Plaguelist #11: Rock N Roll Killing Machine

1. Skycamefalling – Laura Palmer – 10.21 (2000)

Skycamefalling are probably among the second-tier of metalcore bands as far as their recognition goes, mostly due to their short existence.  With only one full-length and a couple EPs to their name, they sort of disappeared into obscurity after the mass commercialization of the genre around 2005.  But 10.21 is as influential, if not more than, something like Poison The Well’s The Opposite Of December, which is the album I would most closely associate with it.  Like early Poison The Well, Skycamefalling was playing a style that was becoming more influenced by indie rock, with ethereal clean sections breaking up the syncopated, palm muted riffs.  But they did it with a more creative, heady artistry that sounded less forced, less focused on displaying their “emotional” side.  I think 10.21 is, overall, a better record than most of the “classics,” as it strayed away from clichés of time.  “Laura Palmer” has some really interesting musical choices between the Deftones-like riff early on, the creative drum patterns in the sections during and after the clean break, and the harmonics toward the end.  Maybe it was too smart to get big.

2. Bird Of Ill-Omen – Pronoun – Self, Dare Your Still Breathe? (1997)
One of many bands in the Damien Moyal family tree, Bird Of Ill-Omen was formed by members of vegan straight edge behemoths Morning Again.  As far as I can tell, Moyal never contributed to any recordings, leaving to start As Friends Rust shortly after their inception.  And like Skycamefalling above, with only one short album and a 7” release, both on Eulogy Recordings, the band probably isn’t remembered as well as they should be.  They played a darker style of metalcore, more dissonant and heavy.  The best comparisons I can make are to “eviler sounding” bands like Bloodlet and Zao with that throat-searing, Carcass style of vocals.  The songs on Self, Dare You Still Breathe? are serpentine in structure, never following a simple formula, surprising the listener with every change.

3. In Dying Days – Never Tear Apart – Life As A Balancing Act (2001)

In Dying Days were a Canadian based band that was part of a largely unsung One Day Savior Recordings roster.  Leaning more towards the metal side with melodic lead guitar worked into their blend of chug heavy breakdowns and two-stepping grooves, the band was probably a bit ahead of their time.  The incorporation of Swedish metal riffing and guitar harmonies into hardcore was still in its infancy (Prayer For Cleansing’s ground-breaking masterpiece The Rain In Endless Fall was just two years old), something that would essentially be the blueprint for all the bands that got big a few years later.

4. Withstand – Wish You Were - …And Anger Was A Warm Place To Hide (1997)

One of my favorite of the Albany based bands that were part of my introduction into the underground, Withstand were one of a kind.  There actually was something going on in the mid-late 90’s Albany scene where bands weren’t really playing metal, they weren’t really playing hardcore and they weren’t really playing anything you had ever heard before.  It was some weird amalgamation of everything with little to no pretense, and everyone was onto their own thing.  Withstand were maybe a little more hardcore, but they played it slower and heavier, with really original sounding vocals.  Vocalist Roger Zalucky had an attack that was sort of yelled, sort of spoken and sort of sung, with just a hint of melody to it.  The band would jump from simple power chords to complex riffing and back, easily shifting between rhythms, something on display here on “Wish You Were.” 

5. Majority Rule – It’s Too Late – Emergency Numbers (2003)

Ok, Majority Rule aren’t a metalcore band, but Emergency Numbers did move them a bit in a more metal direction.  While they came from the screamo, or skramz (I’m not really sure which term is worse) side of things, they displayed some weirder, heavier tendencies on their final album.  And this is my playlist, so I wanted to include this awesome song.  “It’s Too Late” is terrifying - the blistering screams over the slowly pulsating guitar and super overdriven bass in the verse is straight out of a horror movie.  But then as it gets heavier in the chorus sections, the vocals take on a deeper, more gutteral sounding tone.  Then the song drops out of into a spacey section before steaming back at full strength.  It’s genius writing.

6. Jude The Obscure – Stab – The Coldest Winter (2003)

Another Canadian band, and another too shortly lived band as well.  Jude The Obscure had one full-length album on One Day Savior Recordings.  I happened upon their set at Hellfest 2003 in Syracuse as was blown away.  They were pretty typical of the metalcore sound at that time, but they had it dialed in, playing it with a real finesse.  Dissonant mayhem ensues from the opening moments of “Stab,” that sort of technical chaos that bands like Every Time I Die had perfected, complete with off tempo breakdown.  Then, like was the style, Jude The Obscure drop into a melodic, clean sung break, but it’s well done and not cliché at all.  The singing is strong and not over processed and is accompanied by screaming as well.  It actually sounds a bit like when their fellow Canucks, Alexisonfire, are at their strongest.  There is nothing mind blowing about The Coldest Winter, it was just an album done extremely well.

7. Threadbare – Penicillin – Feeling Older Faster (1996)

I missed Threadbare when they were around and only started listening to them somewhat recently.  It was hard to hear everything back in the days of dial-up AOL.  But since discovering their music, I have been all about it.  On Feeling Older Faster Threadbare took metallic hardcore and fused it with the more experimental qualities of the post-hardcore bands of the time.  The songs are loud and heavy, with clever guitar leads, but have really intricate mellow sections as well.  Cave In cite this record as an influence and you can definitely hear it on that bands really early material. 

8. With Resistance – Character Flaw – With Resistance (2003)

With Resistance were another band that didn’t do anything mind blowing and didn’t bring anything super inventive to their sound, but they played their style of metalcore perfectly.  Sometimes that’s all you need.  I saw this band play around 2003 and was impressed enough to buy their cd.  I never heard anything about them ever again.  But every now and then the disc would make it’s way into my rotation and I would be reminded of how good it was. 

9. Cipher – Protoculture (Sankofa) – Children Of Gods’ Fire (2005)

Cipher were among a group of bands that were incorporating hip hop elements into their brands of hardcore in odd and interesting ways.  Like Carly Coma of Candiria, Cipher’s Moe Mitchell used a percussive approach to his vocals, invoking rap styles while not exactly rapping.  It created this interesting flow of sounds that, over the metallic hardcore the band was playing created a unique style.  “Protoculture” actually dates back to a 1999 EP, but the 2005 version has a better production.  The guitars have an interesting interplay, combining the simpler heavy riffing with blistering leads over incredible drumming.  I always felt like Cipher should have been as big as Candiria, but unfortunately, they just never were.

10. Dead To The World – As We Know It – Beyond This Sterile Existence (2000)

Buffalo’s Dead To The World were pretty straight ahead and obvious; they were influenced heavily by Earth Crisis and you could tell.  I had their demo tape and this was my favorite song on it, so I was pretty happy when they re-recorded it for their first and only full length.  Like most of the bands on this list, Dead To The World didn’t release a ton of material, just this LP and split with Kid Gorgeous (which is damn near impossible to find now).  I really liked this simplistic style of metalcore, no leads, no clean breaks, no frills.  Just play the riffs and move on.