Suicide Silence Tour

Hernan "Eddie" Hermida of SUICIDE SILENCE and Chris McMahon of THY ART IS MURDER are leagues above other vocalists in the present day metal scene. Both have exceptional range and Eddie's ability to go from the lowest of lows to a beautiful pig squeal would bring tears to anyone's ears.

SUICIDE SILENCE was out on tour with Australian band, THY ART IS MURDER, the Americans, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, and Hull's BLACK TONGUE (UK only). The package was making its Manchester stop at Academy 2.

BLACK TONGUE opened the show and had a strong presence in the crowd. Although, the presence on stage was lacking energy. They played a decent set that was rewarded kindly.

New Jersey's FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY were next and the crowd once again showed their muscle in the pit. They were technically a tight band with drummer showing of monster skills on the set.

The opening two acts had solid vocalists, but both were nowhere near the level of Hermida or McMahon.

The Australians were one of the the highlights of the night. Like FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, THY ART IS MURDER are technically gifted. Their guitars are erratic, but satisfying. McMahon came out wearing a Manchester City scarf and proceeded to profess his love for the football club. But by playing The Purest Strain of Hate from Hate, all was forgiven. Their presence on stage drove the energy level through the roof.

SUICIDE SILENCE headlined the show, and likewise, the crowd responded accordingly. Although, it was tough watching a band that lost its face just two years ago. It was hard to stomach. Eddie's influence offers the band a lot of promise for the future, which the foundations of can be heard on their most recent release You Can't Stop Me.

Review: Aversions Crown - "Tyrant"

Tyrant (2014, Nuclear Blast)

AVERSIONS CROWN has produced some of the sludgiest metal in recent times: they are aggressive, tactical, and at times, border on incoherent, but they are beautiful in the most horrific way. The Australian death machine invades planet earth with their latest album “Tyrant” set for release on 24th November via NUCLEAR BLAST. It is the follow-up to 2011 debut of "Servitude".

The opening track Hollow Planet is merely a warning of what listeners can expect to hear throughout the ten-song track list. The new Hollow Planet outdoes the self-released stand-alone single by giving the lead lines a more ominous sound in the mix. They have also retained the perfectly placed reverse snare in the final breakdown. Lyrically, the themes found in Hollow Planet carry on throughout the rest of the album.

Drummer Jayden Mason continues to make use of blast beats and erratic snare patterns that listeners of the Australian outfit have become accustomed to hearing. The three guitarists once again demonstrate the depth in which eight-string guitars can be utilised – several tracks experiment with unique rhythm guitar parts.

Tracks Conqueror and Vectors have very different feels in comparison to previous AVERSIONS CROWN songs due to slower tempos and more melodic leads as opposed to eerie, but both are just as heavy. Conqueror is one of the strongest songs on “Tyrant”, alongside Xenoforms and Faith Collapsing.

If the world is heading towards its demise anytime soon then there is no better soundtrack than “Tyrant”.

Streaming of “Tryant” in its entirety is currently available through BLABBERMOUTH.NET and SOUNDCLOUND. The band will be on tour in the United Kingdom in January 2015 with I DECLARE WAR and WITHIN THE RUINS. You can follow AVERSIONS CROWN on Twitter @Aversions_Crown.

Asking Alexandria Tour 2014

ASKING ALEXANDRIA played Manchester Academy this past Friday night and were easily upstaged by Los Angeles act, THE GHOST INSIDE, who are continuing to show that they are the real deal. Being ASKING ALEXANDRIA comes with a tremendous expectation, especially when touring across their home country.  And whilst their set sounded tight and fully energised on Halloween night, their vie and apparent love for macho-sarcasm and rockstarisms hindered the  overall performance. 

Dallas, TX based band CROWN THE EMPIRE also made an appearance at the show.

THE GHOST INSIDE played tracks from across all their releases to date include Engine 45, Between the Lines, and Dark Horse. They also played the title track of their upcoming album Dear Youth, which is set to be released 17th November on Epitaph Records. Jonathan Vigil engaged with the audience throughout the band's performance with Engine 45 being a major highlight of the night as they crowd emphatically sang back the last chorus.

The headliners ASKING ALEXANDRIA played a hefty set with most songs coming from 2013's From Death to Destiny. For such a dramatic build up that included Europe's The Final Countdown in its entirety, there was little to back it up. It's been stated the band wants to backup their image as the bad boys of current rock n' roll and that was showcased by vocalist Danny Worsnop who spoke of living the "rockstar" life. Whilst seen as tongue-in-cheek since they are embracing a label, it's really not an attractive trait. There is having fun and then there is overdoing it.

Although the audience was memorised and pro-AA, THE GHOST INSIDE stole the night from a musical standpoint.