List for the Insomniac

September 27, 2011 -- 12:35 A.M.

1. Endless Night - The Life Review
2. Wasting Away - Tonight Alive
3. Crowded - 49 Stones
4. Burn - Fit For Rivals
5. Forever - Evalyn Awake
6. Eastbound Train - Ratham Stone
7. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Naree
8. Song & Dance - FERVoR
9. Greedy - Greedy White Citizens
10. See It - SidAerial

Cloé Beaudoin Debuts New Evanescence Cover

Hey guys, check out this newest cover by that Canadian siren, Cloé Beaudoin. I'm as psyched as anybody for the new Evanescence album. As a huge fan of the first two albums, Fallen and The Open Door, I was stoked to hear the newest single front Evanescence's upcoming eponymous album, "What You Want." Now Beaudoin has again transformed a song and laced it with new levels of acoustic brilliance! Check out her cover of the new Evanescence song "What You Want" now!!

A Brand New Endless Night with The Life Review

It's been a little while since I heard the drumming skills of Todd Wallace since his previous band American Diary broke up a little while ago. I spent some time talking to American Diary on the 2010 Warped Tour and when they played me some of their stuff, I was stoked for a new pop-punk band that really gripped me. American Diary's subsequent (and ultimately their last) release, Theodore, was everything I hoped it would be, and I still enjoy listening to it regularly.
Alas, the guys in American Diary decided to go their separate directions. Just a part of life I suppose. But now one's back with a new band, and I'm stoked to be the one to bring these guys to the forefront of the music blogger headlines.
The Life Review is an alternative rock four-piece comprising members Todd Wallace (drums and percussion), Joe Bell (lead vocals and guitar), Chris Ruley (guitar, keys and programming), and Ryan Smith (bass). With the release of their debut single "Endless Night," I'm immediately hooked and know I'll be seeing big things from this band in the very near future. I am literally counting the days until I have a full album to review for you guys! Until then though, check out The Life Review's debut single! Listen to "Endless Night" here:

The Life Review's debut single, "Endless Night"

Tetrarch Reveal Clip of New Song

Just yesterday Tetrarch posted a clip of a new song for their upcoming release. Check it out and see what you think! It's pretty heavy, but I can't wait to hear the whole thing!

Tetrarch promo (click here for the new clip!)

List for the Insomniac

September 19, 2011 -- 12:36  A.M.

1. Crowded - 49 Stones
2. John Mayer in the Dark - Jonas Friedman
3. Fact and Friction - The Nearly Deads
4. Enjoy Your Stay in Hell - The Hollywood Kills
5. Used to Be - Have Nots
6. Happy Ending - Dawn Is Broken
7. Define Alive - A Faylene Sky
8. Loose Threads - Jonas Sees In Color
9. The Science Between Us - Versus the Robot!
10. Burnt Around the Edges - Fools For Rowan

Cloé Beaudoin Debuts New Covers: Simple Plan and Red

It's been a little while since we heard from Cloé Beaudoin, but this Canadian siren is still going full-force. Now she's back with new covers of songs from the most recent albums by Simple Plan and Red.
For Simple Plan, Beaudoin's decided to cover their song "Astronaut" from their most recent album Get Your Heart On!. Beaudoin's breathy vocals rise to their greatest peaks as she belts out the choruses and I love the way she's done this acoustically. Everything works, and, as usual, Cloé Beaudoin has come back with a cover I love. Check it out.

Yet today, Cloé Beaudoin unveiled another cover for us. This time, it's Red's song "Lie to Me (Denial)," from their most recent album Until We Have Faces. Here, Beaudoin showcases her vocal strengths as well as her proficiency on guitar by taking a new song and making this one of her instantly classic covers. If there's one thing she does right, Beaudoin knows how to rework the song so it translates to everyone. Listen now!

Darling Parade Debut "Never Wrong" Music Video

Darling Parade have been making a lot of headlines here lately (and I promise that review and interview are coming, just be patient guys), but that can only be because this band is just on fucking fire. With the release of their new single "Never Wrong" not more than a week ago, the Darlings follow it up now with the music video. "Never Wrong" will see Darling Parade growing and maturing in their musical style and power. A retro active song that makes the best use of pop-punk rhythm married to smooth, evocative vocals, "Never Wrong" could easily be Darling Parade's entrance into the mainstream. We'll see, but for now, this is Darling Parade's new music video for "Never Wrong." Check it out!!

Diamond Eye: Alive and Kicking!

A little bit after the fact with this update (and for that I do apologize), I've had it on my mental list to give you guys this review for a few months now. The last time Australian rockers Diamond Eye made headlines here, they were on track to open for Quiet Riot and Warrant (RIP Jani Lane) on their Australian metal tour last spring. Though it seems that those plans fell through as Quiet Riot and Warrant decided to cancel the planned tour, Diamond Eye charged ahead with their own projects, recording new material and playing tons of new shows. The result of such a dedicated effort came in the form of the band's first recording of live material, the live DVD album Alive and Kicking. Though it came out last winter, I've been listening (and watching) Alive and Kicking all spring and summer long, and I gotta say it rocks fucking hard.

With fan-favorites like "Machine" and "Waiting for Me" on the set-list, the band also debuted a number of new songs that have been on constant rotation in my library ever since I heard them. My favorite of the new tracks by far is "Sound of the Guns," a straight-up metal thrash-down that kicks up dust and whips it around through rhythm changes and true metal musicianship. Will Kelly's lead vocals on this track provide an anthemic rise to the song. Stadium-suited but not polished off of their gritty, street-smart attitude, Kelly's wails put fists in the air as the fans chant along with him. Just below his raging belts, Greg Fawcett's lead guitar shrieks make this the five-star track on the album. A melodic and catchy guitar progression turns to a nasty and sick sonic firestorm as the tempo of the song changes halfway through, and all of a sudden Fawcett's guitar thrusts out a new, edgy rhythm. With Chase Cameron and Geoff Keating following suit in hard-rock fashion on bass and drums respectively, Diamond Eye pull off a mental seizure of a song; I'm left brain-dead as the guitars and drums blast out, and the stage goes dark. Check out the teaser video for "Sound of the Guns" below.

Other new songs like "Atlantis" and "Last One Standing" also grace the album, and with a power like this, Diamond Eye's first live recording is a major success. But it's not just the audio that gets me. With the accompanying DVD, I can see Diamond Eye in real time, rocking forward and blasting through walls as they take the audience on balls-to-the-wall ride through true metal. Between the pyro explosions on stage and the presence of the band members, Diamond Eye make it clear that they know how to have a good time and give the people what they really want: a real rock show. Seeing them in their element with sound waves and pyros blasting around them, I'm reminded of the first time I ever saw a clip of KISS, Alice Cooper or Van Halen: just feel-good metal with real, abrasive stage presence.
Alive and Kicking is Diamond Eye's first real strike at the metal underground. Well-produced, ballsy, and robust, Diamond Eye's first crack at a live album (a live DVD album, no less) is one to be championed by fans and scouts alike. Crystal clear from the raw energy that blasts from Diamond Eye's guns like raining cannon-fire, Alive and Kicking is only the first of edgy albums to be expected from these Australian rockers. Keep your eyes out and your ears open, and check out this incredible live DVD album. I have never seen or heard something so well-produced and fulfilling from any underground band before, and that's the truth.

Death is a Dialogue Release Debut Music Video

Just a few hours old, "Low Lies Lenore" is the first official music video release from Atlanta punk-rock band Death is a Dialogue. Romantically tortured in its cinematic presentation and sonically edgy on the precipice of sharp-toned punk chords, "Low Lies Lenore" is a  triumph for the young new outfit in both song and video. The literary undertones of DIAD's writing just add another level of intricacy and mystery to an already stand-out song in what I see as the new emerging Romantcore genre. Check it out, brand new, this is "Low Lies Lenore" by Death is a Dialogue.

Darling Parade's New Single: "Never Wrong"

First new single from Darling Parade's upcoming new album. Check it out, this is "Never Wrong"!

Darling Parade

 New "Never Wrong" Single (click here)

Members from Mass Undergoe/Irreverents Rise to form New Band, Season to Attack

With the demise of Vancouver-based alternative band Mass Undergoe, former lead singer David Isbister and lead guitarist Alan Calimbas have come together for a new project. Season to Attack, a pseudo-supergroup of sorts comprising members of multiple Vancouver groups (Isbister and Calimbas from Mass Undergoe and Brian BADD from fellow Vancouver rock band Irreverents), has captured my interest in the most curious of ways. Whether STA will be another band along the lines of Mass Undergoe's alternative vein, or with the garage-rock sneer of the now-on-hiatus Irreverents, I am intrigued by the idea of a Mass Undergoe-meets-Irreverents supergroup. Reviews coming soon, at the sign of the first songs I can get my hands on.   

Darling Parade Nab NIMA Award

Though I haven't yet posted my article for Darling Parade here yet (and I will soon, but at the request of the band I'm holding off until their new stuff is ready for release), these Nashville rockers have made it into my List for the Insomniac. Working up a storm around the Tennessee metro area, the Darlings are taking pop-punk in new and exciting directions. With their pop-punk-meets-alternative vibes and melodic chords, Darling Parade are sure to be a new alternative rock sensation to snag the droves of fans who first flocked to Paramore and The Material. Taking NIMA's award for "Artist of the Year," Darling Parade are on their way. I fully expect to see bigger things from this band very soon!

    

Have You Seen My Ghost Float Away

After nearly three years creating music together, Marietta emo/punk band Have You Seen My Ghost have decided to part ways, signaling the end of the Ghost group. With four EP's and one album (comprising the first three EP's) under their belts, the Ghosts have decided that their legacy would best be served by taking some time to focus on their own new projects and directions. Coming just months after the release of their most recent EP, EXIST (a considerable departure from the sound of their previous recordings by my ear), I am myself more than a little disappointed to see the end of what I consider to be one of the best things about Marietta, Georgia. Yet I realize that each HYSMG member needs to explore new directions musically, so the flip side of my somber disappointment is a curious happiness fueled by a looking forward to new sounds by each of the HYSMG members.

It seems that Lee Jennings, lead vocalist and former bassist for the band, has hit the ground running, assessing new options and already assuming control of a new solo project that I'm sure will show promise with its first rough cuts. Through my years listing to HYSMG, Jennings' voice has carried the group to new heights with a powerful drive that makes Ghost's music transcendent as well as accessible to any teen feeling they just need someone to listen. It goes without saying that the fans Jennings has accumulated over the years (with the help of the other Ghost guys) will undoubtedly follow his new project and see where it takes him, and I intend to be one of those on that bandwagon.
Yet Jennings wasn't the only creative force behind the Ghost sound: Grayson Blanchette provided guitar and bass blasts throughout the lifetime of the band, and with drum and guitar prowess currently rounded out by David Nelson and Mike Gardella (respectively), HYSMG's evolving sound on their most recent and apparent final release, the EP EXIST, was something to take note of. As Jennings is compelled to do, I'm sure that the other Ghost members will find new musical outlets to sick their creative talents on, and I can only hope I am there to hear and reap their benefits.

It occurs to me now, though, as I think about the last few years I have spent listening to and getting to know the guys behind the Ghost, I can't help but be impressed with their growth and the plateau that I feel they ended their group on (their EP, EXIST). As a fan, it's always hard to see a group make the decision to go their separate ways, but as a fan and a journalist, it makes me happy to see the end come on the coattails of such a creative high note. I am sure that I haven't seen the last of the Ghost guys, and I look forward now with eager ears to the new music I am sure is coming soon.