Phil Freeman

I Am Empire Kings This San Jose, California-based quintet have the lyrical self-pity necessary to make it big in the contemporary screamo/alt-rock scene, which is all about mixing introspection and tantrum throwing; but musically, they’re much better than that. On “Heart Attack” and “Saints & Sinners,” guitarists Andrew Stanton and Dan Otis crank out arena-ready […]

Farewell To Freeway Filthy Habits Filthy Habitsfeels unearthed from a time capsule; Farewell To Freeway’ take on metalcore is one that’s been left behind by young bands’ mad rush to be on that next shit at all times. These guys are still copping moves from Botch, for hell’s sake. They pull a lot of other […]

I The Breather These Are My Sins The debut album by Baltimore-based (and laughably named) Christian metalcore act I The Breather plays by the rules of its genre, only rarely coloring outside the lines. Vocalist Shawn Spann shreds his throat while guitarists Jered Youngbar and Justin Huffman carve out thrashy, downtuned riffs and squealy, tech-death […]

Flyleaf Remember To Live EP   Remember To Live begins and ends with reworkings of previously released songs—“Arise,” from Flyleaf’s 2009 album Memento Mori, and “Justice & Mercy” from their Much Like Falling EP. The other five tracks are even older, some dating back to their days as Passerby. The EP—which will have to tide […]

Various Artists Past Present Can you tell a cover version of a classic ’80s hardcore song from a brand new hardcore song? For its 150th release, venerable hardcore label Revelation Records (the imprint that brought the world Sick Of It All, Gorilla Biscuits, Judge, Bold and a fistful of other acts from the genre’s golden […]

Girl In A Coma Adventures In Coverland   Girl In A Coma’s 2009 release, Trio B.C., found the all-female Texas trio expanding from the Morrissey-influenced rockabilly/punk of their debut to a broader sound that encompassed country, Tejano, Social Distortion-esque roots rock and more. The tight but swinging rhythm section of bassist Jenn Alva and drummer […]

The Sleeping The Big Deep Long Island, New York’s the Sleeping incorporate a vast array of influences and borrowed sounds on their fourth album, The Big Deep. There’s a little bit of the Cure’s Robert Smith in vocalist Doug Robinson’s delivery on “Oh, Gloria,” but they toss in cello and rumbling drums for bonus drama. […]

The Autumn Offering The Autumn Offering This Daytona Beach, Florida-based quintet’s fifth full-length announces its lack of subtlety right off the bat, with cover art depicting some kind of demonic raven gripping a pentagram in its claws. That the album itself consists of churning, downtuned metal riffs, genuinely impressive guitar solos and muscleheaded roaring should […]

Miss May I Monument Ohio-based metalcore quintet Miss May I may be young, but they’re old-school when it comes to their music. You won’t hear any rave synths or Auto-Tuned vocals on Monument, an album as heavy and rooted in place as its title suggests. They’re absolutely aiming to follow in the footsteps of (and […]