Reckless and Relentless is Asking Alexandria’s third studio album which was released in 2011. In the “core” genre, Asking Alexandria is considered to be one of the giants that dominate the genre. And for good reason, not many post-hardcore bands out there today can match these guys in terms of innovation. Their album Stand Up and Scream was one of the greatest post-hardcore albums to come out from the last decade. It was heavy, emotion and energetic, which is what every single core fan could have wanted in an album. Now the question remains, how does this album compare to Stand up And Scream?
Asking Alexandria a one of the biggest if not, the biggest “core” band in the 21st century. Many people would agree that these guys blow all the competition out of the water and this is the main reason why these guys are mainstream. Their album Stand Up And Scream is arguably their signature album and is the one that is responsible for all this success and many people were wondering how this would stand up against their 2009 album. To say in short, it is pretty good, but Stand Up And Scream was much better.
The most evident difference between Stand Up And Scream and this album is the song writing and structure. For some reason, the song writing wasn’t as clean as what we saw in Stand Up And Scream. It is good to see the foundation of their music still there and that was the scheme/patten of the tracks which went repeated from unmelodic and screaming to and melodic with clean vocals. This is what Asking Alexandria does well and it is great to see (hear) that they have kept this vital part to their music.
There is a lot more emotion going on in their music, and I’m not sure if this is the product of them easing back. And another thing I’m not sure is weather the fans who enjoyed the heavier side to their music will welcome the change. Either way they have changed the vocals according to their music. They have utilized a lot more clean vocals and the screams are more of a generic style of fry scream.
I think that biggest thing that has suffered in their music would have to be their song writing. Stand Up And Scream was commended for it’s song writing and it was this that made it so successful. Now for some reason, it isn’t as polished or as well rounded. The transitions are rough and aren’t as subtle. Also, the structure of the music is a lot less organised and feels like has just been thrown in random places and I don’t think that it should sound like this. I think that less care music have been taken with the creation of the song structure because there would have to be no other reason for this. But don’t get me wrong though, the wrong writing might be a little dirty, but it’s not a mess and it still surpasses what many bands put out today.
I’m not sure if this is just me, but they have seemed to have “eased back” a little from their last album. They used to have a crazy combination of super heavy breakdowns and deathcore style riffs. Now, the music doesn’t seem as filling or as satisfying as before. The heavy atmosphere that was apparent in Stand Up And Scream has almost completely vanished, although there are a couple of snapshots or blasts from the past that can be scavenged from the music. But the music is nowhere near as heavy or satisfying as before.
Another and final aspect to their music which I thought withstood the test of time are the vocals. There is no doubt that Asking Alexandria has some of the best vocals out of whole “core” scene. The combination of extremely deep, gutturally deathcore style growls and beautiful clean vocals works really well together and coincides with their music. So yeah, fans can be relieved that these are still there. The clean vocals still have that “juvenile” feel to them, these guys aren’t old so I think these guys still have a few miles on their vocals. Although I did pick up something a little intriguing with the clean vocals. There are times where I thought that the vocals sounded like Oliver Sykes’s (Bring Me The Horizon) vocals in his second album Suicide Season. For all who don’t know, the vocals on Suicide Season were a lot different from Bring Me The Horizon’s debut album Count Your Blessings. This was due to the lead singer (Oliver Sykes) having issues with his vocals. Now, because I’ve heard little snapshots here, I’m a little worried that this could be the last time that we hear his amazing voice. I hope not…
Overall, I’m not sure if Reckless And Relentless has stood up to everyone’s expectations. But people need to understand that Stand Up And Scream was one of the best post-hardcore albums ever and to top and progress from like that is bloody hard to do. Although there might have been a little hints of progression in their music from their last album, I don’t think that this will turn as may heads a before.I think that this album isn’t something to be disappointed about because it is something that Asking Alexandria should be proud of. This is still a respectable album which I recommend to all “core” fans out there and this is something that every single Asking Alexandria fan should have a go at. I would also like to recommend the track To The Stage because it is the track that I think seals the deal as far as this album is concerned. But for people who would like more “emotion” in the music, you cannot go past the track Someone, Somewhere because there aren’t any screamed/distorted vocals in this track. Also, have a go at listening to the track before Someone, Somewhere… Dedication because who know, it could spark some extra emotion. Overall, this is still a highly respectable album and carries on Asking Alexandria’s important traditions. I give this a 15/20.
Elements Of Chaos is Monumental Torments debut album. It was released in 2011 by Soul Flesh Collector Records. This album is of the technical death metal genre and it’s about 10 times more technical than your average band. They have really taken the genre to the next level, in terms of technicality the only band that seems to shape up to these guy with their technicality is Brain Drill. Monumental Torment sounds more like a distant cousin of Brain Drill but they do have some slight differences and traits that make them stand out. The first thing to say about this album is the level of technicality in this album, it is definitely a level above the rest. The music is incredibly tight and obviously technical. They also have the characteristics of your generic technical death metal band. Your standard high pitch tuning of the guitars, a bass guitar with many strings and just to make it sound even more technical they have thrown in a keyboard to mix things up a little. Oh and of course, it has some insane drumming that any technical death metal band would be lost without. It has extremely fast drumming and even faster double kick. But there is one catch to this, they have used a drumming machine to generate all this because there is probably no drummer in the world that can drum like this. For all people who are against using drum machines might feel ripped off but hey, it’s the music that counts. If I were to compare the level of technicality to this band that first band that comes to mind is Brain Drill. There are a couple of slight differences though. Unlike Brain Drill there are times where these guys have gone over the top a little to the point where the music no longer makes sense. For some this might be a good thing and for others it might be bad. It’s all a matter of personal choice. Although they are incredibly technical and brutal, they aren’t always like this. They do mix it up with some slower sections at times and slams. They didn’t really go for the slams as much, which is probably a good thing because it would have disrupted the flow of the music itself which is probably the most vital thing this band has to offer. Especially for these guys in particular because it’s such a small band. Although they don’t use that many slams or breakdowns in their music, there are times where it sounds incredibly heavy. The atmospheres they present when playing these sections are so damn heavy, it almost seems stupid not to head bang to them. They like to drags the notes out for a long time while playing these sections and the keyboardist switches to his bass guitar. Also the vocalist has pretty brutal guttural growl with seals the deal with the heaviness of the music. Even the drumming machine slows down quite a fair bit while these parts are on. It’s vital in music and especially in technical death metal that all band members are sufficiently skilled to play in time so they don’t sound like a crumpled, out of time band. Although there are times where they sound like the band has thrown melody out the window and off a cliff, nothing really seems out of place, well… mainly because that this is technical death metal band which is what people want. To your average technical death metal band, Monumental Torment is far above the rest when it comes to technicality and brutality in the music. One of the most evident parts in their music is the very high pitch. When I first heard this it seemed plausible that what were making this high pitch noise with the guitars, then I realised that there were keyboards playing. They have used a combination of both of these instruments to make the high pitch sound which are basically trademarks of authenticity for technical death metal. It also increases the level of technicality which is definitely Monumental Torments strong points. On its skin it initially sounds like your run of the mill technical death metal band where the only thing that is going for it is their technicality. After actually settling into the music, it’s apparent that they have really mixed things up a little. Even though it’s a major part of their music it’s not all brutality and technicality for these guys, there are times where they slow things down quite a bit. Make no mistake though, they don’t play boring breakdowns or slams, instead they transition into some extremely heavy atmosphere where it feels like the tension in the music is building up. These are some of the best parts of the album but they only last a couple of seconds at the most. Another vital thing that these guys have managed to achieve is enough skill to play in such a demanding genre. The guitarist is absolutely incredible in the way he plays, he plays lightening fast with accuracy. I couldn’t even pick up any off or loose notes whiles listening to him play. It’s like he was born and bred to play technical death. The style he usually plays has absolutely no melody to it, he focuses on speed and complexity rather than melody. He likes to use higher pitches a lot more that lower ones. The guitaring is essentially the main highlight of this band and can be seasily confused with a keyboard, if Beethoven had played guitar this is what he would have sounded like. The vocals are also very good as well, the vocalist does his guttural growls extremely well and really suites their style of music. But he doesn’t leave much room for variety. He basically only uses one vocals style. Sometimes he might want to go deeper in the slower parts of the songs but rarely does this and he never goes high. Now this brings me to the drumming, the drumming is probably the instrument that defines a technical death metal band. There is no technical death metal band in the world that has slow drumming and if there is one, the guitars must be good. Obviously there wasn’t a drummer that was hardcore enough to play what these guys wanted so they decided to use a drum machine. For some people, drum machines are despicable and any real band wouldn’t use them. In this case, I think that the use of a drum machine was a good choice. When listening to this, it doesn’t even seem like a drum machine, they have disguised it very well to make It seem like there is someone else on the other end. Basically all the tracks on this album are fairly similar in the sense that they all have basic structure. They shift from technical to heavy over and over again. They don’t exactly leave themselves that much room for creativity. Also in terms of technicality, they are all fairly evenly weighted. There is nothing that really stands out but there are a couple of tracks worth mentioning. Like any good opening track Nameless One sets the scene for the rest of the album. This is one of the best tracks on the album, this is one of the few tracks on the album that has a little variety to them. They frequently switch from high to low tempos and just to spice things up they have added some piano playing which don’t seem to disrupt the flow of the music. Nameless one is a well crafted track and is one of the highlights of the album. Unfortunately this is where the variety ends, after the Nameless One you have already experienced the whole album. Actually, the next track is Slaughterhouse and it is a step backwards from the opening track. It’s not even as technical as Nameless One, this is a bummer because they started off so strong only to be let down carelessness. It think that they have most likely rushed this album. It’s okay though because the technicality and brutality is still carried one. Although it seems like they have forgotten about melody in most of their tracks, the track Paradox is the most melodic one. It relatively slow compared to everything else on the album. Also it does differ a little from the others, they have used a different set of riffs and is definitely the standout track. Also sometimes the guitars sound like are computer are generated, they have a certain echo to them that some people may associate with cyberspace or something like that. For sheer technicality and brutality, the track Element of Chaos definitely takes top prize. It’s incredibly fast and technical, it’s probably the fastest and most interesting song on the album. Overall Elements Of Chaos is a pretty decent debut album, it features everything a technical death metal lover would want in their music. It has speed, technicality and it sure has complexity, not only that but they do mix it up with some extremely heavy sections as well some piano to give it that extra touch of variety. Unfortunately, it does feel like they have rushed this album and left them little space for variety and innovation. This band sounds just like a more disorganised version of Brain Drill which is not necessarily a bad thing. There aren’t many bands like this around that are of good quality to take the chance while you can. I recommend this album to any die hard technical death metal and brutal death metal fans because I don’t think this would really appeal to a wide audience. I also would like to recommend the track Nameless One for people who want a fair idea of what this band is like and what to expect. For people who like a little melody in their music, the best they have to offer is the track Paradox. Now for all you technical death metal addicts out there you cannot go past the track Elements Of Death, it is extremely technical and is sure to satisfy. Overall this is a pretty good release, it could have been refined but it’s still a solid album, there aren’t many bands like this around that are of good quality so take the chance while you can. Overall Monumental Torment’s Elements Of Chaos gets a 16/20.
Battles In the North is Immortal’s third studio album, released in 1995 this was definitely Immortal’s first turning point. This album is of the Black Metal genre but there are some strong elements of thrash metal as well. This is one brutal black metal album, when people think of Immortal they think of average paced black metal. That couldn’t be further from the truth and this album proves it.
Battles In The North definitely has some distinguishable differences from their last album Pure Holocaust. First of all this album seems to sound a lot more raw and darker. They really have changed their sound quite a lot when it comes to this, totally different atmosphere and emotion behind the music. The recording quality is probably the major difference because in Pure Holocaust the recording sounded a lot more rounded and even spread. In this album, the music seems to be separated by the instruments and affects. The good thing about this is the drumming seems to have its full effect. The blast beats in this album are probably the best I’ve ever heard; they sound clean and clear and also they seem to stand out a lot more. This is really good because nothings worse than playing double kicks really fast and it being drowned out.
The vocals have also changed a bit, rather than singing slowly and dragging the words on for longer than they should the lead singer has chosen to quickly sing a five word line in short bursts. He does this constantly throughout the whole album. Also the style he uses is still the same as in Pure Holocaust and even now. It’s that style where he voice sounds very raspy and crackly but he doesn’t make it sound like he is screaming his lungs out at you with overwhelming despair and emotion. The mood within the vocals sounds a little bland because of the very short intervals between his already short lines. This might not be a bad thing because it actually highlights the music and since its taking front stage, it was a good move on Immortal’s part.
There seems to be a lot of swinging between moods on this album, once second it sounds like hollow brutality is taking the lead and times where atmosphere is playing a big part. During the ‘atmospheric’ parts, they have tried to make it sound dark by having the riffs drag on very long and it seems to have a sort of swaying affect. Also the tuning and the distortion of the guitars really do give off a very dark vibe to it as well, with ads to the swaying affect in the music. Speedy drumming doesn’t usually fit the bill very well when it comes to atmospheric music in general. Although this is the case for many bands, Immortal have seemed to implement it very well, so well that it really makes the album as a whole standout from the rest. Compared to Pure Holocaust, the drumming is extremely fast and is actually clear this time. All the beats are clean and crisp and there is none of that “humming” usually associated with poor recording quality.He also have a very fast high pitched double kick which surprisingly matches the pace of the music.
The sheer tightness of the music on this album is probably the main highlight. Well timed and rounded and for a black metal band they are really technical as well. Rapidly changing riffs and sections and rapidly changing moods and atmospheres as well. Also there doesn’t seem to be any overpowering in the music, everything seems be evenly balanced when it comes to the instruments themselves. Other than the vocals though, the vocals are a little too quiet and because of this they sound out of place.
There are a few really good tracks on this album which will seduce any brutal black metal fan. Although they all sound similar, there are a couple of interesting tracks on here. Unsurprisingly they have opened the album with an incredibly fast paced track, Battles In The North is very fast paced but still has the tint of atmosphere in it. It is basically an introduction for the album and shows off what it features; great blast beats and fast double bass, their classic vocal style and the swaying atmosphere. But what makes it stand out from the rest is the very raw vibe it has, this tells you a lot about what someone should expect next. When it comes to blast beats this album has some of the best in black metal, but the track Moonrise Fields Of Sorrow is arguably the best track on the album. The blast beats are incredible and my favourite in black metal. Also it is a short, sweet and by the end it should leave any fan feeling that they have been satisfied of their hunger for brutality and a side of atmosphere.
At The Stormy Gates Of Mist is an odd track, it still sound very linear compared to the other tracks but somewhat stands out from the rest as well. Maybe it’s because of the vocal style. Unlike the other tracks, the vocals on At The Stormy Gates Of Mist sound like there are two people singing instead of just one. The only reason why it stands out is because it is something a little different than the rest of the album. The final track to mention is the last track Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark), this is probably the standout track. This is the only song that doesn’t follow the exact same suit as the other. The pace is different, the vocal style is different, the atmosphere is different and even structurally its different. This is great because ending the album with the same think heard ten times before is not a good way to go out.
Although this album is incredible and is one of the albums responsible for making Immortal what they are today, it is not perfect. The first and foremost thing to mention is the sheer receptiveness of the album, this is a classic example of why brutality does not always equal interesting. Once I was up to about the fourth track I was already bored to death. It was only until I hit the track Moonrise Fields Of Sorrow that I began to respark my interest in the music. After that it was more linear plain music that bored me again. That being said, the final track Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)was a very good song for the album to go out with. It’s only the tracks Moonrise Fields Of Sorrow and Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark) that have saved this album from being a plain dead album. Other than that the music is really good.
Overall Battles In The North is still an incredibly good and respectable album. Aside from all the linearity that almost killed this album, it still features some gut busting brutality in the music with some of the best blast beats in black metal not to mention it’s atmospheric side as well. This is all thanks to the awesome recording quality which puts all the components of the music together nicely. Not just instrumentally but they have managed to combine speed with darkness and atmosphere which sounds like a perfect mix. I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys extreme metal in general and I would strongly suggest this album to anyone who like darker music. This album is guaranteed to leave any black metal fan satisfied. Furthermore, I recommend the track Moonrise Fields Of Sorrow for anyone who likes their blast beats or who is looking for a quick black metal fix. For people who are looking for something a little more different, try the song Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark) it gives you a break from all the other bits and pieces that this album consists of. Overall I think that this is a still a good album but it’s the sheer repetitiveness that lets it down. So Battles In The North gets a 17/20.
