Harm's Way: Isolation (Closed Casket Activities, 7/5/11)

Harm's Way: "New Beginnings"

Though ostensibly affiliated with the hardcore scene, Harm's Way has moved into the primitive, mid-paced territory of death-metal bands like Bolt Thrower and Asphyx. Originally formed in 2005 as a power-violence band in the vein of Crossed Out and Infest, Harm's Way has become slower and more metallic with each of its releases. Isolation, its second full-length recording, is a definitive statement for the band, cementing its vision of the possibilities in heavy music.

Hardcore and metal have fed off of each other for decades. In the early and mid-1980s, Metallica, Celtic Frost, and other pioneering bands cited not only the new wave of British heavy metal as an influence, but also hardcore bands like Discharge. Since then, there has been a two-way street between the metal and hardcore communities, with New York-based hardcore bands like the Cro-Mags and Madball clearly borrowing ideas on heaviness from death-metal bands, and a band like Obituary claiming Merauder as an influence.

It is no surprise, then, that a "hardcore" band like Harm's Way actually sounds quite a bit like Tom Warrior's current project, Triptykon. The focus is on rhythmic, single-string riffs and drawn-out, chugging avalanches. There is a syncopated sensibility more associated with the aforementioned New York hardcore bands, but Harm's Way should be sharing the stage with a band like Cianide more than it should be touring with today's current crop of Pantera and Hatebreed clones.

Though Isolation is unquestionably heavy, songs are structured more like doom-metal epics, where crushing riffs are the language, rather than a cool trick reserved for the end of a song. "Becoming" is an obvious nod to Streetcleaner-era Godflesh, with its martial drum-machine and blown-out vocals. As with all heavy music, a cunning sense of rhythm is key to Harm's Way's success. Mostly structured in blocks of downbeats, the variation between riffs touches on an inherently satisfying sense of progression. A crowning achievement is the use of one note played in eighth notes for an entire riff on "New Beginnings" that manages to remain totally engaging throughout.

Isolation is a promising development, in that it represents a new wave of bands that recognize the metal roots of their favorite hardcore bands. Rather than the quality of ideas deteriorating through repeated copying, this is an exciting take on classic metal techniques filtered through a hardcore idiom.

William Elliott Whitmore: Field Songs (Anti-)

William Elliott Whitmore: "Field Song"

Inspired by his roots in the American Midwest, singer/songwriter William Elliott Whitmore has helped spark a renewed interest in blues and folk music over the past decade. Now with more than half a dozen records to his name, Whitmore’s raspy, soulful voice is as recognized as ever, and his new album, Field Songs, accentuates it with another sparse, minimalist backdrop.

Singing tales about adversity in middle America, Whitmore uses Field Songs to conjure images of rural life, with literal field sounds often in the background. Musically, it emphasizes acoustic guitar as much as or more than the banjo that has become synonymous with his name, and it goes further back to basics, cutting the few instrumental accompaniments that were present on his last album.

Decapitated: Carnival is Forever (Nuclear Blast)

Decapitated: "Homo Sum"

In the early 2000s, and at very young ages, the members of Decapitated began an ascent to become one of Poland's preeminent technical-death-metal outfits. The group enjoyed accolades for its complex yet hook-tinged sound, culminating with the release of its 2006 album, Organic Hallucinosis.

But just a year and a half after that release, tragedy struck: a car accident took the life of drummer Witold "Vitek" Kiełtyka (the brother of guitarist/composer and co-founder Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka) and left vocalist Adrian "Covan" Kowanek in a coma.

Wacław, however, eventually decided to reform Decapitated in honor of his fallen brother. With the additions of drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner and vocalist Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski, the band has released a sterling return to form in Carnival is Forever, its first album in five years.

Lechner and Piotrowski more than prove their capabilities on the album, and that's no small feat — particularly for Lechner, who succeeds a drummer that was lauded by many, including Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake. The riffs have a bit more head-banging potential, and there's a bit more polyrhythmic play (a la Meshuggah and its "djent" brethren); palm-muted guitar triplets often work over tom-intensive beats and extended double bass. Wacław unleashes a few shredding guitar solos at key moments, and Piotrowski lays a slightly higher-register intensity over everything. The result is powerful.

There's a bit of clean-guitar play on a few tracks, but the most notable use is on the beautiful solo-guitar, minor-key closer "Silence," which presumably is a tribute to Witold. It's a graceful end to an otherwise explosive tribute album.

Washed Out: Within and Without (Sub Pop)

Washed Out: "Amor Fati"

In 2009, electronica novice Ernest Greene appeared on the indie scene under the moniker of Washed Out, offering an accessible and diverse dose of new wave on the Life of Leisure EP. The recording delved into a reimagined electronica sound, taking cues from mid-’80s synth heavyweights and putting a modern twist on it. It was a very bright start, but it was only a matter of time to see whether Greene and his fresh, revitalized “chillwave” sound could retain its consistency and musical integrity for a full-length effort.

Two years later, Washed Out has returned with a proper LP that expands on Greene’s initial sound. Employing a glut of synths and electronic beats, Within and Without takes new wave to a new level while helping to modernize the sound. Mixing slowed dance beats with synth-heavy arrangements and electronica ornamentation, the album can be as sensually evocative as its album art. In all, it's a solid, unified offering — a must-listen.

- Text by Michael Danaher.

Samael: Lux Mundi (Season of Mist)

Samael: "Antigod"

Now approaching its 25th anniversary as a band, Switzerland's Samael has been a crucial piece of industrial metal's development. Lux Mundi, the band's ninth full-length album, continues in the tradition that it and countrymen Celtic Frost helped develop, moving away from black metal to incorporate industrial, electronic, and classical elements.

Whereas Above, Samael's last album, returned to the band's black-metal roots, the material on Lux Mundi is much more symphonic and mid-tempo, reveling in bombast as well as darkness. The raspy, gothic vocals, though straightforward, provide a degree of theatricality that again suits the dramatic music, which thrives thanks to lean, infectious riffs and regal synth flourishes.

Everyone has his or her favorite Samael album, and for some, Lux Mundi may never compete. But it's not a stretch to consider this among the most well-crafted releases of the band's post-black-metal days.

The Glitch Mob: We Can Make the World Stop EP (Glass Air)

The Glitch Mob: "Warrior Concerto"

With only one full-length release to its name, electronic trio The Glitch Mob has far surpassed its output with name recognition, thanks to a slew of high-profile remixes and digital mixtapes. That full-length, Drink the Sea, was a miniature modern cross-section of the genre, ranging from heavy drum-and-bass to dubstep grooves to sultry electronica. Now, following two full remix albums of Drink the Sea from earlier this year, the three-piece is tiding over fans with a three-track EP in advance of a new album in 2012.

True to its namesake, the music is glitchy, but there are plenty of dance-fueled beats and catchy melodies, as piano keys and faux strings mix with digitized vocals and bassy, buzzing synthesizers. "Warrior Concerto," the EP's single, winds a classical sample around chopped synths, rapid-fire drum fills, and a dance-floor foundation. It's a well-executed new direction and should be an exciting glimpse at what's next.

Honorable Mentions

Beware of Safety: Leaves/Scars (The Mylene Sheath)

Boban i Marko Markovic vs. Fanfare Ciocarlia: Balkan Brass Battle (Asphalt Tango)

The Cool Kids: When Fish Ride Bicycles (Green Label Sound)

Dave King Trucking Company: Good Old Light (Sunnyside)

Declaime: Self Study (Someothaship Connect)

Earth Crisis: Neutralize the Threat (Century Media)

Eleanor Friedberger: Last Summer (Merge)

In the Nursery: Blind Sound (Plastic Head Music)

Isis: Live IV Selections 2001 – 2005

Sepultura: Kairos (Nuclear Blast)

Zomby: Dedication (4AD)

Blaspherian: Infernal Warriors of Death (Deathgasm Records, 3/8/11)

Blaspherian: "Infernal Warriors of Death"

The cover art of Infernal Warriors of Death bears a striking resemblance to Dawn of Possession, so it's no surprise that Blaspherian's debut full-length shares quite a bit with early Immolation. Although formed in 2004, Blaspherian is far from prolific, having only released a demo, an EP, and a few splits previous to this recording. Its 2007 EP was a respectable old-school death-metal release, but it was not enough of a unique statement to set it apart from the classic bands of the early '90s and late '80s.

However, with Infernal Warriors of Death, Blaspherian has claimed its spot in Texas' long history of extreme metal. This is crowded territory, as the state has offered up one of the genre's initial classics in Necrovore's Divus de Mortuus demo, underrated technical thrash bands in Rigor Mortis and Dead Horse, and two of the most compelling United States black-metal bands in Absu and Averse Sefira.

Blaspherian clearly operates in the aesthetic framework of its death-metal forebears, but it has found its own voice in the style. The subtleties of string bends and drum fills indicate the care of skilled craftsmen. Though the bulk of this album is mid-paced and darkly melodic, blast beats are played at a modern speed, rather than at the tempos of the early '90s. Each song contains a main theme that is varied throughout the composition, often through key modulation or slight rhythmic offsets.

The bends, pinch harmonics, and hammer-ons are straight out of the Incantation and Immolation fake book, and octave melody lines recall the techniques of Sepultura and Scandinavian death-metal bands. The barked and gurgled vocals are somewhere between classic and modern, reflecting the technique pioneered by Suffocation's Frank Mullen. Palm-muted, thrash-metal-esque riffs break up the death-metal structures as seen on recordings by Immolation and Pestilence that transitioned between thrash and death metal.

This is not a no-frills approach to death metal, as there are several unusual time signatures and riffs that go through many permutations on each song. However, it doesn't come across as technical, which is a testament to the songwriting. Each part flows into the next without jarring the listener. Blaspherian has created an album that successfully recreates the classic death-metal experience with several additions that make it more than just a tribute.

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The Rival Mob: Hardcore for Hardcore 7" (Six Feet Under Records, 8/6/2010)

The Rival Mob: "Hardcore for Hardcore"

The Rival Mob has collected all sorts of praise with its approach to the New York hardcore sound of the late '80s, and it doesn't hurt that vocalist Brendan Radigan splits time playing drums in niche-loved Mind Eraser. Although everyone knows not to judge an album by its cover, the lush, conflict-laden painting adorning Hardcore for Hardcore, the band's new six-song seven-inch, primes the listener adequately for what lies within.

Hardcore for Hardcore is the The Rival Mob's third release, following the 2009 Raw Life EP and a 2007 demo. Fans of these previous recordings should find plenty to like, as the band has not strayed significantly from its creative vision. A tenacious approach and shrewd transitions separate this EP from other current bands playing in a similar style. Radigan's vocal delivery is idiosyncratic and engaging in spite of lyrical cliches about back-stabbing posers. The song-writing intent remains a rhythmic pummeling of memorable, mid-paced riffing, but without being overly chuggy.  Instead, the band achieves heaviness through clever switches of emphasis and syncopation.  Though each musical idea is stimulating enough on its own, the relationships between riffs create songs that are more than merely a sum of their parts. This type of rhythmic gaming and structuring is what makes bands like Sepultura, Celtic Frost, and Black Flag so effective.

However, unlike these canonical artists, The Rival Mob favors straight-forward songs in lieu of chaos. Each song has an unmissable focal point that serves as a foundation. From the get-go, it's obvious that every song will move through fast parts before climaxing with an ending intended for moshing. The Rival Mob keeps this format engaging by specializing in creative transitions: everything suddenly cuts out for a drum break or a vocal yelp. Even though the listener knows what is coming most of the time, the quality of the riffs and the obvious emotional engagement of the band are more than enough to bear repeat plays.

This band is is one of the most talked-about bands on hardcore message boards across the Internet, and not since No Warning in the early 2000s has a band been this hyped while deserving the praise offered by the masses. The Rival Mob clearly loves what it does, and that makes it easy to love its music.

Supermachiner, the haunting, mostly instrumental side project from Converge members Jacob Bannon and Kurt Ballou, will soon have its complete 30-track, two-disc collection, Rust, available through Deathwish Inc. Listen to a few tracks here.

Big Business has announced the release of its new album, Mind the Drift, for April on Hydra Head. Listen to a new track, "Gold and Final," on the group's MySpace page.

Japanese post-rockers Mono have a new album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind, being released on March 24 on Temporary Residence. The album boasts guest contributions from a 28-member orchestra.

Seven Signs, the Southern culture documentary by J.D. Wilkes of Th' Legendary Shack Shakers, is now available on DVD.

Following the release of Old Money via Stones Throw on January 26, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez takes his group to Europe in March. Click here for a list of dates.

A new alt-metal super-group called Shrinebuilder is recording a debut album for Neurot Recordings, due this summer. The group consists of Wino (The Hidden Hand), Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Al Cisneros (Om, Sleep), and Dale Crover (Melvins) and will be in the studio with Toshi Kasai (Big Business).

Orange Tulip Conspiracy, the exceptional multi-genre new group led by Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, will play a full US tour in May. If you're involved in setting up shows, you can help Schimmel fill in dates — head here for details.

Grandaddy singer/songwriter Jason Lytle has a solo debut album, Yours Truly, being release on Anti- on May 19.

Finger-tapping indie-rock specialist Kaki King is playing a "solo guitar and no other bullshit tour" in California from January 21-31. Head here for the dates.

Post-rock/jam keyboardist Marco Benevento plays a weekly residency in February at Yoshi's in Oakland in the middle of a handful of other West Coast dates. During the stint, Benevento will be joined by special guests that include Scott Amendola, Billy Martin, Reed Mathis, Jeff Parker, and Skerik.

California math-rock trio Tera Melos has a new EP of cover songs available to download for free. Band member Nick Reinhart also has new band with drumming wiz Zach Hill, called Bygones, that has a debut album set for release in March on Sargent House.

Starting today, the new Cattle Decapitation album, The Harvest Floor, is streaming in its entirety on buzzgrinder.com. The stream will run through January 19.

Thrash/punk four-piece Trash Talk has announced a handful of shows that span Japan, California, and Georgia (the state). The shows include performances with Fucked Up, Pig Destroyer, Converge, Torche, Mastodon, and Neurosis.

Hardcore tough guys Hatebreed have posted a cover of Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist" on their MySpace page. The cover is included in the soundtrack to Punisher: War Zone.