Breaking Benjamin Diary of Jane Review

Breaking Benjamin is a fairly controversial band among rockers and metal heads.  To some people, they are a decent rock band, while others see them as posers that were just part of a trend.  Whatever you think of the band, they are one of the most successful bands of the 2000's and still have a good career going today.  Where as a lot of other bands of the 2000's have faded, such as Trapt, Three Days Grace, and Seether, Breaking Benjamin has still been able to maintain a decent following.  In my opinion, this band was at their best when they came out with "Diary of Jane". 

Musically, this is one of the heaviest songs of their discography.  It starts out with a soft, slow build up that then breaks out into a heavy, hard hitting intro.  While the instrumental work in this song isn't the most impressive I've ever heard, it is still pretty good.  It has a good energy and the guitar work really hooks you.  Benjamin Burnley's vocals work very well in this song.  His deep voice really works well with the lower tuned guitar and he is able to really carry the song.  One of the things that I consider a flaw in this song is the guitar solo before the bridge.  In my opinion the guitar solo was too short and not a lot was done with it.  It wasn't awful but it was short and not executed to the best it could be.  This isn't a huge fault though and it doesn't kill the song for me musically.  

The songs lyrics are about wanting to be in a relationship.  The message of the song is about someone who is in love with a girl but she is not in love with him.  The entire song is basically telling a story of how this man is trying to win her love even though she is not interested in him.  I must say, that the lyrics of this song are constructed very well.  The phrases are well executed and they have a good flow. Overall, the band did a great job with this song lyrically. 

With good music and lyrics that flow like a story, this is one of the best songs that this band has ever made.  The heavy guitar hooks you and the lyrics are really catchy and tell an interesting story.  While people believe that these guys are not worth paying attention to, they have to at least give them credit for this song.  With "Diary of Jane" they proved that they were a talented band with huge potential, and it explains why they still have appeal today, even though so many other bands of their time have faded.  I give"Diary of Jane" a 4 out of 5. 

Linkin Park One Step Closer Review

Sadly, we lost the great Chester Bennington yesterday. He committed suicide by hanging himself.  His death has shocked not just the rock and metal scene, but the entire music scene as a whole.  Chester had written many of the classic so gas Linkin Park has produced but of my favorite songs from this legendary band is One Step Closer.

Musically this is one of the heaviest songs of the bands catalog. The guitar in the intro is intense and one you can't help but to head bang to.  Then Chester's voice comes in.  This song really demonstrates Chester's vocal talent and show cases the range he has.  Durint the verse he gives a very he gives a very mysterious, dark sounding voice. Then in the chorus he busts out those long loud notes that he is able to hold for a good amount of time.  Some people don't know hard it is to hold notes that long, that trully a very talented skill to have as a singer.  

Lyically this is a very dark song.  The lyrics convey the mindset of someone who is being talked down to by other people.  How the anger builds up from people being condescending towards you and how people struggle to hold in that anger.  I really loves this song lyrically because not only does it come from a real place, but this is a topic a lot of people can relate to.

With great guitar riffs, great lyrics, and Chester's fantastic vocals this was a great debut song for Linkin Park and would play a huge role to secure the bands place in music.  Chester without a doubt played the biggest part in this songs rise to fame with his amazing vocals.  He was a great singer and will be remembered as a great singer for all time.  Thanks for all the great music you gave the world Chester, RIP.  I give One Step Closer a 5 out of 5.

Top 5 Metal Covers of Pop Songs

When it comes to pop music and metal most people think the two genres don't mix.  Many pop fans say that metal is loud angry music that sounds obnoxious.  Many metal fans say that pop music is sellout music that is for making money and has no soul.  However, this hasn't stopped some metal musicians from taking famous pop songs and putting their own spin on them.  Here are my top 5 metal covers of pop songs.

5. PonPonPon by 331 ERock 

ERock is a YouTube metal guitar player who normally puts a metal spin on video game and anime songs. This time, he did a cover on the famed Jpop  song from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and delivered a great instrumental cover.  He does a great job on hitting the right notes on his guitar playing to remind what he is covering, but he also throws in a good amount of his own solo's and parts that makes the song his own.  If you want to get this song, it is available on ITunes.  He also has tabs for this song you can buy if you are interested in learning how to play this.  

4. Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Alien Ant Farm's cover of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal is considered one of the best covers of all time.  Many people have even said that this version is better than the original.  While that claim is up for debate, to deny that this is a great cover is being dishonest.  Alien Ant Farm not only added a nu metal sound to the song, but by doing that they also added a lot more energy to the song.  Alien Ant Farm really succeeded in keeping the song sounding fun, but by adding heavy guitar and a more energetic chorus they really makes this song unique from the original.  This song is available everywhere from ITunes, to CD Baby, to Amazon, get it.

3.  A Thousand Miles by Cole Rolland

Cole Rolland is another YouTube musician who has put a metal spin on many different kinds of songs.  One of my favorite from him is his cover of A Thousand Miles originally done by Venessa  Carlton. Cole's guitar playing is great and really captures the melody of the original well.  The way he plays the song by adding a metal sound and adding his own parts to it really makes this song his own.  The way he executes the melodies is really impressive, making this one song I highly recommend.  This song is available on ITunes and if featured on Spotify as well.  

2. Lollipop by Framing Hanley

 

This a true case of a band taking a song and truly making it their own.  This is a case where you can listen to both versions of the song and they sound almost nothing like each other.  Framing Hanley replaces almost all the rap and hip hop with melodic vocals and replacing the drum machine and looping music with a hard rock, metal sound that really makes this cover different from the original.  While the cover is obviously no where near as popular as the original, this song is still worth listening to.  Check it out on YouTube or Spotify and if you like it, buy it of ITunes, Ebay, or Amazon.

1. Imagine by A Perfect Circle

With this song, A Perfect Circle took the peace sounding Imagine by John Lennon and turned it into an eerie, creepy song that makes you feel more like your in a horror movie than a peaceful paradise.  While John Lennon set his version in a potential paradise on Earth, A Perfect Circle chose to focus more on the problems going on in the world and the horrors of those problems.  The message may be the same in both versions but the way that message is presented could not be more different and that is what makes this such a great cover.  Not only did the band manage to take this song and make it their own, but they were also able to change the presentation of the message as well, which is not common in covers.  This song is available on ITunes, Ebay, Amazon, and many other cites, don't wait, buy it.  

Disciple Dive Review

Disciple is a Christian Metal band from Tennessee that formed in 1992.  They have since gone on to release 10 albums and win many dove awards.  Disciple is a pretty diverse sound with some songs sounding like metal core, new metal, and even southern rock.  I discovered Disciple through Pandora Radio many years ago and have since looked deeper and deeper into their catalog.  Since then I have come across my favorite song from the band, Dive.

Dive is a song with great heavy energy that really makes you want to head bang to.  Right out the gate you get that awesome heavy guitar riff that carries into the verse.  The verse in this song does a pattern of a break in the energy and then brings it right back.  This leads to the melodic pre chorus that sets you up for one of the best choruses I have heard in metal.  The chorus continues with the heavy, energetic guitar and is lead with very powerful sounding vocal work.  Vocally, singer Kevin Young does a fantastic job.  He carries every section well and gives it his all in every portion of the song to really help communicate the songs message well.  He is a very powerful singer who is real and you can hear it in his vocals, which I always appreciate in a singer.  Brad Noah does great guitar work as well.  Like I said, the opening riff is great and the heavy guitar in the chorus sounds amazing.  His guitar solo is simple but still sounds good and works well with the song. 

Lyrically I love the authenticity of this song.  Dive is lyrically about being in a rough spot and having that determination to rise above your obstacles, issues, and problems to come out better.  It is a good, motivational song to build morale and determination to make you want to keep going no matter what you are going through.  I really like songs that acknowledge hardships in life and overcoming those obstacles and this song delivers that message very well. 

This is that really have a ton going for it.  Great music, great energy, powerful vocals, and powerful, authentic lyrics.  This I love this song, and would even put in my top 5 favorite metal songs of all time.  Kevin Young does a great job on vocals and Brad Noah's guitar work is impressive.  This song is available on ITunes, and it is a must buy.  If you are a metal head get it, if you like Christian music get it, if you are going through a rough spot you need to buy this song.  With all this, I give Dive a 5 out of 5.  

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Let Me Hear Review

Fear and Loathing is a very interesting band musically.  They range from electronica metal, to flat out hardcore metal.  This gives the band a sound that is very unique and something you really don't here out of too many other bands.  Their unique style has propelled Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to fame in Japan and has helped them achieve a good size audience among other metal lovers around the world.  Their songs are featured in many anime shows, like their Just Awake song as the ending in the Hunter X Hunter anime, and this one as the opening for the Parasyte anime.  Considering all this, it is hard for me not to want to talk about one of their songs.

Musically, there is a lot going on in this song.  First thing I want to point out is the guitar playing of Sxun and Taiki in this song.  It has a good heavy sound that really gives the song a good energetic boost.  The keyboard playing of Keisuke Minami are also pretty good and is part of that electronica feel that I mentioned earlier. When it comes to the vocals, I like the singing melody of the clean vocalist, So Takeda.  My one criticism of  his singing is the fact that he is singing the entire song in auto tune.  I think the song would be fine without it from my perspective.  However,  I do believe that he does it for the electronic feel and I will give him credit for at least not trying to hide it like many other artists have done.  He is basically using it as an instrument.  The composition of this song is the most interesting thing about this song.  Through out the song they go trough many types of metal and music genres.  At first it is an electronic metal song, then goes into new metal, to metal core, back to the electronic style, and ends with metal core once more.  Even though it changes the tone often, it actually works.  The transitions are executed very well and the song doesn't feel choppy which very hard to pull off if you are going to do a song like this, but these guys did it very well.  

Lyrically, this song works pretty well for the anime it is attached to.  Lyrically this song is about humanity believing that it is superior on Earth and taking it for granted.  It's about finding out humanity's real place and purpose in the world.  This matches the Parasyte anime theme perfectly and is very effective in portraying the anime's message.  However, outside the anime, the song lyrics don't really stand out all that much. The lyrics are not bad, but for a song that is as musically driven as this one they are not that notable.  

While the lyrics may not stand out that much, the music certainly does.  With the deep heavy guitar and the interesting musical transitions this is defiantly one of the more interesting songs I have heard.  The band did not take a traditional route musically and really experimented with song transitions that you really haven't seen anywhere else except some prog metal.  For their different song structure and successfully making that structure sound good, I give this song a 4.5 out of 5.