Steve N-Ready to Strip

So the guys at Panic Records are back with another solid rap release, this time from one of the record companies employees Steve Nunn (or Steve N). A solid three and a half minute long piece based over a rather gangster rap influenced synth loop. Interestingly enough, the bombast of the track is distinctly reminiscent of Iron Maiden. I find the vocals to be fairly solid and show an expertise in the genre. I particularly like the Three Six Mafia flavor that the drums have, they are stripped back yet very well implemented. They give the piece a solid forward motion. In conclusion, this is a tasty gangster rap song that shows a lot of promise and makes me look forward to seeing what Steve N puts out in the future!

Check it out on Soundcloud!
https://soundcloud.com/panicstudiorecords/ready-to-strip-by-steve-n-at

Gliding Soul-Traveling with Mr. Who

I am a firm believer in the idea that as the genre of nu-metal gets older it also is getting better. Gliding Souls' new release Traveling With Mr. Who is a fine example of this. It nicely combines rap and metal for a smooth and groovy ride. Solid songwriting and well executed vocals combine to create a joyful EP that has appeal to both metalheads and rap kids. The sheer riffage on this album is great and it provides the backbone of a crazy ride into a world of nu metal that is surprisingly enjoyable.

One of the key aspects of this album is the mixing of vocal styles. On one hand you have fairly bombastic cleans that are similar to those of Avenged Sevenfold. Then there are some more gritty rapped vocals which give the band a lot of their trademark groove. Finally, the growls show up on occasion for flavor. Together they form a mix that is the essence of the bands sound, a fusion between modern metal, nu metal and death metal, its an interesting mix to say the least one that Gliding Soul manages to execute well.

All in all this is a pretty solid release from a band who seek to give their subgenre of choice a good name. With a ton of groove and lots of tasty licks its easy to see how these guys could succeed on the modern scene. The production is also stellar meaning that the music can become even more poignant and moving. Well executed and finely polished Traveling With Mr. Who would appeal to many a fan of nu metal and modern metal and quite a few trve metalheads as well!

Check them out on facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/glidingsoulpage

Rage Against The Machine-Rage Against The Machine.

 So this morning (Happy New Year by the way) I am reviewing pretty much the only type of rap I will listen to. And that is rap metal. And who is better at rap metal than Rage Against The Machine. This is a spectacular album perfectly blending the two genres of rap and heavy metal. There are metal standards on here, notably Killing in the Name Of one of the worlds best metal songs. The guitar work is excellent and establishes Morello as one of the greatest 90s guitarists (Also I like his guitar, which bears the slogan Arm The Homeless). There are decent bass lines and high powered drumming parts. The lyrics are so ferocious its amazing, it blows me away. The vocals are very good setting Zack de la Rocha as one of the few white men in the world who can rap.

The guitar is awesome with some of the best riffs that I have ever heard. They drive the music just as much as the drums, similar in vein to Iommi's killer riffs. The solos are intense and have a huge amount of energy (mostly anger) behind them. The guitar is a combination of Tony Iommi type riffs and thrash metal. It is pretty good as alternative rock guitar. Tony Morello is one of the angriest and skilled soloing guitarists that I have heard in a while. His guitar perfectly compliments the lyrics. He is a dark guitarist dedicated to taking away the machine that he rages against. The bass comes through a little but it could have more. The rhythm section is pretty tight though so I'm not complaining. The drums have really good parts and help to drive the music on to every angrier and more powerful heights.

The lyrics are very rap influenced but they keep their anarchic feel. Rather, the lyrics are rap in rhyme structure and sound but in content they are all about raging against the machine. In fact they are to some degree punk like. The perfectly epitomize what the band is about, rebelling against the system which they feel limits them and hurts them. This is perfectly seen in the song We Gotta Take The Power Back (which has a self explanatory title). Zack de la Rocha's voice keeps a very good rap feel while still maintaining some alt rock feel as well. He exudes anger from his every poor and wants to destroy the system because he is so filled with hatred. He is one of the biggest figures in the anarchic movement simply because of his raw and powerful energy.

Overall this is a really hard and rebellious album that showcases one of the most rebellious bands of the 90s, whose guitarists motto was Arm the Homeless. Anger is exuded from this album as an almost discernible odor. An anger so filled with energy that you can not resist it. I think this album blends rap and metal really well and it is simply awesome rap metal. There is great guitar on this album setting Morello as one of the greatest 90s guitarists, then there are good bass and drum parts. The lyrics are angry and protest the system. De la Rocha is one of the few white men who can rap and his words excrete anger (oh yeah). This is a rocking anarchic album that anybody who hates the system (or is feeling just prickly towards it) would like, and any metal fan would like.

Overall 8.5/10

Rage Against the Machine