Full Album Stream: Volumes - Different Animals

So one of the new(er) sections I created was "Full Album Streams".  Not only did this gave folks something to listen to when they are cruising the site (being that the original intention of this site was to acts as a hub to explore), but also a chance for people to explore new artists, new genres, and new albums before deciding to purchase them (also from links on AFGM's site).

Full album streams seem to be a new fad that a lot of internet savvy people are jumping on.  It can be in the form of a Soundcloud widget, a YouTube playlist, or even a single YouTube video.  This often gives record labels a chance to promote new artists and for people to subscribe to their social media pages.  So hopefully this provides you access to some new music, bands, and/or artists.  Cheers!

PS - Feel free to send us an email if you have any albums you think you should be on this list or a new one coming out we missed.  We're always listening!

(Artwork by AFGM.  Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Hailing from Los Angeles, California, the six piece djent metal band Volumes has made great success with Mediaskare Records since their debut EP in 2009, titled The Concept of Dreaming.  Their blend of djent, rap, and funk give this group some versatility through their past two albums, Via, and No Sleep.  The group is known for its bouncy riffs, and catchy melody hooks.

The group had a slight change up in vocals, but for the past few years, the lineup has been:

Gus Farias – Vocals | Diego Farias – Guitar, keyboards | Raad Soudani – Bass

Nick Ursich – Drums | Myke Terry - Vocals

Different Animals was released on June 9th, 2017 via (newly inked) Fearless Records.  The album was produced by Brandon Paddock and Diego Farias.

(Album artwork is courtesy of Volumes and Fearless Records)

1. Waves Control
2. Finite
3. Feels Good*
4. Disaster Vehicle
5. Pieces
6. Interlude
7. Hope
8. Tide's Change
9. On Her Mind (ft. Pouya)*
10. Heavy Silence
11. Pullin' Shades*
12. Left for Dead

(* = AFGM Recommendations)

"That’s exactly what you get with the second and second-to-last tracks, with Terry’s vocals bouncing off buoyant hip hop production. “Finite” and “Pullin’ Shades” are two of Volumes’ best tracks to date and push their sound to new and more adventurous territory. The djent/prog metalcore undertone and groove is still there, but these songs are smooth, silky numbers first and foremost. I hesitate to call it urban metalcore because that gives the notion that this is nu nu-metal…" -New Noise Magazine



"I wouldn’t say this is a themed album, so much as it’s really well-balanced. Every song compliments the others without being filler, and they don’t jam all the heavy or all the tearful together. My only gripe would be that they end the album one song late – “Pullin’ Shades” is an incredible album finisher, but then we get another, perfectly acceptable “metal” track to round out the album." -Heavy Mag

Art of Anarchy - The Madness

When the music world lost Scott Weiland, he left behind lots of great memories, and also some fellow musicians that still had the urge to continue on with their music endeavors.  While most people would list Stone Temple Pilots or Velvet Revolver as the first choices for this void, I was referring to his loosely associated band Art of Anarchy.  Now, let's be real, Scott didn't invest much time and effort into this band, despite the lineup having some fame with GnR's Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal or Disturbed's John Moyer.  Once hearing the band put out their debut album, I was very impressed with both the production and the musicianship.  The vocal were obviously awesome, but the band definitely had a good sound going.

So after the untimely death of Scott, the band was left with yet another void to fill.  It's almost uncanny they hired another 90's hit maker, and a singer with his own personal issues to work out.  In a shock to the music world, Creed's Scott Stapp had come out of hiding (after his series of drug abuse and counselling session) and stepped up to the plate.  This was a different dynamic for Scott to work with.  It was heavier, faster, and more along the lines of metal.  I guess that's interesting on how the other members of Creed formed an equally heavier band called Alter Bridge.


(Photo courtesy of Century Media Records)

Anyways, Art of Anarchy came roaring back with their new singer, and a new album.  I was over impressed with the compatibility of the members.  While Scott's voice was recognizable, Scott's deep voice complimented the sound of the band, and can be heard throughout the first few tracks such as "No Surrender", and "The Madness".  Keep in mind that they can definitely keep the ballads coming as well, such as "Let You Down".



While I have always been a Scott fan since his "Human Clay" days, I really hope that Scott continues on with Art of Anarchy.  I think it's a great fit for him, and the band has sounded better than ever (there are a few shredding moments throughout the album that are fantastic).  It also seems like a great mutual benefit for all parties as well; Scott gets to continue making music like he always has, as well as his name bringing a slew of fans and some popularity.

"The Madness" was released on March 24th, 2017 via Century Media Records.

(Album artwork courtesy of Century Media)

1. Echo of a Scream
2. 1000 Degrees
3. No Surrender
4. The Madness
5. Won't Let You Down
6. Changed Man
7. A Light in Me
8. Somber
9. Dancing with the Devil
10. Afterburn

Full Album Stream: Born of Osiris - The Eternal Reign

The "Full Album Streams" section of this blog not only gave folks something to listen to when they are cruising the site (being that the original intention of this site was to act as a hub to explore), but also a chance for you all to explore new artists, new genres, and new albums before deciding to purchase them (also from links on AFGM's site).

Full album streams seem to be a fad that a lot of internet savvy people are jumping on.  It can be in the form of a Soundcloud widget, a YouTube playlist, or even a single YouTube video.  This often gives record labels a chance to promote new artists and for people to subscribe to their social media pages.  So hopefully this provides you access to some new music, bands, and/or artists.  Cheers!

PS - Feel free to send us an email if you have any albums you think you should be on this list or a new one coming out we missed.  We're always listening!

(Artwork by AFGM.  Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Born of Osiris is a five piece group hailing from Palatine, Illinois.  The group has put out four LPs, and now two EPs under the current BOO moniker.  While this was expected to be B-sides and rarities (like most bands do for rehashing old material), Born of Osiris took a different path by re-recording their debut EP, adding a new track, and played it in it's entirety during their early 2017 tour.

On Feb. 24, Born of Osiris will release The Eternal Reign, which is a completely re-recorded and re-envisioned version of The New Reign. The release also includes a brand new song titled "Glorious Day". The track, which is available for your listening pleasure, was one of their first originally written for The New Reign, but it didn't make the cut. -AXS

"The Eternal Reign" was released on February 24th, 2017 via Sumerian Records.  The album was produced by Nick Sampson, who has also worked with bands such as Erra, Miss May I, We Came As Romans, Asking Alexandria, and many more!  For this EP, the group consists of:

Ronnie Canizaro - Vocals | Joe Buras - Vocals/Keyboards/Synth

Lee McKinney - Guitars | David Darocha - Bass | Cameron Losch - Drums

(Album artwork courtesy of Sumerian Records)

1. Rosecrance
2. Empires Erased
3. Open Arms to Damnation
4. Abstract Art
5. The New Reign
6. Brace Legs
7. Bow Down
8. The Takeover
9. Glorious Day


Wrapped and topped with a big bow for their die-hard faithful, The Eternal Reign improves upon the debut with polished production that results in a sharper, more punishing attack. While the original sounded like the band was trapped inside a thick fog, the 2017 update reveals more range to the Osiris spectrum. -All Music

Eighteen Visions - XVIII

Not long long ago, back in 2004, I was absolutely cranking this new album called "Obsession" in my home, my old man's car, and on my headphones to and from school.  While this was Eighteen Visions' third album on a major label, this was my first album with them.  I saturated it like a sponge, much like everything when you're 17 years old.

Well as luck would have it, they jumped on a major tour across Canada/US alongside 36 Crazyfists, From Autumn To Ashes, and Killswitch Engage.  It was almost guaranteed to be both one amazing show, and a high grossing tour for all the bands.  Jumping into a car with three of my buddies, we booked it down the highway to London, ON to The Drink Nightclub to watch the chaos unfold.  Eighteen Visions didn't have the pull like the headliners obviously did, but damn did they sound great in their signature black dress attire.

(Photo courtesy of Travis Shinn)

After another partially successful self-titled album in 2004, Eighteen Vision decided to call it quits and move onto solo projects.  I casually followed James when he was doing Burn Halo albums, but at that point my music tastes exploded, and was onto other bands.

However, when I hear that Eighteen Visions decided to 'get the ol gang back together', I will admit I was a bit hesitant.  Not that I didn't have faith they could make music again, but if their age got the best of them, only to cash in on a  little notoriety if you will.  So after a few months of waiting, I finally sat down and listened to "XVIII", the return of 18V.  I was not only happy to hear the return, but daaaammmnnn they kept it heavy!  Tracks such as "Live Again" and "Oath" bring the down-tuned screamo back full circle, just like they did for "Tower of Snakes".



The guys have really hit their mark with their return to the music scene after ten years of bands coming and going.  James' vocals are on point for both pitch and storytelling.  They album cover, the music videos, and the sound are bringing back that black signature look of the band.  It's almost as if they had nothing left to lose when making this new album and just went back to what they knew.  I give them great kudos for this, as this album has been spinning more times than my roommates care to hear. haha

"XVIII" was released on June 2nd, 2017 via [newly inked relationship] Rise Records.

(Album artwork courtesy of coreradio.ru)

1. Crucified
2. The Disease, The Decline, The Wasted Time
3. Underneath My Gun
4. Live Again
5. Laid To Waste In The Shit Of Man
6. Oath
7. Spit
8. Picture Perfect
9. Fake Leather Jacket
10. For This I Sacrifice

Accessing Concert Information / 3 Doors Down Review (March 18th, 2017)

I think access to information is a good thing.

Let me elaborate this and give back ground.  My girlfriend and I were knocking another amazing band off the bucket a few Saturday nights ago.  I recalled many conversations in the past with music fans about the amount of access you can get either with the band (aka social media) or the tour information, such as who's the opening act, what time are the sets, and what songs they will likely be playing.  A fair amount of people I had this discussion with generally like the element of surprise when it comes to their favourite bands.  And who could argue?  Who doesn't want a touch of magic to sprinkle on the evening when some of your favouite bands grace the stage.  So the reason I find a lot of this information is useful is not for the sake of knowledge, but can sometimes be beneficial to your evening.

 

(*No photo pass for this concert, so my girlfriend snapped a few shots from her phone.*)

Take this night for example.  A date night filled with delicious food, drink, and sights to view.  While the night was ultimately reserved for the boys in 3 Doors Down, we read on our tickets that the show as going to be playing until almost 2am.  That had me constantly looking for information to support this theory that they weren't on stage till later in the evening.  I have had many encounters where we get in early for bands, and subjected to 3, 4, 5 opening acts.  One would argue that's all icing on the cake, but sometimes i can be very time consuming for the evening, especially when you have no interest in the opening acts.  Sorry to say it music lovers, but even opening acts can get a little stale at times.

So going back to the show, we decided to forego the hockey game we had planned prior to the concert, simply because we couldn't understand why 3DD was going on so late in the night.  Turns out it was for a good reason.  I have found that if you are having a hard time finding information on the ticket sales site or the official venue website, social media is a great place to find some of that necessary information you might need.  After scouring multiple event pages and official websites, we saw that the show was starting at 8:30pm SHARP.  With finally finding out there was no other opening acts except the one listed on the page, we knew this show would not be running till the 2am time like on the tickets we ordered.


(*No photo pass for this concert, so my girlfriend snapped a few shots from her phone.*)

Thankfully we managed to find out this information on our phones as we're having a drink across the street.  Bill paid, coats on, and across the street juuuust in time to catch the fourth song of their set.  While we were still late to the game, it could have been a lot worse had we followed the information on our tickets.

So what was the reason for this post?  Well, to explain that this information you can find online is a double edge sword.  I completely understand the need to keep things suspenseful, but can also help if you are in a bind.  Places such as Facebook, Twitter, and Setlist.fm serve as great tools for information that you may or may not need.  Use at your own discretion.


(*No photo pass for this concert, so my girlfriend snapped a few shots from her phone.*)

As for the concert itself.  I turned to my girlfriend, and said to her "you can tell these guys have been playing together for many years", as the sound, timing, tone, and interaction were all top notch.  Not necessarily going down in the books as one of the most amazing, but damn did they hold their own.  The venue, The Palace Theater, was also a great venue for this show.  The intimacy felt like it was a big family all waiting around to sing songs together.  The acoustics were great, and got a first hand view of the sound guy doing his thing as we hung around the sound board.  I mean, where else in the venue are you going to hear the show the way it was tweaked to be?!

 I got to relive a lot of songs I sang in my youth ("Kryptonite", "Here Without You", "When I'm Gone", etc.), and came to many point where fans were drowning out the band from singing.  That always makes me feel like it was a successful evening.  The energy and happiness in that place couldn't be more apparent!