Chevelle has been around for quite some time and today we're going back to ther beginning for them. They released their debut album, Point #1 on May 4, 1999 and it didn't do much chart wise. The lead single and title track reached number 40 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, but other than that, there's not much success to be noted here. There's a fairly obvious reason for that though. Like most debut albums, it has its flaws. At this stage, unless a band has a fanastic team to help make them sound impecible, you're going to have a few faux pas'. Its just inevitable. This album was released through a small label, and it was the late 90's, and it shows. Everything sounds fantastic, but the music seems to drown out the vocals on some of the tracks, such as "Point #1." Here's something I really like about this album. It sounds like Chevelle, just in a slightly lesser quality. That probably makes very little sense, but let me explain. I discovered them about two albums later, and actually am only hear this album for the first time just now as I write this review. So I'm used to their 'classic' and 'modern' sounds, not their original sound. They've clearly always had the same feel to them, they've simply just grown and improved on it. That's something I can really respect and enjoy. Plus, its cool to hear a band you've known of for 8+ years in an early state. If I had to pick a stand out track, it would actually be "Prove To You", which has a subject matter that I feel often is over looked. We have songs all the time against people. Songs that are saying how hurt you are by someone's actions, how much you still care, things like that. So rarely do you see the other side of that story. Where the person that's being fought against simply wants to prove themselves and they don't want to let someone down. This song expresses that. Its just saying they promise to fight for you, and they're going to prove to you that they're there. For some reason, that spoke to me on a personal level, so I had to share it. All in all, I would have to say Chevelle made a great start, and sincerely have come a long way. Once again, this album came out in 1999, so they've done quite a bit since then. Since the release of this album, Chevelle have released seven more albums, had several big hits, and gone on countless tours. They're not stopping there either. They're actually on tour right now here in the US with Dinosaur Pile Up and Black Map. From there they will be heading over to Europe to perform with Avenged Sevenfold in several countries such as Germany, Austria, France, Denmark and more! Then they get a bit of downtime before performing at several festivals around the US. Those festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, and Rock On The Range. For more information, please head on over to the respective festival websites and Chevelle's as well for all the tour dates!
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Cover Your Tracks is a rock band from Atlanta, Georgia that formed in February of 2014. I couldn't find a ton of information regarding them but I did discover that they released their debut album and EP this year. Today we're going to be talkiing about the EP, because it came first. They're actually quite a bit heavier than I expected. They have themselves labeled as a rock band on Facebook, but I'd say they're more metalcore and are actually somewhat reminescent of Motionless In White. Cover Your Tracks released The Taken EP on February 9, 2016, and it only had four songs on it. Starting with 'Round & Round." Which seems to be about a failed relationship where you accidentally blamed them for your actions. I could be wrong about that, as it also seems to have a hint of alcoholism to it, and it repeatedly says, "I will not let you win." Its hard to say exactly what the song is about, but I definitely can say it sounds fantastic. "Never Again" really spoke to me. Not only did it have a great beat, and just the right amount of screaming in it, but its about not letting someone win. You hit your limit of people's bullshit, and you eventually say they're not going keep using you. This song is by far my favorite on the EP. I could easily talk about every song, but then I will just spoil it all. So instead I'm going to leave it there and tell you to check it out on Spotify or iTunes. Also know that they released their first full length album, Fever Dream later on in 2016. I have yet to listen to it but stay tuned as a review of it is coming soon. Use their music as excitment because Cover Your Tracks will be at Fort Rock 2017! All That Remains is fairly well known now, but everyone has to start somewhere. They made their debut on March 26, 2002 with Behind Silence and Solitude. Its the only album it feature Chris Bartlett as their guitarist, and Dan Egan as their bsassist, and was re-issued and remastered in October 2007. Interestingly, the cover art was actually designed by the bassist for Killswitch Engage, Mike D'Antonio. Its not a very long album, as it only has eight songs, but every song packs its own punch in their own unique ways. The biggest thing I want to say about this album is I'm glad I discovered All That Remains later on in their career. This might be some people's taste but it is far from mine, but they've grown and changed quite a bit over the years. I feel they've evolved into their sound, which is something I do enjoy now. This style to me sounds borderline generic and its what I imagine people think of when they say, "That screaming music." When I go in and read the lyrics, I can see they're filled with very deep lyrics that tell stories of love lost, mental struggles, and more. Unfortunately though I simply cannot get past the sound....it doesn't tickle my fancy. I can see how some would be into it, but its not my cup of tea in the slightest. I can't even pick out a stand out track for this one, its just not great. I'm sorry, All That Remains. All That Remains has come a very long way, and we applaud them for it greatly. I look forward to checking out the rest of their discography to see their progression, and hope you do too! Reviews for every album will hopefully be up through out the next couple months. Please use all of this, and of course their music to get excited because All That Remains will be performing at a few of the big festivals this year. Those festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville and Carolina Rebellion! For further information, please head on over to the respective festival websites, and stay up to date with All That Remains by checking out their official website or liking them on Facebook. On June 15, 2004, Seether re-released their first album, Disclaimer. Quite fittingly, this album is called Disclaimer II and features the twelve original songs, just all slightly different. They remixed the tracks, but not too much where they were vastly different. This verison of the album did alright on charts. I wouldn't say it did fantastic, but it certainly did not do terrible. It reached number 12 in New Zealand, 38 on Austrian and Australian charts, 43 on German charts, and 53 on the Billboard 200, here in the US. The only single for the album became one of their absolute biggest hits. It may actually be their biggest hit, actually. That song is, "Broken", featuring Amy Lee. "Broken" was on the original Disclaimer as well, but due to the popularity, and Shaun Morgan dating Amy at the time, they decided to re-record the song with her in it. It became a massive hit, and I can almost guarentee everyone has heard this beautiful version, so it feels redundant to talk about it for too long. One of my personal favorite tracks is, "Fuck It." Which really is just a good song to play when you're trying to get fired up, or are slightly pissed off yourself. Its not exactly a nice song, but its very catchy and is very good to try to get yourself away from someone that's clearly just....well, fucking with your head. "You're out of luck -can't get a piece of me. It's all blown up. Don't even fuck with me. I cannot please you forever. I cannot please you at all." You hit your limit, and eventually you're done. If you're someone like me that struggles with giving people far too many chances, I recommend listening to this song. And I mean really listening to it, it may help inspire you to break against that and actually be done with a toxic person. Another favorite of mine is, "Out of My Way", which is all about doing something your way, not someone else's way. Sometimes you need to put people behind you and take opprotunities when you see them. This song expresses that perfectly, and I think it too could be very inspiring. I highly recommend listening to this verison of the album, I feel like it really helped Seether grow into the band they are today. Not that Disclaimer wasn't good, because it most definitely was. Seether has come along way since then, and have done a lot more. Please be sure to read the reviews we have for Karma And Effect, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, Holding Onto Strings Much Better Left To Fray, and Isolation And Medication. Along with all of those is an interview we did almost exactly two years ago with Seether's drummer, John Humphrey! Feel free to use all of this, and of course all of their music, to get excited for everything they have coming up. Seether is going to perform at several festivals in 2017, such as Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville and Carolina Rebellion. For further information, please check out the festival websites, and follow Seether on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with them and all they do. On Februray 21, 2009, Nothing More released their fourth studio album, The Few Not Fleeting. Now I will be honest, until recently I did not realize that their self titled album, whcih came out in 2014 was not their debut album. I had previously found nothing about their old work, for some reason. But better late than never, right? Come to find out, this was actually the first album to feature Jonny Hawkins as the lead vocalist for Nothing More. Prior to this, they had Trey Graham as their front man, and because some songs were already recorded, Trey is actually on some of these tracks, not Jonny. Those two tracks are, "The Cleansing" and "Blue and Gold." So, due to the fact that those two are very diferent vocally, they stand out. That's just a given, but we have more to talk about than just vocal differences. Like "Waiting On Rain", for example. Its quite beautiful, especially lyrically, as it really shows what some people deal with mentally. It actually seems to tell the story of two people who committed suicide, due to the weight of the world becoming way too much. Its a very sad song, but very beautiful, and I think its worth listening to. Honestly, I think the entire album is very deep like that, and is something Nothing More has continued to convey. They always tell a story, with each song, and though the music is slightly different from their newer works, that still stands true. I highly recommend checking out this album, and the newer, self titled album Nothing More as well. Please stay tuned for reviews on older works from Nothing More, and head on over to their official website to see everything they have coming up. They're going to be playing several festivals coming up in 2017, such as the 98Rockfest, Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Nothern Invasion and Rock On The Range. For more information, please head onto each of the festival's respective website. On September 12, 2006 Papa Roach released their fifth studio album, The Paramour Sessions. The name is actually a reference to the the location of which this particular album was recorded. They recorded the album at the Parmour Mansion in Hollywood, Califormia. Its considered to be another transition album, to go along with Getting Away With Murder, which came out the year before. This is where they sort of started switching from nu metal into the hard rock they have and we all know and love today. This album also holds two of the most popular songs Papa Roach has. Those songs are, "...Too Be Loved" and "Forever." They're seemingly right up there with "Getting Away With Murder" and "Last Resort", which were both released prior to this album. Those songs are fantastic, but my personal favorite feels a little underrated. That song is, "What Do You Do?" Which honestly sounds a bit like a a letter. A very distressed letter, almost to yourself, just trying to figure shit out. "What do you do when it all comes down on you? Do you run and hide, or face the truth?" This song to me is a song to turn on when you're just at a loss. You want to give up, and you're convinced that nothing's ever going to change. It even sort of expresses that feeling in the song by saying, "I never really had the time to live." You sometimes get stuck in the motions, and even if they drive you nuts, you often assume you can't live. That you're stuck in whatever routine you're working in right now, forever. That's not the case, and I think this song really helps give you that little glimmer of hope. Because of all that, I feel like its completely underrated. Its now been over six years since The Paramour Sessions was released, and Papa Roach have released three more albums since then, two of which already have reviews up on this website! Feel free to read the one for The Connection and F.E.A.R now, and be on the look out for Metamorphosis! Its coming very soon. While you're on the look out for those, head on over to Papa Roach's website to see all of their tour dates. Over there, you can find all of their tour dates, which start in just a couple days on the Shiprocked cruise. It sets sail out of Miami on January 16, and returns on the 20th. Then later on they will be playing Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, and the Rock City Rockfest. For more informaiton, please visit the festival official websites! The Pretty Reckless released their debut album album, Light Me Up on August 27, 2010, and grew the attention of millions. The album hit number one on the UK Rock Albums, and number one on the Belgian Heatseakers charts. It also reached number 7 on Scottish charts, 10 on the US alternative charts, 18 on Irish charts, and broke the top 100 of the Billboard 200, French charts, Japanese charts, Canadian charts and new Zealand charts. The first single is easily one of the most iconic songs from The Pretty Reckless, and its "Make Me Wanna Die." Its about loving someone who's very clearly no good for you. They make you feel like you're never good enough, yet somehow you still care. Honestly, I would say that's probably one of my favorites from the album, as cliche' as that may sound. Another favorite for me is "Just Tonight", which is a bit of a more melodic track and it feels almost like a personal letter to someone. Because of them, you feel next to nothing and are trying to let go. But because of them, you don't want to believe you're done, so you pretend for them. Its a very well written, beautiful song. Over all, the whole album is very good, and I think if you're looking for a new female fronted band of any genre, The Pretty Reckless is the perfect one. Since the release of this, The Pretty Reckless have released two more albums! Stay tuned because reviews of those are coming, and we encourage you to head on over to their official website. Over there you will see all of their tour dates! The Pretty Reckless is kicking off the new year with nearly non stop touring here through the end of May. The fun begins in the UK in just a few days on January 19, and from there they will perform in many countries. These countries include Paris, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Russian, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico. They then come over to the US to perform at Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, MMRBQ 2017 and the River City Rock Fest. For a full list of tour dates, pleae head on over to their official website, but for festival information, please visit the respective festival websites. On October 21, 2016, post hardcore band, I Prevail released their debut album, Lifelines. Upon this release, they did pretty well on charts all over the world. They reached number 5 on the US Top Rock albums, 15 on the Billboard 200, number 8 in Australia, number 10 in New Zealand, 17 in Canada, and then number 60 in Scottland and 72 in the UK! Over all, they did pretty well, and a lot of that has to do with the lead single, "Scars." Which is a very powerful way to not only introduce themselves to many, but kick off their debut album. Its about trying to not let life beat you down, and trying to stay who you are. Our scars might remind that the past is real, but they don't have to be the death of us. (Kudos to those who get the references used in that sentence!) "You can cut us up but we will survive. You've had your chance now its our turn to stand up and rise." Deep down, you know who you are and others don't have the right to take that from you. They can take their toll on you, but they have no right to change who you are. They started off very strong with that song alone, and from start to finish they did not disappoint. So much so that it was a little difficult to pick favorites. They all had great qualities to them, and I noticed very quickly that they have a wide variety to their music. On some tracks they reminded me a bit of A Day To Remember, there was a hint of Five Finger Death Punch at once point, even Good Charlotte! If pressed to pick favorites though, after quite a bit of consideration, I finally narrowed it down to two. "Stuck In Your Head" and "Rise." There's two vastly different reasons for those, but they can be explained fairly simply. 1) I am a sucker for any song that actually talks about music. 2) I am also a sucker for inspirational songs. These two songs have those qualities. "Stuck In Your Head" sounds like a harder pop punk song, and is about a relationship ending. "This'll be the last time that I spin our life. Never gonna play again. You're not the one I want in my bed. I'm not the song you want in your head." You're done, but you're not going to let them forget about you. Just the way he says he's done makes me happy, because it takes the relationship and makes it sound like its a record. I just really appreciated that. As for, "Rise", its easily one of the most inspirational songs I've ever heard. As someone who often struggles to believe that things are really worth all the effort, this song really spoke to me. It probably would speak to many others too, because it flat out reminds you to keep going. Songs like that are very important, if you ask me. "You gotta fight through the pain, to get to the top. You gotta push through it all, if its what you want. Screaming this is a call to the dreamers. Dig a little deeper, make 'em believers." Honestly, the entire album is awesome, and regardless of what genre you're into, I recommend listening to it. If the instrumentals aren't your thing, I'm sure the lyrics will be. I Prevail is still growing, but they're definitely something incredible. Be sure to give them a chance, and then head on over to their official website. Over there you can check out all the news they have going on, look at their merch, and look at their tour dates. I Prevail will be performing at several festivals, such as Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville and Carolina Rebellion! Head on over to the festival websites for more information! On May 24, 2005 Seether released their third studio album, Karma And Effect. The album did decent on charts, though its highest chart rating was number 8 on the Billboard 200. It also reached number 25 in New Zealand, 39 in Australia, and broke the top 100 in Swizterland and Germany. It may not have done great on charts, but it has also been ceritified gold in both the US and Canada. The first single, "Remedy" was by far the most popular, and became one of the songs most assoicated with Seether's name. Its a bit of a personal turning point, trying to fix something that's just killing you. One day you realize that there's no remedy, because they will just end up being the death of you. That sounds incredibly sad, but sometimes that can be a freeing thing. They did this in a fairly catchy way, which greatly helped. Aside from the hit single, there's a couple other songs I'd like to highlight. One of those is "World Falls Away", which very clearly came from a very personal place deep inside of singer, Shaun Morgan. He's known to be a very shy person, and its no secret that he's had his demons to battle. This song sounds like it was written in the middle of the night, after an anxiety attack hit, or a very rough day where you want to do nothing but feel normal. You're trying to remind yourself that there's more for you, and you want to feel just like everyone else, in the darkest moments. Its a very deep, personal song that I have to respect Shaun for releasing. You can tell it was written as an attempt to get out of his head, so to share that with the world is very respectful. This entire album has a theme like that -a bit dark, and very personal but I think many peiple around the world could relate to it, or at least appreciate hearing it. I highly recommend checking it out if you have yet to. Use it, and the rest of Seether's discography to get excited because Seether will be at a few of the big festivals coming in the new year. Those festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville and Carolina Rebellion. For further information, please check out the festival websites, and follow Seether on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with them and all they do. One-X is quite possibly the most legendary album Three Days Grace has ever released. It was their second album, and it was released on June 13, 2006. It has gone three times platinum in the US, and has very deep lyrics through out the album. Several of the songs, such as "Pain", "Animal I Have Become" and "Gone Forever" were written while former singer Adam Gontier was in rehab battling an addiction to prescription drugs. Now this album has lent a hand in helping millions through some of life's crap, and I am no exception there. Fun fact -and if you've been around Immortal Music for a while, you probably already know this- Three Days Grace played a massive role in making me absolutely fall in love with music. I go so far back with this album, I'm shocked I didn't already review it, but somehow I didn't, so now here we are with what will probably be a very long review. Over the years, I've had many favorites from this album. I think my first favorite was "Let It Die", and if I'm perfectly honest -I have no idea why. I think it my fourteen year old self trying to pretend I didn't care about people, when I knew damn good and well I cared too much. I still love the song, but "I swear I never meant to let it die -I just don't care about you anymore." Doesn't quite speak to me like it once did. If you asked me what my favorites are now from this album, there's still going to be a mix of answers. However, I'd have to say the title track, "One-X" is way up there for me. So is "Never Too Late." "Never Too Late" feels a bit obvious because its absolutely beautiful and eveyone can see that. Adam originally co-wrote this with his now ex-wife when they both were going through a tough time. It offers strength when anyone may need it and does so in a beatuiful way. When you're at your lowest, this song can be there for you. "Even if I say it'll be alright, still I hear you say you want to end your life. Now and again we try to just stay alive. Maybe we'll turn it around, 'cause its not too late -its never too late." As for "One-X", that one is a bit harder to explain why it speaks to me, and it didn't for many years. This is one I've grown into, as life experiences got to you. It says a lot of the same things you think when things get you down. "Do you think about everything you've been through? You never thought you'd be so depressed. Are you sick of wondering is it life or death? Do you think that there's no one like you?" Not only does it ask questions like its personally speaking to you, but it reminds you you're not alone, and you can get back up and face the world, even when you don't think you can. "We are the ones, we get back up and stand above the crowd -we are one." Its a bit of a simple song, but I've come to notice some of the most simple ones are the most powerful. One last one I really wish to highlight is "Gone Forever", because this one has always amazed me. It sounds like a break up song, with a bit of a positive twist. Instead of being sad and wanting to go back to how it was, its a happy thing. Its expressing how much better you feel without them in your life. Here's the thing -this is not a break up song. Its actually about Adam's drug addiction, and how much better he feels without it constantly hanging over his head. He wrote this, along with "Pain" and "Animal I Have Become" while in rehab, and I will always find it fasinating how he personified the addiction. For a handful of years, I did think it was about a person, and then I learned otherwise and found it to be admirable. The entire albun is amazing, and frankly, I could break down every song and talk to it one by one, but I won't. If you somehow have not listened to this album, I highly recommend you do so. This album will forever be one of my all time favorite albums, and I would love to hear what your favorite albums are as well. As well as what you think of this one. Meanwhile, a lot has changed with Three Days Grace since the release of this album. They've released three more albums, two of which we have reviews for already up on the website. If you'd like to read them please click here for Life Starts Now and click here for Transit Of Venus. Stay tuned because we will be doing a review of their latest album, Human Race very soon. Also be sure to head on over to Three Days Grace's official website to see all they are up to currently. You can catch them at several big festivals coming up in 2017 starting with Fort Rock. Followed by that is Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Park Live and the Extreme Mudfest. Further information can be found on Three Days Grace website, or the festival websites. |
InformationAll reviews have the date they were written, the album title, and the band's name, with the exception of Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace and Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. Those dates were guessed at, as they were written well before the website began. Archives
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