Live Interview with Ice Nine Kills!

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Genre(s): Melodic Metalcore
Location: Boston, MA

Kev, one of our live interviews, caught up with Ice Nine Kills on the Not Your American Idols Tour, that also has For All Those Sleeping, Capture The Crown, Palisades, Myka Relocate (Kev also interviewed them), and Youth In Revolt. 

You can pick up Ice Nine Kills' latest album The Predator Becomes The Prey digitally on iTunes, or physically at MerchNow. Check out the interview below!

Interview with Centurion of Berlin!

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Genre(s): Melodic Metalcore/Progressive
Location: N/A

PSAB: Where does the band name "Centurion of Berlin" come from?

COB: Centurion Of Berlin originates from a period of history that I took extreme interest in, ancient Rome. The leaders of a Roman squad were known as 'Centurions' and they would be the most formidable opponents. As for the Berlin part, that can be interpreted in

different ways. The way I dubbed it was for a part of my German heritage, but it could also be interpreted as a need of a hero in a state of distress. Back when it was just my own solo project, it seemed pretty intense.

 

PSAB: You state on your Facebook that you're tired of hearing the same style of music. What sets your band apart from the cookie cutter bands out there? 

COB: Don't even get me started on what the metalcore scene/hardcore scene has become. It mostly irritates me, primarily with vocals, when every single up-and-coming band has a really similar vox sound. That is where I feel our strength is the greatest. The vocals I have are deep, raw, and powerful. Not the average 'middle scream' through the whole song. But, I feel that Centurion Of Berlin also has a very melodic passion where lead guitar shines brighter than the rhythm. It is rare to see many new bands have an immersive trait to them, so I feel we would stand out amongst the newer generation of music.

PSAB: If you had the choice to set up a five band show; which five bands would you choose? 

COB: I would love to perform with The Amity Affliction, Architects, Indreams (before they disbanded), We Made Steel, and Born Of Osiris. They all have similar styles and to me, they all have a unique sound and style.

PSAB: What is the local metal scene like in your area?  

COB: The local metal scene in our area is terrible. If it isn't rap or pop, it is country. It is very rare that we are able to find who LISTENS to our type of music. It has been such a struggle trying to be able to have a live lineup, hence two studio members and one other live member. 

PSAB: Is there a particular country you would like to tour, if you given the chance? 

COB: I would love to tour Germany. I feel that they would take the band name straight to the heart. Plus, they have a ton of metal love out there.

PSAB: Do you have any shout outs to give? 

COB: I would love to shout out to Indreams. Even though they only released three songs, they are, and always will be, a huge motivation boost towards becoming more recognized.three songs, they are, and always will be, a huge motivation boost towards becoming more recognized.

End of Fall - Contempt [REVIEW]

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Genre(s): Melodic Metalcore

End of Fall is a melodic metalcore band that hails from Germany. They have released two albums thus far in their musical career. An EP titled Shadowed Leaves that was released back in 2012, and Contempt that was released in May of 2014. I will be reviewing the band's sophomore album, Contempt. It is the band's first full length album, with 10 songs and about 40 minutes worth of listening materials. 

Each song varies in length, two of the songs,"Contempt" and "Second Choice" are the longest on the album. The problem with lengthy songs is that they sometimes become boring and/or repetitive. "Contempt" breaks that stereotype, as the band provides a lot of variety throughout the song, mixing chugging metalcore, guitar melodies, and small breaks here and there throughout the song. The other lengthy song, "Second Choice" is different than "Contempt" as the song is a lot more melodic, has more calm sounding parts, and has good transitions between different parts of the song.

The heavier songs on the album are "Lie For Your Life," "Marionette Circus," "Heroine," and "Death Comes As A Release." On that note, the vocals in "Death Comes As A Release" remind me of Anders Friden's (vocalist of In Flames) vocals quite a bit. Moreover, it is my favorite song from this album. This is because it has solid melodic instrumentals, the vocals have a good amount of variety, and the synth is well placed and not overused.

This review only gives you a small taste of the album brings to the table. End of Fall provides some solid sounding melodic metalcore to their listeners. Bottom line, Contempt is an okay album. There are a lot of good elements in the album, but nothing that makes it stand out, or give me the, "Holy shit" kind of reaction to any of the songs. However! If you're into melodic metalcore, you'll definitely enjoy this, so check it out through the band's website!

Score: 3/5

Beneath The Remains - Demo [REVIEW]

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Genre(s): Groove/Melodic Metalcore

Beneath The Remains' three track demo was released earlier this year (or sometime late 2013, there is no release date I can find). The demo consists of three songs, "Pray for Pain," "Angels & Demons," and "Straight Out of Hell." This demo reminds of how metalcore use to do sound like, before the overuse of guitar chugging, unneeded clean singing, random breakdowns, etc. 

 

Beneath The Remains sticks to an old school metalcore type of sound with the mix of groove metal. The song that portrays the most groove and old school type of metalcore sound is "Pray for Pain." The song has the best audio quality out of the three. "Angels & Demons" has a bit more guitar chugging it, and "Straight Out of Hell" has a lot more riffs than the other two songs, also it has a guitar solo near the end of the song. They do keep to some guitar chugging as well in the song too. Overall, Beneath The Remains' demo is solid and their upcoming EP, I expect, to be good. So, keep on the lookout for the band!

Score: 3.5/5

Through Lifeless Eyes - Monsters In Every Man [REVIEW]

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Genre(s): Melodic/Progressive/Metalcore/Deathcore

Monsters In Every Man is Through Lifeless Eyes' debut album which was released in January of this year. The album consists of 12 songs and roughly is 40 minutes in length. Through Lifeless Eyes provides a few different types of metalcore throughout the album, like progressive and melodic. Also, in some parts, they completely go over the line into sounding deathcore. The variety they bring to the table within this album is something I really enjoy.

The fifth song is "Apophis" and it has a steady, and sometimes upbeat, pace. The song's instrumentals transition between being melodic, progressive, and guitar chuggy. It sometimes transitions from metalcore to deathcore, this can be heard the most near the end of the song. The vocals keep to the three main types of screams; high, mid, and low. The mid scream is used the most, the high scream is heard in well placed portions of the song, and the low screams are mainly heard near the end of the song. Overall, the transitions between different types of sounds and sometimes genres are well done, and if you had to listen to only one song from this album, this should be it.

"Destroyer of Worlds" is the ninth song and it has an upbeat, and mostly fast, pace. Instrumentally it sticks to guitar chugging and progressive sounds. Like the previous song, Through Lifeless Eyes transitions from metalcore to deathcore in some parts of the song, more heard in the beginning of the song. The same type of vocals are used in this song as they were in "Apophis" with the exception that Jon uses more low screams in this song. 

Monsters In Every Man is well worth the 'name your price' price tag with the variety it brings to the table with every song, and it having 12 songs alone is worth the purchase. This album is one of those good albums that may got unnoticed by the masses, and only a selected few who went out there way to find it will really enjoy it. Definitely give this album a listen and a purchase if you're into variety in your metalcore.

Score: 4/5

Pangaea releases new EP Unified

Pangaea, a melodic metalcore band from Wisconsin, released their debut EP Unified earlier today. I was given the chance to review the album prior its released and posted a review of it yesterday; which you should check out. The album is a mix of melodic metalcore and math metal, and it's name your price on their Bandcamp, so I suggest you checking it out and picking it up!

Pangaea - Unified [REVIEW]

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Genre(s): Melodic Metalcore/Math

Pangaea's debut release Unified is set to release on March 1, 2014. They sent me an early copy to review, and I am glad that they did. This album reminds me of an old All That Remains, but a bit more heavier and with more melodic and math influences. Unified has four songs and roughly 20 or so minutes worth of listening materials. As of this review, there is nowhere to pre-order the album, but more than likely will be up on their Facebook page on the day of release.

The third song is "Panoptas" and it's about three minutes long, the shortest song off of the EP. The pace of the song is upbeat, with the exception of some parts here and there that are less upbeat and slow. This song has a melodic influence throughout the entire song, and it reminds me of old school metalcore (prior to the popularity of guitar chugging). There are parts with some minor guitar chugging and small breakdowns. The vocals vary from high screams, mid screams, and clean singing. Mid screams are the most used scream and there are very, very good. They sound powerful and raw. The singing is well done as well, not high pitched sounding, and is also in only one portion of the song.

The following song is "Oneironaut" and it's a little over five minutes long. This song is upbeat but is a lot slower compared to the previous song. It is a lot more melodic than the other songs as well, which you can hear from the beginning of the song. There are parts with more riff-age, guitar chugging, and some small breakdowns here and there. There is also a guitar solo about midway through the song, and near the end of the song, it becomes more math-y sounding. Vocally, it sticks to the same as "Panoptas" did, but with more high screams and clean singing. Neither are overdone in the song, and there is a nice balance between the three types of vocals; high screams, mid screams, and clean singing.

Unified is a good and solid metalcore album with influences from math metal and melodic metal. The way Pangaea combines those three types of music is very well done. If you are into old school metalcore, melodic metalcore, metalcore with math metal influences, and so and so fourth, definitely check out this EP when it drops on March 1st!

Score: 4/5

Interview with Arrythmia!

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Genre(s): Technical/Melodic Metalcore

PSAB: What does the band name "Arrythmia" mean and where does it come from?

ATM: The word Arrhythmia is defined as an irregularity in ones heartbeat. Several years ago our guitar player Devin suggested it as a possible band name, explaining that it not only sounded cool, but was also reflective of our love for complicated rhythms and whatnot. We ended up taking out an H just to differentiate ourselves from other bands by the name.

PSAB: You recently played a show that was apart of the Winter Wasteland Tour, the show was with Aenimus, Aethere, and Apparitions to name a few. How was playing that show and with those bands?

ATM: Playing the show with Aethere, Aenimus, and Apparitions was an amazing opportunity as they are all AWEEESSSOMMMEEE bands and wonderful musicians. We've had the chance to play with Aenimus and Aethere before, but having Apparitions on the bill was even better! We've also gotten to be great friends with several of these bands, so getting together to play a show together as just a blast! Plus, tons of kids showed up, making it a great night.

 

PSAB: What is the local metal scene like in Rohnert Park, CA?

ATM: The local metal scene in Rohnert Park is pretty small, but once you start including cities like Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and even further south into Marin, the overall metal/hardcore presence in the area ends up being pretty big. Hopefully more bands will start coming out of Rohnert Park specifically in the future, but at the moment the local NorCal scene is quite awesome. Hopefully the overall scene will continue to grow as time goes on!

PSAB: What are your plans for this upcoming spring and summer? New music? Tour? Shows?

ATM: This spring we will be releasing our second EP, which will contain 5 new tracks. Hopefully we'll be able to release one of those songs as a single here in the next two weeks! In addition, we're planning on going on a little tour this summer as soon as we don't have to worry about school. So that's really exciting! Following that, we'll be writing and working on our next studio project!

PSAB: What bands did you listen to growing up and do those bands play an influence on your music now?

ATM: Musical influences usually depend among the band members, but as a band, we all pretty much agree that our biggest musical influences in songwriting have been bands like August Burns Red, Parkway Drive, and Periphery. Specifically for me, I think that my biggest songwriting influences have been Between the Buried and Me and Erra.

PSAB: Do you have any shout outs to give?

ATM: We would like to give a shout out to our friends in The Know Nothings, DAKOTA, and the many other fantastic local bands that we've played with and gotten to know! In addition, we want to say thank you to our loving parents, family, friends, and fans who have supported us and helped us continue doing what we love most!

We Still Have Paris - Heart & Scars [REVIEW]

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Genre(s): Metalcore

 

We Still Have Paris's debut single "Heart & Scars" is an upbeat metalcore song. The instrumentals are melodic sounding, more of old school kind of melodic. The typical guitar chugging metalcore sound is only heard near the middle of the song, but that is in place for the breakdown. Vocally, it sticks to low screams, high screams, and clean singing. The only thing that I think needs improvement are the high screams. In the middle of the song there is a part for the high screams, and they sound like he is putting too much strain on his throat and causes the scream to squeak out. Other than that, this is a solid song and I'd recommend if you're into metalcore, melodic metalcore, and old school metalcore.

 

Score: 3.5/5

Interview with The Alchemyst!

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Genre(s): Experimental / Melodic Metalcore

PSAB: Why did you guys choose the name "The Alchemyst" for your band name?

TA: We went through a huge list of names that just weren't cutting it for us. We were almost called "Ossis" which has some meaning in Greek mythology, But simply enough it comes from the fact that we have many different genre influences in the band, like we were the ones doing alchemy with metal, through genre blending.

PSAB: Your EP Double Tap released in October of 2013. How was the feedback for that EP upon release, and do you still receive feedback now?

TA: Initially it did great. We had a lot of feedback and the shows soon following the release were so fucking intense, The whole crowd in a packed venue singing along to the chorus is just one awesome feeling, we're still seeing many people come back to us with great feedback. The biggest thing we've heard is everyone wants physical copies, so we're looking into our options there.

PSAB: You use a lot of different genres in your music; death metal, pop-punk, blues, hardcore, etc. Why do you use so many different genres in your music instead of using genres that are usually coupled together?

TA: The reason we use so many genres in the band, is that is what makes us, well us. Our drummer Wil comes from a Hardcore background, Mike our rhythm guitar comes from a metalcore/punk background. Kenny our lead, is a grunge kid who loves melodic metal,and really anything, He's like a tall hippy sometimes haha. Our original bassist Jon came from a thrash metal background. Our bassist now "Porkchop" likes literally everything. And for myself (Cody) I come from a death metal background, our influences as a whole have definitely grown and we all mesh up, but we still definitely do a lot of experimentation. I think that's what gives us an edge over many bands, we have a popular sound but, we still maintain our signature.

PSAB: Since you use many different genres in your music, what bands from those genres played an influence in your music?

TA: As far as genres there are so many bands I could name that influence us, or individual members. I'll start and say mutual influences: Everyone loves After the Burial,Upon a Burning Body, Becoming the Archetype,Blink-182, Sum 41, Periphery... Kenny has a huge influence with Darkest Hour, Suicide Silence, Nirvana, Eminem.. a few others I can't think of off the top of my head. Mike loves DH as well, Nirvana, AFI, Old As I Lay Dying, Johnny Cash, Breakdown of Sanity, Wil is really into Gwen Stacy, Attila, a lot of Ska that I can't even come to think of at this moment. Porkchop has so many influences I think he is just influenced on Music itself. For myself, Chimaira has a huge part in my soul, and is the reason I even do vocals. The Black Dahlia Murder, Acid Bath, Lamb of God, Johnny Cash, Aesop Rock, Deftones, The Cramps, Dead Kennedys, I mean the list could really go on for days!

PSAB: If you could be signed to any record label, which label would that be and why?

TA: I think for me personally, I'd love to be on Solid State Records, I'm not really religious, and neither is most of the band but we have a few friends on the label that we respect and care about like older bros. Not to mention a lot of kick ass bands. But, I think Sumerian would be another cool one considering most of the mutual bands we all listen to are on the label, or maybe Famined Records, who doesn't wanna be a label with Arbiter ;)

PSAB: Do you have any shout outs to give to the readers out there?

TA: Faith in Fallacy, WHATUP!?! To our fans actually reading this. New shit is coming SOON! All other metalheads. Check us out, spam us, ask us questions, we don't care!

Kill The Innocent - Black Widow [REVIEW]

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Genre(s): Death Metal / Melodic Metalcore

Kill The Innocent's single "Black Widow" combines elements of death metal and metalcore. If I had to put it into one genre, it would be old school metalcore. It reminds of how metalcore use to sound, before the "era of guitar chugging." This single has a very good pace, it is has really good flow from each part of the song to the next. There is some groove and melodic elements you can hear, which I believe, adds to the flow of the song. Instrumentally, it sticks to a melodic sound with very minor guitar chugging parts. The vocals stick to low, mid, and high screams. All the screams are well done and all work well in the parts they are in. 

If you're into old school metalcore, or bands like Killswitch Engage, maybe old Trivium, old Unearth, etc. You will probably like Kill The Innocent and this song. But if you don't like those bands but are a fan of melodic metalcore, you should also check out this song.

Score: 4/5