Top 5 of Q1 2011
The Human Abstract - Digital Veil (E1 Music)
I was definitely not expecting this album to be this good. Their debut album Nocturne was my jam back in 2006 and I didn't leave my stereo for a while. At the time, I was one of the most intelligent compositions to come out of the metalcore scene. While The Human Abstract's peers were just trying to be as loud and heavy as possible, they wrote technical pieces that divided up the intensity with highly stimulating acoustic interludes. Then they released Midheaven, the album many people pretend doesn't even exist. I either toned down, or removed entirely, all the parts that made The Human Abstract who they are. But in 2010 they reunited with their primary song writer (and musical genius) AJ Minette. Also on board for this album was former From First to Last guitarist Travis Richter. In my mind, it seemed impossible for them to top Nocture, make up for Midheaven, carry on with a vocalist know for being in one of them "emo/screamo" bands, and get people to care about them again after their name had been flushed down the toilet. Well, they did all that and more on Digital Veil. And my only complaint for this album was that it was far far too short.
Trap Them - Darker Handcraft (Prosthetic Records)
Trap Them's third studio release, and debut for Prosthetic Records, sees the group doing what they do best: deliver a dense, bottom heavy crusty/sludgy/grindy hardcore punk sound. It's my understanding that this album was meant to be listed to in the vinyl format. Side A delivers a slightly longer version of the Trap Them we've all come to love. Most of their songs in the past have been around 1-2 minutes, but the first half of Darker Handcraft features songs that are about twice that length. They have a little bit of a more traditional song structure, which makes them a little more accessible, but that doesn't mean they toned down the intensity at all. Side B has more of the familiar short burst grindcore anthems at first, and then switches pace for the last two songs. These two mid-tempo droning tracks, as different as they are, are easily the highlights in my mind. The album on the whole seems to pick up where the band left off with 2010's Filth Rations EP. It's the closest thing to Dischange I've heard in a long while, and I love me some Dischage!
Defeater - Empty Days & Sleepless Nights (Bridge 9 Records)
Defeater is considered to be part of The Wave. In January I blogged about how The Wave would take over in 2011, and Empty Days & Sleepless Nights is defiantly an indication that I was correct. Surprising long for a hardcore album, Empty Days clocks in at around 50 minutes in length. While this may be a long time, the album is filled with some of the most melodic hardcore music and the most honest and passionate lyrics I've heard in a long while. I actually just found out there there is a single overarching storyline throughout all of Deafeater's albums, which makes me want to go back and listen to them in order. I'd be interested to know if it's a fictional or non-fictional story with how real these lyrics feel. If you like emotionally-driven hardcore, few come close to Defeater and the rest of the crew in The Wave.
Becoming the Archetype - Celestial Completion (Solid State Records)
What drew me to Becoming the Archetype in the first place back in 2007 was the cover art for The Physics of Fire. I've bought several albums based on the cover art alone; some times it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. The Physics of Fire was a fairly decent album, and not nearly as Jesus-y as I'd expected for a Solid State Records release. But it featured a similar riff in just about every song and kind of dragged on and on. They quickly tossed out Dichotomy a year later, and the few songs that I heard just sounded like a band trying to take their formula and play it heavier. Lots of bands try this, it rarely works out. I wasn't impressed. But Celestial Completion is a complete re-evaluation of their signature sound, and sees the band broadening their horizons and traveling into unknown territory. They sound rejuvenated and ready to experiment with new sounds, and I totally dig it. This was just as surprising of a release to me as The Human Abstract listed above.
Scale the Summit - The Collective (Prosthetic Records)
I'm not really sure what to say about this album. I've never heard of this band until this album, and I couldn't help but check it out with the amount of praise it was getting. And it really is that good. It totally fits into my post-rock/prog-metal kick I've been on lately.
Honorable Mentions (Good Not Great)
I used to be a huge fan of Darkest Hour and Protest the Hero, but their respective new releases The Human Romance and Scurrilous just didn't impress me. They're not bad albums by any means, and they're still worth a listen or maybe worth even a purchase, but I wasn't dazzled as I had been with their previous albums. Only a few tracks on Scurrilous stick out in my mind after a few listens, and Darkest Hour seem a little out of ideas after 16 years; a lot of The Human Romance feels recycled from previous album sessions. And Cavalera Conspiracy's Blunt Force Trauma wasn't bad either, but the last few albums Max Cavalera has written have all felt pretty much the same. He seems to have hit his creative peak, though I'm very interested to hear his new project with Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan. The song "Rise of the Fallen" featuring Puciato was pretty much the only reason to buy Soulfly's Omen.
Also, Kvelertak's album was finally released in North America. Most of America had given up on waiting and pirated their copy a year ago, but I was holding out. It's not on this list because it was actually released last year, and because I have yet to sit down and listen to the full thing start to finish.
Still Need to Check Out
Every year there are releases that I hear a lot about, but never give them a chance until long after their release. For Q1 2011, this includes DevilDriver and everyone's favorite new prog metal band Tesseract. I've heard great things about both of these albums, but haven't gotten around to listening to them just yet. UPDATE: Apparently True Widows are pretty good as well. I've never even heard of them before...
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