Where the hell do people come up with these genre names? No offense against The Browning since I'm sure they're not the only ones adding and removing information to their Wikipedia page, but couldn't there be a better way to describe this band other than a 'core' at the end of ever genre? Deathcore, grindcore, mathcore, hardcore, post-hardcore, crunkcore, nardcore (WTF?), metalcore, melodic metalcore, and now electronicore? I think from a marketing perspective that EDMetal sounds a little cooler? Eh? Eh? (That's right everyone, I'm also available for marketing endeavours haha)
Anyways, not making a fuss about the genre name since it means shit in the grand scheme of a band. Others might tell you different but whatever...make your own conclusions.
So moving forward I was at The Annex Wreckroom last Friday night where my cousin (thanks again Mark!) twisted my rubber arm into hitting up the Chimaira show. Weary at first since I have seen Chimaira well over 1/2 dozen times, but for $18, I doubt I was going to get a better deal for a show (Chimaira, Threat Signal, The Browning, Dark Sermon, and Dreamers). Little did I realize how blown away I was going to be with the performance of The Browning! Minutes after their performance, the merch tables flooded with new fans hoping to either grab an album or some of their t-shirt designs (which were pretty decent to boot).
Sound was top notch, the group was very in sync with each other, the EDM loops were crisp and clean, and even the light show has some great highlights during the set. I was very happy at this point that my cousin dragged me along to this show. It was one of those "I'm sorry for doubting you" kind of moments.
Even though the band gives the impression that they have a small targeted audience (aka teenagers and quarter life crisis folks), the crowd dynamics for the live show was vastly different. I saw ages from 15-45 headbanging like their was no tomorrow. I specifically remember a gentleman about 40 years old with long hair and goatee wearing a Behemoth shirt standing right in front of me. Thinking that this was way out of his league, him and his buddies ended up at the front (within the first 3 songs too mind you) of the stage just whipping their hair! Really made me think twice about capturing their audience.
So The Browning. Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri of all places the four piece group has won over fans in multiple genres with their unique blend of electronica, heavy metal, and straight up rock n roll. The project originally started out with lone frontman Johnny McBee quickly turned into a full time project. This also made it clear to Johnny that he would need to recruit members to the group.
The band started hard at work on their first single and released the music video for "Bloodlust" to promote the release of their debut album "Burn This World", which was released on October 3rd, 2011 via Earache Records.
After a few minor lineup changes and some relocations for the band (KC to Dallas), the group has finally settled on this lineup:
Jonny McBee - lead vocals, programming | Collin Woroniak - lead guitar
Drew Ellis - bass, rhythm guitar | Cody Stewart - drums
In what could be described as nothing short of 'adventurous,' THE BROWNING's music takes influences from all across the metal spectrum and heavily fuses them with hardstyle, trance and other areas of electronic music in a way that most metal acts would not dare attempt. The band pushes boundaries and pushes buttons. In short, when it comes to The Browning, TheNewReview.net put it best when they said "the soundtrack to the apocalypse has arrived." -The Browning (band bio)
1. No Escape
2. Not Alone
3. Bloodlust
4. Standing On the Edge
5. Burn This World
6. Ashamed
7. Living Dead
8. Forgotten
9. Time Will Tell
10. Tragedy of Perfection
11. Dominator
12. I Choose You
13. The Sadist
"Burn This World" was recorded at Random Awesome! Studios in Bay City, Michigan and was mixed by record producer Cameron Mizell. Cameron has worked with many notable rock and metal acts such as Memphis May Fire, Oceana, The Word Alive, Capture The Crown, A Bullet For Pretty Boy, Sleeping With Sirens, Palisades, and many more.
An album that I have been listening to for some time now but never thought it would resonate so strongly in their live performance. This is an ultimate go-to album for anyone looking for some beats at the gym. I know I say gym music quite often but this style of music can blend into many different occasions like children's birthday parties, funerals, weddings, etc. (haha)
I tend to have "Burn This World" as a regular in my playlist or at least a few of the songs from it. I will be the first to admit that the band and the album has some flaws. The vocals tend to be in the same range for the majority of the album, giving little indication of Johnny trying out new ideas for vocal dynamics. The other major flaw is the consistency of breakdowns. Since the EDM loops are a main focus of the songs, the guitar and bass suffer greatly. This leaves little room for both stringed members to show off skills related to their instrument. I like a breakdown as much as the next guy, but every song tab look like 0-0-00-00-0-0 doesn't make it too appealing. I'm sure as the band progresses you will start to see them venture out more into unknown territory. Either that or they may just burn along with this world.
So if this album was released in 2011, what are The Browning doing with themselves?
Well, besides the extensive amount of touring they have completed over the last two years, the group has also ventured back into the studio to make way for their sophomore album "Hypernova". Looking like they keep an eye on their timeline, the album is set to be released on October 1st, 2013 via (once again) Earache Records. It will be almost two years exactly since the release of "Burn This World".
And as the poster says, this fall will also see The Browning kicking off their headlining tour in promotion of the album. The tour will see support from This or the Apocalypse, Honour Crest, Tear Out The Heart and Myka,Relocate. No Canadian dates (since they JUST came through here) but the rest of the US dates are listed on their official Facebook page.
AFGM recommendations for "Burn This World" are:
Bloodlust | Standing On The Edge | Ashamed
Time Will Tell | Dominator
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