Scale the Summit Carve Desert Canyons

When a classmate gave me a copy of Scale The Summit's Carving Desert Canyons I certainly wasn't expecting what I got. Being that our music common ground is more akin to death and black metal, STS threw me the proverbial curveball.

The album of what iTunes decided to define as "Prog Tech Metal" is much more melodious than anything I was expecting; it's much more "Prog Tech" than "Metal." However, I still enjoyed it from start to finish. Believe it or not I can listen to stuff thats not totally br00tal.

All eight tracks on Carving Desert Canyons are instrumental. The music is ambient and often relaxing, full of melodies that denote a sense of majesty, however hooky and occasionally heavier riffs still manage to hold your attention. That being said, you can tell STS aren't concerned about being the heaviest band out there. Their music is much more beautiful than brutal, and you have to appreciate the musicianship behind it all.

I'd recommend this album to fans of Mastodon and Protest the Hero, but if you're expecting anything half as heavy as either of those bands you'll probably be a little disappointed. Taken for what it is, Carving Desert Canyons is pretty damned good, the perfect album to throw on when you're just chillin out.

Reznor not happy about Apple's cockblock of NIN app

Blabbermouth.net have informed me that, according to the NYT, Apple have opted not to approve a Nine Inch Nails themed application, or "app," which includes the band's song "The Downward Spiral," deeming it too offensive for iPhone. I guess Apple is down with shakin' some babies, but not NIN. Interestingly enough, Trent Reznor thinks this is bullshit, and lets it fly on NIN.com...

"I'll voice the same issue I had with Wal-Mart years ago, which is a matter of consistency and hypocrisy. Wal-Mart went on a rampage years ago insisting all music they carry be censored of all profanity and 'clean' versions be made for them to carry. Bands (including NIRVANA) tripped over themselves editing out words, changing album art, etc to meet Wal-Mart's standards of decency — because Wal-Mart sells a lot of records.NIN refused, and you'll notice a pretty empty NIN section at any Wal-Mart. My reasoning was this: I can understand if you want the moral posturing of not having any 'indecent' material for sale — but you could literally turn around 180 degrees from where the NIN record would be and purchase the film 'Scarface' completely uncensored, or buy a copy of Grand Theft Auto where you can be rewarded for beating up prostitutes. How does that make sense? You can buy 'The Downward Fucking Spiral' on iTunes, but you can't allow an iPhone app that may have a song with a bad word somewhere in it. Geez, what if someone in the forum in our app says FUCK or CUNT? I suppose that also falls into indecent material. Hey, Apple, I just got some SPAM about fucking hot Asian teens THROUGH YOUR MAIL PROGRAM. I just saw two guys having explicit anal sex right there in Safari! On my iPhone! Come on, Apple, think your policies through and for fuck's sake get your app approval scenario together."

I Never Wanted

Grammy-nominated metalcore giants As I Lay Dying have just released a video for their song "I Never Wanted" off their latest album, An Ocean Between Us. The video is comprised of clips from the band's new DVD entitled This Is Who We Are, which is available now. It's cool to see a video for this song, even if it's just clips ripped from the DVD. This isn't a typical AILD song, its slower and dare I say it, beautiful? I really like how the vocals of new (as of '07) bassist Josh Gilbert are showcased on the track, his vocal talents have contributed a great deal to the sound of the band. I really like the lyrical sentiment in this song too, a longing for simpler times, times of childhood innocence. It's my favorite track off Ocean, so I hope you enjoy the video, check it out:

As I Lay Dying - New Music - More Music Videos

On an additional note, I found this quote on Wikipedia, courtesy of a band FAQ. Tim Lambesis speaks about the band's religious alignment and its relation to the music itself.

"I'm not sure what the difference is between five Christians playing in a band and a Christian band. If you truly believe something, then it should affect every area of your life. All five of us are Christians. I believe that change should start with me first, and as a result, our lyrics do not come across very "preachy." Many of our songs are about life, struggles, mistakes, relationships and other issues that don't fit entirely in the spiritual category. However, all of these topics are written about through my perspective as a Christian.."

I like that AILD aren't a preachy band, because those bands are out there. They're not touting themselves as "Christian Metal," they just love metal and happen to love Jesus too. AILD have the ability to compose meaningful songs and lyrics about life's struggles that can hit you hard regardless of whether or not you're down with Jesus, and I like that about them. They can write songs that get their values across without being douchey about it... I can appreciate that. They're not shoving anything down my throat, and regardless of my different take on faith, I'll still love this band forever.