Band: The Word Alive
Album: Deceiver
Year: 2010
Label: Fearless Records
Myspace

Score: 6,5/10
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After previously releasing two EP’s, ‘The Word Alive’ have finally gotten a full-length together.
Like ‘Miss May I’ and ‘Woe, Is Me’, ‘The Word Alive’ have been very hyped recently – probably because ‘Deceiver’ has been under production for over two years and it’s their first full-length to date. The big question is if the hype do them justice. Let’s dive deeper into the subject.
Like ‘Miss May I’’s new release ‘Monument’, ‘Deceiver’ starts off heavy, with ‘The Hounds Of Anubis’. Honestly, the first few seconds give me a slight black metal-vibe with the eerie keys in the background, but it quickly turns into the metalcore it is. Tyler’s screams are powerful, the drumming is fast and intense – and a minute twenty seconds into the song you hear a somewhat unique legato-riff that I really like. ‘The Hounds Of Anubis’ turns out to be one of the few good songs on the record.

Band: Woe, Is Me
Album: Number[s]
Year: 2010
Label: Velocity Records/Rise Records
Myspace

Score: 8,5/10
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There’s been a lot of fuzz regarding Woe, Is Me lately. Mostly because it’s an up-and-coming metalcore-band partly signed to Rise Records – one of the biggest labels out there in this scene. Bands signed to Rise usually have a very crowd-friendly sound to themselves, and Woe, Is Me is no exception.
Something new with Number[s] is that it’s marked as the first record where Velocity Records are in partnership with Rise Records.

Band: The Devil Wears Prada
Album: Zombie EP
Year: 2010
Label: Ferret Music
Myspace

Score: 8/10
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After With Roots Above and Branches Below, expectations of future The Devil Wears Prada releases were high. Having established a world-wide network of fans and toured for a long time, the band, centered around vocalist Mike Hranica, decided to take a few weeks to record a five-track EP. The result of this was the Zombie EP, which is a conceptual EP whose themes deal with zombie warfare. For those of you who saw the pre-release trailer on their Myspace, anticipation must have been high – especially for fans of music that ranges heavier than TDWP’s previous records.

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Bands: 50 Lions, Grave Maker, Antagonist A.D., Guilty
Date: 2010-08-19 @ Klubb 43, Stockholm, Sweden

First of all, it’s a huge difference between going to a hardcore show and going to a metalcore show, I tell you. Instead of all these kids ruining the show with their bad demeanour, the audience is a lot more mature and grown up. Just wanted to point it out.

Band: Miss May I
Album: Monument
Year: 2010
Label: Rise Records
Myspace

Score: 7/10
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I remember falling in love with Miss May I’s cover of Swing, originally performed by Savage, back in 2008. At that time, Miss May I wasn’t very widely known. However, they really started making a name for themselves following their first full length, Apologies Are For The Weak, which sold over 20,000 copies over just a year. Their sophomore record, Monument, will most likely be nothing short of their previous success.
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Date: 2010-08-12 @ Brewhouse, Gothenburg, Sweden

Last year, Gothenburg metalcore-quintet Eburnia won the annual Partillerocken music-competition. This last Thursday they were playing NEMIS’ stage at Brewhouse during the Kulturkalaset-festival. Eburnia started off with a heavy beat to get the crowd pumped up, and how it worked! From the first song, I’ll Follow You Home, Maybe Your Brother’s Got a PlayStation off their newly recorded EP, the crowd doesn’t miss a beat – They’re up for anything. It sure has to be an awesome feeling playing for a crowd that knows all the lyrics, every guitar-riff and who aren’t afraid to bring the party to the floor.