Delving into Metalcore and Other Cores

Bring Me the Horizon

I'm not really sure how it started but, about a month ago, I started listening to Bring Me the Horizon.  I was never really that into metalcore but I suppose it was inevitable that I would give metalcore an extended look since I'm pretty into punk and metal (well, older metal bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, etc.).

I first landed on the album Sempiternal which is their most recent album.  The opener of the album, "Can You Feel My Heart," actually takes you by complete surprise as it starts with a blaring synthesizer that makes you wish you never woke up that morning.  When you get used to the synth though, it's a pretty well done song.  The most notable song on the album has to be the song "Go to Hell, For Heaven's Sake."  It's still not as heavy or loud as I expected metalcore to be but it's still a very good song.  Actually, Sempiternal is probably a pretty good gateway for punk fans to get into metalcore in the first place.  I decided to check out another album.


Suicide Season is the second album by Bring Me the Horizon.  The first thing you will notice about this album is the album art.  The cover is a girl standing there with a pile of intestines for forearms (or intestines in her arms, I can't tell which).  It makes for a pretty cool album cover.

This album is definitely more like what I think of when I think of metalcore.  It's much more heavy than their pop influenced Sempiternal.  Over the past few weeks, I have really grown to like this album a lot.  It's raw passion fused with complex composition.  Not only is it instrumentally complex but the lyrics are also very poetic.  I feel that most people don't like poetic lyrics but I, on the other hand, like poetry and love it when it's in music.

As far as individual songs,  the song "Chelsea Smile" is very good.  It makes good use of build-ups and breakdowns.  However, my favorite song on the album is the title track "Suicide Season."  It's a pretty deep song about dealing with the loss of someone to suicide.  I love the lead vocals in this song a lot.  He sounds so passionate that it's possible that he could have been crying while recording this.  It's not very often that you hear vocals this passionate in any genre so I try to laud them whenever I hear them.  The song's bridge is even more fantastic than the rest.  It makes the best use of whispering that I've ever heard in a song.  It's done incredibly well and this song, though still good, would not quite be great without the bridge.  When it gets to the part when he whispers "This is suicide season," chills shiver up and down my spine.  You should give it a listen for yourself.

I highly recommend listening to this whole album, even if you aren't a metalcore fan.  They do some interesting things that a composer from any genre would appreciate.  But, at the very least, you need to give the song "Suicide Season" a listen.  It's fantastic.




I did also give their first album Count Your Blessings a listen.  It's much more intense than any of their other albums.  I'm not an expert on the various sub-genres of metal but I would probably place Count Your Blessings more within the deathcore realm than the metalcore realm.  The writing is definitely more rudimentary and typical on this album.  It's still pretty solid though. 


Parkway Drive

I checked out some singles from Parkway Drive and found that I didn't really like them that much.  I found myself relatively bored listening to them.  Most of the guitar riffs were simple and repetitive (and not in a good way like The Ramones).  I can see why many people may like Parkway Drive.  For a metalcore band, they're very polished and have some pretty cool drum parts.  They just didn't quite click with me.

Falling in Reverse

I checked out the single "The Drug in Me is You" and thought it was pretty good so I decided to check out the rest of the album with the same name.  In general, I liked it instrumentally but lyrically I thought it got a bit arrogant at times.  Once you get to the second track, he starts singing about how he overdosed and that it worked out good for him because he was able to write catchy songs about it and now he's called the "King of the music scene."

As far as the genre of the band goes, it isn't really metalcore.  It's more pop and metal influenced post-hardcore with metalcore moments.  Although I find the arrogance of the lyrics unrelatable, I still enjoyed listening to this album overall and think that the single "The Drug in Me is You" is at least worth a try.  It also has a very 80s metal guitar solo in it that is pretty cool.



A Day to Remember

The thing about A Day to Remember is that instead of blending genres together like the other bands on this list, they switch back and forth between genres mid-song.  It can be a bit jolting at times but on the other hand, it's relatively unique in that not many bands have that kind of approach to composing.  In fact, really the only other band I can think of off of the top of my head that does that is Linkin Park (a lot of their songs switch between rap verses and pop choruses).

I was pretty intrigued by some of the songs I heard so I gave the album For Those Who Have Heart a try.  I enjoyed most of what I heard and I didn't find myself getting too jolted by the pop-punk to metalcore transitions.  I would give this album a try at some point opposed to the singles as I found myself enjoying this particular album more than the singles I listened to (though I still liked the singles a bit).


Pierce the Veil
What was rather impressive about the singles that I checked out by Pierce the Veil is that they frequently change tempos and do it just about flawlessly.  The transitions work much more smoothly than a lot of other famous bands that have tried and failed at it.  They are kind of like A Day to Remember in that they don't blend punk and metal as much and more just switch back and forth.  However, they really do more tempo changes than anything and do much more blending of the genres than A Day to Remember does.

Out of the singles I checked out, "King For a Day" seemed to be their most popular as it had way more hits on YouTube.  However, I thought that "Bulls in the Bronx" is a much better song.  I would have listened to an album of theirs or something but I ran out of time to do so.





The Devil Wears Prada

If you recall my post about Day 2 of Riot Fest 2013, I actually saw The Devil Wears Prada live and was less than impressed, to say the least.  However, I decided to spend a few minutes and check out some of their studio recordings.  I found their studio recordings to be much more refined and a much better attempt at dynamics and just overall quality.  Perhaps they were playing the songs that they figured would get the most intense crowd reaction but from the few studio recordings I checked out, they're certainly a better band than that.  I will probably take a pass on seeing them live again but maybe I will give their studio stuff a legitimate chance in the near future.





Perhaps I will look more into this vast branch of music that I have hardly touched.  For now though, I will leave it at this.  If you like punk and/or metal, I think that you should give some of the bands I have listed above a listen.  Some of it is surprisingly complex and interesting to listen to from a composing standpoint.  Also, the music is generally relatable in the same way that metal and punk are in the first place.

Basically, it's worth a listen.

Top 10 Bands I Wish I Could Have Seen Live

I try to avoid doing top ten lists as I have found that they have become incredibly cliche.

Seriously, everyone does them!  But I found out that one of my friends literally looks at only my Top 10 List posts (!@$@#%$^%@#$%Ryan!#$!@#$@%$#).  So if he's still reading at this point, this is for you Ryan.  You're welcome.

Anyways, I frequently think about bands that I wish I could have seen.  That includes bands that don't exist anymore or bands that have now taken on a new form and I wish I could have seen them in an old form.  It's really disheartening to learn that one of your favorite bands breaks up.  This is especially if you have not seen them yet.  Or, you find out that Bob Bryar left My Chemical Romance and you're like, "Well, shit."  But what am I bitching about?  At least I got to see My Chemical Romance before they ceased to be a band.  How about those MCR fans that never got to see the band live at all?

In the spirit of top ten lists (hahaha "spirit." The words that come out of my mouth) here are my top ten bands that I wish I could have seen live.

Number 10 - Paramore

This choice may seem kind of odd as I literally just saw Paramore last year.  So, technically, I've already seen them live.  However, since I only saw them last year, I never got to see Paramore with the Farro brothers.  Although Paramore was still a very good live show when I saw them, I can only imagine how good it would have been with the talent of Josh and Zac Farro.  Despite the common belief that the whole band of Paramore basically is Hayley Williams, the band certainly misses Zac's power drumming and Josh's passionate guitar playing.




Number 9 - Deep Purple

Deep Purple is another band that I've actually seen already.  Although I got to see the legendary Jon Lord play rock organ before he died, I never got to see Ritchie Blackmore play with the band.  At the time that I saw Deep Purple, Steve Morse was on guitar instead (who's still pretty good).  I would love to see Deep Purple back in the day with really any of their member lineups.  Whether it's David Coverdale or Ian Gillan on lead vocals, Glenn Hughes or Roger Glover on bass, Deep Purple still rocks.




Number 8 - Pink Floyd

I think the real question is, who wouldn't want to see Pink Floyd live?  They were basically the first to really make a concert into an experience with lighting, fog, etc.  Being born when I was, I never got a chance to see Pink Floyd live.  For those of you that have, you should cherish it.




Number 7 - The Doors

Jim Morrison was one of the best front men of all-time and when you team that up with one of the best rock keyboardists of all-time, Ray Manzarek, you have an amazing band.  If only I was the age I am now in 1968.




Number 6 - Jimi Hendrix

As far as I'm concerned, Jimi Hendrix was the king of rock and roll.  Any kind of rock related music presently can be traced back to Jimi's influence somehow.  If I could see Jimi Hendrix on the condition that I had to die immediately afterward, I would do it.  He should hold a dear place in every rock musician's heart for what he did for the genre and music in general.  Not to mention that his backing band is also spectacular.  The Jimi Hendrix Experience would have certainly been an experience to see.




Number 5 - Led Zeppelin

As soon as John Bonam died, Led Zeppelin disbanded and no one else got to see Led Zeppelin in any kind of form afterward.  It's amazing how much I wish I lived back in a different time to see these bands.  To see Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonam all together now would be worth all of the money in the world.  There's no doubt that they deserve the number five spot on this list.




Number 4 - The Who - 1975

The Who would have been amazing to see back in the 70s.  To see Keith Moon be a beast on the drums and John Entwistle own the bass guitar would really make my pitiful existence at least ten times more meaningful.  Oh, and I suppose Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey are pretty good too, haha.




Number 3 - The Clash - 1978

The Clash will always be my favorite old school punk band for a lot of reasons.  That doesn't mean I don't like The Sex Pistols or The Ramones of course.  In fact, I also enjoy quite a lot of the 80s punk as well.  From the video footage I have seen of this band though, I can only dream of what it would be like to be at one of their concerts.  It saddens me that I will never be able to see them live but I can always keep waiting for a time machine.



Number 2 - The Smashing Pumpkins - 1997

Although The Smashing Pumpkins technically still exist and still tour and all of that, this band is not the same without D'arcy Wretzky on bass and James Iha on lead guitar.  I was only fivde in 1997 but I wish that I was 21 instead.  The Smashing Pumpkins don't seem to maintain their polished album sound when they perform live but the music seems to have much more passion behind it.  To show you guys what I'm talking about, take a look at my favorite live footage of my favorite love song.




Number 1 - Nirvana - 1992


I think there was probably a good two months straight that I wished I was alive to see Nevermind live.  I see live footage of Nirvana and I literally feel sick because I never got to see Nirvana.  A passionate band with a raw sound and a raw emotion, every member of Nirvana is so talented at what they do and the live show seems to reflect not only the talent but the raw emotion of the album.  I love this album.  I love this band.  I'm sure that the live show was really something memorable.  If there's anyway to get back to 1992, I would be at a Nirvana concert anyway, anyhow.






Here Are Some Other Bands I Would Have Liked to See

Pencey Prep - 2002
Weezer - 1994-96 (when they still had Matt Sharp)
The All-American Rejects - Pre-2008
The Distillers - 2003-2004
Coldplay - Pre-X&Y
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade Tour
Good Charlotte 2002-03
Muse - Pre-Black Holes and Revelations
Jimmy Eat World - Pre-Clarity
Chuck Berry - 1950s
Dashboard Confessional - 2003
Grateful Dead
Jefferson Airplane
REM - 1988
The Ramones - Anytime before shit started going down
The Rolling Stones - Before it cost you your life savings for a ticket
The Sex Pistols
She Wants Revenge (2007)
Van Halen (1984)
The White Stripes


Perhaps one day I can go back in time to see some of these bands I've listed.  Until then, I will continue to grieve at the misfortune and try to make the best out of the current music scene.

New Single: Midnight by Coldplay

After Mylo Xyloto thoroughly disappointed me, I had very little confidence in future music by Coldplay.  However, I find this song very well composed.

Unlike the songs from Mylo Xyloto, this song doesn't sound like it was manufactured on an assembly line, nor do the vocals in the chorus implicitly make me vomit whenever I hear the word 'paradise.'

This song makes good use of elements of electronica and the band's core sound to create a solid song.  I would give it a listen for yourself, but I like it.  It was a pleasant surprise after being utterly disgusted by their previous album.  FYI, I'm pretty sure I'm in the vast minority for disliking Mylo Xyloto.  If you guys really want to hear it, I can explain why I think Mylo Xyloto is Coldplay's worst album (by a long shot).

In other news, give "Midnight" a listen.  If they release any other singles this good, I just may give Coldplay's approaching album a fighting chance.

LP Style CD Cases

Remember how frustrated you would get when you would find yourself constantly cracking those plastic CD cases to your favorite albums?

Well, since those were so durable, someone decided that making them less durable would be a fantastic idea!

Keep in mind that, on the contrary, movies and video games have improved their cases.  The plastic cases used for DVDs and the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube generation were a huge improvement over the smaller, clear, less durable cases that Playstation games are stored in (or the cardboard boxes that N64 games would come in).  Now the cases that games and movies come in seem virtually indestructible.

On the contrary, if you still buy CDs, they still come in the jewel cases (if you're lucky).  A common, money saving (I'm assuming), alternative I have seen to this are LP style cases.  This is an especially popular packaging method if the album contains more than one CD.

I really just can't stand these LP style ones.  Not only is it much harder to get the CDs out, but these cases are even more shittily made than the jewel cases.  I'm not even sure how this is possible on the account that I never had a particular problem using old LP cases.  A big difference between the LP cases and the LP style CD cases though is that the CDs almost never come in the paper sleeves.  This is a huge issue because every time you pull the CD out of your case, you risk scratching or putting fingerprints all over your CD.  There's a method to getting the CDs out while minimizing these risks but the problem is that you end up stretching the storage compartment of the case.  About half of my LP style CD cases are torn at the seems because of this.

Also, upon the first time purchasing a CD packed in this fashion, there is no way of telling which side of the CD is facing up or down.  So, even if you are really careful, you have a 50/50 shot at which plane of the CD is safe to press your fingers against.  I shouldn't have to take a risk like that on a product that I literally purchased brand new.

I will keep buying CDs for as long as I can but it is the little things like this that drive people away.  So, the question is, what cases do I think that CDs should be stored in?  Well, for me personally, I would prefer if they stick to the jewel cases.  They are prone to cracking but they are much more portable than sturdier cases like the ones that DVDs or Blu-Rays are typically stored.  Besides, if a jewel case breaks, you can still keep using it most of the time.  It's still usable if the plastic cracks or if the hinges connecting the cover to the CD mount break.  When these mock LP cases rip or tear, they're basically unusable without some glue or tape (which can make album artwork really look like shit).

Just figured I would give my two cents on that, especially since it seems like lately that every new album I've been interested in purchasing comes in the shitty LP Style case.  I wish they would stop.  It's possible that record companies want everyone to just download music from itunes since it is less work for them.  However, I steadfastly refuse to do this.  I like having my music in a physical form.  I won't ever change.  I'm pretty damn stubborn on this.  Sorry.  So stop putting albums in these LP style cases.  It's not clever and it's not cool.  It's certainly not durable and it's certainly not preferred.  Could you imagine if the new norm for PS4 and Xbox One games were to put them in these cardboard sleeves, wrap it in plastic, and put it on the shelf?  Gamers everywhere would be pissed off!

So just stop it.