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.
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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. Dinosaur Pile Up is three piece rock band that we couldn't find a ton of information on, but I liked what I heard. They just released their third studio album, Eleven Eleven on August 26, 2016 and admittedly it was the first time I had ever heard their music. So I was going to into this completely blind....erm, deaf, so to speak. It appeared as though the lead single was the title track, "11:11." Upon hearing it through Spotify, I had to hear more. They had a catchy beat right off the bat, and it gave you a sense of wanting to move. A bit like the vibe you get from seeing a band live, actually. I noticed fairly quickly in that they have a bit of an early 2000's vibe to them. On some tracks they felt a bit more punk, others were more rock. I couldn't quite pinpoint who they reminded me of exactly, but I can say they sounded quite good. I feel like they could compliment a lot of bands, from Foo Fighters, Pennwise, Neck Deep, ect. They have a good variety to them, which is quite nice. If I had to pick tracks I liked more than others, I think I would have to pick, "Friend Of Mine", and "Gimmie Something," "Friend Of Mine", from what I was understanding, was about someone very close to you that you need around. This is simply just expressing it in a very punk rock sounding way. I liked the way it flowed, mostly. "Gimmie Something" was very quick cry for help. Sometimes it seems like you're the one giving it your all, and sometimes you really just need someone else to show they're there. I can relate to that a lot, so it stood out to me. Normally I'm a big lyric person, but I really feel like it was their sound that really drew me in. As I said this was the introduction I had to Dinosaur Pile Up, but they have much more where that came from. They have two other albums, and an EP that I will be looking into. If you're interested in checking them out, you can find them on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. I also recommend you check them out on Facebook, and their official website! You can also catch them live this year on tour and at several festivals! The tour begins on January 18 in San Francisco, CA and concludes on January 26 in Boulder, CO. After that, they will be performing at a few festivals, starting with Fort Rock on April 29. After that they will also play Welcome To Rockville and Rock On The Range. For more information please head on over to their website, or the festival websites! And stay tuned here for more content on Dinosaur Pile-Up and many other bands as well! Three Days Grace made their debut with their self titled album in 2003, and I've known about it for many years. This album contributed to changing my life, yet somehow I've over looked doing a review of it until just now. The album came out on July 22, 2003, through Jive Records. It did decent on the charts as it reached number one on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers charts, but only hit 69 on the Billboard 200. In Canada, it hit 9, and it actually reached 27 in New Zealand. Not bad for a debut album, if you ask me. Today it also has gone platinum in the US and Canada, and there's a high chance you've heard many of the songs from this album. The singles all reached very high on several charts in the US and Canada, hitting one or two. Chances are, almost everyone at this point has heard, "I Hate Everything About You", which according to now former frontman, Adam Gontier, is 'the truest love song.' I believe he's completely correct. The song expresses the truth about how you love someone, you can love them greatly but still want to strangle them from time to time. Its true because you don't love someone for every second of the day, just what matters is how you feel at the end of the day. Now what makes this album special to me was actually a bonus track that was on the Japanese and Target editions. That bonus track is called "Are You Ready" and was featured in a Hilary Duff movie called Raise Your Voice in 2004. This was actually the first song I ever knowingly heard from Three Days Grace, is and what ultimately lead me to falling in love with music. I'll tell that story in full at some point over in the Creator's Blog, so stay tuned if you're interested. Personally, I think this album was a great start to Three Days Grace's career, though I wouldn't say it s their best. Its definitely fantastic, and has a good mix in meanings, going from love to personal short comings, home life, ect. They've come a long way, and have changed a lot since 2003, and we have much to do for them. So far all we have on the wbesite is reviews for Transit Of Venus and Life Starts Now, but the rest is coming soon! Be sure to check out Three Days Grace on their official website and follow them on social media such as Facebook and Twitter! 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. Coming up just around the corner on September 16 is the release of Young Guns brand new album, Echoes. This album is going to be this hard rock band's fourth full length album, Echoes. They released the first single from the album on June 1, 2016, and then followed up with a second one just on July 15. Those two songs, consecutively were "Bulletproof", and "Mad World." I noticed there's a lot of meaning in every song on this album, which is something that just makes the album extra special. Young Guns have always had an infectious power, and a knack for being catchy and inviting with their sound, but this one draws you in just a little more. The lyrics on every track seem to be very personal, and offer some strength all on their own. The entire album is highly worth listening to, and when it comes out, I recommend everyone listen to it. It may just open your mind a little bit and get you to think more. In this crazy time in the world, I think everyone needs music that speaks the truth. Music that's thought provoking, and this album could lend a big hand in that. It really gets you to stop and think, about not only how crazy our world is, but internal thoughts as well. I would like to highlight three tracks, all of which hold a lot of what I just spoke of. Those three tracks are, "Bulletproof", "Awakening" and "Careful What You Wish For." Without giving away too much detail, because the album isn't out yet, I want to say that those three songs alone will get you to stop and think about a lot of things. Your own mental well being, the world around you and those you keep around you. "Too much of heaven can hurt like hell." That's a lyric from "Careful What You Wish For", and that is all I'm going to say. This album is brilliant and you can still pre-order it now through Young Guns' official website! The album will be out officially on September 16, which happens to be the five year anniversary of Immortal Music! Stay tuned into Immortal Music for more content, and Young Guns website for tour dates and more! 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. |
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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