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Lust In Space is an addicting new addition to Gwar’s ever expanding library of albums. Adding both to their old antics, charm and humor as well as improving their music as a whole, Lust In Space takes their metal into several new galaxies of mind blowing astonishment.

The Good : Continues the titular adventures of Gwar, vastly improved style of metal, good for a laugh; a good combination of raunchiness and depravity rolled into one, some songs are pretty addicting, great story/lyrics, some great riffs to be heard, displays some unique qualities not found in most other bands, notable songs include Metal Metal Land, Damnation Under God, and Lust In Space

The Bad: Some songs feel more spoken than sung, skipped tracks here and there, got bored at points, couldn’t get into a couple songs, music didn’t seem to mix well with vocals at points, songs feel either extremely well or poorly done i.e. no gray line, better listened to live in concert to get full effect

Gwar whose fictional biography is way too long to get into and spans over eleven studio albums, two EP’s, and two live albums. There’s a lot of history behind Gwar, and all of it fascinating and mainly comedic at the same time. For all intentional purposes for those who have not yet had the pleasure of being introduced to Gwar, let’s just say that they are a couple of interplanetary Gods who have been sentenced to life on Earth. They love to eat, drink, kill, rock and have sex, just like any other God out there and it serves as a main focal point for many of their songs and live performances.

Lust In Space continues the story where Beyond Hell left off where the band tries now to leave their prison that is the planet Earth and venture off into space where they shall once again resume their adventures. Many things end up hindering their escape from Earth including an impending attack by Cardinal Syn. They seek help from Zog who turns out to be useless in helping Gwar but in the end everything works out and they finally leave Earth to pursue greater things promising to stop back on Earth for tours. This is what I love about Gwar, they’re a band that takes their comedic styling to a whole new level by adding a new story to each of their albums that continues through to the next all the while keeping things fresh and memorable.

The album starts with an amazing intro song that prepares you for what’s to come later on, explaining Gwar’s current situation and what they strive for in doing by the end of the album. This intro song aka “Lust In Space” is also definitely one of the more notable songs on the album, it’s a very melodramatic yet oh so very addicting tune that feels something like a mix between Iron Maiden and Opeth. It makes for an amazing opener and pulls you right into listening in further to the rest that is in store.

Their music has also vastly improved over previous years especially if you compare this album with some of their earlier works. There is a definite change in everything from how they’ve changed up some of the pacing and timing all the way to certain lyrical content most notably if you take a song from this album such as “Metal Metal Land” and compare it to one of their earliest songs “I Hate Love Songs”. There have been a couple changes but it’s good to see the band getting back into the thrash metal scene. It’s a good fit for them and hopefully they stick with it in the long run since it’s a proven formula that seems to have worked with this album and a couple of their last albums to date.

What hasn’t really changed over all these years is their style of humor, it’s still as raunchy and taboo as ever hitting on everything from sexual taboo, to drinking, killing, and everything else in between. There’s never really a dull moment when it comes to Gwar, especially when seen live in concert. Their live performances take things to epic proportions. It’s like no other live performance you’ve ever seen, all I can say is that you have to go see it to actually believe it.

Where I just said that things never really get dull when it comes to Gwar, well that’s only half true concerning this album. There were just some songs I just couldn’t get into what so ever where it got to the point where I was listening through the album a couple times just skipping through to the tracks that I actually did like. Take for example “Where Is Zog?” it’s actually a pretty well done song after you get past the intro but just listening to the first twenty five seconds and hearing the same three words over and over again being droned on just didn’t cut it for me and I would almost immediately skip tracks.

Another thing that bothered me was that some songs felt more spoken than sung and felt monotonous at certain points. When sung the music just seemed to flow and was nothing but exciting and heart pounding. As soon as a track would start off spoken and kept like that for a good minute or so, it just felt mediocre and a total bore to be heard. In my opinion I found that most songs on the album were either really well done or really poorly done with no fine gray lining in between. There were even points on some tracks where the music and vocals didn’t really seem to mix and sync that well and would feel totally off and would ruin that certain track for myself.

For the most part though, the good definitely overshadows the bad. With notable tracks like “Metal Metal Land” and “Damnation Under God” it becomes really hard to truly hate this album. Lust In Space is an album with not only a good sense of humor but also rocks out to its fullest and for that I commend it. With another milestone surpassed by Gwar and now leading into their 25th anniversary, Lust In Space has proven to be one of their best works in their 25 years of thrashing, killing, drinking and the likes. Only time will tell where their next adventure will lead them, but knowing these guys it’s going to be out of this world.

7.6/10

Damnation Under God by Gwar
Lust In Space by Gwar
Metal Metal Land by Gwar

Heavy rain, blistering winds, and unsettling cold; the perfect amount of brutal weather to endure waiting in line to once again see one of the most brutal bands on earth play live at the Sound Academy that Friday October 23rd.

This as one concert I had been anticipating for a while now, I mean just the thought of Mastodon and Dethklok clashing together to bring about one brutal harmony of head banging, skull crushing metal was a dream come true. The end result of the night was not as much as I had hoped for. Even though I had bruised my entire body and came out near deaf, I was not entirely satisfied.

The year before I had seen Dethklok play with Soilent Green and Chimaira at the Kool Haus and it had turned out to be one of the best concerts I have ever had the privilege of going and even had the privilege of being my first full on review for this site. The set lists were great, my front row and center position was even better, but when standing there for four hours straight it just wasn’t the same warm tingling feeling I had gotten the year before.

One of the best bands of the night I would give over to the first opening band High On Fire. Not only were they personable with the audience but they were great at shredding out loud guitar riffs and delivering their share of the metal. From wear I was standing, the vocals were all but inaudible but I felt my head nodding up and down in approval and slapping hands with the lead singer. It was one of my favourite parts of the entire night.

Next up was the band Converge and this is where the night really started to go down the gutters. Their music was okay to say the least but man I have never seen a lead singer act so disrespectful to anybody before. Not only did this guy stop in the middle of sets to try to get the press to stop taking pictures of them aka their jobs, but he would apologize to the audience for these guys who are just doing what they were paid to come there to do. I mean they weren’t bothering anybody and it wasn’t like they were really blocking anybodies view. Following this, he would also swing his mic around a whole lot and would get his mic chord wrapped around this one security guards next every so often choking him and never apologizing for it. I could see him even treating his stage hands like garbage as well. Not what I’d call a top notch act in the least.

The moment finally came when Mastodon took the stage and everyone tried rushing my spot at the front to just get a glimpse of these magnificent gods of metal. I have to admit they played a pretty solid set list, although most of what they played was from their latest album Crack The Skye. I have not seen such amazing melodies both soothing yet energizing and roaring at the same time come alive in front of my eyes. Where the musical talent was all there in full force, that little personal bit was lacking at the same time. It really felt like they just wanted to play through their stuff as fast as they could and then get off stage. This made their set kind of dull at the same time and felt like it was never really going to end until finally they left the stage and their roadies came to clean up while Mastodon’s drummer stayed behind to quickly say “Goodnight Toronto, you’ve been great”. One song I really thought they should have played that night was “Cut You With A Linoleum Knife”. Since the whole concert was being presented by Adult Swim, and Mastodon did that song for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie, you would only assume the song would be played.

Lastly to the stage with a roar of excitement and chanting came Brendon Small; creator of the show Metalocalypse as well as Dethklok itself. Doing most of the voices for the show while masterfully playing lead guitars and doing vocals for all of the songs, he’s proven to be talented beyond parallel. When it comes to Dethklok there’s always that little personal touch present which, makes everything that much more enjoyable. I found myself taking some of the best pictures of the night while they were on stage as well as doing my most head banging and singing along during this time as well. This was the best part of the night and was the part of the night I had been yearning for all day long. A great set list, an awesome band and a great storyline and video to go along with everything it was a sight to be seen.

The only problem to be seen here was that this was the exact same storyline that went along with last year’s tour, I mean was it really that hard to come up with a slightly different storyline than the one previous to this. If you bought the Deluxe Dethalbum II you can basically watch what I saw that night from the comforts of your own home on the bonus DVD, it really isn’t all that different save the few new songs/videos that were added in here and there. It was amazing if you hadn’t been to the concert the year previous but having seen this almost exact same concert last year, it was a bit of a letdown.

Still the night was full of brutality and metal most pure and that I applaud, but the lack of personal touches here and there and having an almost identical concert played from the previous year left me kind of sour. That was all fixed after a quick trip to the merchandise booths but overall the night was a mixed reaction of excitement and distaste.

Cut You Up With a Linoleum Knife by Mastodon
The Gears by Dethklok
Divinations by Mastodon

A politically heavy album that makes itself heard, “Ruination” comes off amazing lyrically but becomes very repetitious musically speaking.

The Good: Brilliantly written, cover art is perfect and foreshadows elements and themes of the album, very loud and very fast, a truly brutal album, several spectacular solos, various controversial political themes touched upon, combination of themes and heavy dark music is blended superbly, album booklet one of the best I’ve seen, notable songs “Lords Of Chaos”, “Regurgitated Disinformation”, “To Detonate and Exterminate”, and “Ruination”

The Bad: Relies too heavily on double bass and certain power chords, many openings start out almost exactly the same, hard to follow without the lyrics in front of you first couple times, even with lyrics songs sometimes end up going all over the place not following the booklet, lyrics are sung in full twice for almost every song, vocals get monotonous after a while, album seems to blend together if not given the time it needs, repeated listening is almost a must, the best and most diversified song is kept until the very end of the album

What could have been hailed as a masterpiece of an album for Job For A Cowboy ended up only meeting itself half way making use of brilliant writing skills while failing to ultimately diversify in the music department. “Ruination” is definitely one of their best works by far and if given the patience and time required added with following along with the lyrics, everything sounds almost above par.

First listen through I found I couldn’t help but point out that almost every song opened up the same way, a thrash of double bass leading into some power chords which felt for the most part weren’t switched up too often not only in the song itself but the entirety of the album. From the get go everything already started sounding repetitive and monotonous to the point where I really didn’t want to listen to the album anymore.

To my surprise after going through every song on the entire album I came across one that sounded entirely different from everything else on the entire album. “Ruination” is by far one of the best tracks on the entire album, it’s so varied and stylized and fits so well with the theme being conveyed that it truly speaks meaning to the expression “saving the best for last”. The song starts off with slow drum beat which is a get reprieve from the insanely fast double bass heard everywhere else on the album and leads into a slower tune where all of a sudden it stops and outs pops a gigantic roar and from there it just sucks you in. It’s a treasure of a song and it’s a shame that there weren’t as many other songs like this on the album.

After putting off listening to the album again for a while I decided it needed to be dusted off and given a second chance. Where I found the vocals to be almost non-coherent I decided to take out the booklet provided with it and see if I could make heads or tails of the whole album. Another unexpected surprise was the detail and hard work put into making the booklet, not only were the pages specially designed and the artwork amazing coinciding both with the very dark nature of the music as well as the elements and themes of the lyrics, but everything was written beautifully as far as heavy metal is concerned.

Even looking back at the cover art now for “Ruination” you can see just how perfect it really is as it foreshadows most everything to come on the album. You can basically pinpoint certain objects on the cover to where they’ll be found later on the album. It’s so rare that you get something as good as this out of just the cover art alone.

When following along with the lyrics in hand, you get a greater appreciation for all that was towards this album adding dark heavy music to interlace with its controversial subject matter taking on everything from propaganda in the mainstream media to the overruling by world governments. Every song seems to touch on another political theme so eloquently that it’s able to get its message heard if only given the correct listening and understanding. There is a value here much more advantageous than the pure art of entertainment but taking in some of the factual knowledge behind these controversial subjects and taking them to heart in one way or another.

If listened to without the lyrics in front of you, many things can be missed, overlooked, or mistaken which is disheartening as this is where the true heart of the album lies and without the lyrics the album can be seen as a total mess at points. Even with the lyrics in hand I found myself having a hard time following the songs at times. Some tracks on the album have a tendency to be spontaneous with the lyrics and not follow the booklet where it will follow for two lines repeat the first line and possibly skip to the fifth or sixth line without any warning. All in all a couple listens through is almost entirely necessary to get the most out of it. A couple listens through and you’ll get the hang of the song to lyric patterns found throughout.

One last thing about the lyrics before I move on is that although written masterfully there is a lot more that could have been added. My one big trifle with the makeup of each song is that the song will play through all the lyrics at least once and then go through the entire lyrics a second time as if to add to the entire run time of the album which could have possibly been cut in half. It feels lazy in a certain way as if a highly acclaimed author decided that he would write a masterpiece where halfway through he decides he wants to make the whole story longer by repeating the story once more over again just to add to page length. Quantity is not always better as quality and I can think up more several instances where this is true. I think if they had of just expanded the lyrics just a bit further to the point where they didn’t have to repeat the entire song all over again would have gone a long way but in the end I got what I paid for.

As for the vocals, they are just what you’d expect from them or any death metal band, pure unrestrained bottom of the deepest, darkest of holes, growls and screams. They fit well with everything and although I know it’s the fashion to have metal growls be as incoherent as possible, but in the end if you can’t entirely understand or comprehend what they are saying than most of the message you originally set out to convey is lost and it ends up blending together and sounding the same. If you listen closely you can figure out what’s going on which is a lot better than can be said about most death metal bands but really after a while listening to these can really get quite monotonous. If not listened to properly or knowing full well what you’re getting into while listening to the album it all just seems to blend together into a monotonous smoothie with a hint of migraine.

In retrospect “Ruination” does deserve a lot of praise for being a downright brutal album keeping way above pace of being insanely fast and loud and delivering a pure adrenaline rush of full on head banging death metal. It gives the fans of Job For A Cowboy just what they want plus a little extra than their previous album. It is a fun album to listen to once you garner an appreciation for it but in the end it’s kind of sad to think how much better it could have been with a little more work on diversification and additional lyrics. The more notable songs not touched upon include “Lords Of Chaos”, “Regurgitated Disinformation”, “To Detonate and Exterminate”, which are all as fast paced and loud as the next and all follow the same pattern while at the same time being very much different from one another. Other than the song “Ruination” these songs have definitely got the most to offer in terms of diversity and stylization. The what ifs of this album will always remain, an average album that could have been so much more and then some, but if there is some light to shed on this album, it’s one of the most brutal and politically forward albums I’ve listened to of this year.

6.1/10

Lords Of Chaos by Job For A Cowboy
Regurgitated Disinformation by Job For A Cowboy
Ruination by Job For A Cowboy

Dethklok is back once again with their latest album, Dethalbum II, providing even more brutality and metal than ever before; when listening to this album leave your brains at the door, because your minds shall be blown.

The Good: Faster, louder, variation on vocals, more of what made the first album so great, variation of songs, great opening song, deluxe album comes with DVD of all their music videos, some addicting songs, every song feels like it should be there aka “feels like a Dethklok song”, humorous, if you’re a fan of the show you’ll recognize a lot from inside the booklet to the songs themselves, notable songs “The Gears”, “Bloodlines”, and “Dethsupport”

The Bad: Bonus songs promised for deluxe album weren’t there, not as easy to sing along too, not quite as catchy as first album, no Pickles on vocals or Snakes’N’Barrels covers, left out the Murderface/Toki song “Takin’ It Easy”, not as expansive as last album/deluxe album, missing a certain something but can’t quite place it, original songs not featured on the show are amazing but missing some episode songs

The lords of brutality are back and this time they aren’t taking any prisoners; that means no survivors. If you don’t know who Dethklok are yet, it’s about time you learned. These guys take metal to a whole other level and can be witnessed most night’s on their hit show “Metalocalypse” spreading the word of brutality and turning anything and everything metal.

The band is in fact fictional, created from the mind of Brendon Small who is also most notable for his other show “Home Movies” which ended a couple years back but still garners a pretty big following. As for “Metalocalypse”, well I doubt anybody could foretell just how big this phenomena would get. A television show that spawned two seasons so far, two DVD’s, two albums, several worldwide tours, an upcoming video game, a comic book, and tons of other merchandise. If you haven’t ever heard or laid eyes on Dethklok you’ve probably been in a dark cave with your fingers in your ears for the past two years.

The band: Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Toki Wartooth, William Murderface, Pickles the Drummer, and Nathan Explosion. If you have been following their fictional exploits for the last two years or so now you will understand why this album is such a big deal and has been in such huge anticipation for fans and metal heads alike. The last album reached new heights when it was first released debuting at number 21 on the Billboard 200 chart making it the highest charting death metal album in the history of the Billboard 200.

The album starts off strong with “Bloodlines” which couldn’t be a better opening song and helps transition you into what’s in store for you later on in the album. “Bloodlines” demonstrates a great lead of new stuff that’s been changed over from the last album including screams or highs in Nathan Explosions vocals, keys played by Skwisgaar, and some new percussion styles by Pickles. There’s also a lot more emphasis on solos this time around taking up at least one section of every song now. The songs also feel and sound a lot faster than many of the songs on the original Dethalbum which can be seen as a double edged sword in many cases if it weren’t for some of the slower intros to some of the songs giving you that lapse at which to take a breather.

Everything feels exactly how it should be for the most part, I mean to say that every song on the album sounds like a Dethklok song, each done in the manner that should be expected from them. There are many albums out there where there will be one or two songs that feel out of place on the entirety of the album that feels as if the band experimented too much with those songs and just don’t fit the norm of the band. Well I’m more than excited to say that this wasn’t the case with Dethalbum II, all the songs feel and sound right to what they’re supposed to be. There are one or two songs that aren’t entirely up to par with the rest of the CD, but point in case, no band is entirely perfect.

What makes the album great is that it takes what the last album did and tried taking it just that extra mile, and for those who watch the show, you’ll understand exactly what I mean by that. Most of the songs on the album are taken directly from the show and added upon and lengthened quite substantially, and it’s in that special quality there that lies the true humor and raw intensity that mainstreamers will get. Sort of an inside joke to us the fans.

Then again there are also some problems with what I just mentioned. For one although there are at least two original songs on the Dethalbum II including the long awaited sequel to Murmaider aka Murmaider II: The Water God, there were some songs from some episodes that were left off the album that could have done so well. For example the songs played during the episodes “Dethrecord” and “Dethrelease”, which would have made for perfect album songs especially when Murmaider II basically just remixes the original Murmaider into a new song. The album also lacks the expansive network of songs off the original album falling behind by four songs. Although there are may not be as many songs, it is definitely not shorter in length time, because as I said before there has been much added to the album as per mentioned solos being one of those things.

The biggest let down though has got to be the deluxe edition of the album. When first advertised leading up to the day in question of its release there was a promise of several bonus tracks as was done with the previous album. Well seems somebody skimped out on the bonus tracks entirely leading anybody buying the deluxe album to be scammed right out of the extra tracks that they had been advertised and told endlessly about. Instead they just packaged a bonus DVD containing many of the unreleased music videos of the first albums songs. The DVD is pretty good but what adds injury to insult is that we were promised this DVD beforehand along with the bonus tracks, so what happened to the extra tracks has yet to be determined.

So if you compare the first deluxe with the second, you get a total of 23 tracks with the first deluxe album, while only 12 tracks with the second which is exactly the same number of tracks as if you were to buy the normal album. I mean there were just so many more songs that could have been added in as bonuses like the Murderface/Toki collaboration song known as “Takin’ It Easy” which has got to be one of the funniest and most entertaining songs I’ve heard in a while and the video of it makes it all that much better. To have had it expanded upon would have made it that much better. Well better look next time folks, because it looks like the fans were screwed out on this one.

Pickles the Drummer also had one or two songs on the previous album where he provided vocals which gave one song a sort of death metal meets glam metal sort of feel a la “Kill You” and “Hatredcopter” which sounded as if Cannibal Corpse met Children of Bodom. Once again it was one of the things left out on this album, no Pickles and his vocals, and no Snakes’N’Barrels covers. There’s also one other thing about this album that I just can’t quite think of, it’s a sort of tip of the tongue sort of deal that will come to me someday and bugs me about the album but for the time being remains an untouched upon subject.

The album is overall very addicting, very brutal, very metal and very entertaining. It doesn’t take a lot to like it and become enthralled with the band and the now cultural phenomena but it just doesn’t quite live up to the last album even though everything expanded upon this time around with Dethalbum II has been generally perfected as a whole. It’s just not quite as catchy an album although I have to admit some of the more notable songs like “Dethsupport”, “The Gears”, “Bloodlines”, and even “Volcano” are like in the words of Skwisgaar Skwigelf from the episode Snakes’N”Barrels; “This music is likes potato chips. I can’t stop listening to it.”

All in all while this album may be louder, more brutal, more metal, and faster paced than the original Dethalbum, it’s just not as memorable. There have been many added improvements and although it feels and sounds just like a Dethklok album, Dethalbum II just didn’t live up to the expansiveness that we were hoping for. It exceeded most expectations but when you get right down to it, there were some unforeseen setbacks that took most of us by surprise and we the fans deserve to be treated with respect. For we are the fans and we hold the power; inside joke if you’ve seen the show. This is definitely an album to check out for any metal head or die hard Dethklok fan, but I advise only the most hardcore of Dethklok fans to buy the deluxe as not to waste money on not getting bonus songs. A great sequel to a great album hopefully Dethalbum III and the next season will be just as good if not even better, and if the Klokateers haven’t gotten at me for uploading Dethkloks stuff here, I’ll be back within the week or so with another review. In the meantime some parting words of advice “Candy…tastes like chickens, if chickens was candy.”

8.9/10

Bloodlines by Dethklok
The Gears by Dethklok
Dethsupport by Dethklok

For a pop rock band straight out of Edmonton, got to hand it to them they aren’t all that bad, as a matter of fact they’re actually pretty good. This being Ten Second Epic’s third album, Hometown brings a lot to the table and hits quite a few good notes. I can honestly say that listening to this album for the first time, there was maybe one song on the entire album that I liked but after a second listen through I found that there is actually much to like about it.

For starters I must apologize for not writing in my typical fashion, and this review will be a tad shorter than many of my others due to a variety of things going on at the moment. Now that that is out of the way I’d like to begin by saying that Hometown plays to a very upbeat and fast tempo that makes for a very enjoyable album to listen to while on the road. It’s just one of those albums that makes you feel good to be where you are and sort of puts you in that moment where everything feels like it’s going to work out.

The entire album is a tribute of sorts to their home of Edmonton and plays to themes of love, going the distance, never quitting, and growing up. Not the most original of themes as I could name a good many other bands that play to exact same chord on a ton of other albums. It’s all been overdone in this day and age to such an extent that you could almost watch this album slip into the crowd and totally blend in if it weren’t for the way to which the themes were presented.

I can’t even say much about the actual lyrics here, they just feel so dull and unoriginal that if it weren’t for the band’s musical styling and ability to play so incredibly, this album wouldn’t have garnered much attention from me whatsoever. These guys just really know how to play and sell it to the masses, they are very addicting to listen to and they have much to flaunt concerning their musical prowess, I think if they worked a bit more at straying away from the norm in terms of writing, they would be even better. Then again doing that would make them less mainstream and would probably lose a huge chunk of their fan base doing anything out of the norm, so in other words the direction they went with Hometown was exactly what they needed. It’s mainstream but it sells, and even though I usually don’t falter towards the pure overly mainstream stuff, Ten Second Epic has always been a favourite of mine just because of their fast paced music and amazing guitar riffs.Everything just plays so smoothly and to such a beat and tempo it’s hard not to lose yourself at points.

Hometown has very many memorable songs but the two that I would say I listen to on a daily basis would have to be “Life Times” and “Welcome To Wherever You Are”. “Life Times” was the very first song I liked off of the album. I really can’t explain why I love this song so much, it was just love at first listen, but like any relationship, this one has sort of died down over the last little bit. I’ve just listened to it so much that it’s almost lost any and all meaning. Listen to it and you may understand why, but it’s definitely one of the best songs on the album. Then there’s “Welcome To Wherever You Are”, this song at first eluded to me as to why I started to like it but after a while it became very apparent. If you listen to the beginning guitar riffs off of both this song and U2’s “Where The Streets Have No Names” you can note a couple similarities between the two. “Where The Streets Have No Names” has got to be one of my 100 all time favourite songs, so “Welcome To Wherever You Are” sharing certain similarities with that song just made an instant connection with myself. Other memorable songs off of Hometown would have to include “Yours To Lose”, “Every Day” which features LIGHTS, a good friend of the band, and “Windows”, possibly the only slow paced song on the album that reminds me of The Offspring’s song “Fix You”.

Overall Hometown is a very enjoyable album that seems to be reminiscent of a variety of different bands while keeping to their own sound at the same time. They seem to play to the same key as many other cookie cutter bands out there but overall it’s their musical prowess that brings them above all that. The vocals also help a great deal and add to their own sound, and although the vocals are sometimes a bit irritating, it’s a pretty easy obstacle to get over. Ten Second Epic have definitely done well with this album and should definitely continue in this direction although it may be the direction that most bands are taking these days into the mainstream pop/rock sensation but it suits them and I couldn’t see them doing it any other way. So if you want something fast paced, full of energy and pumped chock full of amazing guitar riffs, check out Hometown, it’s catchy and it’s pop.

7.0/10

Life Times by Ten Second Epic
Welcome To Wherever You Are by Ten Second Epic
Yours To Lose by Ten Second Epic

A visceral and diverse sound from a dynamic duo that has broken the boundaries for new Canadian music, Questamation brings about a whole new experience from Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker that satisfies both the mind and the soul.

The Good – Very fast paced tracks, amazing poetic lyrics, visceral and electrifying artwork, soothing vocals mixed with intense turntabling, imaginative and dynamic, amazing duo, bass heavy, an overall fun album, blows their EP out of the water, notable songs; “Laces Out”, “Stationary Robbery”, “Anti-Venom”

The Bad – Sampling could have been added as extra/hidden tracks, some songs sound similar to one another, Me Vs You should have cut the sampling, some openings feel dragged on, openings feel off putting for most part, needs more DJ Kebab songs

The dynamic duo from Toronto are back with their first full length album Questamation. Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker first caught listeners ears back in 2008 with their EP “Wielding the C:/” with such hits as “2 15/16” and “Hollow Point Sniper Hyperbole”. This time around they’ve got even more to bring to the table, a whole hours worth to be precise.

They have raised the bar with Questamation producing sounds not yet explored on the EP, including more emphasis on turntables and a song venturing into the realms of rap and hip-hop. If Wielding the C:/was the tooth picked sample at the deli counter foreshadowing what was to come than Questamation would have to be the triple decker sandwich exuding with multiple layers, each one more interesting and enticing than the last. This album takes everything that made the EP so great and just bumps it up another ten notches.

The songs in general all have an upbeat danceable feel to them although some of the themes surrounding the songs may not be all that upbeat in contrast to the turntabling and mixing. Some of the larger themes surrounding many of the songs include such things as unrequited love, love in general, dreams, and even office supply thievery. The themes coupled together with the lyrics and the mixing, add for a mix of different tones that help to diversify the album and create something altogether unique and brilliant.

Notable songs off the new album include the single “Laces Outs”, as well as other songs such as “Anti-Venom”, “Stationary Robbery”, “Cloudboy”, and “P.S. I Can Change”. “Laces Outs” being the first single off the album has struck with much popularity garnering much radio attention as well as a larger fan base. It’s a poppy sort of electronica song that plays to both Ash Buchholz soft soothing vocals while utilizing Jason Parsons turtabling skills that showcases only a fraction of what they can really muster. “Anti-Venom” is the song that takes the cake on this album, it’s fast paced, it’s upbeat, it’s electronica at its very best. The second it begins, you feel this intensity that just overflows and surges through the body; in essence it’s a song that will get your entire body moving. “Cloudboy” and “P.S. I Can Change” are softer songs at their core with “P.S. I Can Change” being the slower of the two, each dealing with the subjects of love and unrequited love. Lastly “Stationary Robbery” is a song that differentiates itself from the rest of the album by playing to more hip-hop and rap than electronica. Where Ash Buchholz demonstrates his vocals for most of the album, Jason Parsons aka Human Kebab is able to finally showcase his in form of a comedic rap. Utilizing both his mixing, sampling and vocals on this track it makes “Stationary Robbery” a fun song to listen and definitely sticks out more so because of all this.

The album artwork itself is just as amazing as the actual album. They’ve pulled off something here that not too many bands think of doing, the front cover of the album folds out into the artwork with the lyrics scattered all over. It’s definitely an imaginative and creative way to grab a music lovers attention. Amazing album artwork can definitely add to the overall attractiveness of an album, which is definitely the case here.

The pure imagination and creativeness that went into the entirety of “Questamation” is evident in every nook and cranny purely possible. The lyrics, the art, the mixing, the sampling, the turntabling, the tracks, the themes, and even the title itself are all prime examples of this. They are a duo unlike any other and have found the right direction to go with.

Despite being an unwittingly amazing album, there are just a few minor flaws here and there that although not big, do hurt the album in some minor ways. One thing being the openings; they just don’t feel right for the most part and do not foreshadow what the rest of the track is going to sound like. The opening is like garnish on a meal, it’s there mainly for decoration and presentation and does not necessarily tell you really how the actual dish is going to taste. Some of the openings even go so far as to drag on and on until you just get to the point where you’re like “come on already and get to the main song”. It’s just that frustrating sometimes but overall it isn’t all that bad and mainly just a minor annoyance.

Lastly the only other thing that makes for a minor annoyance would be the sampling at the end of a couple different tracks especially on the track “Me Vs You” which adds a 15 minute sample of nature sounds combined with some mixing and guitar. It’s nice if you’re having trouble sleeping and what not but adding a whole 15 minutes extra of just extra nature sounds, well that could have been added as a completely different track along with the other select samples here and there found throughout the album. They are just another minor annoyance that hurts the album in some ways although some may feel differently on that part. With the only small damage being the one or two songs sounding very similar to one another, the album is overall amazing.

Questamation in the end presents itself as a masterpiece in electronica for Canadian music and hits so many fronts and ends that it makes for a must have album for anybody into the genre. There is much to be loved here and so much creative genius that it almost blows the mind at some points. The imagination that this duo produces is extraordinary to say the least. Leaving the EP in the dust, Questamation will be a hard album to top for USS, but with the supply of imagination they have it won’t be too hard. So everyone be wary and watch out, because this duo is here to stay and won’t be leaving anytime soon.

8.9/10

Laces Out by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Stationary Robbery by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Anti-Venom by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker

The trilogy unfolds for Billy Talent as their latest album, in yet another nod towards Led Zeppelin’s aptly self titled records, hits music store shelves here in Canada. Billy Talent III explores new grounds while having trouble at the same time living up to high set expectations.

The Good: Reinvention, experimentation with new sounds, took some risks with this album, album covers themes new and old, much darker feel, faster paced songs sound phenomenal, notable tracks; Turn Your Back, Devil On My Shoulder, Rusted From The Rain

The Bad: Too many songs feel a bit too slow compared to previous albums, does not match up to either Billy Talent or Billy Talent II, not as many memorable songs as past albums, feels like the old Billy Talent but something feels slightly off putting, miss Ben’s bouts of hardcore screaming (exception being Saint Veronika), gap of 3 years in between albums, heading in right direction with change just need a bit more guidance to perfect it

Billy Talent, a Canadian band from Streetsville, Ontario, who have dominated the punk rock scene since their beginnings as a band named Pezz in 1993. Since their first self titled release, Billy Talent in 2003 (excluding their previous work as Pezz), they have been playing sold out shows across Canada and all over the world reaching such fame that many bands have never seen nor will see in their time.

This album being another highly anticipated one of 2009, bridging yet another three year gap in between albums for the band, comes off as a hit but at the same time misses many of the notes that the previous albums played too. Billy Talent took a lot of risks putting a lot of experimentation into each song straying away from past albums; many hits and many misses but all in all it seems that they know what they’re doing here so kudos to them on something brand new.

The old Billy Talent we all love and admire are still there; drop D tuning, quick changes in pacing, unmistakable vocals followed by raw and powerful backup vocals, and all the rest. There’s just something on this album that feels a bit more off-putting. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where lies this problem but if I had to pick anything I would have to say that their music has taken a turn towards more slower paced songs.

I’m not too sure what it is about change sometimes, but a band that plays to the same general tune for so many years, you just get so used to it that any change in the least let alone a giant one comes off as awkward and unwanted. Sometimes change is for the best though, a way to break through the monotony of old ways and strive for something new and original, which is exactly what Billy Talent did here. This album is truly original and plays to a different tune of Billy Talent or Billy Talent II and is justified in many ways in their need for change through experimentation but as a warning, those who loved the original two albums may not like Billy Talent III as much.

It’s not to say that this album is without its high points though. There is still plenty to love about the album especially when given a couple listens through. Although there does seem to be the overhaul of slower paced songs there are still some faster paced songs scattered throughout that serve as nice little rewards and treats to the ears. The faster paced songs bring you back into the older style that we all remember with one of the more notable songs off the album being “Turn Your Back” feeling reminiscent of “Fallen Leaves” from Billy Talent II. Another one of the more notable faster paced songs would have to be “Pocketful Of Dreams” which does not feel reminiscent of past songs and showcases how their reinvention and experimentation can work full front.

Another big thing surrounding this latest release would have to be the atmosphere and themes buried within the songs and album itself. Billy Talent III has a much darker undertone and feel to it than past albums and although this release takes on older themes such as suicide, they also present newer themes dealing with things such as self reflection and materialism. It also relies a lot less heavily on the themes of teenage angst which was much more present in their early days with the release of their first self titled album. You can even look at such themes as suicide, which was heavily touched on throughout earlier albums, and see it in a whole new light with one example being “Saint Veronika” and taking the subject into a whole different direction than maybe “Nothing to Lose” took it originally back in the day.

One thing that did frustrate me a bit was that I was always a big fan of Ben’s bouts of hardcore screaming throughout songs. I mean it has almost all but disappeared off of this album with the main exception being closer towards the end of “Saint Veronika”; one of the more darker songs, with a very catchy chorus, and one of the only songs with that screaming I can’t get enough of.

One of the more notable slower paced songs I should mention while nearing the end here would have to be “Rusted From The Rain”. While garnering much radio attention, I have only heard it several times, losing none of its edge for me thus far. It deals with more dark subjects and has this eerie sense of entrapment about it that sucks you in, dealing with self reflection, pain, loss, and suffering; it lowers the mood but at the time picks you up with that unparalleled hard rock that leaves you wanting more.

The album does take a lot of getting used to especially if you were really into either Billy Talent or Billy Talent II, and although the songs may not be as memorable as some of their earlier pieces, after a couple listens through there will be those few songs that stick out and stay with you. Billy Talent III may not have appealed to me as much as their past releases but this was a huge risk that they were willing to make and experiment with to create something unique and original and I have huge respect for them on that part. This album was truly a hit or miss album in my opinion but I know they have their heads about them and judging them through all this I’m certain with just a bit more perfection in this new direction they’re going, the next album will have more talent in it than you or I could ever hope for.

7.1/10

Turn Your Back by Billy Talent
Rusted From The Rain by Billy Talent
Pocketful Of Dreams by Billy Talent

The Offspring, a band that has been around since 1984, and has amassed quite the following finally returned to the Molson Amphitheatre after several years to bring about the “Shit Is Fucked Up Tour”.

Thursday July 2nd, 2009 is now a day that I will never forget as this has to be one of the best concerts I have ever been to hands down. Seriously this was something for the ears to behold, and is definitely one of those stories I’ll be telling my children or grandchildren that is if I ever end up deciding to have any. The setlist that night was absolutely phenomenal; they played basically every single one of their greatest hits plus a bunch of great stuff off of their latest album.

The opening acts for that night included Frank Turner and Pennywise. It really didn’t seem like anybody much cared for Frank Turner’s stuff, neither did I really, but overall he was okay on the whole although I couldn’t tell you for the life of me the name of a single one of his songs. Pennywise took it up a notch and delivered an above par performance interacting directly with the audience at different parts of their set as well as taking a request or two. Their setlist that night was impeccable with my favorite song of the their set being a cover of “Fight For Your Right” by The Beastie Boys just because I’m a huge fan of anything that has to do with The Beastie Boys.

As soon as The Offspring hit the stage though, I basically forgot everything and anything that had happened earlier on in the concert because these guys just surpassed all previous expectations. Their set that night was unrivalled and unparalleled. I find it so rare for a band not to play at least one awful song during an entire live set, but they seemed to pull it off that night which was spectacular. They played all of my old favorites including “All I Want”, “The Kids Aren’t Alright”, “Self-Esteem”, and some of my newer favorites as well such as “Shit is Fucked Up”, and “Half-Truism”. It was a sight that night you just had to see to believe.

They were just so energetic and alive that night and were really into everything that they were playing. It basically felt as though they were not only playing for the audience, but were also playing for themselves at the same time, which is one of the greatest things about being in a band sometimes; you can do both and keep the fans and yourself mutually happy.

They pulled a couple stunts here and there including one stunt where Dexter Holland was getting ready to play something on the piano when all of a sudden it looked as though he had just lost it with the audience, threw his cup of water at the front row and stormed off stage. Noodles then proceeded to come on stage and told everyone that he was too drunk to play piano and to help him get Dexter back on stage. Dexter came out and apologized and told everyone that he was just nervous and then continued on to play the Charlie Brown theme song and then proceeded to play a masterfully executed rendition of “Gone Away” on piano.

They joked around with the audience, kept everyone on their feet and entertained at all times. They even had an intermission at one point where they all walked off stage and their cover of “Tea for Two” aka “Intermission” off their album Ixnay on the Hombre started to play. The first guy to come out on stage was a heavier set male wearing a sombrero who waved his arms in unison to the song and had the audience following along with him. There were beach balls thrown out into the crowd, and then another guy in a sombrero came out on a pogo stick and almost made it across the stage and then fell down in a hilarious fashion. Another guy, yet again in a sombrero, was juggling across stage and it was just an amazing feat to behold. You just don’t see something like this at most concerts you go to. It gave the band a bit of a rest but kept us all enticed and occupied at the same time instead of just waiting around bored in anticipation for them to come out on stage again.

They ended off the whole concert perfectly with an encore that consisted of “Hammerhead”, “Want You Bad”, and “Self-Esteem”; a medley of three great songs to finish off the perfect night. I can’t stop talking about how amazing this concert really was and I doubt any future concert I go to may match this one although I could be very wrong on that point. I have no idea when they’ll be back in Toronto, but I have been hearing rumors of them possibly coming back to Toronto this winter, although I have no evidence to support this so I will dismiss those rumors for the meantime until I can get any solid proof. If they are playing a show near you though, I would definitely pick up a ticket and go see them, you will not regret it.

Setlist

1. Shit is Fucked Up
2. Bad Habit
3. You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid
4. Come Out And Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)
5. The Meaning Of Life
6. Have You Ever
7. Staring At The Sun
8. Gone Away
9. Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?
10. Gotta Get Away
11. Half-Truism
12. Intermission
13. Americana
14. All I Want
15. Why Don’t You Get A Job
16. Pretty Fly For A White Guy
17. (Can’t Get My) Head Around You
18. The Kids Aren’t Alright

Encore:
19. Hammerhead
20. Want You Bad
21. Self Esteem

Come Out And Play(Keep ‘Em Seperated) by The Offspring
Gone Away by The Offspring
All I Want by The Offspring

The highly anticipated Old Crows/Young Cardinals from Alexisonfire mixes old and familiar sounds with a newer twist and perspective on things making their fourth album yet another force to be reckoned with.

The Good – New twist on old sound, hits back to their roots, CD booklet folds out into a poster with the lyrics on the back, all tracks have unique feel, Dallas Greens vocals are as clean and unparalleled as always, album hits new territories with new atmosphere and general theme, another amazing follow up, makes up for the three year gap, great sharing of vocals between Dallas and George, everything feels in sync and seems to work well together

The Bad – Miss George Petitt’s old vocals, closing song feels out of place for AOF, cover art isn’t all that interesting, doesn’t strike as well as 2006’s Crisis album, Wade Macneil’s vocals seem to have all but disappeared, some experimentation with the album didn’t work as well as maybe previously thought

Alexisonfire, a band born and raised in St. Catharines, have come a long way from their start with their self-titled debut album. They have matured vastly since then and so has their music along with them on this wild journey that has spawned numerous other bands of which they’re a part of with the most famous being City and Colour and The Black Lungs.

Being the Alexisonfire fan that I am including having the Alexisonfire heart skull tattooed over my heart, I have been in eager anticipation for Old Crows/Young Cardinals to be released. I mean it’s been 3 long years since “Crisis” hit stores, and waiting this long for their next album I had huge expectations for it. I can say without a doubt now that their latest album meets almost every expectation and more. The album does have a few flaws here and there but the flaws are far more overshadowed by the sheer amp blasting, ear rattling, mind blowing, ever changing and expanding music of one of the more influential bands out there today.

There is so much on this album to talk about it’s hard to know where to start but I guess I could start off by saying that over the years their style has drastically changed from being a pure screamo hardcore band to more of a mainstream phenomenon with much cleaner vocals and a different perspective. This album takes the band in both directions where George Pettit has almost all but traded in his pure screamo vocals to a harder sounding style of cleaner vocals. This is probably the biggest thing that bothers me with this album as I loved George Pettit’s vocals when they were pure hardcore and you could barely understand what he was saying. It feels as though he’s trying to keep in line with building more of a mainstream audience by losing that extra touch that first got me into AOF which really upsets me in more ways than one. It’s just one more change that I’m going to have to accept but I am glad that he does have more of a presence on this album than he did with the “Crisis” album where it felt like it was one big Dallas Green extravaganza.

Before I get into anything else I’d like to take note of the actual CD case itself, where on past albums the album art was a depiction of something disturbing or dark we are met this time with just a picture of a cardinal on the cover and a crow on the sleeve. I mean they literally transformed their title into their art while although practical, it doesn’t strike as original or interesting whatsoever. The cover for the Crisis album depicted a man with extremely frost bitten hands, and the rest of the art depicted the aftermath of the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977. I mean that’s creative and original right there, but having two pieces of art literally translating the title, I’m pretty sure they could have come up with something better. I do have to hand it to them on the creativity that went into creating the actual CD booklet that came along with the album that basically folds out into a nice sized poster with all the lyrics written on the backside.

Each song off the album has a unique feel to it generally hitting a different theme throughout the entirety of the album. Some general themes off the album include self actualization and maturing while others seem to focus more on the past, youth, and isolation. It strays far from the darker theme presented on the previous album prompting more change in the band that has presented itself thus far as more good than bad. Without getting into too many songs here because there are some amazing tracks on this album, the more notable songs for myself would have include “Old Crows”, “Sons of Privilege”, “Accept Crime”, and “Midnight Regulations”. “Young Cardinals” is another notable track but as I’ve stated before with other albums, the radio has ruined the song for me by being way too overplayed and overused.

The only song I did not like whatsoever off of this album was “Burial”, also the closing song off of this album, nowhere is George Pettit present on this track. It’s a Dallas Green heavy song and felt like it could have been a track left over from his last City and Colour album. My general opinion on this song is to leave slow songs to City and Colour and keep the fast paced, hard hitting songs to AOF. “Burial” is just one song that I think the album could have definitely done without and would have made the album that much better.

There isn’t much on their actual instrumental playing that I can say here that hasn’t been said before. They have all been unmatched in their playing abilities for years now and it’s no different now. Each member plays flawlessly, Wade Macneil always shredding his axe with fierce meticulousness, Dallas Green singing like he sold his soul to the devil himself for god like vocals, George Pettit singing with a burning passion inside extruding outwards, and Chris Steele and Jordan Hastings adding to the ensemble with their masterful drumming and bass guitar skills. They have gotten their playing styles down to a science staying in sync with each other and knowing what works with each other to produce some of the most influential music that has been heard in years.

Overall the album may not hit as much popularity as their previous album did but it does tread into newer unexplored territories and brings both old and new sounds together to form an album not yet heard by AOF. Old Crows/Young Cardinals does have its share of flaws with the last one being Wade Macneil’s vocals taking a backseat to both George’s and Dallas’ but there is so much good to this album that it almost all but overshadows any of its weaknesses. It’s a new twist on an old sound and the way Alexisonfire is holding I’m sure their next album will be even better and will have even more changes added to it, I just don’t want to have to wait another three years for it.

8.6/10

Old Crows by Alexisonfire
Young Cardinals by Alexisonfire
Accept Crime by Alexisonfire

13 Arcane Hymns, the debut album from Calgary based metal band The Unravelling meets with such power and unsettling intensity that it will send shivers down your spine and back into the deepest and darkest recesses of the mind and have you crawling back for more.

The Good – Amazing debut album, great mix of clean and heavier vocals, unsettling, sparks the imagination and evokes disturbing imagery, mixing of different styles of metal, diverse in tracks, each instrument adds to unsettling effect, very diverse album overall, impressive lyrics, notable tracks; “Move Forward Until You Are Dead” and “In The Safe House”

The Bad – Needs more tracks with heavier vocals, one or two songs that sound a bit too similar, some tracks feel awkwardly pace, can get a bit too unsettling at points

The Unravelling, a duo that hail from Calgary, Alberta; this metal band consisting of vocalist Steve Moore and instrumentalist Gustavo De Beauville have put their blood, sweat, and very souls into 13 Arcane Hymns and the effort really shows. All their work towards this debut album has culminated into something far more than probably anybody could have ever expected. It’s raw, disturbing, unsettling, loud, and gruesome, everything that an amazing metal album should be.

This has to be one of the most diverse metal albums that I have listened to in a longtime. It doesn’t stick to just one style, but various different styles of metal ranging anywhere from folk metal to death metal and alternative metal. The best part is that all this diversity works together smoothly and in the end makes it so that almost every track in its fullness is essentially unique. There is the rare track or two on the album that do sound similar to an extent but when laid out on the entirety of the album it’s not as noticeable.

There is definitely an unsettling yet energizing feeling surrounding the album when you first start listening to it. The faster songs are easier to get into and give off that energizing feeling that gets the blood pumping and the adrenaline running while the slower songs usually meet with a more disturbing approach and will have your imagination curled up on floor in a fetal position for a while.

“Move Forward Until You Are Dead” and “In The Safe House” are two notable tracks off the album that strike those sorts of feelings up inside of you. Where the first is fast paced, wild, loud and totally off the walls in every direction, the second song is of another nature. “In The Safe House” creates a very dark atmosphere and evokes unsettling imagery that shakes you to your very core.

While the unsettling nature of the album fits perfectly with the lyrics and the core tone of the genre, I felt that at times the music can get you a bit too unnerved at points and wanting to take a rest and put something else on to compensate.

The lyrics are amazingly well written and would have to be to evoke such disturbing and lasting imagery in the mind. Each track is written differently to an extent to give each song a unique feel, all of them relate to the same conveyance of theme but at the same time each track has a different unearthly feel to it. To actually listen to the lyrics throughout each song will evoke even more imagery and will once more have your imagination running wild to every extent.

The lyrics are far from the only things that strike up that unsettling or powerful feeling within the album. There are a wide range of instruments heard throughout the entirety of the album, each played exceptionally well and each having its own role in creating a different atmosphere of solitude and unraveling darkness. They all work pretty well together, there are just certain instances where one instrument could have either been given more play time or been switched up for another just to add more intensity or conveyance of tone to the song. The diversity of instruments can also be overwhelming at certain times, where there will be so much going on in a song that you won’t know what you should be listening to.

The entirety of the album has a nice diverse set of paces to it with an equal amount of fast paced and slow paced tracks which is excellent it’s just some songs themselves that are awkwardly paced. The song “My Resignation” seems to convey this the best, the song will start off very slow and build up into a faster song but then will completely slow down to halt and then pick up fast again with what feels like no mid paced speed in between. The song itself is still good it just suffers a bit from the awkward switch ups in speed and tempo.

The vocals are something to also note, Steve Moore has an undoubtedly amazing style of vocals, where he can go from a calm chilling style straight into the loudest and most untamed of heavier vocals reminiscent in some ways to vocalist Philip Labonte of All That Remains. While I do admire Steve Moore’s more calm chilling style of vocals it’s his heavier style of vocals that grabbed my attention. I would have loved the album even more if he had of thrown in some more heavier vocals on some of the tracks had of altogether written some more tracks solely using his heavier stylized vocals.

Overall for a debut album 13 Arcane Hymns hits all the right notes. It’s something entirely new and different within the metal genre and takes it to a whole new level. The sheer diversity alone found within the album is reason enough just to check it out. It’s gruesome, it’s disturbing, it’s loud, it’s metal, and The Unravelling have got their music down to science and it works very well at creating just what they want you to think and feel when it comes right down to it. The album does have its number of flaws, but for a debut album this is more than unparalleled. The Unravelling are definitely heading in the right direction with this album and I’m certain this won’t be the last we hear from them.

7.9/10

Move Forward Until You Are Dead by The Unravelling
In The Safe House by The Unravelling
Where Will It End by The Unravelling