Website Overhaul/Recent Activity

As many of you know, Post Hardcore/Metalcore Today has been stagnant for about a month and a half, but we are back baby! The website has experienced a complete overhaul including changes such as a new background, new videos and new polls. We are looking to make this website bigger and better than ever! Since our last post, numerous things have happened in the post hardcore/metalcore music industry. Some of these things include the announcement of the Scream It Like You Mean It Tour 2012, signing of up and coming band Crown The Empire to Rise Records and even the upsetting announcement that That's Outrageous will be taking a hiatus due to the fact that vocalist Doriano Magliano will be taking over vocals for Woe, Is Me. So much to talk about in the scene that not even this post can describe the excitement surrounding this music industry. But this post is to tell all of you that Post Hardcore/Metalcore Today is back and better than ever!

Want more information about Scream It Like You Mean It 2012, Crown The Empire and the vocalist changeup? Check out the links below!

Scream It Like You Mean It 2012

Crown The Empire Facebook

That's Outrageous Facebook

Woe, Is Me Facebook

[digital_renegade] Album Review

Well the time has finally come that I can write a review of the new I See Stars album [digital_renegade]. Thanks to my special privileges (pre-order came in the mail early) I have listened to the album numerous times and I must say I am extremely impressed. It seems as though the band has gone back to their 3D roots and have veered away from the approach they took on their music in The End Of The World Party. This is by far the heaviest album this band has ever released and it is also the best one. They show extreme versatility going from the heavy breakdowns seen in songs like Endless Sky to high pitched soothing vocals that can be seen in songs like Electric Forest. This is definitely an album that all I See Stars fans will love, but that will also reach out to bigger crowds of post hardcore fans. [digital_renegade] is already one of my albums of the year and below is my track by track review of it.

1. Gnars Attacks - This is the perfect opening song for the album. It starts out with chants of "burned every bridge you ever built how do you live with yourself". This turns into a very heavy opening sequence of screams. Lead vocalist Devin Oliver then chimes in with his high pitched voice that I See Stars fans have come to know and love. This changes quickly into a breakdown which is followed by a sequence of trance like techno. From there, there are more poppy serenading clean vocals and then a heavy ending where unclean vocalist Zach Johnson screams over top of loud organ sounds. This song is a great teaser for the rest of the album

2. NZT48 - This song fades in with the vocals from the chorus which eventually change into about 20 seconds of screaming. From there, the song takes a poppy turn that will have people at any concert dancing. Going from very catchy choruses to heavy but still upbeat screaming, this song will most definitely be a fun one at any I See Stars concert. The biggest breakdown of the song comes about 2 and a half minutes in when Zach Johnson starts by speaking the lyric "some men just want to watch the world burn". He quickly changes this into his screaming voice where he repeats the lyric "watch the world burn" which is then followed by some powerful chugging guitar work. The song ends with chiming clean vocals and one more screaming part that transitions into about 20 seconds of guitar and electronics.

3. Digital Renegade - This song starts out with techno that transitions into Devin Oliver's clean vocals. This changes into screams then back to cleans then back to screams again. After this, there is an upbeat techno part underneath chiming clean vocals. After this, there is about a 20 second interlude which eventually turns into more clean vocals. The only real breakdown of the song comes at the end when there is a bass drop similar to that of Attack Attack! which is followed a heavy chanting scream of "this is reality". The song then fades out after about 10 more seconds of heavy guitar riffs.

4. Endless Sky - This is my favorite song on the album and is most definitely the heaviest. It starts out with a techno introduction very similar to that of Save The Cheerleader (3D) which quickly transitions into screams while the techno is still going in the background. Devin Oliver chimes in here and there with his poppy vocals and catchy choruses but these are always followed by very heavy screams over top of enchanting guitars. This song takes a huge turn with about a minute left when Danny Worsnop (lead singer of Asking Alexandria) joins in with very low screams which coincide perfectly with Zach Johnson's higher pitched screams. For the last 50 or so seconds of the song, Johnson and Worsnop go back and forth screaming while the same techno part from the beginning can be heard in the background. 

5. Underneath Every Smile - This song starts out very quickly with poppy vocals from Devin Oliver which continue for the first 50 seconds of the song. The pace starts to slow after this when Zach Johnson joins in with lower screams. The poppy chorus then starts back up again which eventually transitions into more screaming and another very heavy bass drop breakdown that consists of screaming chants of "it's coming back around". This breakdown continues for about 30 seconds and eventually changes back into the catchy chorus. After this chorus, the song ends with more heavy guitar riffs, powerful drums and screaming chants of "it's coming back around".

6. Mystery Wall - This song begins with amazing guitar and drum work that turns into a heavy breakdown at the beginning of the song. It then becomes upbeat with another poppy chorus that turns into a rampage of screams by Zach Johnson. After this, the catchy chorus is again repeated and is followed by a break in the action and then a techno/guitar interlude. This turns into more screams while the techno continues in the background. The song then starts to slow down with clean vocals that sound as though they are almost being whispered into the microphone. Devin Oliver then shows off his amazing versatility as a clean vocalist with serenading vocals that end the song.

7. iBelieve - This is a very calming song that consists of no screams and somewhat reminds me of something you would hear from Breathe Carolina. The song has a very soft techno feel where Devin Oliver softens up his singing voice to fit the beat of the song. Not a lot goes on in this song and there is no screaming whatsoever, but that does not mean it is a bad song. The entire song displays that even though I See Stars went back to their heavy roots, they can still bust out a slower, calmer song here and there. 

8. Summer Died In Connersville - This song fades in with very poppy guitar riffs and drum beats. This is followed by calming clean vocals that change into about 15 seconds of screaming. Then, Devin Oliver comes back in with more poppy, calming vocals. The guitar riffs then get heavier and Zach Johnson takes on an aspect of screaming where it seems like he is taking his aggression out on the microphone. This screaming eventually transitions into a techno part very similar to the one in We Know It's Real by Make Me Famous. Johnson then belts out a few lines of screams then the pace slows down for more high pitched clean vocals and one more poppy chorus that rounds out the song.

9. Electric Forest - This songs begins with a very techno feel and fast paced screams. After this, the song takes a much softer turn with clean vocals for about 20 seconds which are followed by a calming techno beat. After this, Devin Oliver comes back in with clean vocals that sound auto-tuned to fit the mood of the song. Cassadee Pope of the band Hey Monday then belts out wonderful sounding vocals. Pope and Oliver then take on a duet together for about 15 seconds in which they sound great together. For the next 30 or so seconds, the two alternate cleans and then Oliver takes over again with very powerful and meaningful vocals. This is followed by guitar riffs that are not seen very much in the song and Zach Johnson coming in once again with heavy fast paced screams which alternate with clean vocals to end the song.

10. Filth Friends Unite - This is the absolute perfect song to end the album on. I believe this song takes every single element from the other songs and ties them all together. It starts out with an unmistakable fist pumping techno beat which leads into upbeat Zach Johnson screams. This techno feel continues after this while being tied into very heavy guitar riffs and more heavy screams. This leads into a catchy chorus which is followed by another bass drop breakdown and more fast paced screams. Again, this is followed by the same catchy chorus and then more upbeat clean vocals. Johnson then continues with his rampage of usual screams while impressive drum and guitar work are going on behind him. This leads into the same techno beat from the beginning of the song and is followed by the same screaming verses as in the beginning but with much more intensity. Heavy guitar riffs follow and Johnson ends the song and album with one simple phrase: "lights out!"

I may be a little biased in my opinion of this album because I See Stars is one of my favorite bands. But I do believe that anyone that likes post hardcore/electrocore music will definitely be able to get into this album. It ties in all of the elements people have come to know and love from I See Stars, but just made these elements bigger, better and heavier than ever. When you hear the album, let me know what you think of it below! Do you think it is as good as I think or do you think it is complete crap? Comment below and tell me your thoughts. As for my opinion, I believe this is a huge step for I See Stars. They took a lot of criticism for softening up on there last album and instead of folding under the pressure, they stepped up to the plate and delivered a heavy, head-banging album. For this reason, I give the album [digital_renegade] a rating of 9.8 out of 10.

Woe, Is Me Takes Another Blow

Months after the heart breaking news hit Woe, Is Me that they're lead singer Tyler Carter would leave the band, another bomb hit the band and their fans today. This bomb was that keyboardist Ben Ferris, bass guitarist Cory Ferris and unclean vocalist Michael Bohn would be leaving the band. This news came as an absolute shock to many people, including myself. The band has been in the studio every day recording a re-release of their debut album Number[s] and a sophomore album as well but it looks as though their plans will change with this news. Woe, Is Me has had an absolute overhaul in the past six months with Hance Alligood taking over lead vocals when Tyler Carter left and Andrew Paiano taking over the role of lead guitars.

With Bohn gone, what will happen to Woe, Is Me?

There have been no statements released by Bohn and the Ferris brothers as to why they are leaving the band, but Michael Bohn stated on his Twitter that they will be releasing an interview through Alternative Press Magazine very soon. As for Woe, Is Me, they will still be going on their upcoming tour with The Color Morale, blessthefall, Emmure and We Came As Romans with Brian Medley filling in on guitar and Doriano Magliano of That's Outrageous filling in on unclean vocals. The band released a statement on their Facebook saying that they are not breaking up and they are stronger than ever. They also said that they will be adding new members in the near future. In my opinion, Woe, Is Me will never compare to the band they were when they released Number[s] but I will still support them no matter what and I ask the same of you. This is a very unfortunate turn for fans of the band that has already gone through so much in their 3 year career, but they have showed that they can handle diversity, which is what they will have to do if they are going to continue to please their rapidly growing fan base.

Escape The Fate Ronnie Radke or Falling In Reverse Ronnie Radke?

Ronnie Radke is one of the most, if not the most, colorful person in the post hardcore/metalcore music industry today. He is known for his unique voice, bad ass attitude and previous drug addiction. Most people know Ronnie as the guy that started Falling In Reverse after he was kicked out of Escape The Fate for running into trouble with the law for drugs. But what many people do not know is that not only was Ronnie Radke the former singer of Escape The Fate, he is the reason for where they are today. If it wasn't for him, ETF might be opening for bands and struggling to keep their fans but instead they are headlining tours and are well off to say the least. Since his drug problems, Ronnie has cleaned himself up and has started a band called Falling In Reverse. With this band he has created a new name for himself as the "king of the music scene" (lyric from Falling In Reverse's song Tragic Magic). The band has released one album entitled The Drug In Me Is You and, because of Ronnie, are becoming bigger and bigger as we speak.

There is absolutely no doubt that Ronnie Radke is one of the most talented and most unique in this music scene today; but my question is do you think he was better as the lead singer of Escape The Fate or is he better as the lead singer of Falling In Reverse? Here are two videos from his career with Escape The Fate and his current career with Falling In Reverse. The song above is called Raised By Wolves and it is from Falling In Reverse's debut album and the song to the left is called There's No Sympathy For The Dead and it is from Escape The Fate's debut album Dying Is Your Latest Fashion. I love Ronnie Radke and I think he brought an amazing element to Escape The Fate which he now brings to Falling In Reverse. I am glad that he is continuing his success in the music business. Below, tell me what you think of Ronnie Radke! Do you love him or hate him? Do you like his unique voice or do you dislike it? And most importantly, did you like him better with Escape The Fate or do you like him more now with Falling In Reverse? I want to hear your opinions!

Make Me Famous Debut Album Announcement

Ukrainian post hardcore band Make Me Famous has made quite a name for themselves in the past year and have absolutely taken off recently. The band that was previously known for releasing more merchandise than music is sticking it to their haters with the recent announcement that they will be releasing their debut album entitled It's Now Or Never on March 27, 2012. Fans of this band have been waiting for this announcement ever since the band's inception and launch of their first ever single Make It Precious. But how did this band that started as just a gig for Denis Shafarostov, vocalist and guitarist best known for his YouTube covers under the name above92, turn into this band that has become a mainstay on North American tours and that is receiving more praise than ever.

Post Hardcore band Make Me Famous

2011 was a huge year for Make Me Famous; they released more music, signed to Sumerian Records and moved to the United States. Since then, they have been extremely busy on the Leave It To The Suits Tour where they opened for powerhouses One Last Night, Memphis May Fire, Stick To Your Guns and I See Stars. They will also be heading out on tour in a couple of weeks opening for My Children My Bride, Stick To Your Guns, A Skylit Drive and For Today. All of these tours and announcements have paled in comparison to the announcement of the band's first ever album. Although this band has only released 5 songs, including their acoustic version of Make It Precious, they have one of the fastest growing fans bases in the post hardcore scene. They have a very unique style where they mix heavy screams, chugging guitar riffs and high pitched clean vocals all while maintaining a techno/electronic feel.

While this band has a numerous amount of supporters, they also have a numerous amount of haters as well. This band has been criticized for being cocky, not releasing enough music and some people have even claimed that they are just releasing a few songs just so they can get money from people buying their merchandise. All of these criticisms have gone out the window since concert goers have said they are "one of the best live bands" they've ever seen. Maybe Make Me Famous is cocky and haven't released enough music in the past, but none of that matters if they are going to continue to release great music. I expect It's Now Or Never to be one of the best post hardcore/metalcore albums of 2012 and it will hopefully continue to get this band the recognition that they so rightfully deserve.

Top 3 Most Anticipated Albums of 2012

There are many bands scheduled to come out with new music in 2012. Some bands are just releasing new singles while other bands are coming out with their first albums or EPs. Since this post is a little late and isn't exactly at the start of 2012, I am not able to put albums in here that I would have liked. At the top of this list are the albums This Means War by Attack Attack! and The Ascent by Secrets. Now just because these albums have already come out, does that mean that there are going to be no good albums released this year? Absolutely not! 2012 just started and it is bound to be one of the best years for the post hardcore/metalcore music industry. There are many great bands that will be releasing albums sometime during 2012, but this is my list of the three that I am anticipating the most.

Metalcore band Asking Alexandria

3. Asking Alexandria - Title TBA: 2011 was the biggest year in this band's history. They released their second full length album entitled Reckless and Relentless, for which they got praise for their originality and rock n' roll style, played on the Teggart Main Stage at Vans Warped Tour and even opened the stage for rock n' roll legends Guns N' Roses. When things didn't seem like they could get any better for fans of the British band, they did with the announcement that the band will be releasing their third full length album in late 2012. Although no album artwork or title have been released for the album, lead singer Danny Worsnop said that the band's next album will be "a musical baby of Mötley Crüe and Slipknot". This band and its fan base continues to grow and it no doubt will continue with all of the things that they have planned for 2012. In March, the band will head out on their monster North American headlining tour entitled The Still Reckless Tour with support from Trivium, Dir En Grey, I See Stars, Motionless In White and The Amity Affliction. The band has also announced that they will embark on the entire Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with high on fire, White Chapel, As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, Anthrax, Slayer and Slipknot. There is not doubt that 2012 will be a huge year for Asking Alexandria and with the release of what is going to be their monster third album, it may even make this year better than last year.

Digital Renegade Album Cover

2. I See Stars - Digital Renegade: This is a band looking to make a bigger impact than ever before in 2012. They have been around for what seems like forever, but have never really had a ground-breaking record; until now. The band announced that they will be releasing their third full length album entitled Digital Renegade on March 13, 2012. They said it will differ greatly from their sophomore album The End Of The World Party which was released in 2011. Their previous album featured very little screaming and instead focused mostly on electronics and cleans vocals. The band said that although their new album will have the same electronic feel that all I See Stars fans have come to know and love, it will be much more similar to their first full length album entitled 3-D but much heavier. To prove that they are not messing around and are a legitimate hardcore band, the band has toured and will continue to tour to support their cause. They recently wrapped up headlining the Leave It To The Suits Tour with support from Stick To Your Guns, Memphis May Fire, Our Last Night and Make Me Famous and are about to embark on The Still Reckless Tour mentioned above. The band released their first single off of their new album entitled Filth Friends Unite and will be releasing their second single off of the album entitled nzt48 later this week. From what I heard from Filth Friends Unite and what the members of the band have been saying about the new songs, I expect this album to be the best I See Stars one yet.

Metalcore band The Word Alive

1. The Word Alive - Title TBA: My number one most anticipated album of 2012 is the sophomore full length album from The Word Alive. This is another band that made 2011 its breakout year. The band gained a lot of the recognition they rightfully deserved, mostly because of their first full length album they released in 2010 entitled Deceiver. This album is one of my favorites of all time because it ties in elements of generic metalcore but then it has hints of heavier breakdowns that are followed by softer vocals. After this album release the band went on numerous different tours in 2010 and 2011, including playing the entirety of Vans Warped Tour 2011. This band has continued to grow over the years and will definitely become even bigger with the announcement of another full length album that will be released in the summer of 2012. Like Asking Alexandria, The Word Alive has not released any album artwork or a title for the new album but they have given fans numerous teasers on Facebook and Twitter saying that the new album "will be like Deceiver on steroids". Although the band says the musical elements of the next album will be similar to that of Deceiver, they said that the lyrics for their upcoming album will be much more positive than their last. The band is currently in the recording process for the album and are also preparing for their first tour of 2012 with Secrets and Mest in support of Attack Attack! and Escape The Fate on the This War Is Ours Tour. The Word Alive is not only a great metalcore band, but just a great band in general. The thing I like most about this band is that they always inform their fans on everything they are doing and respond to them as much as possible. The release of their next album will be epic and will hopefully get them even more attention from people in the music business. That is why The Word Alive gains the top spot in my Most Anticipated Albums of 2012.

Undiscovered or Unsigned Feb. 15, 2012

Today I will be switching things up a bit and instead of talking about unsigned bands, I will be talking about signed bands that don't get even close to as much credit as they deserve. There are many of these bands out there, most of which you can find on Facebook or Twitter. Everyone that wants to support this kind of music should check them out and do whatever they can to help them get the recognition they deserve.

Palisades (Rise Records) - This band, who was previously named Marilyn Is Dead, is a post hardcore band that was recently signed to Rise Records late in 2011. Since then, they have released their debut five song EP entitled I'm Not Dying Today. They have also played the massive Ice Jam in Baltimore, MD and have been added to the countrywide Revived Tour with Send The Messenger and A Faylene Sky in support of headlining band Us, From Outside. This band is only getting started and they are continuing to get bigger and bigger. Palisades has an extremely bright future ahead of them.
Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/WeArePalisades

At The Skylines (Roadrunner Records) - This band is a post hardcore band that has been continuing to grow since their inception and no doubt will continue that trend. Through Roadrunner, they have released one self titled EP and numerous singles including The Amazing Atom which features lead singer of Sleeping With Sirens Kellin Quinn. They have a very unique sound going from low, trembling screams to jazzy type cleans. This band has played a lot of shows in the West but has never really gone on a tour until they announced that they will be heading out on tour in April in support of Letlive and Enter Shikari. Be sure to check these guys out.
Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/attheskylines

Broadway (Uprising Records) - This band is a post hardcore band that formed in 2007. They signed to Uprising Records in 2009 and shortly after they released their debut album entitled Kingdoms, which has songs featuring Craig Owens of D.R.U.G.S. and Jonny Craig of Dance Gavin Dance. They have gone on numerous tours around the country, but have recently slowed their traveling in order to work on their sophomore album entitled Gentleman's Brawl. The album was set to be released in 2011 but was pushed back to 2012. I would expect this band to come back better than ever in 2012.
Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/BroadwayBand

Hands Like Houses (Rise Records) - This post hardcore band is from Australia and they recently signed to Rise Records early in 2012. They have released a few singles, including one entitled Lion Skin which features the vocals of Jonny Craig (Dance Gavin Dance) and Tyler Carter (ex Woe, Is Me). They officially announced that their debut 11 song album entitled Ground Dweller will be released March 13, 2012. This band has a different sound to them in the fact that they have the same higher pitched vocals we are used to hearing from post hardcore bands, but they have no screams at all. This makes them one of the more unique bands on this list and is good for anyone out there who is into softer music that is still upbeat.
Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/handslikehouses

Casino Madrid (Artery Recordings) - This metalcore band is very different from the others in the countdown because of the fact that they are by far the heaviest. They formed in 2007 and released their debut EP entitled For Kings And Queens in 2009. They also released a full length album in 2011 entitled Robots. This is definitely the band that has traveled the most out of all the other bands on this list. They have toured with a lot of big time bands and are currently on the A New Breed Tour with That's Outrageous! and My Ticket Home. They bring a technical element to metalcore that we haven't really seen before that fits in perfectly with their high pitched screams, growls and auto-tuned clean vocals. This is definitely the most well-known band of the bunch, but if you don't know them you should definitely check them out.
Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/casinomadrid