This is an odd one for us to be posting for sure, but there is a reason, trust me. In my highest peak of untr00 in 2010 I named Circa Survive‘s Blue Sky Noise as my favourite non-heavy album of the year, and contender for the ultimate crown that year. It’s a really fucking special record, and also has the added benefit of being one that I can blast without making my girlfriend’s ears bleed.
Anthony Green is Circa Survive’s exceptional frontman – although he can be somewhat divisive, in that his vocal style is quite effeminate (it’s not ridiculous by any stretch, but the height his voice can reach at times is beyond ranges others employ) – but he also has his own solo work beyond the band, and he’s releasing his new record Beautiful Things next week on January 16th.
Particularly interesting for you guys is that Deftones‘ Chino Moreno guest stars on one of the album’s bonus tracks, as well as Ida Maria, a Norwegian rock musician.
The full album can be streamed at Anthony’s website here, but ‘Right Outside‘ with Moreno is available over at Rolling Stone. Green apparently wrote the song after listening to Chino’s side project ††† (Crosses)’s EP. Cool stuff!
Beautiful Things is out next week through Photo Finish.
1. Devolver
2. Breeding Violence
3. The Darkest Day of Man
4. Reprogrammed to Hate
5. End of Flesh
6. Unnerving
7. A Future Corrupt
8. Prayer of Mockery
9. Murder Sermon
10. Nercomechanical
11. Single File to Dehumanization
Like it or not, Whitechapel appear to be among the forefront of the metal scene these days. I’ve been told that to really “get” them, they are a band you’d have to see live–and living in a rural area, it’s something I’ve yet to do. I could never really get what made them so popular, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around why they need to have three guitarists (although Alex Wade seems like a pretty awesome dude.) Regardless, Whitechapel are becoming big names, and with A New Era Of Corruption, they’ll no doubt continue to grow.
This new effort sees an improved writing style and a slight growth in their sense of melody. However, for me, Whitechapel have been plagued with a sense of mental exhaustion upon listen, as their compressed sound leaves a lot to be desired in terms of dynamic, and in the long run things can run a bit monotonous. A constant barrage of low end, blast beats, and breakdowns is indeed tiresome. While it definitely isn’t as bad on this release, it is still an issue at times. Luckily, this can be broken up a bit on repeated listen if you actually care enough to give them a chance–and with A New Era of Corruption, it is worth the listen as it is their best effort yet.
The hype behind Whitechapel in the scene today is crazy. I don’t understand it, really. I guess there’s something I’m not getting, but when I hear Whitechapel, I don’t really hear much of anything special at all. My main gripe about them, however, is the need for three guitarists. Oh great, one-note breakdowns played through three guitars. Talk about overkill.
In any case, Whitechapel posted the album artwork to their new album, A New Era Of Corruption, seen above. Here’s the tracklist:
01. Devolver
02. Breeding Violence
03. The Darkest Day of Man
04. Reprogrammed to Hate
05. End of Flesh
06. Unnerving
07. A Future Corrupt
08. Prayer of Mockery
09. Murder Sermon
10. Nercomechanical
11. Single File to Dehumanization
12. Animus (digital and vinyl bonus track)
Chino Moreno from Deftones is on the album somewhere, surely to be a highlight. I don’t know how they fit him on there, but I hope he does his clean mellow vocals, because that’d be crazy over deathcore.
Welp, the album is out June 8th on Metal Blade records if you care enough.
It takes a lot for a band to write and record an entire album, shelve it, and write another; especially with a dedicated fan base anticipating it so highly. Deftones took a considerable risk with Diamond Eyes, choosing to continue their efforts without Chi Cheng, who is still in a coma since his accident in 2008. Fortunately, the risk they took certainly pays off.
Diamond Eyes features a maturation of the same sort of sound that Deftones have become famous for: melding relatively simple yet heavy (and at times, aggressive) alternative metal riffs with dreampop-like atmosphere and floaty melodies. Much of the record has sounds reminiscent of 2000′s White Pony, and this is certainly the best album they’ve done since then.
The album opens with the simple radio-ready title track “Diamond Eyes”. This song does justice as the album’s namesake, with a beautiful chorus featuring mesmerizing lyrics and imagery.
“Once and for all, time will see us realign.
Diamonds rain across the sky.
Follow me into the same realm.”
Sadly, this song is over before you know it, but it is very memorable. Royal is a powerful song “CMND/CTRL” is one of the heavier songs, and it will get you feeling pumped up. The riffs in this song, when combined with Chino’s confident-and-cocky vocals (“Switching command, just because I can”), will make you feel ballsy and empowered.
As far as nu-metal goes, Deftones were always standing out as different than the rest of the pack, at times leaning more towards alternative metal, if such a thing even exists. Empirical evidence also suggests that Deftones are generally more accepted in metal circles than the other bands that they were unfairly clumped with in the 90′s and early 2000′s.
It shouldn’t be news to anyone: In November 2008, Deftones’ bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a car accident that left him in a coma. Deftones then decided to shelve their highly anticipated album “Eros” and work on a completely new album without Chi.
Deftones frontman Chino Moreno(I love saying his name; I mispronounce it so it rhymes) recently spoke with Spin.com in regards to the upcoming album. Read cherry-picked excerpts below:
With former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega filling in, the Deftones found a renewed energy, writing songs in a rehearsal space together — an approach they had ditched on their past few albums, which were recorded layer by layer with ProTools. Soon the band entered a L.A. studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz. The result: 11 songs for their yet-to-be-titled release, the sound of which recalls the group’s early days — while also exploring new territory.
One of Moreno’s favorite tracks, “Rocket Skates,” is a “heavier” tune with “beautiful yet violent imagery,” that has “a fantasy vibe” similar to “Knife Party,” a hit from 2000′s White Pony. But another newbie, “Nylons and Suspenders,” marks a first for the 20-year-old band.
“Musically, it’s something that we haven’t done before,” he explains. “It’s very… sludgy, like a chainsaw-type of riff but very slow. I shouldn’t say this, but it’s clunky… in an awesome way.”
What can fans expect from the new album?
The dynamics Deftones are known for — aggressive overtones and lush openness. They’re on opposite sides of the spectrum, but we meld them together without sounding contrived. There are a few heavy songs, too, like our first couple records, and there are also experimental tunes — but there’s not a minute on this record that feels like it doesn’t need to be there. Each sound complements the other. I’ll straight-up say it: it’s definitely one of our best albums.
What direction are you going in lyrically?
Well, I’ve been wanting to record a fantasy album like White Pony, where the lyrics are less, ‘This is my life and this is what we’re going through.’ It helps take us away from reality. I don’t like listening to people’s problems — I like music. Music has been smothered with that complaining since the early-’90s. It gets old. Instead of going to the opposite side of the spectrum and listening to Black Eyed Peas, which is just straight silly, I choose to listen to more instrumental music. I do very little singing about myself on this record. I love songs where I can totally take myself out of being human. I can sing about really odd things, and they don’t necessarily have to pertain to me at all. It paints a picture. Those are the kind of lyrics I grew up with — like the Cure. Really visual images and no storytelling.
How did the addition of Sergio Vega affect the music?
It brought us closer together than we’ve been in a really long time. Musically, we were really clicking, and Sergio really fits with the band. But he’s a different type of player than Chi; Chi plays with his fingers, Sergio plays with his pick. We’re just appreciative that we’re still alive and able to make music. The recording process was very different — we didn’t use ProTools. We wrote each song in a practice place and played them a million times ’til they were perfect. That approach goes back to our earlier days, and it’s a lot more personable. We work better when everybody’s together — and the songs benefit.
Below is a video of a live performance of “Rocket Skates”, off of the new album. The yet-to-be-titled followup to 2006′s Saturday Night Wrist is due out some time in May. I’ll be looking forward to it!
