STACK #124 Feb 2016

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Simon Lukic’s belief in heavy metal is utterly unassailable.

The Crown Death Is Not Real The Crown made their first steps in the underground back in 1990. Known originally as Crown of Thorns, a dispute with a glam rock band resulted in a name change. Thus, the raging death thrash unit metal fans know well grew in stature. A five-year break and the return of vocalist Jonas

Lindstrand, after reactivating the band in 2009, finds them back in the driving seat with their eighth studio album Death Is Not Real . As expected, The Crown takes no prisoners here and fans both old, new and in between are in for a treat. Nuclear Blast/Caroline/Universal

Dream Theater Breaking the Fourth Wall (DVD) Dream Theater’s latest DVD, Breaking the Fourth Wall, is the perfect way for fans to relive the recent Australian tour. Featuring an identical setlist to recent Melbourne and Sydney shows, Breaking the Fourth Wall sounds great and looks impressive. Recorded live at the Boston Opera House in March 2014, this show is unique because the Berklee College of Music World Strings and Concert Choir accompanied the band. It doesn’t get better musically, and the band – despite vocalist James La Brie’s continued struggles in the live setting – is hard to fault. Much like the show I caught in Melbourne, I’m left feeling a little hollow due to the calculated nature of the performance. A live show should be a little dangerous – even when accompanied by an orchestra – and Dream Theater is playing it safe these days. The reason for this is the absence of Mike Portnoy. Drummer Mike Mangini does a sterling job, but Portnoy was the one that kept the band on their toes. As it stands now, Breaking the Fourth Wall is a perfect snapshot of the band as it exists in the present – a well-oiled machine, clearly content with what they’ve achieved. Metal Blade/Rocket

METAL MAYHEM PUNK

Devilment The Great and Secret Show Cradle of Filth vocalist Dani Filth has decided to spread his blackened wings by taking part in a side project christened Devilment. With The Great and Secret Show , Filth takes the esoteric influences of his main band into new realms by opting for a more traditional rock/

metal sound in both delivery and structure. The tempos aren’t particularly fast, and blast beats take a backseat, giving Filth the opportunity to experiment with his vocals. Devilment is an entertaining, almost enjoyable excuse for Filth to let off some steam until Cradle’s next outing. Nuclear Blast/Caroline/Universal

Aversions Crown Tyrant Deathcore often gets a bad rap from certain corners of the scene. The reliance on hardcore/metalcore breakdowns doesn’t sit well with traditional fans, but like all forms of ‘extreme’ music, it’s not for everyone. This can certainly be said of Queensland’s Aversions Crown and their

Angelus Apatrida Hidden Evolution Angelus Apatrida are an interesting band. Hailing from Spain, they have an interesting take on thrash, one that is smoother in comparison to the raw approach of German and South American bands. So Angelus Apatrida will remind you of Annihilator and

second album, Tyrant . The use of three guitarists adds an epic, almost cinematic quality, one that intensifies when the lyrical themes of alien invasion kick in. Like Thy Art Is Murder, Whitechapel, and All Shall Perish before them, Aversions Crown are part of a new breed of metal, and Tyrant proves an intriguing listen. Nuclear Blast/Caroline/Universal

Heathen, rather than Sodom or Vulcano. A band’s third album was once considered a ‘make or break’. Things have changed over the years and I now consider it’s a band’s fifth. Angelus Apatrida prove this true and Hidden Evolution is evidence that they are in it for the long haul. Nuclear Blast/Caroline/Universal

Did you know you can listen to all these albums as you read about them using the STACK iPad app and JB HI-FI NOW ?

Emily Kelly is not generally as angry as the music she listens to.

All that Remains The Order of Things You’d be forgiven for thinking that All That Remains had absolutely nothing to prove with their seventh studio album, but this is a fierce retaliation again passivity from the Massachusetts metallers. Recently, singer Phil Labonte unexpectedly declared that previous

album A War You Cannot Win “sucked”, and you can smell the band’s defiance on every well-considered riff. The album closes with a track titled Criticism and Self Realisation, confirming that even if you’re one of the biggest rock bands in the world, a little introspection can go a long, long way. Razor and Tie/Cooking Vinyl/Universal

Fall Out Boy American Psycho/American Beauty Huge arena-rattling anthems, spectacular pop vocals, powerful electronic beats, well considered samples looped to great effect (hello Suzanne Vega’s Tom’s Diner, it’s been a while!) and just enough quirk to retain artistic integrity? Sounds like Katy Perry, but it’s the latest from everyone’s favourite pop/punk crossover Fall Out Boy. The title track confirms that Fall Out Boy are confidently stepping into the colourful world of pop (with a chorus as infuriatingly catchy yet painfully simple as any mainstream chart topper) – it gets increasingly hard to locate any residual punk rock sensibilities. But don’t be fooled: they’re there, if only in the band’s unshakable confidence and complete lack of f**ks given. Sugary sweet, but delightful in delicate doses. Universal

Clowns Bad Blood Many bands take some time to find their feet. They mature with age; like a fine whiskey... or Bob Mould. The best thing about Melbourne punk band Clowns, however, is their youth. Bad Blood doesn’t sound like a particularly well considered album, and that’s what makes it so good –

and that’s why Clowns are finding a broad audience in Australia. Some music wasn’t made to be mused over. Bad Blood flies by the seat of its well-worn denim pants and dances like nobody is even remotely in its vicinity. Tasty.

Retox Beneath California Combine The Locust, Dillinger Escape Plan and Tomahawk, and you’ll get a whiff of what Epitaph’s Retox bring to the rather baron sonic landscape of modern post-punk. The band themselves have referred to their music as ‘annoying’, and they’re not just being facetious. All uneven

Feed Her to the Sharks Fortitude Sometimes it feels like metalcore is on its last legs, toes gripping desperately to the edge of the cliff as relevance threatens to push it into nu-metal territory. It feels thoroughly explored, particularly the melodic/heavy vocal duality that’s become a non-negotiable fixture in the past decade.

time signatures and unapologetic lyrics, there’s something jarring about Beneath California, but it’s this unruliness that is so powerful. Retox feel gloriously unconventional, and you can’t help but feel this may be the sleeper hit of the summer. Epitaph/Warner

Melbourne’s Feed Her to the Sharks scored a Victory Records deal for their new LP and there is no doubt it’s an international quality release, it just rarely delivers anything new. Victory promises ‘unwavering energy, merciless drumming, and dizzying solos’ but in the immortal words of Peggy Lee, ‘is that all there is’? VIctory/Rocket

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