Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell


At the end of July Five Finger Death Punch released the first part of their double album, The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell, and in November the second part followed, so I figured I’d review them both at the same time to decide whether it was worth being split in two. I’ll try to keep it as concise as possible…so here we go!

First the facts: Vol. 1 counts eleven tracks that have a run-time of forty-two minutes (fourteen songs à fifty-two minutes on the deluxe version), whereas Vol. 2 has twelve songs amounting to forty-one minutes. Both records have been recorded at the same studio and therefor share the same, flawless, production. Every instrument sounds really crisp and brings that “stadium-metal” feel with it, thus serving the fans what they are looking for.

In terms of musicianship nothing has really changed: neck-breaking riffs, pounding drum beats and aggressive screams alternating with melodic singing. However, I will go as far and say that this double album might be the band’s best work so far…but then again, the selection is also twice as big this time around. As on the three previous albums, the band has done a cover song again: Mama Said Knock You Out featuring Tech N9ne by LL Cool J on Vol. 1 and the well-known folk song House Of The Rising Sun on Vol. 2.

The biggest new element on this cycle is that the band has guest vocals on Vol. 1…and I’m not entirely sure how I’m supposed to feel about them. Let me elaborate: Judas Priest‘s Rob Halford fits nicely on Lift Me Up, Maria Brink adds a nice touch to Anywhere But Here and the above-mentioned Tech N9ne appearance mixes things up a bit…but I feel like they’re more of a gimmick than an actual part of the songs. Especially on the deluxe edition that is plainly obvious, since the three additional songs are alternate versions of regular songs which feature Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed and Max Cavalera of Soulfly. A bit unnecessary in my opinion.

All in all, 5FDP have definitely not left their comfort zone or re-invented themselves on these fourth and fifth albums…but it works. I do believe that they could have dropped a song or two on each album and made a single one instead…but in truth I can’t complain, since both have their appeal. Be sure to give the song below a listen and feel free to visit the band’s Facebook page for more information.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2yuGgp_U8]

Cargo

Little gets me like father-child relationships, and nothing gets me like father-child relationships in bleak post-apocalyptic settings. This has to do with father-child dynamics (which I find fascinating), but mostly the concept of unconditional, selfless love in the face of a woefully hopeless future. I was bawling my eyes out 10 minutes into both the book and film adaptation of The Road when nothing had even really happened because the subject touches me so profoundly.

So when I tell you that Cargo by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke is about just that — a father-child relationship in a bleak post-apocalyptic setting — you can probably guess the way this review will turn out. Yes, a tear or two were shed. Heartstrings were pulled. But Cargo doesn’t go for the cheap drama shots and moral lessons. It isn’t a boastful, manipulative film. It’s gentle and cautious, and its brilliance lies in its impartiality. Except for some subtle musical accompaniment that rears up toward the end, there’s nothing to direct your emotions, not even dialogue. The raw tragedy of the storyline does the job.

I think many of us are a tad sick of the zombie genre by now because it seems like covered ground for the most part, but this picture is a must-watch. It’s hugely popular with over 5 million views on YouTube despite not winning any awards at the Tropfest festival, where it was originally screened. And with good reason. Watching it is a rewarding way to spend 7 minutes and 4 seconds of your day, I promise, and about 76 811 people are backing my claim as we speak. Beware, though, for it might also shatter you emotionally, especially if you’re a dad/parent yourself.

Find it embedded below, and let us know what you think if you’ve seen it or decide to do it now.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gryenlQKTbE]

Falling Promises – Dystopia


The long-awaited debut full-length of the Luxembourgish hardcore ensemble Falling Promises is about to be released and I’ve had the chance to listen to it before it comes out…so here are my thoughts on Dystopia!

After an intro featuring Charlie Chaplin’s world-famous speech from The Great Dictator, you are immediately hit in the face with crushing riffs and beats, before the first breakdown of these thirty-nine minutes sets in…and many will follow. While the over-use of breakdowns is often despised, I personally don’t mind it in this case because the songs were clearly written with a live setting in mind and therefor the (violent) danceability on here is extremely high.

This fact also entails a lot of chugging on both the guitars and drums, but I can assure you that there is enough melodic variation in between these parts. Especially the string department has some really cool surprises in tow, namely on the song Surface, which has this really nice djent vibe to it with its almost entrancing melody. Definitely my favorite among these ten tracks.

The vocals range from bone-shattering screams to extremely deep growls, which can rival the bass guitar…well almost. Performance-wise there is absolutely nothing to criticize and the guest apperance by Jesse Barnett of Stick To Your Guns is a nice little bonus. I should also mention that the production value of the album is as tight as can be, making the listening even more enjoyable, since it fits the genre perfectly.

As a closing statement, I would like to say that Dystopia is a beautiful monument for the band’s fallen brother…and that I wish them all the best in their future endeavors. I, for one, will follow their road from here on out, and you can do so too by checking their Facebook page. Listen to the song below and if you like what you hear, head on over to the Why Not pub in Dudelange this Friday for the release listening party of the album.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQFStp9q9Q]

Weekend Nachos – Still

Tower of Rome once stated “We put the fun in funeral”. Guess this could be the best description for the biggest surprise coming from Illinois, best known for its catchy and original name Weekend Nachos and their newest gem Still. Just like putting fun into funeral; this band manages a difficult duty unlike any other; which is to sound serious and tough like the toughest hardcore act ever without losing focus on fun and not taking themselves too seriously; which is simply amazing and a fresh breeze for the tired listener’s ears.

Describing the musical style with genres is bullshit in this case; this is more than powerviolence. Take old school hardcore, mix it with a punk attitude (duuuh), give it some crust and grind influences, add a lot of anger (20 tons of pissed emotions are just fine) and voila, there you go.

The opener Sickened No More is the most amazing track to start a brand new listening experience. It knocks one out from the first second to the last, giving you not enough time to breathe or to realize what is going on. So does No Idols And No Heroes, guitars on 11 out of 10 and drumsets on the verge of destruction. This goes on for 12 tracks straight, a total 21 minutes of madness and anger.

This might be Weekend Nachos strongest point, speed and roughness. Just like a bastard child from Slayer and Terror that’s got this “childish” punk attitude that couldn’t make one happier. It’s just too hard to catalog or describe this band’s sound; one has to hear it in order to understand the extent aggressiveness and I just leave it right here with this video clip. Happy listening.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3PFaZtif_8]

Miami Connection

Last week I finally found some time to watch a movie and while I was thinking about what to watch I came across the Miami Connection trailer. I loved it and still do. There is a 80s rock band (with a pretty front woman) playing, there are motorcycle ninjas, gang fights, there is fire, cocaine and even some gore. You can’t go wrong with that, right? Well, you can. As much as I love the trailer and the fantastic movie poster, the movie is absolutely disastrous in its entirety.

Miami Connection (1987) is an indie martial arts film which was ignored and basically remained unseen for years, until Drafthouse Films decided to restore the movie in 2012 in order to give it a release.

Writer, producer and co-director Y.K. Kim, who is a taekwondo martial artist, clearly had no idea what he was doing and neither did the rest of his team. Film director Richard Park discovered Y.K. Kim when he was on a Korean talk show to promote a book about taekwondo. Park thought it was a good idea to convince a man who had no previous experience in the field to bring to life one of his storylines, and that’s how Miami Connection was born.

So, as I said, it’s painfully obvious that Y.K. Kim has no cinematographic knowledge or skill at all. The story is confusing as is (“A martial arts rock band goes up against a band of motorcycle ninjas who have tightened their grip on Florida’s narcotics trade“???), but on top of that, there are too many superfluous subplots which don’t add anything to the movie. The chronological order of the scenes is all over the place, there is no structure behind it. The whole movie is like a trailer: it doesn’t want to reveal too much about the actual plot, which is obviously suboptimal for a feature length film.

All in all, what I took away from this viewing experience was, once again, that the term “cult film” can be misleading. Many people don’t understand that even trash films can be inspirational and worthy of respect. Miami Connection, however, does not fit the bill.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpZu69OB2KM]

Order Of The Oceans – A Departure


Order Of The Oceans are a relatively young band, both in terms of existence and average age of the band members, from Luxembourg who started out as a deathcore band in 2010 and have since moved into a hardcore direction. Their debut album A Departure is going to be released on the 29th of this month and I’m here to give you my two cents about it.

I’ll get my only criticism out of the way first: the thing that struck me about those nine tracks is that the production-value varies greatly, ranging from solid and clearly distinguishable instruments on a few songs to a hard-to-listen-to mishmash on the rest. Since I’m a fan of massive productions, that did bother me at first but once I looked beyond it, I was actually treated to an enjoyable experience. But enough of the bad, let’s get to the good stuff!

The song palette is surprisingly diverse and features your typical hardcore sound with a touch of melodic parts, some heavier songs which have more aggressive riffs and growls and last but definitely not least the, in my opinion, fantastic ballad Commitment. The song is a simple but effective piano track with heartfelt screams on top…it sounds banal on paper but it conveys its message perfectly.

Speaking of messages: the lyrics are a focal point of the band, since they want to address their every-day issues with love, respect and loss. While not every line is of Shakespearean grandeur, their point gets across and I’m convinced that more than just one listener out there will manage to identify with the words during these thirty-five minutes. To spice things up a bit further, the vocal department is supported by Mike Rodrigues of Falling Promises on two songs!

All in all, I’d say that OOTO have made a respectable first step into the recorded music scene and that they will take quite a few more steps, if they can improve on the little kinks that are present on this debut album. More information can be found on the band’s Facebook page and a first impression can be found below. Also, if you like what you hear, be sure to head to the Rockhal Café in Esch-Belval this Friday, since that’s where the release show will be!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruS8LPJSlZE]

Mindpatrol – Downfall Theatre

Today I have the pleasure of reviewing one of the most ambitious musical projects that I’ve seen in a long time: Mindpatrol, a Luxembourgish quintet who tell a, albeit slightly cliché, complete story on their debut record Downfall Theatre. While the idea of a concept album is nothing new, the storytelling devices that the band uses are something I have never witnessed in this particular magnitude. Let me further explain:

Instead of settling for one specific genre, the band has a wide range of different metal sub-genres…and when I say wide I actually mean a (almost) complete palette! Each of the eleven songs has a completely different feel to it, and the four spoken-word interludes also range from dreamy to creepy. The album starts with a ballad and just when you think that the guys have settled for melodic power metal, you get slapped in the face by heavy riffs on the next song…this mutates into a pure neo-thrash-metal explosion two songs later, only to switch to death metal and end with black metal. I guess you get the idea? Madness. I love it.

While you might think that all this experimentation could result in poor songwriting…that is absolutely not the case. Mindpatrol understand the genres they play and the ingenious musicianship allows them to portray them most adequately. I’d say that music aficionados will definitely recognize their inspirations, but nothing seems like a cheap copy-paste, which is another point in favor of this entire record. The production, which was all done in-house, is also at a truly enjoyable level and even the most minute details have been fleshed-out.

After reading all that, you might ask yourself how many singers the band has, in order to accompany the music…the answer is quite short: one. Luc Francois, who is arguably the mastermind behind the band, decided that being a writer, walking beer keg and internet troll was not enough…so he decided to pick up the mic. I’ll keep it brief and just say that he nailed all the different singing styles…well, almost. His clean vocals, which are predominant in the first half of these sixty-two minutes, are not quite near the likes of the best vocalists out there but I’m very convinced that with further training he will reach great heights. However, his screams, growls and screeches are more than just redeeming; they blew me away, that’s for sure. The only real critique I just can’t get around mentioning is that, especially in the spoken-word passages, his accent is quite heavy.

To sum things up, I’d say that this record is not to be missed by anyone since there is literally something for everyone on here. The fact that the band decided to release the whole thing for free on Thursday makes that even more true. For those of you who understand German, I should mention that there will be a tie-in book to the album, which further elaborates the story. Check the band’s Facebook page for further news and updates and listen to the song below!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv-gpc7rM7Y]