Weekly Update #3 – January 28, 2024
FEATURED ALBUM
Psycho-Frame // Remote God Seeker
Released: May 5, 2023
Psycho-Frame is one of my favorite new bands from 2023. They’re bringing back the og deathcore sound, and with the recent influx of symphonic deathcore bands, this revival couldn’t have come at a better time. They released two separate EPs in 2023, placed 7th in my album of the year list, and are absolutely one of the coolest deathcore bands right now.
I’ve been pushing every “deathcore throwback” band that I can because this is what it’s all about. No gimmicks, just bludgeoning heaviness. On that same note, it’s refreshing to hear a range of heavy vocals without feeling like the vocalist is competing in the deathcore olympics.
For those who don’t know, Psycho-Frame was formed by the two vocalists and bassist of Vatican (RIP) and the guitarists of Moodring. It’s a bummer that Vatican broke up, but their sacrifice has created something even greater.
Psycho-Frame joins bands like Tactosa and Tracheotomy in the quest to return to deathcore’s roots. I’m probably biased because this is the style I grew up with, but deathcore hasn’t hit like this in a while.
ADDITIONAL REVIEW
Oceans Ate Alaska // Disparity
Released: September 1, 2022
Oceans Ate Alaska returned with a new album after five years of silence. I’ve been incredibly bored with modern metalcore bands lately, but OAA’s innovative style reminds listeners that metalcore can still be exciting.
Part of the intrigue is the return of James Harrison, the band’s original vocalist. He stepped away after the band’s debut album and was replaced by Jake Noakes who catapulted OAA to fame on the Japanese-inspired album ‘Hikari.’
For the most part, casual listeners won’t notice much of a change – both have a great screaming range and are surprisingly raspy. While I’d give the edge to James’ high screams, Jake’s singing is superior. In fact, the only real complaint I have about ‘Disparity’ is James’ singing – it’s fine for the most part, but it’s a noticeable step down from Jake.
I don’t think I’ve ever said this about a band, but OAA would hugely benefit from having a dedicated clean singer. If they had someone like Jesse Cash or Lukas Magyar, OAA’s choruses would be on a whole other level. Singing is a core part of their identity because they need the ability to switch between soft and heavy sections to set up their massive drops, but compared to how phenomenal they are at everything else, singing has been their weak spot.
All of that being said, OAA is a rare example of a metalcore band that is not defined by its vocalist. If anything, their drummer, Chris Turner, is the standout member that elevates the band above most others. Their chaotic, even choppy style is instantly recognizable, often giving the impression that they write 30 seconds of material at a time and then find a way to combine all of the clips together.
Despite my complaints about the singing, two of my favorite songs are Metamorph and Sol. There’s something about the soft instrumental elements that I really enjoy – they remind me of “Hansha” from ‘Hikari.’
My only other criticism of OAA is their marketing strategy. I can’t help but feel like these guys could have been one of the greats, especially after dominating the scene with ‘Hikari’ in 2017, but they didn’t capitalize on their momentum. Then they released a single in 2020 that literally starts by asking “did you miss me?” And despite fans responding with an overwhelmingly “yes,” OAA disappeared for another year and a half, leaving fans to wonder if they’d ever return.
At this point, only relatively veteran listeners were around for their previous work, so although ‘Disparity’ is a great album, the band has an uphill battle to get back to where they were seven years ago.
Playlist of New Songs
Quick playlist highlights:
– Northlane is getting ready to release a new EP in April. I haven’t loved any of their recent work but refuse to give up on them. This song features Winston from Parkway Drive, and it’s cool to see him scream again, but it’s depressing at the same time because Parkway Drive is so bad now.
– Alpha Wolf is also releasing an album in April. This track is decent. The Ice-T feature is “cool” because he’s an icon, but I think his part actually drags the song down. I don’t know, I feel like these guys have been too try hard lately.
– Elitist is back! I loved these guys in the early 2010s. If you liked Structures, early Volumes, or Circle of Contempt, you’ll enjoy this brand of progressive metalcore.
– Bad Omens released a new song and their vocalist isn’t on it at all. All vocals are from Poppy. I don’t particularly care for her, but the song is catchy enough. This one rocked the Bad Omens fanbase as they already struggle to not be absolute freaks about Noah Sebastian (the band’s vocalist).
– Bloodveil has less than 1,000 monthly listeners, but I came across their EP and have been jamming it. Surprising variety in this song.
– Bilmuri has a special place in my heart. One of the few non-heavy bands I enjoy. This is Johnny Franck’s (singer of Attack Attack on their first two albums) new band. He’s a character.
– Vitriol released a new album that has been turning heads in the death metal scene. I need more time with this one, but I’m impressed so far.
–Knoll. Dark, spooky, occult, crushing. This is honestly what I imagine exorcisms in the 1700s were like.
Drama – Architects Transphobia
Architects found themselves in hot water last week when their guitarist, Adam Christianson, retweeted a post saying “Thanks Bud Light for bringing us this message on the infection that is the woke left.”
The comment was made in support of Sean Strickland, an MMA fighter, who shared similar thoughts during a press conference.
The problem is that Architects and its members market themselves as left-wing. They sing about climate change and support politicians such as Jeremy Corbyn, a self-proclaimed socialist.
So how is it that at least one of their members seems to hate everything the band claims it stands for?
In an attempt to defuse the situation, Christianson said, “That retweet was a total accident.” However, due to the fact that a user has to click a button two separate times to retweet, that is unlikely. Plus, he has liked posts in the past such as, “If you have pronouns or political views in your profile, then you’ve been afflicted by mass-psychosis.”
In the immediate aftermath, Architects’ drummer, Dan Searl, tweeted, “Knob,” but quickly deleted the tweet. The band has not posted an official statement on the incident.
I only cover this because of the apparent conflict between the espoused views of the band and the actual beliefs of at least one of their members. But it’s actually not surprising to me.
See, back in 2011, during the London Riots, Architects released a song called “Devil’s Island.” Now it’s important to understand that the London Riots were the result of police shooting dead a black man. The riots also addressed racial and class tensions in England. It was basically England’s equivalent of the United States’ BLM riots in 2020.
But that didn’t stop Architects from writing lyrics addressing the rioters such as, “You want a voice, but your voices sound like violence. You don’t deserve this life.”
They go on to say, “Remember this for what it was, a bleak projection of absent minds.” And to be clear, Architects is addressing the rioters, not the police. That’s why they say, “The city streets that you show no love, are bruised and broken, because of you.” And the whole music video is just clips of rioters destroying the city.
In case the point is somehow going over your head – Architects told rioters that they are absent-minded and don’t deserve to be alive because they protested against police violence and racial tensions.
So I want to cast aside this notion that Architects is a longstanding beacon of leftism. They may have become more liberal in recent years, but I view them as more of a fair weather band that goes whichever way the wind is blowing. Their refusal to immediately address a band member that is the antithesis of what the band stands for seems to underline that point.
As a side note, this put Spiritbox in a tricky situation because they are touring with Architects in Europe right now.
Spiritbox is in a lose-lose situation because they pulled out of a tour with Falling In Reverse last year after major backlash from fans that couldn’t believe Spiritbox would tour with Ronnie Radke (Falling In Reverse’s vocalist) because of his outspoken beliefs and comments on transgender people (among other things).
It’s worth noting that Spiritbox initially agreed to tour with Falling In Reverse, even knowing Radke’s stances, and only pulled out after the fan backlash. Now they’re in the same exact situation with Architects. Interestingly, Spiritbox did not proactively pull out of the Architects tour to remain consistent with their previous actions. Realistically, it would have probably cost a fortune for Spiritbox to back out of the tour at the last minute, but it does go to show that there is always a price at which people will compromise their morals and beliefs. It seems Spiritbox’s price has been found.