Category Archives: Featured

02/23/2012

[MUSIC REVIEW] Spawn of Possession – Incurso

By lmpmagazine

SPAWN OF POSSESION
Incurso
[Relapse Records]
Verdict: 9.5/10
RIYL: Quality technical/progressive death metal

Tech-death is a really hit-or-miss genre, but it’s easy to tell those who are the masters and who are still the apprentices. Sweden’s own SPAWN OF POSSESSION have perfected their craft and with album number three, the third time is a charm. The album is the perfect antidote to what’s wrong with the genre. Instead of focusing on the intricacy of the riffs, it’s the songwriting that is so impressive. Employing progressive tendencies is the specialty of the album and what elevates this album way above the standard tech death fare. The band change time signatures like a pop star changes outfits on stage, and they have a secret weapon that is very underutlitzed: dynamics. Yes, you read that correctly. The album features moments of calm amidst the storm, which help make those furious outbursts that much more meaningful. It also helps that, while they don’t always go full-throttle, they are as technically proficient as anyone. The riffs come fast and furious, without the bad acting, and each instrument gets its own opportunity to shine. While most of the album finds the drums and guitar on full-display, “Servitude of Souls” allows the bass to have its moment in the sun, which is always appreciated. The other weapon the band’s arsenal (it’s unfair how much artillery the band really has) is its use of melody. While no one will confuse this with a DREAM THEATER album, there is ample melody to allow each song to have a unique presence. I think I have the first album that I can guarantee will be in my top 20 of the year. I want to find major faults with the album, but those attempts are in vain. This is a shining example of a band at the top of its genre. – by Nicholas Senior

Recommended Listening: “Where Angels Go Demons Follow” and “The Evangelist”
Release Date: March 13th, 2012
In Conclusion: Incurso is a shining example of a band on top of its genre. Fans of well done progressive/tech death will be in Heaven (or Hell, to be realistic) with the album.

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02/23/2012

[MUSIC REVEW] Beak – Eyrie

By lmpmagazine

BEAK
Eyrie
[Someoddpilot]
Verdict: 8.5/10
RIYL: Cult of Luna, Neurosis, Isis

Post-metal is a tough genre to “get”. It features the song structures of post-rock with the occasional outbursts of progressive metal, and it’s not usually full of sing-a-long choruses. What draws listeners to the genre is often different for each individual, but most often post-metal songs marry the beauty of post-rock with the brutality of metal. The songs are often moving and captivating. Chicago’s own BEAK is ready to lay their claim as the next great post-metal band. While there aren’t a ton of “new” or “ground-breaking” ideas on this, their debut EP, the product BEAK has released will easily serve as a testament to the talent and songwriting prowess the band has. Each song is carefully crafted to maximize the highs and the lows, and the listener is appreciative of that fact. And while there are no clean vocals, there is enough melody to differentiate each song from the other. At only five songs and twenty-five minutes, the short duration is the biggest complaint about the album. The beautiful cover art and the quality songwriting are heavily in the band’s favor. For those that like the genre that was created by bands like CULT OF LUNA, NEUROSIS, and ISIS, there will be a lot to love about this EP. If the band is able to carry this momentum to their next release, it is possible that BEAK may be mentioned with new post-metal legends ROSETTA as a group that is carrying on the sound. – by Nicholas Senior

Recommended Listening: “Hands Collide” and “Men at Arms”
Release Date: April 3rd, 2012
In Conclusion: Fans of thought-provoking metal will find a lot to enjoy about this debut EP by post-metal band BEAK.

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02/23/2012

[MUSIC REVIEW] Beneath the Massacre – Incongruous

By lmpmagazine

BENEATH THE MASSACRE
Incongruous
[Prosthetic Records]
Verdict: 6.5/10
RIYL: Technical death metal

BENEATH THE MASSACRE is here to play their damn instruments. These Quebecois have presented some of the most impressive musical displays you are likely to hear all year. Each of these eleven tracks features neck-snapping guitar work and drumming that makes the listener sorry for the drummer. The album is also overbearingly heavy, with enough chugging to slightly separate each of the fret fireworks. The problem with Incongruous is the problem that pervades all technical death metal. Since each song is played at maximum speed and volume, sometimes songwriting is sacrificed for the sake of technical proficiency. While bands like OBSCURA and SPAWN OF POSSESSION are masters at technicality and songwriting, bands like BRAIN DRILL feature unnecessary wankery. Luckily for the listener, BENEATH THE MASSACRE falls somewhere in between the two extremes. There are a number of tracks that have some minor semblance of melody, which help tie the songs together. Mostly, however, the band falls trap to the desire to sound as technical as possible. The good thing about that fact is that while it doesn’t have the lasting impression, Incongruous is a lot of fun while it plays. The band certainly can improve on future albums, but for fans of tech-death, this will be an album of the year candidate. For those who like a little more from their metal than endless riffs and wankery, there is still enjoyment to be had. – by Nicholas Senior

Recommended Listening: “Unheard” and “Symptoms”
Release Date: February 14th, 2012
In Conclusion: Fans of tech-death will drool all over themselves while listening to this album, but those who like a little more from their metal will find it lacks a lasting impression.

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02/17/2012

[FEATURED INTERVIEW] Kiros

By lmpmagazine

INTERVIEW WITH BARRY MACKICHAN (VOCALS/BASS) BY NICK SENIOR

 

First things first, could you introduce yourself for our readers?

Hi! My name is Barry MacKichan. I’m the singer/bassist for Kiros.

Can you describe your sound for those who haven’t heard of Kiros before?

I think we are a mixture of alternative, rock, punk, and pop. We’re driving and heavy, with soft spots and acoustic guitars thrown in their too.

Your latest album, Lay Your Weapons Down, was just released. It has been quite a long time from your first album to this, your sophomore release. Do you feel like the monkey is off your back now?

Yes, in a huge way. The monkey had turned into a fully grown silverback gorilla. We’ve been working on this record for a long time, making sure we did everything right. It took forever, but we think it’ll be worth the wait.

How do you feel about how the album has been received? Are you happy about the finished product?

So far the response has been excellent! We’ve received a lot of great reviews from the press, but more importantly from the fans. We are very happy about the record. We refused to release something we weren’t 100% satisfied with.

Who are some bands/artists that you’ve been listening to lately?

My recent playlist includes Safety Suit, Mariana’s Trench, Thrice, Jimmy Eat World, Maroon 5, Augustana, Blessed by a Broken Heart and Four Year Strong.

What is your favorite part about being Canadian?

Maple Syrup comes out of our taps instead of water, Canadian bacon is available for pennies (yes we have pennies in Canada), and natural hockey is bestowed upon us. Oh, and free health care!

Favorite hockey team?

Calgary Flames!! I’ve been a lifelong fan, and gone to plenty of games growing up. Tyler is an Edmonton Oilers fan, Ryan is a San Jose Sharks fan, and Jonny is Dallas stars fan. We’ve got some good rivalries going on.

What are your thoughts on the Canadian music market? Do you have any favourite bands from your homeland?

Canada has put out a lot of great bands (besides Justin Bieber ;) ) I love Our Lady Peace, Alexisonfire, Mariana’s Trench, TFK and many more. Canada is a much smaller music market, but it’s so cold for so much of the year that all there is to do (besides play hockey of course) is play music. I think that little fact alone creates a fertile breeding ground for talented musicians and good bands.

What do you guys do to keep yourselves entertained on the road?

We have an Xbox in the bus, and the only game that matters is permanently inside it (NHL 12.) All of us are really into Disc Golf, and there are free courses everywhere in the States. We’ve also got tennis rackets, longboards and random sports equipment in the trailer ready for free time.

What are your favourite cities and/or venues to play?

That’s a hard question. We really notice the increase in support in radio markets where our singles have been picked up. Every show has different aspects that make it memorable, and we look forward to every night on tour.

What have been the best and worst moments on tour?

Bus breakdowns are always discouraging, and stepping on stage every night is always worth everything else.

Who would be in your ideal tour line-up?

Justin Bieber and Kiros. Why not? If Justin turns us down, it’d be amazing to tour with Thrice or Jimmy Eat world. Those are bands I’ve looked up to and enjoyed for years. Also, I need to throw Blink-182 and New Found Glory in there, because they were huge influences in my early days, and a big part of why I play music now.

What inspired the lyrics to Lay Down Your Weapons?

The whole record is a concept album, following a personal journey of internally struggling to find hope, purpose and redemption. It’s split into 3 chapters (The Revolt, The Trenches, The Surrender.) The lyrics are very real, and from my heart. The past few years have seen some of my highest highs and lowest lows, and this record doesn’t shy away from honesty about those times.

Do you have a favourite song off that album?

“Something Beautiful”. It’s the final song on the record, and the finale of the story where hope is truly found. It’s about beautifully surrendering a broken life to the God who can put it back together into something so much better.

Do you have any touring plans lined up to support your new album?

Right now we’re out with Red, Thousand Foot Krutch, Manafest and Nine Lashes doing a full US tour. We’ve also confirmed a bunch of the major festivals for the summer, and we’re in talks for a few other big tours in the near future. Once we’ve got those confirmed, we’ll post the dates and details.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about Kiros?

We work with World Vision to help end child slavery, child prostitution, and child soldiers. We think there is a lot of injustice in the world, and we want to change that as much as we can. Check out this link for more information: http://www.humanwrong.org/

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02/17/2012

[MUSIC REVIEW] The Menzingers – On the Impossible Past

By lmpmagazine

THE MENZINGERS
On The Impossible Past
[Epitaph Records]
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Verdict: 8.5 out of 10
Review written by: Steve Parsons

The first time I heard the name “The Menzingers” was in June 2011 at Charm City Art Space in Baltimore. I was there to see Touche Amore play with Title Fight, and I saw a friend of mine there. I asked who he was there to see, to which he replied “oh, definitely The Menzingers, they’re so good live”. I watched their set and was more than impressed. The vocals of Greg Barnett and Tom May had the perfect combination of strained shouts and melodic singing, with a punk edge and a great stage show to go along with it. I told myself to remember that band, but I let the memory drift along until I saw news of their upcoming album to be released on Epitaph in 2012. I then kept my ear to the ground, until I heard the advance that I’m playing for close to the tenth time as I write this review. And I’ll tell you right now – this is one hell of a record.

Starting off with “Good Times”, the record begins with the words “I’ve been having a horrible time, pulling myself together. I’ve been closing my eyes to find old familiar failures”. The song has a boisterous, punk feeling to it with the chorus “I’ve been closing my eyes to find, why all good things should fall apart”. The song is loud, meaningful, and passionate – which are a solid three words to sum up this record. The record continues to be full of great songs, going right into “Burn After Writing”, my favorite song on the album. It’s a mid-tempo anthem full of harmonies and passionate vocals – which I’m a sucker for.

The album cools off with tracks like the title track “On The Impossible Past”, with some of the more cheerless lyrics on the album: “I held the wheel while you drank and drove, our plans were miserable. And we crashed your car…into a ditch on Sawmill Road…we always dreamt of having nice things”

The songwriting on On The Impossible Past is fairly straightforward. Many songs have the traditional “intro verse chorus verse bridge chorus” formula, but boy do The Menzingers nail it. The hooks are catchy, the lyrics meaningful, the verses are chunky, grooving riffs you just want to rock out loud to with the windows down, and the drums come in and out at just the right times.

Each song on On The Impossible Past is worth listening to, with a story to tell in each. It’s loud, fun, meaningful, and passionate album. What more could you want from a punk record?

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