DAILY RECORDS : The Drums, Heaven Shall Burn, & Monster Violence

by | Jun 21, 2010 | MUSIC

The DrumsSelf-titled (Moshi Moshi/Island)
The Drums veer between early 80s postpunk/New Wave and early-2000s hipster imitation. Specific comparisons from the more recent camp: Bloc Party; Phoenix; Peter, Bjorn and John. Some songs are kinda catchy, but they don’t inspire repeated listens as the aforementioned bands did. Halfway decent, but only halfway.

Heaven Shall Burn – Invictus (Century Media)
The latest from these German metal warriors has an excellent production sound, with particularly brutal vocals. Unfortunately, their continual reliance on mid-paced riffing makes the songs blend together after a while. One song on a mix will sound great, but the album as a whole will tax attention spans.


photo by Amanda Gold

Monster Violence – Parasites (myspace.com/monsterviolence)
Local kids mix Genghis Tron’s synth-grind style with Job For A Cowboy’s death-metalcore. The clean vocals cry out for pitch-correction, and the growly vocals are also pretty obnoxious, but the music has some merit. They haven’t transcended mediocrity yet, but the potential to do so is there.

The DrumsSelf-titled (Moshi Moshi/Island)
The Drums veer between early 80s postpunk/New Wave and early-2000s hipster imitation. Specific comparisons from the more recent camp: Bloc Party; Phoenix; Peter, Bjorn and John. Some songs are kinda catchy, but they don’t inspire repeated listens as the aforementioned bands did. Halfway decent, but only halfway.

Heaven Shall Burn – Invictus (Century Media)
The latest from these German metal warriors has an excellent production sound, with particularly brutal vocals. Unfortunately, their continual reliance on mid-paced riffing makes the songs blend together after a while. One song on a mix will sound great, but the album as a whole will tax attention spans.


photo by Amanda Gold

Monster Violence – Parasites (myspace.com/monsterviolence)
Local kids mix Genghis Tron’s synth-grind style with Job For A Cowboy’s death-metalcore. The clean vocals cry out for pitch-correction, and the growly vocals are also pretty obnoxious, but the music has some merit. They haven’t transcended mediocrity yet, but the potential to do so is there.

R. Anthony Harris

R. Anthony Harris

In 2005, I created RVA Magazine, and I'm still at the helm as its publisher. From day one, it’s been about pushing the “RVA” identity, celebrating the raw creativity and grit of this city. Along the way, we’ve hosted events, published stacks of issues, and, most importantly, connected with a hell of a lot of remarkable people who make this place what it is. Catch me at @majormajor____




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