While the term “sell out” has been thrown around the music industry for years, it’s never been more true to its meaning than it is today. In the wake of major labels pinching their pennies or dropping like flies, musicians are looking for new ways to get ahead, and luckily, enterprise is right there to help.

While companies like Vans have been doing this shit for years, newer (forward thinking?) companies like Scion (a subsidiary of Toyota) are spreading cash all over the music industry, assumingly to grab a younger, “hipper” audience. Though I will admit, I’m still baffled by their approach.

If I had to guess, I’d say the people signing the checks over at Toyota probably weren’t in the pit while Cannibal Corpse performed Five Nails Through The Neck at this year’s Scion Rock Fest. Nor were they probably around when Municipal Waste were doing beer bongs onstage at the Knitting Factory last summer during a Scion-sponsored show. And I’d don’t seem to recall any Japanese businessman crowd-surfing in the latest Torche video, which also happened to be entirely funded by Scion.

So what gives? Is the head of the Scion Marketing Department a total metalhead? Are long-haired stoners suddenly a hot demographic to target?

Truth is, we’ll probably never know. But if you were to listen to Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta (in a recent interview with Decibel Magazine)…

That would’ve never happened 10 years ago. I wouldn’t have been caught dead in that car. But now it’s like, ‘It’s a free show? Yeah, let’s do it.’ So, God bless ‘em. They’re doing things that the labels aren’t doing.”

And Scion doesn’t look to be letting up anytime soon. In addition to sponsoring metal shows & producing videos, they’ve developed an entire branch of their company dedicated to art, film, music and lifestyle; which also offers weekly podcasts (interviews with underground artists, event coverage, etc) as well as a free iphone app that streams underground music from a plethora of genres.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, forget trying to get signed… just buy a Scion and send your band’s demo to:

Scion
attn: Marketing Manager
19001 S. Western Ave
D102 PO BOX 2742
Torrance, CA 90509-2742

(and tell ‘em Reviews/Resist sent ya)

We finally figured out what the hell we were doing (well… sort of) and recorded the first of many long-winded-blabber-fests to come. For our premiere (audio) episode, we tackle the Fall metal line-up, metal iPhone apps, and a few other goodies that you’ll be sure to enjoy while sitting in traffic on the way to work.

Our goal is to try and get in the habit of churning these things out once a month, but considering how long it took to edit this fucker, you’ll be lucky to have another one by the time the Fall 2010 preview is due up. Anyway… hope you enjoy, be sure to subscribe in iTunes, and feel free to give us the old “one-two” in the comments section.

A big pat on the back to anyone who actually makes it through the entire thing!

Download audio file (ReviewsResist_Podcast_1.mp3)

  
(41.8 mb / 45:39)

 

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I suppose it was predictable that EC’s 2008 reunion tour would result in a reunion album followed by another reunion tour to help sell said album. Less predictable was whether Earth Crisis went back to the studio to do more experimenting with their style or record a nice slice of nostalgia for the ’90s hardcore “kids” that broke out the old windbreakers and basketball jerseys for last year’s tour.

If I had to compare To The Death to their older material (which of course I have to) I’d say Breed The Killers. Some EC fans regard Breed The Killers as the beginning of the end for this band, but I’m one that welcomed the progression from a sludgier, bombastic hardcore to a faster and thrashier style. (I did not welcome the aforementioned “experimenting” that came after Breed The Killers.) That leaves us wondering, if Earth Crisis isn’t giving fodder to the aging pit dancers, will they succeed in drawing new fans to The Discipline? I’m gonna say no on that one. If I had to compare To The Death to something less than ten years old for a younger metalhead… hmmm… think Lamb of God with a lot less technical shit going on and more gang vocals. I don’t think younger fans are going to hear something they’ve been missing, musically anyway.

But credit to Earth Crisis for finding that fine line between self-tribute and ill-conceived reinvention. Most of the songs are concise and energetic, Karl’s vocals are badass as ever, and the trademark guitar and bass tones are there. Opening track “Against the Current” rips a vintage gang vocal breakdown chorus; the opening riffs of “When Slaves Revolt” had me cranking the volume instantly, and how about closing the album with an allusion to the call-and-response outro of the song “Gomorrah’s Season Ends,” the lyric that launched a hundred thousand straight edgers? Maybe a little indulgent, but it slayed then and it slays now.

Secondly, as the band’s promo material openly states, Earth Crisis is as much about their message as their music (more so than their music, actually, which is Karl’s convoluted explanation of why their last album sucked so bad). True, the message also sells a lot of t-shirts, but Earth Crisis did nothing to distance themselves from the ‘direct action’ ethos of animal and earth liberation groups, preaching “Ultramilitance” before eco-terrorists were declared a top priority for the FBI. (Looking back, apparently both the FBI and Earth Crisis were a bit misguided in early 2001). I can’t think of anything in today’s kiddie metal culture that holds a candle to the social influence of bands like EC in their prime. Whether that was a positive or negative influence is a whole other can of worms (please don’t hurt the worms). For those who didn’t see it in person, To The Death offers a glimpse of the roots of that power.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “I was almost convinced to stop buying leather vests.”

Justin’s Review:

With their 2008 reunion tour, Earth Crisis rose like the Phoenix (and one could only hope… burning every last copy of Slither in their wake). If the show I saw proved anything, it was that: 1) EC was ready to prove to the metal/hardcore* scene it was 1996 all over again and they hadn’t missed a beat and 2) watching a room full of aging 30-somethings trying to do the windmill is quite amusing. And thank God for the former, because outside of Hatebreed, hardcore just hasn’t been getting through to the kids since Full Collapse hit it big and Tony Brummel started chasing the almighty emo dollar.

So… like a fine, non-alcoholic wine or an aged, soy cheese, EC are back with an older perspective, a new label, and ready to tout their distinct brand of metallic hardcore*, love for all things animal, and “kill your local drug dealer” ethos. And I, for one, am stoked. Karl Buechner’s a much better spokesman for the sXe movement when he’s behind the microphone rather than in front of the television camera. And let’s be honest… Freya wasn’t anything to write home about, so having EC back at the top of the heap is a welcome return. You can probably imagine my excitement when I read that the new material was supposed to be a “mixture between Destroy the Machines and Breed the Killers” (in my mind, the only thing better would be a press release saying “the new shit sounds exactly like Gomorrah’s Season Ends“). Needless to say, my expectations going into To the Death were pretty high. And ultimately, I suppose, that might’ve been the album’s undoing.

Left on its own, TtD is a completely solid effort… great production, classic hXc songwriting, and plenty of mosh (from 0:03 in). Unfortunately, those perks are also what I consider the album’s defining shortcomings.

When compared to previous EC efforts, TtD has far and above the best production. The guitars shred, the bass is completely audible, and the drums sound killer. They’ve even managed to nail what I can only assume is the “Golden Gang-Vocal Ratio”… the perfect quantity of lead to backup vocals. Yet, the end result of this precision knob-dialing is one that I find a little stale. You can close your eyes and for at least 1/3 of the album, and pretend you’re listening to Hatebreed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but one of the traits that defined the Earth Crisis of the 90s was that of dynamics… and so I find it even more disappointing that EC have harkened back to a more “straight-ahead” approach when it comes to songwriting as well. Though EC still find themselves well beyond 98% of their peers, it’s more “chugga-chugga” than suspended chords and pinch harmonics these days (though for the record, I think “To Ashes” is about as quintessential an EC song as you can get).

Maybe it’s just me. I’ve been told on a few occasions that I’m stuck in the 90s, so it’s quite possible that I’m full of shit and this album rules. Either way, I’d recommend “picking up some change” and heading out to purchase at least a couple Earth Crisis albums circa ‘92-’98 (or 2009 if that’s how you roll).

* Note that “metalcore” was not used once in this review.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “I still respect the “X”… I’d just like to hear a little more “Y” and “Z” next time around.”

Have A Listen:

Earth Crisis – To Ashes:

Download audio file (To_Ashes.mp3)

Normally, cover albums suck balls… but for some reason, I think Hatebreed might actually pull this shit off.

Review to come…