Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Independent

The Netherlands are a hotbed of metal activity that for whatever reason seems to escape the view of a lot of people. Thankfully, some bands are proactive in getting their names out there, and Posthuman are one of those bands. They emailed me asking if I wanted to do up a review of their new, independently released album.
And this album is awesome. It reminds me a lot of Swedish melodeath, but at the same time has a different flavor. It’s nice and original, a fast moving concept about the end of humanity, the destruction of the world at our own hands, and the rebuilding just to go back to our old ways.
I’m definitely liking what I hear, and if you’re into melodic death you’ll probably like these guys too.
7.5 out of 10.

Posthuman on MySpace.

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Restricted Release, in cooperation with Angle Side Side, today confirms October 12 as the North American release date for Awaken, the full-length debut from Rhode Island-based The Empire Shall Fall. Awaken is the first metal album from vocalist Jesse David Leach since his departure from Killswitch Engage.

Recorded in 2009, Awaken was originally available for physical purchase via direct band merchandise outlets. Through the new cooperation, the album will now be accessible via proper retail outlets throughout North America. “We all couldn’t be more than happy that this record has gained enough attention to make it to this level of exposure,” comments Leach. “We are proud that our DIY band and our self produced/released record has the potential to reach so many more listeners. Our hope is that a great deal of people will be able to see the passion and message we carry with our music. Fight the good fight!”

Produced by guitarist Marcus De Lisle and mixed by Sean Small, Awaken has already received significant media attention. Hails & Horns Magazine calls it “a powerhouse of a record, crackling with intensity.” Popular online site The PRP gave the record a 4 out of 5 rating, noting it as “a vast arsenal of aural weaponry.” Terrorizer Magazine applauded the album, embracing Leach’s “jagged, broken-glass shrieks” and called it “more than a welcomed return.” The album has also generated substantial support from college and commercial specialty radio programs across the country. As part of an early radio campaign, Awaken peaked on FMQB/Friday Morning Quarterback’s metal chart at position 7 and impressed CMJ/College Music Journal stations peaking at position 20 on the tip magazine’s weekly metal chart.

Formed in 2008, The Empire Shall Fall‘s eclectic sound is rooted in metal/hardcore; the band citing luminaries At The Gates, Meshuggah, and Edge of Sanity as major inspiration. The band, featuring guitarists Jake Davenport and De Lisle, bassist Nick Sollecito, drummer Jeff Pitts, and Leach, also draw heavily from their combined interests in jazz, punk, and experimental music. The band’s lyrics are fueled by political outrage; a passion that forms the backbone of the band and sets them apart from their peers.

The Empire Shall Fall are expected to announce a series of new live shows to support the retail release of Awaken. In the meantime the band has already started writing material for their second album which they plan to release in early 2011. Sollecito notes, “our new material is definitely a step up from our previous stuff. We are really excited about it and can’t wait till we hit the studio to get it all together.

Tracklisting:
1. Awaken
2. Lords of War
3. Voices Forming Weapons
4. Choir of Angels
5. We The People
6. These Colors Bleed
7. Our Own
8. The Kingdom

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Genres: Metalcore, Thrash
Label: Independent

I’m beginning to think that the whiny Bullet for my Valentine metalcore may be dead. Because although this album is definitely mostly ‘core, it ain’t whiny in the least. In fact, it’s thrashy as hell, which is probably one of the least whiney metal genres out there.
I’ll be honest, I know nothing of this band, and that kind of adds to my enjoyment. Listening to this album is like opening presents on Christmas; you don’t know what you’re going to get, and if you have cool relatives, you don’t even know what you should expect. The Empire Shall Fall are those cool relatives. They’re dropping thrash riffs with metalcore breakdowns and deathy vocals right beside some very powerful singing. Instrument-wise, this band knows their shit. They’ve obviously been playing for awhile and have diverse influences, shown in the raw speed and technicality of some of the songs, but also in the fact that they can use tech elements with traditional elements and make it work. They can write SONGS, not riff tapes with vocals, which is a breath of fresh air.
Just found out, right before I’m posting this, that Jesse Leach is the vocalist (would explain the familiarity). If you don’t know who that is, you need a fucking history lesson.
Favourite tracks are “Lords of War”, “Voices Forming Weapons”, and the title track.
8 out of 10.

The Empire Shall Fall on MySpace.

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Genres: Metalcore, Thrash
Label: Independent

Walken have been around for quite awhile, but they are another one of those bands that are new to me. From the San Francisco area, the home of American thrash, it’s only natural to incorporate the genre into your style; and Walken have done it wonderfully.
They remind me of Killswitch Engage a little, and Anthrax a lot. Which is a really cool mix, if you ask me.
Rifftastic and loud, I think the newest self-titled from Walken will be their breakout release, putting them even further into the spotlight of American thrash. And I hope it does too, because these guys are damn good and damn deserving.
8 out of 10.

Walken on MySpace.

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So after I reviewed them, I decided to throw some questions their way. And thankfully, Dustin and Andrew were more than happy to respond. Here is my interview with Die Among Heroes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I guess to begin with, how about we let people who have no idea who you are get to know who you are? Who is in the band, and what do they do?

Dustin Young – We are a high-intensity metalcore band from Austin, TX. Our goal with our music has always been to give something to everyone without compromising our own passions and values. We don’t rely on a solid album alone to carry us to fans abroad. When people come to our shows, we make sure to hit them as hard as we can with our energetic live performance and make them remember Die Among Heroes. Our team consists of Chase Hughes on vocals, Andrew Gonzales and Alfonso Hernandez on guitars, Kyle Reeves on drums, and myself, Dustin Young, on bass.

Andrew Gonzales – We are an ass-kicking band, who kicks alot of asses, and if you come to one of our shows, be prepared to get your ass kicked. In the ass.

You guys are a totally DIY band. This kind of arrangement can’t be easy, especially in today’s world of music. How do you balance day jobs, band-related work, writing and practicing, and still have real lives?

Andrew – All my time is spent fine tuning every part of the band’s presentation. There is no balance. I’m slowly losing my mind. What’s a real life?

You’ve been compared to Killswitch, Trivium, and more. Hell, even I compared you to them in my review. But if there was one band in the world that you would love to be compared to, past or present, who would it be?

Dustin – Pantera really set the bar here. Not that we play similar styles of Metal, but to get anywhere close to the sort of impact, energy and complete rockstar vision that they had would be a dream come true. Seeing them when we were younger made us want to pick up an instrument and say “Hell yeah, that is what I want to do for a living.”

Andrew – The Pantera Home Videos changed my life. RIP Dimebag.

On the flipside of that question, is there a band that you would rather die than be compared to?

Dustin – Hollywood Undead… they are just terrible.

Andrew – The Jonas Brothers. Although, if someone said, “Die Among Heroes has as much money as the Jonas Brothers”, I think I could live with that.

You’ve been in a contest to actually open for Killswitch Engage this month, and from what I can tell you’ve been doing pretty good in it. But I still can’t find the final results. What’s going on with that, and how did you originally get in line to open up?

Dustin – The radio station C101 in Corpus Christi, TX held an online poll between 80 bands for the chance to Battle it out for the opening slot for KSE. The top 4 bands were to do a Battle of The Bands in Corpus Christi, and the winner was determined by crowd voting. We smoked the online poll and went up against 1 local Corpus Christi act and 2 out of town acts. We shuttled 3 vans full of fans to Corpus so we would at least have a shot at beating the draw of the only local band on the bill. All of the bands played a great show, and unfortunately, we were unable to bring more fans than the local band.

After listening to the self-titled a couple times now, I’m finding some stuff I didn’t hear the first time around. I’m curious about your guitar styles. It seems fairly technical, but you’re also not afraid to just do some chords and arpeggios that don’t seem too intense. Have you guys had formal schooling with your instruments, or are you self-taught?

Andrew – Myself and our new guitar player Alfonso Hernandez are self-taught. Alfonso is a mad player and our new stuff will be far more technical than the present album.

About the album – how long did it take to write and record? Are you completely happy with it, or are there things you would change if had the time or money to do so?

Andrew – The album was recorded in 5 days. For the most part I am happy with it considering the circumstances. I wish we had more time to spend tracking and mixing.

Since it is out independently, how have you marketed the album, other than live shows? Do you find this part of being in the band to be hard work, or has this part of the ‘job’ been easy for you? And how can people who cannot make it to your shows get a copy of the album?

Dustin – Marketing is definitely one of the hardest and most time consuming parts of being in this band. We’ve have been covering all of the bases through social, online and radio pushes. Some great tools are out there helping DIY bands like Tunecore and Jango. S.P. Unlimited has been helping us tremendously to take our band to the next level. The guys at The Syndicate and Clawhammer PR are also great to work with. We’ve definitely realised that the cheapest and perhaps best way to market ourselves has been through our devoted friends and fans. People can find our album digitally through several outlets like iTunes, Rhapsody, Shockhound, Amazon, and many more.

If you were to sign to a label, is there a dream label you’d like to be on at all?

Dustin – Warner or Road Runner would be our top picks.

Andrew – It doesn’t matter as long as they had the proper resources to promote a talented band. It’s important to find someone who can understand and nourish our vision.

Next month you’re going to be playing SXSW for a ten day stretch, then doing a pair of shows in Abilene and Austin. What’s coming up after those dates? More touring, or are you going to take some time off?

Andrew – Extreme Success. We’ll take some time off in about 5 years.

I think that about rounds it up. Is there anything I haven’t touched on that you’d like to add?

Andrew – Lock up your daughters.

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