¢ 5 Sound
December 2013
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR H e l lo , D e ar R e ade rs .
When this issue started it was 2013. We were racing against the rapidly ending semester to get this issue published, (spoiler alert: we didn’t), our orginal EiC was graduating, and the rest of our staff seemed to be all heading to the castle. To top is all off we were nervously awaiting the results of our application to become SGA recognized. It all felt a bit like the end of the world. Then a few days after the start of 2014, I received an email saying that we were officially recognized by Emerson
College as an organization. And it was like we started anew all over again. Sure, now we have budgets to fill out, workshops to attend, and an endless amount of forms to fill out. But it’s all worth it if it means that students will continue to be able to see the hard work our staff puts their heart into producing. This issue was a labor of love between two semester’s worth of staff members. I hope you find the articles inside as interesting as the ride it took to get it here.
S pring
A s h l e y A long i E ditor -I n -C hief
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Executive Board Executive Board Editor in Chief Editor in Chief
Maria Spiridigliozzi Maria Spiridigliozzi
Assistant Editor Assistant Editor Ashley Alongi Ashley Alongi
Creative Director Creative Director Melanie Cohen Melanie Cohen
Managing Editor Managing Editor
Mackenzie Hall Kuester Mackenzie ”Z””Z” Hall-Kuester
Live and Local Live and Local Editor Editor
Menson ToriTori Menson
Writers Writers
Virginia Wright Virginia Wright Heather Mulgannon Heather Mulgannon Zoe Matthews Zoe Matthews Christopher Gavin Christopher Gavin
Entertainment Entertainment and Culture and Culture Editor Editor
Lauren Moquin Lauren Moquin
Writers Writers
Josh Park Josh Park Matt Kane Matt Kane Lana Ottley Lana Ottley Allison Flaherty Allison Flaherty
Features Features Editor Editor
Around the World Around the World Editor Editor
Carrie Cabal Carrie Cabal
Writers Writers
Devan Norman Devan Norman Nina Corcoran Nina Corcoran Leanna Furtado Leanna Furtado
Reviews Reviews Editor Editor
Alexandra Fileccia Alexandra Fileccia
Writers Writers
Nick Stalford Nick Stalford Ari Anderson Ari Anderson
Design Director Design Director Megan Seabaugh Megan Seabaugh
Design Team Design Team
Caitlin Boland Caitlin Boland Olivia Billbrough Olivia Billbrough Louis Louis RoeRoe Jessica Colarossi Jessica Colarossi
Web Editor Web Editor Ashley Alongi Ashley Alongi
Web Team Web Team
Olivia Billbrough Olivia Billbrough Jessica Colarossi Jessica Colarossi Dan Taverner Dan Taverner
Head Copy Editor Head Copy Editor Meredith Mann Meredith Mann
Copy Editors Copy Editors Elizabeth Rule Elizabeth Rule Manning DanDan Manning
Director Director ofof Photography Photography Patrick Lynch Patrick Lynch
Photo Team Photo Team
Kendall Paul Kendall Paul Amy Smith Amy Smith Paola Camago Paola Camago Austin Ferreira Austin Ferreira Juliana LaVita Juliana LaVita Kathleen Collins Kathleen Collins
Domenica Perrone Domenica Perrone
Writers Writers
Sack BenBen Sack Notis Ari Ari Notis Taylor Markarian Taylor Markarian
music. lx1lx1l 1lx1lx1lx1lx1lx1 AllAllofofthethemusic. people. 1lx1lx1 x1lx1lx1lx1lx1lx ForForallallofofthethepeople. time. lx1lx1l 1lx1lx1lx1lx1lx1 AllAllofofthethetime.
november 2013 // 3
Bold ,
and
Bright,
Live and Local
Bands, Bras, and Banter Heather Mulgannon 6 The Rise and fall of a cityscape zoe mathews 8 a sample of blind river Christpoher Gavin 10
Entertainment and culture
It’s my body and i’ll twerk if i want to matt kane 12 Where my girls at? Allison flaherty 14 photo spread Music-influenced style 17
4 // Five cent sound
e
unexpected
5¢ Sound
features
The Feud is over Taylor markarian 20 The nomad of harvard square Ari notis 22 we suddenly matter Ben sack 24
Around the World The Swedish Invasion leanna furtado 27 The Clash Hits Back Devan norman 28
Reviews
Avenged sevenfold: Hail to the King nick stalford 30
november 2013 // 5
Local L iv e
a n d
Bands ,bras, and
By Heather Mulgannon
Banter
Close your eyes and think about the best concert you ever attended or want to attend.
What band is playing? How is the crowd reacting? What songs are on the set list? Is the band joking with each other and the audience in between songs? Now think about the worst concert. Why is it so bad? Is it the band? The crowd? The venue? Why are some concerts so great when others fall flat? My favorite band to see live will always be All Time Low, no matter how much they have changed and how pop influenced their music has gotten (that’s a whole other topic). For anyone that doesn’t know All Time Low, they are a pop punk band that started out heavily influenced by Blink 182. Their live show is proof of that. If you have never seen either band live lets just say younger music fans shouldn’t see them with their parents (inappropriate jokes about sex, and cuss words galore). The best part of seeing All Time Low live is their energy and the banter. The band members have been best friends since they were in high school and because of that their chemistry is amazing. They joke around with each other and constantly have the audience cracking up at their jokes and antics. Guitarist, Jack Barakat is best known for the massive amount of bras that get thrown on stage and hung on his mic stand. For me stage presence is one of the biggest parts of a good show. If a band doesn’t have a good stage presence in my opinion they aren’t worth seeing live. Despite my love of All Time Low, the last time I saw them live was also one of the worst concerts I have ever attended (it didn’t help that it was in a huge
arena). It started out great, the crowd full of energy, I even loved the opening bands. Then All Time Low took the stage and left everyone (at least my sister and I) very disappointed. They played mostly new songs—almost forgetting they have older albums. They barely bantered with each other between the songs (the most disappointing part), and the entire time it seemed as if they didn’t want to be there. As senior Justin Ney puts it, “a bad concert is a forgettable concert.” Ney has been to a lot of concerts but his least favorite featured an odd pairing that led to a less than enjoyable experience. “My least favorite concert experience was seeing Sky Ferreira on March 24, 2013 at Brighton Music Hall. “Sky was alongside How to Dress Well. I love both acts, so I was excited, but it was a weird pairing, in which you could tell, based on the audience’s reactions who was for who, and who thought the other artist was ‘dumb’ or ‘weird,’ which already aided to a bizarre concert experience.” Senior Kate Legreca’s least favorite concert was seeing Foster the People. Besides not being a fan of the band, the crowd made the concert hard to handle. “The crowd was a lot younger than me, so there was a lot of underage drinking and just generally unenjoyable behaviors. So beyond not really enjoying the music itself, it was also an annoying environment.” The first time I ever saw All Time Low was in a tiny intimate venue on their “My Small Package Tour.” They played an amazing mix of new and old, fast and acoustic songs. The tour was set up for people that had been fans for a long time and would appreciate the fact that they played songs off their first album.
I remember in the middle of the show singer Alex Gaskarth pulled out an acoustic guitar and had the entire crowd sitting on the floor in silence. I’ve never seen another band able to do that. Different elements of a concert can influence your overall opinion of it, whether it be the intimacy of the venue or the energy in the crowd. Legreca believes that “the fans and the crowd can really add or subtract from the experience. Concerts are supposed to be a place where people can come together and appreciate the same thing in the same venue. “The best concert I’ve been to was This Is Hardcore 2010. It’s an annual hardcore festival in Philadelphia. TIH is just an incredible experience for people that appreciate hardcore music. A lot of my friends performed that year, so it was wonderful to see them on the same stage as some of the bands they really admired.” Ney says that one of the most important parts of a good concert is the element of surprise. “Hearing a band live that sounds exactly like the recorded version is nice and reassuring. However, when a band mixes up a few of their songs to make them sound different, that’s a really special moment. When a band slows down a song, or makes it acoustic for the concert, or plays a piano ballad with a full band, that’s what makes a concert experience unique.” There is no way to guarantee a good concert experience because so many things go into having a good time. But if all the stars align, the band will be full of energy, the crowd will be just as excited to be there as you are, and your favorite songs will be played.
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november 2013 // 7
The Rise and Fall of A Cityscape by Zoe Mathews
Smack in the middle of the Disney Channel Camp Rock storyline, we find our real life protagonists: three teenage boys at a rock and roll summer camp in 2011 with raw talent and every 16-year-old guy’s dream to start a band.
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Thus, Boston-based pop-punk project A Cityscape was born. The band was comprised of three hopefuls, of which two original members remain. Emerson’s own Nathan Jacques, the band’s guitarist, and Perry von Rosenvinge, vocals, have seen the band through all its stages of existence. They followed the not uncommon garage-band story arc of playing at community centers with a set of covers interspersed with an original track or two, building a local fan base. “The night we got the rough mix of our first single, we all decided that making music is what we wanted to do with our lives,” said vocalist Perry von Rosenvinge. “And, since then, it’s been the main focus of our day to day lives.” The talk of touring began about a year after the band’s formation, near the end of the 2011 summer. “Touring is the ultimate goal of a local band, aside from getting signed to a decent label,” said von Rosenvinge. “But like many tours, it fell through due to lack of timing and poor planning.” The band stuck at it, stayed local, and started developing their own sound and writing more originals. With a distinguishable sound, A Cityscape was able to develop a larger fan base and, arguably just as important, a larger “Tour” piggy bank. In 2012, the band finally embarked on their first tour to support their freshly minted album, aptly titled The Summer Sessions. “We went out with a band from Connecticut consisting of a handful of 22–27 year old alcoholics,” recalled von Rosenvinge. “They taught us a lot about how to tour responsibly.” No doubt, the band learned infinitely more about touring from their Atlantic Coast journey than any of the members expected. The tour was planned to be a two-week enterprise, but Murphy’s Law never failing to be wherever a local band strives to suc-
ceed, the trailer broke down in Tampa, and they drove straight home—a 25 hour drive—in one shot. Technical failures aside, being so unknown meant the band took any gig they could book. “One night we could be playing at a beautiful music venue with full sound lights and dressing room,” said van Rosenvinge. “The next night we could be playing in the most run down, terrifying bar in the worst part of Baltimore.”
1lx Reminiscent of Mickey Mouse Club and boy bands of the 90s, A Cityscape rocked the tour bus in a style that would have had fangirls trying to define each member with “the ___ one” monikers. Van Rosenvinge laughed bashfully as he remembered the hours spent on the road. “Most days consisted of playing Gamecube on a little 8-inch retro TV we had hooked up to a cigarette lighter, reading, and sleeping. It’s amazing how grown men can contort their bodies to find a somewhat comfortable position to sleep in,” he said. “But, every now and then, you get your hands on something that can really make a drive interesting—like fireworks, Nerf guns, mini basketball hoops, and big inflatable boxing gloves—all while going 60 mph on the highway.” What the Disney Channel stories always underplay in those 30-second montages is the amount of stress that being a group of hormone-ridden, pent up teenage boys actually builds up.
Von Rosenvinge recounted, “The worst part is that one minute you could be the happiest guy in the world, enjoying the view, the next minute you could be close to a fist fight in a Walmart parking lot because your bassist spilled a gallon jug of pickle juice all over every single piece of clothing you own.”
1lx Judging by the group of characters that make up the band, just trust that wasn’t hyperbole. The tour was definitely a test of these
“Seeing a project that you’ve put years of your life into end is certainly not easy, but we’re definitely not done making music.” guys’ wit and will power. But the mindset of just about every local band ever can be wrapped up by von Rosenvinge’s comment, “what makes all of the frustration worth it is getting to sweat out all of the bad energy on stage in front of new faces and making new friends and connections in every city.” Set the scene for another montage in our Disney flick, and get your tissues ready because this one’s always emotional. Unfortunately for A Cityscape, age was an issue when it came to building a
future for the band, and in October of 2013, they decided to part ways. With one member working full time, another yet to graduate high school, and our Emerson boy keeping up with his studies, things just got too hectic to stay on the scene.
1lx “Seeing a project that you’ve put years of your life into end is certainly not easy, but we’re definitely not done making music,” said Jacques. “Whether it be separate or together again, somewhere down the road, I’m sure we’ll be making music that we love. Moving on to whatever the next big project in your life may be is the most important thing.” “We’re still releasing the music video for the single we released in August, so be on the lookout for that soon!”
1lx This is the part in the movie where everyone gets really upset and leaves the theater or changes the channel, but the thing is, this was real life for these guys. They felt the heat of the lights and the kick of the bass drum over and over again, and the music they put together as a band continues to resonate through the headphones of friends and fans throughout the Atlantic Coast. So, fade to black and see what the next summer session has to offer.
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november 2013 // 9
Sounds Like…
A Sample of Blind River
By Christopher Gavin
A folk revival i s among u s .
It’s certainly not a bad thing though, especially if it means the debut of the Boston based duo known as Blind River. The pair, made up by Emerson College sophomores Michael Mirabella and Emma Wagner, released their first album in October 2013. Coming Home, a collection of ten songs with swirling warm piano and guitar melodies, embraces the lyrical styles similar to Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and the vocal accompaniment of She & Him. But Coming Home is not so much about returning as it is about leaving. Mirabella and Wagner met at an open mic event the first week of their freshman year in September 2012 and began collaborating shortly afterwards. Both said the experience of being in a new city with new people provided material for the songs that would later become their first album. Mirabella, the guitarist who wrote the majority of the lyrics on the CD, said Oberst was certainly an influence, considering Mirabella had just ended his high school relationship; a stark contrast of emotion compared to his excitement for college. “It was a weird, bittersweet time and his [Oberst’s] music is just, you know, it’s catchy but he’s talking about being a crippled alcoholic,” Mirabella said. “It’s a very weird kind of dichotomy
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in that kind of bittersweet, like melancholy [feeling] with maybe a little bit of a silver lining.” Take “One Day Closer to the Grave” for example. The track follows a seemingly all too familiar chord progression that sways on each beat like in Bright Eyes’ “Landlocked Blues.” A raspy Mirabella harmonizes with Wagner in the chorus to shout out: “Just laugh your fears away / We’re just one day closer to the grave / Raise your glasses up high and let the time fly / It’s the end of another long day”—a plea for salvation also serving as a dark reminder of the imminent future, thus keeping this silver lining in close perspective. For Wagner though, Regina Spector serves as her inspiration on the keys and with her voice, amongst what she said was a wide variety of music she listens to. Her playing is best highlighted in “Burning Matches,” a ballad about how killing time could be productive in fighting the good fight. On the refrain they sing, “If this is a waste of time, then wasting time is the time of my life with you”; a defining moment in a sea of delicate imagery strung together by piano notes. Mirabella said the heavy attention to lyrics brings out the folk aspect of Blind River, while song structure makes the group more independent. “Looking back at the music, all the choruses in particular are very simple despite how complicated and long the verses might be,” he said. “Our choruses are kind of concise and very simple [with] predict-
able chord progressions, which I think gives it that indie sort of feel.” Wagner said both of them have classic artists that have inspired them like staple musicians such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan. “I like Simon and Garfunkel,” she said. “They’re just the ideal duo to aspire to be like.” The CD was recorded in early 2013 partially with the $650 the two raised on Kickstarter, a fundraising campaign website. Mirabella and Wagner are currently working on sending out the album to those who bought the CD, but it is also available on iTunes and for streaming on Spotify, where listeners as far as Spain have indulged in it, according to Blind River’s Facebook page. Yet, the band is now in a stage of transition again. The pair has been working with other musicians, adding bass and a box drum to songs off of Coming Home as well as getting in on booking agencies to move past Blind River’s usual tour of open mic events where it scatters its set with covers—“First Day Of My Life” is a popular one—in addition to originals. “I think that that is the next step, not that we want to stop writing, but we have 10 songs we need to introduce to people first,” Mirabella said. The reception is sure to be positive, for Mirabella and Wagner have tapped into the timeless and eclectic accessibility of a singer-songwriter style, making for easy listening and relaxing ride down Blind River.
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november 2013 // 11
Entertainment a n d
culture
It’s My Body and I’ll Twerk If I Want To Why the hatred of Miley Cyrus is getting tiresome
by Mat t K ane
It seems like everyone has something negative to say about Miley Cyrus. And I’m sick of it. Ever since her controversial VMA performance where she performed her single “We Can’t Stop” (and grinded on a giant foam finger), Cyrus has been met with a wave of bad publicity. Most of the criticism comes from the changes she made to her image. Gone are the days when she played wholesome teenager Hannah Montana. Nowadays, Cyrus rocks a blonde pixie cut, and has a wilder, more sexual image. Critics like Shona Sibary of the Daily Mail say that she’s trying too hard. They claim that her performances are “disturbing” and that she is taking “a path of shallow exhibitionism.” Are there problems with Cyrus’ new “I don’t give a f*ck” attitude? Absolutely. Call her out for appropriating the most basic aspects of black culture. Call her out for making fun of those who suffer from mental illness, including Sinead O’Connor, whom Cyrus recently compared to America’s favorite train-wreck of the moment, Amanda Bynes. Call her out for refusing to learn from or apologize for her mistakes when confronted. Her desire to own her new image and attitude comes with consequences, something she doesn’t seem to care about. There’s something more disturbing going on here. To my knowledge, not a single mainstream media source criticized Robin Thicke, who joined Cyrus on stage and performed his song “Blurred Lines.” No one mentioned that he willingly grinded on Cyrus despite the fact that he is married and has a child. No one mentioned that he, too, has a very sexual image, as demonstrated by the video for “Blurred Lines.” In short, Thicke was able to escape the VMA controversy relatively unscathed, whereas Cyrus received the majority of press attention. In this situation, there’s a double standard at play.
When Cyrus gets on stage half-naked and dances suggestively, we call it “slutty” and tell her she has a disgusting body. When Thicke gets on stage and dances in the same manner, no one bats an eyelash. We’re so stuck in the days of Hannah Montana that we can’t fathom the idea of Miley being confident in herself and wanting to show some skin. We can’t accept Miley taking control because we assume women can’t—or shouldn’t—have control of what they do with their bodies. Because when they finally do, we label them as “sluts” or “train-wrecks.” Cyrus isn’t the only female pop star to be scrutinized for exploring her identity. The whole controversy is very similar to what happened with Britney Spears, who sought a more adult image after being a massively successful teen pop star. Although her performances weren’t nearly as suggestive as Cyrus’, Spears faced similar criticism for having a “trashy” image despite the fact that she merely sought to take ownership of her body. It’s no wonder she had a mental breakdown. Most of the criticism surrounding Cyrus is repetitive. We say she’s a poor role model for young girls who idolize her, but these same girls are just as likely to read what we say about her. What kind of message does that send when we call her a slut? Are we saying it’s not okay to be proud of your body? Are we saying it’s not okay to make decisions for yourself if you’re a girl? Sure, she’s made some poor choices in regards to racism and drug use. But most of the criticism is more superficial than that, and it’s nothing more than the same slut-shaming most female pop stars are faced with. She’s trying to take control, and we need to let her do that. Otherwise, we might end up with a story very similar to Britney’s.
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november 2013 // 13
7
Where
My
girls
At ?
8
by allison Fl ahert y
Currently, twenty-somethings are being slapped with various labels—Millenials, Generation Y, entitled little-shits with iPads. One of our preferred monikers, though, is “90s kids”. We’re fiercely, bafflingly nostalgic for a decade in the very immediate past. In this civilized age of Wi-Fi, we harbor a mysterious yen for Tamagotchis. There is validity to our sentimentality. The 90s were a veritable Golden Age for girl groups. The decade gave rise to superstar pop heavyweights in the form of: En Vogue, Salt-N-Pepa, TLC, Destiny’s Child, and, of course, The Spice Girls. It was a decade of divas and coordinated camo outfits. Aside from making beats we could bump on our Hit Clips, these women were role models for female power, independence, and selfesteem. A strong case can be made that Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor” is the most influential track of all time. Recently, we’ve seen a resurgence of boy bands, kicked off by the era of Jonas, and giving rise to Big Time Rush, One Direction, and The Wanted. Don’t get me wrong—I’m grateful for the return of the boy band… I would just like to see the same happen with the girls. There are some amazing girl groups making music right now, but there aren’t enough
Forget boy bands— girl groups are the best. Why have they been so quiet lately?
English girl group Stooshe
(photo courtesy stooshe.com)
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and they’re not getting nearly enough radio play. Which brings me to repeat the question that girl group 702 asked in their 1999 hit song—“where my girls at?” If you haven’t heard of Little Mix, you’ve probably been living under an alt rock. They’re British and they started on X-Factor, so basically they’re the female One Direction (Perrie of Little Mix is even engaged to a member of the boy band). Little Mix is everything a girl group should be; the girls have a quirky, edgy style with powerful vocals and poppy, empowering lyrics. They look like the Spice Girls but have an En Vogueesque hip hop sound. I defy anyone not to feel fierce and feminine after listening to their hit, “Wings.” Seriously, that song will make you feel invincible. Little Mix also kills the ballads with their ultra-tight vocals and gets sassy with an R&B twist in their single feat. Missy Elliott “How Ya Doin’?”. Little Mix perfectly fills a void left by its 90s predecessors, but they don’t necessarily improve on the formula. A lot of their music sounds like it could easily have come out 20 years ago, so it’s up to you to decide whether or not that’s a good thing (I say it is.) Stooshe proves once again girl groups are just one of those things Brits do better. This trifecta has an upbeat 60s sound
(reminiscent of an over-caffeinated Amy Winehouse) and a “chavvy” attitude. They’re not a girl group for the preteen set. Their songs “Hoochie Mumma” and “Betty Woz Gone” are risque and irreverent. Stooshe is like spiked pink party punch. Their videos are just as much fun as their songs, the video for “Love Me” feat. Travie McCoy has them dressed in matching flight attendant get ups with an ironic nod to the girl groups of the past and a cheeky wink to Britney Spears. Fans of Lady Sovereign or 2013 Miley Cyrus will adore this underrated trio. Then there’s Haim—a pop girl group dressed in mellow-indie clothes. They released their first album, Days Are Gone, in 2013, and it’s a work of cool, clean, southern California hipster-y glory. Haim is comprised of sisters Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim—all 90s kids (don’t you wish your family was this painfully cool?). And the influence of the 90s girl bands, especially TLC, is evident in their album. But their sound is more rock a la Pat Benatar—the kind of album you blast in your socks with your Conair mic. The entire album is polished, each song catchier than the last, and you should definitely listen to the whole thing. It’s one of those rare albums
without a “skipper” song—one that you skip because it’s just “eh” compared with the rest. By track 8, “My Song 5” where they grunge it up and slow it down with a hazy tune, you’ll be in full jamming out mode. Haim sounds like a shake-todevelop Polaroid looks. They’re 2013’s answer to the girl band, where R&B, indie-grunge, and pop influences create something entirely new and completely
rad. If you’re looking for a similar girl group, The Staves have an even more indie acoustic sound, perfect for your moody, rainy day study sesh. We’re no longer in the Renaissance of the girl group, and that’s a little sad, but the girl groups out there now are rocking as hard as ever. I just want more. More groups, more girls, more girls in groups. Here’s hoping 2014 will be their year.
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British pop girl-group Little Mix
(photo courtesy littlemix.org)
American rock band Haim (photo courtesy npr.org)
november 2013 // 15
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Photos by juliana lavita
november 2013 // 17
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november 2013 // 19
Features The Feud is Over Two Former Adversaries Escape Their Fate
by Taylor Markarian
“So, how the hell did this happen?”
Escape the Fate with lead Craig Mabbitt
(photo courtesy their Facebook page and mtv.com)
20 // Five cent sound
That was the first question Alternative Press asked two famous enemies, Ronnie Radke and Craig Mabbitt, about their recent reconciliation—a question that was also, no doubt, on the minds of anyone who has ever heard of them. Radke is the former vocalist for Las Vegas born band Escape The Fate, who helped found the band and sang on their first album, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion. He was imprisoned in 2008 for his participation in a serious fight in 2006, which led to the death of 18-year-old Michael Cook. Because of his incarceration, the rest of the band decided it was time to find a replacement for Radke—former Blessthefall vocalist, Craig Mabbitt. Once upon a time, the two were actually quite amicable. Escape The Fate and Blessthefall even toured together on the 2007 Black On Black Tour along with bands LoveHateHero, Before Their Eyes, and Dance Gavin Dance. But as history will show, matters change when power struggles are introduced. Switching vocalists comes with no small risk. As Mabbitt stated in the AP interview, “It’s really hard to replace a singer in a band, and it nine times out of ten doesn’t work… at all.” Luckily for Escape The Fate, the change did work, and the band has been on an upward trajectory ever since. And until now, so had the hatred.
Falling In Reverse with lead Ronnie Radke
(photo courtesy mindequalsblown.net)
The lineup change created an immense schism in the fan base. Fans who had been severely loyal to one singer would demonstrate passionate hate toward the other fans, going so far as to heckle them at live shows, even years after the rift first began. Half of the Escape The Fate camp reviled Mabbitt for “ruining” their old sound, while the other half felt the same about Radke for weighing the band down with drama. Every song on YouTube that belonged to the band or any article written about the band would usher in a slew of comments all in the same vein: “Whose side are you on?” And it wasn’t just the fans who harbored such anger. The feud between the two vocalists was very real for quite some time, with Radke infuriated that he had been replaced and Mabbitt feeling the same over being so detested for simply doing what he loved to do—make music. Not infrequently, the two would call each other out while performing if provoked by fans, with Mabbitt saying things like, “You miss the old singer, he’s locked up in Nevada, go s*** his f***** c***.” Once he was released from prison, Radke would return fire with similar stunts, encouraging angry fans to shout hateful phrases such as “Craig s**** d***” as loud as they could. The enmity between the singers came to an end, however, with the announcement of the Bury the Hatchet Tour on October 28, 2013—a lineup which includes Radke’s current band, Falling In Reverse, as well as bands Chelsea Grin and Survive This! The idea for the tour reached Mabbitt in the form of an email from Radke, who proposed it was time to forget the past and, as the
tour name suggests, bury the hatchet. “I think this is not only an opportunity for us to do something that is very therapeutic for the both of us… but for also the fans to know… it’s okay to listen to both our bands,” says Mabbitt of the idea. “You can’t hold a grudge for that long,” says Radke. “For anybody involved, it’s not healthy.” Seeing as the two have a musical history in common regarding Escape The Fate, the next obvious question is: What does this newfound friendship mean in terms of live performances? Radke quickly answers AP: “I can’t talk about that. But it’s gonna be insanity.” Part of their reconciliation also entails Mabbitt singing the chorus for a song on Radke’s upcoming mixtape—an undertaking that apparently includes an impressive roster of other artists in the genre. The best part? It’s going to be free of charge. Radke says he feels the fans deserve it. “Why not make a f*ckin’ record with all their favorite singers for free?” But hold on—let’s really think about the fans for a minute. True, many fans are overjoyed to see the two make amends, but others have also placed a lot of their energy into this feud. Mabbitt even blatantly admits, “It was the fans that fueled the fire.” Will it be so easy for the more resilient of them to simply let bygones be bygones? In the eyes of Radke and Mabbitt, those kind of people aren’t truly fans and are certainly not what the new comrades are hoping to attract with this announcement. Mabbit says of this kind of negative devotion, “That doesn’t show
me that you support me anymore.” Radke adds, “I just want to tell all the fans: Nothing is ever going to sound like Dying Is Your Latest Fashion ever again. So please stop talking about how much you like Dying Is Your Latest Fashion.” To date, Escape The Fate has released three more albums since Dying Is Your Latest Fashion: This War Is Ours (2008), Escape The Fate (2010), and Ungrateful (2013). Falling In Reverse has released two albums: The Drug In Me Is You (2011) and Fashionably Late (2013). Despite any one person’s opinions, it is safe to say that these two bands, and thus these two men, have earned their own success. For the only people in the world who can say they’ve sang for Escape The Fate, this tour is just as much about remembering the good that comes out of music as it is about new beginnings. Music is supposed to provide a space for unity amongst fans, not battle, which is what their fiery feud had done. Mabbitt reminisces, “It’s that magic and that love we had for each other when we were kids. And I feel like a kid again talking about this tour.” This step has been a long time coming, and now that it’s here, fans can also expect to see things they’ve never seen before. Ronnie ends the interview, “The things that are gonna happen on this tour are never gonna happen ever in history ever again. And the crowds are probably gonna be big, and the energy alone is going to be crazy. This isn’t a tour of who’s gonna out-do who.” The Bury the Hatchet tour kicks off in mid-January 2014. Tickets are now on sale.
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november 2013 // 21
The
Nomad of
Harvard Square by Ari Notis
I H E A R D B E N JA M I N C OX
before I ever saw him. It was an early morning in early October. I found myself in Harvard Square, a hodgepodge, or melting pot, if you will, of street musicians. Each block, seemingly, plays venue to a different genre and instrument—oh, and musician. By Anthropologie, there’s the aging man in a mortician’s suit. Several days a week, he wheels out a piano and plays Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. By Flat Patties, there are the two well-bearded men, camped out with a banjo and a steel guitar. They play blues in the mornings, but vacate by lunch. By the train stop, there’s the woman in the black, kneelength skirt. She majestically plays her violin. But I don’t really know what they’re playing. I can pinpoint the genre, identify the instruments, sure, but nothing captivates me. Nothing resonates with me. Nothing makes me think, Hey, I know that song. Then, I heard it. “Oh, my talking bird / though you know so few words / they’re on infinite repeat / like your brain can’t keep up with your beak.” Hey, I know that song. I walked around the corner and toward familiarity. About six bars into the song, I saw my jukebox standing in front of the co-op; a bronzehaired man with equally bronze rimmed glasses— and yes, he too was well-bearded. He played a Squire Jazzmaster and sang, with the clarity of a foghorn and the tonal accuracy of a siren, through an SM57 microphone. His entire performance ran through a Roland Cube Street amplifier. A man, his guitar, and his voice: the foolproof formula for a serenade. Does Ben Cox serenade? I
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can’t say, for sure. But I can say, with certainty that he entertains A few weeks later, I heard Cox again. It was a late morning in late October. The sun was well and risen, but the dawn’s cold still hadn’t faded. Those walking to work, or to get food, or to go to the bank, walked briskly. The Square was, for the most part, empty. No one played music by the clothing store. No one played music by the burger joint. No one played music by the train stop. Someone played, however, in front of the deli. “I descended a dusty gravel ridge/beneath the Bixby Canyon Bridge/until I eventually arrived/at the place where your soul had died.” Hey, I know that song, too. “Yeah, I’m a big fan of theirs,” Cox is telling me, over tea—read: a nice, warm beverage that works marvels against frostbite—a few days after that. “I’ve got...” He pauses, runs a few fingers through his beard. “So basically, I’ve got this ever-changing list of everything I know.” He rummages through the front pocket of his sweatshirt and pulls out a folded piece of paper. I ask if I can see it. “Sure,” he says and hands it to me. I unfold it. Sure enough, “Talking Bird” and “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” both by Death Cab For Cutie, are on his list. Those tunes and about a hundred more. He’s got “One Day,” by Matisyahu, “Viva La Vida,” by Coldplay, “Burn This City,” by Cartel, “Say It To Me Now,” by Glen Hansard (“[it’s] got a little chorus ... that’s kind of screamy. Destroys my voice.”), “Until the Day I Die,” by Story of the Year, and—because why the hell not—“Never Gonna Give You Up,” by Rick Astley.
That’s what Cox does; he takes songs walkers-by may recognize and puts a pop-punk spin on them. He plays fast, he plays distorted, he sings clean. For the past five years, he’s been entertaining—no, enlivening—Harvard Square with his unique blend. “When I was really little,” he says, “I was always that kid who would stand in front of the street performers, forever, and just listen. So, when I started playing music, it was always in the back of my mind.” Cox started playing music when he was thirteen. He tried learning drums, but his “parents were not all that excited about having such a loud thing [in the house],” he explains. Instead, he picked up guitar. A year later, he was on the street, juggling playing music for fun—and a little bit of money!—and classes at the nearby Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. After graduating, he went to the University of Cincinnati to study product and industrial design. “It’s the top-ranked program in the country,” he says, “and it is very–” A young woman walks up and taps him on the shoulder. She has long blond hair and wears a grey Harvard sweatshirt. “I just wanted to say you did a great performance yesterday.” This isn’t something that happens every day, for anyone, and Cox, flattered, seems taken aback. “Oh,” he says. “Thank you.” “My name is Ivy,” the girl says. She looks hurriedly towards the door. “I’m gonna be late for class. What’s your name?” “My name’s Ben,” Cox says. “Ben. Cool.” She walks toward the door and calls out, “Don’t stop!” Unfortunately, he’s going to have to stop soon,
at least for a little bit. “This is kind of getting to the end of the season when I can actually be out there. When it gets down below forty-five [degrees], I can’t really feel my fingers and I have to stop,” he says. “But as long as I can play,” he adds, smiling, “I’ll be out there.” In the meantime, you can hear still his music. He released a digital album, at a name-your-dollar price, through bandcamp.com. The Book of the Grotesque, by Mimic the French (“[That’s] the name of the project, or quote-unquote band, who’s really just me,” he explains), is not a cover album; every track is original. Cox wrote and recorded the twelve tracks himself, and plays guitar, bass, and sings. Michael O’Connell, a drummer he met through the Internet, plays, well, drums. And, I have to say, it’s really quite good. It’s pop-punk, yes, but not at all like the watered down music you’d hear circa-2001 Blink 182 or Sum 41. The Book of the Grotesque is, all at once, powerful, biting, fast, heavy (there are a few well-placed, hard hitting breakdowns), clean, loud, soft, and—perhaps most importantly—resonant. The album is loosely based on Sherwood Anderson’s 1919 collection of short stories, Winesburg, Ohio, because his family grew up near there—you know, were fiction reality. Oh, “and it’s just a really beautifully written story,” he adds. Once it warms up again—which, admittedly, will be a while—Cox will take to the streets. But he won’t be in a designated spot. He’ll sporadically move around the Square. You may not find him easily—he could be in a different spot each day—but keep an ear out. You’ll know it’s him when you think, Hey, I know this song.
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november 2013 // 23
We Suddenly Matter and it’s about time by Ben Sack
My peers often lament being 19 and 20. We just crossed the threshold into “adulthood,” but not into adulthood, and there will be no more rewards given to us by virtue of our age until we have our first legal beer at 21. These years appear to be the doldrums of our lives. However, there is an overlooked milestone that is happening to all of us, right now. We finally reached the age of cultural relevance. Successful musicians close to us in age have always been child prodigies, unusually skilled youngsters, or “talented beyond their years.” Any importance attributed to them was because of their young age, but sometime in the recent past, an invisible line was crossed. Now, musicians born between ’92 and ’95 are important regardless of their age, and through nascent nostalgia and colorful criticism, they gave us—a generation so long spoken for—a voice. When that line was crossed, exactly, is unclear. Take the case of Archy Marshall, the British crooner who debuted at age 16 as Zoo Kid with “Out Getting Ribs.” That song got a lot of press, all of which stressed how mature the song sounded despite his youth. Since then he’s crowned himself King Krule, turned 19, dropped a full length album, and managed to drop “young” as his perpetual descriptor. Or look at Earl Sweatshirt, whose debut mixtape Earl was met with critical acclaim, but most of it focused on how amazing it was that a 16-year-old was rapping so well. Earl disappeared for two
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years (turns out he was sent to a retreat for at-risk boys in Samoa), and when he resurfaced, he was no longer “great young rapper,” but simply “great rapper.” Earl and King Krule are just two of a slew of musicians our age that have recently metamorphosed from “talented beyond their years” to genuine culture creators, trendsetters, and spokespeople for the maligned millennials. One of those spokespeople is 20-year-old Chicago native, Chance the Rapper, whose mixtape Acid Rap
is one of the best hip-hop releases of the year. What I find most amazing about that record, though, is that when Chance gets sentimental about his childhood, he is getting sentimental about my childhood. “Used to like orange cassette tapes with Timmy, Tommy, and Chuckie / and Chuck E Cheese’s pizzas,” he raps on “Cocoa Butter Kisses.” He is referring, of course, to the Nickelodeon VHS tapes that stuffed so many of our VCRs, and the shitty arcade pizza that stuffed so many of our stomachs. On “Good Ass Outro” he recalls “That time I beat Chris on Nintendo,” and judging by his age, he’s probably talking GameCube, not N64. Chance also raps about the shared regrets of our generation. “Shoulda died, yelling YOLO was a lie / and you a liar wonder why you wanna die so young,” he raps on “Chain Smoker.” There is a certain charm to this sort of self-awareness. No matter how many articles 40-somethings write about “The Me Me Me Generation” and how we’re destroying the country with selfies taken in our parent’s basements, no criticism is as effective as self-criticism. But reaching the age of cultural relevance doesn’t just allow us to criticize ourselves, it allows us to criticize those who came before us. Just like when Bob Dylan sang “The Times They Are A-Changin,” it is finally our turn for rebuttal. On “Who Needs You,” 18-year-old punk rockers The Orwells sing these sentiments. “Listen up forefathers / I’m not your son.” On “Burgundy” from Earl Sweatshirt’s album Doris, a 20-year-old Vince Staples lampoons the baby boomers who complain that we complain
too much when he says to 19-year-old Earl “Why you so depressed and sad all the time like a little bitch?...Don’t nobody care about how you feel.” And 21-year-old pop star Sky Ferreira reflects the feelings of so many of our generation when she sings “Nobody asked me what I wanted…Nobody asked me if I was okay.” Perhaps the most amazing thing about it, though, is that musicians born between ’92 and ’95 aren’t just relevant, they’re considered some of the best in the world, and that ought to provide some renewed hope in our generation. Chance the Rapper and Earl Sweatshirt have both dropped critically acclaimed releases this year. 18-year-old Chief Keef, Chance’s fellow Chicagoan, is the hugely successful face of that city’s drill scene. The Orwells just finished a nationwide tour and are considered one of the country’s best punk acts. King Krule has been doing the rounds on late-night TV to promote his latest album. Howard Lawrence, one half of Disclosure, turned 19 a month before releasing Settle, the best house album of the year. These artists have proven that we, the generation some call the laziest in history, are actually pretty remarkable. On “Obvious Bicycle” from Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City, Ezra Koenig sends a message to our generation. “You ought to spare the world your labor / It’s been 20 years and no one’s told the truth” he sings ironically. He continues “So listen up / Don’t wait.” The truth is that we haven’t waited, and now is our time. Welcome to when we leave our mark on history, everyone.
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november 2013 // 25
Around t h e
26 // Five cent sound
World
The Swedish Invasion
A look into Swedish pop music
By Leanna Furtado
Sweden has always been a powerhouse for great dance music. Remember Abba? They’re just one of many Swedish artists that have the power to get anyone dancing. Sweden continues to thrive in the music scene, especially now with the popularization of electronic dance music, or EDM. If EDM isn’t really your taste though, there are tons of other genres Sweden excels in too, like pop, indie, folk, and rock. Listening to a typical Swedish Top-40 station is pretty different from an American Top-40 station. Of course there is Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and One Direction, but the majority of songs played are EDM or House music. The songs are by DJs that aren’t as popular in the states yet, like Dutch DJ Martin Garrix or Australian DJ Contiez. In the Swedish top ten there are three songs by Avicii, the native 24-year-old DJ, remixer and record producer. This contrasts with him having one song on the entire American Top-40 countdown at the moment. DJ Magazine, based out of England, has ranked Tim Bergling, aka Avicii, number three in the Top 100 DJs list for the past two years. He trails closely behind Hardwell in first and Armin Van Buuren in second, both artists are from the Netherlands. Avicii manages to
mix Swedish house music with a bit of folk and country to create a whole new spectrum of music. Check out “Hey Brother” to see what I mean. Another notable Swedish DJ you’ve probably heard at a party without knowing it is Jonas Erik Altberg, aka Basshunter. His music is lively, upbeat and will have you on the dance floor in no time. Besides their growing collection of House DJs, Sweden also has a number of notable singer-songwriters. Robyn, who is best known for her songs “Call Your Girlfriend” and “Dancing on My Own” from 2010, actually had her first hit in 1997 with the song “Do You Know (What it Takes),” which is everything you would expect a pop song from 1997 to sound like. She took a hiatus during the 2000’s with only one album in 2008 that didn’t make it to the radio, but she came back stronger than ever and has been everywhere since her album Body Talk dropped in 2010. Her songs have been on Girls, featured in commercials, and covered on YouTube by numerous singers. Another great musical act to come from Sweden is Icona Pop. Their song “I Love It” was also featured on the hit HBO show Girls and was the theme song for MTV’s Snookie & JWow. Their first studio full-length album This is…Icona Pop is definitely worth the listen; it’s full of fun upbeat songs that you can easily sing along to. Other notable Swedish musicians you should check out are Lykke Li, for some electro pop, First Aid Kit, a Swedish folk duo, Miike Snow or the Shout Out Louds for some indie alternative and The Hives for some rock. The next time you’re looking for new music, make sure to check out the musicians from Sweden. You’ll probably recognize more songs than you would think.
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november 2013 // 27
The Clash
Hits Back by Devan Norman
The Clash’s surviving members released a 12-disc compilation of every album the band recorded
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If you are too young to have enjoyed The Clash in their prime, fear not. There is still hope by way of a 12-disc compilation titled The Clash Hits Back, featuring all the songs the longest-standing members of the band recorded. The lineup: Mick Jones on guitar, Paul Simonon on bass, Nicky “Topper” Headon on drums, and Joe Strummer on the vocal chords. Thanks to the marvel of modern technology, anyone can relive the magic of the band’s best recordings. Instead of getting stuck in the basic, angry mindset of many punk bands emerging in the 1970s, these guys had a passion that translated into helping cement their genre in musical canon. As the group’s Rolling Stone bio states, “they were rebels with a cause—many causes, in fact, from anti-Thatcherism to racial unity…” Sure, they were noisy and a little alarming, but it was still coming from an informed perspective and a unified creative vision. While the band’s image hinges on vibing well with each other, many members came and went throughout the years. That’s not to say there weren’t regulars who kept appearing in the cast. The now-defunct group’s surviving members Jones, Simonon, and Headon supervised the re-mastering (not remixing) of the tracks included in the set. Jones remarked in the most recent group interview with NPR, “it was as close to the in-studio sound as possible, reuniting the group without technically doing so.” Like a school reunion in the best possible way, the three aging punks were able to spend some time together without the pressures of performing. The collection also includes video and audio rarities fans from the time before social media may not have seen. In a way, this rad box set helps avoid the drawbacks of modern camera phone technology. Focusing on living in a moment and not re-
recording it, these re-mastered tracks are comforting in a way rarely associated with music best played loud. Despite the inherent nostalgia in releasing tracks again, the group tried to be modern and aware of contemporary trends, paying special attention to “iTunes, Spotify, and Google and [they tried] to respond to it…it’s a fine line we’ve been battling with,” Simonon says, reflecting on maintaining credibility and keeping up with the trends. As a band that was popular before the Internet’s wide-reaching community, there are a lot of new considerations. In a world of constant distortions of musical intent through remixes, the gents are keen on a sort of “restoration,” Simonon explains. Special measures had to be taken with the original taped recordings, as they were from so long ago. Speaking with the Guardian, Jones clarifies, “We had to bake the tapes beforehand—the oxide on them is where the music is, so if you don’t put them in the oven and bake them, that all falls off because they’re so old.” This helps revert the ear-melting tunes into something closer to what they sounded like upon first recording. Warming the tape clarifies many lines in the music, creating a better representation than anything found today. The Clash is a band of legend, whether its members like it or not. In an interview with NPR’s World Café, Simonon dismisses the concept, saying, “When you’ve been around long enough, they kind of say ‘you’re a legend, you’re a legend.’ Anybody is a legend if you stick around long enough.” His blasé attitude is representative of the punk scene from which the band emerged, regardless of the passage of time. Check the collection out for yourself! It hit stores on September 9 of this year, so if you don’t own this important set yet…’Tis the season for giving groovy gifts (to someone who will let you borrow them).
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Sources: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-clash/biography http://www.npr.org/blogs/world-cafe/2013/10/11/232046017/the-clash-on-world-cafe http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/21/the-clash-box-set-remastered-albums-rarities
november 2013 // 29
Reviews Avenged Sevenfold Hail to the King
by Nick Stalford If you were to delve into the history of the metal genre, you would find yourself lost in a dark and twisted trail of events that began in the late 1970s. Bands such as Black Sabbath, Motörhead, and Iron Maiden led the way for the movement. Metal quickly caught on and further developed in the 1980s under the leathery demon wings of now big name bands such as Mötley Crüe, Metallica, and Slayer. In the 1990s, the genre continued to grow with new bands such as Slipknot, Rage Against the Machine, and Korn. Subgenres and fusion genres spilled from the bowels of metal during these three decades, leading to the creation of a long list of genres such as black, funk, and rap metal. For years, wherever metal glared, skulls, umlauts, and blood-covered daggers would appear. But as the new millennium approached, it seemed that metal’s iron grasp on the music scene was beginning to slip as few new metal bands found mainstream success. The metal-heads retreated to their caves, head-banging and flashing devil horns in disgruntled silence as they awaited the arrival of a new band. Finally in 1999, when all hope seemed lost, a new band formed in Huntington Beach, California: Avenged Sevenfold. The band’s newest album, fitfully titled Hail to the King, dropped in August of 2013. Fans anxiously anticipated the release of the album, as it is the first to be written and recorded without the presence and input of drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, who tragically died in 2009 of a drug overdose. The band’s fifth album, Nightmare, had been in the works when the tragedy occurred, and it was eventually released in 2010 with the help of legendary drummer Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater as a tribute to Sullivan. After much consideration, Arin Ilejay was chosen to take over for Sullivan as drummer due to his musically stylistic similarities to Sullivan and good chemistry with the band. Ilejay proves himself worthy of the position in Hail to the King, as he performs flawlessly in Sullivan’s style while adding some flair of his own. Despite initial worries that Avenged Sevenfold would dry up with the loss of Sullivan, Hail to the King quickly confirmed that the band was still capable of producing great music with the early release of the title track in mid-July 2013, an arena anthem perfectly fit to rally and reunite fans. When the full album was released later that summer, the rest of the tracks proved to be equally well made. The album starts off strong as “Shepherd of Fire” whispers with the eerie sound of crackling flames, slowly building into powerful vocals and heavy guitar riffs. Other early tracks such as “Do-
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ing Time” and “This Means War” continue along such as “Dear God,” a country rock ballad, and “A this successful streak, but the real gem of the album Little Piece of Heaven,” which resembles a more exis the fifth track, “Requiem.” With bony skeleton perimental avant-garde rock style. hands, “Requiem” grabs listeners and drags them Initially, this departure from metal seemed to imdown into the depths of hell, exposing their ears to ply that Avenged Sevenfold was stepping down from an operatic heavy metal song that flashes back to the the throne, but on further inspection the band’s mu“evil” side of Avenged Sevenfold. The second half of sic proves just the opposite. Avenged Sevenfold’s rethe album does not fail to impress either, with the cent albums have included a more hard rock orientpower ballad “Crimson Day” and orchestral closing ed sound, but in doing so the band has established tracks “Planets” and “Acid Rain.” itself in three major genres: metalcore, metal, and In addition to the replacement of Sullivan, Hail rock. Upon mastering these genres, Avenged Sevento the King features a number of changes to Avenged fold crafted Hail to the King, an epic blend of the Sevenfold. The most prominent difference is that three genres. This album represents the band’s verof the band’s sound, which has shifted away from satility as musicians and its ability to please a wide metal towards rock. This phenomenon of changing spectrum of fans. Hail to the King invites listeners genres began early on in the band’s career. Avenged on a journey through the history of metal. “Doing Sevenfold released its first two records between Time” functions as a throwback to the band’s early 2001 and 2003, both of which fell under the genre of metalcore sound, filled with plenty of breakdowns metalcore, a mix bemade for moshtween extreme metal ing. Other and hardcore punk, tracks such as due to its rough and “Shepherd of unclean sound. But Fire” and “Rethe track “Unholy quiem” feature Confessions” from an eerie and the second of the ominous heavy two albums, titled metal sound Waking The Fallen, complete with stood out from the melodramatic band’s early thrash tolling bells and metal and hardcore c h o i r- c h a n t punk sound. While ed Latin lyrics. still containing some “This Means trademark features War” marches of metalcore, such into early Meas screamed vocals tallica-influand long breakenced metal terdowns, “Unholy ritory, with lead Confessions” begins guitarist Synysto diverge into metter Gates shredal territory, placding classic meting an emphasis on al riffs, and lead Release Date: August 23rd, 2013 harmony, structure, man and vocaland melodic vocals. It marked a turning point in the ist M. Shadows roaring like Metallica’s leader singband’s music that would thrust Avenged Sevenfold er, James Hetfield. Each track represents a different into the metal spotlight. genre in the rock-metal category, showing not only In 2005, Avenged Sevenfold released its third, how diverse the category is but also Avenged Sevenand debatably most popular and successful, album fold’s comprehension of and passion for the music. City of Evil, featuring many metal tracks such as From the beginning, the mere names of the band “Bat Country” and “Beast and the Harlot.” These members such as M. Shadows, Synyster Gates, and songs, like many on the album, feature an overall Zachy Vengeance suggested that Avenged Sevenfold cleaner sound with less distortion on the guitars and was destined to become a legendary part of the hisbass, and a reduction in screaming levels as vocals tory of metal. Avenged Sevenfold has continued to are toned down to a melodic growl. With the release change its sound from album to album, and for a of this album, Avenged Sevenfold boldly claimed the moment it seemed that the metalheads would have vacant throne and declared itself king of metal, fully to again run to the hills as the band turned towards making the transition from metalcore to metal. But hard rock. But Hail to the King hit hard, proclaimthis metal sound did not last long, as the band trans- ing that Avenged Sevenfold is rooted in metal and formed again from metal to rock in its fourth and proving that, in words of Jack Black of Tenacious D, self-titled album, featuring lighter sounding tracks “you can’t kill the metal.”
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november 2013 // 31
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