Everyone knows Blink 182, but not quite like this. California is Blink 182's brand new album, which just came out on July 1 of this year. It is the first album the band has released with their brand new vocalist and guitarist, Matt Skiba. Because of this, it is also their first without Tom Delonge, who everyone knows very well. Blink fans clearly had their curiosities very high, and had them met with something great. The album hit number one on three different US charts, one of which being the Billboard 200, and had it hit number one in Scotland, the Czech Republic, and Canada. It also broke the top fifty in fifteen other countries! This was definitely a big deal. Now, many of you are going to be upset with what I'm about to say, but I have to say it anyways. Minus a few songs here and there, I've never liked Blink 182. I've always enjoyed the lyrics, whether they were deep and meaningful, or fun and silly, and I've always appreciated what they've done for music. They've inspired so many bands to start creating music, and made millions of people happy all over the world. So, whether or not you're a fan, you have to appreciate it. The thing that stopped me from getting into them though, honestly, was Tom Delonge's voice. Again,please contain the disgust and shock. I just never got into it, and thought he seemed slightly....dull in vocal range. I see his appeal, its the more classic pop rock/ pop punk/ whatever you want to call them style, but its never been my cup of tea. But because of that. as soon as I heard Tom was gone and Matt was in, I got instantly curious and had to hear this album. They released the first single, "Bored To Death" on April 27, and it has the classic Blink 182 feel they've always had, but I feel like I really felt the meaning. Its about getting stuck in a rut and feeling bored with life. I like the song, but it took me about half the song to decide I did like it. At first, I sort of felt like I was questioning why I was bothering, but then it picked up and got really good. I don't know if I just suddenly hear the meaning, or what, but I did like the song. So it was a good start to listening to the rest of the album. Honestly though, they picked a couple of the worst songs as the singles. I honestly never thought I would see the day where I would relate to Blink-182 lyrics like this, but that day has come. Two tracks spoke to me, both for similar yet totally different reasons. Those tracks were, "Los Angeles" and "No Future." Both of those songs, if you ask me are among their best work. This whole album is actually, but these two in particular really stood out. "Los Angeles" got my attention almost instantly and the fact that it seems to be wanting a fresh start in a new place. That may not be the intended meaning, but that's what I got from it. Its catchy, its fun and its meaningful, what's not to love? As for "No Future", its one of those songs that hits any dedicated dreamer right in the heart. When you work really hard on something, sometimes you start feeling like you're working for absolutely nothing. Nobody seems to care, because nobody sees the hours upon hours of time you put into something, they only see the end result. They don't feel the disappointment when something you busted your ass for falls through, or the excitement when it works. It feels like nobody cares and you have no future. "Let the music seal your fate. Yeah, you can run but life won't wait. Yeah, they don't care about you (No future)." I've said it before, and I will say it again, and probably a thousand times more. There's more to life than just to live, and this song made me very happy because it said everything I think from time to time. So, I can't believe I'm saying this, since this is the first full album from Blink I've ever liked fully, but this is an incredible album. Kudos, guys! You've always been very successful, but I see you only rising more from here. If you haven't heard it yet, please listen to it. Especially if you're like and previously was not a fan of Blink-182, you may be really surprised. I definitely was. You can get it on iTunes, Amazon, Blink's official website, or wherever music is sold in stores. I also recommend checking out their website to see all of their tour dates. They're currently on tour with All Time Low, A Day To Remember and All American Rejects! So go check out the dates, and get excited because Blink is back, and arguably better than ever.
0 Comments
Selfish Machines is Pierce The Veil's second album, which they originally released on June 22, 2010. PTV has grown a lot since this album, but this one is most definitely one of their most popular ones. The album starts with a fast-paced and high energy track called “Besitos.” The opening guitar riff is insane, and honestly, this is the kind of song you could open a show with. This song really brings out their Spanish roots. Most of their songs only hint at them, but this track is a full feature of them. “Caraphernelia” is one of their most popular songs and was the first real single for this album. This song has a little bit of everything; between the lyrics, the keyboard effects, and Jeremy McKinnon’s (A Day to Remember) aggressive guest vocals, it is just an amazing song, and definitely one of their best songs overall. “Stay Away From My Friends” is a personal favorite of mine. It’s a bit on the slower side, and in terms of the instruments, it is mostly dominated by piano and drums. The lyrics of this song really prove that Vic Fuentes writes from the heart, and that is one of the many reasons their work is so special. “Disasterology” is an incredible song. It’s fast, high energy, and the kind of song a band would play to get the crowd pumped up. “Million Dollar Houses (The Painter)” is a beautiful song. It’s about how money can really fuck up people’s lives, and how love is the most important thing in life. Vic actually said in an interview with AP that he wrote this song as a gift to his parents. “The Sky Under The Sea,” has steady drums and a damn good guitar riff. The song is about how people are selfish when it comes to live. In an interview with AP, Vic said, and I quote, “The selfish machine refers to the animal inside all of us that no one ever wants to admit is there. I consider all of our evil thoughts and desires that we are ashamed of to be perfectly natural.” Overall, this album is incredible and I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of how much they like PTV. If you’ve never listened to them, this album would be a pretty good place to start. Anywhere is a good start, honestly, but I personally recommend starting here. As previously mentioned, Pierce The Veil has grown a lot since the release of this album, and that includes making new content. They have released two other albums since this one, one of which just came out on May 13 of this year. That one was Misadventures, and you are highly encouraged to read the review we got to do in advanced for it by clicking here. You also can catch them live on tour this October with I Prevail and Neck Deep, so please head on over to PTV's official website to for a full list of tour dates. Written by Cassidy Donahue Citizen Zero is coming to the world from Detroit, MI with a brand new album, State Of Mind. State Of Mind is their first full length album, after they've delivered a few EPs since 2012. Their inspirations include bands like classic rock icons like Van Halen, and Guns N Roses, to bands like Kings o f Leon, Shinedown, and more. You definitely hear where their influences come in, along with their own twist on things. The first single for the album is actually the second song on the album, "Go (Let me Save You)" which is actually a very special song. Singer Josh LeMay said it was actually the first song he and Sammy, the band's lead guitarist, ever wrote together. “It happened right after the Sandy Hook tragedy. I was watching the news, and I couldn’t believe how the cameramen were consciously filming crying parents. It was so wrong. Having gone through tragedy, it made me really angry. I had to say something.” Its quite the powerful track, which gets you to really stop and think. Plus, to me it could very easily have another meaning. Its someone offering another person some help, through music. Which we all know is a message I can find in just about anything, and always appreciate. So they definitely picked the perfect single to start off with. Its powerful, and deep -which is everything you could ever want in a song. Other than that, its sort of difficult to pick out stand out tracks. All of them are great in different ways, and while I could narrow it down and explain, its more fun to get you guys to listen to it for yourselves. Be sure to check out Citizen Zero on Facebook and their official website, and get their brand new, debut album, State Of Mind on iTunes right now! In 2015 American Metal band Wage War, formerly Empires, released their first album Blueprints. Hailing from Ocala, Florida, they are the most promising American metalcore act I’ve yet to hear. Metalcore being mostly dominated by Aussie and UK giants such as Bring Me The Horizon, In Hearts Wake, The Amity Affliction and many others, it’s hard to find American acts that really stick out in today’s metalcore scene. Wage War brings a clean, new, and heavy sound to the scene. Bearing the typical really clean to really heavy vocal arrangement of the genre, they stop there at being a cliche. Djent guitar is mostly absent, drums are unique and the songs actually have musically different sounds to them. If they maintain the same skill in song writing and performance Wage War will have a long future ahead of them. Twenty One is the most well known song from the group. Bearing a very distinct resemblance to Amity Affliction, of whom they currently are touring with, it’s no wonder why it has grown such a following. Twenty One has several key changes throughout keeping the sound fresh. The lyrics tell a story of a man who is lost. Not feeling at home anywhere. The closing lines of “I've come to grips with the fact that I'll never be able to change my own past, But I've found strength in divine perspective. It took me twenty one years to realize Hope, Love, and Faith are how we survive. Grace sustains me” send chills down my spine. It’s rare to relate so well to a song, Wage War in their writing is as raw as can be emotionally so it feels genuine to hear them sing those lines. Alive is, in my opinion, the most badass song on the album. Incomparable to most metalcore songs it feels like hearing a whole new kind of music. Death metal, Grindcore and standard metal influences throughout makes Alive feel actually unique. Complex guitar work that sounds more like Slayer or Anthrax than a metalcore band, drums that have distinct skill behind them and bass guitar that you can actually hear makes it by far the most innovative and tight metalcore song I’ve ever heard. The song sends a message of revolution, of what kind is not said, but it’s phrased in a general sort of way. A message of stand up and fight the injustice the world faces, all the injustice, not just a specific kind. Rather eloquently said, the closing lyrics are “I'd rather spend my life believing there's hope. Than be obsessed with how to tie the end of my rope.” Saying how instead of accepting were fucked, he’d rather believe in change, that it is possible if we try. The River is an all around hardcore song that is deserving of more attention. Bearing a more Hardcore/death metal sound, it is not a song for those who don’t have a love for the heavier side of metal, face melting vocals, brutal guitar, slamming bass, drums from hell and only one small key change make The River the heaviest song on the album. It sends a clear message to the listener that the song is about the writer being dumped, hating himself for her leaving, but when she decided to come back to him he has a simple message to send to her: “I hope you choke on the words I was lead to believe. Like a puppet on your strings, control means everything and in my heart I want to forgive you. That doesn't mean I'll forget, you'll always be my regret.” He says what most of us don’t have the balls to say to our exes that we once loved. You can go see Wage War on Warped Tour for a few more days. Or after that, on their world tour with Amity Affliction, for tour dates you can head on over to Wage War's official website, or the official Vans Warped tour site for the remainder of the Warped tour dates! Written by Coby Andrews On Feburary 9th of 2013, up and coming Oklahoma based metal band EVERYBODY PANIC!, released their opus eponymous album EVERYBODY PANIC! Bearing musical similarities to early Korn, Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed they bring a new voice to a rather stale market of heavy metal. With their first album only bearing 5 tracks it still kicks more ass than most albums to have come out in the last twenty years. Literally the entire album is a nonstop adrenaline rush of heavy guitar, drums, bass, and stellar vocals from singer Ty, the shortness of the album is forgiven by the pure rawness of the music. That rawness has not faded at all, their second EP, ATTACK! Garners the same admiration from me, to read about Attack follow the link above or go on YouTube or Spotify or iTunes if you’re feeling like your life needs just a little bit more metal in it. Possibly the most “Radio Friendly” track on the album is the first track, When It All Burns, it bears a catchy chorus that perfectly blends from the verse, the song is about a guy who is lamenting over a past relationship gone sour, “I remember everything you said, I remember everything you did, how you would turn away and leave me here for dead… and I’ll laugh as it all burns.” While it isn’t clear who he is talking about the song delivers a clear message. Whoever hurt the narrator is dead to him, he learned his lesson from them and now he longs for the day that he gets to see them cause their own self destruction. A thoroughly thought provoking song, Such A Waste has a different sound to it than the other songs, with a very intense synthesizer opening, it is truly ear catching,. The lyrics tell a story of how the media and corporate America is suffocating the world and how because of this so few people know themselves. Lines like “this cancer, inside this TV, leading through everything I see, this evil sponsor greed trying to censor you and me.” Such A Waste is the only song off the album with a full on music video, showing the band in separate rooms with hot women dancing in bikinis all around them, instead of partying with them the members are seen staring at nothing or completely ignoring the women. As the song progresses the party gets more and more messy, leading to feathers and food flying everywhere, meanwhile the members still remain unphased. The final scene sees the band looking over all the women who are floating dead in the pool. EVERYBODY PANIC! Is a band that we all should be watching, in the near future they will be headlining tours world wide if they keep up the energy and pure talent that is found in both their stage and studio performance. If you aren’t a fan already, go and check them out, after a first listen of their albums or seeing them live, you will find the same love for them as I did. EVERYBODY PANIC is currently touring, for tour dates go to their Facebook page. Over where you can find awesome merch and get copies of their two albums - EVERYBODY PANIC and ATTACK. Written by Coby Andrews The album we're going to talk about today is an oldie but a goodie, and because it existed, there's always been a little bit of controversy between fans. Some love what all has played out since the release of this album, some absolutely cannot stand it and are stuck in the past. Today we're talking about Dying Is Your Latest Fashion, which was the debut album for Escape The Fate. The album came out on October 3, 2006, and its also the only one to feature the original singer, Ronnie Radke. That's where the controversy kicks in because some people say Escape The Fate sucks without him, he should have never created Falling In Reverse, blah blah blah. Personally, I love the way things turned out, everyone's better off where they are now, and all the music that's the being created is fantastic. Not to mention, he's healthy now, and not on drugs, like he was when this was created. Nonetheless, this album is where it all began so it must be talked about. I'm not sure how I didn't get around to talking about this one, because I've known about it for many years now, and have listened to it for years as well. That already tells you what I think of it, but I'm going to keep talking anyways! Three singles came out of this album, and I'm pretty sure everyone knows the last one that was released. "Situations" is probably the biggest song to ever be released from Escape The Fate. So big that I probably don't even need to explain it. You probably just read the word "situations" and instantly finished the lyric with, "Are irrelevant now." The other two singles are "There's No Sympathy For The Dead" and "Not Good Enough For The Truth in Cliché." The ladder actually is one of my personal favorite songs on the album, along with another that is not a single, "Reverse This Curse." Now to be honest, I can't tell you why those are my favorite songs. I really don't have a clue, especially because "Not Good Enough For The Truth in Cliche'" tells the tail of watching someone kill themselves. Its kind of mortifying when you think about it, but they did it so well that I enjoy the song a lot. As for "Reverse This Curse", to me it seems to be about love. The lyrics say it all, "One last chance to reverse this curse. You stole my heart but I had it first. And now I see you've got something prove, and nothing to lose, so let me tell you the truth." You love someone, but they're not good for you at all. Some of the other lyrics in the song depict that very well. This album was entirely important and honestly had this one not existed, nothing in the Escape The Fate discography, or Falling In Reverse for that matter would exist so regardless of how you feel about the whole thing, you should appreciate its existence. Its slightly different than everything else that came after it, but still very good. What do you think of this album? Let me know, and then head on over to Escape The Fate's website to see what they're up to now. The day this review was posted, they were in Canada, playing the Heavy Montreal Festival, and then in September they will be going to Mexico, and Australia in October! For full tour dates, please head on over to their official website, as I already said and I will talk to you very soon. Paramore released their currently most recent album on April 5, 2013. This self titled album came out through Fueled By Ramen Records and has taken the world by storm. The album hit number one in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, the UK and the US. It also has broken the top twenty in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Italy, Germany, Finland, and Austria. It even has gone gold in New Zealand, Brazil, and The UK. Its even platinum here in the Us. Pretty damn impressive, if I do say so myself. Now I personally have never been a big fan of Paramore, in fact I haven't heard a full Paramore album since Riot! So, I am making quite the jump, since that one came out in 2007, and this one didn't come out for six years after that. I noticed very quickly that their sound evolved a lot. It went from being more alternative pop / pop rock, to pop. Some people may see that as a bad thing but I personally do not. The first single, "Now" came out in January 2013, and it was followed by three others through February 4 of that year. Now I hate to say this, but honestly, I think the two most popular singles on this album are the best ones, and even those in a way feel slightly generic to me. Those songs are, "Still Into You" and "Ain't It Fun." "Ain't It Fun" has actually won a Grammy and is about living in the real world. Real life sucks sometimes, but yet somehow this song puts a positive vibe to it and makes it enjoyable. "Still Into You" is extremely poppy and sweet, as its expressing how you feel about someone. After being with someone for a while, you normally find a certain comfort. Butterflies go away, nerves calm down, but in the case of this song, all of that is still there. "After all this time, I'm still into you." I don't know, I hate to say I don't like this album, but I'm pretty sure I will never listen to it all the way through ever again. I can't say I hated it, but I just found it to be a bit boring....Sorry, Paramore, and Paramore fans. What Paramore album do you recommend I check out? As I said earlier, I've only heard Riot! And now this one, so I have a lot in between to check out. Maybe one of their earlier albums will spark my attention. Meanwhile, for those who are interested, please head on over to Paramore's official website to stay up to date with them and all their activities. They don't currently have much going on, but they are working on a new album so updates will be coming soon! Despite the fact that I have owned a copy of this CD since it was new, I somehow haven't reviewed it. This one is the eighth album from Papa Roach, The Connection which came out on October 2, 2012. The album did alright all over the world, though it only broke the top ten on one chart. That was the US Billboard Hard Rock Albums, and it peaked at number 2. Outside of the US, the highest it went was 21 on the Swiss Albums chart. The worst chart rating that it got was 163 in France. Normally I try to highlight songs that are not singles, but in this instance, three of the four singles are my favorites from the album. There's, "Still Swingin", "Where Did The Angels Go", and "Leader Of The Broken Hearts." All were released in that order, with another single, "Before I Die" which was out just before Leader of The Broken Hearts. "Still Swingin'" is easily up there in the list of inspirational songs for me. Its empowering, and just gives you the strength to keep going even when you feel like you're lost in the darkness. "Where Did The Angels Go" goes through the motions of questioning what's right and feeling like you're losing it. I particularly like one of the lyrics, which expresses the struggle and wanting to do better. "My demons are stronger than ever; this lifetime is harder than ever. To become somebody better." Life gets in the way, but yet you keep trying. I love that completely. And then there's "Leader Of The Broken Hearts", which honestly is just a beautiful song about being a voice for many. That comes with the territory of being a musician, and in a way, every musician who's ever helped someone through a tough time, is a leader of the broken hearts. This song is just incredibly well done and beautiful, so I had to acknowledge it. Not surprisingly, its a great album, Papa Roach has always done great things, and they're going to keep doing great things, I'm sure. Speaking of, they've released two more albums after this one, Time For Annihilation, and F.E.A.R! Reviews for both have already been posted on Immortal Music, so if you're interested you absolutely can read them. For F.E.A.R, click here! That have rhymed, but I don't have a good one to go with Time For Annihilation, so please just click here for that one. You are also highly encouraged to head on over to Papa Roach's official website to see all they have going on! Right now they are working on Canadian tour dates with Five Finger Death Punch! Head on over there right now to get involved. |
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
February 2022
|