Jack The Giant Killer - The Drowning King

Jack The Giant Killer - The Drowning King

Jack The Giant Killer is a deathcore band from the land down under, Australia! I came across this band a few years ago when people from a deathcore community introduced me to this band. Initially I thought they were a load of rubbish which had absolutely no structure to it (mind you, I only heard on song). I tried my hardest to get into Jack The Giant Killer at the time, but with no avail. 2 years on and I’m sitting thinking of how much I was a short sighted fool back then to not get into Jack The Giant Killer, because these guys kick ass. Yeah, okay, I admit, their 2008 demo A Dead Man’s Demo wasn’t the best thing to be released in their history but it doesn’t matter about what they have done in the past, it’s what they’ve made in the present and The Drowning King IS the present.

For all those who aren’t familiar with Jack The Giant Killer’s sound (and unfortunately, there are many out there), they are one of those ultra modern, weird, psychedelic sounding deathcore bands. Bands such as Execute the Sinner are in the same Vein (although they’re another underground band, there is not band with a similar sound that has gone mainstream that I know of). These sort of bands are usually highly technical and are just different. Jack The Giant Killer fits into this genre really well.

There is one thing that many other bands that are in the same field of deathcore is missing is atmosphere. Jack The Giant Killer have chosen to implement a very heavy element of atmosphere in this ep. It is very powerful and so uplifting at times, it is probably the highlight of the band’s music. What creates this? Well, I’m glad you asked, the guitar work in The Drowning King is second to none. Everything is in time and I felt that it had the greatest impact on this “atmosphere”. The guitar riffs never get boring unlike many other deathcore bands out there who like it chuggy instead, I don’t know about you, but some chuggy is good, although it is nice to get a little bit of a break from it time to time.

The drumming seems to also have a major impact on the music as well. I find that it’s quite rare for a band to have their drumming as one of the key components in the atmosphere of the album. Jack The Giant Killer have really gone the extra mile to ensure that the drumming is perfect. Each drum beat that is played is on time, clean, clear and has a certain snap to them. I think that the drumming is not too powerful that it over powers everything else, but not too weak that its presence is discredited. The addition of a “humming style double bass” just adds to the sheer awesomeness of The Drowning King.

Not everything in The Drowning King is super brutal and super heavy. Not all deathcore bands aim to be the most br00tal and most the extr3m3. Jack The Giant Killer is a great example of how peaceful deathcore can also be. There are short passages of soothing, jazz style of music which are usually accompanied by some hardcore vocals. This just adds that extra dimension to their music which keeps it interesting and entertaining. Not only this, but they have also thrown in some extra acoustic passages and group shouts, which emphasise the music farther. 

Overall, Jack The Giant Killer is one of the most underrated bands out there in Australia. They definitely deserve more attention than what they are already receiving and I think that there are numerous of oblivious fans out there who would enjoy Jack The Giant Killer’s sound. Although there is a new breed of deathcore which Jack The Giant Killer is a part of, there aren’t any bands out there who do it quite like Jack The Giant Killer and I mean that in a completely positive way. The Drowning King is full of surprises and I recommend this to anyone who like progressive or powerful/uplifting or anyone who is looking for something a little more or peaceful than just your average deathcore band. I also recommend the track The Beast (War Of The Wolves) for anyone who is not familiar with Jack The Giant Killer because it pretty much makes a statement for the band. Although I cannot say whether or not they will revolutionize the whole genre, I am curious to how long it will take for Jack The Giant Killer to have their name out on the world stage. I give Jack The Giant Killer’s The Drowning King a 17/20.
 

Blind Ambitions - Self Titled EP

Artist : Blind Ambitions

Album : Self Titled

Genre : Ambient/Progressive Metalcore

Year : 2011

Country : UK

Websites : myspace , facebook , bandcamp

Tracks:
1. Outlook
2. Let Go
3. Borders
4. Headway

Size : 39mb

14/20

Myopic - Disconnected Bonds

Myopic - Disconnected Bonds  

 

Artist : Myopic

Album : Disconnected Bonds

Genre : techincal death / progressive

Year : 2011

Country : USA

Website : facebook , bandcamp

Tracks:
1. Hypocrisy
2. Myopic
3. Rodney, II: The Encompassed
4. Impoverished Abstractions

Size : 44.6mb

 
9/20

The Contortionist - Apparition

The Contortionist - Apparition

Apparition is The Contortionist’s second EP which was self released in 2009. Their sound consists of extreme metal combined with progressive metal elements. As for which extreme metal influences come into play here, this could be border lining deathcore and death metal as it’s a little difficult to tell what these guys exactly are. Many people like to consider these guys as a progressive deathcore band because some may argue that there are more deathcore influences than death metal ones. Either way, this “style” of playing progressive music has only been around for a few years and already it’s developing quite a fan base.

The most apparent element to any progressive deathcore/death metal band is the atmosphere. There is absolutely no denying that these guys have an atmosphere to their sound and there is no doubt that they are trying to endorse it.  There is quite a mix of atmosphere and emotion lurking in this EP, it’s a mix of happy and dark emotions and sometimes they even mix them which can get confusing at times. But there is one thing that is a little less evident until you put all the pieces of their music and style together. I’m not exactly sure, but I think they might have tried to put a scope element in their music. There are two reasons why I think this; they have put a few unconventional ambient sounds in their music which has a sci-fi vibe to them, and secondly, look at the cover. This basically screams the promotion of atmosphere and scope to their music. Just listening to this makes me want to play a round of Mass Effect for something like that.

Now for the big question, which has influenced in their music more, death metal or deathcore? The short answer is deathcore because it does in fact have more deathcore influences in their music rather than straight up death metal. The song structure is probably the first and foremost thing to point out, it has deathcore characteristics. The organisation of the music is much like a typical deathcore band would do it, there are plenty of melodic and unmelodic sections in this EP. This is probably one of the key characteristics of a deathcore band. Another curtail component in deathcore that this band has is the breakdowns. Yep, this EP has them, but no, they don’t overuse them at all and no they don’t chug a lot. Now having non-chuggy breakdowns is actually more common in progressive deathcore than what people seem to think.

I have touched on this topic before, but the sheer beauty of the music is probably the best aspect of The Contortionist’s sound. The music is so uplifting at times that it could drag you out of an unhappy mood in an instant, yes, it is that powerful. Now this is all down to the guitars I reckon, it has the same vibe and style of playing that you could associate with melodic death or power metal. And for all who don’t know, those two are probably the most uplifting genres of metal. This is due mainly to the high pitch tremolo picking and guitar solos.

The final aspect of their music and is the reason why people might get this band confused with a death metal band is the level of technicality. These guys, at times sound just like a good technical death metal band, the drumming is insane and you can almost feel your blood pumping through your veins. The music isn’t loose either, which is why I tend to lean towards death metal rather than deathcore on this note.  

This is one long EP if you consider that it only has seven tracks on it. But there is only one thing that disappoints me about this EP and it does have a huge impact on my final verdict. And it’s the lack of variety the release has as a whole. There isn’t much on here even though is a very distinct contrast between beautiful and dark sides to the music. Also, I don’t really think the music flows very well either. They have seemed too leave many holes in the middle of tracks and throughout the whole EP which includes 5 minutes of silence half way through a track (5 MINUTES!).

There are a few tracks on this EP that are worth listening to though, The opening track Infection is probably one of the only tracks that I have ever heard that is almost pure progressive deathcore. The structure and styles utilized in this track have the typical characteristics of a deathcore band but it’s nothing really special though. Now the next track, Realms, is special. Sure, it might start off slow and generic but after the first minute of so, it really displays how technical progressive deathcore can get. It’s extremely fast, tight and best of all it makes sense.  Eyes: Closed is the next track on the EP and it’s regarded as being The Contortionist’s signature track, I have no idea why though, I mean yeah sure it’s long and a little adventurous but it hasn’t really pushed any boundaries at all. But I think my favourite track is definitely Oscillator, the reason why is that it’s such a beautiful track. The music is extremely uplifting and well crafted, they really have put some thought into this. It’s not technical, not energetic but it’s so forceful at the same time.

Overall this isn’t a bad progressive deathcore release there are some memorable moments here. I think the most memorable trait of the music would have to be the sheer beauty of the music, yeah sure, the technicality and darkness helps it along a little, but the main stage has to be given to the emotions, the happy emotions. Although this is a descent release, there are a few flaws with the biggest one being the flow of the music. To me, progressive deathcore is supposed to be a majestic graceful kind of genre. There have left many holes which disrupt the flow of the music. I recommend this EP to any fans of progressive death and deathcore, especially for fans of The Yellow Sign. The Yellow Sign and The Contortionist stand tall as the giants of progressive deathcore. I recommend the tracks Realms for anyone who likes a little technicality and energy to their music, and the track Oscillator for people who enjoy the beautiful side deathcore. Overall I give The Contortionist’s Apparition a 14/20.  

The Yellow Sign - Ancient

The Yellow Sign - Ancient

Ancient is The Yellow Sign’s Third and final release. Although it says it is a CD this is actually an EP because it only has 5 tracks so it is not full length. This EP is of the Deathcore genre and was self released. This EP is not the heaviest or brutal out there, it focuses more on melody.  Some may even consider this type of Deathcore atmospheric.

This EP is not bad to start with. These guys focus on melody rather than how fast they can double kick or how high pitched the lead singer can Scream or growl. There is actually not much to say about this album. The only thing that really stands out is the atmosphere this EP has when you listen to this release. Its easy to tell there is an atmosphere in this EP. Firstly they don’t make the vocals stand out they let the music take the lead. Also in the music its self. The melodies in this EP give you a different feeling than if you were listening to something from Suicide Silence.  Also they use the type of breakdowns you get that sound drone on for a little rather than short bursts. This is what you get with very very heavy distortion in the guitars. Also the lead vocalists prefers to growl really deep rather than screaming high, he does do some high pitched screams but they aren’t really that high. Usually high pitches are associated with energy (in Deathcore) but growls are better to create atmosphere. At times there are parts where it gets fast but they don’t maintain that speed for very long. Also some of the riffs they use sound like stuff from Death Metal Bands such as Disfiguring The Goddess. They drums also sound similar, but it has a Deathcore structure. This EP as I mentioned before is more atmospheric and sounds fairly sad.

This EP is very atmospheric compared to some other Deathcore bands out there. All of the tracks on this EP have that droning sound from the guitars throughout most of the Tracks. The tracks Juggernaut, Ancient and Silence feature this, these tracks sound very similar and remind me of some Brutal Death Metal bands. Apart from all the drone sounds there are some parts where it does sound a little more upbeat. They stop the droning and maintain a high pitch echoish sound with the guitars. Most Of The Tracks on this album do this but the one that stands out the most is the track Ancient. This song is kind of special because it features all of things that makes this album in one. It has both drone and high pitched sounds also the downbeat and upbeat atmospheres. Also Ancient can get fairly fast paced at times. It is probably the standout track in the EP. Also This EP features a track called Carcosa, It is a musical and is probably one of best musicals I have ever heard. It starts of nice and calm (It may sound a bit sad )then it goes into one of the best musical pieces I have heard in a long time. Carcosa is actually one musical that is actually worth listening to and listening to again.

Although this is a pretty good EP there are some issues with it that some listeners may find annoying. Firstly the number of tracks, there are only 5 tracks on this whole EP. I have no clue why they put this as an Album because it is way too short. Even for an EP it’s a little too short, most EPs have an average of around 8 tracks so this has way less bang for your buck. Also this may not appeal to many listeners. There is not much variety in this EP for a wide audience, there is nothing overly aggressive which is what many Deathcore fans actually want. They don’t usually like the atmospheric stuff. Also I think that the droning is over used and the whole EP sounds fairly plain because of the number of times they use this. Also they vocals are really the best, there are many times you can hear the vocalists growls die out a little and it just sounds like really ugly clean vocals. Also he tends to over use that same repetitive growl over and over again.

Overall This EP is not bad, but work can be done on it. This EP would have made or broke them, unfortunately this EP broke them and now they aren’t together. It is a shame that they broke up because there was so much potential for them. There was also massive potential to improve this album. I guess they made this release short because if it was any longer it would have been just too repetitive. Also there is still some work to be done. This EP displays some great tunes for the easy listeners. Most of the tracks sound sad and emotional, and Carcosa is one of the best musicals I have heard. I recommend the Track Ancient because it is the standout track in this EP because it displays what this EP is all about and wraps it in a nice little package. I also recommend the musical Carcosa because it is really worth listening to. I would also like to recommend this to anyone who likes the softer side of Deathcore or softer death metal. Overall this EP is ok but there are changes to be made, but they have broken up and I don’t see them returning. I give Ancient a 15/20.