Eliminator-...and the Brokenhearted Balladeers (2011)

Post #316

Eliminator... at one point they were dubbed the 'Masters of Speed-Black', back in 2008 with the release of their first full-length album, Breaking the Wheel. Then in 2010 they decided they didn't like being boxed into a specific genre, even if it was a unique one of their own invention, and incorporated several different stylistic elements on their 2nd album The One They Were Waiting For. I've reviewed both of those releases (follow the links above to see more of my thoughts on them!), but their 3rd album, released in 2011, was so unprecedented I feel almost like it rewrote the rules of music for me, or perhaps it is more accurate to say it defenestrated all the rules of music...

In any case, I've wanted to write this review for a long time, and now its time has come. Eliminator's 3rd album: And The Brokenhearted Balladeers

While many of their established fans may shun the music recorded here for its daring new directions and seeming abandonment of the 'speed-black' metal style from their debut, I do believe the open-minded music fan will find this release almost incomparably unique among rock/metal releases in general. The album opens with 'Cuttin' You Down (Switchblade Fighter)', a song that emulates a power-ballad vibe with a raw, almost under-produced sound. Though the recording quality is high throughout, the production seems like the sounds were left in their original state- not doctored up in any way. Guitar music purists out there will love this aspect of the album, regardless of which track they may choose to sample. A power ballad is already a totally novel concept coming from Eliminator, but that's just the beginning...

The second track, 'No Answers' is best described as a hardcore-punk/metal song. It is not quite as intense as their work on Breaking the Wheel, but it's as close as you'll get on this album. Fans from that early Eliminator album may find this to be the only song worth recommending, but I dare anyone reading this to listen to the album front-to-back and then see what you think. It is a listening experience truly unlike any other.

My personal favorite from this album is the third track, 'Near Dark'. This one is much more traditional metal in its approach and execution. Themed after the cult-classic vampire flick of the same name, this song deliveres a more 'metal' subject matter as well. The intro guitar solo will grab you with shredding hooks, and pull you under... Go willingly! You'll thank me for it later.

As 'Near Dark' winds to a close the drums transition in an instant to 'Sex, Drinks, and Music... In My Grave', an old-school rock and roll song, complete with boogie-woogie piano. It almost has a vibe like an ole' west drinking song. The seamless transition from one song to the next brings the shocking contrast of style home with full force. Here again is an instant where listeners will need a moment to process what they're hearing, and ultimately decide for themselves if they like it or not.

The album continues to shift back and forth and sideways between several rock and metal genres. You may start to wonder what they were thinking when composing such diverse music and juxtaposing the songs on a single album, but if you can set that all aside and simply listen... you'll find this to be a very creative, innovative, and above all unique collection of music. Overall, I find And the Brokenhearted Balladeers to be ambitious in its originality; daring in its blatant destruction of walls between the genres of rock 'n' roll, blues, and metal; yet still appeasing in its surprising listenability. An essential recommendation for those with eclectic tastes!

Recommendations from And the Brokenhearted Balladeers:
-No Answers
-Near Dark
-Sex, Drinks and Music... In My Grave
-Amor Fati (This one is also quite unique, even within the context of this album! electric-guitar avant-garde, slow and melodic...)
-Time is On Your Side (Another heavier offering: next to 'No Answers', perhaps the heaviest tune on the album.)


(FYI: when viewing the Eliminator Bandcamp page, the tracks are simply numbered. Here is a reference to the song titles: 1-Cuttin' You Down (Switchblade Fighter), 2-No Answers, 3-Near Dark, 4-Sex, Drinks, and Music... In My Grave, 5-Just Ain't the Same, 6-Route 69, 7-Punk Island, 8-Amor Fati, 9-Time is On Your Side, 10-Crystal Ball)

Eliminator-The One They Were Waiting For (2010)

Post #195
Eliminator were one of the independent bands I featured recently in a reader's poll. Although they did not win the 'Independent Band of the Year' title, I did discover a lot of their music during that competition. I was so impressed, and often times caught off guard, by their uncanny ability to meld the most diverse of rock and metal elements in their music that I must revisit their sounds for another review...

The One They Were Waiting For was truly the one I was waiting for...
The first track, 'Atish', does closely resemble their work from Breaking The Wheel, but the similarities quickly dwindle from there as the album plays on...

A spoken word interlude breaks the spell of the 18 minute black/thrash fest that is 'Atish' before the next song; a cover of Robert Johnson's 'Me and The Devil Blues'. Here is where Warchild and company depart from their evident path of finely fused black metal and thrash to deliver a remarkably honest rendition of this blues classic from the late '30's. The original song-structure is preserved for the most part, although the guitars and drums are still heavy and fully electric, while the vocal delivery maintains the demonic black-metal edge the band has established previously. There is an extended melodic breakdown where Eliminator add their own spin to this song, but after a couple minutes, they return to the classic blues progression to close the song. A truely memorable cover that will not easily be forgotten!

Another highlight of originality on this album is 'Honey Sacrifice' (which combined with 'Atish' accounts for over two-thirds of the album's total running time, as it clocks in at over 19 and a half minutes!). A heavy, rhythmic riff, with a throw-back rock n' roll feel, sets the early tone for this epic track. Throughout the song the music builds to the intensity of speed-black metal once again, then shifts gears with an extended clean and melodic segment near the end. A song absolutely similar to nothing I've head before.

Emilinator make it clear that when inspiration strikes, they roll with it, and let the music do the talking. There is more behind their direction than any genre, or trend, or fad, or scene, or anything you can think of... or perhaps it's just everything you can think of? Is it everything they can think of? Just wait and see. I doubt anybody can predict what this band will do next. Just wait for my review of thier 3rd release, And the Brokenhearted Balladeers...

For now check out these tracks from The One They Were Waiting For. Even if at first you might be left scratching your head, you may also be surprised how much some of these song can grow on you...
-Atish
-Me and the Devil Blues
-The Man in the Picture... to Become What One Is
-Honey Sacrifice

And don't forget to check out their websites, many of which have songs available to stream online:
http://eliminator.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/eliminatorus
http://www.facebook.com/eliminatorus

Independent Band Reader's Poll 2011

Post #168: 2011 Independent Band Reader's Poll Contestants
Hello happy headbangers! It is time once again for the most anticipated reader's poll event of the year here at Heavy Metal 107: the annual INDEPENDENT BANDS READER'S POLL! This fall marks the 3rd annual running of this polling competition. Whichever band pulls in the most votes over a 35-45 day window will get a full review posted on the blog shortly after the poll closes, a link to their main website on the blog's side-bar for 1 year as 'Honorary Vice President', and brief promo posts announcing any upcoming shows they schedule during that year.

Without a doubt, this is the best opportunity to discover, new, interesting, and diverse independent bands on this blog. I have always tried to select a variety of bands that show different sides of rock and metal music so that there would be at least one band for each reader's unique tastes. This year, I think I've collected the most diverse group of seven bands yet. Here they are for your consideration:

The Bob Clymers
(Grunge/Rock/Bluescore)
"A two-piece duo specializing in the dirtiest of rock." From late 60's acid-rock legends like Hendrix and Joplin, to the 90's grunge movement, some of this band's influences are apparent when you hear their music. Wherever they draw inspiration from, they compose songs that truly hit home with a raw, untamed sound and pure emotion. Check out these songs at the links below:
'Nightingale'
'Grain of Sand'
'Ghost'

On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thebobclymers
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thebobclymers
On Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/thebobclymers

Sins of a Nation
(Metal/Rock)
Nominated by last year's winner, Deadmanswake, Sins Of A Nation blend thrash and classic British-style metal in such a way that one can't help but bang their head to it. Their vocalist has an uncanny ability to channel the likes of Bruce Dickinson, Ozzy, and Phil Anselmo, depending on what the song calls for. You gotta hear these guys!
'Self-Evident'
'Bow Down'
'Deafening'

On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/nationofsins
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sins-of-a-Nation/152050021482064?ref=ts
On Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/sinsofanation

Penguins With Shotguns
(Metal/Rock)
From Kenosha, Wisconsin, a heavy rock band with tons of attitude... Penguins With Shotguns can win you over with catchy hard rock hooks in one song, then step it up with a furious hardcore edge on the next. They, too, were nominated by a previous winner: Losing Scarlet, who won the first ever Independent Bands poll on this blog. This band has some versatility, so be sure to check out more than one of the following:
'Said and Done'
'Lethal Remedy'
'Wake Up Screaming'

On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/penguinswithshotguns
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penguins-with-Shotguns/286259296835
On Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/penguinswithshotguns

Ideal Zero
(Alternative/Rock)
A female-fronted alternative rock band from the Orlando, Florida area, Ideal Zero are the product of a diverse background of musical inspiration. Heavy guitars, overlaid with keyboards, and a soft, melodic female vocal delivery make for a quality headbanger's listening experience. Check out these songs:
'Beneath The Sun'
'My Road'
'Free Again'

On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/idealzeromusic
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IdealZero
On Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/idealzero


Mortal Wrath
(Progressive/Power Metal)
Hailing from Romney, West Virginia, Mortal Wrath draw their musical inspiration from nature, geometry, world history, and politics. Delivering their music as a blend of classic heavy metal and progressive rock, they sometimes sound like they're channeling early Queensryche, or European power metal. For a more cerebral listening experience, check out their tunes:
'The Single Projection'
'Law Under Grace'
'Morningstar Crusade'

On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/MortalWrath
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mortal-Wrath/163404103696287
Band's Main Website: http://www.mortalwrath.com/

SAGE4
(Gothic Metal/Progressive)
Sage 4 are another of Chicago's female-fronted metal bands that are on the rise.Their style of Gothic metal fuses influences from the heavy side of mid-90's grunge with a more traditional, and sometimes progressive, melodic metal. Their first release was packed with creative and technical musicianship, and they're working on their second. For a taste of what they have to offer check out these tunes:
'Graves'
'Out of Body'
'Steal My Thunder'

On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sage4
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SAGE4/84337197643
Band's Main Website: http://sage4.com/

Eliminator
(Speed-Black Metal/Thrash)
Eliminator are the hot new underground metal band from Edison, New Jersey. Initially envisioned as a blend of speed metal and black metal, they have quickly expanded their horizons to incorporate some melodic, blues/R and B elements into their musical pallet, resulting in the most unique extreme metal band I've heard in years. Check out:
'No Answers'
'Near Dark'
'Breaking The Wheel'

On Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/eliminatorus
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eliminator/119800414712789
On Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/eliminatorus

Please vote for your favorite band in the monthly reader's poll!

Eliminator-Breaking the Wheel

Post #164
Eliminator are an independent metal band out of New Jersey. When I first heard about them through another heavy metal music blog I follow, I thought, 'OK, here's another one out of countless black/death metal bands. What could it hurt to check 'em out?' In this case, I was glad I did. I downloaded their debut album Breaking the Wheel, and gave it an honest listen. The first thing that impressed me about the sound on this album was how they seem to hearken back to the early days of thrash and speed metal, rather than just grinding out riffs. I found enough intricacies in their guitar work to hold my interest.

Then I was further impressed by their song structures, which often incorporated significant break-down segments, where clean guitars were used in minor keys to enhance the dark, ominous tone and mood of the music. After further exploration of their music through their myspace page, I also discovered they have really begun to smash boundaries of their genre with their more recent works. Believe me, I don't use that term lightly. You really must hear it for yourself. But that's a story for another post...

For now, I am going to focus on Breaking the Wheel. This album bludgeoned my skull in ways it hasn't been abused since the days of early-era Sepultura. The guitar tones truly capture that early thrash-era tone. The drums fill a wall-o-sound with decadent blast-beats that challenge the upper limits of tempo. Warchild's vocals are demonic screams and shrieks, though he sometimes will drop into deeper tones that remind me of classic Slayer vocals.

Though it only contains 7 tracks, a couple of them are pretty long, making for a quality headbanging experience for about 40 minutes. The best ones I can easily recommend:
-World Obliteration (Eerie, old-school woman's voice begins your listening experience as she promises you 'Everthing is fine in Heaven...' Drums come into the mix, and after a few seconds kick into double-time. Just when you think Eliminator are ready to start thrashing out, you hear the drums double in tempo once again as the guitars come in at a break-neck pace!)
-Breaking the Wheel (The title track is my favorite on this collection. The song's most redeeming quality is found with the multi-tiered breakdown section about half-way through. The lyrics convey a message of fighting against cancer.)
-Prescription for Extinction (Closing number brings more speed-black metal riffage, but closes on an extended melodic break-down. Clocks in at over 8 minutes as the longest track on the album.)

To check out this album, and more of Eliminator's music visit their myspace page!