Review: Modern Life is War - Fever Hunting

Modern Life is War

Fever Hunting

Deathwish Inc.

It’s good to see that some bands still have it.  In an era where the band reunion seem increasingly inevitable, all too many times it’s nothing more than a half-assed final grab at the brass ring, but it looks like Modern Life is War (MLIW for those too lazy to type four words) isn’t fucking around.  After about 5 years since they called it quits, this group of Midwestern ne’er-do-wells don’t miss a beat with Fever Hunting. In fact, this is some of the best music that MLIW has put out, period.  While I would still consider Witness their untouchable masterpiece, this record comes in a close second. 

I’m actually hard pressed to find a negative thing to say about this record....I guess there is an odd amount of repeating vocal lines, but that fades into the background and becomes a non-issue after a few listens.  Besides that it’s just MLIW being MLIW....the desperate sound that comes from coming from a region whose glory days are far behind them, a dissonant sound that is often imitated (La Dispute, Defeater, Touche Amore, I’m looking at all of you) but is never quite captured like it is by this band.  

All of the above AND probably the best, most concise song writing that this band has put forth so far.  “Health, Wealth & Peace”, “Media Cunt”, “Fever Hunting” are ragers that never fail to get stuck in my head immediately after listening.  Also, how good of a song name is “Media Cunt”? 

To summarize: Modern Life is War is back in a big way and is arguably better than ever.  Pretenders should take notice and see if they can’t learn a thing or two along the way.

Buy it here (Warning: Shipping to Canada is fucking ridiculous, so hopefully they come by on an upcoming tour....fingers crossed.)

Review: Fuck The Facts - Amer

Fuck The Facts

Amer

Self-Released/Relapse

Everyone in metal should probably sit down and take notes from Fuck the Facts.  This group of Ottawa/Gatineau-based bastardized grinders have been putting out some of the best ear-splitting music around for over a decade, and do so without half of the praise they deserve.  Beginning as Topon Daz’s one-man brainchild, FTF has somehow become one of the most well-respected and hard-working bands in metal.  I’ve seen them play in some of the dingiest, dirtiest, shittiest venues in Ontario, and they always put on a fuckin’ show, even if it was only to 20 people. 

Fuck the Facts are a band I’ve long respected and appreciated, largely in part because of their ability to stay fresh and interesting in a genre that is all too often guilty of rehashing old riffs and refusing to think outside the box.  Recent albums Disgorge Mexico and Die Miserable moved the band away from pure-blistering grind and into darker, more ethereal territory.  Luckily, each new evolution of this band has been more interesting, mature, and more enjoyable than the one before. 

Their new EP, Amer, is no different.  Blending elements of grind, death, and even groove metal, this record is damn near accessible.  Now, using a term like that for Fuck the Facts barely makes any sense, but it’s oddly applicable here.  The songs are full of well-thought out dynamics, usually run around the 2-3 minute mark, and are full of amazing riffs and catchy vocal patterns.  And somehow they do all of this without becoming boring, generic, or soft.  Pay especially close attention to tracks like "Une Triste Vue" and "A Void", as they really embody what I'm trying to say.

One caveat, if you are wayyyyy into lyrical content, but do not have a grip on the French language, then this may not be the best album for you.  Written entirely in French, this album has put my 6^th grade French Immersion skills to the test.  Nevertheless, there is little doubt about the pain and anguish behind many of these lyrics. 

So all in all, if you haven’t listened to Fuck the Facts before this might actually be a good place to start.  But really, what the hell is your problem? Don’t you like good metal?  Why haven’t you listened to this band yet? Shame on you.  This has quickly become one of the best records of 2013 and easily my favourite non-English record of all time (I'm not sure if that's saying much, but whatever, it's true).  

Buy it here (And if you dig this record from FTF I highly recommend the Misery EP as well).

Review: Heartless - Certain Death

Heartless

Certain Death

Halo of Flies

I had never heard of Heartless.  I didn’t know they were from Pittsburgh, I didn’t know they were playing Maryland Death Fest, and I didn’t know they had a new 7” coming out on Halo of Flies (which is a label I actually do know and respect).   Usually I’m ok with the fact that I’m slowly falling out of touch with what’s new/noteworthy in heavy music, but I’m kinda kicking myself that I didn’t know about Heartless earlier than now.  Certain Death is an incredibly heavy 7” that blends hardcore, metal, and grindcore in an astoundingly impressive way.  This is music to destroy property to.  The production value is there, the ability to seamlessly blend styles is there, and obviously genuine nature of this band’s aggression is consistently front and centre.  

I don’t know who decides which bands get jocked hard and which bands have to slog it out on their own, but it really doesn’t make sense that this band doesn’t enjoy the notoriety and success of bands like Nails.  Since I can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound or dedicate billions to developing a super high-tech cave, I’ll have to live out my superhero fantasies by trying to get a band like Heartless the recognition that they deserve.  Fortunately, Certain Death is the destructive force of nature that will hopefully allow Heartless to gain the recognition that they deserve.

Pick up the 7” over at Halo of Flies.

Review: Greber/Hiroshima Vacation - Split 7"

Greber / Hiroshima Vacation

Split 7"

Suburban White Trash Records

It is a well-known fact (around my house) that I’ve had a HUGE musical crush on Fuck the Facts for about a 11 years now, and have had the joy of sharing stages, couches, and pizzas with them over the years.  I put this out on front street because Greber is the brainchild of Marc Bourgon from Fuck the Facts and I don’t want to be accused of having hidden biases (I’m much more comfortable with my biases when they are blatant, apparently).  Now, in all honesty, the sharing of personnel is one of the only things these two bands share.  Greber provides a much grimier, sludgier style of metal than FTF’s dissonant grind, but that doesn’t make it any less appealing.  In fact, this two-man-band (drummer and bassist) are able to outperform most 4/5 person bands on this release, as they don’t mistake minimal for boring or simplistic.  Also, my favourite song of theirs is called “Twenty Nine Years Old”, which as a 29 year old grind fan greatly appeals to me for a number of reasons. The other half of this split is occupied by Ithaca NY’s Hiroshima Vacation.  They play sludgy grind/powerviolence and can keep up with anyone else in the field.  If you haven’t yet, definitely check out this band as they are bound to impress you, even though I’m sure you have impossibly high standards like most people on the interent. 

I’m very glad that I actually sat down and took the time to listen to this release because it reminds me of when I was a teenager and would love grindcore splits because it always seemed like you got more bang for your buck, as 5 minutes of intense grind is always more satisfying than one prolonged acoustic track or some such b-side bullshit.  Also, having to grow up in a pre-internet age, splits like this always gave you a chance to find out about bands that you had never heard of.  I came across this release through a message from Greber, but are now completely turned on (not sexually...while, kinda sexually) to Hiroshima Vacation, who I otherwise never would have heard. 

Check out some songs here or pre-order the vinyl here.

Review: Spaz out - Demo

Spaz out

 

Demo

Self-Released

It most likely some form of nationalism speaking, but I honestly believe that Canada puts out a disproportionate amount of good hardcore/metal/punk bands.  As a country that is a mere 10% the size of the USA, we pump out consistently great, groundbreaking, and fun bands that end up making an impact despite being from the frozen North-Western corner of the globe.  While Lost Tribe is centered out of Toronto, and we all consider TOHC to be our hometown music, I once lived in Ottawa and still hold a fair amount of love for the nation’s capital.

It was this geographic affection that caused me to check out Ottawa's own, Spaz out.  Now, beside the fact that it should be spelled “Spazz” in my opinion, I love everything about this band.  The demo sounds raw (it is a demo of course), but the intensity and fury comes through clearly on every song.  “Tangled” and “Cut the Shit pt. 2” bring a style of early 2000s hardcore that I will always love best.  “Blind to the Truth” is probably my favourite song, mixing killer hc riffs, metal dive bombs, and a gang-vocal breakdown.  What’s not to love??!!  “Losing Grip” speeds things up and adds some metallic and punk roots to the release that fit perfectly. 

Look, I know we usually don’t do track-by-track breakdowns of what we review, but every song on this release is good in a different way, so blanket statements are kinda hard to come by.  Furthermore, when a new band puts out something this impressive it’s worth taking a step back and appreciating each track....jesus, now it sounds like a want to blow this band.....and I do....musically.  Only musically.

Get a free download of the demo here, and buy a physical copy whenever that becomes available.

 

Review: Lucero - Texas & Tennessee

Lucero

 

Texas & Tennessee

Lucero’s sound has been a lot of things: twangy country, bar rock, melancholy alt-country, and a whole bunch of things in between.  For me, they’ve always been the most piercing purveyors of sad bastard music on the sketchy side of the Mason-Dixon.  I’ve loved this band through all of their incarnations and stylistic changes, but I truly do prefer them when they are moaning about a forelorned lover or regretting whiskey-fueled life choices.  On their most recent work, Women & Work, they largely substituted the depressing mode of earlier work in favour of more up-beat Memphis soul sound, which I liked a little less (personal preference).  Fortunately, they have seemed to lose whatever sense of happiness that they had on their newest EP called Texas & Tennessee.  While the musical style isn’t that far from their newer material, there is an authenticity in these depressing-as-hell songs that I love and that harkens back to the bands earlier work.

The song “Texas & Tennessee” is a highlight of the 4-song EP and is slow, murky, and heart-felt in an impressive way that Lucero has become famous for.  From there “Union Pacific Line” takes a decidedly country turn and would almost be at home on another Ben Nichols solo album.  Regardless, this song is sad and amazing.  “Breathless Love” seems like the most at home with the Women & Work-era Lucero that we’ve seen as of late, but there is still sadness that transcends the use of a horn section.  Finally, “The Other Side of Lonesome” makes even the most chipper listener contemplate suicide.....and I mean that as a compliment.  Most vocalists sound like whiney bitches or self-indulgent brats when they fill consecutive songs with laments, but Nichols has the ability to turn a phrase in such a way as to melt an old metalheads heart rather than encourage his scorn.

Yes, this is a metal/hardcore/punk review site, but Lucero is better than most bands, and I help run this site, so I’ll do whatever I damn well please.

Pick up the digital version of this EP on April 30 or here.