Tag Archives: album
June 20, 2017 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged 10 year anniversary, 2017, aborted, album, album review, american satan, betraying the martyrs, between the buried and me, beyond creation, born of osiris, cannibal corpse, cryptopsy, death metal, deathcore, deathgrind, despised icon, dying fetus, exhumed, goatwhore, job for a cowboy, kataklysm, lorna shore, metal, music, nocturnal, oceano, origin, periphery, psychopath, rings of saturn, slaughter to prevail, sumerian films, sumerian records, summer slaughter, summer slaughter tour, the black dahlia murder, the faceless, the most extreme tour of the year, vader, veil of maya, whitechapel	| Leave a comment
Recently, one of the heaviest touring festivals in extreme music, or as they like to brand themselves, "The Most Extreme Tour of the Year", has finally announced their lineup and tour dates for the 2017 summer. The Summer Slaughter tour, which is primarily run and funded by Sumerian Records and Sumerian Films (explains why the film "American Satan" is funding the tour and why there are multiple Sumerian bands on nearly every Summer Slaughter lineup), will run from July 27th until August 26th and will feature some of the biggest names in deathcore and death metal.
Personally, while I am a huge fan of literally every artist on this year's bill, I am slightly disappointed to see a lack of diversity in the lineup. Featuring a plethora of big name deathcore bands, and including some accomplished death metal acts with the likes of Origin, The Black Dahlia Murder, the Faceless, and of course, Dying Fetus, the Summer Slaughter tour is perfectly fit for one specific group of extreme music fans. If you like the more aggressive styles of deathcore and modern death metal, then this tour is a dream come true. However, for the metal fans that listen to a wide variety of heavy music, the streamlined roster may be slightly disappointing when comparing the 2017 lineup to past ones. For example, the 2008 lineup featured a vast group of metal bands with everything from Vader to Cryptopsy, Aborted to Whitechapel, Despised Icon to Born of Osiris, and The Black Dahlia Murder to the Faceless. In comparison, only 5 years ago in 2012, the Summer Slaughter lineup featured GoatWhore, Exhumed, and Periphery, and even featured Between the Buried and Me going on stage right before the headliner, Cannibal Corpse! This extreme variation in styles of metal and sizes of recognition and fan base within the metal community exemplifies how diverse the Summer Slaughter lineup can get. While this year's lineup is sure to feature great live bands who are some of the heavyweights in their respective genres and are guaranteed to bring in some of the greatest ticket sales the tour has ever seen (due of course to their relevancy and more "radio friendly" sound compared to other artists in past lineups), the lack of true metal diversity is hopefully a trend that does not stick with the annual Summer Slaughter tour.
2008's lineup:
This is, however, the first year that I am a big fan of every artist on the roster. This, of course, means I will be able to witness hours upon hours of my favorite deathcore and death metal bands play live in a row, but will unfortunately prevent me from discovering new artists that I might become extremely found of, like how I became a huge fan of Beyond Creation after seeing them on the 2015 Summer Slaughter tour. The full tour poster for the 2017 tour is attached below. To see complete lineups, visit your local venue's website to see what local bands will also find a spot on the festival's date nearest you! Also, maybe next year we will finally see a black metal band play the Summer Slaughter tour, but until then, enjoy the greatest deathcore and death metal roster the Summer Slaughter tour has ever created!
April 25, 2017 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged ab-soul, album, album of the year, album review, aoty, atrocity exhibition, attak, dance in the water, danny brown, dip, downward spiral, earl sweatshirt, edm, every time i die, fallujah, fifa, from the ground, get hi, goldust, hell for it, kendrick lamar, kush coma, lost, music, old, original soundtrack, pneumonia, real friends, really doe, rolling stone, rustie, saor, side b (dope song), tell me what I don't know, today, tony hawk, trophy eyes, warp records, when it rain	| Leave a comment
Last last year accomplished hip-hop artist, Danny Brown, released his latest project, the full length record, "Atrocity Exhibition". After switching labels to Warp Records, there was speculation that Danny would yet again venture into a different sound and approach for this 2016 release. However, no one, including myself, could've seen this drastic new change in sound and experimentation coming.
Personally, I discovered Danny's material during the "Old" album cycle and instantly fell in love with the EDM based hip hop tracks. Songs like "Side B (Dope Song)", "Kush Coma", "Dip", and his collaboration with EDM artist, Rustie, with the song, "Attak" almost immediately became not only some of the greatest rap songs I had ever heard by the Detroit based artist, but some of the most stellar hip hop tracks I ever heard period. It was clear that Danny's distinct songwriting and sound was unparalleled to the rest of the noise in the genre, even after hearing only a fraction of his entire discography.
After listening to "Atrocity Exhibition", my first reaction was complete shock at how Danny Brown was able to take 15 of the most odd, peculiar, and to put it simply, weirdest, beats I had ever heard and turn them into successfully written hip hop tracks. Especially starting out with tracks off "Old" that follow a very simplistic, catchy, festival-oriented structure, it completely took me off guard to hear such experimentation from Danny on "Atrocity Exhibition". Tracks like "Downward Spiral", "Get Hi", and "Goldust" left me utterly dumbfounded at how Danny can take these bizarre instrumental tracks and record a vocal performance that not only rhythmically makes sense, but actually results in well-written songs that I actually enjoy.
Despite the odd approach to songwriting, every track seems to fit well in the track listing. The songs themselves, beats, and song structure may vary greatly, especially when comparing songs like "Really Doe" and "Goldust", however each track seems to fit perfectly into the overall composition of the album as a whole. On one hand, "Really Doe" features a very modern, almost radio friendly beat with features from Kendrick, Ab-Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt. On the other, "Goldust" features multiple, repetitive horn section parts accompanied by an overly distorted electric guitar strumming barely audible chords. However, each track features the same avant-garde influences while also including impactful lyricism that is often filled with dark imagery and honest depictions of Danny's thoughts, experiences, and environment around him, like what is heard on "Ain't It Funny", "Really Doe", "Pneumonia", "When It Rain", "Tell Me What I Don't Know", and "Get Hi", showing how each track does not seem out of place on "Atrocity Exhibition", despite the fact that no two songs are fairly alike in sound or overall composition. The spectrum of influences, sounds, song structure, differences in beats, and even vocal delivery is extremely broad in Atrocity Exhibition and trying to compare any two songs on the album, whether its "Ain't It Funny" vs "Hell For It", "Get Hi" vs "Pneumonia", or "When It Rain" vs "Downward Spiral", perfectly exemplifies the blatant diversity that is without a doubt the most memorable aspect throughout the latest Danny Brown project.
There really aren't any significant complaints I have about this album in general. The only songs I really don't like on "Atrocity Exhibition" are the "Downward Spiral" and "Rolling Stone". "Downward Spiral's" beat is so bizarre that it takes multiple listens to just get used to its odd sound. Also, "Downward Spiral" is a fairly weak way to start out the album. The lyricism represents what is to come in "Atrocity Exhibition", however, the very laid back, lazy sounding beat should not be the first thing you hear on this latest Danny Brown project. Honestly, if "Downward Spiral" and "Pneumonia" switched places in track order I think this album would sound even better when listening to it from start to finish. I personally can't imagine how powerful it would sound to have "Pneumonia" as the first track you hear off of "Atrocity Exhibition". The haunting, echoing bells heard in the hook that starts the song would instantly grab my attention and keep it unwavering, which is something that "Downward Spiral" simply cannot do. Also, having "Downward Spiral" at the halfway point of the record would symbolize how the audience is about to dive further into Danny's unique songwriting and dark lyricism before hearing tracks like "Today, "When It Rain", and "Dance In The Water". To me, "Rolling Stone's" hook is both redundant and annoying and I personally believe it slightly holds the entire album back. If it had a different hook it might be better overall, but regardless it is definitely one of the weakest songs on the project.
Despite these minor setbacks, there are numerous aspects that I personally thoroughly enjoyed on "Atrocity Exhibition". For starters, the sampling on "Lost" is sensational. The repeated looping of the horn part, keyboard melody, and female vocal track provide a simple, repetitive beat that fits Danny's vocal performance flawlessly (not to mention this song would fit in well with any of the old Tony Hawk video game soundtracks, as it features the same looping beats heard on hip hop tracks on these soundtracks). Interestingly enough, "Tell Me What I Don't Know" and "From the Ground" are songs that don't feature vocals from Danny himself. This is something he's done before on previous releases, but it's very interesting to hear a song he wrote that does not feature any vocal performance from the rapper personally. In my opinion, I would love to see more prominent hip hop artists write songs that don't feature their own vocals, as I think this is a really interesting concept that adds further diversity to projects, but I can see how this idea might cause some negative feedback from these artists respective fan bases. I absolutely loved "Dance in the Water", as the internationally influenced beats, backing vocals, and overall melody make it an extremely catchy song that I wouldn't be surprised to hear on the next FIFA soundtrack. Lastly, I personally think that "Ain't It Funny", which recently saw the release of a music video directed by actor Jonah Hill made for the track itself, despite the criticism the song got. The beat on "Ain't It Funny" is stupid catchy, and when mixed with the self-destructive, dark, and honest lyricism featured, "Ain't It Funny" instantly becomes one of the most significant songs you will hear from Danny Brown on this 2016 project. My favorite tracks off "Atrocity Exhibition" have to be "Ain't It Funny", "Really Doe", "Pneumonia", "When It Rain", and "Dance in the Water", and the more I listen to the record the closer I get to declaring "Atrocity Exhibition" as the greatest Danny Brown release in his discography.
"Atrocity Exhibition" was the greatest hip hop release of 2016, and was the 6th best album of 2016, only falling behind artists like Saor, Trophy Eyes, Fallujah, Real Friends, and Every Time I Die. This project truly pushes the limits and creativeness of hip-hop and will hopefully pave the way for future projects at the same caliber of excellence as "Atrocity Exhibition". Personally, I still can't get over my initial reaction of how shook I was after hearing "When It Rain" and waiting for the bass to drop, like in "Dip", only to never hear the anticipated drop. Even though I was initially disappointed to not hear more EDM inspired tracks from Danny Brown, I am ecstatic to instead receive one of the best projects ever released in hip hop's modern history. Danny Brown will be remembered as a trailblazer in hip hop and his projects will surely inspire countless other phenomenal artists and projects. In summation, I give "Atrocity Exhibition" a 9.6/10, and I cannot stress enough how important it is to listen to and truly appreciate this album. Danny Brown's latest project is attached below. Give it a listen and stay tuned for more reviews due out very soon!
"Atrocity Exhibition":
Breaking News: The Black Dahlia Murder Release Custom Glass Pipes for 4/20
April 21, 2017 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged 420, abysmal, album, album review, deflorate, everblack, full length, I'm invisible, marijuana, miasma, music, nocturnal, noisey, pipe, ritual, surgical meth machine, tbdm, thc, the black dahlia murder, unhallowed, weed	| Leave a comment
In case you might live under a rock, today is April 20th, which is the international smoke marijuana day. Many labels, artists, and even media sites in the industry will celebrate this joyous holiday in different ways. Some labels might release THC themed content (like Nuclear Blast releasing a music video for the remix of Surgical Meth Machine's "I'm Invisible"), other media sites might even dedicate the entire week to the plant (like Noisey's weed week), and many artists will sell grinders and merchandise covered in designs with their logos and pot leaves. However, nothing is as amazing as what the Black Dahlia Murder recently did for the stoner holiday. Through Indiemerch, the band themselves sold 7 different colored pipes made by Chameleon Glass. The pipes each featured the bands iconic logo on the stem and were unique to each of the 7 full length studio albums that TBDM has released in their impressive history as a metal band. Each pipe was marked with a logo at the end of the bowl that represented the respective album and the entire pipe itself was colored to match the same respective album's visual appearance, based off the album artwork. A list of what pipe represents what album is listed below along with a picture of all 7 pipes on display. Fans could also buy a travel bag covered in TBDM's logo that could fit one pipe safely.
Unfortunately, these pipes, which were limited to 100 pieces per color, sold out practically instantly and cannot be purchased anywhere else. The pipes, which sold for a reasonable $30 each, appear to have only been made for sale on April 20th, and the possibility of more being made in the future is unclear. Who knows, maybe it will become a yearly tradition for The Black Dahlia Murder and other bands to sell well thought out and produced pipes at the tail end of April. If you picked up a piece for yourself, let us know what you think of the product and if it was worth it or just a scheme for the marijuana holiday itself!
Pipe Colors:
Unhallowed (2003) – blue glass
Miasma (2005) – onyx black glass
Nocturnal (2007) – navy blue glass
Deflorate (2009) – clear glass
Ritual (2011) – green glass
Everblack (2013) – purple glass
Abysmal (2015) – amber glass
Vinyl and Cassette News: Periphery Repress Debut Album On Vinyl
April 20, 2017 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged 1st pressing, aal, after the burial, akeldama, album, album review, animals as leaders, asking alexandria, august burns red, betraying the martyrs, breathe in life, cassette, cassette tape, dayshell, divided by, drift, eclipse, ep, erra, full length, holy grail, icarus, in dreams, life through a window, moments in clarity, music, periphery, planetary duality, rareform, repress, straight from the barrio, structures, sumerian records, tdwp, the black, the common man's collapse, the devil wears prada, the faceless, the madness of many, thrill seeker, upon a burning body, veil of maya, vinyl, vinyl and cassette news, vinyl week, with roots above and branches below, wraabb	| Leave a comment
Sumerian Records quietly repressed one of the most influential albums in their extensive catalog recently. In case you missed it, this week is "Sumerian Vinyl Week" and many of their records for sale on their merchandise site are for sale at prices 40% off the original retail price. Along with this, the metal label also repressed some of their most notable releases, that are not for sale, but are in promotion of the vinyl week. These represses include Animals As Leaders' "The Madness of Many", which sold out fairly fast, Erra's "Drift", which was also previously sold out, Asking Alexandria's "The Black", and the Faceless' "Planetary Duality" and "Akeldama", which were repressed on silver colored vinyl limited to 100 copies. The repress that was the most significant, however, was Periphery's first self titled album. "Periphery" was repressed on two variants, one on Red/White Haze out of 500 copies and one on Clear with Blue and White Splatter, also out of 500 copies. To add to this, the instrumental version of "Periphery" was pressed for the first time on an opaque blue vinyl variant and the amount of copies pressed is currently unknown.
Before this repress, only 150 copies of the album were ever released on vinyl. In 2011, the metal band sold 3 different variants of the album (Blue, White, and Blue/White mix) each limited to 50 copies that could only be bought from the band's merch table while they were on tour. Since the 1st pressing was released, the demand for the vinyl copies drastically increased, causing the value of these records to skyrocket up to $200+ for a copy in many cases. It was insanely hard to find any collectors willing to sell their copy, nonetheless for an affordable price.
Now 150 copies have skyrocketed to 1,150 copies worldwide and I for one am completely outraged at Sumerian Records. Being an avid collector of vinyl, cassettes, and other physical formats, I believe that some albums should never be repressed. In many cases, especially in the extreme music scene, some albums themselves become extremely rare and in high demand from many record collectors globally. This results in vinyl records that become highly sought after collectors items, even branded as "holy grails" for these respective collections. Personally, I was shocked when I finally got my hands on a copy of the Blue variant of "Periphery". It instantly became my favorite and most valuable individual record in my possession and I was extremely proud and stunned to have it in my collection. Now, a sense of defeat and disappointment has been overwhelmingly encompassing everything I think about since seeing the infamous repressing. Not only does this repress drastically decrease the value of the 1st pressing, as the total supply of "Periphery" vinyl copies practically increased 10 fold this week, but the rarity and significance of owning this record has now greatly diminished. Before, it was impressive to say you have the first Periphery full length record in your vinyl collection, but now everyone who is somewhat familiar with the material will have a copy in their possession, and soon record stores will be filled with a copious amount of the release.
Being a record collector means that sometimes the record you love or need to have is insanely hard to come by. It might be years before you get your hands on a copy, or you might never get it at all, but that is part of the entire experience in collecting vinyl. Represses for legendary presses like 'Periphery" are perfect examples of how greed and utter stupidity from labels and even bands themselves can ruin the vinyl collecting community. If Sumerian, or whoever had the genius idea of repressing "Periphery", wanted to make money off the release through represses while keeping the collectable aspect of the 1st press in tact, they would've combined "Periphery" and the instrumental version of "Periphery" (which is something I'm actually glad they finally pressed) into one 4xLP package, which would've made the item a unique product that would have a higher retail value than the items separately. They would be guaranteed to sell out both the instrumental and regular versions of the album on vinyl, instead of having one version sell faster like how "Periphery" is selling faster on its own as we speak, and in the process they would be creating a new collective item in the Periphery discography that would not hurt the value and significance of the rare 1st pressing of "Periphery". But instead, Sumerian, Periphery themselves, or whoever is responsible simply was ignorant, blind, and unfazed by the impact this repress might have on the vinyl collecting community and decided to produce a ridiculous 1,000 copies. What irks me the most is that there are a handful of great Sumerian releases that have never seen a single vinyl pressing, yet "Periphery" just received a completely undeserving, unnecessary 2nd pressing. Betraying the Martyrs' "Breathe in Life", Veil of Maya's "The Common Man's Collapse" and "Eclipse", After the Burial's "Rareform" and "In Dreams", Structures' "Divided By" and "Life Through A Window", every full length album by Upon a Burning Body besides "Straight From the Barrio", Dayshell's self titled debut album, Erra's "Moments in Clarity EP", and even Periphery's "Icarus EP" have been release through Sumerian Records and have never been pressed on vinyl, and could sell better than "Periphery", yet "Periphery", a record that should've NEVER been repressed, received a 1,000 copy 2nd pressing.
It's literally impossible to express how ashamed, disappointed, and above all outraged I am at Sumerian Records about this recent repress. I probably sound very pretentious and even elitist at this point, but like I mentioned before, some records truly should not be repressed due to their rare and collectable nature. The process of searching for and finally buying a copy of the record you truly want to add to your collection is what record collecting is all about. You may have to wait years and pay a fairly large amount for these records, but that is what the hobby is truly about. Pressing literally thousands of copies of a previously hard to come by record panders to those who do not wish to truly emerge themselves in the record collecting community, and as a result produces a scapegoat for these vinyl consumers to buy a record they want without having to actually go through the long, and sometimes challenging, process of collecting a rare item you truly want. After seeing this repress I'm now very concerned that The Devil Wears Prada's "With Roots Above and Branches Below" and August Burns Red's "Thrill Seeker" will also receive unnecessary and truly greedy represses and further hurt the vinyl collecting community. Maybe I am overreacting about the situation, but 1,000 new copies released of such a previously rare and important item like "Periphery" vinyl is where I draw the line.
Regardless of my anger and frustration about the whole situation, I have included the links to where to buy copies of the represses. If you absolutely have to buy a copy of "Periphery", at least buy it off of the band's store themselves instead of further supporting the ignorant culprits behind the repress at Sumerian Records, assuming it was their idea and intentions to go through with the repress, as they are in control of vinyl sales and distribution of their releases. I'm actually very interested in hearing what other vinyl collectors have to say about this! Do you think repressing "Periphery" is as big of a deal as I'm making it out to be, or am I simply overreacting to news about plastic discs? Leave a comment below and see what other vinyl and cassette news we've covered hear at Erik's Album Reviews lately!
Periphery's store:
http://store.periphery.net
Sumerian Records' store:
Vinyl and Cassette News: Man Eats Vinyl Copy of "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City" Because Kendrick Lamar Did Not Release An Album On Sunday
April 19, 2017 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged /u/ cousintyrone, album, album review, bruh, damn, damnation, easter, easter sunday, eating vinyl, full length, good friday, good kid, good kid M.A.A.D. city, laxatives, M.A.A.D. city, man eats vinyl, music, nation, reddit, vinyl, what	| Leave a comment
In what is probably the most bizarre news story I've ever covered at Erik's Album Reviews, apparently a Reddit user, /u/CousinTyrone, made an agreement with himself via Reddit that if Kendrick Lamar did not release a new album on Easter Sunday, he would eat a vinyl copy of Kendrick's monumental album, "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City".
The speculation of this potential double/related album began when Kendrick himself released his fourth full length album, "Damn", on April 14th, which was Good Friday. Reddit threads quickly erupted after the release and the theory that Kendrick would follow up the 4th studio album with a 5th one called "Nation" on Easter Sunday soon arose. The dual release would be symbolic of the two religious holidays the albums would be released on, and when put together, the dual album would be called "Damnation". This theory instantly grew in popularity and approval, and soon after /u/CousinTyrone announced that he was so certain this dual release project would happen that if it didn't he would eat a vinyl copy of the sophomore full length album, "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City".
Of course, "Nation", or any other album by Kendrick, was not released last Sunday, and because of this, /u/CousinTyrone took to Youtube to prove to the world that he would in fact eat a vinyl record. The Reddit user also added in ice cream and chocolate chips to the musical concoction to help the drink taste less like "gravel", which according to him is what vinyl tastes like apparently. The user himself also went on to later say that he took "A LOT" of laxatives to pass the record as fast as he could because, as it turns out, eating a vinyl record isn't all that good for you (who would've known?). Despite the laxatives, /u/CousinTyrone was still feeling the side effects that come with eating vinyl at least 16 hours after the video was filmed, further showing why it might not be the best idea to digest your favorite pressing of an album.
The video of this impressive(?) feat is attached below, and it is 1000% worth watching. Also, in Kendrick Lamar news, my "Damn" review is in the works and will be out very soon, so stay tuned and don't forget to check back in for more breaking news stories, which may or may not be as bizarre as this one.
500 Word Review: Enterprise Earth "Embodiment"
April 15, 2017 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged 23, 500 word review, album, album of the year, album review, aoty, dan watson, deathcore, embodiment, enterprise earth, ep, father of abortion, full length, Infant Annihilator, metal, mortem incarnatum, music, patient 0, sophomore album, space, spokane, stay sick recordings, washington	| Leave a comment
For the last 3 years I've been big fan of Enterprise Earth, which is the band that Dan Watson went on to found and front after leaving Infant Annihilator in 2014. I discovered the group's debut EP "23" months after it's release and instantly loved the entire project. Personally, at the time I thought that Enterprise Earth would be one of the bands that encompasses the future of deathcore, and if their songwriting and stellar musicianship could stay constant or even improve, they would easily become one of the best artists in the genre's brief history.
Upon first listening to the band's debut full length album, "Patient 0", I found the project to be very disappointing initially. The uniqueness of "23" that made me truly enjoy the EP itself seemed to be omitted from "Patient 0", and as a result, it took multiple listens to truly hear the distinction between tracks. However, after revisiting the album months later, I enjoyed the record a lot more than I did after hearing it soon after it's release. "Patient 0's" aggressive and more technical composition definitely separated itself, in a good way, from the rest of the noise heard in the modern deathcore scene, but it was still much harder to distinguish differences between tracks on the album itself compared to "23", where each track is unique and instantly recognizable. Regardless, it was clear that Enterprise Earth was releasing material on a whole other tier than any of the other new deathcore band to emerge in the last few years, so upon seeing the announcement of "Embodiment's" 2017 release, I was very excited to hear what Enterprise Earth would put out next.
For starters, the artwork instantly caught my full attention. With a space themed album artwork, it appeared as if Enterprise Earth was at least returning to the themes heard on "23", which was a great sign to initially see upon album announcement. In fact, after hearing the first single, "Mortem Incarnatum", it became more evident that this sophomore album may be very similar to the iconic debut EP.
After listening to the entire sophomore full length record in its entirety, I can confirm that this is without a doubt yet another superb Enterprise Earth release. Pummeling, complex riffs and unrelenting, face smashing breakdowns give any listener chills while making it nearly impossible to not headbang during these bone-crushing moments, especially during tracks like "Temptress". This album is full of hard hitting, fast, and aggressive sections that are masterfully performed by the Spokane based deathcore act themselves, exemplifying why this band is a role model for the rest of the newly formed deathcore groups globally. Eerie, and at some moments, ambient leads and intricate, chugging riffs are frequently heard, which were featured on both "23" and "Patient 0" and show the references to older material and song structure that help maintain Enterprise Earth's signature sound. Dan Watson's vocals sound amazing, but I actually prefer how they were recorded and mixed on "Patient 0" far more and believe that how his vocal performance is mixed on "Embodiment" actually really hurts the release itself. His genre trailblazing vocal performance and technique should be at the forefront of each track, and mixing it to a quieter, less prominent volume, like what is heard on "Embodiment", truly takes away from the Enterprise Earth sound.
"Father of Abortion" brings back the excellent use of guitar and overall production effects that I loved on "23", especially "Masquerade of Angels". Don't be confused by the handful of complaints, "Patient 0" was fantastic, but it lacked the distinct, memorable sections that every song on "23" had, resulting in a debut album where many songs seem to blend together. "Embodiment", interestingly enough, actually sounds like the natural succession to "23", showing a return to form from Enterprise Earth and making "Patient 0" seem almost out of place as if it were an experimental project or a diversion from the classic Enterprise Earth sound. Essentially it almost seems like the influence from "23" skips over "Patient 0" and finds itself embedded in "Embodiment". It's nearly impossible currently to determine which full length record is the best album by Enterprise Earth, as each one has unique features and qualities that I truly admire, but it definitely is interesting to have another Enterprise Earth release that features an expanded sound and overall composition of the classic EP, "23".
Lastly, I want to reiterate that I still really enjoy "Patient 0", and actually, at times I enjoy riffs and even tracks heard on the debut full length, like "Shallow Breath", more than "Embodiment", but hearing the natural succession to "23" is a great feeling and results in yet another sensational Enterprise Earth release. "Embodiment" keeps your attention on the material focused and unwavering from start to finish, resulting in a truly enjoyable full length record. I have very few complaints about this record, as it represents everything I hoped to see in a new Enterprise Earth release. Overall, I give "Embodiment" a 9.0/10, and have attached the full stream of the album below for you to listen to! The release is not only one of the best deathcore albums of this year, which is saying something as a plethora of phenomenal deathcore albums have already surfaced before 2017's halfway point, but it should also earn a spot on our Albums of the Year list come late December. Definitely give this album, and later releases, from Enterprise Earth a listen and stay tuned for more metal content due out very soon! Also check back in soon as I will be posting reviews for both "Patient 0" and the EP, "23"!
"Embodiment":
Breaking News: Oceano Announce New Album "Revelation"
April 14, 2017 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged 2015, 2017, adam warren, album, album of the year, album review, aoty, ascendants, axe fx 2, cattle decapitation, chicago, death metal, deathcore, earache records, full length, music, oceano, revelation, sumerian records, the anthropocene extinction, the great tribulation, vinyl	| 1 Comment
Chicago based deathcore giants, Oceano, are back with a new album for 2017! The 5th full length album, titled Revelation", for the Adam Warren headed band will be released May 19th and will be the first release on their new label Sumerian Records (Oceano has released all previous material through Earache Records)!
For those who have read Erik's Album Reviews for the last few months, you will remember that the album we deemed as the absolute best record of 2015 was actually Oceano's "Ascendants", which beat out Cattle Decapitation's "The Anthropocene Exctinction" for the number 1 spot. Not only did "Ascendants" feature beautiful artwork and the best material Oceano had ever written as a band, but it also served as a pivotal landmark in deathcore history, as the use of mind numbingly heavy riffs with eerie leads played through an Axe FX 2 system along with Adam Warren's impossibly low harsh vocals, which seem to be taken straight out of the Mariana Trench, have created a unique sound and song structure that have influenced countless modern deathcore bands.
The first single off "Revelation" is "The Great Tribulation" and it is everything I hoped the new Oceano album would be. Based off the album artwork, which is equally as gorgeous as "Ascendants'", and the first track attached below, it appears that "Revelation" will be a continuation of the "Ascendants" era with some slight changes. For example, it appears that production quality has gone up since the groundbreaking 2015 full length album (which might be due to the fact that Sumerian might have higher production quality standards for their releases) and the songwriting is slightly heavier and puts the impactful, breakdown filled verses and Warren's impeccable low screams at the forefront of each performance. After only one single, I'm 99.99% this new Oceano album will also be one of the best releases heard all year and will be a strong contender for best Oceano release of all time!
Being a massive Oceano fan myself, I can guarantee I will post a ton about "Revelation" both before and after it is released on May 19th. Also, thanks to Sumerian Records, I can now finally own an Oceano album on vinyl! If you would also like to pick up a copy, I've attached the link below to the merchandise store. Give "The Great Tribulation" a listen below, check out our 2015 album of the year list, and pre-order a copy of what might be the best album of 2017 below!
Erik's Album Reviews' 2015 Album of the Year List:
https://eriksalbumreviews.wordpress.com/2016/09/26/2015-albums-and-eps-of-the-year/
Oceano Vinyl (FINALLY!):
"The Great Tribulation":
Track of the Day Tuesday: FLA.MINGO Depression Drive
February 7, 2017 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged 2017, album, album review, business, business casual, casual, depression drive, edm, fantasy, fla.mingo, house, minnesota, music, plundering, plunderphonics, porter robinson, record, seven lions, track of the day, track of the day tuesday, vaporwave	| Leave a comment
This week, the track you need to give a listen to is "Depression Drive" by the vaporwave artist, Fla.mingo. Fla.mingo's album "Fantasy" was the first release of 2017 for Business Casual and I already know that it will be one of the greatest vaporwave albums of the year. I'm not very familiar with Fla.mingo's music, but based off "Fantasy", it appears that he mixes both vaporwave/plunderphonics influences with house/EDM influences. In fact, when listening to his music I instantly think about how some of the synths and vocal samples remind me of Porter Robinson and his two phenomenal full length records. Combining both my love for vaporwave and EDM, I guarantee I'll become a huge fan of Fla.mingo as I begin to check out more of his material.
"Depression Drive" is a great place to start when first listening to "Fantasy". It has a looping synth very similar to Porter Robinson, Minnesota, Seven Lions, and other notable EDM acts, while also incorporating a pitch shifted vocal track that compliments the rest of the track beautifully. "Depression Drive" also has a simple, repetitive beat that gives the song a club/House vibe, which further makes the track even more addictive. "Depression Drive" is a song you absolutely have to listen to today! I've attached the entire bandcamp stream of the album below for those who want to give "Fantasy" a listen. "Depression Drive" is track number 5, but I highly doubt you'll be able to listen to only one song, as the entire release is phenomenal. I look forward to seeing what else Fla.mingo has in store for us in the future and of course let us know what track you think should be the "Track of the Day Tuesday" next week!
Breaking News: Business Casual Announces the First Few Releases of 2017
December 31, 2016 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged 2017, album, album of the year, album review, BIZBOX, BIZBOX 4, business casual, caffeine, chill, fantasy, fla.mingo, music, overflo, promise, r-rodd, record, vaporwave	| Leave a comment
Yesterday, prominent vaporwave record label, Business Casual, officially announced the first few releases scheduled for 2017! Through their twitter page Business Casual announced four records that will all be released in January, starting as early as next week! The first release of 2017 will be BIZBOX 4 "Chill", which is a project I am extremely excited to hear! For those familiar with Business Casual, you will know that the label runs a bi-monthly release where a selected album, or multiple albums, are sold in a cassette bundle with random tapes of previous Business Casual releases. This project is a fan favorite, and after buying a copy of BIZBOX 3, I can without a doubt say that these label specific release projects are phenomenal and are something I now look forward to! Following the release of BIZBOX 4, Business Casual plans to release "Fantasy" by Fla.mingo and "Caffeine" by R-RODD. I personally am unfamiliar with either of these artists' material, but just from looking at the aesthetic of the album artworks shown, I assume that at least one of the upcoming projects will feature a sound somewhat similar to future-funk. Regardless of their genre, I definitely plan on checking out these records due out in the next few weeks! Finally, the last announced January 2017 release is actually a cassette release for STAQQ OVERFLO's "Promise". "Promise", which was actually last month, is a very successful album that has found its way on to numerous AOTY lists recently. I personally plan on giving it a listen before I finalize my album of the year list, and you should too! All of these releases will be sold on cassette as well through Business Casual's website!
Business Casual is one of the leading labels in the vaporwave genre and their massive catalog of releases have helped shape the future of vaporwave itself. If you still haven't checked out any projects associated with Business Casual, I highly suggest you visit the label's site, especially since all of their albums are available for free download! I'm very excited to see what's in store for Business Casual, and these 4 projects should definitely be a solid start to a successful year for Business Casual! Check out the list of scheduled releases below, visit the label's page, and be sure to come back often for more vaporwave related news, reviews, and content!
BIZBOX 4 "Chill": 1/6
Fla.mingo – "Fantasy": 1/13
R-RODD – "Caffeine": 1/20
STAWW OVERFLO – "Promise": 1/27
Business Casual website:
http://music.businesscasual.biz/music
December 31, 2016 by ERIK'S ALBUM REVIEWS	tagged 131, a night in texas, a seat at the table, abbath, album, album of the year, album ratings, album review, angelmaker, aoty, black metal, deathcore, deftones, electronic, emarosa, exodus, experimental, experimental rap, experimental rock, fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide, gore, hodgy, indie, indie rock, metal, metalcore, music, norma jean, nu metal, phantogram, polar similar, post hardcore, rap, shokran, solange, split, split EP, the thursday ten, the well-intentioned virus, three, zao	| Leave a comment
Even though we are a little late with posting this, here is this week's "The Thursday Ten"! This segment has been very rewarding to write this year and we're glad to see that our viewers enjoyed reading these installments as much as we did with writing them! This post is actually the last "The Thursday Ten" for all of 2016. It's amazing to see how many albums we gave ratings to this year and the staff here at Erik's Album Reviews can't wait to see what albums will make it onto "The Thursday Ten" next year! Once again thank you for support and we will be back with more installments to "The Thursday Ten" next year!
Deftones – Gore: 6/10
Shokran – Exodus: 8/10
Abbath – Abbath: 7/10
Phantogram – Three: 6/10
Zao – The Well-Intentioned Virus: 9/10
Solange – A Seat At The Table: 8/10
Norma Jean – Polar Similar: 8/10
Emarosa – 131: 9/10
Angelmaker/A Night In Texas – Split EP: 8/10
Hodgy – Fireplace – TheNotTheOtherSide: 8/10