Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Genre: Alt Rock

9/10

The Foo Fighters return to form with an absolutely stellar release, a must listen.

The Foo Fighters go back in time and visit their roots for this album. Somehow they manage to bring back the Foo we loved and, at the same time, bring something new to the table. This album isn't just a thrill ride, its the whole entire amusement park. Each song offers us something different and totally unexpected.


The album starts off with "Bridge Burning" and its such an unsettling into, you really don't know where its going to go. It then blasts in and teases us with a really heavy few seconds then drops down for the verse. One thing that makes the Foo Fighters so special is how they build and drop the intensity levels in their songs. "Arlandria" is a prime example of this.

 "Rope" and "Dear Rosemary" are songs that just have that classic Foo Fighters feel to them. They just bring us home with a nice chorus that flows very nicely. But wait, just as you think this is just a classic Foo Fighters album you reach "White Limo". Honestly, this song like nothing I have ever heard from them, it offers a real dark feel in the guitar riff then Grohl just come in with these raspy vocals just long enough for them to get annoying then it goes into the chorus where the vocals aren't clean but they do resolve in a very strange way. Very experimental track, but it is great. Other than that element of heaviness, they add a Pop-like feel with the song "Back and Forth", another song that dips into their past.


 There's a nice mellow moment halfway through in the song "These Days"...so i though. The song starts off with just vocals and a guitar and is real mellow. Drums then enter but it doesn't make it considerably heavy. Then all of the sudden we hit a huge chorus and all is right. This is one of my personal favorite songs on the album, along with "I Should Have Known" which is a nice mellow, bluesy song. It kind of hints ballad, but doesn't quite stay there. The final song, "Walk" is the absolute perfect way to end such a great album. It sums up all of the songs in the album and samples the many sides of the Foo Fighters. It then ends with the classic "build-then-silence" technique. This was extremely effective on me because as soon as it ended i began to comprehend what a great album I had just listened to.


Pros:
Classic Feel
Lots of Variety
Great lyrics


Cons:
Couple of songs weren't as vibrant

Bottom Line: For those who love the Foo Fighters, get this album. For those who don't know the Foo Fighters, get this album. I can't believe I'm saying this but, this is the best Foo Fighters album since "The Colour and the Shape"


Recommended Songs: Rope, White Limo, These Days, I Should Have Known

Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?21kk5m6htmmehb2

Silverstein - Rescue

Genre: Post-Hardcore

8/10

Silverstein's 5th full length holds strong with its Punk influence and Post-Hardcore roots.

Silverstein has always been a big name in the Post-Hardcore field. They are masters of blending their dirty and clean vocals. Their clean vocals resolve the madness that has been shoved through your ears just long enough for you to catch up. "Rescue" keeps the same formula most of the time, and hey, its been working so why not stick to it. Even though they parted ways with Victory they have still crafted a quality album.

The Album kicks off with "Medication" and sets up the tone for the rest of the album. Silverstein, being a Post-Hardcore band, also has a thick Punk influence that is evident in their more upbeat songs such as "Sacrifice" and "Intervention". Another element they add to their album is their more mellow songs. These usually have little to no screaming in them and dont feature much of a breakdown. Songs like "Forget Your Heart", "Good Luck With Your Lives", and "Replace You" are nice because it adds some variety to the album. These songs are spaced out pretty good throughout the album to where there's not a big chunk of mellowness. Now there are also the songs such as "The Artist" and "Live to Kill" that offer us that heavy feel and blistering riffs that we expect from them. The strongest song on the album is "Burning Hearts" which was released a few weeks ago as a single.

This album does have its flaws though. "Darling Harbour" is the probably the weakest track on the album. It feels like a generic Pop-Punk song with no energy. When Silverstein isn't beautiful they're energetic and this song is neither. The last song on the album "In Memory Of..." may not necessarily be a bad song, but I don't feel it wraps up the album. The last 30 seconds offer a nice ending but the full song itself isn't strong enough to end it.


Pros:
Great transitions
Well written songs
Mix is very good

Cons:
Few of the tracks are weak


Bottom Line:
A Great effort from Silverstein. Arguably one of the best albums they have put out. In a world of processed music and over produced music, its nice to hear a release that is dynamically simple, yet heavy.

Recommended Songs: Sacrifice, Texas Mickey, The Artist, Burning Hearts,

Download Link:  http://www.filesonic.com/file/446462851/Silverstein

Asking Alexandria - Reckless and Relentless

Genre: Metalcore

5.5/10

Asking Alexandria's 2nd LP effort. Better than the first but lacks musical creativity.

First off, this is my first review. Theres nothing special to me about this. I just got this album so I decided to review it. Although seeing as its a lot of the same, its rather hard to make an in depth review of it.

Anyways, I'll start by saying that I listened to the album through and did not realize I was on a new track until i heard the hook. Its a lot of open string chugging and not enough expression. I'm referring to those moments with the real deep growls and the breakdowns. Wait, whats that? You heard that in every song? Well, yeah that's Asking Alexandria summed up into one sentence.

Now I'm going to catch myself, this review would not be worth while if I just bashed on the band the whole time. They are not terrible I don't want you to get that impression. The overall sound is pretty good. I also really like the clean vocals, although the actual vocals may not be top notch there are some pretty good hooks.

Compared to "Stand Up and Scream" I think the band has improved. The vocals are actually a little better and there is more of a "rounded" sound (The keys, guitars, vocals, and samples flow together and work with each other, completing the sound). With this said, I want to see this band write some better songs, because that is the area where this band lacks. With creative songs I think this band can make something happen for themselves.


Pros:
Improved sound
Great hooks
Breakdowns are a little more "creative"

Cons:
Eventually the album gets boring
Songs will sound the same
Lacks any "memorable" songs

Bottom Line: If you loved the band before you will like this album. If you hated them before you will still probably hate them. This album is improved but it still feels like "Stand Up and Scream".

Recommended Songs: Dear Insanity, A Lesson Never Learned, To The Stage, Morte Et Dabo

Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?w4hwjizpcre14wx