More 2010 Stuff

Touché Amoré / La Dispute - Searching for a Pulse/The Worth of the World  (Spilt)

• This spilt comes from two awesome hardworking bands. Touché Amoré is a post-hardcore/hardcore band that blends "traditional" hardcore with screamo (reminiscent of Orchid at times) and put on a hell of a live show, I saw them open up for Converge back in May and they killed it. La Dispute is a post-hardcore band with quite the experimental edge to them, if you haven't heard either bands yet I highly recommend both of them. This spilt sounds amazing, both bands incorporated a consistency with each other that lacks in must splits and the end result makes you wish it wasn't just a 7". Touché Amoré also have another spilt with Make Do And Mend (another awesome hardcore/post-hardcore band) that is really good but this one is my favorite so far.

(for the more metal-minded)

Kvelertak - Kvelertak

• I'm a little confused what genre to exactly call these but I think Kvelertak is a hardcore band first and while they incorporate a variety of other influences that mindset is still pretty obvious. Kvelertak is a hardcore punk band from Norway that incorporates black metal influences, classic rock influences and rock n' roll into their sound. This is one of my favorite albums of the year almost just because there is nothing else like it. They feature three guitarists in the band to create a heavy thick sound (which a lot of hardcore lacks) and go from melodic riffs and intros to that trademark Norwegian black metal chaos. It's loud, it's fun and I love this album. On a side note it should be noted that Kurt Ballou (best known as the guitarist from Converge and one of the best metal producers around) produced this album if you need any other reason to check it out.

Hello World (and first post)

So I've decided to start blogging again after a few months and I've decided to start completely from scartch with a new format too. Hope you guys enjoy and feel free to comment.

(I'm going to start with some of my favorites from 2010)

letLive. - Fake History

letlive. is probably one of the best modern post-hardcore bands, and the real kind of post-hardcore (think At The Drive-In, Glassjaw, Refused) at that. It seems like there has been a void in good post-hardcore in that vein since the early half of this decade but letlive. seem to be out to change that. Fake History is one of the most addictive and ferocious post-hardcore releases since Glassjaw's "Worship and Tribute". The vocals range from barked out yells to growls all while showcasing some of the best songwriting in a genre frequently devode of originality and integrity.

The Chariot - Long Live

The Chariot got their start as one of those christian metalcore bands that were all the rage last decade it seemed. Long story short, they released three albums and they were all horribly generic, average at best and terrible at worst. Between their release last year and this year's they unsigned from their previous label, switched to analog recording and apparently listened to a LOT of Converge. This new album exhibits that chaotic kind of hardcore style that Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Gaza have perfected but has an overall positive kind of feeling. Trumpets even sneak in on a few tracks. This is definitely a leap in the right direction and it is worth checking out despite what you may have heard about this bands' previous work because they sound like a completely different band now.