And now we begin our downward trend…meaning, of course, that we’ve hit that point where matching up the number of albums on the list with the year we’re heading toward is kind of ridiculous so we’re going to switch with lucky number 13 for the time being.
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2020 has a lot going for it already with a slew of stellar albums dropping right at the start AND a year where Ozzy will release new material is a feat in itself. Also on the horizon beyond what we’ve listed below is a new beast from Rawk Gods Aeges (Review coming soon), more maniacal mayhem from Dog Fashion Disco, Megadeth’s triumphant return, and the original members of Static X reuniting to bring the late Wayne Static’s final recordings to light as a whole new full-length due this May. Hell, even Duran Duran will supposedly be back this spring with the follow up to 2015’s Paper Gods!
But I digress.
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Combining the visceral intensity of Youth Code (One half of that outfit, Ryan George, coincidentally provides the samples and synths on Phase One) with an unbridled ’90’s Hardcore attitude (Kind of a mix of Biohazard and, honestly, Type O Negative’s early days), Section H8 is bringing a refreshing brand of concise shredding Metal to the masses.
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! A time of reflection, a time of remembrance, and a time of scrolling through my Itunes to see what was released, and most importantly, what got the most repeated listens in 2016. So here goes…somethin’: [Read more…]
In jumping back into the writing saddle this week and seeing Youth Code for the first time live since Eye Vs Spy recently, I realized I neglected to review their latest masterpiece (Which also happened to be on our “Top 16 for ’16” list). Here’s the reason: some records come out and I enjoy them so much that honestly, I forget to review them because whatever I type won’t do the product justice. [Read more…]
Happy New Year’s! New year, new music! So what are we excited for this year? Glad you asked! Here’s a rundown of what we think will be played incessantly at the Rock and Roll Fables offices: [Read more…]
Like most other blogs, sites, what have you…at the end of the year I compose a list of not only what was great about the year but also what I think is worth checking out in the next year. [Read more…]
At some point there must’ve been a timewarp that brought back early Skinny Puppy into the present day or at the very least, Youth Code is some alternate universe version of SP. Regardless of what higher power brought this Los Angeles duo to industrial’s doorstep just be thankful that they’re here. They’re vicious, they’re danceable, and they have a message. The lead single off their latest EP, A Place To Stand, “Consuming Guilt” has all of those parts and more. [Read more…]
Let it be known that I do not like remix albums. At all. Of my favorite artists to do so, there’s only a handful that I find tolerable (Nine Inch Nails’ Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D, Death From Above 1979’s Romance Bloody Romance: Remixes & B-Sides immediately come to mind). I guess I just tend to like the originals more and I’m usually just impatient waiting for another studio album. That said, with a remix artist roster like the one Front Line Assembly has but together for ECHOES, the remix companion to last year’s ECHOGENETIC, my skepticism has been quelled because this is a remix album that’s actually worth a damn.
It doesn’t get much better than this line up: Former FLA-er Rhys Fulber, upstarts Youth Code, Cyanotic, tweaker, and the indomitable force that is Primitive Race are just a few of the artists reinterpreting songs from Bill Leeb, Jeremy Inkel, and Jared Slingerland’s latest opus.
Doing a track-by-track would be a disservice to ECHOES as the the album needs to be experienced as a whole but I will say that it really hits the sweet spot and kicks into high gear when Blush Response’s (Joey Blush of Scar The Martyr) version of “Echogenetic” strikes. Then you get Henrik Blackstrom’s “Exhale”, HECQ’s “Prototyp”, Slighter’s “Leveled”…what I’m saying is, listen to it! It’s epic and undeniably Front Line Assembly at the core.
Did I mention that ECHOES also features two BRAND NEW SONGS? Well, it does! Co-written by Sneaker Pimps’ (Gone, but not forgotten!) Ian Pickering, “Contagion” which opens the album is the result if Delerium and FLA were to make an album together (And yes, I know what the connection is there) while “Next War” is a heavy dance track more in tone with last year’s ECHOGENETIC without the dubstep.
You can get all this and more if you shell out for the digital version of ECHOES on Itunes which features 4 bonus tracks or go with the standard edition which is also available now through Metropolis Records.