Kittie -- 'Until the End' [review]

Kittie
"Until the End"
Artemis Records


Somewhere along the way they got lost...

In the fall of '99, a rumbling came from the great white north -- an all-female (teen) metal band from Ontario under the moniker of Kittie. The band was getting constant mention with the likes of Slipknot on commercial radio and, by the time their debut album "Spit" hit shelves in January of 2000, there was a steady enough buzz surrounding the band to warrant stardom.

But the teen trio seemed unable to live up to the task.

After steady touring in support of "Spit" the band lost guitarist and secondary vocalist Fallon Bowman (leaving frontwoman Morgan Lander to handle all guitar and vocal work). The band soldiered on a three-piece for its second offering, "Oracle." But for everything "Spit" was -- metal meets heavy punk with a one-two punch of screeching vocals and melodic singing -- "Oracle" was not.

Gone was the musical hybrid the band had embraced and crafted nicely with its debut ... replaced almost entirely with death metal and chunky riffs.

Gone was the vocal range of the band's lyrical delivery ... not only was Bowman no longer on hand to deliver vocal "comebacks," but Lander had all but abandoned her melodic singing, preferring instead to gutturally growl throughout the disc except for spots here and there. (To be fair, this was not a new development as the band performed using the death-metal vocals prior to the release of "Oracle" and could almost be seen as a natural progression.)

In the end, this second offering did nothing to expand the band's fan base. In fact, if anything, it pushed the members further into a corner. Bassist Talena Atfield quietly bowed out of the group and the Lander sisters (the band featured Morgan's sister Mercedes on drums) were left alone in their musical playpen. The duo recruited bassist Jennifer Arroyo (formerly of LA underground metal-rap outfit Spine) and soldiered on.

A lengthy lawsuit with label Artemis Records took up most of the band's time in the later half of 2003. The suit was eventually settled and the band spent a month holed-up at Longview Farm Studios in Massachusetts hammering out the tracks that were to finally become "Until the End." The band also welcomed guitarist Lisa Marie into its fold and is once again a quartet.

So after a nearly three year wait, is "Until the End" everything fans could hope for and more? In short, no.

After all the history, Kittie really does seem to just be a toy for the Lander sisters to play with. (All songs were written by Morgan Lander, melody, lyrics and guitar riffs, while Mercedes had a hand in "additional arrangement" on six songs and Arroyo on two. Marie was added towards the end of recording and it isn't clear how much part, if any, she had one this album.)

"Spit" seemed raw and the band seemed to show some sort of promise. But instead of developing into a formidable band with direction, the trio floundered around in the death metal pool for its follow-up and, on its third full-length (there was an EP to follow each album), the band continues to feel directionless and unformed pulling in elements from each of the previous albums.

The addition of "scene" veteran Arroyo helps in some respect. She is able to form the songs and add a nice back-beat to keep things somewhat on track. The band's "sound" does seem more fleshed out, production-wise, from the opening of the first song "Look So Pretty." But Morgan's vocals just seem to lack that certain something evident in fellow female growlers like Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy. Maybe it's the switching between the death metal growl and the melodic singing (which she does pull off with haunting success). Or maybe she just lacks something in the death metal delivery.

Speaking of the vocal switching, it's back in full-effect on "Until the End," and is actually quite welcome as "Oracle" just felt overbearing with the lack of melody. On the album's title track, Morgan remains rooted almost entirely in the melodic vocal delivery, and it pays off as this is probably the disc's best song.

On the guitar front, all the riffing sounds more full than anything the band offered up prior (again, probably due in part to the production). The riffing on tracks like "Red Flag" and "Career Suicide" sounds great.

As for the real star of the band, Mercedes has continued to develop as a drummer and it really shows. The back-beats throughout the album are meaty and energized. In interviews, staff working on the production side of things at Longview pointed out Mercedes could pound out track after track in perfect time without any aid. The drumming on each and every song is something to behold and definitely the star of "Until the End."

Northstar -- 'Pollyanna' [review]

Northstar
"Pollyanna"
Triple Crown Records

"And operator, I can't hold much longer ..."
-- From "To My Better Angel"


For Northstar, it\'s been a long journey from the local music scene in and around Alabama from its 1997 inception to its place on the national music scene and current release, "Pollyanna."

The band gained attention when Taking Back Sunday declared the group the "greatest band in the world" in the liner notes of the band's debut "Tell All Your Friends" in 2002. The praise was used in the marketing of Northstar's debut "Is This Thing Loaded" later that same year.

Whether or not you agree with the praise, Northstar are out to prove it just may be true with its latest release.

Kicking off with "For Members Only," a fast-tempo rocker similar to the opener of "Is This Thing...," Northstar immediately grab hold of the listener with its trademark sound. The production is noticeably better this time around. While the band, in general, focus on a generic sound (strong rock music, catchy lyrics and choruses for the most part), it does it extremely well. Lead singer Nick Torres has a particularly distinctive voice and delivery, almost dreamy and slightly slurred with an element of snotty punk vocals but also probably due to his southern dialect.

Whereas "Is This Thing..." started off strong and sort of petered out mid-way through the album (where it almost all started to sound the same or, at least, less inspired), "Pollyanna" starts off with a bang and just gets better and better.

The title track follows up the opener with a strong guitar opening from Tyler Odom. Odom lays a nice hypnotic riff under the verses of the song before the song explodes into the chorus. Musically, during the chorus, the band's tight trades are fully evident, showing it pays to tour relentlessly to polish your craft.

"American Living" is also great musically, while "Pornographers Daughter" shows off the band's haunting backing vocals, specifically the hollow "This is not for me..." The later also features some really interesting guitar play especially after the first chorus.

But while the album rocks out track after track, the band also throws in a couple of slower songs. "Accident Underwater" starts off slow and hypnotizingly melodic with some nice drumming from Gabe Renfroe before flourishing into a full-bore rock track at its conclusion. On the flip side, "Two Zero Zero" starts off slow and stays that way, a haunting acoustic number showing the band can strip down at times without loosing the spark most of the other songs have.

Following the slower two-song intermission, the band offers up a hard-hitting one-two punch, and the strongest tracks on the album, "To My Better Angel" and "Between Horns and Halos."

"To My Better Angel" is completely jarring following the lullaby-like "Two Zero Zero." Renfroe sounds frenzied behind the drums while bassist Jake Fisher lays a nice, subtle underbeat. The lyrics are some of the album's more interesting, talking about trying to get out of a small town, and follow through throughout the song: Torres starts off with a refrain of "So if anybody talks of me, tell them I am never coming home again. Tell them I am gone..." while begging the operator to hurry since he can't wait much longer, but by the end of the track the music becomes more frenzied and the lead singer snarls, "So if anybody talks of me, tell them I'll be gone forever without these scars that are completely invisible."

The smart lyrics continue on "Between Horns and Halos," the perfect song to really see how smart the band's writing can be. The opening lines "Looking out of a second floor window, planning out my exit wound" directly juxtapose the same theme later in the verse, "Trying on a makeshift halo, kissing on my exit wound." The idea of alienation with a lover isn't just presented, but almost drawn like an artist:

"She felt so cold, so cold,
She froze under the sheets while I slept all day...
She will sleep here
In between the cracks
Just a flower with a broken back
'Waiting for dirty water'
Did you sleep alright?
She's giving beat stares from being beat all day
Indian eyes in the American way
'Hail Mary's' and ale ... A Hailed Mary that ails..."


(The juxtapose of Hail Mary's and eventual hailed Mary is especially thought-provoking.)

Not content to let the album slide to a halt, the band offers up two more rocking tracks, "Digital Me," the disc most hard-hitting track, and "Rocket City."

Closing out with "Rocket City," the band continues the album's overall theme of alienation, and feeling trapped living in small-town America: opening with the track "For Members Only"; lines in "American Living" like "things don't get much better than this ... life doesn't get much bigger than this," and "Just teach me something so I can go"; the theme throughout "To My Better Angel"; and closing with the echoing lines of "Rocket City," "If I stay here I'll be dying forever.\"

Ultimately, "Pollyanna" offers up what, at first, is just a solid rock album with great vocals and lyrics. With each listen the songs become more poignant and thoughtful, and eventually the album's full theme comes into focus. There isn't a weak song on here and the album is well-worth checking out.

Walls of Jericho -- 'All Hail the Dead' [review]

Walls of Jericho
"All Hail The Dead"
Trustkill Records


Of the slew of female-fronted metal bands -- bands like Kittie, Otep and Arch Enemy to name a few -- Walls of Jericho, really stand out from the pack. Unlike other frontwomen who can either switch the metal on or off -- fluctuating between the hardcore and death metal growl or the more feminine singing -- Walls lead singer Candace Kucsulain can tear through track after track in full hardcore mode while still maintaining the slight femininity in her voice which is a great touch.

The band -- Kucsulain, bassist Aaron Ruby, drummer Alexei Rodriguez (formerly of Catharsis) and guitarists Chris Rawson and Mike Hasty -- has been a staple on the hardcore scene for a couple of years now. The band toured relentlessly following the release of its Trustkill debut, "The Bound Feed the Gagged," and really established itself on the scene. "All Hail the Dead" is set to further the band's legacy and does a great job at doing just that.

From the opening title-track, it's clear WoJ is tighter and stronger than ever. Ruby's machine-gun like bass work teamed with Rodriguez' double-bass drumming is relentless, allowing the listener little time to come up for air as Kucsulain tears through her vocals. The same goes for the follow-up, "There's No I in Fuck You," which unfolds as a perfect hardcore anthem with thudding beats and scratchy vocals.

"A Little Piece of Me" has a little thrash metal element mixed into the overall sound, and Rodriguez' drumming really shines as he never misses a beat tearing through fill after fill. The band shows hints of old-school Slayer at times and Kucsulain's vocals really blossom into an anger-filled amalgam.

There's a changeup vocally on tracks four and five, "Another Anthem For The Hopeless" and "Revival Never Goes Out Of Style," with Kucsulain adding in some more melodic backing vocals. That adds a nice element to the band's sound that might prove interesting if incorporated more into the band's sound. "Revival" also has a great sing-a-long chorus that features the whole band joining in on backing vocals towards the end of the track.

"All Hail..." unfolds, the tracks start to feel a little repetitive. The band seems unwilling to change it up too much, but the quality of the musicianship and vocals keep everything from becoming boring.

Rodriguez' drumming is, hands down, the star of this release. Everything else seems built up around his skills. Kucsulain's voice is great for hardcore singing -- the backing melody is haunting and the subtle female nuance is definitely a plus. The band's vocalist is also aware of the group's place in the hardcore scene and how important the scene is to fans -- as she points out at the Trustkill Web-site: "What is important to me about our band's music is what is a common thread throughout the hardcore scene. Hardcore's aggression has been appealing to me ... because when I was younger I was an angry kid, and I was having to deal with the emotions that life forces on you. This band becomes a way for me to vent, even now."

At times, "All Hail..." feels a little repetitive, but overall it's a solid release chock full of tight, intense music.

Melissa Auf Der Maur -- 'Auf Der Maur' [review]

Melissa Auf Der Maur
"Auf Der Maur"
Capitol Records


It's hard for a musician to shed the restraints of their band and blossom into a full-fledged solo artist after handling mainly instrumental duties in a band.

Dave Grohl went on to front Foo Fighters after drumming for Nirvana.

Phil Collins started off as the drummer for Genesis before fronting said band and eventually going solo.

Jerry Cantrell was the guitarist for Alice in Chains before trying his hand at a solo career,

And now, after a nearly two year wait, Melissa Auf Der Maur's debut album is finally seeing the light of day.

Moving to the United States in 1994, Auf Der Maur played bass in Hole for 5 years and followed that up with a final album and farewell tour with Smashing Pumpkins. There were hints -- most notably her backing vocals during the time in Hole -- that there was more to Auf Der Maur than just a bass player and a pretty face. So in 2001, the musician began the process of putting together her first solo-album.

According to Auf Der Maur (via her Web site), "The songwriting took place over the last decade. For creative reasons, it was important for me to do this on my own, before even entertaining the thought of a record company. So I got a plan together and spent every penny I've made. I just needed to make my album with no thought of how it would get out there."

Auf Der Maur collaborated with many other musicians throughout the recording, most notably Eric Erlandson (formerly of Hole), James Iha (formerly of Smashing Pumpkins), Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and Brandt Bjork (formerly of QotSA and Kyuss).

As for the recording of each track, Auf Der Maur laid a foundation down with a drummer (recording bass, guitar and vocals herself) and then invited other musicians to build upon each song in specific areas.

So, is Auf Der Maur's "Auf Der Maur" a success? Well, kind of.

The album is an eclectic collection of songs, sounding familiar to everything from Sonic Youth to Veruca Salt to the musician's former bands. Vocally, Auf Der Maur seems very gifted, which has been apparent since her backup vocals during Hole's "MTV Unplugged" performance and cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Black Gold Woman" (off the "Crow: City of Angels" soundtrack) outshined the band's frontwoman.

Most of the tracks on "Auf Der Maur" suck you in in a hypnotizing fashion. The album's lead-off single, "Followed the Waves," chugs along repetitively, lulling the listener with it's stoner-rock murkiness. Homme and Bjork work great together, but it's Auf Der Maur's almost-melancholic voice and amazing vocal range that is the true star here.

The track's follow-up, "Real a Lie," keeps the sludgy (yet upbeat) undertone, but is a better song if only for the simple yet catchy chorus reminiscent of a band like Lush or Magnapop.

The rest of the disc is a mix of flavors: the sexually-charged "Taste You" was obviously born out of the Auf Der Maur's time in Hole; "Beast of Honor" has an opening closely resembling a water-logged Nirvana; "My Foggy Notion" is a great QotSA-inspired rocker; "I Need I Want I Will" and "My Foggy Notion" have an subtle, interesting middle-eastern flavor flowing through them.

The problem here is that, as good as songs like "Followed the Waves" and "Real a Lie" are, there's just too much slow filler here that, at times, just sounds boring. Despite Auf Der Maur's strong vocals the songs are lyrically weak, bordering on triteness most of the time. And the eclectic element surrounding the album as a whole actually weakens the overall product -- Auf Der Maur swings from stoner-rock to alternative pop to hollow, pseudo-jazz cum rocker tracks (like "I'll Be Anything You Want") so if you like a couple of songs, there's the possiblity you might not like others.

Despite the album's short-comings, Auf Der Maur's vocals and musical sensibility is compelling enough to warrant a listen. The album does a great job of showcasing Auf Der Maur's fantastic voice but is hit or miss on the song-crafting end of things. This album was a sort of labor of love for Auf Der Maur, so hopefully it will do a good job of getting her foot back in the door of the music scene.

Seemless -- Self-Titled [review]

Seemless
Self-titled
(Losing Face Records)


Seemless is a band many of you have probably never heard of.

Collectively the band is a faceless entity, but taken in it's parts, much of the band has been part of the elite hardcore/metal scene over the past few years: Vocalist Jesse David Leach, former frontman of Killswitch Engage; Drummer Derek Kerswill, formerly keeping beats with Shadows Fall; Former Medium bassist Kevin Schuler; Guitarist Pete Cortese, founding member of Overcast.

With a line-up solidly anchored in the metal community it would have been easy for Seemless to offer up a brutal release in the vein of any of the member's former bands. But instead, "Seemless" plays out more like an alternative-rock masterpiece right out of the height of the grunge era.

Throughout the band's self-titled debut, hints of early Corrosion of Conformity swim around vocals similar to something from Stone Temple Pilots or Soundgarden -- sounding like the bastard son of grunge and metal.

After a moody two-plus minute instrumental opener, the album tears open with "Something's Got to Give," with thick guitar and bass riffs tumbling over each other to a solid drum and cymbal-filled back beats. As Leach starts singing, it could really catch first-time listeners off-guard -- a mix of Ed Roland (Collective Soul), Weiland ("Core"-era STP) and Cornell (Soundgarden) -- moody, melodic and emotional all at once.

"Something's Got to Give" sets the tempo for the album as the band tears through track after track, each one in a similar vein: an alternating slow-paced or up-tempo, grunge-tinged rock song. The bluesy instrumentation juxtaposed against Leach's restrained vocals creates an interesting dynamic that can easily appeal to a plethora of listeners.

Occasionally the members' history catches up with them, especially Leach as he lets loose with a nice scream here and there. Production-wise, "Seemless" has a nice raw feel to it at times and the band has embraced an old school mentality letting loose with guitar solos from time to time.

The album is solid as a whole, with some great "moments" along the way: "The Wanderer" sounds like a cut off of Corrosion of Conformity's 1994 release "Deliverance"; "Soft Spoken Sanity" has a killer guitar solo to close it out; "Endless" is a great, slow-paced moody ballad in the vein of Alice in Chains with a nice, loud middle portion; Many of the songs have great drum-laden openings.

Seemless has offered up something completely out of left field in this day and age. If this had come out in the mid '90s, it could have been easily overlooked. Yet, with little competition in this specific genre, the band feels like a breath of fresh air. Outside its native New England, I'm not sure how much buzz Seemless has generated so far, but with a national tour looming on the horizon and the band still with a wide-open future ahead of it, the band is sure to come into its own.

Bleeding Through -- 'This is Love, This is Murderous' [review]

Bleeding Through
"This is Love, This is Murderous"
Trustkill Records


"For a few seconds, this place was Armageddon. And there was a firefight!"

From the opening riffs of "Love Lost in a Hail of Gunfire," the first track off Bleeding Through's latest offering "This is Love, This is Murderous," the band pummels the listener with blazing guitar riffs, thunderous drumming, hard-hitting bass work and seething, anger-infused vocals.

And this track (with an opening clip from the movie "The Boondock Saints"), is how Bleeding Through chooses to unleash its intricate, electronically-fused metal and hardcore styling to the masses ...

Since its inception, the band has pulled itself out of the hardcore underground to solidify a name for itself, earning a mass of fans along the way including the metal-band Lamb of God and Davey Havok, lead singer for AFI.

Fronted by former Throwdown and Eighteen Visions guitarist Brandan Schieppati, Bleeding Through have crafted a multi-layer cornucopia of sounds: traded riffing of guitarists Scott Danough and Brian Leppke, the brutal trade-offs between bassist Ryan Wombacher and drummer Derek Youngsma and subtle atmospheric keyboarding from Marta. Each of the tracks off the band's latest offering have a underlying sense of urgency and immediacy to them, with an interesting sense of old- and new-school metal meshing together.

Going back to the opening track of "This is Love..." -- "Love Lost" explodes with a "pop, pop, pop" drum attack courtesy of Youngsma, before Danough and Leppke tear through their opening riffs, Marta adding effects in the background while Youngsma goes wild behind his set. Schieppati piles on his hardcore-style vocals over verse after verse before the song breaks down with a more mid-tempo speed and strong double-bass work. By the time the second bridge comes along, the lead vocals screaming "I want to see your face. Show me your true face!" are downright chilling. Then everything takes a 180 and Schieppati starts singing "And my heart belongs to you, so save me" with classic-style guitar riffing in the background. This is definitely the band's best and most striking song to date.

"On Wings of Lead" sounds oddly reminiscent of In Flames. The song feels like a perfect metal track: solid riffs, really tight bass and drum back-and-forths and vocals that are turgid with anger, yet not too abrasive. The subtle keyboards add just the right texture to the song's undercurrent of melancholy.

The disc's title-track is a perfect example of the depth apparent in Bleeding Through's music. Opening with abusive riffing, the music steadily builds up speed through its steam-roller-like force, eventually flourishing into a full metal juggernaut with massive guitar parts and superb double-bass drumming. But just below the surface there's a sense of melody, personified by the barely-there keyboards. Schieppati's vocals hold the entire piece together as he growls, screams and sings over the orchestration.

The effect of Marta's keyboards are more noticeable in songs like "City of the Condemned" (with a keyboard opening and bridge) and "Mutilation" (with more prominent keyboards throughout the track).

The only song that really seems out of place on "This is Love..." is the minute-and-a-half heavy-hitting "Sweet Vampirous." Being so short, the song really doesn't have any chance to evolve and, in turn, seems underdeveloped and repetitive.

"This is Love, This is Murderous" is a great addition to any hardcore or metal fan's collection. There are slight problems overall with the release, but it's a strong outing nonetheless.

"I'll fight you with every ounce of strength I have left. I'll seal it with a bullet and a kiss. So look at your horror."

-- From "Love Lost in a Hail of Gunfire."

Drowning Pool -- 'Desensitized' [review]

Drowning Pool
"Desensitized"
Wind Up Records


Riding high off the success of its first single, "Bodies," Drowning Pool exploded onto the metal scene in 2001 with the release of its debut album, "Sinner."

Over the next year the band would gain more and more fans and grow in popularity through constant touring. Then, the unthinkable happened as the group's frontman, Dave Williams, was found dead in a tour-bus during the 2002 Ozzfest. The remaining members -- guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton and drummer Mike Luce -- eventually decided to soldier on recruiting Jason "Gong" Jones to fill the vacant vocalist slot.

Now, with the release of "Desensitized," the band's second release on Wind Up Records, the band seems primed to recapture its momentum.

From the opening, "Desensitized" has the same feel to it as the group's debut. The disc kicks off with "Think," a thick, metal-tinged anthem akin to the last album's opener, "Sinner," and from there swings full-force into "Step Up," a sing-along anthem similar to the band's biggest hit, "Bodies."

Musically, Drowning Pool feels tighter and heavier in a sense, having polished the sonic assault the group crafted over the past few years. Jones' vocals are, at times, eerily similar to Williams (especially during the break-down screaming on "Killing Me"), yet completely different. Williams had a husky quality to his voice but could easily wail away with the best of the metal community; Jones' vocals seem more anchored and deep. The vocal nuances are subtle at times, and by the time "This Life" (track 4) is over, the listener could very easily forget they're listening to the band with a new singer. It's hard to miss that this disc is still a Drowning Pool album. "This Life" is also an interesting track as it was the first riff Pierce had written following the loss of Williams.

From end-to-end, "Desensitized" is a full-bore metal release. Even when the band tries to "slow it down" on a track like "Love and War," the bridges and choruses are still hard-hitting. Pierce really shines on all the tracks with his interesting riffing. Benton's bass work feels real thick, and plays nicely off Luce's drumming. Actually, Luce's drumming sounds a lot fuller on this album thanks to Randy Staub's mix.

Overall, Drowning Pool really pulled off an accomplishment. After the death of the band's frontman, the band's future was most definitely in doubt. At the band's Web site, Pierce points out, "This new Drowning Pool record is the most amazing work we have ever done as a rock band. Not only is this about a band continuing on and overcoming a most unfortunate situation, but it is also about personal triumph. I know our family, fans, and friends will be pleasantly surprised, amazed, stunned, and struck by the fact that this recording is heavier and deeper than our previous effort." With the addition of Jones, the band took what it started, built upon said foundation, and really crafted a solid follow-up given the circumstances.