New Loud Rock Adds: With the Dead, Coheed and Cambria
With the Dead - With the Dead: With the Dead officially formed on Oct. 31st, 2014. Yes, they waited to become a band until All Hallow’s Eve, which is when all nine Circles of Hell come into alignment and the Prince of Darkness rises to bestow a single metal band with His unholy blessing. I’m glad they waited, because this record undeniably oozes with the BEST kind of evil. The kind that makes you turn your amp up to ELEVEN. Self described as “doom for the dead,” I’d put With the Dead along the lines of doom metal and sludge metal. My first reaction was actually that they sound a lot like Melvins (who I’m seeing next week!!). In classic fashion, it’s got six songs that are like six to eight minutes a pop. The record chugs along at a delightfully slow pace, letting you soak in every second of soul-eating power chords. When I finally kick the bucket, please leave a small Beats® pill in my coffin so that I can hear “Screams From My Own Grave” in the setting in which it was meant to be listened to. So sick. CHRISTIAN
RIYL: Melvins, Black Sabbath, Mastodon
Recommended Tracks: Crown of Burning Stars (1), Nephthys (3), Screams From My Own Grave (6)
Coheed and Cambria - The Color Before the Sun: The Color Before the Sun is the first record, out of eight, that is not set in the sci-fi universe of The Amory Wars, a comic series written by Coheed frontman Claudio Sanchez. I’ve always kind of liked that Coheed had this sort of epic, fantastical storyline behind their music, and it definitely influenced the way I listened to it. Lacking a storyline of sorts, I was kind of forced to listen to this album in a very black and white kind of way. In stark contrast to the other review, The Color Before the Sun definitely sticks pretty closely to alternative, albeit progressive, rock. But I feel almost as if Coheed is the alt rock band that actually practiced. They’re all really good at their instruments. Claudio Sanchez lays down some goofy but pitch-perfect vocals as he always does. He and fellow lead guitarist Travis Stever keep the record constantly technical with interspersed shredding solos and really cool base riffs, which is what I like about Coheed and Cambria. This album is tite! And way more accessible than a lot of the stuff I add! LISTEN!!! Christian
RIYL: Thank You Scientist, Circa Survive, Deftones
Recommended Tracks: Eraser (2), Here to Mars (4), You Got Spirit, Kid (8)