We try to put out at least one music review a week, but this week there a few different albums I wanted to talk about to I figured I’d just put them all together. If you dig metal and hardcore bands, then here a few new albums you should definitely check out!
Weekend Nachos – Apology
Weekend Nachos are the Bill Brasky of hardcore music. They’re infamous, larger than life, and will not hesitate to throw a saddle on you and ride you around Wyoming for 3 days. The dudes recently decided it was time to hang up their five-panel hats and call it day, but not before one more album and a year full of shows. That album is titled Apology, and it’s a swansong for the ages. Heavier than 2-ton steel balls, and faster than an Olympic runner with IBS, Apology is Weekend Nachos way of saying, “Even though we’ve decided to shuffle off, we’re not done just yet and you will listen to every damn word we have to say!” There’s riffs, and breakdowns, and blast beats (OH MY)! There are tracks that smash in your face with a hammer (“Dust”, “Fake Political Song”), and then there are tracks that chug along all sludgey and groovy-like (“N.A.R.C.”, “POW MIA”). The final song on the album is also the title track, “Apology”, and it is a slow and heavy instrumental that descends into a beautiful and somewhat eerie piece of sound with piano and feedback before pounding back in with a big, thunderous ending. Go to Weekend Nachos’ Bandcamp if you’re interested in checking out Apology.
Eternal Sleep – The Emptiness Of
Most metalcore bands sway either one way or the other. They’re either heavier on the metal, or heavier on the hardcore. The dudes in Pittsburg PA’s Eternal Sleep, though, do not conform to your archaic definitions of metal and hardcore. They blend the two so evenly and perfectly that you can’t tell where the metal ends and the core begins. For this reason you can’t label them “metalcore” (that seemed so roundabout huh?). What I mean is, they’re clearly equally influenced by both genres, and it blatantly shows in the music they write, but since metalcore bands are so watered-down and generic these days, it wouldn’t fair or accurate to lump Eternal Sleep in with them because they’re SO MUCH BETTER. I think that Eternal Sleep sounds like what Hatebreed would sound like if Hatebreed just came out today instead of over two decades ago. Check out The Emptiness Of here, and catch Eternal Sleep on tour later this summer with Blistered.
Suburban Scum – Ultimate Annihilation
“Notorious” is a word that comes to mind when I think about Suburban Scum. Other words that comes to mind: Relentless, brutal, and punishing. (In that respect they remind me a lot of one of my favorite hardcore bands of all time, All Out War.) I wouldn’t say that Suburban Scum are “plagued” with controversy or anything, but they’ve certainly spent their fair share of time in the spotlight over some dubious situations. Ultimate Annihilation is a testament to their ability to aggressively push past those circumstances and stand proud in the face of obstacle and, for better or worse, scream, “I am ready for war!”. Every track is just as vicious as the one before it leaving zero room to breathe. You will literally feel like you’re drowning in hardcore. What a way to go though, right? You can check out Ultimate Annihilation here.