On the Facebook page I recently said that I felt like I was focusing too much on one set scene or genre of music; the whole idea of this blog was to cover any and every aspect and genre of music, however admittedly I have been focusing more on getting people I wanted to interview and writing and reviews items I wanted to as opposed to maybe music that people that read this blog were interested in. So this was an idea me and a friend came up with where every week a new track review would be put up, and from there I came up with the idea of furthering this and hopefully at somepoint this would become a piece where different people would review a different track that they thought was great. I wanted to, and still want to explore the entirety of music, and not pigeon-hole Ghostchant into the metalcore scene, or the industrial metal scene, or the punk scene or whatever.
To start this weekly piece off I wanted to go differently, which is why I went with the 1995 track, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” by U2. Still staying in the rock music vein, it’s all I know and am interested in; it’s obviously less heavy and more commercial than anything I’ve really done for Ghostchant before.
So right, this song is most notable for being the main theme for the massive comic book movie Batman Forever from the same year. The film was a huge departure from the previous darker, more serious in tone Batman movies; this one was more about fun, more like a comic book, and this song suits this change so much. Being specifically written for the soundtrack, this was during the infamous PopMart Tour and era of U2, where they, like this movie, had reinvented themselves into a more ‘fun’ band and less serious band. Its assumed that this was written during the sessions for the 1997 album ‘Pop’, which ended up being somewhat of a failure which ended up prompting another massive change in 2000, but at this time, U2 were the biggest band in the world, they literally toured the globe with a show that was so much more than just a rock concert; the PopMart Tour of the mid-90’s was an experience!
During this period for U2 they were experimenting a lot, trading in the guitar rock of ‘The Joshua Tree’ and ‘Achtung Baby!’ in favour of more synth and electronica sounds, however “Hold Me…” sounds very different, it doesn’t follow this routine and experimental side, frankly its one damn awesome rocking track!! It showcases something that had been missing on the 1993 album ‘Zooropa’, the rock element and what the Edge can bring to the table in that department. Sure there are some synths in the background; the main driving force of the track is Edge’s guitar and Bono’s voice.
Lyrically this song talks about the pressures of fame, and how people perceive you once you have become ‘famous’ which is certainly something Bono and U2 had been experiencing almost 24/7 for the last decade by this point. The vocals are the typical Bono shriek-like wails mixed with a hint of arrogance, which actually goes to help strengthen the track and make it seem more ‘real’, getting the message across easier.
This song went on to become a major hit and actually garnered somewhat of a cult following among U2 fans, with fans having begged for it to be played live since the end of the PopMart Tour. During the 360o Tour they did dust it off and play it live during the European leg with it being greeted by the fans with open arms.
Personally, to me this track is one of my favourites, and was on the first CD that I ever got, the Batman Forever: Soundtrack, and I’ve been told that it was actually the first song that I liked, so I suppose I can attribute my taste in metalcore and whole enjoyment of rock music to this one song.
Though during this point U2 were trying out different things, and going with a different sound, for some reason, whether it was because of the exposure it was to get or it was an old track or whatever, U2 pulled out the big guns and went back to what they do best; which is melding rock with pop and adding in Bono’s arrogance in vocals and lyrics.
Below is the link to buy the track from iTunes, also be sure to check out the different covers of it; namely the Ad Astra cover, giving the track more of a more hard-rock feel.
*Note that the videos are of the re-recorded versions from 'The Best Of Eighteen Visions', the one's in the download link are 100% legit the 7" versions*
Before the arena rock pulsing of ‘Eighteen Visions’, the heartache of ‘Obsession’, the hardcore riffage of ‘Vanity’ and the dark torment of ‘Until The Ink Runs Out’, Eighteen Visions released this short, 3-track EP as their first release under Trustkill Records.
Released within months of joining Trustkill (and 7/8 months before the release of ‘Until The Ink Runs Out’), it can only be assumed that ‘No Time For Love’ was released as a way to show off what Eighteen were about and that they were the real deal, not to mention giving a pretty good indication as to what to expect in the full-length album released later that year.
Like every Eighteen release this had a slightly different sound to the previous work; here the vocals were clearer, and the sound was more hardcore and more to the sound of conventional metal than the earlier almost deathcore sound they had crafted on ‘Lifeless’ and ‘Yesterday Is Time Killed’.
Like the previous recordings, this album had multiple filmic references, even taking its name from the movie of the same title as well as using samples in 2/3rds of the tracklisting.
On to the actual music, and the first track is the haunting ‘Diana Gone Wrong’, a telling of Princess Diana’s death and the public’s obsession with it and her in general. Lyrically it also delves into a larger matter of regular people becoming attached and obsessed with celebrities and how in reality the feeling is far from being reciprocated. To this point, personally I’d say this was James Hart’s most profound and meaningful lyrics that he had written, earlier tracks had relied on the darker aspects and lyrics, with more than a few looking to the stereotypical devil, evil and religion well. Now though, it was clear that James was more than capable of writing a complex, thought-provoking song.
The second track we come to is one of my absolute favourite songs ever, “Russian Roulette With A Trigger Happy Manic Depressive”. Lyrically, I will admit this seems as it’s less complex or insightful as the previous track, however it does cover what thoughts might run through someone’s head if they were in the situation of depression. The lyrics are harrowing; every piece is detailed perfectly and if listened to correctly and felt the listener could easily get hit by the song.
The EP concludes with the 98 second “Isola In The Rain”, which describes a day James (lead singer) spent with a girl where they listened to an artist called Isola in his car because it was raining outside. When she asked him the question “kiss me”, James hesitated, she left and he never saw her again. Though short, the lyrics are concise to the point, we get the entire story in less than 100 seconds and we get the rage and possible regret he feels through the vocals. It was also the song that spouted the line that was associated with Eighteen for years and even went on to become a clothing line (now called Roket), “if your not gonna ride the rocket, then get the fuck off!”. The EP then completely ends with an audio sample from ‘Dumb And Dumber’, a total contrast to the last 8 minutes and 12 seconds of mayhem that the listener has just went through.
This EP, though short includes some of Eighteen’s best work up to that point, and would go on to sell very well and become somewhat of a rare item for collectors today with its hand-numbered vinyl pressings. From here they took this new-found less-demonic sound to the recording studio for ‘Until The Ink Runs Out’ which would go on to become one of Trustkill’s best-selling albums ever and start the massive rise of Eighteen Visions.
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One of the things I didn't want this blog to become is a file-sharing site, number one reason is I don't want to shaft over the bands and music that I love. But I have agreed (with myself) that I will uplaod items of bands that are no longer going, therefore they aren't losing out on any money.
Below is a download link to the EP, this is THE proper 7" version, which is still available regularly on eBay and Discogs.
One thing I'm massive into is discovering musicians, I LOVE discovering a new band or track, recently I discovered David Flood, a young, brash drummer thats become something of a personality in the world of Social Media. After seeing him recently do an interview with another site I thought it'd be great to see if he'd be awesome enough to do the same for us, and luckily he did! Before I get to the interview, I just want to say how amazing David was, communicating with him was so easy and fun and he was legit excited for this to happen. I hope nothing but great success for this dude and hope he can take over the alternative music scene very soon! ----------------------------------------------- Having been a big fan of Monkeys Are MachineGuns when I started following Joe and Bobby on their Social Media sites and profiles your name was coming up quite a bit. Seeing that you had Joe’s face actually tattooed on your leg was something I couldn’t get over, such a great sign of respect and of a clear friendship between you two. Then I saw that you had gotten Bobby’s face tattooed on the other leg, and again I just couldn’t get over how awesome a gesture it was, so I finally started following you and actually paying attention to you and your work. When I saw that you had recently taken part in an interview about your drumming and saw your Motionless In White cover I was totally sold and had to try and get an interview with you, and amazingly you agreed. Questions;
You’ve rose to fame through a combination of Social Media and your friendship with Joe Letz, both of you guys creating as much havoc on Social Media as possible. How and when did you actually meet Joe? I was at the Rammstein show last year i believe and i had no clue who he was before that. He opened and played his set and i completely fell in love with it. I was like this is fucking awesome and I'm standing there in the crowd just rocking out. i immediately thought to myself this guy can fucking put on a show. I didn't know who combichrist was either until about a week after the show then i looked them up. we would talk on the social networks and just small chat here and there then back in may i went out to new york for a couple days and he had just gotten home from europe and we hung out that night and it was awesome. checked out the grit n glory shop that his clothing line Fuxleep is featured at, grabbed some dinner and just talked. really nice dude. if someone doesn't like him then they must be off in the head or some shit. nothing but respect for that guy.
As well as having fun at Social Media’s expense you are also heavily involved in Joe’s clothing line FUXLEEP; for those that aren’t aware could you maybe explain what it’s all about and has this involvement affected you personally? hahaah i love this. Fuxleep is a lifestyle. i embrace it to the fullest everyday. Its just about what people wanna do just party and have fun. when he told me about the relaunch i could just tell he was on to something and he was…its on a whole different level. I'm starting to see it more and more. i just saw a dude on TMZ wearing the "BLACK PEOPLE" shirt and was just blown away. its awesome seeing people succeed. thats why i believe in Fuxleep. started with a small vision and now its a reality. I got the fucking logo tattooed on me because its something i stand for. i promote it daily, i fully support it and i love everything about it. and personally it just made me realize life is too short to just not have fun and just sit at home all day/night and do nothing. its definitely taken over and i wouldn't have it any other way!
Your also involved in music, namely drumming, and I just wanted to ask, with you being fairly young (a year younger than me haha), are your influences from the current stream of bands or are you more interested in bands that came before? many influences for sure. from The Rev (A7X), to Joey Jordison (Slipknot) to Joe Letz (Combichrist/Emigrate) to Brandon Rage (Motionless In White) to Christoph Schneider (Rammstein) to Daniel Erlanddson (Arch Enemy) definitely huge into metal. recently though its been a joey/brandon influence. I went to some music school for awhile and everyone was basic. could not stand it. They don't move no rhythm no nothing. then i saw the rammstein concert my sophomore year ofhigh school on dvd and was blown away and you could imagine me seeing joe play for the first time. i instantly tried to mimic the windmill style the best i could and it just naturally progressed into something of my own. i just go hard when i play. i throw things its just cool from my perspective and it draws a lot of attention. I'm known around here for a very free flow style of playing. stick flipping and spinning is something I've been good at since i was younger and i just always have sticks in my hand when I'm at home just practicing different flips and shit for when I'm on stage
Recently you put up a video of a drum-cover you had done of Motionless In White’s “America”, musically is drumming the only thing you’re interested in pursuing or would you want to delve into other areas (singer/song-writer)? to be completely honest singing would be rad as hell. but i don't enjoy making little kids cry so you probably won't see me with a microphone in my hand anytime soon. song writing would also be pretty sweet but i would probably only write about breaking things or yeah i really don't even know what i would write about. but i definitely see myself doing drumming as my primary focus and maybe get back into some producing in my spare time
As I said above you’ve got Bobby Schubenski’s face tattooed on your leg, how do you feel about his recent massive rise with BlackCraft Cult and his incredibly positive outlook? Has his positivity rubbed off on you due to you being close(r) to him? Bobby Schubenski…love him to death. i know he is going to lead a successful life because he believes in it and envisions it. BlackCraft has come a long way. His positive outlook has definitely rubbed off on me. positive thinking is amazing. just having your goals and working towards them everyday is so easy! all you really need is to just do little things daily and you will be successful in no time. I'm really happy I've become friends with both bobby and jim. they are just amazing human beings and they inspire not only me but others as well and its just a rad feeling for sure.
What can we expect in the future from you; a proper full-time band, a larger role in FUXLEEP, or even something totally different? i plan on doing a TON of things in the coming months. i turn 20 next month and personally i think I've done a lot for someone who is my age. and I'm hungry. i want success more then anything. i crave it daily. i literally have the same vision almost everyday as to how my drums will be set up, how i will look, how the stage will look and its sooooooo real. its the most real daydream ever and i know it will come true because i believe in myself. I'm trying to figure out this whole band situation. i want to tour. i wanna meet fans. be in a different city everyday its just something that i wanna do. i love my role in Fuxleep right now! i love promoting it, so much fun! who knows what the future holds but if things continue to go the way they are going you will hear NO complaints from me ;) -----------------------------------------------
I had so much fun with this, being around the same age and into the same scene it was slightly different, more relaxed than any other interview I've done; different but as always just as fun. Like I said above, I hope David gets huge, and frankly I think he can with everyone around him being so positive and achieving their own goals, it might be a case of it being near impossible for David NOT to succeed.
So yeah, getting to interviewJames Hart was
something I actually created this blog to do (him and Jordan Buckley) but never
did I think I'd ACTUALLY get to, never mind getting to do it within 5 weeks of
starting this thing. It was Eighteen Visions last year that pretty much
changed my entire outlook on music and frankly life as a whole; I remember when
I started listening to "Vanity" and it totally changed what I wanted
in a song, the lyrics were incredible and told a real-feeling story, the sound
jumped from ear-bleeding heavy to pop-music soft, and the film-like ending to
the song, like a credits card or whatever made the track feel like something
much more than just a song. A few weeks later, I ended up turning to music,
most especially Eighteen Visions for comfort and I found it in their
back-catalogue. Every song was different, every album took apart a new genre of
Rock, with the only thing staying constant being James' incredibly meaningful
lyrics.
After Eighteen (sadly) called it a day James started up a new project almost immediately, Burn Halo. I spoke a good bit about Burn back on the interview with Joey Roxx (you can read it here) so I'm sure people know how high I am on this band and how I think it’s a travesty how they still aren't the top Rockstars of today. Now recording their third album, James was super nice enough to take the time and let me do a small interview with him.
Hope y'all enjoy it!
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I am a huge fan of all your work, especially Eighteen Visions, a band that I’ve loved since the second I first heard “Victim”, and once I started looking through past albums I really grew to love every track, every album brought something totally different to the table, each one revolutionising a different rock genre. I ended-up growing somewhat connected to many of the tracks and lyrics cause of things I was going through last year, so I do want to say thanks for that.
Though now you’re the lyricist and singer of Burn Halo, a band that I also love and hope for nothing but great things to happen to. Frankly I believe you guys should be massive, your sound calls for it, and I really hope the latest album finally propels you guys into the rock stratosphere.
Questions;
I always ask this, but what bands are some of your influences (musically and lyrically)? Are your influences for Burn Halo different from those of when you were in Eighteen Visions? Generally. Yes. I've never abandoned any of the influences that inspired me with 18V. For the most part, it's all music I've grown up on. Different eras of rock and metal. When I started BH I kept those same influences, but was also inspired by country and pop. I wanted to go a different route with the first album. With Up From The Ashes I wanted to gradually get back to what I was doing in 18V on the last 2 albums we did. With this new BH album we are working on, I feel I've come full circle.
Through your career you’ve never stuck to one sound, every album you’ve appeared on has changed it up; which album do you feel was the closest to your own personal ideal sound? You've got to change. You've got to progress. No one wants to stand still. Whether it's music or their own personal life. I feel like the album that was most "me" would be a toss up between the last 18V album and the last BH album, but I do feel like this new one we're working on is a healthy combination of both of those albums.
In the same vein, out of all the songs you’ve written and recorded, which was your favourite and which are you most proud of? I'd say it would be "Threw It All Away" and "Stuck In A Rut" off of the last BH album. "Threw" is just one of those songs that just came together in all the right ways. Everything about that song is so powerful to me. "Rut" isn't my favorite, but I'm most proud of it because it has a major pop element to the writing. Everything with that song flows really well and I feel it's much harder to write a great pop/rock track with tasteful and meaningful lyrics than some heavy rocker that might be more fun to play or listen to.
How does being a relatively new band in the ‘Digital World’ of now compare to when you and Ken started Eighteen back in the mid-90’s? It's so different. Selling albums has never come easy. I feel if 18V had the resources when we first started that bands do today it would've been a different ball game for us and every other band. Touring was harder then, the promo was less and the fan knowledge of that brand of music wasn't even close to as mainstream as it is now. Kids can buy the album now with a click of a button. It was all on cassette, vinyl and then cd back then. It made having the physical product so much cooler. You were forced to buy the music. Now you can download it for free. Just grab a song here and there. It's strange.
Lately the new Burn Halo album seems to be well into production; what do you look to for inspiration when it comes to writing lyrics for a new album? Does being a Christian and Straight-Edge bring-out anything lyrically for you? Yes my personal life influences me a little bit, but I'm more inspired by the people and things I see around me. I'll take someone's life into perspective that I might be very familiar with. Put myself in their shoes and write a song as if it is actually me going through those things. Living that life. It make's it a bit more relatable.
How has the writing process differed on the new Burn album compared to the previous two? The last record (‘Up From The Ashes’) there was more of a complete band, whereas the first one (‘Burn Halo’) was almost all your own work. We've been sending a lot of stuff back and forth. Making edits and changes that way. I'll demo vocals whenever we can get together. It's nice though having a couple of great guitar players writing killer riffs and guitar solos. Something that I didn't have a whole lot of with the first BH album.
One of the things that’s being boasted most about the new record is it’s heaviness, with you having filled in for Danny with Asking Alexandria late last year, did this help get you back into that place of heavier music? Also, did playing those shows make you miss that scene at all, a scene that a decade ago you were helping create? It helped a little. I was already there mentally. Playing it lve just solidified what I wanted to do. Of course it made me desire to get back to the days where 18V was at their peak, but I'm on a different path now. I don't know much about that scene now. I do like some of those bands, but I miss out on a lot of it. I had also gotten together with Keith from 18V a while back and written a heavy track. Mostly screaming with a melodic chorus. I liked the way it felt. We had talked about going heavier when we were doing the last BH album. I knew I wanted to get back to what I was doing with 18V and I feel I've accomplished that with this new material.
Staying with that scene, back in the day Eighteen Visions were known for using movie references in their music; samples in tracks, song titles and even a cover of the original Manchurian Candidate theme (“There Is Always”). Why did you guys chose to do this, and do you think incorporating some of these aspects could work for Burn Halo? It's just what bands did back in the day. I don't know why really, but it was just the way of things. I'd rather write my own score or musical section than use a sample now.
What are some of your favourite tracks to play live right now with Burn Halo? Are there any Eighteen Visions tracks that you’d like to tackle some day with the dudes in Burn? I like the heavier stuff. I could go down the list of the entire "Ashes" album. We did at one point do a couple of 18V songs. Mainly "Victim" and "Tower of Snakes." It was fun for a minute, but I don't think I'd do it again.
As well as music you’re also an accomplished hair dresser, regularly posting images on your Instagram and Facebook of your incredible work. Has beauty always been somewhat of a passion of yours, or was it sort of a fall-back in case the band thing didn’t work out? The complete opposite. I started my career as a hair stylist when 18V was a part time, local gig. The band started to grow, time started to free up for the others and we started to tour more than just 2 months a year. It was nice to have something to fall back on which is why I'm doing what I'm doing now. Music is fickle. You have to rely on others for your success. It's unstable. At my age, stability is nice.
Last question, what can we expect from the new Burn Halo album? Will it be the album where Burn Halo finally takes over the world? A great, diverse album. The album I should've made after the last 18V album. Just 7 years later. As for wether or not we take over the world, I've come to the conclusion that it is completely out of my hands. That's up to everyone else to decide.
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This was my most favourite interview to date, not saying getting to interview Trevor or Joey was not awesome, but its not every day that you get to interview your idol and someone that has changed your life forever. Doing stuff like this was the reason I started this blog, and getting to speak to these dudes is literally a dream come true for me. James was super nice and super quick with the answers too; I for real hope the new album fucking kills and takes Burn Halo to where they deserve; on top of the Rock Mountain!!
Hit these guys up on their Facebook page, and keep posted for new info on Burn the forthcoming album!
Every band hopes that their latest album will be
the ‘break-through’.The album that
elevates them to the next level and opens up a whole new audience to them:
whether it’s taking a band from the unknown to the known or it’s taking an
established band and making them superstars.Frankly, these albums and are to come by and not every band is lucky
enough to get one. For Every Time I Die however, they not only hit a
new audience and broke out of obscurity, but with Hot Damn! they helped create
and define a whole new genre, and they set themselves right on the top of that
mountain.
Since the release Every Time I Die have only grown
in every aspect; sonically they have continued on the path they started with Hot
Damn!, experimenting with the balance of melody and heavy metal, as well as
providing thrashing riffage at every given opportunity. Lyrically Keith Buckley has become so much more
poignant and insightful, showcasing and making full use of his advanced
education in the English language. And as a band, they are tighter than ever with
each album showing more maturity (in sound at least) along with the obvious
gained skill that is sure to come about after a near 15 year career.
Hot Damn! starts off with an explosion in the form
of single track “Romeo A Go Go”, a full-on riff thrashing number that doesn’t
stop at all during the entire 2 minutes 40 seconds of it. One of the standout tracks on the entire record,
“Romeo…” includes some of Buckley’s best work, he brings something new to the
‘metalcore song’; Buckley brings intelligence and complexity to his lyrics. Like every song on Hot Damn! the lyrics read more
like poetry or a well-crafted short story as opposed to a conventionally
written song.Pulling in elements of
proper literature language, pop-culture and iconography and even some slang
thrown in there too, Buckley shows how in just over a year or so (from previous
album ‘Last Night In Town’) he has focused much more on lyrics, and maybe even
had more fun and taken them more seriously than he had done on previous
recording efforts.
Hot Damn!’s mayhem continues to track 3, “I Been
Gone A Long Time”, one of only two tracks to receive the music video treatment,
this track again shows Buckley’s golden-touch towards lyrics but moreso showcases
the two guitarists; Jordan Buckley (Keith’s younger brother) and Andy Williams. The song starts off like any other chugging
metalcore piece until the chorus hits, and then BANG your hit with multiple
different riffs one after another, hit, hit, HIT! Sure Keith Buckley’s lyrics are a major part of Every
Time I Die and what made Hot Damn! such an iconic and incredible record, but
without the brute force of Jordan and Andy, without their differing yet
complimentary sounds, Hot Damn! wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable as it is. The skill of Andy and Jordan are showcased through
the entire album of course, but some tracks you just can’t fathom just how
brutal the sounds are that they are creating; how the fuck can a guitar make
such a heavy yet not too heavy sound.Another of these tracks is “Floater”, a song that has become a staple in
Every Time I Die’s live arsenal.Possibly the heaviest track on the entire album, yet one of the most
tuneful and melodic, “Floater” blends these two elements together perfectly;
they take the ferocity of bands associated with heavy metal and such and meld
together a musical Frankenstein by adding in the melody of pop music.Sure the music obviously heads further in the
direction of the heavier sound, but still, having the poppier aspect was
something new at the time, with not very many bands in the genre/scene giving
it a go.
Hot Damn! also includes the stunning “In The Event
That Everything Should Go Terribly Wrong”, a track that follows in the same
vein as “Enter Without Knocking And Notify The Police” (from previous release
‘Last Night In Town’).Using a sound
similar to the Deftones, “In The Event…” is a mostly instrumental track that utilises the same sombre, more
slower sounding guitars, away with the heaviness and riffage, this song is the
listener’s break, a chance for them to catch-up and take-in the insanity that
they have just listened to; too bad then that this track is too grabbing and
beautiful, so instead of reflecting on the album so far, they are caught up in
a song that almost feels like a tale.
The short-story effect that Buckley’s lyrics have in every other song on
the album is passed on to the instrumentals for this number.That’s not to say that Buckley’s (few) lyrics
for this track aren’t captivating; the short, one sentence that’s recited over
and over is one that fits so well with the music as well as being greatly
ambiguous, this leaves the listener to make their own connections.The sentence “yourokiwillbei” (as written in
the CD inlay booklet) is something that for me personally is simply
magnificent, it’s a short statement that says so much in so few words.
The remaining 3 tracks on the album go back to the
formula of break-neck speed riffage while keeping a sense of melody. “Ebolarama” hits the listener over the head,
knocking them out of the tamer sounding previous track and straight back into
the realm of the punishing heavy-groove.Helping showcase every aspect of Every Time I Die, it’s no surprise that
it’s become one of their most popular and well-loved tracks from both the fans
but also the bands perspective. Album closer “Pornogratherapy” is a track that
seems to bring everything that the listener has just heard all into one 3
minute rager.It starts off with the
fast playing, quite possibly the fastest parts of the entire album appear on
this track, then the song takes an immediate dive into the slower tempo and
even delves into the mellower nature of “In The Event...” during the chorus,
only to smash right back with one last fast verse to close out the song and the
entire album.
Well, on some versions it doesn’t close the CD
off, added on some import versions were 3 additional tracks; 2 live recordings
and a cover of Guns N’ Roses’ “I Used To Love Her”. The live recordings are sharp and professionally
captured, so they are well worth listening and very enjoyable, and help capture
how well Every Time I Die sound in a live environment.The two tracks are album opener from previous
album “Emergency Broadcast Syndrome” and Hot Damn!’s own “Floater”, two great
tracks that are typical of being played (at least at the time) and as stated
above, help the listener understand what to expect from any Every Time I Die
show. The cover is something very different; an almost
acoustic track originally recorded for Guns N’ Roses tribute album, ‘Bring You
To Your Knees... A (Hardcore) Tribute To Guns 'N Roses’.It’s by no means a bad track or cover, heck I
love it, but honestly, if you listen to Every Time I Die for their chugging
riffs or Keith Buckley’s thought-provoking lyrics, this song might not be on
your top 10 list.
I also want to add that the artwork of the album,
created by Jacob Bannon of Converge, is so well created and suits the album so
well.The main imagery is that of two
women kissing, which so helps to convey the idea of decadence and the depravity
that Hot Damn! references multiple times in its lyrics (as well as the video
for “I Been Gone A Long Time”).
The many different banner type promotional images
that were also created are all just spectacular pieces of art in of themselves,
but accompanied by this album, both the music and the artwork help bring the
most out in each other.
In the end, it’s not hard to see why this album
did some much on release and how it will continue to influence for many more
years.At the time of release they were
on the forefront of a new generation of heavy music, along with Eighteen Visions
and Poison The Well, these three bands released incredible albums all within a
year that helped shape what would become metalcore as well as every band
showing the different approaches a band could take to get that sound. Now, a decade later only Every Time I Die stand
out of these three ‘Godfathers’ of metalcore, and with their latest release
‘Ex-Lives’ it’s easy to see why. Still now they are able to use aspects of the
sound created on Hot Damn!, and build on top of it to further the sound that
they pioneered a decade ago.
