I was surprised to find that 2008 saw a slight bump up to almost 200 posts for the year, but I think I must have been enjoying more frequent posts about old classics as opposed to writing about an increased number of new releases. It also seems like maybe this was the year that digital started "taking over"? I stumbled onto several mentions of demos being available for free download, myself having purchased albums digitally for various reasons, and being more careful about what audio samples I was providing alongside my write-ups. Who knows!? In any case, here's a semi-synopsis of Aversionline v3.0 circa 2008.
Some of What I Loved the Most...
Able Baker Fox, Voices (Second Nature)
"Featuring former members of The Casket Lottery and Small Brown Bike, it didn't take much for me to expect the best from this band, so thankfully the material delivers in full. Their sound definitely reminds me of that later-'90s/early-2000s kind of emo/indie rock that has a real musicality to it. There's a hell of a lot of diversity happening, not just musically but in terms of the different vocal approaches, too, since three of the four band members contribute there... Recommended, indeed. I'm certainly glad someone told me about 'em, otherwise I'd probably have gone 10 years in the dark on this one, ha!"
Great album. And yet, me being the stubborn jackass that I am, I haven't really investigated the 2017 follow-up, Visions—probably because I'm still annoyed that it was only available on vinyl. I should probably get over that, shouldn't I?
Arkangel, ...Is Your Enemy (GSR Music)
"...just like 2004's Hope You Die by Overdose, this shit is absolutely fucking vicious. They haven't lost an ounce of their power: from the inimitably scathing vocals to the increasingly dark and textured metalcore underneath—complete with plenty of the speedy, death metal-infused riffing they birthed in the late-'90s; sickly churning mid-paced rhythms accented by slow, sinister dissonance; and even some piano and acoustic passages! It's extremely fucking rare to see songwriting quality improve over time for bands of this nature, but that has absolutely been the case with Arkangel, as these last two full-lengths easily surpass their late-'90s output... I was a moron to overlook this album, even if just for a few months..."
I'm glad to see that I highlighted the fact that Arkangel got even better over time, and I still agree. In fact, I posted about this disc on Instagram earlier this year and came to the conclusion that ...Is Your Enemy just might be my actual favorite Arkangel album.
Arsis, We are the Nightmare (Nuclear Blast Records)
"No matter what, Arsis can do no wrong, and is without question one of the finest metal bands active today. From a songwriting standpoint, this material is probably a hint stronger than that of United in Regret, recapturing more of the energy, catchiness, and just utterly fucking badass, mind-blowingly technical flashiness of the riffing from their debut full-length... You'll be hard-pressed to find better solos anywhere else in contemporary metal, not to mention the fact that half the time the rhythms are as fucked-up and complicated as solos in Arsis' work anyway! I just love this god damn band, man..."
I own and enjoy everything that Arsis has released, but We are the Nightmare was probably the last truly mandatory, absolutely face-ripping shredfest masterpiece in their discography. I had actually forgotten just how awesome these songs are.
ASRA, The Way of All Flesh (Black Box)
"The debut full-length from NYC's ASRA (Alleged Satanic Ritual Abuse) tears through 11 tracks of completely and totally fucking badass death metal-infused grind in a mere 22 minutes. Legendary bands like Assück, Napalm Death, Man is the Bastard, and Discordance Axis seem to get thrown around frequently in press materials related to ASRA, and I actually can't argue with that at all. From the blasting, super-tight drumming to the thick riffs that balance tactful speeds and intense grooves, or the maniacal vocals that shift effortlessly from burly growls to fierce sneers, snarls, or shrieks, it's all here, and it all fucking rules... So, yeah... fucking perfection. I love it."
Painfully underrated grind excellence. Somehow, I had no idea that they later released a three-way split LP in 2010. Must buy!
Celestine, At the Borders of Arcadia (Self-Released/Milkweed Records)
"Reykjavík, Iceland's Celestine's debut EP, At the Borders of Arcadia, cranks out six tracks of absolutely incredible material in a little under a half-hour. Expect loads of nastily churning detuned power chords, chugging rhythms, and low-end throbs accented by tactfully executed caustic/chaotic guitar textures and completely ripping vocals that tear forth with some genuinely pained 'n' strained grit. There's a hint of discordant melody tucked amidst the dense force of their attack, but they're not afraid to venture out into some straight up clean/acoustic atmospheres either... From the moment I first heard this band I was impressed and intrigued, and that's always a very promising sign..."
Whew, I mean... just check out the pummeling devastation of the track above. If that doesn't speak for itself, I don't know what will!
Dissolve, Caveman of the Future (Trip Machine Laboratories)
"...there's a nice foundation of the crushing and rhythmically-centered pre-'dirty word' metalcore of the mid-to-late-'90s, based around thick power chords and shouted, screamed, and half-spoken vocals. But then there are some pretty whacked-out types of noisy, discordant guitar textures and leads going on that really twist things up a bit... There's a very fuckin' solid rhythm section, with lots of jazzy cymbal work and shifts from straightforward patterns to much more colorful fare. So, there's certainly some complexity in there, but... despite similarities to select acts from comparable scenes within that general 1990 - 2000 timeframe... the end result here has a weirdly unusual sort of aesthetic hovering over it..."
I haven't allowed myself to include reissues in any of these rewinds, but Caveman of the Future doesn't count, as despite having been recorded in 2000, this 2008 CD was its first time ever officially seeing the light. Arguably Dissolve's finest work, but they're still spitting forth high-quality material as recently as last year!
J. Bannon, The Blood of Thine Enemies (Deathwish Inc.)
"Maybe it's partly due to the mood/mental state I've been in as of late, but I'm seriously blown away by how impressive this is. I didn't really know what to expect, but this is way different—just dark, bleak, depressing... somehow fucking morose and utterly evil at the same time. The delivery is relatively consistent and stripped down with some throbbing bass and low-end hums, piano, and layered vocals for sort of an experimental/dark ambient kind of vibe, but obviously with a much more structured and musical backbone, which is awesome... I absolutely cannot fucking wait for the Wear Your Wounds full-length now, because if it's even half as powerful as this 7", it'll be among the best of the year. No doubt. I'm floored here."
Breathtakingly stunning track. Still a 10/10. I had forgotten that I guess Wear Your Wounds was going to be the title of a solo album before it morphed into a band that took a few more years to surface? I've only heard a handful of scattered Wear Your Wounds tracks, but just based on the mesmerizing power of this solo piece, I should really do a deeper dive on that project...
The Joy Formidable, The Joy Formidable (Self-Released)
"...upon checking out their material, I was immediately blown away. This U.K. trio's somewhat peculiar niche isn't exactly what I'm normally known for listening to—that is to say there's nothing even remotely metal- or hardcore-esque about this music in the least—but I simply can't deny a good song, and every single one of these tracks is just fuckin' great. There's a little bit of punk-ish indie rock to the tonality and catchiness of the songwriting, though the overall vibe kind of has that Interpol-ish contemporary new wave thing going on, it's just more upbeat and memorable as opposed to relying on the darker and more subdued side of things... it's just excellent material, and I totally can't wait to hear more from this band."
Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but I'm definitely kinda "proud" of the fact that I was yelling and screaming about how incredible The Joy Formidable was from the very beginning, years before they landed on a major label and wound up being sampled by The Lonely Island and all that. For their first three or four years, pretty much every single song was just fantastic.
Make Do and Mend, We're All Just Living (Restless Minds Records)
"It's just a good ol' mix of honest, heartfelt emo/indie rock with subtle tinges of pop-punk and that kind of thing, complete with loads of catchy hooks and melodies that's not without musical/lyrical value. There are plenty of killer roving bass lines and a lot of dual guitar interaction, tons of promising multi-vocal layering, etc. You can tell there's a wide range of influences at work that's rooted in the more respected '90s era of this sound, but without particularly sounding like a throwback to that time period or anything... The energy's absolutely there, and that's what always pays off in the end when it comes to these types of records, so... I'm very curious to see where this band will go next... 'Insomniac Jams' is a fucking five-star gem."
"Insomniac Jams" is the most-played song on my iPod. "But I've heard it said, 'The toughest times will end.' But I've seen enough to know that those are just flimsy affirmations from your friends..." One-in-a-million song. Still kills me every time.
Pulling Teeth, Martyr Immortal (A389 Recordings/Deathwish Inc.)
"This was the only hardcore-related record to make it onto my list of five favorite albums from 2007, and god damnit is this a great fucking disc. An awesomely rugged recording perfectly amplifies the songwriting's superb balance of raw, raging speeds mixed with the kind of breakdowns that make you want to fuckin' rip people's throats out, and my ears simply don't get treated to this kind of mastery too often these days, man... Every song of the short but sweet 26-minute running time is a keeper, and I'll take this over any other hardcore-related album of last year any day of the week... The bar has been raised, and the competition's looking fucked, my friends. Absolutely recommended on every level."
Don't ask me to explain why I decided not to write about one of my Top 5 albums of 2007 until January of 2008, but... it seems that my hyperbolic excitement spoke for itself. Still holds up... in so many ways...
Reign Supreme, American Violence (Malfunction/Deathwish Inc.)
"...five concisely focused tracks of perfect metallic hardcore in just 12 minutes. I don't entirely know what to say, 'cause this is textbook stuff here, with straightforward song structures; furious vocals; fast-paced power chords with some traditional hardcore influences; powerful, crunchy mid-paced breaks; and just the right amount of groove. They're not trying to rewrite the book, and that's fine by me, 'cause every song's a keeper and they god damn sure leave you wanting more. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? This is great shit and I can't wait to see a full-length hit the streets. What more can be said?"
A wise man once said, "Nobody listens to Reign Supreme anymore." But, that's not true. I do! (Also, three Deathwish releases here in the first set of picks alone! What an era!)
Subrosa, Strega (I Hate Records)
"...a somewhat monotone (yet emotive) form of singing tends to be the focal point, blended against a foundation of relatively simple, stripped down 'doom' riffs with that classic, fuzzed out tone and somewhat of a bluesy 'old school doom' sort of backbone. However, they also utilize electric violin, and somehow layer textures together to create a lot of really unique droning effects that sort of bubble up amidst the background tones of the mix to thicken things up and create additional space within space, if that makes any sense. I hate to keep using words like 'curious' and 'intriguing' and 'strange', but I assure you that I mean them all in a very complimentary manner, as the peculiarities of Subrosa's approach are both admirable and inventive..."
Strangely, I've not been able to get into much of Subrosa's other work, but Strega still hits the mark for me and has a really special atmosphere to it. I'll have to give the other albums another try at some point.
Other Stuff That Got Me Hyped...
Braindead, No Consequences (Self-Released/Burn Bridges)
"...holy shit is this an absolutely awesome record. 10 energetic tracks of contemporary melodic hardcore with a great balance of speedy bursts with plenty of those octave chord accents and sweet little arpeggiated riffs that always grab my attention, as well as slower breaks that never really let up on at least some sort of subtly melodic undercurrent. I haven't heard much in the way of this niche of hardcore in awhile, so this shit's really hitting the spot... Is what they're doing terribly innovative? Nope. But every god damn song's a keeper. These dudes know exactly what the fuck they're doing, and they do a great job of it. I'm all over this. Highly recommended..."
Seemingly short-lived and quite underrated outfit. This is on streaming titled Pipe Dreams and with different cover art, whatever that means, but... totally worth checking out for fans of melodic hardcore.
The Death of Her Money, Spirit of the Stairwell (Self-Released/SuperFi/Rat Patrol Records)
"Weird band name, weird album title, weird artwork, weird song titles... but this shit is fucking awesome... a mere six tracks in a whopping 50 minutes. This is seriously some of the most uniquely monolithic material I've ever heard. Sure, you could point to a few similarities or influences here and there, but the end result is pretty damn creative. There's some nasty feedback and a dense, destructive, fucking massive sense of crushing heaviness, but most of the riffs and rhythms are colored up with bizarre chord phrasings and incredible uses of abstract melody that really kick into some powerful, emotional surges throughout... Great work, and definitely one to watch. I'm really impressed..."
Still the only thing I physically own by The Death of Her Money. All their other stuff has been on my Discogs wantlist for years, I just never seem to come across 'em. I do have a few albums digitally, though. Spirit of the Stairwell might remain my favorite. Really cool vibe with this one.
Gods and Queens, Gods and Queens (Robotic Empire)
"Its seven untitled tracks (what an odd move!?) in 27 minutes and 27 seconds explore an array of efficiently cohesive approaches, from dry, jangly rhythms and moving 'clean' passages (which are always just a touch 'messy' in terms of tone, and that's a good thing) to pulsing rhythms and more aggressive fare that's occasionally drowned in cascading waves of effects, alongside gruff singing that really works out well... They're also one of those bands that makes absolutely fucking excellent use of the fact that they're a trio, utilizing a superbly crisp, natural recording that gives the pounding bass lines a very central role, while perfectly accentuating both the cleaner and more melodic aspects of the material and the harsher, noisier outbursts. Great work..."
Another short-lived and underrated group. I miss this band. If you enjoy noisy/jangly indie/alternative with some skronk, you need some Gods and Queens in your life.
Have a Nice Life, Deathconsciousness (Enemies List)
"The band cites amongst their influences My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, New Order, Swans, and Sisters of Mercy... and I'd say there's a solid parallel to be drawn here. Have a Nice Life just delves into a great deal of dark, droning, morose, sort of gothic, sort of new wave, sort of experimental compositions with additional industrial and post-rock smatterings—amidst other textural explorations—through angles that range from structurally loose and abstract to openly melodic and emotionally moving. Expect lots of billowy effects and flowing washes of reverberating sound, plodding bass lines and bright guitars, both live and programmed drums (I think?), generally sparse monotone singing, etc."
Have a Nice Life kinda became a "big deal" in the years that followed, didn't they? I mean, there are an astonishing 67 different pressings of Deathconsciousness on Discogs!? I recall having been less intrigued by The Unnatural World, and never heard Sea of Worry, so... another project that I should probably go back and do some more digging on at some point.
Hennes Siste Høst, Høst (Init Records)
"...should appeal to fans of Weakling, early Ulver, and any brand of cold, furious, Scandinavian-influenced black metal that explores a lot of spacious, textured riffing and fiercely screamed vocals—with a good balance of moderate tempos and even some unexpected time signatures and almost jazzy/progressive riffs... That may sound completely strange, but trust me when I assure you that it all sounds fully logical and cohesive within the confines (or lack thereof) of these compositions. The variety never strays too far, and the quality of the riffs is just fuckin' insane. I can't speak highly enough of the guitar work or how surprised I am by the general nature of the effectiveness of the songwriting here."
Interesting and unique album, for sure. My original review noted some cheesy-ish lyrical setbacks that I had forgotten about (can't really understand the vast majority of what's being shrieked), but so many of those riffs are undeniable.
Kingdom of Sorrow, Kingdom of Sorrow (Relapse Records)
"I've already read many mixed accounts regarding the long-awaited debut full-length from Kingdom of Sorrow, the side project spearheaded by Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta and Crowbar's Kirk Windstein, and oddly enough one of the chief complaints seems to often be, 'Well, it just sort of sounds like a cross between Hatebreed and Crowbar.' Now, call me crazy, but what exactly is the problem with that equation!? ...I don't know, I mean, to me, if you're a fan of both Hatebreed and Crowbar, I just don't see what the hell there is to complain about, you know? ...fuck it. I like it. I'm satisfied."
It's still a fact: what's not to like about Hatebreed + Crowbar!?
Kowloon Walled City, Turk Street (Self-Released)
"The band's debut recorded output includes three tracks in about 14 minutes and plods through a nice range of dingy, sludgy poundings with just the right amount of noisiness and subtle doom and atmospheric undertones (especially in slower, longer, darker closer 'Make Us Pay'), while the hoarse vocals are pretty much just straight up shouting, which I find to be quite refreshing, really. And the recording is absolutely fuckin' great for what they're doing, with a killer low-end throb and an awesome sense of texture and warmth that kicks up some gritty distortion and feedback without losing cohesion or detail or becoming messy in any way. Extremely well done. Clear, powerful... just killer, all around."
It breaks my collector's heart that I got into Kowloon Walled City during my digital dark years, 'cause their early work is so fuckin' hard to find on CD now...
Prideswallower, Lifeswallower (Auxiliary)
"Yet another stellar outfit from Louisville, KY is the extremely surprising Prideswallower, whose out-of-nowhere debut EP, Lifeswallower, cranks out six almost shockingly memorable tracks in about 15 minutes (and you'll notice a pattern here... all song titles also end in '-swallower')... Every damn song on the EP is fuckin' oddly catchy! And great! It's just weird, you've got this crude, gritty recording of these songs that mesh hardcore/punk, post-hardcore, and grungy, rocked-out Amphetamine Reptile noisiness, but literally every one of 'em is packed with just the right amount of energy, melody, and memorability, so... it's an absolutely awesome EP. I'm actually extremely impressed, and wish I hadn't sat on this one for so long. Excellent work."
Another one that I revisited on Instagram not long ago. If you haven't noticed, I yak about music on Instagram more than I do on the website these days...
Primordial, To the Nameless Dead (Metal Blade Records)
"The hour-long journey is made up of lengthy tracks that average about seven minutes apiece and at the highest level can only be described as creatively uncategorizable metal... In many ways, a lot of the tempos are powered by sweeping, melodic, mid-paced waves with occasional surges of speed or subtly atmospheric breaks, but the rhythms do flirt with some superb black metal riffing or sparse appearances of lush acoustic guitars on occasion... This is an excellent album, and I need to finally go back and properly investigate Primordial's roots to learn where this all came from and find out what I may have missed."
I'm now realizing that—curiously—the album that got me into Primordial drove me back to their earlier output, yet I've failed to listen to anything they've released since 2008!? Oops.
Seconds Before, Change is the Only Constant (Blue Worm Records)
"The long-awaited sophomore full-length from Minneapolis' Seconds Before offers up 10 new tracks of their increasingly strong emo/indie rock... The songs are a little catchier at times, and the production's still super bright and polished, but there's an absolutely awesome bass presence (with a really warm, defined tone that actually reminds me a lot of The Casket Lottery), and a ton of interesting dual guitar interaction and layering is still present throughout... I don't really encounter much of this kind of stuff from current bands anymore, so I'm psyched that Seconds Before is still crankin' 'em out..."
As I've said before, if Carl Skildum's involved, it's good. I still believe that a lot more people would appreciate Seconds Before if this music would actually get in front of their damn ears.
Tournament, Swordswallower (Trip Machine Laboratories)
"The debut EP from Brooklyn, NY's Tournament breaks off five tracks of extremely diverse hardcore/punk meets indie/noise rock in 16 minutes, and makes for another fucking stellar release that really took me by surprise... The majority of the songs are short but sweet two-and-a-half-minute bursts of energy, be they driven by rocked out hardcore/punk power chords and distant, furious yelling; sludgy, 70's styled dual guitar runs (believe it); high-speed, borderline chaotic riffing; or even some truly gut-wrenching uses of melody and atmosphere that really come at you out of nowhere from time to time... There's a lot going on here, and it's all fucking superb."
Well, shit, I'm now learning that Tournament also has a couple of albums that I never even knew existed!? I don't think I've encountered anything since Years Old!?
Trapped Under Ice, Stay Cold (Reaper)
"...by far one of the best new metallic hardcore bands out there these days... and they're not so typical either. I'm not entirely sure what it is about 'em, but it's more of a big picture thing: the vocal approach and the lyrics, the way they keep the metal influence way under control, the sense of groove and its balance with the melodic undercurrents, and also the fact that all of the songs are so short—leaving no room for senseless repetition or noodling around. So, yeah, I don't need to analyze this shit. It's great material and there's a reason this band's getting a decent amount of 'hype' or whatever, so... if you've never heard 'em before, absolutely check 'em out. I can't wait to hear more from these cats..."
Good, that's a relief. I've been wrong about so damn much over the last 25 years that I'm pleased to see that I was on the mark with Trapped Under Ice, even if I failed to predict that they would eventually become legendarily significant to the hardcore scene.
Unreal City, Ephemeral Subsistence (Double or Nothing Records)
"...leading up to its release much ado was made in the promotional blurbs that the album was 'recorded at the legendary Mars Studio with producer Bill Korecky.' And just let me tell you: I fucking love that fact! ...this album proves without a shred of doubt that more of these Clevo-worshipping cats need to fork over the dough for a road trip to the studio where so many of the classics were birthed... And unoriginal or not, in 2008 I am not gonna fucking complain about a band that's basically using Those Who Fear Tomorrow as their blueprint—especially if they're coming pretty damn close to nailing it, you know? ...this is an extremely solid album that should totally hit the spot for fans of the Cleveland sound, and I'll certainly look forward to hearing more from Unreal City."
I'll forever have a soft spot for Clevo-worship done right, and I think we all know by now that Unreal City is 100% dead-on Clevo-worship done right. R.I.P. Bill Korecky.
