EDIT: Just to be clear, this isn't a show. Its just a voting competition. Please read everything!
As you can see by the title, I’m holding a competition. It
will be an elimination style thing, two bands will be polled together and the
band with more votes moves on. I am thinking we do one poll a week, that way
bands have a chance to accumulate votes. If you look above you can see letters.
I am sure you are aware of how that works:
A vs B, C vs D, the winner of each of those goes on to the
next round
Week 1 – A vs B
Week 2 – C vs D
Week 3 – E vs F
Week 4 – G vs H
And so on
I am thinking the prizes will be as follows and will be sent
out via PayPal at the end:
First place - $100
Second place - $75
Third place - $50
I have thought about how I am going to figure out a third
place winner. The two losers from Round 2 will be voted against each other.
Now for the bands, I’m not going to pick favourites. So
there is going to be nomination period, in the poll below. Please comment this
post with your band to that so I know you to add you. All bands commented by
Monday the 4th will be entered. I will leave the votes going for a few weeks, to be
fair. The top eight voted bands are in for the prizes to compete.
To make the pairing unbiased and fair, I am going to
randomize the bands and who ever gets matched is how it goes.
So get your nomination votes, I will give you until the
morning of 25th of June. The eight to compete will be placed onto
the thing above and the rounds will begin! You can pick more than one nominee
as I am sure you have more than one favourite band you will want in this.
For those who don’t know who you are, what is Cattle Decapitation and what made you pick that as a band name?
Travis: Cattle Decapitation is a rather bizarre and intense band from San Diego, California. Some other guy came up with the name, forgot who. It was either Gabe, Dave or this guy Scott that I quickly replaced soon after they started the band. The idea was to kind of pick up the torch that Carcass dropped lyric wise years ago. Only partially worked out that way, haha. They dropped the band in my lap as they were too busy with the Locust and I ran with it. All they had to do was show up and write songs. A few years later we had a member switch and then kicked out one of those original members when he decided he didn't want to do a band at this level anymore. Asked if we could "just be a studio band" after signing a 5 album deal with Metal Blade with the obvious knowledge that we would be touring. Alot. For a looooong time. We of course said "no".
When did you start Cattle Decapitation and how did it start?
Travis: There's technically no original members in the band. The original members have not been in the band for over a decade now. This question is way too bare bones and basic and I've been answering it for 15 years now. Sorry.
Cattle Decapitation has a super raw grindy death feel to it. Was this always the intent or did the sound grow with you guys?
Travis: Yeah that's how it started and it ended up getting a little more sparse over the years by the addition of melody and other songwriting characteristics that aren't exactly grind. We've always tried to maintain a very intense demeanor soundwise, very raw and abrasive. That's what we've always wanted to do and we've done it since the beginning.
On that note, for a band that has such a unique sound, who or what were your inspirations?
Travis: Napalm Death, Carcass, Terrorizer, Morbid Angel, etc. The old Earache bands. Some Crossed Out, Drop Dead, etc thrown in there. I was always more into gore, death metal and grind, never did I even pay attention to the hardcore, post hardcore or emocore scene at all.
Everyone loves Cattle Decapitation, also because your music means something, its not just convoluted mumbo jumbo. Who writes all the lyrics and comes up with themes for your albums?
Travis: That would be me. I come up with all of it and run it by the guys. I don't really run lyrics by em anymore, they don't seem to care, but I've grown accustomed to it over the years and know what sucks and what doesn't, what's stupid and what's not.
You guys have been around a while now, what would you say has changed the most in the music industry between the time the band started and now? For the better and the worse.
Travis: There's definitely no money to be made now. Never really was concerned with that, but at least being able to break even, pay bills, you know... NECESSITIES while being on the road? Its just getting harder and harder. Its not downloading... its the fact that every idiot out there thinks they can be in a band and are actively doing it and labels are actually paying attention, and MONEY of all things, to them. We're setting ourselves up for NOBODY to be able to do much of anything anymore because the scene is so convoluted and watered down.
What can we expect from Monolith Of Inhumanity on May 8th? Have you change have you played since Havest Floor?
Travis: Its already been released and its doing well. Its much more updated in terms of production and the songs are generally more melodic, catchier, much more brutal and very fast and clean.
There are some slam elements in the new album, I have read that you hate slam. Have you grown to like that style?
Travis: Hahaha... I hate stupid labels that people put on bands and music, especially when the shit has been around so long. Suffocation started that shit in the early 90s and all "slam" indicates is a heavy groovy part usually led into by some sort of breakdown element so I really just scoff at the fact that people have coined the term "slam" to refer to this as a "genre". Its fucking brutal death metal, can we leave it at that? Sure, we used some heavy parts. We don't call it "the slam riff" and nobody said "Hey bro, lets put some br00tal slamz here". Fuck that shit. There's more heavy parts in our new album, sure. Of course. Why not?
You have collaborated with Mike Majewski as guest vocals, how was that experience?
Travis: We did it through email. It almost didn't happen because the file he sent was weird but we made it work. He does that inhaling stuff, I can't do that. I cough everytime I try to do it, haha. He's a cool dude, we did a US tour with them as the last tour of the Harvest Floor cycle.
Its known that you have also collaborated with artist Tom Bunk, what can we expect from this?
Travis: This was possibly one of the coolest things we've ever done merch wise. We basically had our own Garbage Pail Kid cards made and we used the design for a T-shirt bundle for pre-orders for the new album. Tom Bunk is one of the original artists for the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards and also is famous for doing stuff for Mad Magazine. I'm still in awe at the fact that he worked with us. Its all due to our ex-manager being friends with him and a fan of his for years. He hooked that up.
When and who are you touring with this year? Will you be stopping in Canada.
Travis: Yes, we'll definitely be trying. We have a slew of dates for the Shockwave Fest Tour which all starts in Canada mostly and we have to bite the bullet and see if I can get in. Basically, the last time we went there, they told me to not come back until I either got a pardon for my DUI I got in 2001 (which was never really a DUI - it was reduced to a minor reckless driving conviction because I blew under the legal limit for alcohol) or waited 2 years and it will be off their system. Now, that's the Vancouver border officials that told me that to my face. I've had others tell me that's nonsense and not true so I don't know who the fuck to believe. All I know is what they told me so I'm going off that and am going to have all my paperwork on me that is all legally notorized and shows I completed everything that had to do with my conviction. There's really no reason I shouldn't be let into Canada. I haven't been in trouble for anything since and I just want to come perform. Not drunk. Not even behind the wheel as I rarely drive. And I definitely don't drink and drive. Its actually off my record here in the states, Canada has nothing to be worried about. Hopefully the fans don't either!
What do you guys listen to when your on tour?
Travis: Alot of lame prog metal bands and total power metal crap. I personally think it all sounds kinda gay but our drummer loves that shit. He does alot of driving and Josh wears headphones and listens to bluegrass. When I'm on the road I try not to listen to anything and definitely no metal. The less stress the better.
Any last comments?
Travis: Hopefully see you soon! Cross your fingers for us...
I would just like to take the time to introduce a guest reviewer that is helping me out by bringing you a more in depth look at some of the albums I will be reviewing. Rob Holden is the bassist of Oshawa, Ontario based metal band Left Hand Creation. They combine all types of metal and make it their own with brutal riffs and gut wrenching vocals. You can like their page here and you should show some support for local bands!
1. Frozen At the Moment of Death
2. Formaldehyde
3. 18 Days
4. Molest Dead
5. Blood On My Hands
6. Missing Victims
7. Reckless
8. Near Death Experience
9. Delayed Combustion Device
10. The Scar
11. Vampire Apocalypse
12. The Depths of Depravity
Before I even gave this album a run-through, I was admittedly skeptical of how the end result would be. As a life-long Cannibal Corpse fan, I too have given SFU a try on several different occasions, only to be grotesquely disappointed at their lack of groove, presence, and overall musicianship. Though I heard many of the same beaten down themes commonly used by SFU during this album, I was pleasantly surprised to hear some very melodic groove riffs, and some outstanding song structuring (in comparison) from start to finish. Six Feet Under experiment with the occasional odd time signature that is completely foreign to their usual sound, without ever losing their (Cannibal Corpse-esque) slow headbang groove. Songs like Frozen at the Moment of Death and Formaldehyde are reminders of the early 90’s death metal in its purity. Slow, grinding death metal to shut up any SFU naysayers out there. Tracks like 18 Days, Missing Victims, and Blood On My Hands are testament to Six Feet Under’s sound in their early days, but written and executed so much better.
To be quite honest, this album still has some boring repetitive parts as expected, but I find that the good heavily outweighs the bad on this occasion. The Depths of Depravity is an excellent closer to this album. The grinding click-dragging nature of Undead will definitely prove this album to be the slowest tempo album of 2012, sure to bring a revitalization of veteran death metal fans, as well as a lot of critics. If you have not heard Six Feet Under before, I suggest you rifle through a few of their old albums to prepare yourself for what to expect, and this album will become an absolute gem in your collection. Otherwise, this album may not be for you. I personally enjoyed this album and think that its release was timed perfectly in a genre where each band is more technically proficient than the last; Six Feet Under’s new found heaviness will bulldoze over any of these hyper tech-death bands. I recommend this album for all of you old-schoolers!
“With "Odalheim", Swedish death metal pioneers
UNLEASHED not only present the successor of "As Yggdrasil Trembles"
in the year 2012, but also continue telling their post-doomsday story, of
course embedded into the Norse mythology.
After the mighty world tree Yggdrasil had trembled and rung
in the end of the world, Fimbul winter followed: Three years of darkness and
coldness, during which Mother Nature took back what was rightfully hers. This
caused the end of life as we know it. Ragnarök. But the warriors who've
survived will build a new world out of the old one's ashes. Right here, the
story of "Odalheim" begins.”
This album was a great break from the reviews I’ve been
doing as of late. I’ve not had the chance to review a true black metal band and
this was just what I needed. Coming off of seeing Behemoth and Waitain on
Tuesday, Unleashed’s Odalheim kept this week a musically dark week for me. The
first track Fimbulwinter was a nice tone setter with its fast dark riffs. I
liked the slower riff with vocals it was very demonic sounding, the solo was
good too. The title track is great, when this song slows down, the solo sounds
really dark and eerie and its bone chilling. The next song, White Christ, had a
bass riff to start off the song and the guitar coming in to accompany it which
was a nice way to start the song. The acoustic intro of The Hour Of Defeat is
great, giving a break in between the intensity of Unleashed and I liked the
dark but chuggy riffs in this song. Gathering The Battalions comes next, with
fast drums along with eerie riffs. I enjoyed when everything slows down for the
solo, it makes everything so dark sounding. Vinland
is probably one of my favourites off this album. The intro was great with the
bass strumming over ambient noise that lead into acoustic, which brought the song
in. The main riff in this song is really catchy and the solo along with the
fast riff sounds so evil. Next up we have Rise Of The Maya Warriors, another
favourite. The chugging of this song over top of the really black riffs are
intense and the solo and the riff and drum over top of it is a great mix,
making this song epic for me. There is another acoustic intro on By Celtic And
British Shore, which is then followed up by fast pounding and evil everything
the whole way through. The Soil Of Our Fathers is introduced with an acoustic
again, but this one is different because it meshes and turns into electric. The
chugging dark riff at the start is amazing and it turns into a nice and heavy
riff which is then greeted with a nice solo. Another acoustic intro starts Germania off, thankfully the last acoustic intro. This song
is fast, dark, and eerie the whole way through and the solo on this is one of
the eeriest on the album when it starts. The Great Battle Of Odalheim is a good
track to have at the end of the album with a nice mix of fast dark riffs and
slower demonic chugging as well as having an awesome solo in it. The last
minute and a half is just the guitars ringing out and an eerie ambience in the
background, it ends on a very goose bump inducing acoustic bit.
Unleashed has made a masterpiece with Odalheim as they tear
at your ears with their speed and aggression, making you tingle with their dark
feel. You should definitely check this album out if you like black metal!
“Allegaeon (pronounced: uh-lee-juhn) was formed in 2008 by
founding member and guitar player Ryan Glisan. Soon thereafter joined the
classically trained guitarist Greg Burgess, vocalist Ezra Haynes and bassist
Corey Archuleta to round out and form what people have come to know now as the
Colorado Kings of Melodic Metal. In 2008, Allegaeon released their 4 song,
self-titled EP and quickly gained attention from the local, national and
international metal fans as well as Metal Blade records. In 2009, barely a year
after releasing their first EP to the world, Allegaeon agreed to a deal with
Metal Blade Records and thus began their relationship and Allegaeon's entry
into the ever expanding metal community.”
There is an awesome soft riff to open the album, which turns
into something heavier, with the first minute being a soothing little medley leading
into the brutality of Behold (God I Am). I like how melodic the riffs are,
there’s a good solo in this song but it is a little hard to hear over the
pounding of the rest of the band, but as it progresses it gets a little easier
to hear. I don’t know if you’d call the end a break down but it is really heavy
and the rhythm strumming is quite groovy. The next song, Tartessos: The Hidden
Xenocryst, has a bunch technical riffs and sweeps and that along with the song
as a whole kind of remind me of Arch Enemy, the way they lay their songs out. I
like the melodic death metal feel of this song. The vocals in A Path Disclosed are
so demonic sounding at times with the mesh of different people doing vocals at
once, I think there is at least. This band definitely knows how to capture
being heavy but also keeping a melodic feel. The solo in this song can be heard
better than the one in the first track but it wasn’t as good in my opinion. The
dual melodic riff nearer to the end of the song is very well done. Iconic
Images is more heavy than melodic but they do add some technical riffs and
solos. The end of this track is acoustic diddle which I didn’t mind because it
is actually quite interesting. The next track, Twelve, is another heavy track
with technicality thrown in which is actually probably one of my favourites on
the album with the solos meshing well with the riffs. There is a quick little
bass solo at the beginning of The Azrael Trigger, but it was hard to hear, other
then that this song seems to just be the usual, no surprises in this song which
is basically the same as the next two songs From the Stars Death Came and Timeline
Dissonance. Since this is a title track I should talk about Formshifter. The
solo in this was nice, and the riff after it was dirty and sludgy sounding,
which lead into another two great solos. The slower riff ending the song, which
was also between the two last solos was a nice touch. The final track Secrets
of the Sequence, starts off with another acoustic bit, which is accompanied with
some guitar melodies. The drums come in and the guitars squeal, which was
really awesome and I don’t know why but it reminded me of Deathklok. This is another
one of my favourites, the melodic bits in this song are probably the best off
this album, especially the one after the bass part.
This album is something I would recommend to someone who
likes melodic death metal. My favourite tracks are Behold (God I Am),
Tartessos, A Path Disclosed, Twelve, and Secrets of Sequence. I myself did
enjoy this album but after a while, you kind of just no the formula of their
songs. You get your heavy riffs, your technical diddles, and your solos. If
they changed it up a little I may have liked this album a little more. I don’t
mean to sound rude, but you get bored hearing the same song formation over and
over.
I would just like to take the time to introduce a guest reviewer that is helping me out by bringing you a more in depth look at some of the albums I will be reviewing. Rob Holden is the bassist of Oshawa, Ontario based metal band Left Hand Creation. They combine all types of metal and make it their own with brutal riffs and gut wrenching vocals. You can like their page here and you should show some support for local bands!
1. The Carbon Stampede
2. Dead Set On Suicide
3. A Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat
4. Forced Gender Reassignment
5. Gristle Licker
6. Projectile Ovulation
7. Lifestalker
8. Do Not Resuscitate
9. Your Disposal
10. The Monolith
11. Kingdom of Tyrants
Monolith of Inhumanity is Cattle Decapitation’s fifth studio
album, and by far their most progressive and talented effort to date. Each of
these eleven tracks are methodically arranged into the most brutal and ear
crushing progressions possible in the Grindcore turned Death metal genre. The
drums on this album reach speeds never before heard by Cattle Decap fans,
however, the slower grinds are just as powerful as the hyper gravity blasts.
The bass tone trumps any post grindcore band out there right now, and the
guitar riffs are masterful and creative. That being said, the vocal range will
surely be the most talked about trait of Monolith of Inhumanity. From
gut-wrenching lows to piercing highs, and newly added (almost clean) melodic
vocals; This man’s range is out of this world. Truly a step forward in the
Death Metal scene.
Opening track ‘The Carbon Stampede’ begins with a slow grind
for the first minute, until an explosion of gravity blasts and speed riffs,
vocals and guitars are well placed together. The last 30 seconds ends with an
oddly placed chug and chant, which changes the pace and is overall chilling.
Excellent. The next track ‘Dead Set On Suicide’ has an interesting arrangement;
Speed riff, bass solo, speed riff, choking sounds, speed riff, heaviest
breakdown in history (I checked), awesome solo. Great track. ‘A Living Breathing Piece Of Defecating Meat’
and ‘Forced Gender Reassignment’ are both very grinding songs with reminders of
Aborted and most definitely Carcass influences, except the awesome range and
style of the vocals. The next few tracks are nothing short of the last few,
with awe-inspiring riffs and solo’s, mind numbing speed parts, and an
assortment of lows, squeals and whatever else is coming for the vocals, there
is a lot going on. Nothing tedious, nothing overdone, everything is a true
pleasure to listen to amidst the chaos.
‘Your Disposal’ is one of my favorite tracks off of the album,
and is also one that seems to jump away from Cattle’s distinct sound just a
little bit. The Monolith is a creepy instrumental and sample, leading into the final track
‘King of Tyrants’, which I think is the best track off of the album. Through
all of the chaos an eclectic rapid fire drums and guitar, this song is so
ridiculously tight, and eventually slows to an epic chord progression and
nearly black metal meets nu-metal chant (I know that sounds terrible, but its
incredible). The track ends in typical speedy Cattle Decapitation fashion.
This album was a pleasure to listen to and to pry apart
piece by piece. I see it as a major leap forward for the genre, and a truly
masterful album beginning to end. I recommend this album to anyone into Extreme
Metal.
"You don’t name your band Cattle Decapitation if you’re
looking to subtly insinuate your way into the consciousness of the masses.
Equally, unleashing some of the most intense, horrifying, and extreme metal
known to mankind will not ingratiate you with those of a sensitive nature, for
the San Diegan’s boundary-pushing music is designed to turn heads and snap
necks, and not necessarily in that order. Returning with their seventh
full-length, the devastating Monolith Of Inhumanity, the band have never sounded
more focused, more aggressive, or more determined to get in the faces of those
who erroneously believe they have already experienced the band at their extreme
best. “One of the main things this band has done since the very beginning was
to try to break tradition and break the mold of what’s acceptable, in any given
genre we’re working in,” states vocalist Travis Ryan. “I’m really happy that
with this record we’ve been able to successfully push those boundaries further
than we ever have, and without going into the ‘suck’ realm or sounding
contrived. We’ve gone so far out on a limb on this one, and I’m just ecstatic
that we’ve pulled off what we were trying to achieve.”"
Not being a fan of Cattle Decapitation, Monolith of
Inhumanity was the greatest introduction to the band I could ask for. I went in
assuming it would be more grindy then straight up death metal, but that sure as
hell wasn’t the case. The first song The Carbon Stampede, the toilet vocals had
me ready for something along the lines of Disgorge for the whole album but this
was changed when the more death metal vocals came in. The guitars were very
face melting and the technical riffs and solo took the cake. The vocals on Dead
Set On Suicide surprised me because I didn’t think the band would do higher
growls. This song has a little bit of grind in it, but it goes by so fast you
hardly notice it. A Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat has a nice mix
of fast machine gunner riffs and darker riffs, I like the vocals in this song.
The next song Forced Gender Reassignment, has everything to expect from Cattle
Decapitation be it every style of vocals you hear on the album, the types of
riffs and a nice little solo. This is when the toilet vocals are released on
this album in full force and I don’t mean that in a bad way. On the next song,
Gristle Licker, the break down is tasty, leading into a technical riff that
makes the song even tastier, the rest of the song is no surprises. Projectile
Ovulation is the dirtiest song on this album, and I mean that in the nicest way
possible. The toilet vocals in this song are entertaining but when you have the
fast pounding riffs and drums its hard to even hear them, but for the title of
the song that’s probably what they were going for. I think Lifestalker is one
of my favourites off this album, I really like the higher growls on this song
and the fast bit with the vocals really caught my attention. The slower bit is
really great and I enjoyed the little break from all the fast, heavy stuff, the
guitar here is well done. The opening riff and drums in Do Not Resuscitate are
awesome, leading into the gut wrenching speed to introduce itself afterwards This
is another song that needs no great show off as it is just your normal Cattle
Decapitation track in my opinion but solo at the end was great. The riff at the
beginning of Your Disposal was nice coming off of a solo, the blast beat with
the highs in this song was nice, leading into a dark riff with some toilet
vocals and growls. When the song slows down it sounds good, even the blast beat
part again sounded great with the slow riffs. The Monolith is a great
instrumental track and a great way to gear up for the final track, the slowness
of the guitars and the background noises were very atmospherical. Kingdom of Tyrants is definitely my favourite for
highs on the vocals and it is all you could ask for a final track.
All in all, I must say, Cattle Decapitation has made a
masterpiece and it is no wonder they are on top of the death metal scene. If
they aren’t then they should be. This album is so versatile and throws
everything you would want from a band of their calibre at you. Nothing is
forced and all of the tracks are unique in their own way. I’d have to say that
Lifestalker, Projectile Ovulation, and Kingdom of Tyrants
are my favourites off this album. I would definitely recommend this album to
anyone who likes death metal or a little bit of grind.
This summer, one of the most diversified metal tour packages
will batter its way through North America!
What will be a yearly event, the inaugural SHOCKWAVE FESTIVAL TOUR 2012 is
coming for you! Established to give metal fans a lower cost festival option
this season, the tour will commence on July 6 in Seattle, Washington, and
feature an eclectic lineup of artists including futuristic metal conjurers FEAR
FACTORY and sci-fi thrash legends VOIVOD as well as CATTLE DECAPITATION, MISERY
INDEX, REVOCATION, HAVOK, DIRGE WITHIN, LAST CHANCE TO REASON, VILDHJARTA, THE
BROWNING and FORGED IN FLAME. Presented by Full Metal Jackie with further
sponsorships by EVH, DDrums, Ampeg, Intune Guitar Pics, Indie Merch, Earsplit
PR, Skateboard Marketing, Burning Angel, Yetibite, The PRP, Rockin Wellness,
Dirtycheese Design & Development and Blank TV, the caravan of chaos will
run through August with additional dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
Full Metal Jackie Presents: SHOCKWAVE FESTIVAL TOUR 2012
with Fear Factory, Voivod, Cattle Decapitation, Misery
Index, Revocation, Havok, Dirge Within, Last Chance To Reason, Vildhjarta, The
Browning and Forged In Flame
