Iranian MC Shay Mula aka Shay D from North London drops her five track EP Rose from Concrete. Each track has a different producer ranging from Prodbyap, Bullet Tooth, Carlos TN, Scratcha to Z Dot and…
Release of the Day: MINDFIELD - "Seclusion of Sanity" (Bullet Tooth) Things the debut LP from Florida's Mindfield have going for it: (1) shouted out exclamation of the band name in the title track; (2) Bullet Tooth doesn't release a ton of music, so when they commit to something, you know it won't be run of the mill genre-chasing. "Seclusion of Sanity" feels like a megaton of metallic hardcore shards raining down on you. Each shard is shaped from a difference set of influences - anything from East Coast style chugg-core in the vein of Fury of Five, beat-down metal from Stigmata, or the more technical All Out War. All heavy, all the time, with varying bits of thrash, death, and whatever else you sniff out from the wreckage. Little touches like tucked in backing vocals and layered guitar squeals show a high level of care. Stirred together in a massive production vortex, "Seclusion of Sanity" presents nothing but strength and conviction. Standouts: "Contrition" and 90 second pit-runner "Terminal Atonement."
Album Review by Bradley Christensen
Throw The Fight – Transmissions
Record Label: Bullet Tooth
Release Date: April 8 2016
I’ve been diving headfirst into early 00s nu-metal / alt-metal for the last couple weeks now, and you know what? It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff from bands like Disturbed, Slipknot, System Of A Down, and Korn, just to name a few, but it’s been really interesting and entertaining to sink my teeth into a style of music that I never really sunk my teeth into. The only tales of nu-metal that I’ve had were horror stories about how bad it was, and how it plagued the rock / metal world for so long, but actually listening to it now, well, it’s not that bad. Some albums and bands haven’t aged really well, and I’ll talk about one soon that I plan on reviewing, but for the most part, these albums are really good, and they’ve held up really well. Nu-metal is an interesting genre, because it was the only thing casual radio listeners got to hear in the vein of rock or metal for a long time. Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington said that his band “kept metal alive” during the early 00s, and I talked about that already in another review, but to some degree, he’s kind of right. Not totally, as I talked about in great detail, but he has a somewhat valid point. It’s a very, very vague and faraway point that he makes, because nu-metal as a whole helped to metal alive. Not that metal was dead, though. Metal was far from dead; it was just dead within the mainstream. It was alive and well in the underground, but without nu-metal, people probably wouldn’t have known too much about metal, or even gotten into metal, because nu-metal bands served as gateway bands. If anything, Slipknot is a much better band to use an example that “kept metal alive,” considering how much heavier they are compared to Linkin Park. It’s been interesting to listen to these bands, but I have wanted a couple of newer records, too. I’ve covered a few, such as the new From Ashes To New and Nonpoint albums, but there’s one more album that I’ve been into that I’ve wanted to cover – hard-rock / alt-metal band Throw The Fight’s newest LP, Transmissions.
I’ve only been recently aware of the Minnesota act, but it’s almost by pure chance that I came across them. My first run-in with the band was earlier this year when I went onto their label’s Bandcamp page to look for a copy of easycore band Kid Liberity’s last LP, 2010’s Fight With Your Fists. I wanted to see if they had a physical copy, too, but they didn’t, so I just snagged a digital copy. I saw that Transmissions had come out, and I really didn’t think much of it, because I figured they were some generic rock / metalcore act that I probably wouldn’t care about. Fast forward to just a couple weeks ago, where I was getting more into more nu-metal / alt-metal, and I happened to stumble upon Transmissions while looking through the nu-metal tags on Bandcamp. It seemed coincidental that they showed up again, but I recognized the album cover right away, because it was admittedly kind of cool. I decided to listen to the album, because it seemed relatively short, quick, and easy to digest. Even if it wasn’t anything spectacular, I’d be willing to give it a shot. I wanted some newer stuff, just to counteract the older albums that I’ve been listening to, so how did Transmissions turn out? Well, if I’m playing this album basically every day for the last couple of weeks, it’s probably a good guess to say that I really like it. I’m actually surprised that this album is good as it is. I’d even call it a great album. It’s weird to say that, since I don’t really like a lot of modern rock, hard-rock, or alt-metal. I don’t have anything against the entire genre, but a lot of bands that I’ve heard just aren’t any good, or they’re completely generic, bland, and forgettable in every single way. I haven’t heard many bands in this vein that have stuck out, maybe since Chevelle (their new album is great, by the way, and the review for that is still on its way, so don’t worry), but Transmissions is very, very good.
The reason why this album is pretty damn good comes down to a couple of key things – its overall sound and vocalist James Clark. When I first pressed play on this album, I didn’t have too much of a clue as to what to expect. I just kind of knew what they sounded like, or at least had some idea, but what I found was something quite interesting, being a mix of alt-metal, hard-rock, and post-hardcore / metalcore. If I had to describe this band’s sound, I’d say they’re a lovechild between hard-rock / alt-metal band Breaking Benjamin and metalcore band Killswitch Engage. Throw The Fight takes elements from both bands and mashes them together, so to speak; they take the hard-rock / alt-metal sound from Breaking Benjamin, especially on their later albums (think Phobia and Dear Agony, basically), but they take a metalcore / post-hardcore sound from Killswitch Engage, especially with their use of harsh vocals, breakdowns, and some guitar solos here and there. On their own, both elements aren’t really anything unique, but they’re really interesting when put together. The overall sound of this album won’t blow you away from how unique or impressive it is, but it’s got a cool sound. They take influences from early 00s alt-metal, nu-metal, and metalcore, so if you really like that era of music, you’ll probably like these guys okay. Frontman James Clark also brings something to the album that I really enjoy. He’s not an amazing vocalist, I suppose, but for this kind of music, he brings a lot of power, aggression, and range. Clark still has a very nice voice, both in terms of how he’s got a decent amount of range to it, and how versatile it can be. On every single “sound” of this album, from the slow-moving acoustic track, the upbeat and straightforward rock tracks, and even the heavier sounds, he gives it his all, and he sounds consistently great. I’ll admit that his lyrics aren’t really anything to be admired, either, but you know what, they’re fine for what they are, and there are some cool lines here and there. As with the instrumentation, it won’t melt your mind from how awesome it is, but it’s completely serviceable if you like this kind of music.
That’s how I feel about the album as a whole, really. If you like hard-rock, alt-metal, or metalcore, you’ll probably like this album fine. If you don’t, yeah, I can’t see you enjoying it, because it’s pretty clichéd at times. Throw The Fight is ultimately a band that’s not the most unique band to ever exist (their sound is relatively unique, but each individual element to their sound isn’t anything special), but they do what they do pretty well. They’re not going to change the face of music, or even change your personal music taste, but they’re just fine. Transmissions is surprisingly a great album, because they’re not trying to do anything like that. I love when bands just openly embrace what they are, or what kind of band they want to be, even if it’s something that’s not going to blow your mind or really change the way you look at music. That’s not always going to happen, and not everything you listen to will do that, but Transmissions is still a good album. Hell, it’s great, honestly. I’ve been coming back to it a lot these last couple weeks, and for good reason; it’s very short, only about 35 minutes, it’s got some tight hooks and choruses, the heavier moments are done pretty well, and everything about is at least solid. There’s nothing outright bad on here, but it can get a little generic at times, but it’s done well enough where I can forgive that. I don’t mind that too much, but other people might get a little irritated by that. If you were never into hard-rock / alt-metal, I don’t think this album will do a whole lot for you, and it might get repetitive for some folks, but it’s short enough to where I don’t think that matters too much. I don’t listen to a lot of stuff like this, so if I’m recommending a modern hard-rock / alt-metal band, these guys must be doing something right. Believe me, they are, and definitely check out Transmissions if you have the chance. It’s totally worth it. I don’t know if this album will make my actual yearend list come December, but expect to see me talk about it in some way. To be totally fair, this year has been a great year for music, and we’re about 2/3 of the way done of the year, so I’m excited to see what the next four months has in store.
Album Review by Bradley Christensen
Band: Kid Liberty
Album: Fight With Your Fists
Record Label: Bullet Tooth
Release Date: August 9 2010
One of my favorite groups on Facebook is the Revive Easycore Group, and through that group, I’ve both come across a lot of new and exciting easycore acts, as well as fallen for the genre itself, ultimately becoming one of my favorites. Prior to really getting into that group, the only easycore band I was aware of was Four Year Strong. I know I was a little too harsh on their self-titled LP last year, but I wasn’t that crazy about it. I want to revisit the album to see if maybe my thoughts might soften a bit, but it was an album that felt too much like they were trying to emulate their earlier work, versus try anything new or different. Not that they needed to, but pop-punk / easycore are genres where bands can get stale very fast if they don’t do something to reinvent their sound. The album itself was fine, though, and I did like it. I just didn’t love it, especially compared to their other work. Why am I bringing this up? Well, it’s weird to hear of other “old school” easycore bands, one of which being Texas pop-punk easycore act Kid Liberty. I’ve heard about them in the TREG, but I never really gave them a listen, mainly because I was first looking for new stuff before I got into older albums from the genre.
What really made me want to listen to them, however, was that the band’s vocalist, Trey Sexton, is featured on a track from the new album from Bullet Tooth labelmates Knockout Kid, and their new album, Manic, which just came out a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been bumping that record almost nonstop (it’s awesome, and I plan on covering it really soon). Manic was also my first introduction to Knockout Kid. I’ve wanted to listen to them for awhile, too, but after really liking Sexton’s brief feature on that album, I thought I’d take a listen to some Kid Liberty. I noticed they only had a single record, as well as an EP out, both of which came out more than five years ago. I thought I’d grab their debut LP, 2010’s Fight With Your Fists, and what’s funny is that this album came out around the same time that Four Year Strong released one of my favorite pop-punk / easycore LPs, Enemy Of The World, so this album is the second easycore album from before 2013 that I’ve heard. For having that honor, well, this album is actually pretty good. I don’t know if this band is right up there with my favorite easycore bands, but they definitely have a lot going on that I really like. Sexton is really good vocalist, and he’s got a lot of charisma throughout this LP, something that pop-punk and easycore needs. That’s actually one of my biggest problems with the new Basement album, Promise Everything, because their vocalist is so monotone and boring, I couldn’t much into that album, at least more than a few listens. I loved that instrumentation, but the vocals were very underwhelming.
Sexton himself is really good, but I’ll admit that one of my biggest problems with this album are its lyrics. Not that they’re written terribly, or there are really bad lines here, but the lyrics just don’t do much for me. They’re not that interesting, aside from a few moments here and there. It’s all stuff we’ve heard before, whether it’s partying, girls, partying with girls, being out on the road, partying while out on the road, or partying while on the road with girls. All your lyrical clichés are here, and I kind of give them a pass, because it’s so fun, energetic, and lighthearted. The instrumentation is where the album really shines. It’s got a nice mix of pop-punk, easycore, and some metalcore here and there. Some of the guitar riffs get a little “metally,” if that’s a word, so it’s nice to hear some heavier guitar tones than you would hear on an average easycore record (the new Knockout Kid album is actually pretty similar, and that’s one thing I really like about it), even if the album isn’t really, really mindblowing or amazing. That doesn’t mean it still can’t be good, or even entertaining, and it’s both of those things. I also like how the album is really short, only being around 35 minutes, so if you’re in the mood for an easycore album that may not be huge on lyrical substance, or being more than catchy, fun, energetic, and a little heavy, Kid Liberty’s Fight With Your Fists is definitely an album that you’ll want to get yours hands on. Just make sure you don’t have to fight anyone with your fists for it.
Worldwide premiere of 'Drown With Me' at Revolver Magazine
The worldwide premiere of the new Throw The Fight single "Drown With Me" is live NOW at Revolver Magazine! New studio album "Transmissions" drops April 8 via Bullet Tooth.
Of the track, vocalist James Clark said, "The song is about realizing you are trapped in a relationship that isn't going anywhere and you’re just going through the motions. It's about you both knowing it's over and that it's not going to end well, but it's easier to stay trapped and unhappy than move on into the unknown."
Check out the lyric video at here. The song is also available via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, & Google Play.
