www.facebook.com/heartsetselfdestruct “like” the page!

By: Matty

I first became introduced to this band around early summer of 2011.  I was offered by Elias Soriano of Nonpoint to come to a Nonpoint show and it was an opportunity for me to interview Surrender The Fall and to check out a new band on the horizon from Chicago known as Heart-Set Self-Destruct.  Keep in mind that there were less than 100 people at People’s Court in Des Moines, Iowa.  It was two days after the radio festival known as Lazerfest, which takes place in Indianola, Iowa and the concert was on a Tuesday evening.  I quickly became enamored with their energy, and their heart-felt passion in their music.  I checked out their latest offering entitled “Of Nightmares”, which you can pick up at I-Tunes or at any of their shows, in which they are providing direct support for Pop Evil on their one-off dates and touring with Heirosonic.  Their versatility, passion, and musicianship is what is going to take this band places.

Heart-Set Self Destruct is comprised of Dave Naruszewicz(vocals, guitars), Chris Rogers(guitars), Daniel Concannon(bass guitar), and Steve Bitte(drums).  Heart-Set Self-Destruct has built quite a name for themselves consistently selling out venues in Chicago such as The Double Door, The Metro, and the legendary House of Blues.  They started to make a name for themselves by playing shows in the Midwest with the likes of Red, Flaw, Powerman 5000, Janus, Taproot, just to name a few.  They caught their significant break by opening some shows for Nonpoint on Nonpoint’s Midwest leg of the tour.  They released “Of Nightmares” awhile back.  In a time where it seems that so many bands and recording artists become stale and generic, Heart-Set Self-Destruct offers something refreshing to their music.

“Of Nightmares” starts off with a kick in the teeth with the track entitled “Lie To Me”.  I quickly became impressed with Dave’s versatility and ability to alter between his screaming voice and his singing voice.  This track would be a great concert opener for Heart-Set Self-Destruct.  It gets the blood pumping, the mind racing, and it’s sure to be a mosh pit waiting to happen. ”Of Nightmares” doesn’t waste time going into the next track entitled “Collapse”.

“Collapse” is such a standout track for me.  I really like the chugging, yet smooth bass work that Daniel provides in this track.  The bass lines set the tone for this song.  You can also feel Dave’s sense of urgency and sense of anguish and pain in this particular track.  My interpretation of “Collapse” is talking about how the world tries to satisfy itself with all the material possessions although in the end we feel emptiness as we pursue greed, which is a thirst that is impossible to be quenched.  “The emptiness is killing you” sings Dave with a sense of pain and anguish.

“Monster” should be the next big rock anthem.  “I got a catacomb of secrets that will break your heart” sings Dave.  The subject matter of this song is rather interesting.  According to their biography section on their Facebook page, “Monster” talks about how a tortured soul feeds and craves other people’s pain, as if it is an internal motivation for that tortured soul.

From this CD, I can tell that Heart-Set Self-Destruct’s influences are wideranging.  If one enjoys music by Chevelle meets Taproot with a splash of System of a Down, then this CD is for you.  It’s just an enjoyable, all-around pure solid CD for the listener.  Their music can be picked up at I-Tunes and CD Baby and at the tour dates below.

Check out Heart-Set Self-Destruct at the following tour dates below:

Thursday, January 26th at The Riot Room in Kansas City, Missouri

Friday, January 27th at Nathan P. Murphy’s in Columbia, Missouri

Saturday, January 28th at The WareHouse in Clarksville, Tennessee

Thursday, February 2nd at Penny Road Pub in Barrington, Illinois

Friday, February 3rd at Temptations in Franklin Park, Illinois

Saturday, February 4th at Lights and Sirens in Clayton, Ohio

Sunday, February 5th at Sadie Rene’s in Canton, Ohio

Thursday, February 9th at 5th Street Pub in Parksburg, West Virginia

Friday, February 10th at The Wander Inn in Mishawaka, Indiana

Saturday, February 11th at The Back Bar in Janesville, Wisconsin

By: Matty

This past summer, I had the opportunity to interview with Nashville, Tennessee duo You Knew Me When outside of a bar called Lorado’s in Mason City, Iowa.  They are a husband/wife duo that makes incredible music together.  It was good to catch up with Karisa, who I went to high school with and to meet her husband Cie for the first time.  The duo is comprised of Cie Hoover, who plays the guitars and provides the vocals, as well as his wife, Karisa Hoover, who provides her angelic vocals and her dark , yet moving piano arrangements.  In a nutshell, if Cie was yin, then Karisa is yang.  These seemingly polar opposites in the music world seem to match and fit one another’s collective styles like a glove.  According to my interview with You Knew Me When, Karisa, who is a music education teacher on top of playing shows and making music, met her husband Cie at a local hardcore metal show at Belmont University.  Karisa is the kind of vocalist that you would find teaching others at various vocal workshops and music seminars.  Their self-titled CD offers haunting, brooding, yet somehow angelic vocal arrangements along with a wall of sound in their musicianship.  The ambiance that they offer in their music is second to none as well.

You Knew Me When’s self-titled album starts off with a lovely track entitled “Home”.  In the interview, Karisa and Cie described this song as how everyone has a differen meaning and a different definition of what home means to them.  For one person, “home” could mean coming home to a warm family around the dinner table, and to another person, “home” could mean coming home to a desolate house.  I really enjoyed the deep meaning in this particular track.  The arrangements are moving and the vocals provide that melancholy feel which sets the tone for the rest of the album.  ”This World A Box” is the second track off of their self-titled album.

Cie’s vocals really stand out in this particular track, yet Karisa’s background vocals seem to blend in wonderfully in this particular track.  I really like the lyrics “Isn’t it amazing how we fall down, innocence is so blind to the winds of change”.  I really enjoy the subject content of this track.  “This World A Box” talks about how we have this tendency to making sure that all groups of people and our ideologies have a particular label, and how we need to view other people’s perspectives and to think outside of the box for a change.  The standout track for me is the third track of the album entitled “Tick Tock”.

“Tick Tock” showcases a spiritual, idealistic side of You Knew Me When.  This song seems to be a battlecry or a sense of urgency of how the population is letting time slip away and how the individual has the tendency to simply go through the motions of life instead of making it a mission to make a positive impact in someone else’s life.  This particular interpretation of “Tick Tock” is evident by this lyric:  “Tick tock tick tock, a man without hope, a man without promise and nowhere to go, spread your love and change the world, but above all else don’t live your life unfulfilled”.  Karisa sings this song with passion, as in a sense of rejuvenation and a sense of urgency to inspire a generation of lost people that are oblivious to the world that’s around them.

Put Coldplay’s arrangements with Belle & Sebastian, add some melancholy in some songs, and you get You Knew Me When.  They recently played a show in Blacksburg, Virginia for Cie’s ten year class reunion.  Check them out at www.facebook.com/YouKnewMeWhen and also go to their Reverb Nation page. Be sure to hit the “like” button on their Facebook page, that’s where you can check out their music. In essence, this is a CD that the listener can enjoy while sitting around a bonfire while the sunset adds a wonderful backdrop to the music.  If one cherishes good songwriting, quality arrangements, and deep and poetic lyrical content, with a sense of catchiness to the songs and melodies, then this is the CD to get.  Again, I want to thank Cie and Karisa for interviewing with me this past summer, it will never go unappreciated.

By: Matty

I have a soft spot for bands and recording artists from other nations.  It seems to me that they incorporate a significant amount of creativity, a vast array of melodies and time signatures, and a diverse range of subject and lyrical content, which is refreshing since it seems to me that a lot of bands write about getting drunk, getting laid, and rocking out with their collective bad selves.  I was instructed to check out the Johnny Engstrom Band.  The Johnny Engstrom Band is a trio based out of Sweden.  They are comprised of Johnny Engstrom(no surprise there), who plays multiple instruments, including electric guitars, acoustic guitars, keyboards, and the vocal arrangements.  Niklas Hogberg provides the bass guitar and additional keyboards, whilst Galle Johannson provides the drums.   Swedish metal has a lot of range in their music, from the metalcore angst of Soilwork to the medieval themed hard rock of Nightwish.  Their latest offering through Alienation Records, entitled “Magnetic Force” offers a number of twists and turns like the most well-written mysterious plot, and several different concepts and themes, ranging from delusion, departure from loved ones, and inner despair, to more science-fiction related themes, including being abducted by aliens and a man’s strange journey through the time continuum and space.  “Magnetic Force” starts off with the story entitled “Oblivion Part One”.

“Oblivion Part One” deals with a mixture of fantasy related themes with science-fiction related themes, as evident in the lyric, “The forest echoes through the voices of broken souls, piercing eyes are watching me, a nightmare of terror will soon begin”.  As a part-time poet, I can really appreciate the imagery offered in the lyrics that are penned by the Johnny Engstrom Band.  The music offers a wide range of arrangements, ranging from progressive metal, to ambiance, to serene acoustic arrangements.  The music engages the senses.  There’s parts where you can hear the wind blowing in the background, the ambiance takes you to a land in the nether regions.  I can definitely appreciate the twists and turns that progressive rock should offer in their music.  It’s unpredictable, yet the changes in tempo ultimately make perfect sense in the music.  While “Oblivion Part One” offers brilliant heavy moments, the fifth track of “Magnetic Force”, entitled “River Oaks”.

“River Oaks” offers a serene backdrop into this particular story.  I can tell that Johnny Engstrom has classical, and possibly flamenco influences with the acoustic guitar.  It shows this band’s amazing range into the music.  It actually is a relaxing track, that takes you to the pristine waters of a river as the pristine water splashes into rocks and provides life to the listener’s senses and rejuvenation to all of creation in this land that the band is imagining.  The ambiance definitely stands out, its something that I can’t explain no matter how hard I try.  Words doesn’t do justice to the ambiance in this track.  This tracks allows the listener to revisit the past and reminisce about the good, old days, yet the memory is null and void, so they embrace the time that they have together.  The lyrics are evident in this, “A friendly faced old man holds his wife by the hand, exchanging memories the best they can, a black and white photograph falls into the river, image gets buried in the sand.”

Overall, I can really appreciate the arrangements and lyrical content in this band.  The harmonies fit very well together.  It amazes me that this trio can have this wall of sound, where it sounds like they have a small orchestra playing with the band.  It’s an album where I cannot tell you which track is the standout track, because I want my readers to take in this album, take about 75 minutes of your day, turn off the lights, get some Dr. Dre headphones, and listen to this adventurous record entitled “Magnetic Force”.  If you’re a fan of Rush, Dream Theater, and Symphony X, with some elements of Nightwish in the mix, then don’t delay, get your copy of “Magnetic Force” as soon as you can.

HEAVEN BELOW

“The Mirror Never Lies”

By: Macavity

I don’t usually review a single but Heaven Below has put forth an offering that is a “mega-single” with a story behind the music that needs to be heard. The track was written for an organization preventing Child Abuse and is as hard edged as the subject with their album version of the tune. The band plays their hearts out to make you “feel” the song and each note seems to implore you to listen not only to a great band but to a powerful message within the lyrics.

As great as the album version is, the piano and vocal version steals the show on this offering. Reminiscent of so many bands but having a sound that is all Heaven Below and especially Kennison is what this tune in pared down form showcases. That individual and unique sound is definitely found in the album version also. The band placed a club remix and it works for that genre but you have to hit back and go to the previous versions because they really get the bands quality of music and the message of the sound out better. One note that must be made is that the guitars are haunting and shredding and just really unique in this huge world of great guitarists. They stand out though and need to be mentioned for the synergy in which they present their music and message!

Great band and great cause! Stop waiting and go out and get the single and all the versions you like! But, be warned, you are going to want to hear more from this band and have been informed how great they are!

Available on iTunes or at

www.heavenbelow.com/store

MADISON RISING

By: Macavity

Some talk the talk and some walk the walk but Madison Rising decided to do both in a musical format in the form of their debut CD. They are definitely a band that has something to say so if you have any problem with opinions expressed in music then move along to something less cerebral. Unlike other bands and artists that have tried this process,  Madison Rising is somewhat unknown to the masses and has really impressive talent! They are a band that has music with a powerful meaning and each song with a specific strong message.

Madison Rising has a great sound that mixes classic rock, a flavor of old skool styling and a healthy dose of bluesy rock sounds to make a unique powerful sound to sell their messages! This is especially evident in “Rally The Youth” where they get across some serious topics and thoughts in a way that in very entertaining to the ear. “Honk If You Want Peace” is another that takes significant subject matter and utilizes great musicianship and vocals along with stellar song writing to get that message across in a rockin way. The amazing vocals that the band puts forth are heard in an exceptionally
fine manner in all of their songs but stands out in “Walking Through That Door” and “Hallowed Ground.” All of their songs are worth a listen and really stand out for each emotion and feeling they evoke.

Rarely does a band take their talent and take a huge risk by speaking their mind so strongly and throughout the entire album but this band is obviously comfortable in their own skin and with their talent enough to put out a CD that is completely their “voice.” In today’s music world this is not only rare but appreciated because their passion for what they
believe in and their thoughts is expressed in fantastic music. It is refreshing to hear a band come out with music that is not contrived or band members chosen for a “look” and instead they just write, record and perform skillful music with a message and a powerful one at that. Head over to CD Baby or iTunes and grab the self titled debut of this
band. You will be hearing a lot more of them and their amazing talent!

www.madisonrising.com

The Hand of Glory

Album: Break the Illusion

Released: 9-23-2011/Deafground Records

BY: Shredder Joe

Ya know, being a musician, I run across a lot of bands.Very sparingly am I truly impressed with the bands I hear, but The Hand of Glory easily broke my personal norm. Here’s why…

For starters, “Break the Illusion” is THOG’s debut release. That, in and of itself, makes me feel very strongly about a bright future for them.  I find it GREAT that they aren’t following the djent trends of today as well. THOG’s music isn’t ground-breaking or strikingly original, but it’s tried and true–they’ve made solid work of things that have been done before, and hell…I love melodic metal!

So, Break the Illusion begins with the song, “Built for Death”, which is hard-hitting, and one of the heavier and darker songs on the album. Its intensity sets up the next track, “Carry the Weight of the World”, very nicely. It begins with a crushing, breakdown-like riff tinged with an ominous feel, only to have the rest of the song reveal a lot more melody. The fast-paced drumming really gets your head moving, and it works off of the guitars very well. The bridge section gives the listener their first taste of the awesome dynamic shifts and clean vocals across the rest of the album, as the drums all but cease, and the focal point becomes the vocals. The next two tracks, “Fractures” and “Break the Illusion”, follow the more melodic and harmonious trend. “Fractures” actually exudes a relative calmness, having a few sections that are somewhat reminiscent of hard rock as opposed to metal. That isn’t to say that it’s not powerful; it’s actually one of the strongest tracks on the album. The piano section at the end of the song is beautiful, and you fortunately get to hear more of that as the album progresses. “Break the Illusion” is As I Lay Dying all the way. It’s fast, catchy, has great heavy sections, lots of harmony, and is just one awesome riff after another. With its dynamic shift in the bridge section, and its violin-laden ending, this song is simply epic. The following track, “Red Tides”, is my personal favorite. It possesses most of the great qualities of “Break the Illusion”, yet is even more catchy and memorable (the vocals are especially awesome).

Track 6, “Inside This Empty Shell”, marks a turning point in the album. It’s a short and melodic instrumental piece that features more of the piano and violins from before it. It’s a nice filler track and a break from the intensity of the album’s first half. Following this is my least favorite track, “Fall Upon a Tragedy”. This song is quite lacking in comparison to the others, and I feel it could have been left off the album. The next track, “We Are the Walking Dead”, is probably the heaviest of all. It has searing and technical drumming and guitars, a more unique song structure, and a really epic breakdown toward the end that precedes more piano. Finally, the last song is, “To the Night”. This song is unfortunately a little weaker than the rest of the album, and I feel it wasn’t the greatest choice for an album-closer. With that being said, it isn’t a bad song by any means, as it contains some solid riffs and melodies and some nice clean singing.

About the vocals: The clean vocals remind me somewhat of a less intense version of Anders Friden (In Flames). Though they seemingly lack some passion, they still do possess a great deal of emotion. The phrasing, melodic structure, and harmonies of the cleans are all excellent. The screamed vocals are higher-pitched and scratchy, and are somewhat one-dimensional. Still, they compliment the music well, similar to those of Tim Lambesis (As I Lay Dying). The production ideas on the vocals are one of the stand-out features of this album.

About the guitars and bass: The guitars on this album are about solid riffing. They’re not awe-inspiring, or in any way over-the-top, but they’re good. They produce some awesome melodies and have a lot of energy. My only major complaint is that there is too much similarity from one song to another. The bass is hard to pick out of the mix unfortunately, but you can feel it’s presence throughout, and it doesn’t take away from the music at all.

About the drumming:  As with the guitars, the drumming on this album is nothing that you’d absolutely gawk at. Truthfully, the music doesn’t call for it to be overly intricate. The drum lines work very well with the music, and certainly don’t disappoint.

The Hand of Glory is a blossoming band that, musically, is on the right track. Though it’s earlier songs are stronger than the latter, “Break the Illusion” is a very impressive debut release. I’m definitely going to keep an eye on this band.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

By: Matty

Iowa is starting to produce some great metal.  I may be an Iowan, however, my readers need to take heed.  The Midwest Metal Movement is coming and here to stay.  The Midwest Metal Movement is comprised of brutal, in-your-face, power grooves, with a vast array of vocal arrangements.  The nine piece band known as Slipknot has paved the way for this.  Destrophy(R.I.P.) followed suit.  The 5 piece power groove metal band from Grinnell, Iowa known as Caustic Vision will keep the chains moving with their debut self-titled EP offering.

This band has enjoyed sharing the stage with the likes of Psychostick, the Texas Hippie Coalition, Mushroomhead, Hed(P.E.), Nashville Pussy, Ventana, and Hemlock.  As of press time, they are currently unsigned.  However, I see them being a great fit for labels such as Metal Blade or Nuclear Blast.  The five piece band is comprised of Mickie Witcraft(vocals), Nate Anderson (drums, background vocals), Brandon Wolver (guitar), Jake Dohmen (guitar), and Cody Hicks (bass).  As of press time, they are sharing the stage with Mushroomhead at People’s Court in Des Moines, Iowa.

Caustic Vision describes themselves as “nu-metal power groove”.  For an unsigned ep, I was pleasantly surprised at how polished the band sounded on this record.  This is showcased in the track entitled “Scream”.  The musicianship and the vocals flow smoothly throughou this track.  Caustic Vision showcases the neck-breaking power metal chords with a beautiful sounding arrangement in the harmonics of the guitars and the vocals of Mickie Witcraft that causes the listener to pay attention and take notice to what he’s about to say.  “Scream” is definitely the standout track.  It has the power grooves of a band like Pantera with the dynamics in the guitars of Destrophy (R.I.P.).  Another standout track for this album is entitled “Fake”.

I absolutely love this track!  I particularly enjoy the subject matter in this song.  The subject matter of this particular track is something that the listener can relate to, which is achieving greatness and rising above the adversity and how people can be so two-faced, and taking the high road by not stooping to the level of two-faced people.  This song is a call to arms against all of the fake people of the world.  Personally, I find myself on repeat mode when I play this track.  It has an infectious groove and headbanging riffs that will cause whiplash to the listener’s neck.  I also enjoy the lyric “Reach to the sky, grab a hold and never die” in “Last Judgement”, and the sick breakdown in the aforementioned song.

Overall, Caustic Vision is for fans of bands like Pantera, Lamb of God, with a mix of Dave Williams-era Drowning Pool in there.  I strongly recommend their EP, especially if one likes old school power metal grooves with an occasional sense of humor, as showcased in the song “Kool Aid”, where it basically talks about how Kool Aid gives the singer heartburn.   Seriously.  This shows that they have diversity in their subject matter, ranging from Kool Aid to rising above the critics.  Check out Caustic Vision and “like” their page at www.facebook.com/CausticVision.  There, you can check out their EP and see when they are going to be on tour next.  Please pick up their EP on I-Tunes or Cdbaby as well.