New Music Sunday

As a fan of all genres of music from Johnny Cash to Bodysnatcher, I’ve always looked for reviews that I can relate to, that will recommend new music from peers who have similar tastes. So let’s dive in and talk about these 5 new releases...

1. “Metamorph” Oceans Ate Alaska

This is at the top of the list for two reason; 1: OAA has been a longtime favorite of mine after hearing “Lost Isles,” what feels like a thousand years ago, and 2: the band hadn’t released new music in 3 years.

“Metamorph” is a heavy hitting song beginning with a slow fade in and with original vocalist James Harrison screaming “did you miss me?” I sure did, gentlemen. The song is reminiscent of their earlier works, but has a darker feel while still keeping the guitars intricate and bright with the same djent touch fans of OAA are familiar with. This song did not disappoint and I can’t wait to hear the full length album which has no set release date yet.

2. “Surrounded” Wage War

This song starts heavy and stays heavy, with vocalist Briton Bond growling lyrics and with clean vocals inserted into the chorus. Longtime fans of Wage War will not be disappointed with this new release, and anyone who is new to the band will find themselves going back to their early albums.

3. “What I Needed” Kuribroh

Kuribroh seemingly came out of nowhere. And trust that I scoured the internet when I heard their first release “Larva,” to find any information on this new band that popped up on Instagram in an ad. This new song “What I Needed” (aside from the intro), feels like a different band started playing halfway through the song. The beginning feels like “Larva,” and then takes a strange turn somewhere near the halfway point. To say that it’s confusing while listening is an understatement. The song feels like a demo and gives me the sense the band changed genres from metalcore to sounding like an early 2000’s emo band. I highly recommend the song “Larva” which was released in May 2020. I am excited to hear a full length from this band, albeit a little weary with hearing their other new song “Macho Man,” which sounds like a completely different band altogether.

4. “Pardon Me” The Word Alive

Do you love Incubus? Well, you’re in luck because this song literally sounds exactly like the original with the exception of some heavier guitar parts. Vocalist Tyler Smith sounds incredibly alike to Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd. So much so I questioned whether it was actually Boyd singing. During the chorus Smith gives us some fire in the vocals and the track is missing the classic incubus DJ record scratch. This song was disappointing to me, as I always love a good metalcore cover of songs from different genres.

5. “BottleRat” Outline in Color, Dropout Kings, BLUPILL

When I saw Outline in Color’s name with Dropout Kings, I did not know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised by this mashup of artists. Reminiscent of Linkin Park and Jay Z’s classic mashup EP “Collision Course,” this song gives us the same elements with heavy breakdowns and a great hip hop flow on top, with melodic beats to even everything out. BLUPILL provides the hardcore vocals and helps this song really come together. New to his work, I found myself going through previous work and was delightfully surprised to find that he’s worked with many well known artists.

Join me next Sunday for more new music reviews!