Face Time Police – The Definition of Deviation EP
Self-Released

(3.5/5)

When looking at music today, it’s easy to find music that can be labeled in multiple styles, but no bands that truly transcend genres as the “Pop Macchiato” (Pop music marked or “stained” with other elements) band, Face Time Police with their new EP entitled The Definition of Deviation! Honestly, there’s no true way to explain this EP without including some version of the word “diverse”. Each of the five tracks brings out a different style including a sort of bouncy Pop-Rock track, a thumping club mix, an acoustic ballad, etc. In my extensive arsenal of music, I have NEVER heard a band that changes so much. It really takes “play what you want to play” to a whole different level. However, it pays off; this album is great! Out of the five tracks recorded on this album, my I really enjoy “None of the Below” (Track 1), “Nothing Left to Break” (Track 3), and “Of Man and Monster” (Track 5) the most. These three tracks seem to be the ones that fit well together with “None of the Below” being a pretty heavy/bouncy Alternative Pop song, “Nothing Left to Break” being the heartfelt acoustic ballad, and “Of Man and Monster” an Alternative-Punk-Metal mix. With this mix (plus the club thumping song “Seashells” and the Alternative Hip-hop track “Minute Made”), FTP is really freeing themselves of categorization and limitation. This is a smart move as far as I’m concerned.

Overall, liking 3/5 of the songs makes The Definition of Deviation a great EP in my mind. FTP have proven to be a great band with a lot of potential! On a side note, I have some extra respect for this band because they are a 100% DIY band. These guys write all of their music, record all of their own music, design the logos, they produce their own stuff, they do all the marketing, shoot and edit their own music videos…everything. Honestly, this is the first band I’ve heard that does EVERYTHING by themselves, and I commend them for it.

DevilDriver – Pray for Villains
Roadrunner Records

(4.5/5)

The masters of Groove metal, DevilDriver, are back with their fourth full length album entitled Pray for Villains, and it could be their heaviest yet! With the regular version of the album weighing in with 13 tracks and the Special Edition bringing 17 tracks, Pray for Villains is a great example of why DevilDriver is one of the two main bands that got me into newer Metal. To be honest, I don’t even know where to really begin to describe how great this album is. It really just brings together the perfect combination of classic DevilDriver groove and pure heaviness presented by the great teamwork of the guitarists Jeff Kendrick and Mike Spreitzer, bassist Jon Miller, drummer John Boecklin, and the intense vocals of Dez Fafara, topping everything off. Some great examples that show this combination are “Pray for Villains” (Track 1/Title track), “Pure Sincerity” (Track 2), “Forgiveness Is a Six Gun” (Track 7), and “Another Night in London” (Track 10). These are just four examples, but that killer combo is found throughout the entire album. As far as favorite tracks go, I have to go with the last track from the Special Edition, “Wasted Years”. This song is excellent for anyone, such as myself, who is an Iron Maiden fan as well as a DevilDriver fan since it is a cover of that great Iron Maiden song from Somewhere in Time (the original copy of this cover appeared on Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden). Overall, I love this album and I’d suggest it to any Metal fan despite whether you’re a previous DevilDriver fan or if you’re just getting into them!

brokeNCYDE – I’m Not a Fan…But the Kids Like It!
BreakSilence Records

(2.5/5)

There’s an old expression that goes “never judge a book by its cover”. This expression can be slightly altered to go along with brokeNCYDE’s debut album entitled I’m Not a Fan…But the Kids Like It! by saying “never judge a band by their cover”. By the looks of the members of this “band”, I assumed that they were a typical Emo/Alternative or Metalcore/Hardcore band. Boy was I wrong. This full-length album is my first look into a crossover style of music I had only heard about, but never heard (until now) called “Crunkcore”. Crunkcore combines Hip-Hop with Hardcore or Screamo in a very interesting style that I’m still not sure if I dig it or not. On an overall level, I think the album is pretty decent with it’s good beats and the rhymes fit the beats well, but the screaming style of rapping going on makes it a bit awkward for someone like me who likes Metal and Metalcore where screaming is incorporated with heavy guitar riffs, double bass, and breakdowns. Obviously, there’s something to this group because rapper Daddy-X is featured in the song “Get Up” (Track 8 ) and rapper E-40 is featured in the song “Booty Call” (Track 5). All in all, if you think mixing Hardcore and Rap while throwing in a bit of Electronica in the mix, brokeNCYDE’s debut album I’m Not a Fan, But the Kids Like It! is a great addition to your collection of music.