Album Review: Walls Within – After the Dawn

Marking a new chapter in the band’s journey, Albuquerque, NM’s Walls Within is set to release their latest offering, “After the Dawn,” early in 2016.

“After the Dawn” marks a change not only in the band’s line up, but also their sound, and it’s evident that the two are linked. Their previous release, “WWII,” (read my review here) had a pretty solid industrial influence to it, and while “After the Dawn” carries over the tempo and weight of that album, it definitely takes the band in a new sonic direction.

A lot of that comes directly from the change in vocalists–the new vocalist for Walls Within, Jesska, has a very controlled, almost restrained style that is reminiscent of Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia, and the new tunes follow right along with that vibe. There’s some emotive aggression on this album that wasn’t on the last release, even while carrying the last album’s overall tone.

If I had to point out anything ‘wrong’ with “After the Dawn,” I’d have to say that it feels too ‘safe’. It’s a solid set of rock tunes that stays true to what the band has previously released in terms of general feel, but I get the sense that there’s some real potential not being realized in what the band can do, in particular with Jeska’s vocals–I’d love to hear what she’d do with a producer who pushed her out of her comfort zone.

Overall, Walls Within isn’t pushing any boundaries with this album, staying within what could be considered the wall of their own comfort zones. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though–these guys know what they’re good at and are doing it. And they’re doing it well, and the criticisms I’ve offered are as much influenced by my own preferences (I like things a little more uptempo) as they are by my personal enjoyment of this band.

This is definitely an album for fans of bands like Lacuna Coil, offering that almost-atmospheric gothic rock element that make it a good soundtrack for a dimly-lit, wine and smoke-filled Saturday night, and worth checking out when it drops next year.

Wall Within is: Anthony Romero- Drums/Percussion; Chris Mattson- Bass/Vocals; Nathan Joseph- Guitar , Vocals; Jeska- Vocals

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PSA: Black Metal Is Glam Metal

Eat a Snickers.

Your Scene Sucks And It’s YOUR Fault – Part VII: “Fests”

Your Scene Sucks & It’s Your Fault

I was gonna do a longer write up on why so-called “fests” are bad for the scene, outlining what’s wrong with them in all the gory details, but I think I’m gonna keep this short and sweet, and let the following graphic do most of the talking for me. I’m not going to insult your intelligence. You know what’s wrong with local “fests” and how they hurt the bands in the local scene. We all know about these monstrosities and the assholes that put them on. Fests are the “thing to do” these days, but they’re nothing more than aborted efforts to make a scene seem bigger and better than it really is, all too often while taking advantage of the local bands and offering nothing new to the local fans. We’ve all seen it: they don’t draw, they’re poorly organized, promoted, and run. Anyway…. here ya go:

MegaUltraAwesomeFest

Rob’s Rants – Your Scene Sucks & It’s YOUR Fault – Part VI: The Scene (Elitism)

Your Scene Sucks & It’s Your Fault

The Scene, the Scene.

Ah yes, “The Scene.”

Everyone talks about “the scene.” For some, it seems, “the scene” has become a sort of dirty phrase, being frowned upon with some sort of bullshit hipster elitism, as if suddenly it’s uncool to be part of a scene anymore. It’s almost like people need to be so “different” and “individual” that they need to stigmatize words and core concepts in order to do so. Vain attempts at trying to stand out, if you ask me. But since you did ask me (no, I know you didn’t, but here you are reading this, so I consider that your invitation of my opinion), elitist hipster attitudes have no place in metal, and are in fact counter to the very core of what metal is. But whatever. To each their own.

Rob’s Rants – Your Scene Sucks And It’s Your Fault – Episode V: Fans

Your Scene Sucks & It’s Your Fault

Episode V: Fans

I can see it now, the backlash:

What the fuck did you just say, Rob?

How DARE YOU blame the fans!! That’s fucked up!

Yeah, it is. And anyone who’s had one of these conversations with me about this stuff has also heard me say that you DON’T attack the fanbase. EVER. That said…

The thing about a scene is that it’s a mismatched collection of several moving parts, each of which having responsibility for both making the scene go, but also grow. And when a scene stagnates, suffers, dies, or struggles, each of those parts plays some role in that. And that’s ultimately what this series of articles has been about, and while I’m loathe to do it, to address these things responsibly, I have to address ALL of them. And yes, that means pointing fingers at the fans too.

There are basically two types of fans in a music scene: those who go to shows, and those who don’t. Those of you who go to shows–it’s less your fault that your scene sucks. Those who don’t…. well…. do I even need to say it?

Let’s break this down a little further though, starting with fans that go to shows. You go to local shows in your scene on a somewhat regular basis (let’s say, once a month or so, just to establish a baseline of ‘regular’)? AWESOME! You rock! We love you! Seriously. We love you, man. No, no, it’s cool. Really. We… okay. Enough with the hugging. Now it’s getting creepy.

Sorry. Back on topic. The fans that go to shows also probably help spread the word about shows. They talk to each other about who’s playing when and where, and who is worth going to see live. But they also know who isn’t worth seeing live, and just like venues and promoters, talk about the bands with the bad reps. In other words, the fans that come out to shows are both a band’s best source of PR and also your worst nightmare. These folks tend to run in packs, they all know each other, and they tend to go to the same shows, because they’ve established a sense of community among themselves. And when it comes to scene building, THEY are your foundation. Because without them, the bands are busy playing group rehearsals to each other. Sadly though, these fans are often outnumbered by the other kind of show-going fans (the dudes in the bands playing that night). But at least they’re there, and we love them (YOU) for that.

And then there are the fans who don’t go to shows. The fans who complain about a lack of a scene, how no one supports it, how no one goes to shows, and they talk about “the good old days” of the scene, reminiscing about how much better it was ten or twenty years ago, not that they went to shows then, either; or, they talk about how much better the scene in some other city/market is, and they wish they could move (back) there, where there are “real” musicians and bands, and everyone supports everyone and there’s no drama and blah blah blah blah fucking blah. They say things like that because they don’t actually know what the scene is like. BECAUSE THEY DON’T GO TO SHOWS. They sit around on their asses on Friday and Saturday nights, living minutes from any number of venues that have any number of bands of all types playing, complaining about how there’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to hang with, and no good music to listen to. Their Xbox or YouTube or Pornhub and a 2-liter of Mountain Dew and a bag of Doritos and a box of Kleenex keeps them company for the weekend, while they perfect their Internet Warrior skills and leveling up in Troll. These are the ‘fans’ who complain about everything that’s wrong with a scene, but do NOTHING to be part of the solution. And to them I say:

Shut the fuck up, get out of your mom’s basement, go to a show, and use your right arm for something other than jerking yourself off–like throwing horns.

Be part of the solution instead of the problem: SUPPORT YOUR SCENE.

But Rob! I don’t like any of the bands that are playing tonight! Not my style of music! They suck!

Okay. That’s fair. No one expects you to go a local show and pay money to see a bunch of bands you don’t like just to “support local music.” I get it. I don’t want to do that either. And trust me, I spend enough time with the radio gig dealing with music I don’t want to listen to that I really don’t want to spend a Friday or Saturday night listening to bands that either suck or I just don’t like. But the thing is… most bills have at least one band that I do like, whether it’s because the guys in the band are my friends, or actually really do like their music. But most bills also usually have at least one or two bands I’ve not seen live or heard before (here’s where I’m going to point out that -especially- at the local level, it’s not really fair to judge a band on the quality of their recording–chances are, they are vastly different live, and probably better, especially if they have a low quality demo they’re pushing). And to me, that’s worth $5 and a couple beers. Worst case scenario, you go check out a band that you’ve never seen live or never heard of at all, and they suck. So you’re out a few bucks but you got out of the house and actually built some street cred from which to go back to your Internet trolling with. Best case scenario? You discover something new and cool, make a couple new friends, and have something new to listen to.

I’m gonna bring up a point that’s recurred throughout this article series–promotion. I hear time and again from fans that they don’t know shows are happening. On some level, I’m willing to go out on a limb and give them that, because let’s face it: most bands, venues, and “promoters” suck at this part of the game. But at the same time, it’s really NOT THAT HARD to get on Facebook and find out what’s happening in your local area on any given weekend. I mean, seriously–if you can quote every dank meme coming off Reddit, or know what obscure YouTube video is trending on any given day of the week, you really have no excuse for not knowing what shows are happening in your area. People involved in shows have the responsibility of putting the info out there, but people who claim to be fans have the responsibility of knowing where to look for it. It’s a two-way street.

I wanna get back to another point: “The Good Old Days.” Let me tell you what the real good old days were. Social media was tape-trading and CD-swapping and interacting in person in physical space. Going to shows just because there was a show happening. Just to see who was playing. Just to see who would be there. The only reason those things aren’t around anymore is because you’re too lazy to actually get out of your chair, pull your pants up from around your ankles, and make it happen.

I read an article recently about how fans who do go shows spend the majority of their time staring at their smartphones, largely because they’re busy recording video of the show instead of actually experiencing it. The YouTube generation hasn’t been taught how to embrace the live musical experience, but that falls somewhat on the shoulders of folks like me who are a little older and remember going to concerts before we had smartphones. I’m just as guilty of being busy taking pics and video with my phone (part of my job with the station and venue), but I also know that sometimes I just need to look at the bands with my own two eyes instead of through a couple inches of LED screen. The thing about those fans who do this?

At least they’re at the show.

All this business about “SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC” is well and good, but the fact is that most of the people repeating that mantra do it comfortably from the safety of their keyboards. They’re afraid to take chances. They’re afraid to go out and DO something, to be SEEN, and to otherwise interact with real people in a real environment–that environment we call “The Scene.” Keyboard activism has its place, I suppose (I mean, c’mon… what the fuck do you think I’m doing right now, with this article and blog? Yes, I get and appreciate the irony of it….except…oh, wait for it, I GO TO SHOWS! 😉  ), but it’s also the crutch of the lazy and fearful. Oh, yeah, I just said that. Let me restate it, for a little clarity:

“Fans” who don’t go to shows, but relentlessly pound away on their keyboards bitching about how much their local scene sucks are LAZY COWARDS.

If I have to explain that, then you should probably go back and reread the paragraphs preceding it. Actually, if you need that statement explained to you…

…your scene sucks, and it’s YOUR fault.

Rob’s Rants – Your Scene Sucks And It’s Your Fault – Episode IV: Pay-To-Play

Your Scene Sucks & It’s Your Fault

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these (because I’m a slacker, which means that my scene sucks and it’s my fault), and if you go back to September, you’ll recall that the last one was about “promoters.” Truth be told, that one caused a bit of a stir, and I had some people pretty pissed at me over some of the things I said, which I took as a sign of success. The reality is that if I’m pissing you off with the things I say in these little write ups, then there’s a good chance you’re probably part of the problem, which is only reinforcing the notion that “your scene sucks and it’s your fault.”

Review: Walls Within – WWII

Rising up out of the New Mexico desert comes Albuquerque’s Walls Withina four-piece metal outfit, offering up a meaty, heavy set with their album, ‘WWII.’

Rob’s Rants: Your Scene Sucks And It’s Your Fault: Episode III: “Promoters”

Your Scene Sucks & It’s Your Fault

There’s a phenomena in the music industry of this thing called the “promoter.” Supposedly, these are people and organizations whose function in the industry is to promote concerts by working to advertise and bring mass media awareness of those concerts to the markets relevant to that concert. Promoters often double as booking agents, and especially in the local and regional scenes, it’s the “promoters” who also book the concerts they are supposed to be promoting. In other words, someone wants to throw a show, often under the guise of an organization–“Metal Union” for (a fictional) example–that touts itself as a promoter or promotions company. MU arranges venue, sound, lights, staff, and books the bands for the concert, is supposedly responsible for actually promoting the show. This is the part where MU forgets, or completely misunderstands the “promote” part.

Rob’s Rants: Episode II – No One Cares About Your Band, And It’s Your Fault

Your Scene Sucks & It’s Your Fault

No one gives a shit about your band.

No, really.

NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOUR BAND.

AND IT’S YOUR FAULT.

Devastation In Midwesthell

I’m a day late in posting this one, for which I’d apologize, but hey, better late than never, right?

Last weekend I attended the Circle Pit Conservative’s Devastation Fest 2 in Anderson, IN, a day-long offering of some of Indiana’s best and most brutal metal bands. This show could pretty much be considered a who’s-who of the Indiana metal scene, with long roots in the local scene, going all they back to the 80’s, as well as representing the uniting forces of Midwesthell, with people in attendance and otherwise supporting from The Forge, The Doom Room, Midwesthell Melodies, Hert Promotions, and of course, the CPC guys. It was much more than just a bunch of bands coming together to honor and memorialize two of our scene’s recently departed (Jason McCash of The Gates of Slumber, and Tom Ball of Radiation Sickness), it was also a message to the scene at large that Midwesthell is here, we are a force, and things are changing.

Lawbringer @ Devastation Fest 2 6/21/1

[Photo Credit: SickenDesigns]

The show was great. Solid line up of bands that included AnarchAtecture, Lawbringer, Legion, Born Under Burden, Armored Assault, Necrophagus, We’d Be, and the aforementioned Radiation Sickness. Every single band threw down, and they threw down hard. It was unadulterated brutality, and I can’t help but wonder if seismographs weren’t registering the moment, that’s how heavy it was. The sound, despite being an absolutely -minimal- set up (only the vocals and the kick drums were mic’d–everything else was raw straight from the stage), was perfect; it was loud, in your face, and captured every band’s sound the way they deserved to be. The venue was an AmVets Post, with a stage that was accessible, and made it partly a floor show, which Lawbringer did 100% of the way. Nick Maxon of We’d Be was busy in the pit with the fans when he wasn’t handling his vocal lines during their set, and the fans were able to get right up and interact with every band.

That said, I have some thoughts, and some of them relate to my post from Sunday about the Outhouse United show last Friday at Centerstage.

I’m personally not a fan of all day fests–there’s nothing wrong with them necessarily, it’s just my thing. Maybe I’m old, maybe I’m just not ‘trve cvlt’ enough, maybe… I just suck. For me, there’s a simple fact: while I loved every band and am a fan of all of them, as a radio guy, I spend HOURS a day listening to music. Not just passively, like the average listener, but actively, both as a musician and as part of my job in screening music for airplay as well as from a critical standpoint as a reviewer. This means that my ears get tired, and sometimes I just need a break. ‘Fest’ shows are even more taxing for me when every band on them sounds similar enough that at a certain point it’s difficult to distinguish them from each other–I’m one of those guys that needs variety to stay engaged, and I dare say that with the exception of those fans that are super hardcore about their favorite genres, this applies to most fans. I don’t have hard numbers to back this opinion up, only observation: it’s been my experience that the shows that do best are the ones that feature bands with enough difference between each other that the listener can stay engaged because they don’t feel like they’re hearing the same thing over and over for hours on end.

Another issue I have is set lengths–very few ‘local’ (or even ‘regional’) bands have the kind of draw and holding power to need to play hour-long sets, and at an all-day show, by the third or fourth band, those hour sets start to feel a lot longer, especially if there’s little differentiation from one band to the next. Again, some of this is personal preference, but some of it comes from my time in the scene, both on stage and from simple observation: all but the most dedicated and committed (committable?) fans tend to get bored pretty quick. At shows with large audiences, this is less the case, because a mob mentality takes over, and let’s face it: we ALL thrive on the energy of being there, being part of the masses, being part of the bigger picture. But at smaller shows, the energy is different, because there are fewer people to sustain it, and if just a few people need to take a break, it’s much more noticeable and there are fewer people to make up for it.

Interestingly enough, this creates a vicious cycle: Promoters are, rightly so, of the mindset that they should be billing every show like it’s going to be the biggest, baddest show around (if they’re not, they’re not doing their job). But when the attendance isn’t what they planned for, they tend to feel let down, by the scene that they feel didn’t support them, but also because they feel that they let down the bands they promised a great show to. Promoters get that difficult job of trying to sell something not knowing how it’s really going to turn out, especially if they’re working at the local level, and I don’t envy them that. However, there has to be some kind of balance struck between planning for what’s most likely to happen (smaller shows with lower attendance) and what we all hope to achieve (bigger shows with packed houses). It’s a tough job to be sure, and I don’t envy the guys that are trying to make it happen; in fact, I applaud them, and I fully support them, and will do so however I can–such as I did at this show when I was asked to MC it.

I think that part of the problem some promoters have is that they get an early taste of success and start reaching too far too fast, expecting more than they really know is realistic. They put the work in, but they lose sight of the market they’re working in, and instead of building shows around that market, they reach for the stars, hoping for that magic moment, and when it doesn’t happen the way they had hoped it would, they’re naturally disappointed.

Devastation Fest had an audience turn out that was disappointing to the promoters, and I say that only because they have been pretty vocal about it themselves on social media. Dan and Nate are guys I know, and they’re good guys trying to do a good thing for a scene that they love and want to see life return to, and I completely empathize with their feelings about the turn out. We ALL want big shows with packed houses for local shows… but the scene isn’t ready for that yet. Not because people don’t want it, but because people are afraid to be the ones taking chances. Dan and Nate took a chance on creating one of these shows, and while it didn’t turn out the way they might have hoped, the show itself was a resounding success, because the people that were there and the bands that played bought into it. They took what was given to them and made it theirs. They owned it. As they should have. The people that weren’t there only know about what they missed because those who were there have made it a point to say publicly how awesome it was.

Because it was awesome.

Every show has something about it that could be done better. Every show has something that goes wrong. Me? I’ll take a low-attendance show as the ‘problem’ with a concert any day over technical difficulties, a band bailing, or anything else like that. They key is taking the sum total of all the things that happened, and weighing them against each other. And no matter what could have been better, Devastation Fest 2 -was- a success, and I expect that next year it will only be that much better.