The Muffins Have Arrived

Part 2 of 2!

So, after giving these albums a thorough listen, I can definitely recommend all three. What's that you say? You want more? You want MOAR?

Of course you do. You need me to tell you what musics you should listen to. Just in case you missed part 1, I reviewed the most recent releases from these artists to prepare you all for their latest works.

So, without further ado, I give you part 2.

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The new release from punk rockers Children 18:3 is entitled "Rain's 'A Comin'", and it's a very well done album. Everything has been stepped up a notch on this release.

It opens with the title track, a slower, heavier effort featuring grungy guitars and gang vocals. However, they quickly pick up the pace to give you the punk you all know and love with track number 2, "Cover Your Eyes". This might be my favorite song on the album, as it brilliantly showcases everything that Children 18:3 is: a punk band with vocalists who harmonize perfectly, a guitarist who knows his way around the fretboard, a bassist who can really pump the low end, and a drummer who sets the pace and doesn't let it slow for a second.

Lyrically, it is exactly what you'd expect from this band, and it's excellent. With challenging lyrics and catchy rhymes, they boys and girl of Children 18:3 have once again shown their songwriting skills.

The only thing that caught me really off-guard about this album were the two instrumental tracks. The first appears only four songs into it. Now, it's not a bad song by any means, I'm just not used to any instrumentals appearing on a punk album. The second instrumental closes the album, and it's a wonderful ragtime piano piece. I absolutely loved it, and you will, too. This album is a great release and a lot of fun to listen to, so go pick it up.

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Next up we have the new masterpiece from Australia quintet Parkway Drive dubbed "Deep Blue". These boys seem to have a thing for the ocean (which may have something to do with where they were raised), and it really works well for them. "Deep Blue" lived up to and surpassed my expectations, and this is why.

Parkway Drive has followed a fairly similar pattern from release to release, and it's served its purpose in delivering two solid albums thus far. This third full-length release follows suit and opens with an atmospheric intro track. After this 1 minute 4 second delay, they grab you by the throat with the pummeling onslaught that is "Unrest". These boys put the pedal to the metal and just keep on going. The standout song on this album is the third one on the album, "Sleepwalker". Musically, this track shows the mastery Parkway Drive has in songwriting. Charged with emotion and passion, the guitars, bass, and drums fuel the intensity in the growls and screams Winston McCall emits.

An aspect of this album I truly enjoyed was the use of clean guitars on several of the songs. I felt that this showed a more mature and diverse side of Parkway Drive. It showed that they'd really grown as musicians in the space between "Horizons" and "Deep Blue". If you want an example of this growth, check the track "Alone". It displays what they can do when they decide to change things up beautifully. All in all, this album not only improved on what they'd done in "Horizons", but surpassed it. "Deep Blue" is a real competitor for metal album of the year, and it will take a lot to beat it out.

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Finally, we have "Attack of the Wolf King" from the metalcore outfit Haste the Day. As their fifth album, they certainly had a lot of time to work out the kinks in their musical style over the years, and it shows.

The album opens up with "Wake Up the Sun", and they do something that I've never seen a non-progressive metal band do well: they do the whole song in 5/8 time. For the less musically inclined among us, that means that each measure has five beats, rather than the standard four. Normally, I wouldn't even mention this, but it is such a departure from the safe formula they've used and mastered over the years that I found it worth noting.

Before I continue, I should note that this is a concept album about a Lion King protecting a flock of sheep from the wicked Wolf King. I say this because the second track on the album, "Dogs Like Vultures", plays up this aspect. I had a hard time picking out a standout track, but in the end, I had to go with "Travesty", because it portrays what Haste the Day is known for and what they've learned to do flawlessly. It's a strong metalcore track with sweeping guitars, crushing vocals, and pounding drums. Then the chorus hits with the wonderful melodic vocals of Mike Murphy, and the new kid on the block Scotty Whelan. Overall, this album is a great release that any metalcore fan can enjoy.

>Pawn