Posts Tagged ‘very-successful’

All That Remains, ‘A War You Cannot Win’ – Album Review

Razor & Tie All That Remains  are a polarizing band. Frontman Phil Labonte isn’t afraid to speak his mind , and as the group’s success has increased, so have the haters. ‘A War You Cannot Win’ will have those critics complaining louder than ever, but the album should draw legions of new fans that will embrace ATR’s style. That style combines elements of metalcore, mainstream metal and hard rock, and ‘A War You Cannot Win’ is probably the band’s most melodic effort. That doesn’t mean there aren’t songs that pack a wallop. The proceedings start aggressively with ‘Down Thru The Ages,’ with Labonte using harsh vocals and a few higher-pitched screams. Clean vocals make their appearance as well, along with a searing guitar solo. Speaking of guitars, the dual attack of Oli Herbert and Mike Martin is impressive throughout. From darker riffs on songs like ‘A Call To All Non-Believers’ to shredding eighties styles solos, they are on point. When it comes to radio-friendly accessible songs, ‘A War You Cannot Win’ has a few. If you listen to rock radio, you have heard ‘Stand Up,’ an extremely catchy track. ‘Asking Too Much’ is another future radio hit, very melodic and memorable. The power ballad ‘What If I Was Nothing’ has a Five Finger Death Punch vibe and is an obvious choice for a single. Those that buy the album after only hearing the radio singles might be turned off by the harsh vocals, but the balance of those styles is what makes All That Remains who they are. The music might be formulaic, but they execute that formula so well it’s hard to hold it against them. By the last third of the album, there are a few misses. Jason Costa’s drum work gets some nice exposure on ‘Sing for Liberty,’ yet the track itself doesn’t stand out among the rest. They rebound with ‘Not Fading,’ but some momentum is lost with the nondescript acoustic instrumental ‘Calculating Loneliness.’ The tempo cranks back up along with a breakdown or two for the title track, which closes out the album. ‘A War You Cannot Win’ is packed with catchy singles and a polished production from Killswitch Engage’s Adam D. that will appeal to the mainstream. There’s also an ample supply of aggression and heaviness to satisfy metalheads. The combination should make it a very successful album.

I Am War, Featuring Members of Atreyu + Bleeding Through, Unveil New Video

Razor & Tie I Am War , the new band featuring Atreyu ‘s Alex Varkatzas and Bleeding Through ‘s Brandan Schieppati, have unveiled their first video, ‘Uninvite Me To Your Facebook Party.’ The track appears on the outfit’s debut album ‘Outlive You All.’ Varkatzas says of the song and video, “’Uninvite Me To Your Facebook Party’ is a super-fast, tongue in cheek number about how ridiculous social media can be when people become too obsessed and attached to it. The video itself was a blast to record. Lots of high energy footage of I Am War tearing it up and sweating bullets in the process. The perfect recipe for a killer video!” Schieppati handles guitars, bass, and backing vocals on ‘Outlive You All’ and Varkatzas does the brunt of the vocals. The collaboration began when Varkatzas emailed Schieppati about his idea of doing an album of aggressive and brutal music. “Everything instantly clicked,” Schieppati recalls. “I was stoked when Alex got in touch. We wanted to keep it fast with very little ‘shredding’. It hearkens back to the good ole days of angry music.” Even though their respective bands have been very successful, the duo didn’t feel any pressure for I Am War to top the charts. “Brandan and I aren’t doing this to become rich a–holes and travel the world,” affirms Varkatzas. “We wanted to make an awesome record and release it. There’s no pressure to produce a hit or conquer the charts. The only pressure is not to look like complete jackasses. That’s liberating.” Watch I Am War’s ‘Uninvite Me To Your Facebook Party’ Video

Guns N’ Roses Announce Month-Long Fall 2012 Las Vegas Residency

Las Vegas, the Guns N’ Roses road show is coming to you for the better part of a month. Axl Rose and crew have announced a series of 12 shows that will run between Oct. 31-Nov. 24 that will take place at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. You may remember earlier this year that Motley Crue held a very successful residency and the Joint, and it