The Black Crown

I love metal. But every now and then, I do tend to get burnt out on it, as some people do with any genre. But then I turn on some Suicide Silence, and bam; back into it all. I like my fair share of metal, from that good ol' thrash metal from the 80s, to glam metal, and then to today's modern metal trends like death metal, hardcore metal, and etc. I'm not too big on death metal, but I like a few bands i.e. Chelsea Grin, Suicide Silence and Killwhitneydead. But it was SS that really started me on it. I remember dabbling in a few tracks from The Cleansing and No Time to Bleed a few years back and I enjoyed what I heard but wasn't huge on it. Then a few months ago I picked up the new album, The Black Crown, and got the full versions of their previous efforts, and I am glad I did.

Everything that these guys did on the last two cds was solid. Grinding guitars, seriously badass drum work and an amazing singer. But when the Black Crown came along, everything from those two cds was perfected even more somehow. Mitch's vocals really come screaming and growling into your eardrums, but with such a force that he could be rivaled by Chris Motionless from Motionless in White, or the singer for Chelsea Grin. The guitar work is fantastic as usual, combining deathcore riffs with Slayer-esque solos and rhythms, while the drum work sonicly blasts with such force you'd think the drum kit was going to fall apart. While I love every track on here, the only one I dislike remotely is the one featuring Jon Davis from KoRn, but even then some would still love it even if they aren't a fan of SS. Alot of the song's breakdowns are flat-out brain smashing. The one in Human Violence is so badass, it reminds me of Puppets (The First Snow) by MiW. They really took elements from the last two cds and tightened them up, added some more force, and just kick your ass full force. This one is to be reckoned with. *** 1/2.

And All That Could Have Been

Unless you live under a rock, you should know by now who Trent Reznor is. His introduction to the scene, Pretty Hate Machine launched a career fueled by utter hatred and despair, but hey, it's damn good music. Of course those aren't the only subjects of his music, but it's the most prominent one here on The Fragile. The Fragile follows off the heels of The Downward Spiral, starting Somewhat Damaged and ending Ripe (With Decay), which to me is a perfect formula. Spanning between these two tracks is one smasher of a record, with some pseudo-DnB style, Industrial grinding, and ethereal soundscapes, this album will always find a listener who enjoys at least one song on here. The story behind the album follows a person down in a hole, and only falling further and further as he tries to get out. This journey is documented through tracks like The Day The World Went Away, The Wretched, Even Deeper, and Where is Everybody?. The nice part is that every track compliments the one before it. You become immersed in it after listening enough times. And that's the beauty of an album; being able to immerse yourself in it. Much like Abbey Road, this cd is a landmark in music, for both what it is, and it's diversity and innovative sounds. Reznor really layers on the guitars over subliminal beats, and drags his voice along over it, adding a perfect touch that the song needs. Some songs don't even have vocals but still speak to the soul in a way, making it that much more pleasing to listen to. Of course we can't forget about the other contributors, who do amazing work on drums, piano, and whatever else their respective instruments may be. However, Reznor really steals the show here with his brilliant, yet simple (at times) lyrics. Each song helps bring the story together and can really put visuals into the listeners head. I also really like the format he chose to make this album, himself commenting that "You can't listen to the Left, until after hearing the Right, but you have to hear the Left first to understand the Right.". Sure, it's confusing, but makes perfect sense. The discs compliment eachother in a way that I haven't heard since The Wall by Pink Floyd. Nine Inch Nails took a dramatic turn after this record, and only got better with age. **** out of ****

Endgame

Finding a good metal record is no easy task. Especially in the modern age, what with the genre being plagued by death metal, deathcore, hardcore metal, etc. It wasn't like that in the eighties. Back in those days, Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax ruled the metal scene. And now, twenty-some odd years later, Megadeth STILL kills it.

I first heard this record a few months back, but easily dismissed it. I was heavily into some other stuff at the time, and yet now I can't stay away from it. Since 83' Megadeth has been the go-to band for off-the-wall, in your face thrash metal, and they still got it. The record opens with the duo Dialectic Chaos + This Day We Fight! and it's very reminiscent of So Far, So Good, So What? from their early days. The track opens with some standard classic record-opening style, but then the band drops quite a sonic bombshell on your ears. Dave and Chris unleash a furious fret assault, dueling out crazy-fast notes and licks, all while some badass rhythm section forms the backing basis. This IS metal, and it's never been better. The track segues into TDWF! and the badassery only continues from there. Dave's sharp vocal delivery and the crisp, relentless guitars back him perfectly. It feels like the eighties all over again, when Metallica was at their prime busting out Fight Fire With Fire and Battery. But that's not only it, as the rest of the record delivers numerous songs for any metal head to love. Sure, there's an acoustic ballad.. but you know what comes next: the shred. And it delivers. I really enjoy Dave's "..." songs because they're two-parters. They contain numerous changes in tempo and style, and that's what I love in Megadeth: these guys got their chops, and know just how to show it off the right way. The solos contain actual melody, Shawn Drover on drums blows my mind with every double-bass hit, and I'm amazed. I enjoy my fair share of metal, but I have to say that Megadeth's drummer and Angelo Parente of Motionless in White are probably some of the best drummers I've ever heard. In all, Endgame delivers, and shows that Megadeth is back, and ready to melt your face! **** out of **** (borrowing my good friend Ryan's star system :) Hope you don't mind buddy!)