on the new arrivals section of Bandcamp in the Metalcore section. Most of the time I expect to hear sub-par, distorted music that has been thrown up in hopes of making a little bit of money. However sometimes you discover something that just makes you sit back and remember why you love music in the first place. Dawn of Justice’s Adventears is the record that blew me away.

The first thing I saw was the beautiful, vibrant artwork among the typical metal blacks and grey’s. The intro to the E.P is beautiful and sets the tone for the record perfectly. It’s calming, yet you feel this rising tension before the first song, ‘Styx’, kicks in. The opening track is a perfect mix between echoing riffs and heavy guitars, it fills up your speakers and just has a certain sound to it that makes you sit back and listen. It demands your attention from the first note to the last.

The vocals at first sound like the standard screaming that we’ve all become accustomed to but as the songs progress they become so much more melodic while keeping the harshness. They fit in perfectly, whether it’s as part of the heaviest breakdowns or part of the more ambient areas, they just work so flawlessly. The guitars either sit nicely in the mix with the bass or echo out riffs that contrast so well with the heaviness of the music.

As always though, there are some things I will pick at that just don’t quite do it for me. Including the intro, there are two extended ambient sections that for me, just go on a bit too long. I’d much prefer hearing the softer parts more involved in the songs rather than as extended intros. This is a personal taste issue though, for some they will love the ambient feeling before the storm.

My only other criticism, is that given the much more melodic feel that echo’s throughout the record it makes the breakdowns feel less needed and more like they are there because a metalcore band needs breakdowns. I’d love to see them break away from the traditional scream into a break down and focus on the melodic ambient side while still incorporating the metal edge.

Those are only minor points though. I absolutely love this E.P and am incredibly happy that I’ve found them. They hold true to the genre they’re within, while masterfully incorporating different feels and sounds. In a world where nothing is unique, they truly standout.

8/10 – Must Buy. 

Mess Matty:
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP 
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS 

Rest, Repose | The Sleep City | Review

Posted on by Mess Matty

Rest, Repose are a newly formed band that include popular YouTubers Jared Dines and Ryan Bruce, or Fluff as he is known. The Sleep City E.P is their debut release.

As the album begins the first thing that becomes apparent is that this is very different to what many may be expecting. For anyone who’s followed Jared in the past, either his work in Dissimulator or his YouTube channel, will be used to hearing him scream or playing generally heavy music. After hearing the first riff filling up my speakers I was ready to hear something new, something interesting and something I wasn’t expecting.

The first track ‘Influence’ sets the tone for the record. The opening riff, that has guitars chugging down low notes while a memorable guitar part echos out in-between, sets the tone perfectly. This record is all about the riffs. Every section is well thought out and put together masterfully. Each part flows beautifully into the next, every transition is pulled off to perfection and each section is varied while managing to remain familiar. It’s a fantastic example of having complexity within simplicity.

By far the most surprising part is the vocals. To me, they invoke thoughts of Alter Bridge, with lines being belted out as if a stadium of thousands were watching and singing along. Unfortunately they are more miss than they are hit. While the vocal lines and melodies remain strong, the delivery just falls short. There’s just something missing on the majority of songs and a lack off variation from section to section takes away from the moments that make you want to sing along.

My only other criticism of the record is that intros to songs become to feel a little too similar. This becomes apparent when you compare the opening track ‘Influence’ and the third song, ‘McCoy’. They are so alike in their opening that unless paying attention you may think it was the same song. This changes as both songs progress as it’s only an intro they share.

The two strongest songs from the E.P are ‘Sleep City’ and ‘The Generator’, the latter being the leading single. Both display the incredible amount of potential Rest, Repose have. The way the songs progress is masterful, the riffs fill up the speakers and the vocal lines cut through to create something truly special.

After finishing the record I was incredibly impressed. There is so much potential that the future of Rest, Repose could be incredibly bright. The E.P has wet my appetite, now I’m craving for their first album.

7/10 – Must Listen.

Mess Matty:
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1lcfaAP

Secrets | Everything That Got Us Here | Review

Posted on by Mess Matty

Secrets are a Post-Hardcore four piece from San Diego and have been active since 2010. They are signed to Rise Records and ‘Everything That Got Us Here’ is their 3rd studio album.

As I started the album, the intro caught my attention straight away. It’s an acapella, 30 second opener to the album and set me to up to hear some innovation. Then as we came into the first song I dismissed it as another standard post-hardcore release, with screamed verses into a catchy clean chorus, sprinkle in a break down, package it under Rise and push it out. But as it went on, I found myself listening more deeply, hearing something I wasn’t expecting. Yes there’s still the standard tropes but it started pushing more into a singalong, softer and most importantly, interesting album.

For some, you’ve read that and clicked off because as soon as a band goes ‘poppy’ for lack of a better term, they turn on the band and proclaim sell out! However, I judge it on a band by band basis and this direction works incredibly well. Taking this direction puts them on a path to separate from the pack and they begin forming their own sound.

The opening song and leading single, ‘Rise Up’ is also by far the weakest song on the album. It begins with an uninspired riff before coming into some soft vocals and straight into the screaming with a chord progression that just doesn’t sit well with my ears. The chorus is obviously supposed to be a big singalong but ultimately fails. They couldn’t have chosen a worst leading single.

This in contrast with ‘Learn To Love’, the forth song, shows what they are capable off. It begins with a fast pace intro which anyone could end up singing along too and comes straight into the chorus. It’s fast, catchy and is also far more representative of the album. The screaming comes back in, but with a purpose this time, it’s not just there for the sake of it. The music builds as the vocals rise with it before coming back in with a purpose, not a standard break down but still a heavier section. The whole song has meaning too it, nothing is there to fit a checklist, it’s easily my favorite on the album.

As for the rest of the album, it’s hard to judge the overall quality of it due to it changing from interesting to ticking off a checklist. Half the time I find my self getting into it and the next I forget it’s even on. This isn’t by any means a great album but it is certainly good and at points you can feel great music coming through but is ultimately brought down and kept a little too safe.

Overall, you can hear Secrets stepping in the right direction, slowly finding their sound. There are parts of what could be, shining through on the record but in the end, there’s not enough to pull me in completely. I will be listening to the record in my free time, but only selecting certain tracks.

6/10 – Good but kept too safe.

Mess Matty:
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1XfuNZS

Ice Nine Kills | Every Tick in The Book | Review

Posted on by Mess Matty

Right so it’s late and I decided to review Ice Nine Kills new record! Why? Because it’s late and I act on impulses, so lets do this!

Ice Nine Kills
Every Trick in the Book

This is Ice Nine Kills fourth studio album and after the first three records delivered really good singles, the album tracks only ever felt like filler. Every Trick in the Book looks to add depth to every song by making each one about a classic story such as Dracula or The Exorcist and for the most part they succeed.

The sound we’ve come to expect from them is clear and present but with a much more defined, more thought out feel to it. The guitars are still heavy with interesting riffs in each song, the drums and bass are solid but rarely standout on their own. The vocals are the best part of the album. The feeling and emotional variety is truly astounding. No where better does it stand out in than ‘Me, Myself & Hyde’. The lyrics and vocals combine perfectly to create this real, almost theatrical sound of a man struggling with a split personality disorder. We also get a softer song, ‘Tess-Timony’ than we’re used to with Ice Nine Kills where, once again the vocals stand out, really showing the range or music that they can create.

Each song feels unique and yet manages to fit perfectly within the overall sound of the album. Opening with the epic ‘The Nature of the Beast’ sets the tone for the entire album, with its theatrical opening into the full on the verse and having a huge chorus that anyone can sing along to. Its the perfect opening song. Other standout songs include ‘Bloodbath & Beyond’, ‘The Plot Sickens’, ‘Me, Myself & Hyde’ and ‘Tess-Timony’. Each offering something for every Ice Nine Kills fan to enjoy.

Unfortunately though, the album still suffers from having certain songs that aren’t bad, just unmemorable. Songs like ‘Communion of the Cursed’, ‘Alice’ and ‘Star-Crossed Enemies’ just can’t reach the level that the best songs do. These songs are a huge step above their previous albums but in comparison to what else they have on offer here, for me, they just don’t reach the standard they’ve set themselves.

Those tracks are the only thing holding the album back from being truly great. I do love this record, I think that as a whole it’s a step in the right direction for Ice Nine Kills, it puts them onto a path for greatness, they’re just one more album away from it. I would love for them to carry on with the theme of each song being a story, it gives so much depth to the songs that otherwise may not be there.

Overall: 8/10 – Buy.

And there’s my first review. Felt serious, I’m not used to being serious, felt weird. Need more explanation marks! There we go! Final thing, these are all my opinions, you don’t have to listen to or agree with me!

Stay being you and carry on your awesomeness!