New tracks from Life Model, Spc-Eco, and Soilwork

If you didn't get enough new music from us the other day, you're in luck because we have three new awesome songs for you to feast on today.

Life Model-Take it Slowly.
This is the kind of shoegazing music that takes on an artistic approach to stripped-down rock tunes and stretching the notes through looping effects on the guitars.  Life Model adds understated, chilly vocals to the mix, which takes on an unrefined, yet abstract appeal.  This is an interesting take on shoegaze, being light on the electronic atmospherics and heavy on the pedal effects, just like old-school shoegaze rock.


Spc-Eco-Push.
You know I have been a fan of Spc-Eco (pronounced 'space echo') since i stumbled upon their album "3-D"  This English band has been particularly active of late, having released a full-length album and two EPs just within the last year.  The latest EP, now available through Spc-Eco's bandcamp page, is entitled "Push" and includes five tracks, two of which are remixes of the original Push. Some bands just have that 'it' factor in that no matter how much their style changes, they continue to push out fantastic music.  As it turns out, Push is a departure from the usual Spc-Eco electrogaze music, trending more to the mainstream-ish dream pop end of the spectrum.  To be honest, I didn't know what to think when i first read that it was more pop-oriented than their previous music.  Yet, I listened to it anyway, because I am a fan of Spc-Eco, and fans of bands listen to the band's music no matter what, right? 


Soilwork-This Momentary Bliss
Soilwork is gearing up to release their brand new album, "The Living Infinite" in March.  They have just shared another new track from the double album.  This track is metal excellence.  While the first new song they gave us sounded like "Figure Number 5" era Soilwork, This Momentary Bliss is more akin to the tunes heard on "Stabbing the Drama".  This song is an instantly-catchy gem that has a sing-along style chorus.  Bjorn "Speed" Strid's vocals are top-notch on this one, containing some screamed sections, but mostly outstanding cleans.  Also apparent in this track is a low-register, doomy keyboard line and some awesome guitar solo dexterity.  If you are into metal music, they you can't go wrong with Soilwork.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

Now That We're Older-Beneath the Bridge...review

For anyone new to our blog, let me start by saying that there are many great artists and bands putting out amazing music these days.  They need your support.  That is where we come in.  We look at many under-publicized artists and help them by blogging about it here if we like it.  Please continue to support these artists.

One said artist is an American instrumental rock band called Now that We're Older.  This band is from Cincinnati, Ohio and has just recently released their album, "Beneath the Bridge, Under a Frozen Sky"  Citing influences ranging from post-rock heavy hitters such as Mogwai, Sigur Ros, and This Will Destroy You, this band creates dazzling instrumental rock tunes.  These songs incorporate various instruments and feelings.

Where some post-rock bands create flashy, screeching guitar distortion that represents the majority of their music, Now That We're Older shies away from in-your-face explosions of post-rock cinematic noise in favor of a more earthen instrumental album that is less heavy on the distortion and includes numerous pure instrumentation. 

The effect this creates is somewhere between post-rock and experimental, producing an eclectic array of emotions entirely through the sounds and tempos of the music.  While some tracks include a generous helping of wailing guitar distortion, others offer a healthy dose of piano, drums, mainstream rock guitars, cellos, and gorgeous string arrangements.

To put it mildly, this album blew me away.  It is remarkably well-produced with impeccable mixing and minimal sampling.  In short, I can't say enough good things about this band.

I can't finish this review without sharing my experience about how I found this album.  I was poking around on bandcamp looking for some fresh new tunes for little to no cost, and I saw the album cover depicted above.  I thought, "that's a cool album cover."  Anyone who knows me or regularly follows our blog knows how that usually ends up for me. 

Another great thing about this band is that you can't go wrong by downloading it, because Now That We're Older is offering it for free through their bandcamp page.  As a matter of fact, they are not even asking for donations, as many bands do.  This is a completely free, no-strings-attached instant download that is worth at least $10.00.  Get this album.  You will love it.  For your listening pleasure, the entire album is streaming below, courtesy of Now That We're Older's bandcamp.  Key in on Song for Jewel and Northern Lights, as these are clear standouts.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

New Music!

It is Monday.  The day you love to hate.  Sometimes you just need some good tunes to help you through the worst day of the week.  If that day is today, you are in luck, because we occasionally find new music we find to be worth sharing.  Today we have three new tracks.

Au.Ra.  Yes, that is the cover art pictured above.  You can't really get an accurate glimpse of what it is supposed to be, but then again, good cover art often contains that quality.  Au.Ra is actually simpler to describe than the cover art.  What you have is standard issue dream pop with hooky guitar noise swirling just above the surface, which adds a certain grandeur of melody above and beyond what the pop portions of the song's structure contain.  This was a track that had me listening to the end.  I wasn't a huge fan of Au.Ra's first single in that it was much more simplistic than this track.  We are still waiting for this band's debut album to drop, and it should be interesting what the rest of the album sounds like.  Here is the latest track for you to get lost in:


Venera 4.  Shoegaze music can sound standard or better than average.  Venera 4 is above average.  Lots of noise greets you from the get-go with pedal-effect guitar work creating warm passages of reverberating melody.  So far, this group has released two full-length albums.  This is a brand new single and it shows some promise.  I could be tempted to buy this if I could find it.  Luckily, they do have it available for download on their bandcamp page.  If you have as many issues with PayPal as I do, you may not be able to download it, but then again, there are probably other avenues to explore if you really, really want it.  I kind of like it and will be searching for Amazon or iTunes downloads of this new track.  You can listen to it below.


Dark Tranquillity. I saw this today and just about fell out of my chair with glee.  You see, I am a huge DT fan.  This is my favorite metal band, so of course I will be foaming at the mouth to take a look at this one.  This new DT track is from their latest EP, "Zero Distance".  This EP is essentially a b-sides release full of a few songs that did not make the final cut of the album "We are the Void."  Today I saw a brand new video of the song Zero Distance which I feel illustrates perfectly why I like this band so much.  Dark Tranquillity play metal music with harsh vocals, punchy guitar riffs, and smooth piano and keyboard sections that add a certain amount of atmosphere to the music.  Mikael Stanne has the most understandable harsh vocals in the business, as well as some great baritone-style clean vocals.  I simply cannot get enough of Dark Tranquillity, so imagine the grin on my face when I found they will be releasing a new album called "Construct" on May 27, 2013..  All I have to say is, "Heck. Yes."  Check out the entertaining new video of Zero Distance below. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

Mechina-Empyrean review

I had January 1, 2013 circled on my proverbial calender for the last four months of 2012.  Something significant was happening that day.  What was it?  The release of Mechina's new album "Empyrean", of course!

Now that I have finally had a chance to listen to and digest the album, I can offer my thoughts on it.  Thought #1: Holy moly!  Thought #2: Wow.  Thought #3: This is a great album.  All kidding aside, "Empyrean" is everything it has been hyped up to be and more.  Mechina is a criminally underrated band that doesn't get nearly the kind of publicity they deserve.  So I am here doing my part to get the word out about this fantastic album.

Mechina is a symphonic industrial metal band from Illinois.  By blending full orchestral music with loud industrial metal, they have created a unique sound.  The lead singer for Mechina has a strong melodic singing voice, but deep screams that are just as good.  The clean vocals sound a lot like Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory.  The band blends these two vocal styles just right on this album, which leads to an even fuller, more 'epic' listen. 

This band is easily more refined than Fear Factory through the use of keyboards and orchestras.  Instead of sounding mechanical or even institutional, they sound both genuine and spaced-out.  Every track on this disc leads into the next perfectly leading to no jarring surprises, though the soulful female vocals in the final track were a wonderful addition.

If you are a fan of Fear Factory, give this album a listen.  You will like it.  Sorry this review has been so brief, but when I find an album this great, I find that mere words do not give the album the justice it deserves.  This album should be an early contender for the top 13 albums of 2013. 

I have found only one track to share with you, unfortunately.  Below is the title track from "Empyrean".  They did release an orchestral version of this track, which we mentioned a few months ago, but that track did not appear on the album.  Perhaps soon there will be a deluxe pack or a b-side release that features that amazing adaptation.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Syberia-Drawing a Future review

Russia is a big country, the largest in the world in fact, in terms of land area.  There is a region called Siberia, also known as the tundra, where the landscape is barren and frozen most of the year.  This could be fitting since January of 2013 so far is shaping up to be one of the coldest ever in Boise, Idaho.

I have recently discovered a band called Syberia.  This band is from Barcelona, Spain.  They play an interesting style of music that little resembles stereotypical Spanish music.  The sound they employ is a monstrous instrumental rock which uses various time signatures with metallic riffing and huge post-rock styled guitar leads that swoop and swirl to create a massive aura of atmosphere. 

"Drawing a Future" is their latest effort, released in 2012.  This album is just the right length for an entirely instrumental piece, never overstaying its welcome or repeating aspects of the style too often.  Contrary to the band's name, the musical style is warm hard rock instrumentation with atypical drum patterns, juxtaposed with chilly screeches of guitar-led atmosphere that carries the album. 

For a new and little-known artist, the production quality is spectacular and helps to maintain the grandeur of the music as a whole.  Fans of a variety of musical genres can find something good to listen to in this music.  If you like post rock, this album delivers.  If you like instrumental or experimental rock, chances are you will dig this.  If you are a metalhead, you'll find plenty of head-bangable moments littered throughout this album.

This review has been brief, but sometimes the music just has to speak for itself, because in the end, no amount of raving on my part will come close to providing the enjoyment of listening pleasure that Syberia brings.  This is a diverse and explosive listen and one that demands attention.

"Drawing a Future" is available through bandcamp as a name-your-price download, so you can't go wrong in getting this.  Syberia's bandcamp page provides us with the full stream of the album.  Check it out below.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

Exxasens-Eleven Miles review

This post sort of fits into our occasional randomness bits, where we like to explore new music by tagging a certain band we have been following.  This has evolved into a fun little series as well.  Where this post differs is that I will be offering a full album review of the new release I have discovered.

Exxasens has an interesting band name.  I am often not a fan of gibberish band names, but for some reason the letter 'x' says hard core.  If then, your band name includes back-to-back 'x's, it screams 'fear me' from the top of some place very high.  I actually kind of dig that.  That said, this band's name is probably not complete gibberish and has a very real, easily definable origin.  Though I'm not hept to such an origin, I stand by my comment that I kind of like this band's name.

This band brings a certain sound quality that is similar in some respects to If These Trees Could Talk, but instead of wallowing in screeching guitar leads bent on scrambling the brain of the average listener, Exxasens add a certain flair of mainstream hard rock and even some metal riffing from time to time.  This makes for a very diverse listener that had me wondering a time or two if my iTunes player had suddenly switched to playing Pelican.  Don't get me wrong--indeed Exxasens doesn't sound much like Pelican at all, except for the some proggy moments scattered throughout the album. 

One of the latter tracks even introduces a sludgy, repeating riff and rhythm without so much as hinting at doom.  I'm not much into sludge metal, but I found myself enjoying that track just as much as all the others.

As with most post-rock albums, there are no vocals to speak of, unless you count the understated, barely audible spoken word segment on the final track of this album.  In retrospect, the beginning of the last track seems to qualify as filler material, but the band makes up for it by concluding with a cascading crescendo that is both uplifting and crushing.

I downloaded this release after listening to half of the first song, because I knew I had found something I would enjoy.  In my mind, this is right up there with the wonderful If These Trees Could Talk album, but also showcases something more, something few post-rock bands dare to touch on.  Below is the full album stream, courtesy of the Exxasens bandcamp page.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

New Metal-Neaera and Mourning Wolf

Today brings us news of yet another anticipated metal album release in early 2013.  This news makes me happy because I have been a fan of this German band since their 2008 release, "Omnicide-Creation Unleashed."  The new disc, scheduled for North American release on March 5, is entitled "Ours is the Storm".  Today they have unveiled the title track of the new disc, and as expected, it rips. 

With galloping melodeath riffs over a bleak ream of guitar-based atmospheric wandering, the new track is everything Neaera fans have come to expect.  Vocals switch back and forth between skin-tearing howls and blistering grunts as the somber guitar leads drown listeners in an inescapable torrent of fury.  From what this track shows, the band's sound will change little with the release of this album, with minor adjustments in the how palbable the bleakness is.  This music is for fans of melodeath, reminding of some Dark Tranquillity and Omnium Gatherum tunes.

So far, I'm liking what I'm hearing.  Check out the new track below.


Also to be filed under the 'new' folder, is an unexpected gem I found over at No Clean Singing.  The band is from Washington and is called Mourning Wolf.  As is often the case with new music I encounter, I found the cover art to draw me in. 

As far as style goes, Mourning Wolf melds metalcore riffing with blackened atmospheric moments similar to, but not as grand as Alcest.  I'm not a huge fan of metalcore or black metal, but I decided to listen anyway.  The relief in this release is that the music includes no vocals at all.  I'm a fan of bands that tend to blur the lines between genres, and Mourning Wolf pull it off well.  Their new EP is available as a name-your-price download from their bandcamp page, which also provides us with the full stream of the EP.  This release contains only two tracks, but they average better than 8:30 in length.  Check out this new EP.  You will not be disappointed. 

We will return to some less hard-core stuff tomorrow.  Until then, thanks for listening and enjoy!