CD Review: Comeback Kid – Symptoms + Cures
August 22nd, 2010 Filed under: Made In Canada, Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Comeback Kid
Symptoms + Cures
Victory Records
The boys in Comeback Kid claim to have really grown into their new shoes during the crafting of Symptoms + Cures, the second CBK album to feature Andrew Neufeld on lead vocals after the departure of Scott Wade. This claim can absolutely be verified; the shoes are full and furiously kicking. This record is steeped in grit never before heard in the annals of the band. Even the more melodic parts are layered with the gravel of Neufeld’s voice, giving them raw power. Musically, this is still a CBK record, but with the tech knob cranked up a bit. Indicative of this is the quick pick guitar-ism found in songs like “Crooked Floors”. The guitar mix really brings this element to life as well; they cut like six-stringed cheese knives through a room temperature hunk of havarti.
Another addition to the ever-evolving sound of CBK is the inclusion of some very “rock” sounding riffs, like in the song “Balance”. There is a definite polish to the album that sets it a little to the right of straight-line hardcore. There’s even a guitar solo on “Manifest”! The title track for the album veers in from a very different direction with a long, hard-panned guitar intro soaked in a little verb. It is ominous and misleading, the harbinger of an unexpected tempo jump into a driving bar chord movement with lead lines reminiscent of hits from the 80’s. “Get Alone” drones in from the depths and enters the audible atmosphere with distant voices earnestly repeating the words that name the song.
Though the record is still chock-full of the gang vocals and breakdowns that embody the modern hardcore signature, many of the tracks on Symptoms + Cures offer some fresh ideas for the genre that set Comeback Kid honourably aside.
Symptoms + Cures is in stores August 31st
By ninjoelspy
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Four Year Strong – Enemy of The World
March 23rd, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Four Year Strong
Enemy of The World
Universal Music Group
Opening track, “It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong”, sets the pace for this record as a high velocity, good-natured, comedic yet inspirational pop-punk-punch-in-the-face. In a world where punk went the way of the wuss, so much so that poppy emo-punk and fruity loops crunk-core took over the Warped Tour, frustrated punk bands are now forced to berate crowds full of dumbfounded kids with shitty haircuts who just don’t connect with the real grit of the old world punk. Four Year Strong are bridging this gap a bit by infusing the melody most kids are into with some heavier and more technical dueling rhythmic guitar work. They have brought with them a posi-core passion that targets with precision the hearts of otherwise shallow and confused kids who need something larger and purer than momma’s boys making generic beats on their laptops and whining about high school house party social politics.
The riffs on this record are huge, the lyrics potent and straight forward. And while much of the content is nothing groundbreaking to the ears of the jazz snob, the shredding virtuoso, or the elated poet, the band brings their mix to the table without shame, remorse our apology. You can tell they are really behind it, that they are doing what they like and not what they think other people will like. The deeper you wade into the album the more exciting it gets, rife with battle cries and the sound of many hands and voices united in songs of righteous victory. This record is not recommended for the futilely cynical or judgmental metal or punk/hardcore purists.
If you have an open mind and heart, and a taste for spin kicking invisible enemies in the face with your war smile on, this record is for you. I would name a few more notable tracks, but they’ve all got the recipe down pat.
This album stands as a whole, from front to back, and side to fucking side. (PS Go see them live…)
By ninjoelspy
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Whitey – The West of Hope
March 22nd, 2010 Filed under: Made In Canada, Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Whitey
The West of Hope
Indie
Whitey is a tale of strange and wonderful origin. First off, they are not a bunch of weirdo white supremacists. They got their band name growing up in Chilliwack, BC amongst a predominantly Native population. They got called Whitey because that’s what they were, a little white blob of minority making ska-party-punk like nobody’s business. The West of Hope is their third release, and they’ve traversed such a long and diverse musical road that some may not even recognize them as the same kids they once were.
This record is an infusion of Latin and Caribbean grooves, laid thick and solid by Drummer Paul Clark, with the funk knob cranked. The key-sauce ingredients provided by Pianist Bryce Bennett give this record a one up on past releases with a myriad of multicultural soundscapes. Opening track Funkminister is horn laden sex funk that makes panties squirm all over the dance floor. Fellas, make sure to lie, tell the ladies that the half a chub you’re sporting is for them and not the sexy tunes. Need the 101 on sex with sound? Check out Makin’ Good, featuring MC Fresh Logic. “Music is better than her love…” That’s the level of commitment Whitey has to making sweet, sweet musical love.
They have a raging, trumpeting, tromboner that will fuck the shit out of your ears courtesy of horn tooters Cole Graham (Trumpet) and Micheal Kayser (Trombone). The West of Hope is a big tasty layer cake of vocals. Between dueling front men Joe Matheson and Colin Watchorn baking the goods, Fresh Logic pastes in tasty tongue twisting fudge filler and the horn players’ backups ice the cake. There’s always something new coming from the great white mouth for the funk hungry masses, like a sexy 6-headed mama bird barfing up delicious sustenance for her hungry hatchlings.
Make sure to get versed in multilingualism, Whitey are speaking in tongues on this album like a bunch of religious fanatics ranting about the message of musical love in a frothy mouthed fervor.
By ninjoelspy
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Shinobi Ninja – Brooklyn to Babylon
March 20th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Shinobi Ninja
Brooklyn to Babylon
Indie
Hailing from New York, Shinobi Ninja brings an interesting smorgasbord to the table of music. The title track kicks off their debut Brooklyn To Babylon with a full band, reggae party, melodic hip-hop track that aims to get crowds bouncing. They call for the women’s panties of the world! They shout out to their homies and ladies! It seems like the type of track that could get the alcohol thinned blood of a dance floor full of clubbers going, but hearing it on the disc could very well boil the thick blood of a musical purist. There is something that seems a bit too contrived and typical about their jargon. But they are clearly comfortable in their shoes and boots, and they trudge on. They sound like Rage Against The Machine would have if they stopped raging against the machine and decided to party like superstars getting stoned with Scott Weiland and his temple pilots.
Their grooves are good, and the inclusion of a harder edged punk guitar on top of party beats is refreshing. But they strike the judges like a skinny kid gangsta in a psychedelic bedroom lashing out at momma. The second track “NAH NAH” is just that, the childhood memory of taunting belies the otherwise dark beat with a whiny discord. The guitars get heavier on Jump To This, another great party track for a dance floor under attack my headbangers. STOP! is brazenly punk influenced. It really gives the band an edge and gives the record a refreshing dynamic. But the innards of the song are slow and atmospheric, and the STOP! hook is under used. The Rain is a sludgy hip-hop soup thick with guitar, and a solid chorus to match. Back In The Daze pays homage to the old ways, before the 90’s got shitty. The punk meets hip-hop fusion here is a solid reminder of what rap rock could have been had Fred Durst never sucked the wicked out of it.
It seems like the record could include more of female vocalist Baby Girl, who adds a lot with her melodies. She finally gets a full feature at the end of the record for the Superstar Remix but the producers used that fucking auto-tune “Cher Effect” on her voice, lumping the band in with every other canned pop conformist. You would think that after “Dick In A Box” jumped on the auto-tune train people would wise up and stop using that garbage.
All things said, I applaud Shinobi Ninja for doing a decent job of reggae rap rock and taking some stylistic mixing risks that could potentially crush a career. Be brave, Shinobi, be brave and clever, or the music industry Daimyo will crush your rebellion.
By ninjoelspy
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
AbortCast #118: Serj Tankian – The ABORT Interview (Issue 16 Preview)
March 14th, 2010 Filed under: AbortCast: Interview Podcasts, Exclusive! by admin
(Photo – Erik Weiss)
Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and outspoken activist Serj Tankian known for his vocal ferocity as frontman for System of a Down, has had a successful and unique solo career. As the intrigue intensifies, so does his thought-provoking musical expansion. Next up – the release of his recent collaboration with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, which was filmed for the Elect the Dead Symphony CD/DVD (in stores now) and a recently announced string of US and European dates which are about to launch.
On assignment for ABORT Magazine, Ninjaspy vocalist/guitarist Joel “ninjoelspy” Parent went one on one with Serj for this candid interview to discuss the new album, animal rights and a black metal choir?. Click play to find out.
Hosted and Written by ninjoelspy
Produced by E.S. Day
“The Unthinking Majority” Written and performed by Serj Tankian (Courtesy of Serjical Strike/Reprise)
READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW IN ISSUE 16 OF ABORT – Spring, 2010
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Recorders Exclusively.
Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Fear Factory – Mechanize
February 18th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Fear Factory
Mechanize
Candlelight
Do not be misled. The factory is still churning out mighty, meaty metal from its grinders. Still pumping out products to disassemble the social (or anti-social) machine in which we live. The opening title track on the latest from Fear Factory, Mechanize, creeps in with the classic, glitchy, mechanical din that portends the coming of the crushing machinery of FF riffage. It is reminiscent of our beloved factory past, and brings back the excitement and anticipation of the live show, which never disappoints or fails to make people lose their minds. Fear Factory has wisely chosen to stick with the formula that has ultimately worked for them, not unlike the other elite few metal bands that have stood the test of time by sticking to their guns. If anything, the boys of the metal proletariat have made their craft heavier still, without losing the poignant interspersed melody that gives the band their winning dynamic.
Declarations of fear mongering spatter this record like blood thrown by the moving parts of an uncontrollable machine rolling down a hill destroying everyone in its path. Fear Campaign illustrates this perfectly, proclaiming in a final scream, “FEAR IS YOUR GOD”. This is followed by the powerfully hopeful Powershifter, which invites people to incite a raging respite against authority. This song comes complete with a melodic break that, if it weren’t so rife with industrial sonic goop, could be a heart-moving ballad. It is perfect the way it is. Pile on that goop.
Moving forward with their classic kick synced to palm-muted guitar riffs pulverizing dry earth crust under a synthesized sky, Fear Factory deliver right to the very end of this record. They cap it all off with the epic and moving Final Exit, which leans toward a mellower and more pensive vibe of acknowledgement and acquiescence to the state of things, without losing the sense of self-empowerment and indignation that has made Fear Factory an effective musical force for so many years.
By Ninjoelspy
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
AbortCast #98: STATIC X…The ABORT Interview
February 5th, 2009 Filed under: AbortCast: Interview Podcasts, Exclusive! by admin
(Photo – Rachel Bertrand | ABORT)
Ninjaspy’s prolific frontman ninjoelspy, dropped by the ABORT offices to chat with Wayne Static of Static X. The gents discuss Wayne ‘s latest custom guitar for ESP and the bands upcoming tour, as they prepare to release their latest album “Cult of Static”.
Hosted By ninjoelspy | Ninjaspy.net
CULT OF STATIC IN STORES MARCH 17
(“Stingwray” written and performed by Static-X, courtesy of Reprise/Warner)
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Copyright © 2004-2009 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
AbortCast #90: ABORTED – The ABORT Interview (…it was bound to happen)
September 29th, 2008 Filed under: AbortCast: Interview Podcasts, Exclusive! by admin
(Photo - Jordana Meilleur)
ABORT’s Celeb interviewer Ninjaspy’s Joel Parent, decides to take on Sven from ABORTED to get the 411 on the band’s current Century Media Release “Strychnine 213″, the theory behind the intricate titles and of course…murder.
Hosted by ninjoelspy
Produced by E.S. Day
______________________
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Copyright © 2004-2008 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
