The Gothenburg Project 5.29.09: A Look At Things to Come

Posted by Matt Shoemaker on 05.29.2009

After a bit of a hiatus from the column, the Gothenburg Project is back. This week, we're taking a look at some of the big metal releases coming up this summer.

Welcome back, one and all, to The Gothenburg Project. It's been roughly a month since I put the column on hiatus, as I had to focus on school, work, and plenty of other real world shit that was starting to impede my ability to write this column. But school's done, and it's the summer, so that means it's party time. The summer also usually means some kick ass metal. Last summer, we saw bands like Job For A Cowboy, Hopesfall, Caliban, August Burns Red, DevilDriver, and Still Remains, just to name a few.

This summer, a couple of those bands are showing their hard work, prepping to release new albums already. Joining them are a few very established, popular metal bands. So I figured as a return edition of this column, I would take a look ahead to the summer, and give a little preview of some notable albums.

First off, DevilDriver makes a return, with their new album, Pray For Villains. The band's last release, The Last Kind Words, was a huge step up in effort and style from Dez Fafara and the rest of the band. The album introduced a very heavy focus on a melodic death metal sound, which allowed them to expand their horizons a lot more. Tracks like "Horn of Betrayal", "Head On To Heartache", and "The Axe Shall Fall" all contained that signature DevilDriver sound, but added something that definitely had long time fans turning their heads. If the band can replicate that style, and even expand on it a little bit more, Pray For Villains should be one of the best albums of the summer. Just from listening to the title track, the band shows they are working pretty hard to expand on their style. Fafara's vocals sound more refined, more powerful, and more aggressive. The music is just as fast and heavy as you would expect. The album is set to drop July 14th.



Up next, The Autumn Offering's new effort, Requiem is set to be released June 9th. The band's last album, Fear Will Cast No Shadow, which featured a new lead singer and drummer, was met with less than favorable reviews from almost everywhere. While I don't think the album was terrible, it did seem very bland and uninspired, musically. Hopefully, this new release will get the band back on the good side with their critics. The first single from the album, "Narcosis" is floating around on the internet, and it sounds pretty good. It sounds a lot heavier and focused, musically, while the vocals balance screams and singing rather nicely.



Darkest Hour is also set to put out their new effort, The Eternal Return, on June 23rd. If this album is anything like Deliver Us, we could be looking at the metal album of the year, or at least a very strong contender. The only thing I'm worried about with the release of this album is the fact that Kris Norris, the band's driving force on guitar, left the band prior to the recording of this album. While I have some faith in his replacement, Mike Carrigan, Norris' shoes were pretty big ones to fill. Let's hope Carrigan is up to the task. The band has stated that they are going back to their roots, so if they mean their old sound, I'm pretty happy about it. Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation is one of my all time favorite metal albums. While it doesn't necessarily have the technical proficiency that Deliver Us has, it harkens back to bands like At The Gates, settling for sheer power and rage. The first single from The Eternal Return, "No God" is out now through various media sources, and it's definitely looking good for the band.



The always impressive Killswitch Engage returns this summer as well, releasing their second self titled effort on June 30th. I haven't been able to find anything on Youtube for the new album, so I'll leave it at a few quick thoughts. I honestly hope this album goes more in the style of the band's first self titled release. While I like what Killswitch has become, sometimes their music gets a little too mainstream and generic for my taste. I hope there is return to the darker, brooding, angry Killswitch on this album.

And finally, saving the best for last, we have August Burns Red. These guys are quite possibly the most talented metalcore band on the scene right now, and if they keep working at the pace they're going now, the sky is the limit for them. Since the release of their sophomore effort, Messengers, last year, the band has released an E.P., toured extensively, and spent more time in a studio than most musicians have in the past 2-3 years. These guys are seriously devoted to what they do, and their upcoming album, Constellations, is my most anticipated release of the summer. Messengers has damn near been a constant in my CD/MP3 rotation all year, and I think the only way I'm gonna stop listening to it is when Constellations hits the shelves.

For just a glimpse of the new album, here's a clip from ABR's official Youtube page, showing drummer Matt Greiner in the studio, recording one of the band's new songs, which I believe is called "Existence".



So that will be all for me this week. I'll be back next week, taking a look at some new acts I've discovered recently that I want to get out into the spotlight. Until then, take care.