Soul Control "Involution"

Involution, despite coming across as a relatively seamless 11-song full length, is actually a mini-compilation of Soul Control's debut 7", original demo and split with I Rise. The band whips through most of the songs in about two minutes, but that's not to imply that their style is go, go, go; faster, faster, faster. Running the gamut of tempos and textures, Soul Control's brand of traditional hardcore incorporates the mid-paced, post-hardcore appeal of bands like Burn and Quicksand, as well as heavy grooves, tinges of frenzied dissonance and some 108-ish angularity. While Soul Control is often on the intense side of things, they use a lot of restraint to their advantage, which is an interesting approach. Packed with socially and personally conscious lyrics, Involution feels smart and powerful -- certainly enough that I hope the band sticks around and releases a proper full length.

These guys seem to have the same idea as Lion of Judah, but most definitely a different delivery. Hear for yourself -- twice!

Soul Control - On Survival
Soul Control - Mindwalking

Snag this one straight from Rivalry Records. Cool stuff.

Immortal Souls "Wintereich"

Fast, furious, and Finnish, straight from the Beelzebub-belt of Satano-approved shananigans -- the hobby church burning, competitive murders, skull fragment arts and craft, and bits o' brain culinary experimentation of Scandinavian metal lore -- sits oxymoron on a throne: Christian death metal. Immortal Souls, holy impostors that they are, are an established melodic death metal monolith, akin to In Flames and that ilk.

Showcasing adroit musicianship, the twin-guitar attack weaves seamless melodies when one or the other isn't flying into some fretboard-scorching solo. The drumming sounds big, bold and precise, dictating tempos with fills and flair. The garbled demono-speak renders all Christian banter incomprehensible, so fans who can't enjoy Mae or Jars of Clay can stow that apprehension away, and invent subject matter to disgust and offend friends and authority figures.

Wintereich is a rare metal treat, one that will appeal to parties of either cross-orientation. Enjoy the irony of a band whose godly invocations fuel church burnings and gleeful mayhem.

Cousin to Jars of Clay? - "Color of My Sky"

Pick up Wintereich at Facedown Records.

Between the Buried and Me (Live)

I had the "pleasure" of traveling through some of the endless flatness that is eastern Iowa on Saturday in pursuit of Iowa City, Iowa, the home-for-the-night to Between the Buried and Me and their few tour mates. It took more than three hours to get there, and almost as many to get home (we managed to make all the right turns on the way back), but the band's hour-long set was more than rewarding enough to merit the trip.

In a venue with a maximum occupancy of 261, Animosity sounded tight to a fairly restrained response and HORSE The Band managed to rile up the crowd with their cocky, juvenile humor and renditions of "Birdo," "Bunnies," "Lord Gold Throneroom" and, of course, crowd-favorite "Cutsman." They were funny and super energetic, so, despite not being a huge fan, I couldn't complain. But it's hard for me to even think much about those sets after witnessing Between the Buried and Me pull off the entirety of Colors live.

I've heard people complain that Between the Buried and Me is a boring live band because the members "just stand there." Not only is that statement either not true or not consistently true (based on my experience), the band's music requires focus and concentration, especially considering they make a conscious attempt to play their songs perfectly. I couldn't care less that the band doesn't swing their guitars or do other cheap rock-star tricks -- not when they sound so tight and when singer Tommy Rogers' eyes are bulging and veins are popping with each excited scream.

From the soft piano strokes and soft singing that opened the band's set to the chilling solos that closed it, Between the Buried and Me brought an entirely new dimension to Colors. I love the record, but I can safely say I love it way, way more when it's live. While I wasn't initially sure about the idea and would've liked to have heard "Mordecai" or "All Bodies" (the band couldn't play an old-song encore because there was a curfew), it fucking worked. And not just for me. The sweaty-as-hell crowd pumped their fists to the punchy metal, sang along to the melodic singing, danced to the hoedown (seriously awesome), nodded to the tribal rhythms and, when all was said and done, chanted for more. There was no bullshit; the band played their record from the barely-raised stage with only minimal talking, and it kind of revived my interest in going to shows. Even though I was probably seven years older than most of the attendees.

I don't know what else to say. If you get the chance to catch Between the Buried and Me, particularly in a small venue, before the Colors tour is over, passing it up would be a serious misfortune. Killer performance of a killer record.

Impending Doom "Nailed. Dead. Risen."

Impending Doom might not be the heaviest Christian metal band out there, but they're almost surely the heaviest Christian metal band I've ever heard. And I'm not talking about a louder version of the typical Solid State or Facedown Records act; this band plays fast, no-frills, brutal death metal. Surprisingly, Nailed. Dead. Risen. doesn't even come across as a 30-some-minute gimmick, and the band never relents in favor of clean vocals, blatant melodies or cheesy praise. If I didn't know better, I'd think Impending Doom was singing about church burnings and gore.

The crunchy, thick guitar riffs are effective and the driving, blast-beat-heavy drumming sounds massive, but it's the killer, growled vocals that make Impending Doom and Nailed. Dead. Risen. They sound inhumanly deep and forceful, but they're not as close to straight-up animal noises as some of their peers. The band tosses in some lurching breakdowns from time to time, but this is almost a strictly death metal record and it ain't half bad.

I'll give you a dollar if you can figure out everything said without cheating: Impending Doom - Nailed Dead Risen

You can grab this Facedown release here.

Blues "Snakepit"

Well, shit. I'll be damned. There actually is a band that can do justice to the sounds that Botch and the like pioneered in the late 90s -- and it's Blues. A mix of homage and attitude, Blues' full-length debut channels a certain advanced-math-kids' metal band, but scorches most of the Botch-imitating competition with a dirty, rock'n'roll slant and, simply, barrels of energy. There's plenty of Louisville grit and dissonance (think Breather Resist and a hint of Black Cross), as well as some Every Time I Die-ish Southern swagger, mixed into the complex, churning metal, and everything comes together in a surprisingly interesting and cohesive way. Snakepit clearly brings together some familiar sounds, but the delivery is distinct and, again, energetic. I'm going to keep my eye on this band, as should those of you who can't get over the losses of Botch and Breather Resist.

Listen up: Blues - The Bloated Mind

This beast is out on Corrosive Recordings; pick it up here.

The Great Deceiver "Life Is Wasted on the Living"

As a fan of Trustkill Records' late-90s and early-2000s releases and a former frequenter of the label's website (not to mention a general fan of At the Gates), I'm not sure how I never got around to sampling even one song from The Great Deceiver -- a former Trustkill act and current home of Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Disfear). But, having moved to Deathwish Inc. for the release of Life Is Wasted on the Living, the band recently came to me (got to love it), and I'm surprised and impressed by what I hear.

The Great Deceiver might feature a singer who fronted one of melodic, Swedish death metal's more influential bands, but the band is far from another At the Gates. While there's some familiar metal riffs on Life Is Wasted on the Living, it's the focus on mildly crusty, D-beat hardcore and industrial effects and rhythms that gives the record its character. And it's no gimmick; the band has a handle on pummeling, ominous hardcore -- there are plenty of comparisons to Tragedy and From Ashes Rise to be made -- convincing me that they've been connected to this style in some way for a long time. Still, there's a lot of variety to the tempos and guitar parts, so Life Is Wasted on the Living never feels like it's nailed to a certain genre.

Lindberg's hoarse, desperate shouts sound right at home amongst the driving drumming and heavy chord progressions, and the chunky, metallic riffs and hardcore aesthetic. If anything, The Great Deceiver gives him a chance to be someone other than the "guy from At the Gates" -- a little more human, if you will -- and I'm glad to hear him doing something quite different and quite well.

This is good stuff and, despite some initial skepticism, comes highly recommended: The Great Deceiver - A Life Transparent

Grab it from Deathwish Inc.'s online store.

Full Blown Chaos "Heavy Lies the Crown"

While I do enjoy Madball's latest record, I'm actually more intrigued by their new label mates' Ferret debut, Heavy Lies the Crown. They're both metallic hardcore albums at heart, but Full Blown Chaos' sound is 10 times heavier and intimidating in a much gruffer, burlier way. The chugging breakdowns are massive, the forceful vocals sound like they're coming from some grizzly bear of a human, and the unforgiving songwriting means the beating lasts for most of the album's 45-minute-or-so length.

Taking cues from East Coast heavyweights -- particularly All Out War and Hatebreed -- Heavy Lies the Crown crosses thrashy metal and brute metallic hardcore to familiar, but undeniably effective results. The band ain't winning awards for doing something new, but they manage to whip up enough diversity and sheer strength to keep their latest effort interesting for much of its duration -- assuming you're into this brand of straightforward, metallic hardcore. There are some tasteful melodies, especially in "Firefight" and the title track, and, surprisingly, an instrumental before the closing track, both of which offer some appreciated variety. Really, though, Heavy Lies the Crown sticks to its core and, in all honesty, I like that. This is a certain rebound from the rather forgettable Within The Grasp of Titans.

Crack some heads to this: Full Blown Chaos - Heavy Lies the Crown

Snag your copy here.

Madball "Infiltrate the System"

From album to album, you know what you're going to get from the legendary, long-running Madball: heavy, groove-laden New York hardcore with a street-smart attitude. Infiltrate the System is, of course, no exception, adding 13 solid songs of crunchy, in-your-face metallic hardcore to the band's ever-expanding catalog. If you like Madball, chances are you'll like Infiltrate the System. It's not revolutionary in a musical sense, but, like the band or not, Madball again proves to be relevant and discontented, not to mention more discernably positive about inciting change. Catchy in an I-can't-stop-nodding-my-head way and consistently forceful, Infiltrate the System is another testament to Madball's ongoing existence. Yeah, I like it.

You might, too! Madball - Revolt

Pick 'er up from Ferret.

Between the Buried and Me "Colors"

Despite retiring from the hobby, I still peruse a variety of web-zines and, for the most part, it seems like they're slinging heaps of praise at Between the Buried and Me's fourth (excluding their 2006 covers record, The Anatomy Of) full length, Colors. While it's easy to get caught up in the hype and simply like the record because so many people are (perhaps shortsightedly) naming it the best metal record of 2007, Colors really does merit accolades.

Five records in, Between the Buried and Me has become one of the few metal bands you can count on to be one (or two, or 50) big step ahead of the crowd. The group's collective technical skill alone pits them in a hard-to-reach, upper echelon of heavy bands, but they also have a creative songwriting prowess and sense of heart that completely rounds out their efforts. While other groups re-purpose 2005's stunning Alaska, Between the Buried and Me is pushing ahead. But not forgetting their longtime fans.

Colors showcases, dare I say, a more "grown-up" Between the Buried and Me. The general formula for their past records is still present -- complex, tempo-shifting drumming lays the foundation for crazily technical guitar riffs (flashy arpeggios included), distinguished bass parts and pained screams, and poignant, touching melodies often interject the metallic chaos. But, as hinted at on The Anatomy Of, the band's progressive tones -- a la King Crimson and Pink Floyd -- have really come around, and Colors gracefully morphs between grinding metal and beautiful, colorful progressive rock throughout it's more than hour-long length.

With three of the eight songs easily topping 10 minutes, the band has lots of room to indulge themselves -- and sometimes they do -- but Colors rarely falls into filler material and never bores. There's always some sort of texture or, at the least, lead guitarist Paul Waggoner's highly impressive playing to envelope listeners. There's even a fun and friendly hoedown at the end of "Ants of the Sky," several Mike Patton-influenced vocalizations, Latin and polka tinges, tribal rhythms and trippy synths. Somehow, the odds and ends are all comfortably nestled in a bed of metal, sounding like they naturally belong.

A lot of the bands that I loved even five years ago have become a slightly embarrassing figment of my memory, but I'm still proud to love Between the Buried and Me. The way the band composes songs, evokes emotion and even paces -- each song seamlessly blends into the next -- their music is so far above average that I'm stunned with each listen. You know, now that I've gotten this on paper (or screen, whatever), I'm just about ready to call this the best metal record of 2007. Fuck it. Best metal record of 2007. So far.

A snippet of the refined face shredding that is Colors: Between the Buried and Me - Ants of the Sky

Seriously, get this.