CD Reviews
Black Crown Initiate- Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape Album Review
It has been four years since Selves We Cannot Forgive was released, during that time Black Crown Initiate went through several pivotal changes. Soon after the release of the album guitarist, Rik Stelzpflug departs the band and was replaced by former The Faceless guitarist Wes Hauch. Then in late 2018 drummer Jesse Beahler and Hauch depart the band to be replaced by drummer Samuel Santiago (Gorod, Beyond Creation, Arkhon Infaustus) and guitarist Ethan McKenna. These changes led many to speculate what the future sound of the band may be, fast forward to early 2020 the band releases its first single, Invitation, which is a call back to the signature Black Crown Initiate sound. Invitation brings a solid promise that BCI has not stepped off the throttle but hammered down on it. The band also announced that there is a full length on the horizon. That new album is upon us now, set to be released August 7th, Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape will mark the bands 3rd studio release and 1st release on new label Century Media Records.
Invitation kicks off with a somber acoustic guitar accompanied by a clean singing passage which sets the tone, before the track really kicks off. Black Crown Initiate has had a knack for setting up the big reveals in their music, they continue to build the riff and build till they let it crash down which once could wonderous aggression. The band doesn’t just hit you over the head with heavy but also bring a melody along with it to sweep any remnants away once they are done. The music continues to progress while carrying along all the emotion, playing on the juxtaposition between heavy and clean vocals throughout the album.
One of my favorite tracks on the Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape is Years in Frigid Light. The song starts off with a lone guitar riff kicking things off before the whole band joins in. The song starts with a head bobbing sway guaranteed to get anyone to start headbanging. One of the standout performances is the clean vocals by guitarist Andy Thomas. Thomas has several vocal breaks where the distortion cuts out so when the band kicks in again it you are hit with a wave of heavy. The cleans come back later in the song driving the tune along, it is a great pairing of harmony and dissonance. The song just oozes progressive death metal from start to finish and clocking in at 6:44 mins the track takes its listeners on quite journey.
If you were a fan of BCI, Violent Portraits of DoomedEscape fits right in with the classic feel of the band. The new directions keep the music fresh while the band continues to give its listeners familiar ground to tread on. The band has retained its heaviness while refining their approach to giving you songs that tip toe the line of melodic and chaos. I would say this new album is a great addition to an already solid catalogue of music the band has. Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape is out August 7th and will be available in your local music stores and streaming on most popular platforms.
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Marilyn Manson just released his 12th album “One Assassination Under God-Chapter 1” on November 22nd 2024.
This album in my opinion is the best album Manson has put out since Holy Wood. It has a feeling of albums old and new with little hints of Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals and Holy Wood.
The album opens up with “One Assassination Under God” which just gets you ready for what’s to come. With Manson Just finishing his tour, This is the Manson we have been needing for years now. He looks good and sounds great.
Putting out a few singles from the album , the overall feeling of this album is great. It’s been a while since I’ve like a full album of Manson, while this album isn’t perfect it’s as close as perfection of those early albums were. Of course I love the singles “As Sick as the Secrets we Keep” and “Raise the Red Flag” but I also really enjoyed songs like “Death is not a costume”, “Nod if you understand” and “Sacrilegious”
I think this new chapter of Mansons life and music is exciting , I hope we get more tours in 2025 and maybe some over the top stage shows like we did in the late 90s early 2000s. I feel the younger generation hasn’t experience a real “Full” on Manson show yet and it’s time for the King to take back his throne at the top of the Shock Rock mountain.
ALL HAIL MARILYN MANSON
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I remember when this album came out in 1994 . I was 15 and really discovering all types of music. As being a typical teenage boy I seen the band name “Bush” and thought hmm I love bush, let’s check it out. It was such an amazing album from beginning to end.
The new released vinyl that just came out on November 17th is such a testament to this album being as great then as it is now. Listening to the vinyl just brought back so many memories of being an angst teenager that just wanted to heard. The vinyl package is amazing with lots of photos of the band throughout the years and the sound of the vinyl is so pristine.
I got my hands on the opaque red vinyl and just looks awesome spinning on the player. It’s crazy to think that this album has so many hits and no filler songs, even the songs that didn’t become hits are just as good as the hits.
With the hits being “Glycerine”, “Everything Zen” , “Comedown” “Little Things” and “Machinehead” but some of my favorite songs are not the hits songs like “Swim”, “Bomb” and “Alien” which is probably my favorite song on the album. If you’re a fan of Bush or this album or just want to dive into the mid 90s Grunge/Post Grunge era this is a key album to have in your collection.
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Alice In Chains have Re-Released the 2009 album on vinyl. This album was the first Alice In Chains in 14 years and the first album with guitarist/singer Willam DuVall after Layne Staley passed away in 2002.
I was a huge Alice In Chains fan and was a big fan of both Layne and Jerry. When this album first came out I remember sorta pushing it the side only cause of sadness about Layne but after hearing “Check My Brain” I gave it a chance and was so glad that I did. This album is amazing and really put Alice In Chains back into the mainstream.
The vinyl not only looks super awesome but sounds amazing. If you’re a fan of Alice In Chains and into collecting Vinyl, this album is a must in your collection. It’s a great packed vinyl with 2 vinyls included.
Side A: All Secrets Known, Check My Brain and Last of My Kind. Side B: Your Decision, A Looking in View. Side C: When The Sun Rose Again, Acid Bubble, Lesson Learned. Side D: Take Her Out, Private Hell, Black Gives Away To Blue
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