Sonically, Suffer Summer is like this gorgeous ode to mid-’90’s Alt Rawk along the same lines of what SPICE was doing on their 2020 self-titled debut with Chastity (AKA Brandon Williams) managing to tap into a different kind of raw power bringing guitar tones which dwell in the Post-Hardcore realm and giving fans a sound akin to Handsome mixed with Sunny Day Real Estate.
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Take the mouthpiece from Converge, the low end from the legendary Nasum, Megadeth’s current skin smasher, put together by the guitarist from Napalm Death, one of the world’s premiere Death Metal outfits, and you have one of the most intriguing outfits of 2020.
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Can I be that guy who’s all “I was into them when before they had vocals”? Because I was. And still am. Here’s why:
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Not a hoax! Not a ploy! Not a gimmick! Sort of! Regardless, you read that right! What we have for you today is a five track review of the upcoming Wear Your Wounds album because a) We wanted to get something out before it drops on Friday through Deathwish Inc b) You don’t need to read about us waxing poetic on this entire beautiful beast and c) Frankly, we thought it was a neat idea.
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Can you believe that it’s 2017 and here we are, reviewing a new CD by BURN? Or that I just typed “CD” instead of album?
I’m (sort of, but not really) ashamed to admit that my first introduction to BURN vocalist Chaka Malik was through Orange 9MM (Remember when Chris Traynor didn’t look like Jesus and wasn’t a part of the cult of Gavin?). And even after soaking up all that post-hardcore goodness, I still refused to soak in the glory of early BURN. [Read more…]
Take “Grim Heart/Black Rose” off of Converge’s No Heroes, expand it even more and structure an entire album out of it and you’ll have a small inkling of what Wear Your Wounds brings to the table. That’s, of course, oversimplifying the latest project from Jacob Bannon because just like the aforementioned song, WYW is a whole other musical journey unto itself. [Read more…]
I love instant gratification…learn about a band, preview their stuff, like it, buy it, it’s yours. That was the case with Coliseum. I’d heard the name but for some reason had never gotten my toes wet in their noise pool. I saw an article on Spin where they said Killing Joke was more important than Nirvana (Duh!), listened to the stream within, dug it a lot, ordered the vinyl, got an instant download, and the physical copy within a day. Ah, modern times! Also, Deathwish Inc (Coliseum’s new label) rules. [Read more…]
I have to admit: I tried to get into Have A Nice Life before and couldn’t. For all the praise Deathconsciousness received I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. Still, when The Unnatural World was announced I was determined to try again. I’m lucky I did because this is easily an album that is not to be missed in 2014.
If ever there was an album that was meant to be heard through headphones and at high volumes it was The Unnatural World. Especially during these recent cold New England nights, a stereo just won’t do this album justice. One needs to be fully enveloped in the warmth of Have A Nice Life’s sound to fully appreciate it. Take opener “Guggenheim Wax Museum”, for example, which is this massive wall of sound that could easily be dropped into The Thing as it heralds something truly bleak and solitary.
Cut to the Joy Division meets The Sisters Of Mercy “Defenstration Song” which is glorious, goth-soaked, and destined to stand out on the dance floor at the Paradise during one of their inevitable Man Ray Redux nights to give you the knowledge that Have A Nice Life is anything but predictable. “Burial Society” follows and is this beautiful and hypnotic piano-laden piece with vocals that are at times Dave Gahan-esque while the rest of The Unnatural World just amplifies what the first three songs inevitably laid the groundwork for. Like Sigur Ros without the made up language (Especially “Music Will Untune The Sky”), Have A Nice Life is presenting something completely fresh and an easy contender for must-own album of the new year.
The Unnatural World is out on February 4th through The Flenser (Stream AND buy it here). For more on HANL, head on over to their Facebook page and don’t forget to like us, too, over on ours!