Suicide Silence "Suicide Silence" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 1/5 Stars

I've never listened to Suicide Silence before this album, and I didn't think I ever would. Deathcore is not my style. In fact, I hate it, which is why I will never review an album of that style. I have a personal bias against it, so there's no why I could give any album of this genre a fair analysis. But I understand why people might like this group. They have had two objectively talented unclean vocalists, who do an impressive job with their screaming abilities. On their older material, it feels structurally well put together, with some great drum work and superb guitar work (in my opinion, the guitar work is the highlight of this band). But, still, I would never listen to this band in my free time; I just listened to their older work to get some context into the crazy controversy surrounding this new release. And yes, the band has never done clean vocals before. That is certainly a big part of why fans are mad. But I'm going to argue that that is not the only reason. With the exception of one, possibly two tracks, this new release by Suicide Silence is a pure cringe compilation of "songs", with hardly anything redeemable in their attempts to do what I can only describe as art/nu metal.

Let's talk about the two good tracks (with one of them being merely passable). The one track I will say I did actually enjoy was "Don't Be Careful, You Might Hurt Yourself". This song is intense in all the right ways. The guitar work is gritty, the drum work is interesting, and lead vocalist Eddie Hermida's anger comes across very well as he addresses this person who has hurt him in the past. The song ends on a surprisingly soft note with some bizarre whistling and electronic effects, but it makes the track feel effectively unsettling. The other track to talk about is "Doris". I'm not so sure if this track is good, but it does at least feel like it has some semblance of a song structure. The guitar work in this song shines, and the parts where Eddie is screaming are actually pretty good. It's only when the clean vocals come into this song that it falters. The chorus is absolutely bizarre, with Eddie taking on this falsetto tone that just doesn't work. I can understand why this song had so much controversy surrounding it, but it still isn't nearly as insulting as the rest of the tracks on this album.

It's sad when you can only point to one song on an album that you actually enjoy. The rest of these songs are either mediocre or painful. Unfortunately, most songs fit into the latter category. I'll discuss the mediocre ones first, as there is not much to say about them. One of those songs is "Conformity", which is a fitting song title. This song replicates the style of Stone Sour in an almost insulting way. Literally any Stone Sour song is superior to this track. It is not memorable in any way. At nearly six minutes long, it meanders on way too long. Perhaps if it was at three to four minutes, the song could have been a little better. But as it is, Hermida's clean vocals are not special at all, as he sounds incredibly bored on the song and has no vocal variation at all. The guitar and drum work also goes all over the place in an attempt to sound artsy, I suppose, but it doesn't work. "Run" has some potential in its beginning half, but later on it suffers from the same problems that "Conformity" does. It might actually be more boring, and it's actually shorter than the aforementioned song. "Run" clearly wants to imitate Korn, but much like SS tried to imitate Stone Sour, it falls embarrassingly short. "Listen" has a great instrumental beginning, but it too dissolves into meandering mediocrity and loses any steam it had.

Talking about any of the other songs on this album fills me with dread. "Silence" is what I guess is the title track. But it is just awful. This song clearly has some Deftones inspiration with it, and it does NOT go over well. Something I'll be mentioning over and over for the awful songs is how they feel more like demo tracks than complete tracks. This song is a perfect example of that, as it feels like Hermida can't decide how to emote in both his unclean and especially clean vocals. I get the feeling that Suicide Silence were trying to have an artistic statement with this song, but I simply can't decipher what they were going for. The lyrics are cliched statements coming together trying and ultimately failing to create meaning: "War, berates us/The simplest heartbeat connects us/Rivers are flowing to the ocean/I will meet you at the bottom". That is one of numerous examples of SS trying to be lyrically deep but falling very short. Easily the worst song appears in "Hold Me Up, Hold Me Down". This is probably the hardest song on the album, the one that comes closest to the deathcore style. But I can't imagine even a deathcore fan enjoying this. I was listening to this song on Spotify, a streaming site that has consistently good audio quality. So, this song sounding bad was clearly not the fault of Spotify. I don't know how SS recorded this album, but it sounds like it was done in some sort of amateur way at one of the band member's parent's basements. It's awful on the ears; I could barely even get through the song, shouting "No, I refuse" at one moment because I was so mad while listening.  Hermida's screams sound painful here, which is surprising coming from a vocalist who clearly had talent as an unclean vocalist in previous albums. Maybe it's because of the aimless direction of this album that his screaming sounds so unbearable. The guitar work in this song often overpowers the vocals, so everything in the song becomes unnecessarily distorted. This is perhaps the best example of just how much the egregious audio production of this album destroys any potential listening enjoyment.

The awful songs continue with "The Zero", which is a track that imitates Slipknot in a sickening way. There is once again nothing redeemable about this song, with Hermida's clean vocals having noticeable voice cracks and sounding off tune in several instances. If this was only present on one song, I'd say it was purposeful, but these vocal errors appear on almost every song. If the band are wanting to permanently include clean vocals, then it is absolutely necessary for Hermida to get some vocal training; he needs it. This is even more apparent on "Dying in a Red Room", another track that I loathe in the most extreme way you can imagine. This was another track I struggled to even get through because of how horribly everything went together. The guitars sounded out of tune, the drum work was off-kilter, and Hermida's vocals were just going to all sorts of places that simply didn't make any logical sense. I struggle to even call tracks like this one and "Hold Me Up, Hold Me Down" legitimate songs. They sound more like a frightening amalgamation of senseless noises. I honestly think a preschooler could make a track with more sound song structure than many of the tracks on this album.

If you didn't get it already, I hate this album. It is certainly an early contender for Worst Album of the Year. I didn't think I'd find another song I hate more than Linkin Park's "Heavy", but Suicide Silence's "Hold Me Up, Hold Me Down" certainly gives that song a run for its money. Just don't listen to this album; you don't need to subject your or anyone else's ears to that type of torture. This album is overall a sickening insult to music, as many of the tracks here almost defy the concept of a song. This is a failure by Suicide Silence's part, and I am certain they will lose many fans. They will probably not gain many new ones, either.

Favorite Tracks: "Don't Be Careful, You Might Hurt Yourself", "Doris" (it's only passable)
Least Favorite Tracks: LITERALLY ANY OTHER TRACK ON THIS TRASHBAG OF AN ALBUM

Short Reviews #4

I've seen a few movies this year, and I've been hearing a LOT of new songs. I haven't had the chance to review them individually, so here are some compressed thoughts on each of them!

Movies

Moonlight
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Man, what a movie. I wish I could've seen this in 2016, as it most certainly would've been in my top 3 movies of the year. But at the very least, I am so glad I got the chance to see this movie. Words can't accurately describe what a powerful experience this movie is. It can  relate to everyone, as the main theme is trying to find identity in a dark world. Chiron is an easy protagonist to attach to, as he's a likeable character who is very human. We see him at three different points in his life, and we get to see his flaws and his strengths. It's really quite beautiful to see a person portrayed so honestly.  It also really helps that all three actors portraying him at his different life stages are all excellent. The real acting highlight goes to Mahershala Ali as Juan, also nicknamed "Blue" (when you watch the movie, you'll see why that nickname is so important). He embodies his character so believably, and even though this character too was not entirely perfect, I still felt for him. Ali was only in the movie for about 30-40 minutes, but he was very memorable. A lot of other things work about this movie: it is perfectly paced; I was invested in it for every second. The lighting in this movie is gorgeous, and the music always complements the mood. I can't recommend this movie enough, and I hope it gets plenty of Oscars, as it deserves them for sure.

Split
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

The more I think about this movie, the more I love it. I think M. Night is finally going to be back in audience and critics' good graces once again. "The Visit" started the director's return to form, but "Split" cemented his directing skills in delightful ways. This movie is one that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat, as it is a GREAT white-knuckled thriller. The way the movie is shot constantly makes you feel scared and uncomfortable. Of course, a lot of this is due to James McAvoy's dynamic performances; he may well have already given the best acting performance of 2017. McAvoy had quite the challenge to convince the audience that each of the personalities his character Kevin has are all distinct entities. It's hard enough to convincingly play one character, but to play about 7 different characters? It sounds nearly impossible. But McAvoy does it so well; I was entirely convinced he was playing different people, not just because of their different costumes, but more because he gave them big distinctions. My favorite personalities were the intriguing and menacing Patricia as well as the hilarious but also sympathetic Hedwig. Anja Taylor Joy also gives a great performance as the main character Casey. The audience knows something is different about her from the beginning of the movie, but are never sure why. M. Night cleverly unfolds her story in flashbacks throughout the movie in a way that feels natural. Betty Buckley also gives an interesting performance as Kevin's psychiatrist Dr. Karen Fletcher. One more thing that should be mentioned about the movie- there is quite the twist at the end that left me about as surprised as the twist of "The Sixth Sense". It doesn't make you entirely rethink the movie, but it will make you consider certain parts of the movie in different ways. The one flaw I found in this movie was the performance by the other two main girls, they just didn't contribute that much. Otherwise, M. Night Shamalyan is back, and I am hoping to see more great horror movies like this from him in the future!

The Lego Batman Movie
Rating: 4/5 Stars

After thoroughly loving "The Lego Movie" (heck it was one of my favorite movies of the year it came out), I was interested to see what the creators would do with the next movie. They certainly delivered with this delightful movie that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Let's talk about what is easily one of the best parts of this movie: the animation. This movie looks wonderful, and it is styled perfectly to make it look like the characters are in Gotham City. We see a lot of dark oranges and reds, along with a good amount of scenes taking place at night. All the characters look great too, with all of them feeling like more than just minifigures in the way that they're animated. Another great thing about this movie, is, of course, the jokes. This movie is essentially a Batman spoof in many ways, which is what audiences really needed after having so many different Batman movies over the years. The movie unrelentingly jokes about every Batman, putting a surprising but effectively large amount of emphasis on the campy 60s Batman TV show. In its light jabs at the Batman movies, it is also honoring them, too. The creators of this movie clearly have love for the Batman movies, as they make our man character likeable as well as three-dimensional. They don't shy away from addressing him losing his parents, as well as his desire to have another family. That's a brave topic to tackle in a movie like this, but the producers knew how to do it in a way that would be understandable to the younger audiences. All the voice acting in this movie is marvelous, especially Will Arnett's portrayal of Batman as well as Zach Galifinakis's delightfully unique portrayal of The Joker. The main negative of this movie (and it's not even that big of a problem) is that sometimes it can move just a little too fast, or there can be almost too many jokes packed in at one moment. Overall, though, this movie is great for the whole family, as people of all age groups can find something to enjoy about this!

Music

"After the Party" by the Mezingers (Album Review)
  Rating: 4/5 Stars

I don't normally go for the punk/rock genre, but there's something about The Mezingers' new album that is just irresistible. From start to finish this album is filled with catchy choruses, intense guitar riffs, great drum work, and some dynamic vocal work. There is no greater example of this than on the opening track and also best song of the album "Tellin' Lies". The opening guitar work is excellent, and as the song went on, I found myself instantly smiling and bobbing my head along with the song. This whole album has a theme of what to do when your young life is gone, and this song addresses that crisis perfectly as vocalist Greg Barnett keeps asking, "What are we gonna do now that our twenties are over?". The theme is addressed in both fun and serious ways throughout the whole album. Other highlights include "Midwestern States", which boasts the catchiest chorus on the album. "Bad Catholics" is a fun-sounding track that is actually bittersweet as Barnett is thinking about how him and this girl he used to love had to accept the realities of life and move away from their young and free state. "Thick as Thieves", "Your Wild Years", and the title track are all great as well. There are a few detractors to the album, such as the boring ending track "Livin' Ain't Easy", which addresses the album's central theme in the least compelling way. I also wasn't a particularly big fan of the meandering ballad "Lookers" or the sort of generic song "The Bars". But overall, this album is a fun, unabashed punk/rock listen. It goes to the basics, and it pays off magnificently for doing so. Definitely check this album out if you're just looking for a fun time.

Favorite Songs: "Tellin' Lies", "Bad Catholics", "Thick as Thieves", "After the Party", "Midwestern States", "Your Wild Years"
Least Favorite Songs: "Livin' Ain't Easy", "Lookers", "The Bars"

"Chained to the Rhythm" by Katy Perry (Track Review)
  Rating: 2/5 Stars

I am not a big fan of Katy Perry, but when I heard what the subject of this song was going to be, I just had to check it out to see if articles were just over-exaggerating. Surely Katy Perry, out of all people, wouldn't make a song talking about how we are slaves to whatever is fed to us? But, believe it or not she did. Before I even get into the song, do you see the incredible hypocrisy of the theme Katy Perry is addressing? One of the things that is fed to us by the system, over and over again, is pop music. She got famous because of how much her music pandered to the generic tropes that pop radio has. She is biting the hand that is feeding her with this theme. What's perhaps most ironic about this song is how it sounds just like everything else on the radio: it's boring, processed, inane, and cliched. We've heard songs about not giving in to the system before, but it's much more convincing coming from a smart indie artist like Lorde than someone who has thought it was edgy to sing songs about kissing girls, getting drunk until passing out, and alien sex. The message of the song is totally lost because it is ultimately forgettable, the lyrics are awkward and forced ("Dance around like a wasted zombie"), and the song will get pounded into everyone's head by pop radio. I guess I can admit that the song isn't entirely awful, as Perry objectively sounds a little better here than she has in the past, and Skip Marley gives an interesting contribution that is ultimately the highlight of the song and what will probably be remembered by most. Still, overall this song is nothing revolutionary, and the theme that it tries to address is ultimately irrelevant.

"Heavy by Linkin Park (Track Review)
  Rating: 1/5 Stars

I never in my life thought I'd be giving a 1 star to any Linkin Park song. Even on my least favorite LP album "Minutes to Midnight", the worst track on there would probably be a 2/5. But, man, every time I think about this song (I recently went back to listen to it again to see if it would grow on me, spoiler alert it didn't), I just hate it more and more. This song embodies pretty much every cliche of pop music imaginable. It has some cringe worthy lyrics that sound like they came from a middle school diary. Chester sings about how everything around him always feels so heavy, and I'm not even sure where his reasoning comes from. The track is clearly trying to appeal to young teenagers, and it is sickening. Chester's vocals aren't particularly impressive on this song; in fact they become almost grating in some parts where he has this annoying voice crack that is clearly forced. Kiarra is also featured on this song, and as I expected, I loathed her part. Her song "Gold" is overrated trash, and her presence on this song continues to solidify my opinion that she doesn't deserve attention. Her voice is not interesting at all, and she has way too much presence on this song. Chester only gets one verse while she gets a whole verse to herself as well as dominating the harmony of the chorus. This feels more like a Kiarra song than an LP song. But, it is unfortunately an LP song, which I still hate to admit to myself. If you want an emotional song by this band with an electronic flare, you're much better off listening to the superb songs "Burning in the Skies" or "Powerless". I'm really hoping that the rest of the album is not like this track.

"Black Rain" by Creeper (Track Review)
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Now I can finally talk about a song that I like! In fact, I love this song. I'd never heard of this band until I saw this song, and it does not disappoint. This new band clearly has a lot of potential to make some interesting changes in the rock scene. This song has a certain intensity to it that is just striking to me, and that is due in large part to Will Gould's unique vocal performance. His voice has this scream/sing quality that reminds of Project 86, which is not a bad thing at all. The chorus on this song is also very memorable, especially with keyboardist Hannah Greenwood's awesome backing vocals. I've had this song on repeat, and it is still not getting old to me. The song is a breakup song, but it's not like any breakup song I've heard, especially with its intriguing metaphorical lyrics: "We’re going through this phase where we feel nothing/Making out with ‘loneliness’/Cheating on each other with ‘regret’". The breakup feels all the more tangible as both sides of the relationship clearly have flaws in their own lives. I can't wait to see what the rest of the album has to offer if we're already getting deep lyrics like this.

"Died in My Sleep" by Demon Hunter (Track Review)
 Rating: 5/5  Stars

"Cold Winter Sun" was an interesting single by Demon Hunter, but it didn't really show anything new for them; in fact, it felt like them checking off all the boxes for what is a typical DH song. But this song- oh man, this song is GREAT. I'd say this is the best song of the year this far. This song has a lot going for it. It starts off with these interesting electronic elements- Ryan Clark clearly is interested in incorporating influences from his side project NYVES, and I have no problem with that. The song then leads into one of the most incredible and hard-hitting guitar riffs I've heard from the band. The riff just sticks, sort of like in the way the riff on "Collapsing" (if there's any DH song I could compare this track to, "Collapsing" is definitely a good one to use). Ryan Clark's vocals also sound different here, as he abandons his typical lower register, and instead sings in a higher voice for a lot of the song. It is an interesting and good change. This track definitely has me excited to hear "Outlive", which I'm sure will continue Demon Hunter's trend of experimentation while also keeping true to their central sound.

Palisades "Palisades" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Palisades is a band that has been active on Rise Records since 2013. And wow, my opinion has changed on them a lot over the years. Their debut album "Outcasts" was what really got me interested in the band. While they stylistically reminded me of Memphis May Fire at some points, there was still enough creativity in the debut to keep me paying attention. The album is far from perfect, but it was a good start. Then the band took a huge nose dive with one of the worst albums I've ever listened to, "Mind Games". This cringe-worthy combination of EDM and metal did not impress me at all. The only song I remotely enjoyed was "Player Haters' Ball", and even that song couldn't match up to any of the songs on their debut. I was very discouraged, as I'd thought this band had real potential. I was very hesitant going into their third album. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find what is their most mature release to date, a great modern rock record, and one of the best albums to come from the Rise label.

Palisades' self-titled release gets off to an incredible start with the hard-hitting single "Aggression". This song was what got me interested in the album, and fortunately, this song does a good job at establishing what the rest of the album will sound like. Everything about this song seriously works. The first thing I noticed was a huge change in lead singer Louis Miceli's vocals. His sound has seriously matured, to where his vocals sound smooth and work well with the rock styling. The slight pop tendencies of his vocals make his voice sound very unique. The best thing about "Aggression" is how well it does at using its huge soft and intense elements. It work for this emotional piece asking when the senseless violence in America will end: "Murder machine/Death is routine/What's the reason/They dance over graves/Lay bombs like bouquets/While we're grieving". This might be the best lyrics the band  have penned, as the clearly have a lot of passion behind them. After this song we get what is in my opinion the best track on the album, "Cold Heart (Warm Blood)". This has Miceli's best vocal performance by far, as he goes from some beautiful singing in the verses to some brutal screams in the chorus. The song is clearly about a break up, but the emotion that comes from the lyrics feels seriously legitimate: "What's in a promise you couldn't keep?/It's always something, talk is so cheap/Maybe I'd hear you if you were home tonight/I wanna hate you, tear you apart". The song is also incredibly catchy. The combination of subtle electronics along with hard rock elements makes for perhaps what is the best song of this year so far.

The album continues on a huge winning streak with "Better Chemicals", which talks about someone suffering with drug addiction in heartbreaking detail. The musical tone of the song perfectly accompanies the lyrics, and Miceli once again has a voice that very naturally works with the style. "Fall" is another single that came out from the album. This one reminds most of something that could have come off the band's debut, and that is not a bad thing by any means. The more obvious usage of electronics is effective, and the chorus is one that will get easily stuck in your head. This isn't one of the best songs on the album, but I could see this one doing well on rock radio stations. "Let Down" has even more prominent usage of electronics and EDM effects. If more songs had been done in this style on "Mind Games", I would've enjoyed that album a lot more. The EDM elements are not done for some cheap manipulative end game. Instead they contribute to the emotion of the song, and also meld really well with the guitar work. The lyrics are about another break up, and while not as compelling as they could be, still work in portraying the message the band wants.

"Through Hell" is another huge highlight on the album, as it easily the most intense song on the album. This song is pure metal, and it's a pretty euphoric listen, especially as Miceli really lets his vocals go to all sorts of intense places. The way he uses his anger is awesome, and it makes the listen all the more fun. The lyrics also have some compelling content as Miceli acknowledges how he messes up a lot of good things in his life and ends up putting them "through hell": "Broken/I know I did this myself/Cause I find the prettiest things/And then I put them through hell". This admission is powerful and honest, and that makes this song that much better. If you don't find yourself banging your head along to the beginning part of this song, I'm not sure what's wrong with you. What makes the song even more interesting is how it ends on a subdued note with some gorgeous strings. The song almost becomes an epic of sorts, and because of the song's content, it feels earned. After this we get an extremely catchy song in "Memories", where the band takes some risks by going a more pop/rock route. The style works for this song well, especially in the memorable chorus which will get easily stuck in your head. "Hard Feelings" is another brutally honest song. Miceli's voice goes to some great emotional heights, especially in the powerful chorus. The lyrics are great hear in describing all some strong emotions: "There's blood in my mouth from biting my tongue/I'm grinding my teeth, that's what it's become/I'm holding my breath till my face turns white/I'm losing my voice no matter how I try". "Dancing With Demons" has subject matter that has been done so many times, but I still can't help but love the song and sympathize with the lyrics as they discuss overcoming personal evils. The electronics here might work better than on any other song, and the chorus brings back the delightful screams that Miceli belts so effectively. The song actually turns out to be one of the most memorable. This self-titled release ends out on a memorable note with the fun, hard-rocking "Personal".

The only song on here I had any sort of problem with is "Dark". The chorus is a bit too repetitive, and the song is actually pretty unmemorable in comparison to the rest of the dynamic tracks here. It tries to be an emotive ballad, but it just doesn't work. But that song can't possibly put a damper on the rest of the great tracks here. Palisades have crafted something that feels like it should come from a veteran band. Everything about this album surprised me, from the mature usage of electronics to how significantly Miceli's vocals improved. Whereas he was the hugest detractor of the band in "Mind Games", he is now the highlight of this essentially new type of group. This record is clearly self-titled for a reason: I personally believe this is the type of style the group is going to pursue from now on. If that's the case, then I will be enthusiastically championing this band as one that deserves to be watched.

Favorite Songs: "Cold Heart (Warm Blood)", "Aggression", "Through Hell", "Better Chemicals","Hard Feelings", "Dancing With Demons"
Least Favorite Songs: "Dark"