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>> Home >> liberty >> Alternative Music
  Hello there. My name is Vinnie Chant. I am a music lover. Everything from rock-to-rap, metal-to-country, funk-to-blues. This page will be dedicated more to alternative music. Metal, rock, emo, and punk. London Barr is editing a wonderful R&B/Hip-hop page, you can check it out HERE. You can expect updates at least every other week, but you should check every Friday. Also, I am an active musician and I play in two bands, "Ezrael" and "From Misery To Madness." I will be using this space as a kind of free advertisment for both of them, and you will be able to read about the internal goings-on of my bands at the bottom of the page each week, starting whenever I feel like it. I am also always looking for a little bit of help, so if you know a good new album that you want to have reviewed by me, or you have written a review yourself, e-mail suggestions/submissions to vincent.chandler@cityhigh.org. Cool, thanks much ya'll!
How to use my guide- I use these little guys "\m/" to rate things. Like stars at hotels. They're 1337 "heavy metal salutes" and they are cute. I rate Listen-ability (how much fun it is to listen to, how much you move), Sound Quality (how it's mixed and mastered), Originality (self explained), Music Content (again, self explained), Lyrical Content, and Overall album. You can get up to 5 \m/'s. Cool. Thanks.
Diecast "Internal Revolution" 2006
Diecast, the Front man Paul Stoddard says of the album it’s the “proudest I’ve ever been of anything I’ve ever done.” (Alternative Press, September 2006). When I put the CD into my CD player I didn’t know what to expect. They were a hardcore band when started, meaning pure gut-busting down-tuned guitars, and un-melodic screams and grunting. By the time of Tearing Down Your Blue Skies and the acquisition of Stoddard, they became a melodic hardcore band, meaning full singing parts, standard tuning, and more melody. From the first track, title track “Internal Revolution” I knew I was dealing with a whole new band. It starts heavy enough, but by the end of the first verse, you knew you were in for a head trip. Combining elements of American Thrash, Post-Nü, and even hints of scremo-esque grindcore, they have moved into a whole new genre. Clean vocals, a true first (in abundance) for Stoddard litter the album, and add such a dynamic that it truly impresses. By the time you are at Track 2 “Never Forget” you know that this isn’t the Diecast you knew previously. Beginning with an intro guitar-solo, common in bands like Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, or All That Remains, but something that has yet to be heard from Diecast’s guitarists. And then comes the Post-Nü influences, and vocal line that is delivered in the quick triple layered “scream-talk-sing” that is common in bands like Slipknot. It is delivered, however, over metalcore and hard rock guitar and bass lines, so the blend is something new, thus Post-Nü. However, from here, the rest of the album is practically made for the Killswitch Engage audience. If you are close-minded, and just looking for old Diecast, stop. However, if you want to hear really really really really really REALLY good Killswitch Engage, continue listening. They blend their slick, though generic, guitar with Stoddard’s beautiful melodic singing, peppered with occasional screams. It’s almost frustrating; they give you a good dose of their hardcore roots, but then pretty it up with new ideals of metalcore, an overly played and boring genre of music. And then, like on “Out of Reach” they give you a beautiful heavy song, that is simply seasoned with melodic singing. Non-generic guitar, the Diecast we all remember and love. And then shoot the moment down with a breakdown straight from Hardcore 102. Their last two tracks are definitely, in my mind, the most controversial. The album while not what I hoped for when I first picked it up, was very well done. The music was tight, lyrics original, well written, and mixed down. But it was a little boring. However the last two tracks “Definition of a Hero” and “The Coldest Rain” are another thing. “Definition of a Hero” is a song written for the soldiers in As for “The Coldest Rain,” I understand metal bands wanting to spread their limbs into other genres. Pantera wrote and got away with “Cemetery Gates,” Black Sabbath had Supernaut. Metal has been doing slower songs for years. But a hardcore band doing a progressive rock song? I’m sorry guys, I do enjoy the song, I’ll admit, but I am thrown off by who did it. This isn’t you, so stop trying to change it, and go with what works. Diecast does what the do well on this album. You will be distracted by playing “Guess The Genre” throughout, or figure out which one they wrote solely for the radio. But you will find yourself in it, and you will enjoy it. If you want a “more metal” Killswitch Engaged, with a lot more talent than KE, pick up this album. It’s worth it. Listen-ablity: \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ (4/5) Originality: \m/ \m/ \n (2.5/5) Sound Quality: \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ (4/5) Music Content: \m/ \m/ \n (2.5/5) Lyrical Content: \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/ (4/5) Overall Album: \m/ \m/ \m/ (3/5)
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