Her Death and After - Demos

It seems I get more and more legit band requests on my myspace every day. While I am glad that I am finding more bands worth the time to listen to and even review, I still get hit with the frequently horrible band that shouldn't be around, or at least shouldn't have posted a song on myspace until they could have had a better recording quality. Seriously, a quick note to all those bands starting out - I know you want to get your music out there and share it, but it shouldn't be a live session in your drummer's basement, which is recorded with a Rock Band mic hooked up to a laptop with Audacity set up to record.

All that shit aside, a band named Her Death and After added me on myspace. Although I usually don't like band names that pertain to death and such, and it usually turns me away from listening to them, I figured I would give it a shot. Holy shizz up the spout, I am glad I did not skip of these guys.

Killer vocals in each and every song, that are absolutely solid. The vocalist has great diction and is easily understood. Both clean and growls are smooth, and the two vocals mix well together, as opposed to some bands that have the two ranges of sings and screams clash, they seem to be complimenting each other and actually harmonizing.

And let me state, the breakdown at the end of "I Stand Corrected" near made me piss myself. Absolutely beautifully constructed and put together, nothing sounds off beat or poorly put together. In fact, none of these songs sound half assed. To me, it sounds like if they had a problem while writing one of these songs, or something didn't sound right to them, or not good enough for their standards, they may have gone back and re-wrote part of the song just to make it shred all the better, that or they are just that good.

Seriously, every song I have listened to by these guys is absolutely solid. From breakdowns to sing alongs, these guys cover a lot of ground. Quite honestly, I wish they already had a CD I could put into my car's player, or even a digital album to download onto the eyePod.

Who would I recommend these guys to? I would say fans of A Day to Remember, On the Last Day, Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, Vanna, Catherine, Machinemade God, Silverstein, A Skylit Drive, Alesana...and so on.

























Her Death and After demos - 10 out of 10 zings

Message to band: Honestly, I think you guys are on a whole nother level than I have been hearing lately. You guys can shred like no one else. This is why I gave you my first 10 out of 10. Very comparable to all of my favorite heavy bands, and have a lot of potential to grow as a band and make something of what your passion is, and I honestly hope you guys do. The only other band/album that would get 10 out of 10 is ADTR's "Homesick" (which I have yet to review), and Silverstein's "Discovering the Waterfront" (my favorite album of all time). Seriously, keep it up, and don't give up. You guys have amazing potential.

Its Been a While but Its Time for a Rant

So, it has been a while since I last updated or posted a review, but I wanted to take this time to rant about something as opposed to reviewing something.

It seems more and more common these days that bands are experimenting with synth, all be it from just keys or just plugging their vocals into some sort of music composed on Garage Band while in there room on the MacBook.

I have no problem with progression, and bands experimenting with different aspects of music, but what is with this new fad of every genre having so much synth inputted into it?

We are starting to cross the line from indie/experimental and progressive/powerpop into just plain old techno. Seriously, there is no difference in between what "bands" like Brokencyde, Millionaires, and Breathe Carolina are doing.

I remember when synth was used to add awesome parts to songs, when keys sounded dark and provided mood and power to the song.

There is no point to listening to "indie" or "pop punk" bands that only produce their beats and shit using synth. What the difference between listening to them and say, Britney Spears? Ill tell you, they're 16 year old boys who girls think are "hot". A complete and utter waste of time. Maybe someday they'll step out of their limo and show you their junk with their mini-skirt wearing trans-gender-confused selves.

All I am hoping for, is that this fad will be like boy bands were in the 90s (in which they are practically the same thing).

While I am at it, what the fuck is up with bands synthing their voice as well and using distortion filters on them? Do they suck that bad that not even a normal equalizer will tone their voice to something that won't make your ears bleed? (not that their filter helps that any)

All I am going to leave this at is, people need to realize this isn't talent. You really have no idea how hard bands who don't use these cheesy ass techniques work at making their music sound so amazing, and how they have to work with each other to create great music.

These bands, who know who they are, need to quit while they are ahead. We're tired of your not-quite-good-enough techno and your far from perfect vocals.