Tag Archive: The Faceless


Issachar – The Tide

Filed Under: Reviews
Feb.07, 2012

Issachar

The Tide

01. Desert
02. Dust
03. Storm
04. Tide (I)
05. Tide (II)

[02/07/12]
[Self Released]

Before I go ahead and review this, I feel like I have to disclose the fact that former Heavy Blog writer Paul “Uncle Muscles” Meisner is the extremely talented guitarist for Issachar. So as the newest contributor for Heavy Blog, I took it upon myself to review the album with no bias whatsoever, as my interactions with Paul have been minimal.

Anyways, Issachar is a quintet based out of North Carolina. Normally, this type of music isn’t the most appealing to me. I am not particular about the whole technical thing if it isn’t integrated with a more engaging element, whether it be a fretless bass or a keyboard or some soaring clean vocals, straight aggression just isn’t my thing. I need that substance. Something I can pick out and think back on as my favorite part. That is why bands like Between the Buried and Me and Periphery are so appealing to me. Not only are the heavy parts memorable to me, but their is also an element of variety that make’s the song in itself memorable. Albeit a crazy rhythm, electronic interlude or a polka section, that has always been the selling point for me.

Luckily, bands like Issachar made sure my spoiled rotten taste in music is littered with the stuff I look for in a band. Their debut EP The Tide is fantastic. I won’t say anything crazy, but if only one thing came out this year and it was The Tide, I would be perfectly happy. It started off as something I thought I wouldn’t be able to get into, but I was dead wrong.

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The Faceless Confirmed For Summer Slaughter

Filed Under: Tours and Rumors of Tours
Feb.06, 2012
Yeah, we know the lineup is different now, but this is the latest promo. Use your imagination!

This year’s Summer Slaughter Tour is looking like the biggest one yet, with Cannibal Corpse and Between the Buried and Me being the ticket’s highest selling points. Each week, Summer Slaughter will be announcing a new addition to the lineup until the whole bill is announced. Pretty smooth plan, as I’ll be mentioning them at least once a week until we get the dates. Hurray, marketing!

This week, we can check off another band that is confirmed for the trek from the rumored lineup that we reported a few weeks ago; The Faceless will be high on the bill. Expected, and yet still completely exciting!

Next week: Veil of Maya? Hate Eternal? Exhumed? A wildcard!? We’ll find out next week!

- JR

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Cannibal Corpse & BTBAM Confirmed For Summer Slaughter

Filed Under: Tours and Rumors of Tours
Feb.02, 2012

CALLED IT!

So Summer Slaughter’s lineup rumors are looking like they’re true. This year’s trek will include headliner Cannibal Corpse with special guests Between the Buried and Me. If you aren’t excited, you need to check your pulse. These two bands bring in a wide spectrum of metal fans, which will no doubt be filled in nicely with the diverse rumored lineup of The Faceless, Job For A Cowboy, Veil of Maya, Exhumed, and Hate Eternal. There should be something for everyone, and as long as some unwanted lame metalcore or deathcore band slips in, this will likely be the best Summer Slaughter lineup yet.

I’m stoked on this. The rest of the lineup will be slowly churned out each Sunday, so keep up with Summer Slaughter on Facebook for up-to-date info.

- JR

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Marc Okubo and Brandon Butler of Veil of Maya: The Heavy Blog Is Heavy Interview

Filed Under: Interviews
Jan.20, 2012

Progressive/technical deathcore pioneers Veil of Maya are preparing to release a new album called Eclipse soon, and I caught up with them at a show to ask them a few questions. I was able to talk to singer Brandon and guitarist Marc, and we chatted a bit about stuff, including their new album and the band’s writing process.

Hi, this is Noyan from Heavy Blog Is Heavy. So, you guys have a new album coming up…

Brandon Butler: Yeah, it’s called Eclipse, it comes out February 28th.

What can you tell us about the new album? [Marc walks in] Is it like a continuation of your sound, or something different, or maybe going back?

Marc Okubo: I would say it definitely sounds like us, but we’ve gotten better. Our playing’s improved, I like the production on it a lot. We added more elements like more synths and… it’s like more over the top sounding.

BB: Yeah.

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This Year’s Touring Schedule Gets That Much Better With The Faceless*, Dying Fetus, Job For A Cowboy* Goatwhore, Volumes, and Last Chance To Reason

Filed Under: Tours and Rumors of Tours
Jan.20, 2012

We’re barely a month into the new year and things are already looking like 2012 might just beat out 2011′s glorious year for metal. The Faceless (select dates), Dying Fetus, Job For A Cowboy (select dates) Goatwhore, Volumes, and Last Chance To Reason are touring this March out in the Eastern United States. I can’t speak on the whole lineup and how they deliver live, but you can guarantee that The Faceless and Last Chance To Reason are worth the trip out and the ticket price alone. Everything else is just a bonus.

Here are the dates featuring Dying Fetus as sole headliner, featuring Job For A Cowboy:

2/26 — Keene, NH @ Railroad Tavern
2/28 — Providence, RI @ PVD Social Club
2/29 — Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground
3/2 — Albany, NY @ Bogie’s
3/3 — Buffalo, NY @ Club Infinity

Here are the dates featuring The Faceless as co-headliners:

03/04 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
03/06 Lansing, MI – The Loft
03/07 Toledo, OH – Omni
03/08 Indianapolis, IN – Emerson Theatre
03/09 Peoria, IL – Brass Rail
03/10 Covington, KY – Bangarang’s
03/12 Evansville, IN – Boney June’s
03/13 St. Louis, MO – Fubar
03/14 Fayetteville, AR – The Rogue

Anyone going to make it out to Covington on the 10th? If so, leave a comment so we can meet up!

- JR

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Help Our Friends Issachar Open For The Metal Alliance Tour!

Filed Under: General News
Jan.19, 2012

If you hang out with us on Facebook you’ve already seen this call to action twice already, I apologize; you can just ignore me for a moment if you’ve already helped us with the cause. For the rest of you, listen up! Our ex-contributor Paul Meisner (Uncle Muscles) and his band Issachar (whose song ‘Storm’ we debuted recently) are in a contest to open up for The Metal Alliance Tour featuring Devil Driver, The Faceless, Job For A Cowboy, and more. I would love nothing more than to see them have the shot at playing alongside The Faceless, one of their influences.

Helping them out is incredibly simple and easy. You spent more time reading this plea than it would have taken to lend a hand. Clicking this link will take you to a picture of the band. Simply like the image and you’re done. That’s all you have to do to help this young progressive metalcore band out. It would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for hearing me out! Issachar’s new EP The Tide is due out February 7th on a pay-what-you-want pricetag.

- JR

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Tours And Rumors of Tours—Part One: Summer Slaughter 2012 Lineup Rumors Heat Up

Filed Under: Tours and Rumors of Tours, WILD SPECULATION!
Jan.17, 2012

Yesterday, I pointed out that there was a strong possibility that Cannibal Corpse and Between the Buried and Me were to headline this year’s iteration of The Summer Slaughter Tour. Since then, I’ve heard that the pairing is indeed true, as well as a handful of other bigger names being announced for the bill.

The Faceless, Job For A Cowboy, Veil of Maya, and Hate Eternal are also rumored to be a part of what is promised to be the biggest Summer Slaughter tour ever. EDIT: Metalsucks pointed out that Exhumed may be a part of the tour as well.

I mean, I’m pretty much 90% convinced that this is fact based on all the evidence provided. All of these bands are signed to either Metal Blade and Sumerian, two of the larger stakeholders in the tour. On top of that, most of the bands have albums due out by the time summer hits. I’d be shocked if this wasn’t at least mostly right. Place your bets in the comments section below.

When the lineup is officially announced, we’ll fill you in. This is shaping up to be a tour not to be missed.

- JR

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3 Inches Of Blood Announce New Album, Long Live Heavy Metal

Filed Under: General News, Upcoming releases
Jan.11, 2012

I just love 3 Inches Of Blood. I wouldn’t call myself a fan or anything, but I do get stoked when I hear them because they’re just so over the top that it’s just fucking awesome. Every time I hear ‘Deadly Sinner’, I get too into it and sing along in that Halford-esque high falsetto scream. It’s like Manowar without the overt homoeroticism; I’m talking beers, beards, and heavy metal songs ABOUT heavy metal. That’s something I can get behind.

Maybe there’s a chance they’ll make a full-blown fan of me yet with their new album Long Live Heavy Metal, which is due out March 27th on Century Media Records. Here’s what the fittingly named Cam Pipes had to say about the new record:

“When a band is releasing a new record, they often speak about it being their most important work or best album to date.  Regardless of how clichéd either statement may sound, I think we would say both apply to this album. All of us have a special feeling about this one.  We’re more committed than ever to the cause of real, honest, no bullshit heavy metal.  No trends, no fucking around!”

Starting in late March, 3IOB will be embarking on The Metal Alliance Tour alongside Devildriver, The Faceless, Dying Fetus, Job For A Cowboy, Impending Doom, and Wretched. Dates for that can be found after the jump.

- JR

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Bandhappy To Open For Registration Tomorrow, January 5th!

Filed Under: General News
Jan.04, 2012

One of the most exciting new things to come about in this metal scene in the last couple of years has got to be Matt Halpern’s innovative service Bandhappy. If you haven’t heard our harping on the subject enough to know what its all about, it’s the first website that allows live music lessons to take place between professional musicians and fans. It won’t be long before you can take lessons on the instrument of your choice from some of the following names:

Teachers that have already signed on include Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders), Rich Redmond (Jason Aldean), Gil Sharone (Stolen Babies), Jeff Loomis (Nevermore), Ben Weinman (Dillinger Escape Plan), Mike Mowery (Outerloop MGMT), Chris Adler (Lamb of God), Willie Adler (Lamb of God), AJ Minette (The Human Abstract), Evan Brewer (The Faceless), Paul Waggoner (Between the Buried and Me), Rody Walker (Protest the Hero), Peter Wichers (Soilwork), Louis Cato (Marcus Miller Band), Spencer Sotelo (Periphery), and more.

I can’t stress the “and more” enough, because the possibilities are vast. Registration privileges for students and teachers begins tomorrow at 11 am EST, and the first lessons will begin on Monday, January 9th. Exciting! Above, you can watch a tutorial that displays the ins and outs of using the site as a student. After the jump you can watch a similar tutorial for being a teacher on Bandhappy. Get involved!

- JR

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New Spawn of Possession Album Details Revealed

Filed Under: General News, Upcoming releases
Jan.03, 2012

Spawn of Possession may be one of the most overlooked and underrated tech death bands out now—at least from where I’m sitting, where every time I’ve listened to them I had a great experience, but I’ve ultimately been very lazy about these Swedes. I always said that the best time to get into a band you’ve been lazy about is by riding the hype wave surrounding a new release, and while I’m catching up on 2006′s Noctambulant, I’m already excited about their upcoming album Incurso.

Incurso will be Spawn of Possession’s Relapse Records debut, so if there’s anything that will break them out in the metal scene (if they weren’t already), then this is it. The album artwork (above) was done by the much sought-after Par Olofsson, whose work you’ve seen with the likes of The Faceless, Abysmal Dawn, Immolation, and just about every other gorgeous death metal cover you’ve seen in the last five years or so.

Here’s the tracklist:

1. Abodement
2. Where Angels Go Demons Follow
3. Bodiless Sleeper
4. The Evangelist
5. Servitude of Souls
6. Deus Avertat
7. Spiritual Deception
8. No Light Spared
9. Apparition

Incurso is due out March 13th in North America on Relapse Records. Get excited, because unless Necrophagist pulls a miracle and releases their much anticipated new album, this has potential to be the best tech death album all year.

- JR

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