In This Moment Promises There Will Be Blood

He, who learns to welcome misfortune, learns that adversity is the prosperity of the great. This saying definitely applies to Maria Brink and Chris Howorth of In This Moment. They have had many ups and downs since the band’s formation back in 2005. They’ve had almost as many bass players as Spinal Tap had drummers. Last year, their metal saga suffered yet another blow all thanks to American Idol of all things. Yet, through it all, Brink and Howorth kept marching along and not allowing any distractions to capture their Iron Army flag.

The band lost two key members in drummer Jeff Fabb and guitarist Blake Bunzel last year, forcing them to stop and refocus. That loss came just a couple of months before they were supposed to enter the studio to begin on a new album. It ignited something in the duo and awoke a creative beast hungry for redemption. The result is the band’s fourth studio in five years entitled Blood.

The album kicks off with a short song entitled “Rise with Me” which has been serving as the introduction to their live show. It sounds like an intro to a fantasy or futuristic movie and serves as a great kickoff to what is in store. That song leads into the title track and the album’s first single “Blood”. Upon first listen, it’s hard not to notice new elements incorporated into the sound of In This moment that we have grown accustomed to. The first name that comes to mind would be Nine Inch Nails and possibly even Fear Factory. It’s the sound we expect from the band, but with a dose of steroids.

“Adrenalize” has an underlying groove that grabs you at the beginning and grinds its way throughout the entire song. The guitars have a heavy sound to them that’s brings to mind early Pantera. “You’re Gonna’ Listen”, which has already received some play on satellite radio, is a kick ass number with a guitar solo guaranteed to melt your face. This song definitely has a little bit of a Deftones feel to it.

One of the standout tracks on the album has to be “Whore”. The band really explores outside of the box on this with results that are going surprise many. The first time that I heard the song, I couldn’t help but to think of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” when I heard the guitar intro. This is a hot number that combines some newly added electronic elements to their sound with a catchy guitar riff that hooks you in. Maria’s vocal delivery ranges from the sweet and innocent lines of “I can be your everything” to the anger that flows when she screams “you’ll love me for everything you hate me for”. “Whore” is a powerful song on both a musical level as well as a lyrical one.

“Burn” is another powerhouse number and is one of many different layers. As the song progresses, it just seems to keep growing and the more you cut into it, the deeper it gets. It starts out with a layer of piano with some electronic sprinkled on top that gives it a very alluring feeling. Then, as you sink your teeth into that layer, the drums and guitars come crashing in and take it in a totally different direction.        

“Scarlet” is another venture off the traditional In This moment path with very favorable results. It’s a song of forbidden love between two people who have shared so much, yet as Maria sings, “you know how this will end.” It also has a nasty bass line that thumps along almost like the heartbeat of the two lovers in the song. Throw in a wicked little guitar solo and you have the makings of one killer song that could easily get major radio airplay.

“From the Ashes” is a track that sounds new and fresh, yet familiar at the same time. I think it incorporates elements of the first album that will make quite a few fans happy.  “Beast Within” is another one of those songs on here that has a funky under groove to it that is infectious and burrows its way into your head. When Maria mentioned that the new album was sexy and alluring, she wasn’t wrong.

“Comanche” is a song that manages not only to kick some major ass, but it’s also a lot of fun. It kicks off with a nasty bassline and Maria experiments with a bit of a different vocal technique at times that’s pretty cool too. The drumline going through it has a tribal feel to it also. The album closes with a haunting, yet beautiful song called “11:11” and it’s an all vocal song by Maria. When it’s your time to go, can you say that you have lived and loved?

Overall, this album is pretty amazing and it will bring some new listeners into the fold and it may even turn some away who cannot get into the industrial/electronic elements that have been added. Bands have to grow and evolve in order to stay ahead in the industry today and especially if they want to have any legs and be around for a while. I love the new elements that they have added to their sound. At times, it’s not as heavy as their last album and that heaviness has been replaced by a dark and alluring sound that is somewhat sexy at times. I also have to give props to Chris Howorth. He’s never been a slouch when it comes to his playing, but the fire that he and Maria speak of runs all the way through this man’s fingertips. He is playing like a beast on this album. It’s not all in the shredding, which will definitely melt your face, but he’s also a master of some of the simpler chords which adds so much to a song.

It is a rebirth as Maria has stated before and it may take more than one listen to fully appreciate and grasp what the band is doing. The core of Chris Howorth and Maria Brink are not going to let anything get in their way of taking their dream to the next level. This is a new and improved version of their dream and they continue to lead their Iron Army along the journey.

Whitechapel Bring The Brutality On New Album

Whitechapel burst onto the deathcore scene back in 2007 with their debut album The Somatic Defilement. It didn’t take Phil Bozeman and the guys long to leap to the front of that genre. These guys are road warriors and have played everything from The Summer Slaughter Tour to the Rockstar Mayhem Festival and the Vans Warped Tour. 2010 was a big year as their album A New Era of Corruption had a strong debut at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. They teased their fans last year with the release of their Recorrupted EP as they worked on their new album.

That brings us to this month, which saw the much anticipated release of their new self-titled album. It’s their fourth full length album in five years and it’s sure to turn a few heads with both new fans and old ones. Producer Mark Lewis (Deicide/Devildriver) seems to have taken different elements from their previous albums and combined them to push the band in a different direction. Wait, don’t get too upset. I know that you may have heard of the guys adding a piano to a couple of songs, but this is still the dark, depressing and brutal Whitechapel that you have all grown to love.

The album opens with a shocker of an intro to the song “Make It Bleed” as a piano slowly begins this track. Wait, don’t be too alarmed, but there’s also an acoustic guitar on here too. Well, that’s definitely something new and thinking outside the proverbial box, but don’t fret because it doesn’t take long into the song that you realize this is definitely Whitechapel. The three guitar attack of Alex Wade, Ben Savage and Zach Householder quickly refresh your memory as to what you love the brutality that this band brings to the table.

Speaking of brutality, strap yourself for the second track entitled “Hate Creation”. This song takes off at mach speed and doesn’t let until it’s over. I think it’s one of the better tracks on the album. The band is not known for having “catchy” songs with memorable hooks that have you singing along with just one listen, yet this song will leave a mark on you after you hear it for the first time.

“(Cult)uralist” is a crushing song that combines one of the better vocal deliveries by Bozeman with some insane riffage from the guys. “I, Dementia” has an interesting intro that the band branches out to try. There’s even some electronics found on this track, but don’t worry. It’s just a little something added to the song and it works, but don’t freak out and expect a huge departure for this guys. I, for one, think it’s great that they like to experiment. “Section 8” is included on here and it’s a song that many of us should be familiar with as it was the lone new track on their EP Recorrupted that was released late last year.

Don’t be afraid, but the song “Devoid” also has a piano intro! The song is a three minute instrumental journey that really showcases that these guys can be diverse in their delivery. This song may actually be the slowest that they have ever played. 

an>It’s not a full frontal lobe assault with this one. It chugs along at a slower pace and not quite as brutal.

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

Spineshank Return With A Strong New Album

Who out there remembers Spineshank? You know, they burst onto the scene back in 1998 with their debut album Strictly Business, which was heavily influenced by Fear Factory. The song “Stain” even includes a vocal performance by Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell. They followed that album up with The Height of Callousness in 2000 and even performed on Ozzfest 2001. This album saw the band firing on all cylinders as it was praised by fans and critics. After their Self-Destructive Pattern album was released in 2003, things took a turn for the worse.

Lead singer Jonny Santos parted with the band in 2004 because of the over-used, but in this case very appropriate, term “musical differences”. A new vocalist entered, but things didn’t click. 2008 was a pivotal year as the band not only officially broke up, but later that year they got back together with vocalist Jonny Santos and worked out their differences. That brings us up to 2012 and the band is now signed with Century Media Records and their first album with them entitled Anger Denial Acceptance has just been released.

If you are new to the world of Spineshank, then this is a good point to jump on board. If you are a longtime fan of the band, this new album may just surprise you. The band has a new sense of direction and they are more aggressive than ever on this release. The opening track “After the End” certainly sets the tone for what’s ahead on this album. Santos lets out a roar and Tom Decker starts bashing on the skins and the ride officially begins. Santos sounds great on here with his mixed bag of vocal styles. Mike Sarkisyan starts laying down some might tasty riffs with Robert Garcia laying down a mean bass line that wraps it all together.

Garcia is front and center and laying down a killer bass line on “Nothing Left for Me”, which definitely starts off in a more melodic direction. The chorus has Santos mixing up clean vocals with his growling alter vocal ego.  This track isn’t as aggressive, but it shows the band has more layers to them than first believed to. The title track presses the gas all the way to the floor and it’s a full-on thrash fest. Well, that is until the chorus becomes melodic and eases up a bit on the throttle. Decker is a beast on this one as he beats the skins like they owe him money.

“Murder – Suicide” is another great track and it contains some killer and unique riffs. This song has many layers to it as it bounces around different tempos and melodies. This one should be a favorite if included in the live show as it will get a moshpit going in no time. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. “God Complex (anger)” is reminiscent of old school Anthrax. It’s full on aggression with the end of the song being a complete change of pace and direction from the first half.

The album closes with the song “Exit Wound” and will catch many off guard. A song that’s mainly acoustic and piano with its chorus kicking in some thunder as Sarkisyan crashes in on guitar. I can see where this track may turn fans of the heavier stuff off, but I commend the band on thinking outside of the box and showing some diversity on this track.

Overall, this is a really good album from the guys. It’s a bit raw at times and definitely a lot more aggressive than in the past. For older fans, the guys still incorporate the use of electronics, but they seem to do so more sparingly. They pick and choose the spots to add them in and when they do so, it definitely benefits the song without becoming overkill. They have a new label, a new album, a new hunger and a new direction for these guys after being quiet for too long.

Carolina Rebellion 2012 Halestorm Interview

Halestorm seem to have the midas touch right now. Their second studio album The Strange Case Of came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. It’s their highest debut so far in their career and biggest first week sales also and they just hit #1 with their single “Love Bites (So Do I)”. The album has been receiving praise from both fans and critics alike. They were on board to play the 2^nd annual Carolina Rebellion on May 5 in Rockingham, North Carolina. We caught up with Lzzy and the guys backstage after their set and got to talk for a few minutes.

Music Is My Drug Of Choice: Hey guys, thanks for giving us a few minutes back here. It’s almost as crazy back here as it is out there! What a crazy couple of weeks it’s been for you guys. Let’s talk a little bit about your new baby that you created. The Strange Case Of had a huge first week, you all must have been ecstatic?

Halestorm: We weren’t really sure what to expect. We had a great time making it and we’re so proud of it, so no matter what it does, it’s awesome in our minds. It’s our first time with a second record, so we didn’t know what would happen. To hear the finished product is awesome adnto be out here now and playing it for everyone is pretty awesome. We’re having a blast playing the new songs for everyone.

MIMDOC: I wanted to ask you if you have any say so in what time you play? It seems that you always play very early in the day. The same thing goes with this year’s Rock on the range. You play a very early set and a lot of people look at it and wonder why you’re not playing later in the day. Is there a method to the madness?

Halestorm: It really depends on the overall lineup and what else we may have going on that day. We just show up and play. If there is a method, nobody’s told me yet! (laughs)

MIMDOC: Your set list today was very heavy with songs from the new album. How hard is it to pick a set list on a show like this? Do you guys argue over what to play?

Halestorm: (laughs) We’ve got it down pretty good depending on the time slot and how much time’s available. We’ve been primarily a live band for what seems like forever. That’s where we live and that’s what we love to do, so we pick a set list and then we watch it. We see how things rise and fall with the crowd and then we tweak it along the way to make it better.

MIMDOC: Can I ask you about “Break In”? It is by far my favorite song on the album and like nothing you have done up to this point. It’s a beautiful and powerful song that seems very authentic in its delivery. Are you drawing from personal experience on this one?

(Lzzy): There are the select few people in my life  that I have let literally break into my heart and helped me be ok with just letting it all hang out whether it be on stage as a love song to the  fans or whether it be my guys. They literally told me to write whatever I feel on this record and not feel like I had to represent anything or one of them. When they tell me that, then of course, the flood gates open. Yeah, it’s a very personal song for me. It’s basically about the people very close to my life and it’s us against the world and thanks for letting me be me.

MIMDOC: It’s a beautiful song and I commend you for opening up and being so honest about yourself. It’s a very powerful song.

(Lzzy): Aw, thank you so much. I appreciate that a lot.

MIMDOC: I am being given the cue too wrap it up, so I guess we have time for one more question. “Private Parts” with James Michael on the deluxe edition; it’s another powerful song. How did that one come about?

Halestorm: Well, first off we love to write together. So, I ended up going to Nashville and I spent like five days with the guy and every time that we would try to get something done, he would be like why don’t we go out for a beer? We would go out and come back and get ready to work and then he would ask us if we were hungry. So, when it came to be the very last day, we were flying out the next day and we were like maybe we should try and finish this song. I had the concept for the song for a while and I wanted to write a song called “Private Parts”, but it could be a song that a mother could love. You know what I mean? So, he had this amazing idea to make it a duet and at the end of the day I told him dude, you have to do this on my record.  We racked our brains as to who we could get to sing it and we all just knew it had to be James. There you have it!

MIMDOC: Awesome! It’s another one of the stand out tracks on the album. Well, it looks like we are being motioned to wrap it up. You guys are in high demand back here, so I thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Congrats again on all the success that’s coming to you because it’s truly deserved. If you are reading this and you haven’t picked up Halestorm’s new album The Strange Case Of, what the heck are you waiting on? Go get it and crank it loud!

Carolina Rebellion 2012 Interview With Korn's Ray Luzier

Korn has been on the music scene for almost twenty years. There are a lot of bands who emerged with them in the early 90s who have fallen by the wayside. Korn’s popularity did falter a bit, but the last two years has seen resurgence in popularity. They second on the bill at this year’s Carolina Rebellion and we caught up to drummer Ray Luzier before their set.

Music Is My Drug Of Choice: Hey Ray, I appreciate you taking the time to sit down and talk with us on this crazy day. Let’s jump right into the questions because I know your set is coming up soon. The band seems to have caught its second wind in popularity in the last few years. I know you’ve only been in the band for five years, but you’ve probably noticed a difference in the crowds.

Korn:  It’s really cool to see a lot of younger kids showing up at the shows. Yeah, I’ve been with the guys for five years and the attendance has always been pretty decent but in the last couple of years we’ve seen different generations coming to the shows. I was talking to Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden about this and he was saying how many different generations were going to Iron maiden shows because they have been around for so long. It’s a great thing to see that and to have a diehard fan base and have them introduce their kids to us is a pretty cool thing.

MIMDOC: The band doesn’t seem to want to depend on its past to get them by and you seem to have reinvented yourselves with the new album Path of Totality. That took a lot of people by surprise because of it being dub step and yet, it ended up winning the revolver Golden God Award for Album of the Year. How did that whole thing come about?

Korn: Korn has always had elements of hip hop and rap so to me, this is just them taking it to the extreme. Jonathan’s been a big dub step fan of the last couple of years, so it didn’t surprise me when he told us we were going to head in that direction. I didn’t know we were going to be doing a full blown album. Initially, it was only going to be a five song EP. He met with Skrillex and we were blown away with the sound that they made. You can’t do that with a guitar and a keyboard. From there, it just kind of snowballed.

MIMDOC: So, what’s up for you guys after today’s show? Are you still going to be on the road supporting the new album?

Korn: We finish this part of the tour on the 11^th and then we have a couple of weeks off. In June, we’re doing a resurgence of US dates of markets we haven’t hit yet. Then, we start doing crazy places like India and Budapest and Tel Aviv. It gets really gnarly around there. It’s cool to have a fan base like that. It’s definitely a worldwide thing. My very first tour with them was 35 countries in 4 months! I just learned that Korn has never been to India, so that’s going to be nuts because so many people have been waiting a very long time to see us.

MIMDOC: Ray, I know we need to wrap this up so that you can hit the stage, but I just wanted to ask if it was too early for you guys to be looking ahead to the next album.

Korn: Oh no, we’re always writing. Jonathan is like a mad man sometimes. We finish playing and get off stage and as soon as he hits the bus, he starts writing. We have a few songs already worked out, but it’s too early to know what direction we will take. We have three that sound kind of between Korn 3 and Path of Totality. Right now, we’re not on any kind of time frame, so we will have to wait and see.

MIMDOC: Fair enough! Ray thanks again for taking time out of this crazy day to talk to us. I know you have to gear up for your set. We look forward to seeing you guys out on stage winning this massive crowd over.  

2012 Rock On The Range: Bigger and Badder Than Ever

Rock on the Range has become one of the premier festivals in music in its short existence and Columbus, Ohio definitely knows how to throw a party. It spanned two days, 40 bands and a total of 24 hours of music. This year’s event ran from May 19 and 20 and thousands of rockers showed up to rock out and hopefully get to meet their favorite band. It was hosted by Jose Mangin from Sirius XM/Headbangers Ball and also saw an appearance from radio personality Lou Brutus.

It only took a few hours in the blistering sun before many were questioning why they didn’t bring some sunscreen with them. The high temps combined with an abundance of cold beer provoked a lot of nudity from both males and females all day long. The side stages were sponsored by FYE and Jagermeister and they kicked off the festivities each day at 11:30.

On Saturday, the smaller Jagermeister stage saw stellar performances from Las Vegas’ own Otherwise on their first trip to Rock on the Range. In This Moment unveiled brand new music from their forthcoming album Blood to their Iron Army who was out in full force that day. The FYE stage saw great performances from New Medicine as well as P.O.D. and lots of people getting insane in the membrane with Cypress Hill.

The main stage on Saturday saw Lzzy Hales and her boys, better known as Halestorm, deliver rocking set that focused heavily on songs from their new album The Strange Case Of. Lzzy definitely knows how to command a crowd and had the huge crowd in her control. Five Finger Death Punch had the biggest sea of crowd surfers again this year and that didn’t surprise anyone at all. Ivan even pulled some young kids up on stage to rock out with the band. Ivan also has to be one of the best frontmen around these days. He really got the crowd all fired up!

Brent Smith and Shinedown were next to last on the main stage and delivered a set that was all killer and no filler. Their radio hits were all there, “Second Chance”, “45”, “If You Only Knew” and “Bully”. Incubus closed out day one with an impressive set, but many in attendance didn’t understand why Shinedown didn’t close the day. Brent seems to be in the best shape of his life these days and his voice was superb.

Day two saw more high temps and plenty of blistered skin everywhere. The Jagermeister stage was rocked hard all day from such acts as former American Idol contestant James Durbin as well as Lacuna Coil, who not only made their ROTR debut but they also headlined the Jager stage. The crowd was huge for their set and lead singers Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro showed why their fan base has been continuously growing here in the states. They delivered a tight set and sounded amazing!

The FYE stage on Sunday rocked out hard when Trivium took the stage for their ROTR debut. Matt Heafy and the rest of his band showed why they were a standout at Mayhem last year. This is a band that you definitely need to see live to fully appreciate what they have to offer. Headlining the FYW was the thrash pioneers Anthrax and they unveiled their new “bare bones, guerilla” performance.  It’s a high-energy, barrage of song after song after song. Scott Ian and Joey Belladonna left the crown exhausted and in need of a cigarette after their insane set.

The main stage rocked out hard all day long with performances from Escape the Fate, the Darkness and Mastodon. Megadeth, another thrash pioneer, worked over the crowd with songs from their lengthy arsenal. Lead singer Dave Mustaine sounded great, but at times he appeared to be in pain as his movements were very limited. Marilyn Manson made his ROTR debut and seemed more interested in trying to shock people than in delivering a solid performance. He did everything from turning his band on the crowd as he stood there and sang to spitting beer at the photographers in the pit.

ROTR favorite Rob Zombie returned this year to close out the day and he brought his A game with him. The event is one of his favorites to play and he always loads up his arsenal with special goodies just for the show. Guitarist extraordinaire John 5 was by his side and they delivered a fun hit filled set that was over the top with pyro and lights and strange creatures roaming the stage. Rob always delivers a fun-filled set and gives you your money’s worth.

The days were long and tiring and left most in attendance with a feeling of having experienced their best weekend ever. The numerous signings gave fans numerous chances to get a signed 8x10 of their favorite band. The heat and the alcohol saw fans dropping like flies all day long, which is one thing I have never understood. Why pay all that good, hard earned money to get drunk and pass out? Overall, the 2012 Rock on the Range was a success and the planning starts now to see how they can top it next year.