As Muffin Runs Black

As Blood Runs Black have been around for quite a while now, but seem to have very little to show for it. This is unfortunate, as they are awesome. Although, the number of member changes this band went through over the five years between their last release, Allegiance, and their second album, Instinct, may do that to a band. Regardless, the Los Angeles quintet is back and just as good as ever.

As soon as the intro track “Triumph” starts, you know you’re listening to an As Blood Runs Black album. The guitar work of new additions Greg Kirkpatrick and Dan Sugarman fits right in with the ABRB of old. Nick Stewart’s bass is as solid as ever, and Hector De Santiago, better known as "Leche”, hasn’t lost his touch on the drums. Finally, though, we get to finally hear a full representation of what the new vocalist Sonik Garcia is capable of, and that is pure, unadulterated brutality. This man has an incredible scream, and a wide range. He fits right in with the style of As Blood Runs Black. “Legacy” starts and you can feel the old ABRB being channeled directly into this album, as they’ve succeeded in maintaining their sound without sacrificing originality. “Resist” is up next and follows suit with blistering lead guitar work that transitions into a chest-crushing breakdown. Sonik, Greg, Dan, Nick, and Leche sound like they’ve been playing together all their lives. Everything flows together perfectly. It definitely doesn’t hurt that the production on this album is spectacular as well.

“Angel City Gamble” opens with a death metal styled blast beat before they switch back to their particular combination of deathcore and metalcore. We also get a little taste of gang vocals that complement the music nicely. At this point, you’re probably hoping for a little break. The pace hasn’t slowed for even a second. Well, suck it up, because they keep it going with “Reborn”. However, your request for a reprieve is granted on the next track, “Tribulations”. Beautiful piano work and strings create an amazing atmosphere. That’s all you get though, break time is over. The LA quintet puts the pedal back to the metal with “Divided”. “King of Thieves” continues to solidify the fact that, even with the new members, this is still the As Blood Runs Black we loved. Quick riffs and pummeling breakdowns make sure we can never forget. “In Honor” has one of my favorite lead parts on the album for the intro. After a deceptively simplistic intro, “Echoes of an Era” lets loose with an impressively technical riff for the verse. This brings us to the album closer and title track “Instinct”. It’s very rare that my favorite track will be the final song on an album, but this is absolutely As Blood Runs Black’s greatest work. The guitars are amazing, the drums are spot on, the bass ties it all together musically, and Sonik’s vocals are at their best. This song is what I love about ABRB, and it was the perfect way to close the album.

After waiting for five years to hear something new from these guys, we finally get it, and it doesn’t disappoint. Instinct proves that As Blood Runs Black are back, and they are here to stay. Don’t miss out on this album.

Endmuffin

Rise Against have been on the scene for over a decade, bringing their brand of punk rock to the masses since 1999. Over the past 12 years, they’ve refined their sound and improved with every release. After 2008’s Appeal To Reason, I didn’t know how they’d be able to top themselves and was afraid they’d become stagnant and complacent in their sound. Boy was I wrong. Endgame not only met but exceeded my expectations.

Using a formula Rise Against fans should know intimately, “Architects” is a wickedly fast-paced punk anthem. Tim McIlrath’s vocals immediately grace your ears, while his and Zach Blair’s work on the guitar is as polished as ever. The low end is handled by Tim’s fellow co-founder John Principe, and his spot on bass performance is still top notch. Rounding out the four-piece is Brandon Barnes who mans the drums perfectly. “Help Is On The Way”, the second single from this album (the first being “Architects”), is one of my favorite tracks. Catchy with a heavy edge, you’ll be singing along to it in no time. “Make It Stop (September’s Children)” caught me very off guard. A children’s choir of sorts opens this track before we get back to McIlrath’s distinctive vocals. Something I’ve always loved about this band is their ability to use simpler guitar riffs in such a way that gives them a nice complex sound. It is incredibly difficult to do, and they’ve mastered it. Track four gives us another speedy punk track with “Disparity By Design”. Tim’s work on the rhythm guitar is complemented nicely by Blair’s lead parts. “Satellite” opens up with a clean guitar part with a simple lead part with just a touch of distortion layered over it, while McIlrath sings out over all of it. I had to do a double-take as “Midnight Hands” opened with what I can only describe as a thrash metal riff.

“Survivor Guilt” gives fans a throwback to an earlier era of Rise Against, as it uses some movie soundbytes to set the tone for the song (see 2003’s Revolutions Per Minute for examples). Track eight, “Broken Mirrors”, has a wicked little swing beat to it with a minor key twist, which makes for a very bluesy sounding song. Things slow down a little more on “Wait For Me”, and even when the pace picks up, it still has a trudging feel to it. “A Gentlemen’s Coup” lets the lead guitar have a little fun, while they play with a little off-beat timing for the verses. This might be my favorite track on the album because of the way they use the lead guitar and the tempo variations. “This Is Letting Go” gets us back to their melodic punk rock style before we reach the final track on the album, “Endgame”. Letting the bass set the pace worked perfectly for this song, and I couldn’t help thinking of the final track of Siren Song Of The Counter Culture (2004), which is to date one of my favorite album closers.

Coming off a success like Appeal To Reason, I was worried that Rise Against would never be able to match it without falling into the trap of releasing what was basically the same album (that’s right, I’m looking at you, Nickelback). However, the punk rock veterans in Rise Against have crafted another masterpiece with Endgame. So, the only question now is how will they top this?

My Muffin In Your Eyes

Hailing from Rockford, IL, The Color Morale is a five-piece that plays a heavy little blend of post-hardcore/metalcore. Their debut record, We All Have Demons, caught me completely off guard when it was released in 2010 with its extreme juxtaposition of brutality and melody. Their sophomore release, My Devil In Your Eyes, falls right in line with their style, and they execute it perfectly.

The album opens up with “Nerve Endings”, which fades in with some distorted and extremely discordant sounding chords that resolve to a marvelously melodic guitar part with Garret Rapp’s screams layering overtop of them for the verses. Then we get a real taste of how TCM pairs beautiful melody with wicked heaviness as Rapp breaks in with his clean vocals. “Human(s) Being” opens with a speedy little guitar riff and Rapp’s growls pulling you along by the throat the whole time. Alternating between a slow, chugging pace and a blistering hardcore beat, these Illinois boys pull you along for a wild ride on this one. Track three brings us “The Dying Hymn”, a slow starter that builds up steam throughout its entirety and pulls all of that together for a crushing breakdown to close the song. “Be Longing Always” kicks off with some interesting percussive programming before flying into full metal form and hitting you full force in the chest with the double guitar onslaught of John Bross and Ramon Mendoza while Steve Carey pummels you with his work behind the drum kit. Song number five, “Walkers”, switches things up and opens with clean vocals before making the switch back to guttural growls to finish out the verse. The chorus uses a perfect pairing of cleans and screams to give a nice contrast that will get you off your feet in no time.

“Demon Teeth” starts off the second half of this album with a bit of percussion work before it floors it and blows into a full hardcore track reminiscent of Evergreen Terrace mixed with a bit of Comeback Kid. This departure from their standard fare was refreshing, because even though they do what they do incredibly well, it was nice to see them trying something new. Track seven brings us the melodically inclined “Falling Awake”, whose intro is dominated by clean vocals and completely undistorted guitars. The growls make their appearances after this to continue TCM’s trend of mating heavy and heavenly.

I’m a huge fan of melodic guitar chords (if you want examples, go check out anything Misery Signals has done). “Quote On Quote” immediately caught my attention because of its use of these chords throughout the intro and verse. Now, they’ve made appearances throughout the rest of the album, but this song really let them shine through, and I loved it. Track nine, “This Lost Song Is Yours”, fades in with a simple little guitar riff and lets Rapp run wild with his cleans. This brings us to the album closer: “Fill;Avoid”. This track is extremely unique. Ethereal vocals, atmospheric synth parts, and not a breakdown to be found, “Fill;Avoid” is a cry to their Creator. It gives a haunting end to a phenomenal listen.

The Color Morale is a band I was able to get into immediately because of their obvious talent and their gift for crafting beautiful songs. After not hearing from them after their debut, I was excited when I heard news of their latest release, and it definitely doesn’t disappoint. Be sure to pick up The Color Morale’s My Devil In Your Eyes. You won’t regret it.

The Muffin Romance

Darkest Hour have been around for quite some time - 16 years, in fact. It's amazing to me that, even after over a decade and a half, they are still finding ways to improve their music on every level that they can. The Washington, D.C. quintet play a wonderful mix of thrash, melodic death metal, and metalcore, blending elements of each perfectly for a sound that is definitely their own.

The Human Romance is Darkest Hour's 7th - let me say that again: SEVENTH - studio album, and the followup to their critically acclaimed 2009 album The Eternal Return. This album is, without a doubt, their absolute best work to date. This band has a chemistry that many groups never find, and they work together masterfully.

"Terra Nocturnus" opens the album with haunting guitars that are heavily reverbed to produce an atmospheric effect that will send chills up your spine before it fades into "The World Engulfed In Flames". You can really hear the melodeath influences on the intro to this song before the thrash and metalcore sides of things take over on the verse. I love John Henry's vocals; his growls are uniquely rough and his cleans have a melodic grit to them that fits the music perfectly. And his evolution as a vocalist has astounded me - he has a depth to his voice that he has continued to develop over the years. "Savor The Kill" follows suit with a wicked melodeath feel to it. The dual guitar work of Mike Carrigan and founding member Mike Schleibaum is so skilled and catchy. Paul Burnette's bass fills in the low end nicely, and Ryan Parrish absolutely owns the drum kit. "Man & Swine" switches gears and kicks you in the teeth as it emphasizes the metalcore/hardcore side of things with Parrish, Carrigan, and Schleibaum setting a blistering pace. Darkest Hour slows things down a little with "Love Is A Weapon". I can only describe it as a ballad, but more brutal. John really showcases what he can do both on the growls and his cleans, and it works so well. "Your Everyday Disaster" kicks things back into high gear, bringing on the thrashy speed and metalcore riffs.

"Violent By Nature" starts the second half of the album off with a true thrash track that doesn't hold anything back. They slip seamlessly back into metalcore for the verses of "Purgatory" and mesh the melodeath sound in for the chorus. Moving on to full melodic death metal mode, DH proves that they know how to transition perfectly on "Severed Into Separates". Track ten, "Wound", is yet another pummeling combo of the three aforementioned genres performed perfectly. "Terra Solaris" opens with a haunting piano piece before the melodeath guitar and drum onslaught picks back up. This builds up until about halfway through the song (approximately 4 minutes) where it switches to an acoustic guitar duet. Strings are added to the guitars as it progresses to around the 6 minute mark as the drums and electric guitars tear back in. The last two and a half minutes are riddled with guitar solos that slowly fade to a clean electric guitar ending. After this eight and a half minute long epic instrumental track that displays a true mastery over their instruments, Darkest Hour lets John back on the scene in "Beyond The Life You Know", which closes out the standard edition of the album. The deluxe includes one more track, "Hierarchy Of Heathens", and it is a must have. This song is most definitely worth the upgrade to the deluxe edition.

Darkest Hour are veterans on the metal scene. Two of the founding members are still in the band, two more have been playing with them for at least ten years, and the newest addition to the band joined in 2008. They succeed in crafting an album that is completely coherent and functions just as well at having 12 amazing individual tracks (because let's face it, intro tracks don't really count) or one complete album. The Human Romance is definitely one of the best releases this year, and shows just how far Darkest Hour has come.

Muffin Rising

I freaking love melodic death metal. Between the incredible guitars, the crushing drums, the haunting synth, and the combination of clean vocals and growls, melodeath has it all. Before The Dawn have realized this, and decided to focus all of their talents to produce the greatest melodic death ever to grace our ears.

BTD is a four piece out of Finland (of course they are - all great melodeath bands come from Scandinavia), founded and fronted by the great Tuomas Saukkonen (lead guitar, keys, and growls) in 1999. Deathstar Rising is the sixth studio album from these melodeath giants, and it's amazing. Let me tell you why.

Classical guitars start things off in the instrumental intro track "The First Snow". Tuomas and Juho Raiha harmonize the guitars perfectly. Suddenly, the acoustics are gone and electrics have taken over. This is when I realized that the intro track was over and had transitioned perfectly into "Winter Within". Tuomas' growls are absolutely brutal - deep, guttural, and full of emotion - and drummer Atte Palokangas never misses a beat (See what I did there? Drummer "never missses a beat"?). Bassist Lars Eikind gets to show off his singing voice, and you realize that this might be the single best melodic death metal band ever to walk the realm of mortals. "Deathstar" opens with some top notch guitar work, as expected before the verse kicks in with an earth-shaking "BEHOLD!". Lars' singing layers nicely under Tuomas' growls for the choruses for a suitably heavy and melodic mix. With a switch to a 3/4 timing for "Remembrance", Before The Dawn present a sound reminiscent of melodeath gods Insomnium. "Unbroken" gives a faster edge to their standard sound, and the change of pace is just what the doctor ordered.

Track six, "Judgments", slows things back down to a slightly less blistering speed and lets Lars take lead on the vocals, giving it a more melodic focus than the previous songs. "The Wake" switches things back to the Insomnium-esque sound, with a clean electric lead guitar part layering over a heavy rhythm part. Opting for another slower song, "Sanctuary" opens with a slow clean guitar piece that steadily builds until the full force of the metal comes back to kick you in the teeth. "Butterfly Effect" speeds things up again, letting Tuomas take control of the song with his commanding vocal style. The Finnish quartet closes out this masterpiece with a folk-metal influenced track entitled "Wraith". With what might be some of the most technical work on the whole album, they certainly opted for the "going out with a bang" option.

Before The Dawn have set the bar high for other melodic death metal bands this year, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The complete package, Deathstar Rising succeeds in melding all of the elements that make melodeath great into a finely tuned, perfectly executed full-length record.

Digital Muffin

Progressive metal maestros The Human Abstract - a six-piece band out of Los Angeles, CA - are back in action. For those of you who followed this band, you knew of guitar virtuoso A.J. Minette's departure from the band after the release of their debut album Nocturne. This resulted in a sophomore slump of an album by comparison in the form of 2008's Midheaven. However, as word began to spread of THA's third full length album, the rumors of A.J.'s return were quickly confirmed and fans everywhere rejoiced. In addition, they picked up new vocalist Travis Richter (formerly a guitarist for From First To Last).

The Digital Veil opens up with a slow building classically influenced guitar piece that gains steam into a full blown metal instrumental before slowing back down again. The album officially starts off with "Complex Terms". It will take less than a minute of this first track for listeners to confirm what the intro hinted at - A.J. Minette is indeed back. Sweeping guitars, gut-wrenching screams, pummeling drums, a hammering bassline, and soaring clean vocals paint a musical soundscape that will leave you floored. The title track pulls no punches as Travis growls "PULL ME FROM THE GALLOWS!" Technical drum work courtesy of Brett Powell definitely shines through on this track, complementing the immensely complex guitar work of A.J. Minette, Dean Herrera, and Andrew Tapley. "Faust" opens with an incredible guitar riff, while a beautiful bass part by Henry Salva flows perfectly underneath it all. Richter's growls are rivaled only by his magnificent singing voice, which has an almost ethereal quality to it.

From the first haunting notes of "Antebellum", you can tell that this will truly be an epic. A short classical styled intro (if you hadn't figured it out yet, Minette has plenty of classical training) leads into a heavy lyrical section where Richter continues to show off his clean vocals. The man has an incredible voice, and THA are right to make sure they let him run with it. Transitions from clean guitars to distorted, hammering riffs continue through out this seven and a half minute composition, and Travis switches between cleans and screams seamlessly with the music. "Holographic Sight" starts quiet and soft, but crescendos quickly to one of the most crushingly brutal songs that The Human Abstract has ever written. With some impressive sweeps and soloing, courtesy of Mr. Minette, "Horizon To Zenith" uses some masterful classical guitar work throughout the verses with a build to a beautifully heavy chorus. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, even The Digital Veil. "Patterns" closes out this musical journey with the same expert musicianship we've grown to love and respect while Richter's voice echoes over the music.

The production is perfect. The musicians' skill levels are at peak performance. The songwriting and lyricism are top notch. In all of this mastery, I do have a single complaint: with only 8 songs, this album clocks in at just under 37 minutes. After waiting three years since their last release (or 5 years since their last good release), I'd hoped they could give us even more. I suppose this is a minor complaint, as this album is still about as close to perfect as we'll ever see this side of eternity, but I would have loved to hear more on this album, and I know I'm not alone in that.

Even with its shortness, The Human Abstract have returned with an amazingly crafted piece of music. The Digital Veil shows that metal can truly be beautiful and inspiring. Minette's return and writing ability add a depth to their music that few will ever be able to emulate. Be sure to pick up The Human Abstract's The Digital Veil. Your life will be better for it.

Seeing Muffins

As you may recall in my previous review, I was rather critical of I See Stars for their abandonment of a formula that works incredibly well. In order to show you what I mean, I wanted to show you, our devoted readers, what I consider to be well done electronic post-hardcore. Thus, I give you Everyone Dies In Utah’s debut full length Seeing Clearly.

Hailing from Texas, EDIU is a six-piece with one EP under their belts. I’ll be honest, their EP never really caught my attention. I don’t know if it was the synth-heavy nature, or if it simply wasn’t terribly memorable. However, Seeing Clearly is on another plane; it’s got hooks galore, but doesn’t sacrifice the heavier aspects of their style.

After the little intro track “The Storm Before The Calm”, we hit the ground running with “Bed, Bath and Beyonce”. Brutal guitar work offsets the synth/techno warbles in the background. Guttural screams mix perfectly with melodic vocals that have some good low end to them (a nice contrast in a genre that seems to enjoy guys with higher voices than most girls). “Dude…I Know… It’s Everywhere” is a kick to the chest, and you’ll find yourself screaming along to the words “Count your blessings, not your burdens!” every time. Then, just for good measure, the boys of EDIU throw in a little swing beat and southern metal influence. Track four, “Bar Fightz & Disco Lightz”, shows how to properly intro with synth programming. “So Long And Thanks For All The Fish” gets us back to the heavy as the guitars and drums continue in their top-notch performance. As “Dance War” opens with its programming, this Michigan sextet shows just how well they know how to mesh metal vocals and instruments with electronic accents.

“Do What Diddy Did” fades in with some nice clean vocals that build up as guitars, drums, and screams are slowly added. Fans of the electronica aspect of this musical style will enjoy “Synthesize Me Captain”, as the programming and keyboards underlie the majority of this song. Track nine, “Adrian Makes It Rain”, showcases EDIU’s ability to really build momentum with a song. Starting slow and atmospheric, they gradually gain speed and power until they’ve reached the breakdown threshold and unleash some truly heavy material. “Bark Twice If You’re In Milwaukee” features some guitar work in the intro that could easily be taken to be some pop-mosh before it switches back to their finely tuned style. The closer, “Simply Me”, slows things down and fades us out with an atmospheric track with great clean vocals and haunting keyboards.

Everyone Dies In Utah have managed to craft an album that is both catchy and heavy at the same time, but doesn’t feel like it’s full of fluff. The lyrics have depth. The musicianship, while not the most technical, shows that they know how to use their instruments. And to top it all off, they combine the electronica elements of synth, techno, and programming with the brutality of heavy guitars, hard-hitting drums, and absolutely crushing vocals. Everyone Dies In Utah’s Seeing Clearly is most definitely worth your time.

Muffin Shuffle

Continuing my one post trend of old games on old systems, I'll next be reviewing a board game style of video game similar to Mario Party but with less ass. Also on the dreamcast, this game is called Sonic Shuffle. Sonic Shuffle is as you can imagine, played with all the loveable charactersof the Sonic games that we all know and now despise because of all the shit games that have come out in the past year about them. But this is before all of that. So erase all of that knowledge from your tiny game filled brains before going into this because it will be totally useless to anything this game has to offer you. Which is mainly awesome, confusing and win.

First improvement from Mario Party, is the movement system. This is actually something that you can control now, instead of it being almost completely random. The dice block system was replaced by a card system, and you are dealt a series of cards that you can choose from by looking at the little screen on the controller that's a part of the VMU, the littleinsert that's equivalent to a memory card. However, you can also throw it to chance and choose one of the other players cards as well. You have two Eggman cards thrown into the deck before it's dealt and two S cards that allow you to give your timing a test to see how high or low you can get your number, depending on what you need in the way of spaces moved at the time of your card choosing. You also use the cards for nifty little battles that take place when you land on certain spaces, and you have to win battles to advance in the gameplay and actually serve some chance of winning.

Secondly, you don't have to catch Chaos Emeralds, surprisingly, and Stars serve no purpose to Sonic. For this game, you're gathering some sort of jewel of which the utterly meaningless name escapes me. You still get coins to buy fun things that make the game go faster, slower, or more interestingly, depending on what type you get.

Thirdly, and I do believe lastly, are the maps. There's almost constantly something going on in the map that you don't know how it effects you until you're suddenly sent back to the start or get lost on the way to the jewel. This happens more often than you think and you really have to think when you're trying to get to the jewel because you get penalized if someone else gets there first and you happen to be the furthest away from it at the time.

Personally, I love this game more than I ever could with Mario Party. The Mario Party games all have some kind of gimmick to them that as soon as you figure it out they become so little of a challenge that you could do them while simultaneously eating some form of junk food that you more than obviously just have sitting next to you. The games in Sonic Shuffle however, all seem to be out to get you, and the AI is ridiculous, even on easy. The challenge is always there and it doesn't let up, which is a nice change of pace from the horrifyingly easy learning curve that accompanies most modern games.

>Ryft

The End Of The Muffin Party

I See Stars have been around for a few years now, and they play that particular brand of electronic post-hardcore that has grown in popularity. I enjoyed their debut 3-D a great deal, and wondered what had happened to them, as little news was released between that album and their newest effort The End Of The World Party. After hearing this album in its entirety, I find myself wishing that this six-piece from Michigan had waited a little longer before completing their sophomore release.

The title track leads off and it sounds like good old I See Stars – crushing vocals, tight guitar work, and an all around heavy feel with good melodic influence. The second song, “Over It”, comes on and clean vocals dominate the song. The chorus’s lyrics are poorly written at best and I found myself groaning whenever it came on. “Still Not Quite Enough” is up next, and I found myself wondering if I was still listening to I See Stars at all. Poppy drum beats, pathetic guitars, an excessive amount of synth, and vocals reminiscent of the days of the boy band make you wonder if these Michigan boys intend to play anything remotely heavy any more. At this point, you and I (the listeners) must realize that ISS has taken a turn for the softer side of post-hardcore. But that’s ok, we can deal with that, right? The music is still good, right? Well, we’re in for a disappointment there, too. With guitars riffs about as generic as they come and overly auto-tuned vocals, “Wonderland” is nothing more than an over-produced pop-rock song for the majority of its play time. I don’t have a problem with lots of tweaking and programming in music, but when the actual musical quality suffers from it, you need to realize that you’re doing more harm than good. “Home For The Weekend” is yet another overly pop influenced song, with song content so pointless that it made me want to shut the album off and stop my review right here. But that would be a disservice to you fine individuals, as you need to know just how far this band has fallen.

Track six brings us “It Will Be Up (High School Never Ends)”. I know. I don’t understand it either, but are you really surprised at this point? “Upside Down” opens with a forgettable synth intro and… clapping? Seriously, guys? Clapping? Then, as if that wasn’t enough, it leads into a verse that sounds frighteningly like a hip hop or R&B song. Once again forsaking talented guitarists for excessive synth, “The Common Hours II” continues this pattern of letting you down. “Where I Let You Down (Numb)” is the ninth song on this incredible disappointment. I could make a joke about the appropriate nature of this title, but it almost seems futile to even do that. With a sigh of relief, we reach the last two tracks: “Glow” and “Pop Rock And Roll”. Nothing new on these songs; they bring more of the same to the table.

I loved I See Stars’ debut album. It had the right combination of pop melody and metal brutality. The End Of The World Party completely abandoned that formula in favor of something that may be more “radio friendly”, but is a step back in both musicianship, song writing, and maturity. I was extremely excited for this album, which may be why my disappointment is so much greater. Let’s hope that this is only a phase for I See Stars, and that they’ll realize that they need to go back to the formula that worked so well before.

Destroy Muffins Until God Shows

Many of you may be familiar with Craig Owens’ work with Chiodos, and many of you probably enjoyed it as much as I did. So, when he was booted from that band, I was a little disappointed, as I greatly enjoyed the work he did there. You can imagine how excited I was when I found out that he had a new side project featuring members of Matchbook Romance, Story of the Year, Underminded, and From First To Last.

That’s right boys and girls; Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows is a veritable screamo/post-hardcore powerhouse. Often abbreviated “D.R.U.G.S.”, the band wanted a name that would spark some controversy and conversation, and they certainly succeeded. However, we’re not here to discuss names; we’re here for the music. And the music is most definitely worth hearing.

First things first: this album has a parental advisory on it for a reason. The topics and language are not exactly family friendly. Now that the mandatory warning is out of the way, let’s start examining this gem. D.R.U.G.S. kick starts with a little work on the snare rim by Aaron Stern (of Matchbox Romance) before the double guitar onslaught of Nick Martin (Underminded) and Matt Good (From First To Last) hit you in the chest with some nice discordant rips on “If You Think This Song Is About You, It Probably Is”. Then Craig’s familiar vocal style makes its appearance. This is where you will determine whether you like this album or not; Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are heavier than Chiodos ever was – they like to throw metal influences all over the place. This band is not your average screamo band. “The Only Thing You Ever Talk About” is up next with some gang vocals before a wonderful little mini-breakdown leads into the verse. A soft synth piece (that sounds like a mix between violins being played pizzicato and a xylophone) shifts nicely up to the guitars playing the same riff, only much heavier. Haunting verses and an insanely catchy chorus will have you singing along to “Graveyard Dancing”. One of my favorites (if only because of the title), “Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm” doesn’t waste time as Craig, the guitars, and drums come in simultaneously. Once again, I’m struck by the hooks of this song – you’ll find yourself singing along very quickly, possibly before you’re done the first listen. The controversial “Sex Life” is up next (fans may remember the video Craig released around the middle of January that caused quite a stir). Track six, “Laminated E.T. Animal”, which may be the strangest track name I’ve ever heard, brings us to the halfway point of the album. With a mix of clean and distorted guitars combining with what is either a synthesizer or a xylophone for the verses and a perfect blend of clean vocals layered with screams on the chorus, this song shows just how beautiful contrast can sound when done right.

The second half of the album starts out with a much more metal song than anything on this album so far: “Stop Reading, Start Doing Pushups”. Screams and wicked guitars set the pace for this track and never let up. “I’m The Rehab, You’re The Drugs” has a fun little beat, and you realize that you are now on the eighth straight song that you feel compelled to sing along to. Switching gears to something a little poppier, D.R.U.G.S. brings us the 80’s-esque “I’m Here To Take The Sky”. After this brief departure from their standard style, they jump right back on track with “The Hangman”. This brings us to the final song on the standard edition: the heavy-hitting “My Swagger Has A First Name”, which has hooks galore and lasts for about 3 minutes 45 seconds. However, it’s not done after the music stops. If you wait until about 5:40 into the song, you’ll be treated to… well, I don’t know what to call it, but it’s funny.

If you were lucky enough to snag the deluxe edition of this album, you got one more track: “A Little Kiss And Tell”. I wish this song had made the cut for the standard album, because it’s as good, if not better than the rest of the album, and it would certainly fit right in with the rest of D.R.U.G.S.’s debut outing.

Overall, I was both excited and worried when this project was announced. I’ve seen vocalists booted from a band before, and the music (if it can be called that) they created post-expulsion was awful, while the lyrics were so obviously bitter toward the band that it made me sick just listening to it. While this album does have its bitter moments, Craig does a fantastic job of crafting catchy music with incredible lyrics. Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows have given us a fantastic album, and I can’t wait to hear more from this supergroup.

Muffins 2049

After a long reprieve of getting caught up on my gaming and actually getting a JOB, I've found some time to churn out another game review, and of course it's of a game that probably none of you have ever heard of. It's for that one old system that made so many games seem so awesome at the time. The Sega Dreamcast is this fantastic system that so few people have now and it makes me sad because there are so many good games for these older systems. Anyway, just so I can stop wasting your time with filler and feelings and all those other things you don't care one bit about, let me get to wasting your time with opinions and video games, because that's much more productive.

This review is about the game Rush 2049 for the Dreamcast. This racing game does something that I would expect out of a hotwheels game and it does it remarkably well. First of all, the racing is pretty standard. The cars are futuristic looking for the most part and drive really fast, of course. The courses range from short to long but you won't be playing them much unless things like Forza or Nascar games which nobody plays anymore unless you're some sort of car fag that actually works on cars. No disrespect for those who do, it's just not your standard gamer's cup of tea.

More towards the "standard" gamer's expectation for a game that I would be writing a review of, this wonderous game has a nifty hook to it. The cars have wings. No not like F-zero. They have extendable wings for you to be able to stabalize the amout of airtime that you get and for you to do hellishly impossible stunts that nobody would ever survive unless the driver's seat was a bubble made out of 10 foot thick memory foam. Flips, barrel rolls, spins, all of them can happen depending on the angle you hit the incline at, and all of them you will inevitably get points for... unless you explode on impact, which happens more often than you'd like.
Aside from the racing aspect of this, you also get the Stunt mode, which is like playing Tony Hawk's pro skater, but with cars. This wiould usually make you think that I'm making it out to be more awesome than it really is, but I'm not. It really is that awesome. There are also coins located at strategic points around the amazingly interesting maps that you unlock with the total amount of points that you earn in stunt mode that have some arbitrary purpose that I was never able to figure out. Maybe new vehicles or some kind of upgrades. That sounds like something Sega would do.

In conclusion, this game alone would be worth buying a sega dreamcast for, specifically for the awesomeness that is Stunt mode. After you roll a car eighteen times and still land the trick with nothing cosmetically wrong with your car for the first time, you'll see what I mean.
>Ryft