Social Strife "Social Strife"

I’ve done over a hundred of these now so it’s getting hard to find clever ways to introduce my articles. It’s frustrating really, I enjoy my rants, sometimes relevant, sometimes not so much, but after thinking about it for days, I just can’t find one this time. It’s unfortunate because Toronto hard rock band Social Strife really do deserve a good introduction to their featured article on my site for their five-track self titled EP which is nothing short of a classic hard rock sound that can stand pretty tall in today’s rock music.

Blowsight "Life & Death"

If there is one thing I enjoy, it’s being given an album by a band that is as hard to classify as Sweden’s Blowsight. Any band that can manage to put out an album of thirteen songs such as their album Life & Death (fourteen tracks including the bonus track) and have just about every song sound different from the other is not an easy task. I couldn’t properly decide on a true genre for the band; I mean they are definitely alternative metal, or alternative punk, but they feature elements of pop and show other surprises the more you listen to them.

Fake Figures "They Must Be Destroyed"

In a time when heavy punk music is unfortunately turning out far too many whiny sung pop induced outfits, one must wonder what happened to not long ago when bands like Eighteen Visions and Atreyu were making music; bands that included a lot of screaming in to their music, as well as a lot of clean singing, all while being taken seriously by many music fans and not just kids. Now we have bands like Escape the Fate and Blessthefall who have a tendency to produce a lot of plastic songs, much like a pop song heard on a top 40 station, and it’s unfortunate that these bands take such influence from the likes of the previously mentioned Atreyu or Alexisonfire, and they are the closest thing we have to new music of the similar genre. That being said, it is always good to discover a band that can capture the serious side of the heavy punk, some may call “post-hardcore” sound. The most recent band that I have come across that features such aspects is California’s Fake Figures.

A Day To Remember "Common Courtesy"

The first time I heard of A Day To Remember was a couple of springs ago. I had gotten my tickets to see Rise Against live, and typically I’ll check out what opening acts sound like before seeing the band live, just in case. Thank God I did so. Immediately I was drawn to A Day To Remember. Just like I’m sure just about every fan the band has, I couldn’t believe the mixture of pop punk and metalcore. It was something I had wished bands would do so often but unfortunately to that point no band had ever done.

Top 10 Albums of 2013

Something different today; I decided that rather than reviewing an album, I’d write an article based on my Top 10 albums of 2013. I figured I’d explain why each album made the list. And probably reiterate some of each albums best moments. Hope you enjoy, I’m definitely excited to write this! I’ve provided a YouTube video to each album. Each video is the song I initially considered the highlight.

The Flatliners "Dead Language"

I have known of The Flatliners for a few years. Around the time they released third album Cavalcade in 2010 is when I first heard of them, but I never did give them enough of a chance. On that album they had a pretty good punk sound, some elements of what I’ve found to be called “melodic hardcore” though I’m not sure how “hardcore” I’d call it. However, it didn’t capture me the way I’d have wanted it to and my interest in the band, at the time, didn’t grow. Hell, I didn’t even know until about a month ago that the band formed in a town which is about a 10 minute drive from my house. Eventually I found out that the band started out as a ska-punk band, which made sense as to why a song or two on Cavalcade had a ska-punk sound.

Rise Against "Long Forgotten Songs: B-Sides & Covers (2000-2013)

Rise Against has climbed the ranks to being one of the biggest bands of the modern day. It wasn’t an easy road to get here, at least compared to some other of today’s biggest rock acts. Success wasn’t, and still isn’t, handed to the band on a silver platter; in fact, they still have a long way to go. They started off, as most bands, an independent who gathered enough of their own money to go and record a full length debut album The Unraveling, as well as a second album, Revolutions Per Minute.

Escape the Fate "Ungrateful"

If there’s one genre of heavy music I’ve grown a bit tired of, it’s this genre of “post-hardcore” blended with pop-punk elements, a genre that doesn’t truly have a name but they seem to be taking over the world. Bands such as Pierce the Veil and Blessthefall all fall under this sub-genre with their distorted music behind a singer who sounds like he (or sometimes she) could be singing modern day pop hits, but occasionally they don’t shy away from screaming, as well the bands don’t shy away from using the odd electronic element. These are the kind of bands that appeal to kids who don’t generally like heavy music but not-so surprisingly find appeal in these bands.

Paramore "Paramore"

Pop punk band Paramore have practically made a career for themselves, at such a young age, for being one of the most recognizable names in modern rock. They have released three albums, 2005’s All We Know Is Falling, 2007’s Riot! And 2009’s Brand New Eyes, all of which have a distinctive signature sound that no other band has really been able to duplicate. Much of the credit for the band’s sound has always gone to lead vocalist Hayley Williams and her powerful yet charming voice and her capability to sing a rock song and still be taken seriously. Not enough credit ever does go to the band itself, which consists of bassist Jeremy Davis, guitarist Taylor York (who joined in 2007) as well as the Farro brothers Josh and Zac respectfully on lead guitar and drums.

Green Day " ¡Tré!"

We’ve done ¡Uno!, then ¡Dos! , finally, part three of the recent Green Day trilogy. ¡Tré!, appropriately featuring drummer Tre Cool on the cover, was said to be the album to feature the “epic” songs. Billie Joe Armstrong described the three albums accordingly: The first album is like you’re on your way to the party, the second album is like you’re at the party and going full swing, and the third album you’re just cleaning up the mess that was made. While it is true that this is the only of the three albums to feature instruments other than the basic three instruments needed to make a rock album, it is not filled with epics, but it does feel like its cleaning up a mess.

Green Day "¡Dos!"

Part two of the Green Day trilogy. This time we’ll be concentrating on ¡Dos! Click here if you missed ¡Uno! The band proclaimed they decided to make this installment in the recent trilogy a more “garage rock” sound.

Green Day " ¡Uno!"

In late 2012, pop punk mammoths Green Day made history by releasing three albums of new material in a matter of four months. The albums were simply titled ¡Uno! ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! The next three reviews are going to be concentrated on these three albums.

Dave Grohl and Various Artists "Sound City: Reel to Reel"

Sound City was a recording studio located in Los Angeles. It was where many classic albums were recorded, from artists like Neil Young, Elton John, Dio, Rage Against The Machine (you get the point, the list goes on). In May of 2011, it closed its doors for good. Foo Fighters main man Dave Grohl; whom himself recorded a timeless classic in that studio, Nirvana’s Nevermind album, took it upon himself to purchase some items from the studio, including their analog mixing console, analog being something that Dave has expressed a great love for when recording music. After the purchase Dave spent the next year or so directing a documentary on the studios history, interviewing many of the artists, producers and other people in the music business that have at some point worked there.

The Offspring "Days Go By"

The Offspring have always made it a point to be trendy. They always release music that seems to be reminiscent of the music that is being released around the time of each new album, but with an uncanny Offspring touch that no one can quite match. This has been the case since their fourth album, 1997’s Ixnay on the Hombre, which was a pop-punk album released in the beginning of the pop-punk movement. The band hasn’t really truly trailed in to their own adventurous territory since then. That is up until last June with the release of their ninth album, 2012’s Days Go By.

Billy Talent "Dead Silence"

The best bands/musicians in history are the ones who mature as they continue to make music. The ones who refuse to release the same album over and over again. No matter how popular the previous effort may have been, the band wants to move forward rather than stay in the same spot. Billy Talent are among the top of the bunch when it comes to these bands.