Intern Review: Parkway Drive - Atlas

For those of you out there who feel the metalcore wave is a passing fad, off the heels of a now defunct nu-metal genre (thank god) I hate to tell you this… it’s NOT going away anytime soon, especially with the five-piece, Australian band Parkway Drive at the helm. These boys have been going hard for 10 years and aren't letting up.

Atlas, is a kick ass roller coaster ride from start to finish. If you’re a metalcore fan or not, this is an album that might change your perspective on your impression of the genre. You’ll thoroughly enjoy all of the chuga-chuga riffs, deep growls and impressive drum work. I’m complete sucker for gang vocals and sing-a-longs and this album is full. Any band using gang vocals is just after my heart.

One of the fantastic things about this album is the absence of a repetitive hook or theme, which is great because so many metalcore bands will find their “sound” and be boring as all hell after the first three songs.

The first track off Atlas, "Sparks," slow moving instrumental piece with a marching style drum cadence. Although, it is a generic way of starting a metalcore album, it leads into “Old Ghost / New Regrets” a guitar heavy intro with gang vocals will have you out of your seat and diving head first into the pit.

 “The River” stood particularly well because of the slow pace. You need that in a solid album to make those fast tracks really stand out and shine. It’s a real treat when as a listener; you can enjoy the storytelling through music with songs like “The River” in an album that is so great at being heavy. It is a major discredit to a band’s versatility and style when all they do is bombard your eardrums with overbearing guitar work and bass drops.

Prepare yourself for “Swing.” This is a brutally fast, pit worthy track with a sick breakdown. Pelvic thrust:: UGH! Such a great track, I dare you to find a more pit worthy metalcore song that has been out in the past 6 months. Seriously, hit me up, I’ll put some money on it.

Atlas is one of those albums I was hesitant to listen to because the recent trend of metalcore had left a Penicillin like after taste in my mouth, which could only be washed down by bands that had done it well in the past. Atlas tickled my fancy like a 4 year old with an Elmo doll. This album breaks up the monotony of a genre saturated with weak, prepubescent vocals and synthesized hooks. You won’t catch any of that garbage in this album.

Atlas is a rollercoaster ride of an album with great breakdowns, catchy gang vocals and what could potentially be a future live album. There are no auto tuned hooks, bull crap, sissy vocalizing or synthesized cheating. This straight up guitar heavy, well-written and even better timed album in regards to track placement gives the listener a great experience. It gets you up when it needs to and lets you rest when it should. Finally someone has done a metalcore album right and better it be veterans of the stage than a noob. A+

-Derick Garcia

Derick is an intern from Texas State University where he hosts his own metal show 'On the Grinder' and produces and hosts a Texas State TV program 'La Bella Vida.'

Intern Review: The Sword - Apocryphon

If the Mayan’s have it right, we’re all screwed but at least we were able to enjoy Apocryphon, the new album from The Sword. Oh, how sweet it is to have some Texas metal in my eardrums this week.

Let’s get down to business; long time fans of The Sword will be happy to know they have not taken an “artistic journey” and sacrificed their signature sound. The group’s 4th studio album Apocryphon is saturated in groove guitar rifts, guaranteed to have you wailing away on the most epic Gibson Flying V your imagination can create.

Air Guitar is so much cooler with The Sword. As I was listening to the album with my dog, Preston, I can see the envy in his little puppy eyes, wishing he had thumbs to hold imaginary drum sticks and bang away with me. Sorry buddy, you can help with the imaginary groupies.

Ok, back to the review. It is my duty to give you the most in-depth, truthful reviews and to be completely honest Apocryphon kicks ass. If you’re a fan of metal of the past; where it wasn't about how loud you can scream, how fast you can shred or how many tattoos you have but based on how well you can write a killer album, then prepare yourself for an album you’ll have on repeat. Guitar heavy, drum laced and vocally pleasing, Apocryphon is an album most definitely something you want to check out.

The Sword’s critically acclaimed 3rd album, Warped Riders, is a tough act to follow. However they managed to follow up with an album that not only has a lot of hype but delivers the goods in a lustrous box of awesomeness without damaging their credibility or their signature sound.

I can’t help but say good things about Apocryphon but the simple fact is, it’s a great album. I even went back and revisited The Sword's previous three albums; Age of Winters, Gods of the Earth and Warped Riders. Let’s just say I've developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from trying to wail like JD Cronise and Kyle Shutt.

Go check out Apocryphon, you can thank me later.


-Derick Garcia

Derick is an intern from Texas State University where he hosts his own metal show 'On the Grinder' and produces and hosts a Texas State TV program 'La Bella Vida.'

Intern Review: Pig Destroyer - Book Burner

For 14 years, Pig Destroyer has made eardrums bleed with their anvil heavy guitar work and lightning fast drums that can make fans of grindcore both old and young share a mosh pit together without issues.  The band's fifth studio album, Book Burner, feels more like an extension of previous albums than anything else. From start to finish, the album is an in-your-face nonstop thrill ride. Don't press pause because you'll lose the whole feeling of the album.

Now, I know for some people grindcore is an acquired taste, much like having your first beer, it comes with a weird taste and leaves you aching in the morning but you never regret it. There's no filler, there's no fluff to this album. Fans of previous work from Pig Destroyer are in for a real treat with "The Diplomat," "Baltimore Strangler" and "Iron Drunk". The band does an excellent job of staying true to their grindcore riffs and these songs are guaranteed to make your neck sore.

Of course this can't be an absolutely excellent review because that's practically impossible. In all honesty there are a few drawbacks of the album, one being that every song sounds virtually the same. Now, I know for many fans that could be a positive because it's like listening to your favorite song over and over again; however, to the average metal head or aggressive music lover it can be a little mundane and repetitive.

There were times when I was not sure where one song ended and one began, but once I heard the album a few times, it was definitely a plus because I didn't want the songs to end. The brutal in-your-face raw sound was definitely a pallet pleaser after a few times through. When it is all said and done Book Burner is a pretty kick ass album through and through. It's an album grindcore fans will definitely sink their teeth into and show it to others with the hopes to get them on board the Pig Destroyer bandwagon. 


-Derick Garcia

Derick is an intern from Texas State University where he hosts his own metal show 'On the Grinder' and produces and hosts a Texas State TV program 'La Bella Vida.'

Intern Review: Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind

R and B music was made for loving, Pop was made for making money, Metal was made for me and you and Converge was made for a swift kick to the jaw by Chuck Norris in hyper speed.

The band’s eighth studio album All We Love We Leave Behind is a fast paced journey through their amazing ability to create controlled frenzy. Their seventh studio album Axe To Fall is a tough act to follow both critically and by fans but All We Love We Leave Behind is a blitzkrieg of wild guitar work and plenty of doom metal epicness, which is sure to please the palate of metal heads in any of the many subgenres.

The first track “Aimless Arrow” is a bit of a break from the traditional styling of front man Jacob Bannon’s trademark ravenous vocals but a step in the right direction to diversify the band’s sound. Although “Aimless Arrow” may set the tone for the band’s growth, tracks like “Sparrow’s Fall” and “Trespasses” take you right back to the root of chaos that is textbook Converge. Fans of doom metal will get a few warm and fuzzies in their belly with “Coral Blue”.

Continuing the break down of Converge’s eighth album, brings up the next point as to why this album is awesome, BREAKDOWNS. Breakdown after breakdown will make those of us who live for mosh pits absolutely smitten. The album is full of those pit worth tracks like “Veins and Veils” and “Shame In the Way”.

Converge consistently takes a live show and creates an experience for fans of metal, hardcore, doom and thrash and aggressive music creating an almost religious experience of being baptized. Sitting and listening to this album yourself will not suffice. You must imagine yourself in a car chase, a riot, escaping a burning building or in a scenario where pure, raw, unbridled emotion would explode from you with action filled Jason Statham adrenaline. That my friend is how All We Love We Leave Behind should be experienced.

-Derick Garcia

Derick is an intern from Texas State University where he hosts his own metal show 'On the Grinder' and produces and hosts a Texas State TV program 'La Bella Vida.'