Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Melodic Death Metal Playlist

With my new playlist, I am going to start a series based on genres. Today, I’m starting with melo-death. There are some well known ones and some you may not have heard before. Hopefully you all enjoy the music!!

Auberon – The White Ship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNh1XgYlZow

Shaded Enmity – Like Prayers on Deaf Ears

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pICE0Obz2Y4

Destroy Destroy Destroy – Gods of War and Open Sores

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-xQZ7K84jk

Hypocrisy – Weed Out the Weak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxEim1Li6ZY

The Absence – Dead and Gone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYIj7eDz8X0

Kalmah – The Groan of Wind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqBexdo1CME

Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQVrl7wRcNg

Sons of Azrael – Turn that Crown Upside Down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE0V6GTh0UU

Wintersun – Beyond the Dark Sun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnhdJVh9iIY

The Haunted – 99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cneqJa-4s64&feature=related

Monday, July 26, 2010

Misery Index - Heirs to Thievery




My last post here at NWMetalhead was a review of deathgrindsters Leng Tch’e’s latest effort, which failed to completely enthrall me. So it is almost fitting that with my next review I discuss a band that does deathgrind extremely well. Misery Index is a band that goes unnoticed all too often, which is a shame because they utterly destroy on all their records as well as in the live experience. If you see them coming to your town, do all that is possible to witness their sonic brutality. Heirs to Thievery is the follow-up to 2008’s incredible Traitors. That was an album that is difficult to live up to but HtT is up to the task and may even surpass its predecessor. Starting off the album is the crushing “Embracing Extinction.” This track is a pure grind song which does not stop the pummeling for the entire duration of the song. It sets the tone for the rest of the album showing that it will not let up with only few mid paced moments that only lets you catch your breath before finishing the obliteration. “Sleeping Giants” is one of the standout tracks in my opinion. What makes this track so great is that it basically brings the band full circle. The band started out with former members of death metal giants Dying Fetus and the song features guest vocals from John Gallagher of Dying Fetus. When his guttural growls hit the song almost turns into a DF song, which is not a bad thing at all. His distinct style of “singing” brings an extra layer of heaviness that makes the track one of my favorite Misery Index tracks ever.


What makes this album so great is that there is not a throw away track to be found. From start to finish every song is very good, which we see less often these days. A lot of bands seem to have albums with a few tracks made to be singles and some other decent songs to fill out the album. HtT is one that is an entire album of great songs. The drums stand out to me as they are brutally fast and rarely let up. They create a low end that drive the songs but do not overpower the guitars or vocals. The production is set up perfectly for their deathgrind sound. Grind is supposed to be a gritty, raw sound but when combined with their version that incorporates death, the clear production really emphasizes their sound. Overall this has ended up being one of the best releases of the year so far. It is definitely one you should all check out.

www.myspace.com/miseryindex