Skylines - Oneirology

 

1. Oneirology

2. Dreamscapes

3. Serotonin

4. Histamine

5. Acetylcholine

6. DMT

Skylines have released their debut album titled "Oneirology". This album shows the band in a very heavy way. The band seems to be going for a mix of metalcore and deathcore. Theses guys have a similar sound of that like an ERRA or a Periphery, so if you like those bands, you could like this one. They have sone an okay job here.

When looking at the recording quality of the album here, the album has been recorded to an alright level. The album could have been recorded a little crisper and louder, but for a first album, it's not bad. With the instrumentation, the band certainly shows that they can play, and play pretty well. We feel like the band is highlighted by the guitars and how they play. Their skills are highlighted in the song "Histamine" which is a instrumental song. Nice job here overall.

Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are a bit of a low point for this album. The screams are better than the sung parts, but the screams sound pretty forced in parts. Listening to the screams, they sound not bad, but you can tell there needs to be some work with them. Now the sung parts are mostly not great. You can here that they are put in to give some contrast, but also that it's mostly just getting someone who is in the band to do the best they can. It isn't bad, but full screams would of worked way better for now. Props on the attempt and for trying though. Now with the lyrics, the band goes for songs about trying to find meaning in life, and what the thing is you are supposed to do with life. These are subjects that every person is dealt with at some point in their life. This is something that can get a wider audience, and really hits with people that will become fans of this band. good job on these lyrics.

If you are looking for a single to this album, listen to the song "Serotonin" as it is the song they made a lyric video, and it shows off the band in the best light. This song would be considered the single. 

Skylines have made an album that shows off the type of sound and style the band is going for, and gives them a base to work off of, as well as something to start playing shows. We like where the band is headed, and this is a good base. We hope that the band makes some tweeks, works on some things and comes back better. Whatever is next with this band, we look forward to hearing it. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Progressive Metal/Metal/Metalcore

Release Date: July 1st, 2016

Location: London, Ontario

Label: None

Ascariasis - Ocean Of Colour

1. Shatter

2. Torchbearer

3. Eleven

4. Ocean Of Colour

5. Carving The World

Ascariasis have released their debut album titled "Ocean Of Colour." This album shows off the band in a very metal way. The band has a very fast and heavy presence to their music, with deep screamed vocals that bring the powerful metal all together. They have a similar sound to that of an Amon Amarth or a Children Of Bodem, so if you are into either of those artists, you could really like this album. They have done a solid job here. When looking at the recording quality of this album, it has been recorded to a fairly decent quality. We can however hear a touch in the guitars that could be upped a bit. The instrumentation on this album is really solid. This band can play and they do it with a woosh right to your face. Really good playing here. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, now the vocals are screamed vocals, but the singer can do them quite impressively. He has the deep growls down pat, but unfortunately for anyone who wants to clearly hear the lyrics, that is not an option in this style of metal. With the lyrics, the band goes for messages about seeing the destruction you caused, No matter how good you are, things will happen if they are meant to happen, When there is nothing left we drift, etc. These lyrics are quite profound and go very well with the style of music the band is creating. We do feel that people will not be able to easily grasp the lyrics, it will take some listening, but music you really have to get into is the best music. One criticism is that the lyrics are a bit too short, that isn;t bad, but we personally would like more to each song. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of this album. Ascariasis have made a debut, welcome to album that really set the bar high. This band can certainly play and they have all the talent behind them. We do hope that the band can keep this up as it would be a shame to see them take a step down. Hopefully this band can also get out there and get more people to know about them. Solid job here. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Death Metal/Metal/Progressive Metal

Release Date: March 1st, 2012

Location: Burlington, Ontario

Label: None

The/Order - Becoming The Villian

1. Misery's Captain

2. Don't Get Mad, Get Even

3. You Keep What You Kill

4. Devil's Work

The Order have released their debut album titled "Becoming The Villain." This album shows off the band in a typical post hardcore sound mixed with progressive music. This band has a similar sound to that of The Faceless or a Last Ten Seconds Of Life, so if you like those bands, you could really like this album. They have done an alright job on this one. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to an alright standard. You can hear how it just doesn't seem to be loud or clear enough. The instrumentation here is actually pretty decent, you can tell some of the member really practice their craft a lot. This makes for a nice album. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are done pretty well. We do feel that the screamed vocals are stronger than clean vocals which could have an affect on getting more people into the music. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about relationships, being down, getting back at people, having your life go to hell and your dreams killed, and more. These seem to be pretty specific here, so we aren't sure everyone will relate to these lyrics, but we hope they help to get things off the writers chest. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of the album. The/Order have made a debut album that has some potential here. You can see the band are trying, and with a little guidance, direction, and molding, the band could really be something. We hope they can continue on the up swing. We also hope this band can get more shows and reach more crowds so more people can know what they are about. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Progressive Metal/Metalcore/Metal

Release Date: 2015

Location: London, Ontario

Label: None

The Afterimage - Lumiere

1. Lumiere

2. Seeking 

3. Follow

4. Unseen

5. Onyx

6. Distance

7. Without You

8. Reach

The Afterimage have released their second album titled "Lumiere." This is their professional record label debut. This album has a very progressive feel to it where you get the band focusing on more of the playing ability than how heavy the album is. They have a similar sound to that of Periphery, or a Born Of Osiris type band, so if you like those bands, you could like this album. They have done a really nice job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded quite well, as all of Jordan Valeriote's work seems to be. It has a beautiful sound and we love it. The instrumentation is pretty solid as well, the band can certainly play and they try to show it off on this album. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album consist of a singing and screaming vocal duo. Their screamer can scream quite well, and he has a nice powerful voice for a progressive band, while the clean singer has a nice voice where you can hear everything he says. This duo works very well and we think it makes this album very appealing. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about relationships, loss, making your own choices and going for what you want, as well as being lost and more. We think that these are some of the things everyone goes through, so we think people can get into the messages and lyrics here. We like how they are not quite so blunt as well, you have to think for the meanings. Overall great job. If you are looking for a single to this album, we suggest "Seeking" as that is our favourite song from the album and we love the clean vocals on here. This will get you to know what the album is about. The Afterimage have made an album that really shows off what they are able to do and how talented the band is. We think this is a great second album to release to everyone. Hopefully the band gets back out there though, as they have been pretty quiet. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.Great job.

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Metal/Progressive Metal

Release Date: August 28th, 2015

Location: Barrie, Ontario

Label: Tragic Hero Records

The Author - Act 2: The Defined

1. Judge, Jury...

2. Prometheus

3. The Boy and the Beast

4. Haunted Dreams

5. I Felt Like Destroying Something Beautiful

6. No Hero, No Hope

7. The First Time Always Hurts

8. Some Will Wonder, I Will Know

9. The Bitter Taste Of Denial

The Author have released their second album titled titled "Act 2: The Defined." This album has the same style and sound that the band began with on their previous debut album. They seem to do the landscaped singing and screaming thing, which they have done quite well here. The band seems to have a similar sound to that of Protest The Hero on this album, so if you are a fan of that band, you could like this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded pretty well and has a nice sound. The instrumentation on this album is decent as well, the band can play and they show off some skills. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are really nice, their vocalist can certainly scream and it's the kind of scream that is deep but still post hardcore like. They are also done well enough so that you can make out the lyrics in the screams without too much trouble. Good job all in all. Now onto the lyrics. The band has decided on this album to go for messages of being able to escape from the troubles keeping you down, being in a place where you want to destroy everything, being alone, relationships and more. For the most part, the band has written song that people can relate to on some level, which really helps for people being able to get into the songs. They have some nice stories in the music as well. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of this album. The Author have made an album here that really rocks and has some nice softer songs with landscaped part in it. This album really gives the band more music so they can play better sets live. We hope the band goes out and plays more shows so more people can see and get into them. Really nice job overall on this album. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Progressive Metal/Hardcore/Screamo

Release Date: December 28th, 2016

Location: Burlington, Ontario

Label: None

Intervals - A Voice Within (Instrumental)

1. Ephemeral

2. Moment Marauder

3. Automaton

4. The Self Surrendered

5. Breathe

6. The Escape

7. Atlas Hour

8. Siren Sound

9. A Voice Within

Intervals have released the instrumental version of their album "A Voice Within." This album obviously has the same style and intensity as the regular version, without the vocals. This is something we suspect has a little to do with the rumors of  Aaron and their singer not getting along, and we even heard Aaron didn't want vocals in the first place. As a result, we get to enjoy "A Voice Within" the same way their other albums have been done. This album really does nail it in Intervals fashion. These guys have a similar sound to that of Animals As Leaders and Periphery, so if you like those artists, you could really like this album. Nice job done on this one. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded quite well. This has a little bit of a different feel that his other album, but still a solid album. The instrumentation is again something to behold. Intervals are masters at their craft. Now onto the lyrics and vocals. As this album is the instrumental version, there are no vocals or lyrics. Sit back and just enjoy the sounds these guys make instrumentally. If you are looking for a single, we suggest giving "A Voice Within" your attention, as it is the what we feel, the best song on the album. It also gives you the best feel for the album. Aaron and the Interval guys have done it again with a great record here. We are glad to see that the band tried to go full band, but if something doesn't work or feel right, just switch back. Props for the attempt though. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Progressive/Metal/Instrumental
Release Date: March 4th, 2014
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Record Label: None

The Parallel - Embark

1. Embark

2. Pendulum

3. Shipwrecked

4. Endeavors

The Parallel have released their debut album titled "Embark" This album is four tracks of pure progressive metal. Their sound and style is that which you would expect from a band like this. They have the guitar work and the brutality. They have a similar sound to that of Born Of Osiris or The Contortionist, so if you like those artists, then you could like this album. They have done a pretty good job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a fairly decent standard. This record has a nice sound to it. The instrumentation is done fairly well on this album as well, the band can certainly play and that is noted throughout the whole album. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are decent for the genre, but are a little hard to exactly tell what the singer is saying. He has good screams for the style of music and they fit well. With the lyrics, the band goes for messages about hard times and trying to make things better, They also sing about feeling hopeless. Their songs have a constant theme, but they seem to address making things better as well. This is good to hear others having the same feels. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen, or listen to the whole album as it is only four songs. The Parallel have made their debut album pretty well, it has a nice sound, solid recording and they show off their skills. We really liked this album and we hope to hear more soon. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Progressive Metal/Metal/Djent

Release Date: October 9th, 2015
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Label: None

Where Giants Once Stood - Live Above

1. Living In Security
2. Illuminate
3. The Damaged
4. Myths, Lies And Crimes

Where Giants Once Stood have released their sophomore album titled "Live Above." This album really feels like a in your face, progressive metal album. It has the same sort of style that a band like August Burns Red or a Suicide Silence would have, so if you like those guys, you could really like this album.They have done a great job on t his album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded pretty decently. The instrumentation on this album is pretty good as well, the band can certainly play. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are very similar to that of For Today with just a hint of being forced. Very good metal vocals that you can pretty much tell what he is saying. With the lyrics, the band has decided to go the route of talking about the damaged, the beaten, the bruised and trying to get away from that to live in a happy place. The guys have done a great job on the lyrics and these do have a good message. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Living In Security" your attention as it is a great song on the album and really shows how the feel of this album is. When Giants Once Stood have made a metal album that really shows off their skills. This  is one to certainly listen to if you are an ABR fan. We can't wait to see what the next album sounds like. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Metalcore/Metal/Progressive Metal

Release Date: September 30th, 2014

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Label: None

Allies To The Adversary - Deathbed

1. Overtaken
2. Mara
3. Brickyard
4. Mushrooms
5. Radiation
6. Lucid Living
7. Anesthesia
8. Lucid Dreaming

Allies To The Adversary have released their second album titled "Deathbed." This album is one that has a little more of a heavier, technical feel to it than the last album, it bring up their sound to a really nice level. This album is similar to that of Structures or Chelsea Grin, so if you are into either of these bands, you could really like this album. They have done a pretty decent job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a fairly decent quality. The bands instrumentation on here is pretty good as well, nothing spectacular, but they can play. Now onto the vocals and the lyrics, the vocals are not bad, he has some nice deep screams, a little hard to tell the lyrics, but this goes quite well with the deathcore style. He does however do some of the typical things you hear in this music, like the blah, but overall not bad. With the lyrics, they are pretty harsh and have a negative side to them. Now this is not bad since this is what fans of this music are looking for, but maybe a little more of a significant message to them could help. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Lucid Dreaming" your attention as it is the hardest hitting song and gives you the best idea of the potential of the band. Allies To The Adversary have followed up their debut with a really nice  effort. This is hard, brutal and just a pretty awesome record all around. Good job guys. Hopefully they will keep this up. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Deathcore/Progressive/Technical Metal

Release Date: April 20th, 2015

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Label: None

Where Giants Once Stood - The Changing

1. Awakening
2. The Heavens Tremble
3. Secrets
4. Disbelievers
5. A Broken Memory
6. Transition
7. The Changing

Where Giants Once stood have released their debut album titled "The Changing." This album is a very metal album that really hits those new really heavy fans. The album has a sound similar to August Burns Red or Suicide Silence, so if you are into those bands, you could really like this band. They have done a pretty good job on this album. When looking aat the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded fairly well. The instrumentation on this album has been done quite well also, these guys can really play their instruments. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are pretty good here, they have some nice deep screams by the singer, but the background vocals could use a little work to be more powerful and in tune. With the lyrics, the band has done a nice job on writing lyrics that go with the genres usual themes, they could work a little more on getting a more meaningful lyric in with a good message, other then that, pretty decent. If you are looking for a single for this album, give the song "The Heavens Tremble" your attention as this is the best song on the album and it gives you an idea about the feel of the album. Where Giants Once Stood have done a pretty decent job here on their debut album. We are hoping to see what more the band can come up with as we like what they are doing. We do however hope to see the band get out there more and play shows to get more of a buzz for the band and get their name out there. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Metalcore/Metal/Progressive Metal

Release Date: July 30th, 2013

Location: Oshawa, Ontario

Label: None

Bring Me The Author - Act 1: Beginning To An End

1. Prologue
2. Call To Arms I: Beginning To An End
3. Call To Arms II: Saints And Sinners
4. Call To Arms III: The Innocent
5. Falling For The Fallen
6. I, The Immortal
7. The Precision of Surgery
8. Epilogue

Bring Me The Author have released their debut album Act 1. They previously had the name The Author when they released this album, but added the Bring Me slightly after releasing this album. This album and band have a sound you would figure would somewhat go with a protest The hero type of band. These guys use the guitar work fairly well and then do clean vocals, which could use a little work. When speaking about the recording, it is not quite there but still decent enough and listenable. With the playing ability, this is what stands out the most for the band, they do it decently and as far as the lyrics, they are average, run of the mill. When looking for a song, there is not one song that stands over the others, so just start the album and see what you think of them. Bring Me The Author have a solid beginning to the band with this record and it would be nice to see what else they come up with in the future after some progression and tweaking to bring it up just that little bit. Listen to this band and follow what they are doing.

Genre: Progressive Metal/Hardcore/Screamo

Release Date: March 1st, 2013

Location: Burlington, Ontario

Label: None

Optics - Optics

1. Arise

2. The Dining Dead

3. Last One

4. Morally Bankrupt

Optics have released their debut self titled album. The album shows a band trying to get into the heavier metal scene and with this effort have just scratched the surface of that. The first thing here is that the recording quality is terrible, this band should not have even decided to release these songs, as they make the band look even worse then they are. The second thing is that looking past the recording quality, the band is very generic and has nothing that points them out over the tons of other metal bands doing the same thing. On a positive note, the band can play decently, and the singer can do the low growls that are heard in the deathcore genre. Listen to "The Dining Dead" if you want to hear a song on this album, it's probably the best one. In final, this band could be decent live and on their next recordings could actually make a good turn around, and they have the ability, so lets see what they do next. They have since called it quits (R.I.P.)

Genre: Deathcore/Progressive/Hardcore

Release Date: February 9th, 2011

Location: London, Ontario

Label: None