Static-X “Cult of Static” Review

In the day and age of competing record labels sporting the latest in “heavy,” with a vast array of deathcoresque acts, and now seemingly free applications such as Mixcraft, Audacity, and FL Studio made available by pirating / media sharing modes such as Rapidshare, Megaupload, music blogs, and torrents, it can be easy for a band to get lost in an imploding music culture. DreamWorks Records’ Powerman 5000 found themselves suddenly uninterested in on an indie label, the perfect example of a band lost among the static. It is amongst these ever lustful eyes of the business world that Wayne Static and crew release their sixth studio record “Cult of Static.”

The title carries an intrinsic fan tone, which is what the album seeks to accomplish, namely, please fans. Immediately the tone for a heavy a record is established. Opening is the pummeling industrial / thrash “Lunatic” featuring Dave Mustaine of Megadeath, and “Z28” and “Terminal” continue to set the mood with harsh guitars and Wayne’s signature dry screams, the latter a stronger track then the former. By the time listeners arrive at “Hypure” it’s obvious that Static is looking to deliver an album without the melodic nu-metal sounds of older songs like “The Only.” As of this point, there isn’t a single lyric sung, and the rest of the album will follow suit.

“Tera-fied” has a semi-odd intro, transitioning to controlled chaos, and makes for a definite highlight. The lyrics “Terminate. Tera-fied. Smash it up. Draw the line. Fuck it up. Rev it up. Modulate it penetrate it. You make it motherfucking hard.” are delivered with pure Static aggression, which although give the impression of anger on first listen, make for fun upon repeated plays. The slightly odd choice for single / music video is “Stringwray”, which although contributing to the album’s solidarity, feels more a filler than a pillar. Track titles such as: “Isolatore,” “Stingwray,” “Hypure,” and “Tera-fied” are plays on words, and can almost always be heard screamed somewhere amongst Wayne’s vocals.

While not every song is extremely memorable, and the lack of melodic hooks will be disappointing to some, fans are sure to embrace the rather hard hitting ones incorporated throughout, and as such “Cult of Static” accomplishes its goal. “Cult of Static” is typical run of the mill make your mom mad metal music. Unfortunately, by not pulling a Slipknot or Disturbed, little is stopping Static-X from joining the ranks of their “come” and “gone” nu-metal brethren.

3.5 out of 5
Street Date: March 17th, 2009

Track Listing:
1.) Lunatic
2.) Z28
3.) Terminal
4.) Hypure
5.) Tera-Fied
6.) Stringwray
7.) You Am I
8.) Isolaytore
9.) Nocturnally
10.) Skinned
11.) Grind 2 Halt

Innerpartysystem “Innerpartysystem” Review

The toughest challenge in the obstacle course that is the modern music industry is setting one’s band apart. Attempts to overcome this barrier are often career defining, and have yielded both breakthroughs and breakups. An example: from the 90’s, a generation musically defined by boys bands and pop culture, emerged the likes of Limp Biskit and Linkin Park; the former a now defunct band, infamous for their shallow lyrics and cookie cutter style music, the latter evolving to become one of the decade’s leading alternative acts, selling over 50 million records, world renown for their particular brand of rock and rap. The variables that spurred these stylistically similar bands down their separate paths: innovation and originality.

The likes of FL Studio, Garage Band, and Mixcraft, among other commercially available software, have given musicians an unprecedented quantity of quality tools for creating said innovation. Ironically, the popularity of sites such as Pure Volume, Myspace, as well as consistently new file sharing modes such as p2p, torrents, and music sharing sites have made good album’s a “dime a dozen.” It is in this rapidly changing, almost chaotic music / technologic scene that bands must compete. Welcome to Innerpartysystem. Catching the crowd’s eye with the thought provoking music video “Don’t Stop,” as well as releasing an EP and garnering a fan base, the quartet is ready to present their full length debut to an increasing hostile music scene. This milestone begs the question: “Does Innerpartysystem stand out?” The answer is “yes.”

Innerpartysystem manages to blend ambient rhythms, techno bass lines, electronica-styled beeps, and soaring alternative vocals, while weaving in some of the most socially conscious lyrics in memory. Writing about insecurities and singing of unspoken uncertainties, Innerpartysystem addresses fears that may reside in the hearts of many. The opener “Die Tonight Live Forever” explores the lifeless life of uninhibited indulgence and sensual excessiveness, while “Don’t Stop” depicts a morbid modern media scene. Accompanying music videos work to complete each track, offering what could be viewed as social commentaries.

“Obsession” reveals the inner thoughts of a psyche dominated by a desire to make itself known and loved, the lyrics: “I want you to notice, what you’ve been missing; I want you to feel that, to feel that deep inside you. What is your satisfaction? I’ll give you what you need.” The message of “The Last Night in Brooklyn” pulses over techno rhythms, while the lyrics of “Structure” float, feeling somewhat ambient.

The lyrics steer the driving music. The vocals are truthful yet fearful; their transcendent blend with the background music creates an extremely atmospheric album. Most songs aren’t too different, just diverse in the same overlying genre. “This Town Is Your Grave” serves as one of the more intense tracks and is a highlight, as well as the passionately desperate “Don’t Stop.” Almost every track is solid and contributes distinct characteristics; however a few, more notably toward the end, do sound similar to earlier tracks and feel just a tad repetitive.

In a world filled with various offshoots Innerpartysystem manages to master the alternative genre. The album as a whole is a work of art, and raises questions relevant to 21st century ethics and morality. Although dark, this debut is more than worth checking out, and easily renders itself candidate for album of the year. If you’ve yet to discover Innerpartysystem there couldn’t be a better time.

4.5 out of 5
Street Date: September 30th, 2008

Track Listing:
1.) Die Tonight Live Forever
2.) Last Night In Brooklyn
3.) Don’t Stop
4.) Structure
5.) Everyone Is The Same
6.) Obsession
7.) This Empty Love
8.) New Poetry
9.) This Town Your Grave
10.) Heart on Fire
11.) What We Will Never Know
12.) Home

Becoming the Archetype “Dichotomy” Review

Let’s face it, there’s many heavy acts running around today. From Underoath, Norma Jean, As I Lay Dying, and Demon Hunter, to The Devil Wears Prada, Bring Me The Horizon, Dr. Acula, and the Faceless, to multitudes of others including: White Chapel, Job for a Cowboy, Trivium, Slipknot, Cannibal Corpse, Zao, Fear Before the March of Flames, and Impending Doom, heavy music has had a surge of popularity. In fact, it’s rare to find a show or iPod in the music world today (particularly “the scene”) which doesn’t feature some offshoot of metal or hardcore.

Thus listeners are left to sort through what many would consider an array of mediocre music in search of originality or talent. Welcome to Becoming the Archetype. Making their debut on Solid State Records with a name meaning to: “become like the ultimate Archetype for humanity,” and an album titled off a Mortification song, “Terminate Damnation,” this metal foursome has brought fourth some of the most technical, talented, and well written metal in the last 5 years. Four later, music lovers are presented with their third and arguably most solid release “Dichotomy.”

Dichotomy explores the realm of the dichotic, specifically relationships between: man and machine, biology and technology, and truth and falsehoods. Its lyrics are jammed pack with that which is bound to make the listener think, and it’s obvious they were written to do so. From the title track which recounts the fallen state of man: “Initially they rationalized with futile speculation, which brought upon their ultimately fatal calculations, their foolish hearts were darkened, their vacant minds deceived,” to “Artificial Immorality” which exposes the flaws of secular-humanism “Technology will conquer, biology will fall, discard the body to elevate the intellect, this new ‘evolution’ puts perfection within our grasp, shake off the chains, the constraints of your morality,” each line contributes to an overarching theme.

BTA’s strong point is their ability to experiment which manifests itself in a jazz-esque interlude in pummeling epic “Mountain of Souls,” an eerily soulful breakdown in “Deep Heaven,” and a choir proclaiming the glory of God in “End of the Age.” As to the highly annoying, ever waging “genre war” most would be happy to classify BTA as progressive metal, with death influences. The drums are fast, the guitars fierce, and the vocals fairly brutal. The disc features a few notable guest appearances including Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter, Devin Townsend of Strapping Young Lad, and a soprano, all of which sprinkle a tad of diversity on a consistently heavy record.

The message is strong and unabashedly Christian, however not in a “turn or burn” fashion, rather the lyrics lay out beautiful and sometimes beautifully tragic truths, for its listener to interpret and apply for themselves. From the aforementioned choir in “End of Age” (which also makes an appearance in “Self-Existence”) which sings “He is clothed in greatness, His Voice resounds throughout the earth, If He speaks the earth will crumble, If He move the universe will fall,” to the lyrics of “Evil Unseen” which read “Compromising faith will doom the generations, the cancer of mind-worship leads the spirit to decay,” to their completely dismantled version of “How Great Thou Art” vocalist Jason Wisdom pens that which is both spiritually and intellectually stimulating.

Without a doubt “Dichotomy” is a solid release, and could render itself worthy of a spot in 2008’s top 10 albums, however there were a few moments which felt slightly dull. From their sophomore record “Physics of Fire” there seems to be movement in the right direction, yet in comparison to their first release “Dichotomy” still falls a little short. It could be that “Terminate Damnation” just had so much going for it with songs like: “Elegy,” the grind influenced “One Man Parade,” “Into Oblivion,” and insanely fast and brutal “Beyond Adaptation” that few records can stand up to it. Regardless BTA and metal fans should check out this release, as its still chock full of heaviness, brutality, and enough experimentation to make your mom think your listening to her smooth jazz playlist for a minute or so.

4 out of 5
Street Date: November 24th, 2008

Track Listing:
1.) Mountain of Souls
2.) Dichotomy
3.) Artificial Immorality
4.) Self-Existent
5.) St. Anne’s Lullaby
6.) Ransom
7.) Evil Unseen
8.) How Great Thou Art
9.) Deep Heaven
10.) End of the Age

Family Force 5 “Dance or Die” Review

Sophomore records can be career defining. Family Force 5 created quite a splash in the pool that is the Christian music world with their debut, a self described crunk rock album, which spawned numerous hits from “Love Addict” to “Kountry Gentlemen.” When vocalist Solomon Olds said they were looking to “blow away” their last record, fans and critics knew such a feat would be a huge accomplishment, and needless to say “Dance or Die” has a lot of hype surrounding it.

As the frontman himself put it, “Dance or Die” is indeed, as the title suggests, a dance album. However the amount to which it caters to conventional dance music orthodoxy is minimal. Some songs are fusions of in your face vocals and crunchy guitars (think their debut), while others are more experimental carrying pop and punk overtones, all done over a bedrock of dance beats.

The opening title track blends retro and modern dance elements, borrowing disco sounds from an era passed and mixing them with auto-tuned vocals, an experiment that works surprisingly well. “Get Your Back Off The Wall” is done in typical FF5 fashion (think Love Addict and Earthquake), hard hitting, and despite being a tad repetitive, shapes to be a solid track. “Share It with Me” is a stand out track, and will either be loved or hated, as it sounds “boy-bandish,” almost as something on an Nsync record. “The First Time” also brings is also a slight surprise, as it’s a pop-punk styled song.

Not all songs are as risky. “D-I-E-4-Y-O-U” and “Fever” will remind fans why they fell in love with FF5 in the first place. “Radiator” is one of the strongest points on the record, and possibly one of the most fun rock songs to come around in a while. Highlights include the begging to be sung along to title track, the next Love Addict “Get Your Back Off The Wall,” lead single “Fever,” and the closing “Radiator.”

“Dance or Die” doesn’t stray far from “Business,” only adding a dance tone, and liberal use of the auto-tuner, a device which “smooths” the voice (think T-Paine). While FF5 is indeed a group that can not only pull off, but benefit from this vocal smoother, it makes a few tracks, more noticeably the slower ballads feel a bit unnatural / overproduced. Also, while their debut offered lyrics which reflected on faith and at times more directly, the Creator (“Love You to Death,” “Face Down,” “Never Let Me Go”) this time around, the theme is overwhelming “dance.”

“Dance or Die” adds to the short list of fun danceable rock songs. If you haven’t liked Family Force 5 to begin with, there’s little here to grab your attention. If you’ve yet to check out FF5, or have been a doubter because of their over the top tactics and stage show, now is your time to give in. It’s dance or die.

4 out of 5
Street Date: August 19th, 2008

Track Listing:
1.) Dance or Die
2.) Get Your Back Off The Wall
3.) Rip It Up
4.) How in the World
5.) Fever
6.) Party Foul
7.) D-I-E-4-Y-O-U
8.) Share It with Me
9.) The First Time
10.) Wake the Dead
11.) Radiator

Interview with Frontman Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Everything went relatively smooth, scheduling an interview with Stephen Christian vocalist of Anberlin before their show in Detroit. Scheduled to meet before the band took stage, and with three opening acts, I knew time wasn’t too crucial, but its always better to arrive early than late. Everything went smooth…. except for getting there. I, along with a crew of seven, and a copy of ever so perfect directions courtesy of Mapquest.com embarked on an adventure we never expected. Driven every direction but toward the venue, it seemed Map quest was quite literally laughing in our faces. Fed up, low on gas, and frustrated we stopped to ask directions from a locale. Re-directed, with ambition filling our ever so optimistic hearts, we took off again, in the direction given, only to end up back on the highway that took us into the city, now heading further downtown.

Long story short, we eventually made it to the venue, just in time to catch the opening act Jonezetta. Upon arriving, I phoned Tour Manager, Seth, letting him know of my arrival. Meeting outside the venue, he led me, across the street, to the band’s tour bus. He opened the door and we stepped inside. Slowly walking in, I found myself immersed in the band’s atmosphere; a “chilled” mood filled the bus, as they relaxed before the show. Quickly excusing myself to the bathroom, and finishing rather quickly, I emerged and told them I was ready whenever they were. On que, Steven showed me down a long hall, toward the back of the bus, passing up their sleeping quarters, a smaller room with couches, and finally to the back room, a little den of sorts lined with two small couches. Inside the room was filled with a multitude of games, I glanced around noticing the: TV, Xbox 360, PS2, Guitar Hero, and a multitude of games and DVDs. Steven, soft spoken, trendy, and calm, seemed more than ready to sit down and talk about whatever was on my mind, and ready to discuss Anberlin’s current status, the release of Cities, the indie-music industry, and the band’s future.

Camaren: First thanks for taking the time and sit down and talk, and congratulations on “Cities” which has been praised by many critics praised as Anberlin’s you’re most defining records to date Which brings me to my first question. Many in the industry have noticed a difference in the tone of “Cities” compared to your former releases, overall the band seems to have matured, from the days of “Never Taken Friendship Personal” and “Blueprints”. What CD seems very personal… what’s the story behind “Cities”?

Steven: Cities was developed out of like (pauses). We knew that we wanted to go into it, making it almost an epic record, making it big, like a Queen or a David Bowley, bigger than ourselves; we wanted the album to be bigger than the band. In doing that a lot of things changed. We went with London Bridge Studio, which is where Pearl Jam recorded “Ten”, a lot of those Seattle bands. You know, everything from Nirvana to Alice in Chains recorded all their stuff there. The guy who mixed the record also did Deaf Leopards “Hysteria” and Andrew W. K’s “I Get Wet”. And then, we went with a different engineer… we just set up a whole team around it to make this album as big as possible. But, as far as the lyrics and direction, I felt like this was defiantly going to be a soul searching record, you know one that, you know, one that I will kinda look back in time, and be shocked and appalled at how much I gave away of myself, but it’s like, here’s what I have, and here’s what I’ve learned through the years. So definitely a mature record, you know. Nate’s finally 19 now, everyone’s getting older, so it just felt like it was time, it was time to put this record out, and everything just fell into place.

Camaren: Now you guys worked with Aaron Sprinkle for a third time, after watching the DVD it seemed you guys worked well together. How did you come about working with him a third time, is he just the “Tooth and Nail guy” or?

Steven: Yeah actually we didn’t want to go with Aaron. At first we were very hesitant, because we didn’t want to make “Never Take Friendship Personal” part two. You know, we didn’t want to make a repeat, and this to be part three. And so, we started looking at other producers, but than we realized, you know (pauses) we talked to Aaron, and he was like ‘Listen guys I’ve grown as a producer and you’ve grown as a band, and I think if we put all these different extra-curricular things together’, you know getting things like boys choir, getting a full harmonic orchestra, and stuff like that ‘You know we can make the best Anberlin record ever, no matter who you go with as the producer, we can make the best one’. And that really convinced us, you know, he sees that we don’t wanna do just another Anberlin record that this needs to be THE Anberlin record. And I think we achieved that, or Aaron achieved that anyway.

Camaren: Now did you guys go into the studio with all 13 tracks, or was there some writing that took place in the studio?

Steven: We came in with about 20 written guitar parts, but not all the vocals. You know, there’s a lot of things I like being under pressure for. When they started pre-production, I asked the guys if I could get an apartment by myself in Seattle, and that’s what I did, I just walked around town, you know, and just sat there and wrote. Went over all the songs in my head, must have written each one 17 times, just scathing everything out and starting over.

Camaren: Growing up in Florida, yet moving to Seattle with Tooth and Nail to record, how did the transition go?

Steven: Actually, like I said on DVD, we live in Seattle more than we do in Florida. You know, because we tour ten and a half months out of the year, so the time that we’re not there we’ll be at a home, or you know doing fly out dates, or we’re in Seattle recording, so we’ve lived more in Seattle than we have in Florida these last couple years.

Camaren: Wow, so now in between shows, what is the band up? Are you chilling on the bus? Checking out the cities… or?

Steven: Christian actually loves video games, this is all Christian’s set up (points around the room), so he has the guitars, the Playstation , and the Xbox, the laptop back here, this is all his little region. This is Christian’s turf. Joey and Deon that’s their turf up front (points down to front of the bus), they love movies, any and every movie you can think of. Joey has tons of DVD’s, he must have a collection of 7 to 8000 literally, and him and Deon just love it. And you know me and Nate we leave, we love wandering around the cities. You know we’ll call a friend or one of the crew guys and wander around. We’ll normally end up at a coffee shop for sure, sometime around the day. That pretty much consists of our day we all just kinda split up, I mean, we’re all great friends, but we all have different hobbies on the side.

Camaren: Any cool stories so far, from this tour?

Steven: The coolest story is the fact that this is our first headline tour of all time. We’ve never headlined before. So that puts a lot of pressure on the band, because if no one shows up to the show its your fault. So like, what’s been cool is, tonight will make 8 out of 9 sell outs. Only one show didn’t sell out so far. So that’s the big story of the tour so far, everyone’s kinda in shocked and awe, it’s just like “wow, I can’ believe this story’s going so well”.

Camaren: Each release, has a unique style / tone, however I did notice that “Friendship” ended with a 7 minute track “Dance Dance Christa Paffgen, and the same goes for “Cities” with an epic 9 minute closer, shadowed in metaphors, what’s the story behind *Fin?”

Steven: Well… Wow… (pauses) It’s a personal story just about…. Well there’s four different stories in there: my life, and than the names are actual names of people: William, Mary, Tommy ,Billy, and Timmy. People I may never see again, but just had a huge impact (pauses) I think, like I was saying, “Cities” being man vs. self, everyone’s going fight in some way with themselves throughout life, to add it to what they’ve become. Whether it’s trying to learn through something, what career you want to choose, who you want to be with, what religion you do or don’t want to support, or if you’re not even religious. You know, you’ve got to fight: depression, loneliness, heartache. You know, everyone’s going to go through these same exact emotions. I don’t care if you’re here, India, Africa, China, there are some core basic things that you’re going to have to fight with yourself about. And this one was kinda my struggle with God. I mean, I have a lot of questions. You know (pauses) I mean I don’t know everything about God, I mean no one does, no one ever will. But it was kinda just, my fight out with God, like here’s something’s I don’t understand, that I need your help with.

Camaren: I hate the whole “Christian Band” controversy, and regardless of intentional or not, Tooth and Nail has always been indirectly regarded as the “Christian Label”. Anberlin has done exceptionally well in the mainstream market, and has never been a band that only caters to their “youth-group” fans, could you share some of your thoughts?

Steven: We don’t cater to any audience. You know, I don’t care what religion, color, creed, sexual orientation, you are. It just doesn’t matter…. music is music, now if you derive a message from my music, or from the albums, or if you want to talk to be about faith and stuff like that, that’s awesome, that’s something I’m totally willing to do. And that’s so inspiring when people get something out of your lyrics or out of your song. But we don’t cater to any one audience, you know, we don’t go to youth groups, but we still play a couple Christian shows. You know, like we play Cornerstone Festival, and you know, it’s like we’re flying in to Cornerstone from Warped Tour. You know what I’m saying? We just don’t care, our audiences are so diverse. And it’s kinda like the music, like if you like Godspeed, you may not like Inevitable, you know if Godspeed is your song than you know and it’s so fast, and than you have Inevitable and it’s slow and it’s got strings, and the fact it’s a soothing, quiet song, almost alt-rock, for radio, kinda top 40 radio. But that’s just like our crowds… (Christian’s cell goes off in background, reaches around and turns if off). Much like our crowds and our music, everything is diverse, I think that doesn’t only add to the records, but what adds to our audience, as they’re completely diverse.

Camaren: Any music videos in the planning for “Cities”? Are you allowed to reveal that yet?

Steven: Yeah, our first single is “Godspeed”, and we haven’t signed on a director just yet, but “Godspeed” is going to be the video and we’re going to do it, right after we get done here, in this U.S. tour, and they we go to Canada, and right before we go to Japan we are going to shoot the video.

Camaren: Also, what are you guys currently listening to on the bus? Any current favorite artists?

Steven: This is crazy because, randomly, I don’t listen to indie rock bands, which is crazy because I’m in the scene, but I just haven’t, I just don’t. But lately, I’ve really been liking Brand New. Like before you got here we were listening to them. Random right? But I think it’s like a great single. (Phone goes off again, hits it) But, for the most part, I’m more into bands like Him, Blonde Redhead, MEW, stuff like that… Explosions in the Sky, that CD just came out, Arcade Fire, the new Shins is awesome. Stuff like that I like to listen to.

Camaren: Any favorite songs to play live?

Steven: Anything new. We’ve been playing so many of the old songs, so many times, that it makes it so much more fun. I really like “Dismantle Repair” and “Godspeed” (phone goes off again picks up). Holy cow…

Camaren: Popular guy…

Steven: (laughing) Yeah somebody just keeps…. (picks up) “Hey, I’m in the back lounge Christian just left his phone and you keep calling.” (hangs up). So yeah, Dismantle Repair and Godspeed, that’s the songs everyone has been singing along with. Obviously the crowd sings along with the old songs, but like these two are the ones that are my favorite because of the fans. Although for me personally, I really like *Fin, you know we close out with it every night, and sometimes it just feels so big, like the album and all it’s really cool..

Camaren: Cool, thanks for taking the time before the show, really appreciate it.

Steven: Yeah man for sure no problem.

Anberlin “New Surrender” Review

In 2007 Anberlin caught the music world off guard. Surpassing their previous two releases, their third “Cities” was their most mature, insightful and memorable album to date. Critics raved, fans praised, major labels paid due attention, and early in 2008 the group announced a signing with Universal Records. While the move seemed somewhat sudden, it was long overdue, as only a label such as Universal could bring the resources and publicity that could realize the full potential of Anberlin.

Expectations for “New Surrender” are of the highest caliber. “Could they really outdo ‘Cities’?,” “Could such a CD be written, recorded, produced, and released less than a year and a half later?,” “What sort of effect would their signing with Universal have on their sound?” And although so little time has passed since their previous release, their fourth, and first major label, record “New Surrender” indeed lives up to the hype.

Opening with the rather intense “The Resistance” fans will be reminded of why they fell in love with the band in the first place. Following is the equally powerful “Breaking”, its verses and choruses mixed with emotionally soaked vocals, driving riffs, and heart wrenching lyrics. A fan favorite “the Feel Good Drag” which made its initial appearance on their sophomore effort “Never Take Friendship Personal” has been re-recorded, and although it will be debated for better or worse, brings a fresh take on the four year old song.

The album’s ballads are stellar, and the quasi-title track “Breath” is bound to keep even the newest listeners singing along. Continuing with highlights: the anthem-styled single “Disappear,” the slightly radio friendly “Haight Street,” and the depressed yet hopeful “Soft Skeleton,” which tells the story of a young women bound by a drug laced lifestyle further solidify an already solid album. As with the final tracks on the last two records, “Dance Dance Christa Paffgen” and “*Fin,” “New Surrender” closes with the epic six an half minute “Miserabile visu (ex malo bonum)”

Although there were a few moments which produced a nostalgic longing for the more epic “Cities,” with an array of well crafted tracks “New Surrender” can stand on its own. A sort of spirituality penetrates the disc, and will be refreshing to many who tire of the music scene’s typical topics. If anyone has yet to jump on the Anberlin bandwagon the time is now, it’s taking off at full speed, and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

4 out of 5
Street Date: September 19th, 2008

Track Listing:
1.) The Resistance
2.) Breaking
3.) Blame Me! Blame Me!
4.) Retrace
5.) Feel Good Drag
6.) Disappear
7.) Breath
8.) Burn Out Brighter
9.) Younglife
10.) Haight St
11.) Soft Skeletons
12.) Miserabile visu (ex malo bonum)

Kutless “To Know That You Are Alive” Review

Most Christian music listeners are familiar with Kutless in one way or another. Whether it’s their slightly rocked rendition of “Better is One Day” from their worship release, their grungy self-titled, which saw the success of rock singles such as “Your Touch” and “Pride Away”, or their commercially successful sophomore album “Sea of Faces”, it’s hard not to know something by Kutless.

With their rock anthems, slower ballads, and worship tracks, they’ve accumulated quite a large and diversified fan base, appealing to both young and older. While some didn’t take well to their fourth studio release “Hearts of the Innocent”, their fifth and latest, “To Know That You’re Alive”, may be what wins listeners back.

Ironically enough, the album opens with one of the weaker tracks on the CD. Initial impressions may be grim, as “The Feeling” carries a feeling of rehashed previous material. (Recall “Shut Me Out”) However, things take a turn with a brief musical interlude, “Sleeping City”, and the powerful “To Know You’re Alive”. Micah’s vocals shine throughout this quasi-opener, as he sings and screams, reminding of the group’s earlier days. Following is another powerful track “The Disease & The Cure” which by now works to overshadow any negative first impressions.

Continuing with “Complete”, a song which rivals their best melodic songs on “Sea of Faces”, “To Know You’re Alive” begins to shape itself as a strong release. Lyrically Kutless remains true to their calling, writing with an unabashedly follower of Christ perspective. Highlights such as “You”, the experimental rocker “The Disease & The Cure” and the aforementioned title track solidify Kutless as a key force in the Christian music scene today.

“To Know That You’re Alive” is without a doubt one of their strongest releases, and could easily render itself candidate for album of the year. One of the album’s strong points is that it remains versatile to both heavier and more melodic tracks, and with that said, the future seems nothing but positive, and “To Know You’re Alive” will expectedly be well received by both fans and critics alike.

4 out of 5
Street Date: June 24, 2008

Track Listing:
1.) The Feeling
2.) Sleeping City
3.) To Know You’re Alive
4.) The Disease & The Cure
5.) Complete
6.) The Rescue
7.) Promise You
8.) Guiding Me Home
9.) Overcoming Me
10.) I Do Not Belong
11.) Loud
12.) Dying To Become
13.) You

Ruth “Anorax” Review

It can be difficult to pinpoint that which separates a “band” from a “good band,” and a “good band” from a “great band.” While originality often divides the “good” from the “great” the qualities which distinct the “average” from the “good” can be quite subjective. Could an arbitrary measure of passion / “epicness” be the sole factor in determining this? What accounted for the Panic at the Disco fan disappointment upon “Pretty. Odd’s.” release, was it simply that they had “changed their style?” No, it couldn’t have been, for if this new style had been perceived for the better it would have brought the success the hype had anticipated.

While it may be obvious to most that music is extremely subjective, there must be a common scale to that which we hold it, or album’s such as Linkin Park’s “Minutes to Midnight” would not have been so ill received by both fans and critics. It’s mediocrity that cries fowl in our ears. Music that doesn’t have a sense of passion, or seemingly lacks purpose is that which is bound to be found in discount racks across music stores.

“Anorax” is the perfect example of said music. Opening the disc is “Hibernation Pieces” a track far from bad, but the embodiment of average. Take the smooth vocals of Aaron Marsh of Copeland, make them a tad monotone and put it over a bed layer of slowed down Sherwood guitar riffs and you have Ruth. Unfortunately most of the album follows suit with the opening track. From “Back To The Five” to “Rolling With The Punches” each tracks just feels bland. Crossing Surrogate and the Plain White T’s is “Miracle Photo,” yet something is missing that made “Hey There Dahlia” stand out from the rest of acoustic love songs.

Most of the lyrics are personal, written in first person. They survey categories from broken relationships, to life and love. This simplicity is an awkward breath of fresh air from groups such as Innerpartysystem or Genuflect, but at times feels like the listener is being subjected to the venting of a torn-apart frontman.

While Tooth and Nail generally sign and release great artists and albums, Ruth doesn’t seem to have the innovation or musical maturity to roll with rest of the roster. Although wanting to be far from overly critical, there is simply nothing that makes “Anorax” stand out. While the simplicity and calm aura that radiates from “Anorax” is a breath of fresh air, the record feels incomplete. If you enjoyed their first release, “Anorax” will likely be up your alley, if not there’s not much new to see here.

2 out of 5
Street Date: June 24th, 2008

Track Listing:
1.) Hibernation Pieces
2.) Back To The Five
3.) Who I Was And Who I Am
4.) Rolling With The Punches
5.) Hearts On Sleeve
6.) Pure Concept
7.) Forgetting To Remember
8.) Nothing To Hide
9.) Miracle Photo
10.) Speechless Mess
11.) Dead Giveaway

Interview with Demon Hunter Frontman Ryan Clark

Interview with Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter

Camaren: First things first, thanks for taking the time to sit down and talk with us. Now you’re promoting your latest release “Storm the Gates of Hell”, about a third of the way through the tour, on the road with Living Sacrifice, Oh Sleeper, Advent, and the Famine, how’s it been so far?

Ryan: Awesome. Yep. You know, a lot of these guys we’ve known before, the Living Sac guys, we go way back with them. The Famine guys as well, and we’ve known the Advent guys for a while now. Oh Sleeper’s kinda a newer band on the label, so we’re getting to know those guys. So ya know, all the guys are great, and it’s just been a lot of fun.

Camaren: I know you’ve worked with a large handful of bands as far as recording goes. There was a question on the Tooth and Nail podcast regarding which Tooth and Nail artist, had worked with, or been featured with the most other bands, and I thought to myself, it had to have been you. As, you’ve worked with numerous bands, from Kutless, Anberlin, Thousand Foot Krutch, Falling Up, Becoming the Archetype, Advent, among others. So my question is, how have the guest vocal experiences been, any memorable moments in the studio?

Ryan: Yea, you know they’re usually pretty short and sweet. A lot of the times I just go in there…. the producer who does a lot of their records, does our record, so you know if he needs a screaming voice, he’ll talk to our band about it, or he’ll just request me. Sometimes the band’s there, sometimes there not even there.

Camaren: Yea, you know, I had heard Falling Up didn’t even see you, when you recorded with them.

Ryan: Yea. It was after their record was already done, they actually had that part, kinda loped off for someone else, and they had trouble writing to it, as it’s an off time part, off time signature or whatever, so Aaron, said “we should have Ryan give it a shot.” So that’s where I came in.

Camaren: On Summer of Darkness, the vocals were kinda growled, produced, very in your face and intense. Switch over to the Triptych, things sound a little bit more muffled, a further away type shout. How did you determine what you wanted “Storm the Gates of Hell to sound like?

Ryan: We just tried different things, as far as with mics, and the way we did vocals. The first two records, I used a mic on a stand with a screen, and I stood up and did it. Screaming for me like that is a little bit odd, as when I’m doing it live I tend to cup the microphone which muffles it a little bit. It’s a little easier for me to do certain things, to hold out certain notes, when I’m able to hold the microphone. So with the Triptych, what we decided to do was have a handheld microphone, like a real standard mic that I would use live. I was able to have the mic, and cup it with headphones on, that’s kinda why it has a gritty feel. And with the newest record, I sat down with a nicer microphone, which was still handheld, but I was able to sit down, crouch, and do whatever I needed to do, to hold certain notes. It was somewhere between having that real clean scream filtered mic and the handheld.

Camaren: Got ya. So changing gears a little bit, I know you’re full time job is graphic design with Invisible Creature. How’s it been balancing things out, with the summer tour, and graphic design projects?

Ryan: Well, it’s a lot of prep work in order to “get out.” So what that means is I had to be real ahead of schedule on everything I was working on. I had to say “no” to a lot of projects. I have a really great designer, back at work that’s kinda picked up a lot of slack for me. I just did everything I could to get ahead of schedule, and so when I get back it’s gonna be a lot of catch up. Also ya know, outside of just preparing to leave that, we’re preparing to take this whole thing on. So it’s definitely a lot of work. Practicing late nights, practicing early mornings before work.

Camaren: Yea, I read an interview where you were saying you practice the lines, as you may forget them. There’s got to be a lot to memorize.

Ryan: Yea, some of the songs are word heavy to begin with. There are some songs we don’t play live, until you know a year later, maybe two years later. So I’ll end up listening to the record in my car, or in my spare time, or whenever I can get a chance.

Camaren: Working in the music industry has got to have you flooded with new artists and music all the time, I know just from being a writer who covers the indie and Christian scene, that’s there’s so much out there. How often do you find yourself listening to new stuff and if you had a 160gig iPod how much of it would be filled?

Ryan: Well I have an 80gig iPod, but I only fill that up sporadically when I go out of town. I think I have about 150 gigs on my computer.

Camaren: Wow. Not Bad.

Ryan: Yea. I have about 5000 cd’s at home. I mean I get tons and tons of new music. Some of its free, some of it I’ll download, see if I like it, listen to it on Myspace, so I’m constantly listening to new music.

Camaren: Any current favorite artist?

Ryan: Uhh… well recently…

Camaren: Anything you listen to on the bus?

Ryan: We don’t listen to a ton of music on the bus, we watch TV, or talk and hang out. The music system in there, for some reason it just doesn’t work very well to listen to music and hang with people.

Camaren: You’re probably “musiced” out anyway.

Ryan: Yea I listen to music all day every day.

Camaren: Any creepy fan experiences, people who call you up, people who see you on the street? Anything weird?

Ryan: Oh yea, everyplace we go. There are always weird fans. We love everyone, but there are a lot of fans, who I think don’t understand the “tact issue.” There’s people who will talk my ear off, when theres a lot of other people to talk to. There are people who like to ask questions that are kinda pointed, to try and get me to, ya know…

Camaren: Slander something?

Ryan: Yea, say something that they want to hear, but that isn’t really there, or doesn’t exist. There are fans who want to take a picture with every member individually, and then every member together, and then two members at a time, and them with their girlfriend and the band, and then them with their kid with the band, and then those three with each individual member. And you know, that’s fine but…

Camaren: But you can’t sit there all day, and take pictures with every single person, in every single way.

Ryan: Yea, there are some boundaries and rules, or stuff like that, that a lot of fans don’t understand, and it’s fine, we don’t get mad at them, or anything like that. But, sometimes we do want to write out a little rule book… “You come up to a guy; he’s trying to get his suitcase out of the bus… probably not the best time to ask for photos.”

Camaren: Yea. Let him be. A few more questions. I know Tooth and Nail is one of your clients with Invisible Creature, do you guys do any A&R work with Tooth and Nail, I know you guys helped Becoming the Archetype.

Ryan: Becoming the Archetype, was the first one that I kinda “headed up” as far as the A&R stuff. I’m real busy with design stuff, so it’s hard to find time to do the A&R side of things. With that comes, ya know… I’m talking to producers and mixers, talking budgets, which isn’t really part of my job, but I’m kinda taking it on as a project. So yeah, I did that with Becoming the Archetype, and then we started talking again to Soul Embraced, and so I’m doing Soul Embraced A&R right now. And then we have a new band, that myself and Jimmy Ryan are kinda co-A&Ring that we’ll be announcing in a few months.

Camaren: One last question. Some are critical of the band’s initial dark appearance. And you’ve always provided a through explanation of all the songs, normally posting them online. So my question is: What is the lyric process like?

Ryan: Yea, I write a lot of the music. A good chunk of the music, my brother and I write together, all the melodies and that sort of stuff. Theres some stuff that I write on my own, at home, just sittin with my acoustic guitar. Most of the ballads are written that way. And then my brother and I will get together before going into the studio, and we write the rest of the stuff. And it flows really easily and really well. We end up writing songs really quickly, but it works for us. We don’t write throughout the year or anything like that. We kinda cram. Sometimes I stumble writing lyrics, and I can’t really get what I’m looking for, and sometimes it just comes like that [snaps]. I write a lot when I’m traveling, or when I’m on a road trips.

Camaren: Well thanks for taking the time, I appreciate it, and I’ll probably be seeing you at Cornerstone.

Ryan: No problem. I’ll cya then!

Demon Hunter Stronger Than Hell Tour Concert Review

At one time the Christian music marketplace went through an evolution of sorts. The Christian music of yesteryear was replaced by a genre known as “Contemporary Christian.” Out of this phase came many of today’s top recognized acts; from the worshipful tunes of Amy Grant, to the infectious melodies of the Newsboys, Delirious?, and Audio Adrenaline. While contemporary Christian music remained a niche in the pop-rock market, it’s vastly expanded to the point of being a staple in today’s music scene. College and high school students may understand this more than anyone else. A point that constantly requires clarification for many: the fact that a group whose label may not be a “Christian band” may have member’s who are followers of Christ is second nature to today’s young adults and teens. This music scene, which I hesitate to call “Christian,” is vastly different to those solely familiar with “contemporary Christian music.” Its makeup includes groups such as: Mutemath, Thrice, Underoath, Anberlin, and genre’s span everywhere from: techno, to hip-hop, indie, and death metal.

It’s relatively rare for today’s teens and young adults not to be familiar with a large number of band’s whose members are followers of Christ. Popular music sites, Pure Volume and Myspace, which often have more than one “Christian band” featured on their homepage, affirm this. Much of the music I myself listen to is a byproduct of this scene. Whether it’s Thousand Foot Krutch, As Cities Burn, Cold War Kids, or Acceptance, these artists have succeeded in not only gaining Christian music fans, but grabbing the attention of other music lovers.

As mentioned earlier, music made by Christians has infiltrated virtually every genre. One that has been particularly successful is it’s presence inthe heavy music market. From hardcore groups such as Underoath, to metalcore bands such as Norma Jean and the Devil Wears Prada, brutal nu-metal with groups such as Demon Hunter, among others heavier acts Project 86, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Spoken, Zao, and Becoming the Archetype, heavy music made by Christians paints the landscape of today’s metal music market. These groups frequent tours such as: Warped Tour (punk), Sounds of the Underground (metal), Ozzfest (rock), among touring alongside popular mainstream acts. Among the heavier side of music, I had always enjoyed Demon Hunter’s mix of brutal nu-metal and smooth melodic choruses. Unfortunately they always seemed to lack a stop on tours. It wasn’t that they weren’t touring Michigan, they had visited several times. Simply when they did, they played in some remote location more than a few hours away. When they announced the “Stronger than Hell Tour,” promoting their latest release “Storm the Gates of Hell,” featuring a legendary lineup which included: Living Sacrifice, Oh Sleeper, Advent, and the Famine, I was more than enthused.

I wanted to ensure I utilized the scenario to its full potential, contacting their tour manager for an interview with vocalist Ryan Clark. More than willing to help, we were set up to speak before the show at 6:30. Following an interview, making my way from what could be described as the “band chill room” toward the stage, I found myself amidst Advent’s set. Recently signing and releasing a record with Tooth and Nail’s hardcore label Solid State, Advent embodied the perfect opening band. Giving the crowd a taste for their sound, Joe Musten tore up, disturbingly probably both literally and hyperbolically his vocal cords, screaming and growling most of the lyrics to their 5 song set. While I enjoyed their studio release “Remove the Earth” their show was not up to par with some of the heavyweights, and understandably so. It was obvious most of the audience was unfamiliar with their material, yet their stage presence was entertaining, but only for a while, as the main attractions were of a different caliber. Set up and tear down time was short, and the second group of the night, The Famine, took stage. Their sound, more metal than hardcore, was a tad more brutal, as vocals ranged from high to low ends. Opening with “Scar the Earth” and closing with “Stitched in Plastic” the Famine was marked by a sense of maturity, not found in many of today’s more metal acts. Next up was Oh Sleeper, another recent signing to Solid State. For those unfamiliar, their music could be described as a fusion of Underoath’s live performance, and Norma Jean’s studio recordings. Utilizing the small stage, vocalist Micah Kinard frequently stood on its platforms using any space to head bang, get in the camera man’s face [me], or other various metalcore band moves. Closing the set with “Vices Like Vipers,” Oh Sleeper proved a force to be reckoned with, and showed their own headlining potential.

While it seemed the vast majority of the crowd was there for Demon Hunter, it didn’t take much to realize that Living Sacrifice, the band that practically pioneered modern Christian metal, was also extremely anticipated. Cheers could be heard as they raised their backdrop, decorated with what looked like slightly terrorized angelic beings, and the bold font which read their name. One could only imagine the chaos which would ensue, and sure enough upon vocalist Bruce Fitzhugh taking the stage, mosh pits broke out. Their music more straight up metal than anything, could be described with one word: brutal. They played a variety of fan favorites including: “In Christ,” “Imminent,” “Reject,” and “Reborn,” among others.

Following Living Sacrifice’s show was a brief intermission of about 10 minutes or so. During this time it seemed the crowd was most amped for their upcoming Demon Hunter experience. Making my way backstage, and prepping for the photo shoot, I stood on the sidelines, watching guitarist Don Clark doing some pre-show stretches as he was gradually joined by the rest of the band- first by his brother Ryan, then drummer Yogi Watts, and finally bassist Jonathon Dunn, and their current touring guitarist filling in for Ethan Luck, who recently received a full time job as bassist for Relient K. The band took time to do a brief prayer before taking stage. The sounds of epic soundtrack type music flooded the venue, as the lights dimmed, and the crowd roared.

I watched as each member took stage, to cheers and applauds, Ryan waiting until the last second, as the speakers blared the now famous line “Tonight we dine in Hell!!!.” An immediate assault of guitars, bass, and vocals was launched as the band went straight into their opening song “Storm the Gates of Hell.” Ryan’s stage presence was nothing short of demanding, as he delivered the chorus, having the audience scream the last line, “Wake the lifeless / Die to fight this / Stand beside me / Storm the gates of Hell.” Following the opener, was the slightly more melodic “Lead Us Home,” followed by “Ribcage,” from their third release, “The Triptych.” As the first three songs drew to a close, I made my way back into the crowd to partake in the show myself. Handing my camera off to a buddy, I jumped straight into the crowd, and enjoyed every second of it. Surprisingly enough, each song played in its raw live form, remained true to its produced studio form. Most of the night consisted of songs from their latest release including: “Carry Me Down,” “Fading Away,” “I Am You,” “Lead Us Home,” and “Storm the Gates of Hell.”

Ryan gave a shout out to old school fans, before diving into “Infected” (their first song to make rotation on MTV2’s Headbanger’s Ball) and gave tribute to American’s serving in the military around the world before “The Soldier’s Song.” After what seemed only forty-five minutes or so, the band left the stage, leaving the crowd to chant the traditional “One more song” line. After two minutes of chanting came the sounds of opera choirs as they transitioned back onto the stage with “The Flame That Guides us Home” with their well known “Not I” following. Of course the night wouldn’t be complete without their playing of their most successful and perhaps most memorable single “Not Ready to Die,” and that’s exactly what they closed with.