Music News

Top albums of 2016

Published

7 years ago

January 2, 2017

Top albums of 2016 from the writers of Empire Extreme

As yet another trip around the sun comes to an end we like to reflect backwards to the events of the previous year. In spite of the celebrity deaths and political turmoil there were some bright spots in the musical world in 2016. Some of the writers from Empire Extreme have gathered together their personal favorite albums for the previous year. This is in no a way a definitive list as there were many great albums left off due to space and time restraints. Hopefully you enjoy the list(s) and discover a new album you may have missed this year.

JJ Ulizio – Staff Writer

#5 Killswitch Engage – Incarnate
It wouldn’t be a list of mine without metal-core represented somewhere on it. This is the second album since the return of original vocalist Jesse Leach. Maybe I’m a big fan of the writing style for the guitars. Maybe it’s the fact that Jesse is one of my favorite vocalists of all time. Either way KsE stays true to themselves and their form with this newest installment with harsh and thrashy riffs and screams that pave the way for soaring vocal melodies. KsE has proven to be an old standby for me over the years. When nothing else will do, I can always listen to Killswitch Engage.

#4 Dunsmuir – Dunsmuir
The self-titled debut from this band of all stars definitely had to make the list. Sounds and songwriting that at times are reminiscent of Black Sabbath, Clutch, and I even heard some Motörhead influence lingering in there. This album did not disappoint. From start to finish it’s just a hard hitting rock album with obvious throwbacks to classic metal and the stoner metal that the sum of its members other bands participate in. The pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that they claim to be influenced by would be proud.

#3 Scorpion Child – Acid Roulette
Back in July I said that I felt this had a strong chance to be my album of the year. I still feel just as strongly about this album, if the two that beat it had not been released till January, then it would have been. There is nothing else to really say about this album that hasn’t already been said. Its just a balls to the wall rock album with strong songwriting all the way through. This group of Texans made a fantastic record for getting in your car and playing loud with your windows down at 65mph.

#2 The Dillinger Escape Plan – Dissociation
It saddens me that this is supposed to be the final album by the Dillinger Escape Plan, unlike most other musicians out there they have managed to outdo themselves time and time again, album after album. This is a great record, almost like they locked Mike Patton in a room and made him listen to their old album Calculating Infinity on repeat. It has everything that a Dillinger fan would come to expect from one of their albums, without coming off as repetitive. If you are a fan already then you MUST HAVE this album to complete the collection.

#1 Serpentine Dominion – Serpentine Dominion
This is as much of a surprise to me as it may be to some of you reading this. Maybe its because its recent enough that it still has me riding high from its adrenaline inducing riffs and crushing vocals, maybe it’s the melodies and vocal harmonies that seem to come out of nowhere, maybe its that this album had slipped under my radar until I was approached to do the review, but the odd and amazing combination of Corpsegrinder & Adam D produced something I found to be unique and I can’t see myself taking it out of my regular music rotation anytime soon. A must have for any fan of hard, heavy, or “extreme” music.

Ryan Hensler – Staff Writer / Photgrapher

Knocked Loose- Laugh Tracks: (Released September 2016)
In my opinion this album is what hardcore has been lacking. If you only listen to one album on my list let this be the one! It truly is too good to pass up. Not to mention that they are ridiculous live. They will be touring with Every Time I Die in 2017 , including a date in Pittsburgh. If have the opportunity please try to catch them live, because it is exactly how this music should be experienced.

Eternal Sleep- The Emptiness Of (Released May 2016)
Once again Pittsburgh does not disappoint when it comes to metal and all the bands that call the 412 home. The rhythms on this album are like a jackhammer pounding in your ears, and the groove is unmistakable, They have an amazing ability to blend so many different aspects of metal and hardcore into their sound. They remind me of Entombed a bit, and they do not disappoint when it comes to their live show. If your able to, please come check them out at the Code Orange release show on Friday the 13^th in January at the Rex in Pittsburgh. I’ll be there covering the show for Empire Extreme and I VERY stoked.

King 810- La Petite Mort (Or A Conversation With God) (Released September 2016)
King 810 hail from Flint Michigan are always going too be a band that I support and will never miss a chance too see perform live. Metal is not supposed too be pretty, metal is supposed too be ugly, in your face, and not for everyone. King 810 is metal and King 810 is not for everyone! They are not afraid too say what is wrong in our messed up world and they bring real life shit to the masses from their hometown of Flint dubbed “Murder Town”.

La Coka Nostra – To Thine Own Self Be True (Released November 2016)
This is outside the norm of listening for me, but I absolutly LOVE hip-hop just as much as I do metal and hardcore. This is an amazing hip hop super-group made up of Danny Boy from House Of Pain, DJ Lethal of House of Pain and Limp Bizkit on the one’s and two’s, along with Ill Bill, and Slaine. They bring nothing but fire on all of their releases, but this one in particular is their best to date in my opinion. I love everything about this album as they are on top of their game. They always have an amazing amount of support from hip-hop legends that spit some bars on their albums and this one is no different.

Those Who Fear – State Of Mind (Released December 2016)
I will always support where I am from and especially the music scene first and foremost. This is another representative of the 412. Those Who Fear are another band that I love covering and seeing live, and I support them a 100%. I have nothing but respect for a band that is not afraid to let others know that they are a Christian band. They write a great deal about how their religion has helped them overcome serious issues and how they have found therapy in heavy music. No matter what your thoughts are on religion, Christianity, or anything else, these dudes bring the HEAVY when it comes to their music and they are on point live.
Editor’s Note: This album features guest vocals by Tommy Green of Sleeping Giant and Garrett Russell of Silent Planet)

Tony Bernardi – Staff Writer

This year has produced some really good music. I say this because it feels as though the rock musicians have really out done themselves in 2016 proving that the older you get the better you become at your craft. Thats not to dispel the new and upcoming bands that are fresh on the scene, it just a statement that about the top of the crop for this current year.

It’s really hard to pick just five albums that stood out to me this year as there were so many great ones. So here it is…

Coming in at #5 (to those of you that think this # is a hashtag it’s actually a number symbol)

#5 Korn – The Serenity of Suffering
This is their 12th album. The return of Brian “Head” Welch to the band and the writing process makes this album fall more in kine with that hardcore traditional Korn sound the fans want. I personally feel this is one of the heaviest albums they have made in years, and I cannot wait to see this album played live!

#4 Volbeat -Seal the Deal and Lets Boogie
The masters of Copenhagen have not lost their touch with their 6th studio album “Seal the Deal and Lets Boogie”. From the first time I listened to it I was quite impressed. Now touring with bands like Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold. They are having all the beer and whiskey they can handle while playing for sold out arenas. So if you haven’t given it a listen I highly recommend it!

#3 Source – Return To Nothing
Now I had mentioned up coming new bands. This fine trio of musicians have certainly captured my ear this past year. To be honest this CD hasn’t left my player since August. This album has amazing bass riffs, killer drums solos, excellent guitar picking, and vocals that will forever echo in the mind. So do you have what it takes to “Return to Nothing”?

#2 Five Finger Death Punch – Got Your Six
With six albums and touring nonstop these guys know how to throw down. I have thoroughly enjoyed this album, With tracks such as “Jekyll and Hyde” and “I Apologize”, it seems like every track is destine to be a hit single! I have witness these guys live four times in the last two years and they get better every time I see them. When we are in the thick of the pit remember “I Got Your Six”!

#1 Metallica – Hardwired… To Self-Destruct
Listening to this album brought me back to the summer of 1991. Yes, I am referring to the infamous Black album. I don’t remember when I head banged so damn hard. When I hit play I was immersed in pure bliss. I felt like I was 13 years old again listening to Metallica in my buddies basement, smoking cigarettes away from prying eyes.

As I listened I found that I was tapping my feet with the beat and wanting more. For a group of guys that have gone grey, cut their long hair off, and have been selling out arenas around the world since 1981 they have not lost their touch or their understanding of pure metal..

With a massive tour in the works I’m sure Metallica will never cease to not impress the masses around the globe.

So that’s my top 5 albums of 2016 what is your top 5?

Catch you on the flip side…

Alexa Linger – Staff writer

2016 was a great year for music. So much so that I had a difficult time choosing just five albums. However, in the end, I had to remain true to myself. So, here they are – my (somewhat strange) choices for best albums (in no particular order):

Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser by Rob Zombie

Tidal Wave by Taking Back Sunday

Concrete Confessional by Hatebreed

Dark Side of Black by Texas Hippie Coalition

Human Performance by Parquet Court

Josh Drespling – Writer, Photographer, Mastermind

In an era of a single-based music industry it’s a bit more cumbersome to pinpoint stellar albums in the mammoth sea of music that is available thanks to the internet. There were several releases that had the hype machine behind them that in my opinion did not live up to the expectations, such as the new Dillinger Escape Plan, Dope, and Metallica albums.

Below is a collection of what the I feel is the best that came across my desk and made it to my ears in the last twelve months.

Testament – Brotherhood of the Snake
I, being a true classic, metal-head highly anticipated this release. Testament is at the top of their form on this album and are able to highlight the amazing abilities of each and every member of the band with this collection. This is perhaps their best effort in decades. They have stayed true to their thrash metal roots thus making these song immediately reconcilable as Testament.

Anthrax – For all Kings
I could just duplicate the above review about Testament and replace the name with Anthrax. These guys have hit their stride again and are producing music that would make any metal-head proud. I hope this is just the beginning of their new found momentum and they keep producing records like “For All Kings” for the next 30 years.

Death Angel – The Evil Divide
Again, I feel like I’m repeating myself, but this is another classic thrash act that has returned to the much deserved limelight. The release of The Evil Divide is how this genre should be done. Death Angel has compiled what should be the handbook for any up-and-coming band. The guitar work is phenomenal and the vocals OMG. You just have to listen to appreciate the prowesses that is produced by Rob Cavestany’s throat.

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – Broken Lines
This is something quite different. I honestly did not have any clue as what to expect going into this album, but was pleasantly surprised. The band consists of Alice In Chains vocalist William DuVall, guitarist Brent Hinds of Mastodon, lead guitarist Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Thomas Pridgen of The Mars Volta, and Pete Griffin of Dethklok and Zappa Plays Zappa.

It’s kind of a disjointed progressive rock with hints of each of the members respective bands spattered throughout the album. It is chocked full of unexpected turns that keep every listen interesting and enjoyable. The songs are not overtly heavy, but neither do they lull you to sleep. This has been on regular rotation at my desk since it’s release in September.

Fates Warning – Theories Of Flight
Yet another classic band has made my 2016 list. This is straight ahead rock/metal album with mountains of guitar chops. This release is reminiscent of bands such as Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, and dare I say Savatage. It’s full of well crafted and driving songs coupled with soaring rock vocals.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Purson – Desire’s Magic Theater
I give this a big thumbs up for originality. The band has a 60-70s psychedelic feel with fuzzy guitars, organs, and female vocals. At times I feel they are conjuring the spirit of long lost Cream, Deep Purple, or Jethro Tull jam sessions.
Wovenwar – Honor is Dead
This album is a beautiful combination of classic thrash with metal-core. The cleaner vocal style along with the guitar crunch makes for a head banging and fist pumping listen.

Surgical Meth Machine – Surgical Meth Machine|
Another astonishing project from Al Jourgensen of Ministry fame. This would have nade my top five except there are couple filler songs, but sill an amazing release full of industrial and slow burn mayhem from dear old Uncle Al.

Prong – X-No Absolutes
Prong has returned with vengeance and thunder. Twelve tracks that prove why every band from Korn to Slipknot list Prong as a major influence.

George Archibald – Writer, Photographer

#1 Black Crown Initiate – Selves We Cannot Forgive
Such a great listen from start to finish, and just over all technicality and groove won me over as the #1 album of the year.

#2 Fallujah – Dreamless

Another technically solid album throughout. This album is a producer’s wet dream, with soaring guitars, atmospheric programming, heavy drums, and a vocalist that hit all the ranges; this album continues to shine and keep my interest.

#3 Car Bomb – Meta

Car Bomb just dropped a very much anticipated album and made it a monster. The aggression level was turned up to 11 with their own blend of math styled mayhem.

#4 Katatonia – The Fall of Hearts

The kings of doom, turned another page in a solid catalog of releases by dropping by far one of their best works in years.

#5 Every Time I Die – Low Teens

Another highly anticipated release this year, these southern groove masters did not disappoint bringing many memorable riffs and hooks to the party.

Honorable Mentions
Aborted – Retrogore
Opeth – Sorceress
Carnifex – Slow Death

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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CD Reviews

Ministry – HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES

Published

2 months ago

March 1, 2024

Josh Drespling

As we near the collapse of mankind and the imminent doom of our political system, a perfect stage has been set for the outspoken rebels to flood the airwaves with dissident upheaval bathed in musical bliss. With the end looming, no greater landscape could welcome the reemergence of the enigmatic Al Jourgensen and company with their latest release, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES, via Nuclear Blast Records. Scheduled for a March 1st 2024 release, Uncle Al, along with guitarist Cesar Soto, Paul D’Amour, formerly of TOOL, on bass, John Bechdel on keys, Roy Mayorga (ex-STONE SOUR) on drums, and newly added guitarist Monte Pittman, form the current incarnation of the long-lived Ministry.

This album is an open-book commentary on our American society at large, bathed in slow-burn angst and distortion injected with punk rock/thrash riffs and samples galore.

Within the opening seconds of track one, a female voice proclaims, “What was once forbidden becomes fringe, and what was once fringe becomes mainstream.” Soon Al’s vocals take over with a distorted and effect heavy declaration of “horny little boys filled with hormones and hate, waging war on women ‘’cause they can’t get a date,” thus laying the groundwork for the entire album. As “B.D.E.” (Big Dick Energy) continues, a heavy yet simplistic guitar riff drives the song forward while increasing the energy level and tempo. Al’s vocals continue with his immediate, recognizable attitude and tone, stating, “No one can justify the toxic behavior.”

“Goddamn White Trash” is perhaps the most accessible and rythematic song on the release. It has hints of the Psalm 69 days of the band. Chants of “USA, USA” ring out along side screeching guitar noise reminiscent of Mike Scaccia’s playing style.

Track three is titled “Just Stop Oil,” and it dives into yet another realm of political advocacy. Jourgensen delivers, “Dehumanization at a cellular level. Policy set by the corporate devils, There must be resistance, we cannot be silenced, There is the existence of possible violence” in a growled whisper.

On the track “Aryan Embarrassment,” we are treated to a none-more-fitting guest appearance from what I believe is activist and Dead Kennedys front man Jello Biafra, who delivers a rap-style series of vocal lines backed by a driving rhythm. Jello wails, “How on Earth did all this happen? Plagues of militantly stupid” Followed by “Scamming on the punk scene. Oi, oi, oi. Ain’t proud of you boys at all.”

Another standout track is “New Religion” which starts with a classic industrial riff and buries itself in the repetitive, slow-burn heaviness that has become the Ministry standard as of late. Followed by “It’s Not Pretty,” which opens as a haunting acoustic piece that I imagine being set in a post apocalyptic landscape with the reverberating lyrics “It’s not pretty. This is the end of the world to me. This is the end of society.”

“Cult of Suffering” strays from the format of the balance of the album and could be firmly placed on an Alabama 3 album, and it may feel at home on a Surgical Meth Machine release.

Rounding out the album is a little ditty called “Ricky’s Hand.” This is a synth pop throwback to the early days of Ministry and leaves us longtime fans eager to hear the longtime teased rerecording of some of the very early Ministry material. This track has a Devo, Information Society, and even Depeche Mode feel to it and is a perfect bookend to a solid release from an iconic band.

Ministry will be on tour throughout the summer with Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper and Helmet.

About Author

Josh Drespling

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CD Reviews

Candlebox – Long Goodbye Album Review

Published

8 months ago

August 25, 2023

Josh Drespling

Candlebox is back to say good-bye with their swan song album entitled The Long Goodbye. This release is touted as the last album from the band before they call it quits. With that said, you would have expected a phoned-in, half-assed attempt by a tired band trying to fulfill contractual obligations. However, this is the farthest thing from what is contained on this album. It is chocked full of well-produced, mature, well-crafted songs that have grimy parts coupled with melody, punk-rock, and faint hints of their grunge roots.

If I were to wrap this album up into one neat package of words, I would say that it has the musical prowess of the incredibly remarkable King’s X, married to the influential sound of Jack Black and the White Stripes, with Muse taking the lead on production and arrangements.

The 10-track, Don Miggs produced album kicks off with “Punks”, a high-energy rock track that opens with the hard strum of an acoustic guitar and then blasts off into a bass-heavy Green Day-style rhythm. This track showcases lead vocalist Kevin Martin’s abilities, especially the scream that is buried in the mix around the two-minute mark. Not to be outdone, there is some noisy grunge guitar squeal at 2:30 as the chorus kicks back in that made me rewind the track three or four times just to hear it again.

“What Do You Need” is the second track on the album; it is built on swagger and groove with a mid-song break of guitar noise and dissonance that would have made Kurt Cobain proud.

Next up is a track called “Elegante”, which has a lush and, dare I say, morose feel. It is followed by “I Should Be Happy”, a catchy track where the guitar should have been thrust forward in the mix. The fifth offering is a track called “Nails on a Chalkboard”, and it stands apart from some of the other songs as it takes you in a bit of a different, more mellow direction as it drops the tempo with a clean piano running throughout.

“Ugly” is another standout selection on this release, where we find the lyrics proclaiming , “Ugly people saying ugly things to pretty people doing the same. It’s pretty easy to go insane when you see the ugly in everything. The track “Maze” follows as an emotional acoustic ditty.

“Cellphone Jesus” is track eight of this collection, and it is a quirky adventure of a song with lyrics such as “Pick up your cell phone, Jesus. You got a world full of need ya’s.”

Rounding out the album is “Hourglass”, a fitting departure for a band whose youthful aggression and urgency saw them tackle the music industry in the early 1990s while still teenagers. Their songs “You”, “Change”, and the huge hit “Far Behind” became staples on rock radio. Those songs and more will live on in infamy long after the band plays their final note. Kevin Martin, lead vocalist and songwriter, said, “Our legacy is being a band that followed our own path and did what we chose to do the way we wanted to. We did it on our own terms.”

In addition to the release of The Long Goodbye, Rhino will spotlight Candlebox’s early years with a 7-LP vinyl boxed set, The Maverick Years, due out September 22nd, featuring newly remastered versions of all three studio albums released on Maverick (Candlebox, Lucy, and Happy Pills) as double LPs, plus a single album with more than a dozen previously unreleased recordings only available in the collection.

About Author

Josh Drespling

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Concert Reviews

Mudvayne The Psychotherapy Sessions tour

Published

8 months ago

August 13, 2023

Josh Drespling

Mudvayne made their way through Pittsburgh with a stop at The Amphitheater at Star Lake as part of The Psychotherapy Sessions tour with four other bands who chose not to let media outlets cover them without individual clearance, which is an extreme rarity in the business when you are covering the tour.

The first opening band, which is fronted by two female vocalists, played their set to what could not have been more than a hundred people in a pavilion that has a capacity of near 22,000 people. Much of the same scenario played out for the second support act.

The venue was upgrading every person who had a lawn ticket to seats under the pavilion. They had people stationed around handing out the tickets, and the employees at the gates were telling everyone to go get their free upgrades at certain tables. The word was that they were handing out free tickets a few nights before at the Pantera and Lamb of God show.

The third opener finally had a sizable crowd, as they are typically a club and mid-size venue band, but their brand of blood and gore fell flat in the large space and the daylight. Though they sounded better than I have heard them sound, the energy was lost in the distance from the crowd.

Mudvayne Chad Gray By Josh Drespling For Empire Extreme

Up next was the “co-headliner”. They sounded decent with their revamped line-up, and the songs brought back some nostalgia for that late 90s nu-metal sound. The lead vocalist seemed like a “Fiend” with an “I O U Nothing” attitude. “Something Told Me” the entire band was “Loco”, and probably “Drove” a “Big Truck”. Nothing is going to “Sway” me, as I know these are “Dark Days” for the industry, and perhaps it’s just “Another Nail in The Coffin.”

Finally, the headliner, Mudvayne, took to the stage and sounded amazing. There has been some trepidation and clamoring that vocalist Chad Grey was not performing well live. I’m here to say that Chad and the rest of the band were on point, sounded tight, and were well rehearsed. I don’t know if they were out of sync at the onset of the tour, but tonight in Pittsburgh, they were on top of their game. They opened their set with the hit “Not Falling”. They followed up with “Under My Skin,” which is a off-the-beaten-path song from their L.D. 50 release from over 20 years ago. They also performed “Internal Primates Forever,” also from the L.D. 50 release, as part of the six tracks from that album.

The band changed direction with another hit track “World So Cold”. Following in order were “A New Game”, “Severed”, “Death Blooms”, and “Fish Out of Water”. Chad screamed, “All work and no play makes me a dull boy, as the band tore into the track “Dull Boy” from the 2008 album The New Game.

“Determined” and “Nothing to Gein” preceded an energetic encore of the definitive “Dig” and crowd favorite “Happy?”.

Overall, a great performance and a selection of songs that spanned their entire discography. Here’s to hoping there is a new release in their future, and you should get out to this show; it was super entertaining. Who knows? You may just get upgraded to the front row.