Hatebreed - The Rise of Brutality (2003)

Hatebreed, for those of you who haven't heard of them before, are a 5 piece Metalcore/Hardcore band from New Haven, Connecticut who formed in 1994. They consist of Jamey Jasta (Vocals), Wayne Lozinak (Guitar), Frank Novinec (Guitar), Chris Beattie (Bass), and Matt Byrne (Drums). They are currently signed to E1 Records.

The Rise of Brutality, is Hatebreed's 3rd full-length album, following 2 other full-length albums and 3 EP's. When it was released it reached #30 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album consists of 12 tracks (the U.K. version has 13), which include "Tear it Down", "Straight to Your Face", "Facing What Consumes You", "Live for This", "Doomsayer", "Another Day, Another Vendetta", "A Lesson Lived is a Lesson Learned", "Beholder of Justice", "This is Now", "Voice of Contention", "Choose or Be Chosen", and "Confide in No One". The album as a whole was really kick ass. Each song makes you feel as though you just want to beat the shit out of somebody, while the lyrics are kind of upbeat (mostly positive outlooks throughout the lyrics). It's the guitar riffs that really drive this album, at points simplistic, but they work, the tracks mostly don't need solo's as it wouldn't really fit with the rest of it. If I had to reccommend some choice tracks out of the album, you should definitely listen to "Straight to Your Face", "Live for This", and "This is Now". The three of those tracks really drive the album, they hit you with a blast of sound which actually works, unlike some other bands (examples: iwrestledabearonce and Preschool Tea Party Massacre). If there is a downside to the album, it would be that most of the tracks sound just like breakdowns, which in turn, make the breakdowns sound even more breakdown-y, you'll know what I mean when you listen to it.

Overall, the album is perfect for moshing to. If you're into Throwdown, Walls of Jericho, DevilDriver, Madball, Agnostic Front (Madball is actually a side project of Agnostic Front), Icepick (Jamey Jasta's side project), Heaven Shall Burn, Bury Your Dead, Unearth, or Parkway Drive, then you should check out Hatebreed. The album was released on October 28, 2003 and is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Overall Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

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Hatebreed's Website

Electric Six - Fire (2003)

Well that took a while to get back on track, been busy for the past week filming, so I bring you an epic review today. For those of you who don't know Electric Six (and if you don't then shame on you), they are a 6 piece Alternative Rock band from Detroit, Michigan. They formed in 1996 as The Wildbunch and currently consist of Dick Valentine (Vocals, real name is Tyler Spencer, only original member of the group), The Colonel (Guitar, real name is Zach Shipps), Johnny Na$hinal (Guitar, real name is John Nash), Smorgasbord! (Bass, real name is Keith Thompson), Tait Nucleus? (Keyboards, real name is Christopher Tait), and Percussion World (Drums, real name is Mike Alonso). They are currently signed to XL Recordings, WEA, and Metropolis Records.

Electric Six's debut album was 2003's Fire. The album #5 on the U.S. Billboard Top Electronic Albums, #38 on the U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums, and #7 on the UK Albums Chart. The album contains 13 tracks that include "Dance Commander", "Electric Demons in Love", "Naked Pictures (Of Your Mother)", "Danger! High Voltage", "She's White", "I Invented the Night", "Improper Dancing", "Gay Bar", "Nuclear War (On the Dance Floor)", "Getting Into the Jam", "Vengeance and Fashion", "I'm the Bomb", and "Synthesizer". The album released three singles, those being Danger! High Voltage, Gay Bar, and Dance Commander. This album is sex for your ears. Every song is extremely well written, catchy, and memorable. Almost everyone has heard either of the three singles from this album. Dick Valentine soars as a vocalist and moves you through his lyrics. There have even been rumors that the song "Danger! High Voltage" had Jack White of the White Stripes as a guest vocalist. The album officially credits John S. O'Leary as the guest vocalist for the song, former Guitarist Surge Joebot (Joe Frezza) has confirmed this, while Dick Valentine has, in a radio interview, confirmed that it was Jack White.

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Overall, this album rocked from start to finish. This is where I'd give you other bands that sound like them to give you a feel for this, but you should have this album already. It was released on May 20, 2003 and is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Overall Rating: 6.0 out of 5.0, yeah, it's that good

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Electric Six's Website

Ed Gein - It's a Shame that a Family Can be Torn Apart by Something as Simple as a Pack of Wild Dogs (2003)

Ed Gein is a three piece Grindcore group from Syracuse, New York. They formed in 2002. have released 2 full length albums, and consist of Graham Reynolds (Guitar & Vocals), Aaron Jenkins (Bass & Vocals), and Jesse Daino (Drums & Vocals). Their current label is Black Marked Activities which has their album "Judas Goats and Dieseleaters" and their single "Robert Flaig" on it. The album that I'm going to be reviewing was released through their old label Hex Records. And now for the review.

The album consists of eight tracks with a hidden bonus track at the end of the eigth. The tracks are "You Suck at Life...and I'm Not Talking About The Board Game", "The Marlboro Man is a Douche Bag", "A Way to Kill Old People", "Nice Shoes...Wanna Fuck?", "I Wish You The Best...", "...and by Best I Mean Worst.", "Beating a Dead Horse", and "What is This Monstrosity?!". At the end of "What is This Monstrosity?!" there is a cover of Nirvana's song "Very Ape". The album itself was really fast paced throughout it's entirety. The band just kept going at 110% of their capabilities throughout it all, wether it was the drumming, bass, or the guitar work, it was just going at full speed. The screaming though, sounded a bit like Every Time I Die. Now I'm somewhat of a fan of Every Time I Die, but only in small doses. The same with the screaming with Ed Gein, it got kind of annoying at times. And like with some of the other albums I've reviews, the album has a bunch of sound bytes from other movies, tv shows, or just random things in general. Luckily, they put them in appropriate places (unlike the PTPM album I reviewed), and it works with the album.

Overall, the album was a good production instrument wise, just could have done better with the screaming. If you're a fan of Every Time I Die, Beneath The Sky, All That Remains, The Black Dahlia Murder (earlier works though), or just Grindcore in general, I'd recommend it, but I'm not giving it my full backing. If you're interested in picking up the album, it was released on June 2, 2003, and you can get it on itunes and on amazon.

Overall Rating: 3.9 out of 5

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Ed Gein's Website