June 22, 2010

Very Proud Of Ya There's a point in adolescence when all the bad grades, zits and hormones stop being funny and start being seriously traumatizing—and AFI's 1996 sophomore album, Very Proud Of Ya, marks that turning point in the group. Granted, there's still plenty of the old-school prankishness of their 1995 debut Answer That And Stay Fashionable, but the attack is tighter, beefier,...

Answer That And Stay Fashionable With all of the songs on Answer That And Stay Fashionable credited to Anthems For Insubordinates, it's clear where AFI got not only their name (A Fire Inside), but the disc's irreverent sense of humor. The California group's debut full-length is steeped in bratty disobedience and snarling, speedy West Coast hardcore that clearly establishes frontman Davey Havok...

The Changing Of Times The Changing Of Times was an Olympic pole vault-like leap forward for Underoath. The increased use of melody may have alienated longtime fans; yet the new direction proved much more successful (creatively and in terms of popularity). Dallas Taylor continues to belt out harsh yelping that resembles a trapped fox, but drummer Aaron Gillespie’s...

Cries Of The Past Underoath continue to hone their progressive-minded metalcore assault on 2000’s Cries Of The Past. It’s ironic to hear music owing much to such avowed atheistic death-metal bands as Death and Morbid Angel created by Christians. But it’s nearly impossible to discern any sentiments through the scratchy squall of Dallas Taylor’s screams and growls. Drummer Aaron Gillespie hints at the...

Act Of Depression It’s hard to recognize this early version of Underoath. Few could have predicted the impact this Floridian band would have on secular and Christian metalcore alike, especially with this debut. Act Of Depression introduces a young group focused on Christ and complex metal. Far from the melodic leanings of their later incarnation, this record seethes with the shrill shrieks...

I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love My Chemical Romance’s 2002 debut seems to take an obvious cue from the Used—a band with whom they were, at the time, friendly with and influenced by. The raw, tormented emo-punk on this album, which they recorded only a few months after forming, has distinct correlations with the...

Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge   Although My Chemical Romance began gaining popularity with their 2002 debut I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, it was really their 2004 sophomore effort that both showcased their songwriting skills and gave them much-deserved attention. The disc, which opens with Gerard Way’s breathlessly compelling delivery of...

American Idiot As if Green Day were attempting to wipe their listeners memories of their missteps on 2000’s Warning, American Idiot starts out with the band’s best Undertones-esque punk riffing on a vaguely political song harkening back to their roots in the best way possible. The band then tackle the next three tracks with a vengeance, using three recurring strengths from their back catalog: ’60s pop (“Jesus of...

Warning When Warning kicks off with the title track, the straightforward acoustic rocker shows promise for the album. Green Day’s playing is tightened up even more, leaving no note unexpected and placed perfect, and the walking bassline is catchy. Even the bondage-tribute hard-shuffle “Blood, Sex And Booze” is a fun, bouncy track. But then something goes wrong. On “Castaway” and “Minority,” the band seem to have plum...