Miss May I Tread Familiar Ground On New Album

Ohio’s Miss May I have been a favorite of the metalcore genre since their 2009 debut Apologies Are for the Weak. After touring with such heavy weights as The Devil Wears Prada and a run on the Vans Warped Tour, Miss May I have moved closer to the forefront of the genre. With all that being said, the impending release of their newest album At Heart had the eyes of many on this band. Would this new album propel them over so many copy cat bands and to the front of the pack? Well, let’s look at the new album and see what it has to offer.

Vocalist Levi Benton and the boys start off with a short instrumental that also doubles as the title track, but track two is where we really want to turn up the volume. The song is called “Hey Mister” and it’s the lead-off single. By now, I am sure many are familiar with it. There’s a pretty good riff that weaves it way throughout the song, buzzing along and weaving in and out. The chorus features a mix of clean vocals, provided again by bassist Ryan Neff, and Levi’s screams. It’s not a bad choice for a lead-off single and it’s worthy enough of getting the listener’s attention.

“Opening Wounds”, in my opinion, is a stronger overall song both musically and lyrically. I think this song would be an excellent choice as the album’s second single. “Ballad of a Broken Man” is also a good track with some nice riffs and a good hook and it kicks some pretty major ass. Don’t worry; there are definitely plenty of breakdowns on the album for all of those who haven’t grown tired of them.

The rest of the album will certainly appeal to the die-hards of the band and maybe even some of the non die-hards because it sounds a lot like what they have been doing. I don’t mean that to come across as a slam, but you are getting what you expect from these guys and to some fans, that’s a good thing. I just don’t think that they have broken any new ground on this new album. They haven’t raised the bar, yet they haven’t lowered it either.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s a bad album, yet it’s not an amazing album either. Levi’s vocals are pretty consistent with what he has been doing, but in a genre that is becoming almost over-saturated, you have to stand out and not just blend in. He’s solid in his delivery and he is good at what he does, but on a lot of songs there was nothing there that made me go “Wow!”  As for the rest of the band, they put in a solid performance. Lead guitarist Justin Aufdemkampe is really good and he really did shine on several tracks, as did rhythm guitarist B.J. Stead. The rhythm section of Jerob Boyd on drums and Ryan Neff on bass are as solid as they come and they definitely can hold a song together when it may falter in other areas.

I guess I was just looking for more originality, something to make these talented guys stand out from the sea of similar bands. I’m not sure if the changing of producers from Joey Sturgis to Machine was the right thing to do. If these guys are going to want to run the marathon and not just sprint, then they need to stand out in some way from these other bands. The talent is there and maybe they just need to find their metal core Yoda to guide them to that next level

August Burns Red Unleashes Leveler On The World

August Burns Red made a giant leap to the forefront of their metal core genre with their 2009 release Constellations. That album opened a lot of doors for the band and literally took them places that they had never been before. Two years and countless dates out on the road later and it’s 2011 and the guys are preparing to release the follow-up to that landmark album.

Vocalist Jake Luhrs and the guys could have chosen the safe route and recreated the magic that happened with Constellations, but that just wouldn’t be the August Burns Red that we have come to love. They have pushed the envelope and created another soon to be epic release entitled Leveler.

“Empire” kicks off the new album with an intensity that long time fans of August Burns Red will love. The dueling guitar work of JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler is stellar on this track. Wait, don’t get too comfortable with that because the next track, “Internal Cannon”, is about to take you on an adventure. This is definitely one in which the proverbial envelope is being pushed. Midway through the song, there is a salsa inspired breakdown that will have you shaking your head and wondering if what you just heard actually happened. This is one of the cooler and more original tracks on the album, but it may not be for everyone.

“Carpe Diem” is also a very interesting track, especially surrounding the slide guitar work. “Pangaea” is another great track that shows how Jake is really pushing himself with his screams. It’s one thing to just go out and scream every single word, but when you can do it and put feeling and emotion behind it, then you’re touching on something pretty special. I say hats off to Jake and to producer Jason Suecof for the progression that has been made in that area.

August Burns Red had tried a lot of new things on this album as well as expanding on others. The incorporation of more “gang singing” is a plus as well as using bassist Dustin Davidson more on backing vocals. There are fewer breakdowns on this album as opposed to what we heard on Constellations and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The album, even with all of the changes and experimentation, seems to be a bit heavier to me. It is a bit more reminiscent of the Messengers release in that aspect.

I think the band made a great choice in using producer Jason Suecof again. He is not the type of producer that is going to sit back and watch a bunch of talented guys just go through the motions. He challenges them and pushes them to be better. A major tip of the hat needs to go to drummer Matt Greiner for some of the most intense and chest rattling drumming that he has ever done in this band. I am not sure what motivated or inspired him, but his game on this album was stepped up quite a few notches. Principal songwriter and guitarist JB Brubaker also gets major props for not only his guitar work, but especially the songwriting on here as well.

You have to respect a band like August Burns Red who continually want to push the envelope and grow as a band. There are quite a few new things on this album that, hopefully, the fans will like. It may not be for everyone, but yet I don’t think the hardcore fans will feel alienated. The band will be on the main stage for the entire Vans Warped Tour this summer, so go check them out when they hit your city.

August Burns Red's Guitarist Talks About Their New Album

Following up a breakthrough album is tough to do. August Burns Red was launched to the forefront of the metal core scene with their 2009 album Constellations. They seemed poised to follow it up with an album just as strong, if not even stronger. Mark your calendars and prepare to have your senses assaulted. August Burns Red is about to unleash their latest assault on the world of metal core on June 21 entitled Leveler.

I was lucky enough to catch up with guitarist and principle songwriter JB Brubaker and talk to him about the new album.

JP: Hey JB, thanks for taking the time from your busy schedule to talk to us. We want to tell your fans about your new CD Leveler that comes out June 21. Can you give us a sneak peek? Tell us about it.

JB Brubaker: Leveler is our most diverse album to date. We incorporated some new sounds into the sound you’ve come to expect from us. This includes some gang singing, slide guitar, wah effects, way more backing vocals from our bass player Dustin, expanded clean guitar sections, full blown guitar solos, etc. While we’ve incorporated a lot of new elements, the songs are still heavy and fast. We have plenty of odd time signature breakdowns and crazy drum parts. I think Matt did a phenomenal job drumming on Leveler; his best performance to date, in my opinion.

JP: Your last album Constellations really seemed to push you guys to a new level of popularity. Did you feel any pressure going into recording the album because of this?

Brubaker: Not anymore than usual. We always push ourselves as a band to make an album better than our previous releases and that goal remained the same while we wrote Leveler. We wanted to write an album that pushed the genre a bit and broke some of the general ‘rules of metal core’ and I feel like we succeeded in doing that.

JP: Constellations……Leveler…..Compare and contrast the two albums.

Brubaker: Constellations is less diverse than Leveler. We introduced some new elements to ABR’s sound on Constellations (clean guitar, solos, more melody, etc.) and on Leveler we took some of the new things we tried on Constellations and ran with them. Leveler, while having maybe less overall breakdowns than Constellations, does a better job using dynamics. For that reason I think that Leveler is heavier than Constellations. I also think the song writing is much better. That’s simply a result of practicing and growing up.

JP: You worked with producer Jason Suecof again, who also produced your Constellations album. Why did you choose him again?

Brubaker: We knew Jason would make our album sound awesome sonically and we knew he would have lots of good ideas and tweaks to take the songs to better places. We get along with Jason and he’s pretty much a musical genius so it wasn’t a hard decision to make.

JP: Are there any surprises on the new album….banjo, bagpipes…that might shock the fans? Did you push the envelope any?

Brubaker: Yes, we pushed the envelope a good amount as far as traditional metal core goes. There aren’t any banjos or bagpipes, but there are plenty of random percussion sounds we’ve never used before as well as some sounds that aren’t close to what we’ve ever done before stylistically. I think people who have been hoping we’d push the envelope a bit on this record will be quite pleased upon hearing the entire album.

JP: Is there a particular track that you might be extra proud of or one that really stands out?

Brubaker: I’m most proud of the song ‘Internal Cannon’, it is possibly the most diverse and different song on the album. There are some parts in it that are really going to surprise people the first time they hear it. There’s a big section that has some tasty Mexican flavor complete with a huge saucy solo. It’s a fun positive song that is a real rollercoaster. I love it and can’t wait to play it live.

JP: We have seen a video for ‘Empire’ and your Facebook page mentioned that you have shot one for ‘Internal Cannon’ and the album isn’t even out yet. That’s a pretty aggressive marketing approach. Is that the label’s doing or you guys or a combo of both?

Brubaker: Well the “video” for ‘Empire’ is just basically the song streaming on YouTube with the lyrics so people can read along with the song. We did shoot one for ‘Internal Cannon’. We’re hoping to have it ready to go around the same time the album hits. We just want to have lots of content ready to rock when Leveler comes out. The label and the band are very much in tune with the approach we want to take in terms of marketing. We just want to make sure everyone knows about the album. We want people to be excited for it.

JP: You guys are going out on the Warped Tour this year. Are you doing the entire tour?

Brubaker: Yes, we’ll be doing the entire tour on the main stage. This is our first time doing the whole thing and we’re psyched! We did two weeks in 2008 and it was so much fun we didn’t want to come home. We are honored to share the stage with some awesome bands and some close friends. We all have high hopes for the tour and I think we couldn’t be luckier to have a new album coming out right as the tour starts.

JP: I have seen in the press that sometimes you guys get double categorized as a ‘metal core’ band and also as a ‘Christian rock’ band. Does that ever present a problem with having to feel like you have to represent both?

Brubaker: Well we obviously aren’t a rock band. Whoever says that is misinformed, ha-ha. I don’t feel like we have to represent both. We’ve always just done our thing. We don’t analyze the Christian vs. Secular thing. We’re here to play good music and that’s always been our goal.

JP: That leads into this question. You were nominated last year for Best Rock Album ay the Dove Awards. How was it to get recognized for the work that you created?

Brubaker: It was a nomination and I’m not sure who we lost to, but it really doesn’t matter. It was nice to be nominated. I think it’d be a lot more exciting to be nominated for a Grammy. The Dove Awards are cool, but it’s just limited to Christian music and it’d be a little more special to get nominated for an award that isn’t limited to a religion.

JP: Last question: Do you have a message that you would like to send to all of your great fans out there?

Brubaker: Thank you for the years of continued support. We can’t wait to get Leveler into everyone’s hands. It’s my favorite record we’ve ever written and I hope you feel the same.

Darkest Hour Returns To Form

Washington, D.C.’s Darkest Hour is back with a newfound focus determined on bringing them back to the forefront of the metal core scene. They just released their new CD entitled “The Human Romance” and it’s a more defined sound that their fans will be very happy with.

The band has definitely seen their share of personnel changes over their 15 years together. 2007 saw the release of “Deliver Us”, which was deemed a defining moment in the bands’ career by many of their fans, both old and new. Shortly after came the sudden departure of longtime guitarist Kris Norris. He was replaced by Michael Carrigan who was an asset to their live show, but came up a little short while meshing into a cohesive unit in the studios. Their 2009 release, “Eternal Return”, left many fans a little disappointed. That release seemed to be a step back from “Deliver Us” and did not bode well with many fans. Since then, they left their longtime home of Victory Records and have signed with eOne Music. It seems as if they are hungry on this new CD and have come out of the gates with guns blazing. “The Human Romance” is a return to their defining sound that put them way
ahead of many in the same category.

John Henry’s vocals are semi-clean on this CD, but still capture that intensity that fans expect out of him. Songs such as “Love as a Weapon” show the band in top form with dueling Mikes, Carrigan and Schleibaum, assaulting the listener’s ears with blazing guitar licks. This song, in my opinion, is definitely the standout cut on the CD. The guys are just as aggressive as ever on tracks such as “Violent by Nature” and “Your Every Day Disaster”.

Overall, fans will be pleased with this return to form CD. Darkest Hour proves that after all these years together, that they are not a one trick pony. The epic instrumental “Terra Solaris”, one of two on the CD, is proof of just how great the musicianship of these guys truly is. While some tracks may be a little more melodic than others, overall it still unloads its fury with such tenacity that it will certainly melt your faces when cranked to capacity.

http://www.barebonesmusic.com/barebonesmusic/Reviews/Entries/2011/3/2_DARKEST_HOURThe_Human_Romance.html

Ashes Of Erin Scorches The Arizona Desert

The sun in Arizona is known to be smoldering hot and not much can grow in its desert like conditions, until now. Ashes of Erin, a group a five separately influenced individuals with a common motive: to create a sound unlike anything they had ever heard before. The band consists of Jenna Slate on lead vocals, Bryan Diehl on guitar, Josh Rafferty on guitar, Drew Alnas on bass and vocals and Andy Schroeder on drums. The band was named after a friend of theirs named Erin who was a huge supporter of their local scene early on. She died of cancer in 2007 and her husband suggested to Bryan, as they were spreading her ashes out in California, that they should name the band after her. They all agreed that it would be a great way to honor her for her support.

Ashes Of Erin began forming back in the summer of 2007. Josh and Bryan were in a band together and decided to leave to start forming their own band. Drew and Josh had been friends for a very long time and had even played together in another band. The guys saw Jenna performing with a friends band and asked her to come down and audition. She then proceeded to belt out the heaviest of all the songs that the band had and they knew then that they had found their new lead singer. They found their solid foundation in November of 2008 when Andy answered an ad that he saw on My Space.

I spoke with Jenna and Bryan to learn more about the group and how they got to where they are now. "The recording of this Cd was a nightmare....Ha ha! Seriously though, we started recording the album with some of our old members. It was almost finished by the time that Andy joined the group, but we decided that the sound had changed drastically just from him joining. So, we thought that it would be best to scrap that recording entirely and start over. we re-recorded everything at the beginning of 2009. Those sessions were a lot of fun though. Byron, who recorded the album, was a blast to work with and we worked very hard with him to achieve the sound we wanted on the album."

The five members of the band bring a very diverse mixture of styles and influences, from the Human waste Project to eighties rock to death metal, that mesh together to help form a unique twist to the common metal core style. Jenna's vocals run the gauntlet from gut wrenching growls to a very melodic vocal styling. One moment she sings to steal your heart away and the next she's screaming like she's going to rip it out of your chest! The band's music style also crosses back and forth across the "typical" metal core stylings. The band mixes aggressive, fast paced lines with slower, more melodic ones, henceforth creating a style that is very unique to this growing style.

Their CD entitled "This Somber Eve" is an assault on the ears of mind. The opening title track is an instrumental that kicks the door down at the end and explodes into the song "I". Jenna vocals run all over the board her ands sets the pace to let the listener know to expect the unexpected.Other standout cuts include "Abnormal Drifter", "One Pill Kill" and my favorite "Denounce The Air", which I think is Jenna's stellar vocal performance. "'Distorted Revelation' is probably our most "radio-friendly" song we have on the album. It is my favorite because of the meaning behind the lyrics. Most of my lyrics are fictional stories but this one was based off a traumatic event that happened to me so I think I'm more emotional when I sing it," stated Jenna.

"I think Distorted stands out a bit from the rest because of it's mainstream sound. But my personal favorite is probably Dead Fish. That one is just so brutal and fun to play," responded Bryan.

The musicianship in the band is also top notch. Bryan and Josh definitely trade off some intense guitar licks. In the meantime, the back beat propelled by the rhythm duo of Drew and Andy help to maintain that driving aggressive attitude that is expected from this band.

As my last question, I always ask the bands that I interview what CD they would want with them if they were trapped on desert island. Jenna replied with, "It would be 'E-lux' by the Human Waste Project. Seriously, one of the best Cd's that I have ever heard. I totally wish they were still around."

Bryan said, "That's a tough one! I think I'd have to take a Pink Floyd album, maybe 'The Wall', since it's a double disc."

"This Somber Eve" is a CD that will certainly appeal to lovers of the metal core style of music, but it is also diverse enough to cross over that line to appeal to fans of other stylings of new rock. It is fast, furious and in your face metal. Be prepared when you push play...it will grab you by your neck and demand your attention through it's entirety. It is most definitely a workout of epic proportions on your senses.

Agonist Singer Stands For Her Beliefs

Mama always told me never to judge a book by it's cover and man is that so true. I first saw pictures of Alissa White-Gluz in Revolver's Hottest Chicks In Metal. I have to admit that she is a very striking woman. A pure natural beauty, whose hair is a wild combo of purple and blue. So, I decided to check them out. I picked up their first Cd entitled "Only Once Imagined" and popped it in my player and was shocked. I knew they were a metal core band but it was Alissa's vocals that caught me by surprise. She has the amazing ability to go from a growling type of screaming to singing in this very melodic tone.

I saw them a while back at Volume 11 in Raleigh,NC and shortly after go ta chance to talk with Alissa.

JP- "Hi Alissa, let me start by thanking you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me."

Alissa- "No problem! We have been very busy on the road touring to promote our latest CD 'Lullabies For The Dormant Mind'."

JP- "I'm curious as to when you first decided that this was what you wanted to do with your life, take off on the rock and roll journey?"

Alissa- "In 2003 I was in my first band called Dream Theater. We were a progressive metal band. I always performed in school programs and plays."

JP- "Now, I saw where the band was first called Tempest and then changed its name to The Agonist. How did that come about?"

Alissa- "We were called Tempest until Simon joined. That's when we found out that there was another band with the same name. There were some legal problems, so we decided to change our name to The Agonist. I really didn't think the old name fit us very well. This one is more appropriate."

JP- "Your vocal styling is very amazing. I was blown away when I saw all that power and emotion coming out of such a small person. I can't get over how you go from growling to singing very melodically. How do you accomplish such a feat?"

Alissa- "Well, thank you. I have to take care of my voice to make sure that I don't strain it. I have to watch how much I use it before a show and I even have to watch what I eat."

JP- "You are such a creative person that I am sure you must have a wide range of influences?"

Alissa- I am actually inspired for songs from painting. I love Salvador Dali. I am also inspired by Gwen Stafani, Poe, Freddie Mercury and Andrew Lloyd Webber. I also love Angela Gossow, who I know, of Arch Enemy. I think she is just amazing."

JP- "The lyrics that you write are not typical in this day and age. Your lyrics do have somewhat of a serious tone to them. You have very strong beliefs that you express through them."

Alissa- "That's true, my lyrics are a mixture of things, but mostly I write about what I believe in. This is entertainment and it's art. I know that people who listen to our songs may not share my beliefs but I would still want them to listen to what I have to say. If they don't share my beliefs they can still enjoy our music. I don't try to shove it down their throats or anything. I just want to share a different look on things."

JP- "So, what are your best and worst road stories?"

Alissa- "I have so many great road stories, not many bad ones. We just get to meet so many amazing people out on the road. we crash at alot of peoples houses while we are touring. We actually got to crash at Bam Margera's house not too long ago. We found out that he is a huge fan of the band. That was very cool."

JP- "Do you have any guilty pleasures , if printable, that may surprise your fans?"

Alissa- "I love Vegan ice cream, I could eat a whole tub of it. There is this cappuccino flavor that I just love"

JP- "On your new CD, at the beginning of '....And Their Eulogies Sang Me To Sleep', it sounds like a vocal slip. Was that a blooper or what?"

Alissa- "That is so funny, you are actually the first person who has asked me about that. Our producer Christian Donaldson likes to keep all of the tape of my exercising my vocals and all the bloopers that may come along. When he's mixing the finished product, he likes to sneak those slip-ups in and see if anyone catches them. I actually liked that one and we left it in."

JP- "One last question, if you were trapped on a desert island and could have only one store bought CD, what would you want there with you?"

Alissa- "Wow, I would probably want to have something by Arch Enemy or 'The End Is Begun" by 3."

The Agonist is definitely a standout in the growing genre of metal core. Musically, they are a tight unit. Lyrically, I challenge you to find a band who has more to say in their lyrics. You can check them out at www.myspace.com/theagonist.