As I headed down to the Congress Theater on that chilly March night, I couldn’t understand why more people were excited for Skream and Benga than the show-stopping Feed Me. His new light show looked incredible from what pictures I saw of other shows and his set at Ultra Music festival last year was my favorite. When Skream and Benga came on, I realized they were here and ready to go. But I’m going to break this show down by who I saw first.
Jackmaster- Never really heard much about this guy before the show started. His set was phenomenal. He kept the crowd going by playing some material that made you just want to dance. Sometimes, I could not help myself and I just let my body move. Never seen a crowd go crazy that much when 12th Planet was dropped midway through the set.
Plastician- Yet another DJ I did not hear much about until he supposedly put on one of the best shows of the weekend at Coachella in 2010 when he was known as Plasticman. He got the crowd pumped and ready for Skream and Benga. The bass during his time just kept on vibrating throughout my entire body. It got me going and by the end, I was ready for Skream and Benga.
Skream and Benga- The best electronic show I have seen. I watched their set at Ultra to see what it was like before I went to the show, oh my. They definitely know how to bump some music. I don’t think I have seen that many people go as crazy for a headliner as they did there. It was also pretty cool to see one of the first dubstep artists perform. Started a genre that definitely changed our music society today. Great show though, best of the night.
Feed Me- TEETH. Cool stage setup. Very skeptical of it at first. Hoping it wouldn’t just turn into flashing lights like Rusko’s. When it was brought out, I was in awe by it. Still can’t get myself over it. Fit in perfectly with his music. His set overall was great. Played some of my favorites and ones that made people go nuts. The one part I thought was cool about the show was the pace he took throughout it. He started off with very slow, chill electronic similar to stuff like Strobe by deadmau5. After about 30 minutes into the set, he sped it up and turned the Congress into a rave for the rest of the night. Such a great show.
Also, to clear up any rumors, Congress Theater was kidding when they said deadmau5 arrived. It was a great April Fool’s joke.
This being their 3rd album, I was a little disappointed that first two tracks were my only favorites. However, I was still impressed with the rest of the tracks. The choruses were catchy as they should be and the vocals were absolutely perfect, not too much screaming and not too many pretty sounding verses. Protest the Hero retains their unique blend of prog and metalcore on this album and I’m happy with that. 
While I am a huge fan of Mastodon, I was a little skeptical of this CD, seeing as how Crack the Skye was so epic. But they never let down and The Hunter was on repeat on my iPod for a while. Although it isn’t a concept album like all their others (to my disappointment), it still displays Mastodon’s signature sound and musical genius. This CD isn’t quite as heavy as the others, but it still keeps the high energy Mastodon is known for. 
Boy was I surprised at how amazing this album was without Mikael’s growls. Though not as heavy as their other releases, Heritage is a dark and enchanted journey that will please prog fans and metal heads alike. Mikael’s singing is absolutely beautiful and the music itself is like 70’s era Yes. Opeth also includes pianos, organs, flutes, and many other instruments to broaden their sound. Disappointed as I am with the lack of heaviness, I’m still very happy at how this came out. 
This is the perfect metal album. Just straight up metal. The one word to describe this album is ferocious. The guitar work is absolutely vicious. They do include some interludes to soothe your ears, only to come back faster and heavier than ever. Rob’s singing is perfect, it matches the fast paced, high energy dynamic of the rest of the band. I would venture to say that if you’re not banging your head to this, something’s wrong with you. 
This was honestly not in my original top ten. I only found out about them a week ago. I’m glad I did though, because this album is absolutely dirty. It’s got an enchanting and haunting vibe about it. It’s a very dark concept album about a haunted town. Vildhjarta’s 3 guitarists display some amazing rhythms, enchanting clean parts, and also throw in some abrasiveness to make it that much heavier. This is their first full length release and I can’t wait to see what they do next. 
With the departure of drummer, bassist, and keyboardist, most expected Chimaira to fall flat on it’s face. But alas, they came back as heavy as ever. This was a nice combination of their fast and pounding old style and the last album’s breakdown-esque style. This CD will get your blood pumping and make you wanna move. Hopefully, after the departure of both guitarists as well, Chimaira can get back up and keep going. 
The Black Dahlia Murder is the perfect blend of American death metal and European melodic death. The vocal delivery is top notch, mixing low growls with high pitched shrieks. The blastbeats and choruses will get you moving no matter what. They also introduce string arrangements which is a nice touch, adding to the macabre feel. Ritual builds on their old sound in all the right ways. This is a must have for the year. 
I was overjoyed when I first heard this was a two part EP. That means we got more of this amazing band. When I got the CD, it rekindled my love for prog. The Parallax is a two part conceptual suite about two human characters separated by light years. While it only has 3 songs, it lasts over half an hour. Each song spans a plethora of moods and emotions. Everything in this is top notch. It can’t get better than this (until part 2 comes out). 
Wow. That’s all I have to say after listening to this album. Its got it ALL. Singers like Joe Duplantier, Mikael Akerfelt, Tommy Rogers, and many more are included. He’s also got an orchestra and a choir, as well as farting noises. What’s not to love? This album is a roller coaster and it will leave you begging for more. Townsend’s “wall of sound” production technique is utilized very well here and your eardrums will be glad you listened. 
