Sort-Of Music Review [September 2020]

This month is going to be a bit different.
Hmm… I wonder how many times I have said that exact phrase on this site? Probably too many to count. Anyways! On with the review!

I have done a post or two that focuses on just Just Good Songs, and with no particular album jumping out at me this month, I think it’s perfect time to give my review of Apple Music’s New Music Mix. This is a playlist that comes out every Friday and is something I have grown to look forward to. After training Apple Music for a few years, it has gotten so much better at highlighting new music in line with my actual tastes. It also helps that this week’s New Music Mix is probably one of the best yet.

Since this playlist changes every week, sharing it like I typically do will prove to be futile. So, you’ll just have to live with a screenshot and the way I choose to highlight the songs. It’s like I am curating a curated list! Does that make it better..? Or worse..? Probably much better! So, without faffing about any longer, I present you my Sort-Of Music Review of Apple Music’s New Music Mix for the week of September 11th – 17th. What a mouthful. So many music!

Kicking it off we have two fantastic covers. The first one is from Disturbed who have seemed to find themselves as a bit of a cover band these days. Their cover of If I Ever Lose My Faith in You is top notch here, really suiting the bands style. David Draiman is an amazing vocalist, and his true talent lies in making songs his own. I suppose there is no song I wouldn’t like them to cover at this stage! Bring on the Disturbed Cover Album!

The next cover is odd. Very odd indeed. We all know Korn and we all love the new stuff they are putting out recently. But when Korn covers a country song, you best sit up and listen, boy! Apart from wondering why, you’ll probably find yourself rocking out to this song far more than you’d like to admit. Korn’s cover of The Devil Went Down to Georgia is far better than it has any right to be. Seriously, give it a listen and tell me you don’t want to rock out wearing your denim dungarees and straw hat!

Slowing it right down, we’re delivered a brand new Linkin Park – an unreleased song from 2000’s Hybrid Theory. She Couldn’t is more electronic than rock. It’s hard to think this song is 20 years old and only coming out now. A part of me is a teenager again at hearing Chester’s vocals, and yet a part of me feels like this is a cash grab…
I dunno man, after all this time, it still sucks that Chester is no longer with us. And for some reason, of all the ‘famous’ people – I seemed to take his one the worst. Three. Different. Blog posts attest to that. So, for this reason, this song doesn’t really sit well with me. But let’s move on, shall we.

Completely shifting gears here – did you know hed(p.e) was still making music? I didn’t! Which is why this song comes as a nice surprise. A mix of good ole 2000’s metal, rap and some form of Jamaican sound all come together in a cacophony of music on Your Death Awaits.

Then we’re straight back into familiar territory – Lamb of God’s New Colossal Hate is exactly what you expect from this band by now. If you have heard their new album (which is really good by the way), then you’ll have heard this song. Randy Blythe’s vocals really are something to be envious of. Fun fact – I used to be able to mimic his way of singing until I got a bad bout of flu and my voice never recovered. Or my throat got soft. I also don’t get much opportunity to practice these days either.

And now for something completely different! In what is probably the biggest gear shift on this whole playlist, we now have an orchestral track that covers riffs from In Flames’ 2000 album – Clayman. Played mainly on cello, it takes some of their favorite riffs and mixes it together in a medley. Themes and Variations in D-Minor is familiar and new in the weirdest of ways. Well worth the listen in my opinion!

Soulbound kicks us back to life from the fantastic Unleash the Archers. If you like powerful female vocals, with a hint of epic fantasy lyrics, then this is your jam. High energy, awesome music, great vocals – seriously check out this band. I am constantly blown away by what they put out.

Now I am sure you have heard of Bring Me the Horizon. At one stage they were everywhere. To the point where I actively unliked every one of their songs I could find in an attempt to get YouTube, Apple Music, and any other algorithm from putting them in my Recommended. However, Apple Music is still the boss and has put at least one of their songs in my New Music Mix ever since they started offering these playlists… But I can say with all confidence that this new song Obey is actually surprisingly good. I think you should give it a listen for sure. Just don’t tell YouTube!

Oh boy! Oh yes! Sit down. Shut up. Put on headphones.
And listen to this amazing piece of music that Fit For A King have blessed us with. One of newly favorite bands, this song solidifies their place in my collection. I cannot wait for their new album based on this song alone. I really can’t listen to Annihilation while working because it makes me want to get up and jump around. And throw my chair through the window. And introduce the neighborhood to this song. #tooGood!

Straight into probably the heaviest track on this weeks’ offering – Kings of Darkness from Within Destruction feels like heart palpitations made music. This song exists to remind you that drums are evil and must be beaten. Beaten like eggs. Until they are nothing but froth.
And I absolutely love it! This song has only two outcomes – either you don’t have any neck muscles left or you have ALL the neck muscles!

Right, now we can sit back down and have some good ole classic rap metal that is straight from the 2000’s. Respect on the Name by DVSR sounds like it would be perfectly at home on WWE. Just agro enough to make a good entrance song. I’d say this is good gym training music. Otherwise hit that skip. We have better songs to get to.

Don’t you just love bands that try to be heavy without understanding what heavy is? No? Ok then, you might not be impressed with The Acacia Strain’s Birds of Paradise, Birds of Prey. It’s an interesting enough song on its own, and has enticed me to add the album to my To-Listen-To pile, so it can’t be all that bad.

Another band that is fast gaining ranks in my collection is Upon A Burning Body. When it comes to pure aggressiveness, mixed with some weird upbeat positivity, you won’t find any better. Chains of Agony is a great showing for anyone new to this band, and is a solid outing for those that know of them already. I totally recomend this song.

Deep breath. Slow down. Not because the next song is slow, but because I am insanely excited about it. In fact, I may just make this next song a complete Sort-Of Music Review by itself.
Ready? Ok.

This is brand-new-to-me-band called To Kill Achilles. They aren’t metal, but sort of a hard rock hardcore, similar to We Come as Romans in a way – same same but different. For me, 21:36 is the most interesting song on this whole playlist. I heard it once, and instantly fell in love. After about the fourth listen, I looked up the lyrics and then hearted this song so hard, I may have broken Apple Music’s algorithm… There is so much I can say about this song – musically, lyrically. But instead I will leave you with a quote that really stands out to me, and urge you – please, please, please, listen to this song!

I’ve always had a vision of heaven
And there ain’t no pearly gates
It’s just a beach outside my hometown
Where all my loved ones wait
And I am tempted to take a visit
And see them all because
This world has pulled me under
Just like it always does

21:36 – To Kill Achilles

The next song – Husk by In Hearts Wake is good in its own right, but after following 21:36, it just can’t compete. Well worth the listen, but maybe listen to it when it can stand on it’s own merits. It was good enough for me to add this album to my To-Listen-To list, so it can’t be all bad.

God of Sick Dreams from Avatar is such a solid song – another fantasy epic to scratch that itch. It has growls and high vocals in all the right places, and for some reason makes you want to find your axe and go pillaging. Which is quite odd, since it’s not a Viking song in any way.

Another new-to-me band is From Ashes to New. This is the first time I have heard of them, and this song Sidefx is actually pretty good if you like your hair black and covering one eye. Really, it’s nothing new but that doesn’t detract from it being a good song. Good for a house party, good for background music, but I wouldn’t break out the good headphones for this one.

Sigh. For some reason Apple Music is pushing the new Bush album on me as if it was Bring Me The Horizon. This is the 3rd week in a row I have had to dislike a song from the same band from the same album. When will they get the hint? Bush is fine, this song is OK, but I would much rather listen to anything that isn’t Bush… Blood River is almost the lowest point on this playlist. Almost, but not quite. That is reserved for the next song…

Again, the 4th time I have disliked a song from the same artist and same album. Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park fame has released a chill-pop-vibe album and he must be paying Apple Music a lot of money to put it everywhere. That is the only way I can think of that it keeps coming up on my suggested playlists! I like my music to have some instruments in them, and a MacBook is not an instrument. Disliked and skipped – every time.

Do you like experimental music? Do you like it when it seems like the composer is having a seizure brought on by too much flashy lights and LSD? This is what Bulb’s From 2 to 7 feels like… Maybe I am too cynical, but this is to music as worms are to sea snakes – they might count if you squint just right, but don’t bring them near water. Still if you like your music not-music, give this a listen. You can then tell the rest of us how intelligent you are.

Seether! They’re still around! Man, I remember seeing them when they were still a small Pietermaritzburg band playing at Cliffy’s Pub under the name Saron Gas. It’s been great to watch them get international fame and fortune. Too bad they have started to sound just like everyone else. Still, give these guys a listen if you like the sound of their previous few albums. For me, bring back that raw Saron Gas sound of 69Tea and Beer and it will take me back to being 14… But hey, you have to support your hometown bands!

Ok, so when electronic sounds get interjected really well into metal, or hard rock, I sit up and pay attention. It sounds like Solence’s Direction has this nailed down! There is something about this song that just resonates with me. It could be the upbeat music, it could be way the electronic and rock mix so well, it could even be the cool vocal effects. It’s something that just fills me with positivity. And makes me want to party!

Another new and interesting song is Prayers by Slaves. Probably for the same reason – a good mix of electronic effects with some solid rock. I shouldn’t like it, but it just works. It’s probably just a phase. Haha! That’s what my mom said when I started listening to heavy music back in 1999…

Right. Ok. Yes! We’re on the second to last track – The End / Undead by Zero 9:36 & Undead Hollywood – and we’re going to be ending stong. Do you ever want to punch your friend in the face? Not because you dislike them, but because of excitement? Like a loving punch? This song makes you want to do that. Aggressive, rap metal with an amazing build up and breakdown. If you can listen to this song and not want to set fire to something, then maybe you need to talk to someone – you may just be dead!

We’re now on the last track. Is it going to be a good one? Is it going to end strong? Unfortunalty, Overdramatic by Broadside is a good song, just not a great finisher. Another black hair over the one eye type band, I can see this appealing to teenagers. Spoiler alert: I am not a teenager. As a standalone song, its ok to good. It just suffers from being the song after The End / Undead. If it was slot in-between From Ashes to New and Bush, it would probably stand out a lot more. But it wasn’t, so it doesn’t.

What a monster review. But really fun! At least for me. I won’t know if you had fun unless you comment. So feel free to comment either here on this very site, or on Twitter (which I won’t check anyway).

What song stood out for you? Did you discover something new? I’m eager to hear!