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New Music Report – Jan 24, 2020

Posted by on Jan 23, 2020 in Featured, News | 0 comments

New Albums

Silent Planet – Guys, this band is incredible. They’re so god damn good. I really cannot say enough good things about Silent Planet. Not only are they one of the most talented, unique, and powerful bands in metalcore right now, they’re also the most wholesome dudes in the world and absolutely deserve everyone’s support. This is a re-recorded version of their absolute masterpiece of a first record, and I honestly thought they couldn’t improve upon that, but here we are. Listen to this album.

Caspian – Caspian is one of the landmark bands of post rock, and this (personally) highly anticipated album is their first since 2015’s Dust & Disquiet, which was really nothing short of a masterpiece. But for those that find it, this is a fantastic album and was absolutely worth the wait. Much like what we’ve come to expect from Caspian, it’s absolutely packed full of emotionally dense, complex, and dynamic songs that take the listen on an incredible journey. It’s been a long five years, but it was certainly worth the wait.

Novelists FR – Not gonna lie, these guys lost me with their latest single, but man, this album is good. Trending more towards a post hardcore sound with this one, they’ve done a really great job of combining melodic, clean vocals with some super technical riffs and heavy breakdowns. Very dynamically diverse, definitely worth a listen.

 

Singles

Invent, Animate – Objectively, these guys are very good, but I’ve always felt I should enjoy this band more than I do. They’re technically incredible, but for a few reasons they failed to have that special something that makes a band stand out to me. This single hits super hard though, I have hope that this new album can help me change my mind.

Monuments – Insanely talented progressive metalcore band. Great vocals with incredible range and a very catchy chorus; the new vocalist is fitting in nicely. I’m looking forward to more from them, but in the meantime,  this is definitely worth checking out.

The Word Alive – Unfortunately, these guys have gotten a little bit stale. Verses are a bit low effort and too much emphasis is put on the chorus. They’re definitely heading into a more alt-rock/post hardcore direction. Super meh, I miss old TWA.

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News: Lineup Announced For Rhymesayers 20th Anniversary Concert

Posted by on Oct 14, 2015 in Featured, Latest, News, Reads | 0 comments

Written by Kevin Madert

In a hip-hop landscape overpopulated by inconsequential lyrics tracking at the third grade level, manufactured radio-friendly rhymes, and whatever the hell Iggy Azalea is, Rhymesayers Entertainment shines bright as a last bastion of hope. Born and bred in Minnesota, the independent label has come a long way since being founded by Sean Daley, Anthony Davis (both of Atmosphere), Musab Saad (aka Sab the Artist) and Brent Sayers (aka Siddiq), but the music over profit mindset & consistently thought-provoking lyricism present from day one has never wavered.

In the aforementioned climate of the genre it’s laudable for anyone to stay relevant for twenty minutes, much less two decades, yet here we are. And in true RS fashion, the twentieth anniversary shindig slated for December 4th at the Target Center in Minneapolis is shaping up to be a hell of a celebration.

rse20

Atmosphere, Grieves, Dilated Peoples, Brother Ali, and Aesop Rock top a bill stuffed to bursting with Rhymesayers-signed talent – an indicator of just how influential the label has been in the underground hip-hop community since the mid-90s. You can bet AltFreq will do everything we can to make the trek to the Twin Cities in December to take part in this party for the ages.

Tickets for Rhymesayers 20 go on sale to the general public starting this Friday, October 16 at 10am CST (that’s 11am EST, local friends). A general admission ticket will run you a whopping 20 bucks, with VIP options also available. All other pertinent information can be obtained via the Rhymesayers website.


Rhymesayers 20 Lineup (in alphabetical order)

Abstract Rude | Aesop Rock | Atmosphere | Battlecats | BK One | Blueprint | Boom Bap Project
Brother Ali | deM atlaS | Dilated Peoples | DJ Abilities | Evidence | Felt | Freeway | Grayskul | Grieves Hail Mary Mallon | I Self Devine | Jake One | K-Salaam | Los Nativos | Micranots | Mr. Dibbs | Musab P.O.S | Prof | Soul Position | The Uncluded | Toki Wright

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The Daily Frequency (8/25/15)

Posted by on Aug 25, 2015 in Latest, News, Reads | 0 comments

Written by Kevin Madert

1. All sorts of nostalgia kicks off today’s installment of The Daily Frequency: after much speculation, Underoath will embark on a thirty-date nationwide reunion tour in the spring of 2016. At every stop on that tour, the group will perform their albums They’re Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line from front to back. On the end of the band’s two year hiatus, frontman Spencer Chamberlin told Alternative Press, “I hated the idea of Underoath being ‘over’ and I’m not sure what we are, but we are all friends again and that’s really the most important thing…That being said, we felt like now is a great time to do a tour and celebrate Define The Great Line turning 10.” Never fear, DMV Underoathians (wonder if I just invented that term now?): the group will take the stage at the Fillmore Silver Spring on April 20. A full list of dates and additional pertinent information can be found on the band’s website. (via Alternative Press)

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News: Emancipator Announces New Album + Ensemble Tour, Releases Lead Single

Posted by on Jul 14, 2015 in Featured, Latest, News, Reads | 0 comments

-Written by Kevin Madert

Chasers of the chill and denizens of downtempo rejoice: new Emancipator is on its way. The trip-hop project long helmed by producer/multi-instrumentalist Doug Appling will release Seven Seas on September 25 via his own Loci Records. Just four days later, a full-fledged US tour will kick off in support of the producer’s fourth full-length, beginning in New Orleans and wending its way through the US & Canada before concluding two months later in Pomona, CA.

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News: New Song From Bring Me the Horizon

Posted by on Jul 13, 2015 in Latest, News, Reads | 0 comments

Bring Me the Horizon have released a new song, “Happy Song”, after teasing fans with a series of puzzles and riddles that seemed to leave everybody rather stumped for awhile. This new track is a rather significant departure from the sound we heard on Sempiternal, but if you heard last year’s single, “Drown”, then this new sound is nothing new to you.

BMTH have been known for changing up their sound pretty consistently through their new releases, and “Happy Song” shows that this new album (about which we currently know very little) will not be any different. They are ditching the synth parts and heavy chugging breakdowns for a more straight up hard rock sound, which should provide rather polarizing results from fans.

Check out “Happy Song” below, and let us know what you think of Bring Me the Horizon’s new sound.

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News: Coheed & Cambria Announce New Album, Release Single

Posted by on Jul 8, 2015 in Latest, News, Reads | 0 comments

Yesterday Coheed & Cambria announced a new album, The Color Before the Sun, due out on 10/9 through 300 Entertainment.  To give listeners a taste of what they can expect, the band released the first single from the album, “You Got Spirit, Kid” yesterday via YouTube. The song will be available for digital download tomorrow, July 10th.

Coheed’s 8th studio album will be the first album that is not a part of The Amory Wars saga, or indeed, a concept album at all. It will be interesting to see how this new dynamic affects Coheed’s sound. But if the first single is any indication, this new album will actually revisit the classic Coheed sound. So this will definitely be an album to keep your eyes on.

Check after the jump to listen to “You Got Spirit, Kid”.

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