Asking Alexandria unveil new album title, song, and Phil Bozeman cuddles with a puppy

       British prettyboys Asking Alexandria have finally given in to the hoards of teenage girls calling for new material and unveiled both their new album title - From Death to Destiny -  and a new single, 'The Death of Me'. If you go into this single expecting it to be anything like their old material...you'll be sadly mistaken. Even though the album cover does feature another half-naked girl.
         For starters, the vocals are astronomically better than any other AA material I've ever listened to. It's no secret Danny Worsnop destroyed his voice with drug use, but he's made quite the recovery, even if the lyrics are just as stupid as before.
         Instrumentally, this is your typical AA synth-tinged unrequited love ballad. That is to say, dangerously catchy. The band has masterfully molded pop elements into one rhythmic drive from start to end. It's incredibly stereotypical to say the least, but still better than the majority of Risecore. You can listen to the song below:

          In other news, here's Phil Bozeman of Whitechapel cuddling with a puppy:

                                       

        Whitechapel, Asking Alexandria, Motionless in White, Chimaira and  I Killed the  Prom Queen will be hitting the road together starting next month as part of the 'Don't Pray for Us' tour.

JB Brubaker - "Metalcore is not an interesting genre at this point"

      For those living under a rock, metalcore heavyweights August Burns Red are in the studio for their sixth album, upholding their pattern of a new album every other year. We've been teased and tempted for a month now with studio updates via facebook and twitter such as 'tracking a cello today...' or various photos from instagram.
        Anyone who know the band knows that their crushing, perpetually-evolving mixture of melody, technicality, and intensity is what sets ABR apart from the cookie-cutter Verb the Noun metalcore acts that appeared in their wake. As bands discovered the open-chord breakdown, utilizing it ad nauseum, ABR was already bounds ahead, discovering new ways of bringing the mosh and making their music unique. Whether it was from a salsa break in Leveler's 'Internal Cannon' or from riff-based breakdowns in Constellations' 'Paradox'. And that's saying nothing of the subgenre of imitators (Texas in July, This or the Apocalypse) colloquially dubbed 'Lancastercore' (after ABR and TIJ's hometown) the band pioneered.
         Thus, it came as no surprise when guitarist JB Brubaker, in an interview with Alternative Press, called metalcore '[no longer] an interesting genre', continuing with 'It's very repetitive and predictable; I want more than breakdowns and pop choruses these days'. He also commented on the band's new sound, saying 'we're definitely trying to broaden the spectrum of what is possible in this music. I feel like we have to'.
         So. Much. Yes.
          Evolution is an invaluable part of music - bands that repeat the same old, same old are doomed to die off. Think: who remembers Aaron Carter these days anyway? On the other hand, bands that evolve, while their popularity might be more stochastic, will be around for a while as they continuously acquire new fans.
           At this point, Risecore is the fad. I don't know about the future, but I wouldn't give Of Mice & Men or Memphis May Fire more than another four years before they're done. People, simply put, will get tired of what you do over and over again, grow up, or both. This is what sets ABR apart from the pack - from 2005's Thrill Seeker to now, they've made a conscious effort to change with each album - and it's been to thunderous praise each time.

            You can read the full interview with Brubaker here.
         
         

My Chemical Romance Announce Break Up

       In a fit of "they were still around?", legendary pop-punkers My Chemical Romance have declared that the band is at an end, issuing an announcement on their website yesterday:

       "Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We've gotten to go places we never knew we would. We've been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We've shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.
My Chemical Romance"

          The announcement comes as similarly huge pop-punk act Fallout Boy have ended their hiatus and declared a tour to celebrate.

          For what it's worth, and I only really liked 'Teenagers' (8th grade was a tumultuous time, indeed), MCR were one of the more seminal pop-punk acts to develop in the early 2000s. They leave behind a twelve-year legacy and four studio albums. With the breakups of Atreyu (whose various bandmember drifted apart in 2011), Bleeding Through, and the tragic death of Suicide Silence's Mitch  Lucker, 2013 is shaping up to be a year of breakups, as well as of promise.
       

BREAKING: American metalcore is a genre now.

        At this point it's pretty much the elephant in the room that metalcore is practically a joke. The genre's long, tragic fall from grace, punctuated by a plethora of differentiations, egos, 'innovations' and hairspray, is finally catching the attention of noteworthy artists.
        And who better to shove in our dirty Yank faces that we're to blame for this bastardization of music than a pair of British bands. Yesterday, Architects drummer Dan Searle tweeted from South by South What? festival 'South By So What then....the strangest thing is happening - the people on stage are changing, but the songs aren't....'

         Searle was joined by Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds' jab at horrific 'partycore' (I want to shower after writing that) act Attila.
     The only thing funnier than this conversation is exactly how spot on it is. Excessive breakdowns? Check. I'm not sure if 'frog impersonations' is a comment on the now-much used crabcore 'scuttle' pioneered by Attack Attack! or not.
     Naturally, this ignited a bit of a backlash from reddit. The equally shitty metalcore forum (which I'm banned from because I made fun of  Austin Carlile too much and prefer Converge to Memphis May Fire) actually had a bit of insight into how cookie-cutter the genre has become, but the infallible 'I don't curr I listen to wat I want yolo' argument nevertheless prevails.
     As far as I'm concerned, these fine chaps have it spot on. In fact, they've inspired me to write a metalcore 'field guide' for genre whores like myself. I'll be locking myself in seclusion for the next two years and weeding through as much Crown the Empire as  I can stomach, all for you guys.
     Stay tr00.

Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal REVIEW

    
             In a stunning fit of being confronted with modern technology, a little band called Bring Me the Horizon found themselves facing a leak of their newest album in three years, Sempiternal, a few weeks ago. The leak, which appeared on the internet almost two months before the album's slated release date, prompted what may have been the most chill response ever. Not only was the album's release date moved back two weeks, but the entire record was made available for streaming on YouTube (via Vevo).
       Sempiternal marks the end of the Sheffield metalcore group's year-long hiatus, and the culmination of BMTH's transformation away from their debut sound. 2005's Count Your Blessings, a filthy stroll through deathcore replete with obnoxious guitars and lyrics as scathing as 'she starts her new diet of liquor and dick', is officially a thing of the past. Anyone who remembers the band's 2010 release There is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen it, There is a Heaven, Let's Keep it a Secret won't be surprised by the band's new direction. The airy, post-rock-y, epic verses of songs like 'Blessed with a Curse', or the ending of 'Anthem' are the new name of the game. And with this comes the most shocking change of events.
        Clean. Vocals.
        Yes, you read that right. Even if they are in the minority so far as Oliver Sykes' vocals go, the fact of the matter is BMTH is now singing. 'Hospital for Souls' features an extensive passage complete with melodic piano and light percussion as he softly croons 'Hold me close, don't let go, watch me...'.
         But if the cleans give you pause, rest assured. The standard mosh anthems of the past are still there to please. 'Antivist', 'Empire (Let Them Sing)', 'The House of Wolves', and debut single 'Shadow Moses' are fast, tight, and brutal, although 'Antivist' transcends all others as the most pulse-pounding. Perhaps it's the downplayed synth, which is on almost every other album, or maybe it's because Sykes eschews his new cleans in favor of vastly improved uncleans, or maybe it's even the fact that 'Antivist' is the angriest BMTH song  I've ever heard. Eloquence in the form of 'Middle fingers up, if you don't give a fuck!' and a few c-bombs and breakdowns round out the song as the album's strongest suite.
         As refreshing as it is to hear some good old fashioned 'Blacklist'-style mosh passages, however, the band's new sound bears much more discussion. Before I continue, I feel it's necessary to state that I'm not the biggest fan of the new direction. I like my music fast and heavy, and while Sempiternal satisfies that craving by throwing a few bones my way, most of the album (to me, anyway) sounds like a bizarre mixture of Deadmau5 ('Can You Feel My Heart') and new In Flames ('And the Snakes Start to Sing' reminds me of In Flames' 'The Attic') especially.
          That's not to say the band hasn't done a great job. This is a Hell, which was BMTH's first foray into this type of sound, was almost jarring as it attempted to use Suicide Season-style vocals with synth-heavy, melodic instrumentals (see: 'Don't Go'). It was, to put it lightly, too extreme of a juxtaposition to sound good. Sempiternal shifts this balance - while the instrumentals are 100% post-rock-y and completely unlike the band's previous material, the vocals have shifted accordingly and the sound now flows beautifully.
           However, it's the instrumentals that have mostly turned me off to Sempiternal. Again, with the exception of songs like 'Antivist', the mainstay Bring Me the Horizon musicianship - described by AP as 'subtle as a nuclear warhead' - has largely evaporated. Guitars are rarely used as anything but support, a drum machine has all but replaced Matt Nicholls, and the sytnh rules unopposed. Interesting? Very. Would I listen to it again? Probably not, but that's just personal preference.
            To conclude, Sempiternal is a fascinating romp through excellently melded post-rock and metalcore. It's a step in another direction completely for the Sheffield sextet, but at this point, expecting BMTH to do anything else is hoping against hope. Sempiternal has not yet unseated Suicide Season as the band's strongest suite (in my opinion), but it does do a great job. I'll definitely be seeing them at Warped this year.