The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2013

2013 marked another great year for metal and all its splintered genres. Although some promising acts disbanded, legends passed away, and some douche brought a lot of unwanted attention our way, 2013 was still a year full of celebration. There were great milestones and anniversaries, epic comebacks and most of all, slammin’ new albums for us depraved metal fans to enjoy. Trying to cram a year’s worth of stellar releases into a mere top 10 might seem like an act of lunacy…but that’s us alright, stupid like a fox. This is The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2013...

Nails @ The Echo, Los Angeles. 6-8-13.

A friend asked me to describe Nails' sound to him...I told him it was like listening to steroids. That rush of testosterone filled energy that convinces you that you'll fight the world in bare-knuckle combat and fucking win. That's what this whole extreme music (metal/hardcore/punk/noise) nonsense is supposed to be about. The wild union of determination and raw power. Nails embodies that spirit to a T.

This show started early and because I suck at life and had to work Saturday afternoon, I missed pretty much all the opening bands. Bummer. I did manage to catch the last half of Power Trip's set. These Texan thrashers stand apart from the horde of copy cat "Thrash Revival" clones with the frenzied urgency in their performance. They didn't come onstage to share their love of high tops and denim jeans, they came to bang some fucking heads, which is exactly what they did.

Nails didn't come to bring the noise however, they came to obliterate. Their set was so loud my ear plugs tried to abort themselves midway through their performance, no joke. Todd Jones and co. played a good chunk of material off their new album, Abandon All Life (best of the year contender? Shit yes). If you haven't heard their new record then do yourself a favor, the next time you have a bad day at work or an argument with that pesky significant other, click that link provided above. You'll thank me for it. Their set was criminally short, but rock solid. Some of their new material is more spazzy (re: blast beats) and less mosh friendly than the jams off Unsilent Death, but kids down in front still lost their friggin minds. All I saw were a stream of dark figures bouncing off each other/flying through the air all night.

Highlights of the night included:
-Todd Jones dedicating the song "Tyrant" to himself.
-the eerie quiet in the room as Jones lambasted internet "shit talkers" before "Suffering Soul."
-the shaking floor boards (aka the Nails effect).
-newly added 2nd guitarist Saba's nod to Slayer during the ending of "Unsilent Death."

Nails is seriously a force to be reckoned with in the underground metal/hardcore world. I'm going to be that old man telling campfire stories to youngins about seeing Nails in concert, mark my words. They're like the Achilles of this shit. Unfortunately for ya'll, the band is set to remain a part time passion project for the foreseeable future. Aside from short regional runs/festivals, extensive international and North American touring is pretty much out of the question. So move to California then. Get your Nails on.

Converge/ Torche/ NAILS @ The Echoplex, Los Angeles. 10/28/12

We Are The Champions

Converge are easily one of the best live acts on the planet and one of my favorite bands of all time. I'd watch them perform the phone book in a basement (with more growls and d-beats than usual) if I could. Some of you might recall my last Converge story from this summer's FYF Fest. Well, my wounds had healed, sinuses cleared, and shoe laces tied extra tight. I was ready for another dose of Converge on their All We Love We Leave Behind Tour.

Talk about a lineup. This tour was siiiiiiick. Like "OMGZ" I need to sit down and catch my breath after reading the lineup. Torche, Kvelertak and NAILS. All three bands have released killer albums, all produced by Converge's Kurt Ballou, in the past few years. This overs the creme de le creme of metal, rock, hardcore/grind. Even the local opending act Dangers is ridiculous!


So we arrived early to catch Dangers because they impressed the hell out of me when they opened for The Dillinger Escape Plan back in January. This time I was familiar with their songs, and impressed by how tight and close to their album they sound live. Their singer Al is a madman on stage, jumping into the the crowd and running around the pit like a wild injun, jumping and crawling while shrieking at the top of his lungs...while barefoot. Can't wait to see these guys again.

Kvelertak was next. I really enjoyed their self titled debut album from 2010, and was looking forward to watching them rock out, but alas, I was starving. My girlfriend and I headed to the back of the venue (where you can't see jack) to get some pizza during Kvelertak's second song. The band sounded awesome from what I heard...but after a long day of work, we needed to eat. Sorry guys, next time.

Glad I ate, because NAILS was fucking exhausting. Imagine trying to work out with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1970s. NAILS mantra: "We came, we saw, we kicked it's ass!" This band is so heavy it's retarded. Really. I described their sound as "a monolithic slab of caveman brutality" when they opened for Dillinger in January (yeah, them and Dangers...go figure) and now I want to add, "violent" to said description. Something about this band makes causes me to speak in grunts and long for a 2x4 to smash over people's skulls. Their songs are short, fast and fucking awesome. The 2nd guitar player they added only made them sound heavier. I simply can't get enough NAILS.

Torche was next and were totally a welcome change of pace. I think I might have turned into a total werewolf if the aggro streak didn't halt right there. Luckily, Torche is all about having fun. They played a lot of new stuff of their latest album Harmonicraft, and had a lot of little HD cameras set up on stage, leading me to believe they were filming for a new video or a TV performance in the future. Their newer stuff is poppy enough to get dudes and ladies alike to move and dare I say, even dance, near the front of the stage. Then their older material comes along and is so heavy it has heads banging throughout the venue. So glad Torche was on this bill. Kudos fellas.

Finally, the headliners and heavyweight champions of the underground metal/hardcore universe took the stage: Converge.

They opened with "Concubine" and the Echoplex exploded. I learned my lesson from my FYF. My girlfriend and I retreated to the outskirts of the floor, away from the pit, but still close enough for me to get some awesome videos. Since their superb new album, All We Love We Leave Behind, dropped in October, it was almost a given that Converge would be playing a lot of new songs. However, the band went online and asked fans what other songs they'd like to hear on this tour. The response was massive. EVERYONE had a thousand old song they wanted to see live. I was stoked they played "Heartless," one of my top choices!


Rare gems like the ultra dirge-y "You Fail Me" and from way back when "My Unsaid Everything," gave Converge's  old school fans a nice nod, while all the new jams from All We Love flat out slayed. "Trespasses" "Sadness Comes Home" "Glacial Place" "Empty On The Inside," etc etc. I've never been
more stoked to hear a band play new stuff in concert before.

The venue had lots of floor space, which gave the sold-out capacity crowd room to breathe. I think that's what kept the energy level relatively high throughout the night. People could take a step back and catch their breath before jumping into the pit for the next song. After a full night of ass-kickery, and a full day of beforehand, I was exhausted by the time Converge wrapped their hour and half set up with the always epic, "Last Light." After paying homage at the band's merch table (and getting a sweet ass Axe to Fall flag) I ran into Converge singer/visual artist/record owner and awesome human being Jacob Bannon outside. Dude looked drained. He was covered in sweat, his voice barely audible and was still chatting it up with fans outside. He may have gone through the ringer onstage, (and every night) but you know he'd do it again, to the delight of assholes like me, in a heartbeat...forever if he could pull it off.

That's why Converge rules folks. Check em' out next time they're in driving distance. And if you ever see NAILS, bring ear plugs and a baseball bat.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, Nails & Dangers @ Center For The Arts, Eagle Rock. 1/18/2011.

destroyers!

Best show of the year. I know it's still January but really, I'd have to be invited onstage by Slayer or have Refused unite in my living room or some shit for anything to top this. I've already said many times before, but The Dillinger Escape Plan is my favorite band and in fact, this here blog is named after their song, "Jim Fear." Anyways....it had been a long while since I last saw Dillinger perform a headlining show, and never in a venue like this.

The show took place inside the Eagle Rock Center for The Arts. The place was meant to house art exhibits, yoga classes, community meetings and now, sweaty mosh pits. We arrived just as the first opening band finished up. Dangers, was up next. This was my first time seeing these guys live and they did not disappoint. Fast paced hardcore meets rock & roll vibes, with lots of energy on stage and some witty stage banter to boot.


My losing streak finally came to an end. After 3 failed attempts, I finally got to see Nails live. Their music is fast, ugly and ridiculously heavy. Like a monolithic slab of caveman brutality. The area in front of the stage, affectionately referred to as...the pit, started getting nasty during during their performance. If Dillinger wasn't immediately following them onstage, I wouldn't have wanted Nails set to end.


And then there was Dillinger. This was my 11th time seeing them live since 2004 and it's safe to say that this show stands as one of my favorites. The venue's small floor area kept the crowd's energy high, and it's high ceilings gave the band some more room to work on their acrobatics. They opened with "Panasonic Youth" and my sanity/better judgement went out the window.


I knew I shouldn't have stayed down in the front like I did. I had work the next morning and should have stayed with my pals on the sidelines. Of course with the songs like "Good Neighbor" blaring through the speakers, and watching singer/riot inciter Greg literally climbing the walls, I forgot I wasn't 18 anymore and decided to stay on the front lines. Sure, my camera got knocked around, causing the battery to stop functioning properly, and some dude collided into my wrist, causing me to now wear a splint/brace and type reeeeeeeally slowly, but that was but a small price to pay to witness the Dillinger spectacle up close and personal.


I dug their set list. All killer, no filler some would say. Surprised I still had a voice the next day after singing along to crowd favorites, "Milk Lizard" and "Gold Teeth on a Bum." It's funny, those songs got the best reaction from the Deftones' audience when Dillinger opened up for them last summer and although they may be more "streamlined" than the usual DEP fare, all their hardcore fans love em just the same. I guess people really do like just singing along to their favorite tunes. Cause in point, the final onslaught of "Sunshine The Werewolf" and "43% Burnt" back to back. People soaked in sweat and utterly devoid of energy, screaming their lungs out for the "DESTOOOOOOOOYER!" breakdown part like they'd never live to see another day. I would know, I was one of them.

Did you see that? Clip is kind of long and audio is a little sketchy at times but man, just imagine being in the center of that. I was on the stage, sprained wrist and all. Bumping into Ben's guitar, hitting Billy's china cymbal with my (good) hand, and screaming with Greg at different times.

Dillinger played another show, this time a free 21+ gig in Fullerton the next night. I planed on going but was now nursing a sprained wrist and decided to stay home and watch the show streaming live from the band's website. It looked like fun, but just not as wild as the Center For The Arts gig!

new video from NAILS

ready for a swift audio kick in the nuts?

Remember NAILS? They were one of the band's I featured on my Top 10 Albums of 2010. They've just come out with a slamming new music video.The good folks at Scion have smiled upon us lowly extreme music rabble and blessed us with this fine slab of high def awesomeness. Hope you like your grindcore extra power violence tinged like I do. If so, NAILS will not disappoint.


Yeah, that was two songs in a minute & thirty seconds. And what?!

It's sad that they're from California and I've missed all their previous live shows, including at the Scion Rock Fest. One day =/