"Modern" Music to Check Out

[Geoff]

I like BFMV's 'The Poison', but other than that they're very much a one-trick pony ... I'd recommend Five Finger Death Punch, who (IMHO) are one of the less annoying and more talented bands in the Funeral For My 30 Second Horizon vein ... Stone Sour are okay, too (certainly far better than Slipknot!)

 

Yeah, I've heard FFDP before and I gotta say, they don't personally do anything for me. Not quite as catchy, or shall we say "melodic" are the others you mention. Mark and I have similar modern rock tastes, though, and I know he favours them a bit.

 

I like Stone Sour and wonder why they don't appear to more people here. I guess it's just because no one really has heard them or is willing to give them a go? I only wonder because it's basically pure hard rock / metal they play, and the "modern" part is just a mixing of words.

I know a lot of people who are put off by the Slipknot connection ... which is a pity 'cause Stone Sour are actually very good ... like you say, more pure HR/metal than 'shouty blokes with more piercings than talent' ...

 

Haha, I didn't realise there was a Slipknot connection. Probably would have delayed my fondness of them too if I had known, but when you hear some of the riffs they constantly fill their discs with, it's hard to ignore them. I'll check out the Slipknot connection on wikipedia...

[Glen]

I like BFMV's 'The Poison', but other than that they're very much a one-trick pony ... I'd recommend Five Finger Death Punch, who (IMHO) are one of the less annoying and more talented bands in the Funeral For My 30 Second Horizon vein ... Stone Sour are okay, too (certainly far better than Slipknot!)

 

Yeah, I've heard FFDP before and I gotta say, they don't personally do anything for me. Not quite as catchy, or shall we say "melodic" are the others you mention. Mark and I have similar modern rock tastes, though, and I know he favours them a bit.

 

I like Stone Sour and wonder why they don't appear to more people here. I guess it's just because no one really has heard them or is willing to give them a go? I only wonder because it's basically pure hard rock / metal they play, and the "modern" part is just a mixing of words.

I know a lot of people who are put off by the Slipknot connection ... which is a pity 'cause Stone Sour are actually very good ... like you say, more pure HR/metal than 'shouty blokes with more piercings than talent' ...

 

Haha, I didn't realise there was a Slipknot connection. Probably would have delayed my fondness of them too if I had known, but when you hear some of the riffs they constantly fill their discs with, it's hard to ignore them. I'll check out the Slipknot connection on wikipedia...

 

I thought it was common knowledge that Corey was the singer of both.

[Geoff]

I like BFMV's 'The Poison', but other than that they're very much a one-trick pony ... I'd recommend Five Finger Death Punch, who (IMHO) are one of the less annoying and more talented bands in the Funeral For My 30 Second Horizon vein ... Stone Sour are okay, too (certainly far better than Slipknot!)

 

Yeah, I've heard FFDP before and I gotta say, they don't personally do anything for me. Not quite as catchy, or shall we say "melodic" are the others you mention. Mark and I have similar modern rock tastes, though, and I know he favours them a bit.

 

I like Stone Sour and wonder why they don't appear to more people here. I guess it's just because no one really has heard them or is willing to give them a go? I only wonder because it's basically pure hard rock / metal they play, and the "modern" part is just a mixing of words.

I know a lot of people who are put off by the Slipknot connection ... which is a pity 'cause Stone Sour are actually very good ... like you say, more pure HR/metal than 'shouty blokes with more piercings than talent' ...

 

Haha, I didn't realise there was a Slipknot connection. Probably would have delayed my fondness of them too if I had known, but when you hear some of the riffs they constantly fill their discs with, it's hard to ignore them. I'll check out the Slipknot connection on wikipedia...

 

I thought it was common knowledge that Corey was the singer of both.

 

Probably is, but I have literally never read anything about Slipknot so I'd seriously never heard about that. Die hard fan, hey?

[Glen]

Actually do like quite a few Slipknot songs and own 2 albums and have seen them live. Not die hard obviously but I do have an interest.

[AlphaMale]

How about the band DEAD SARA Mr. Geoff?? Their song "Weatherman" has been making the rounds on internet and radio.

 

Check it out here:

 

http://youtu.be/y5vr_Vhoumc

 

http://youtu.be/_KSGKWrgjaQ

 

and especially:

 

[Geoff]

How about the band DEAD SARA Mr. Geoff?? Their song "Weatherman" has been making the rounds on internet and radio.

 

Check it out here:

 

http://youtu.be/y5vr_Vhoumc

 

http://youtu.be/_KSGKWrgjaQ

 

and especially:

 

http://youtu.be/AZ5uaoc6Iss

 

Listened to the disc, mate. Gotta say, not my thing, sadly. Didn't enjoy it at all, but thanks for the heads up anyway!

[Geoff]

So out of curiosity, did anyone have a top 10 or 20 modern rock albums from 2014? I don't separate my lists anymore, but if I go through with a filter, here's what my top 20 would look like, fyi:

 

1. Michael Paynter - Weary Stars ; great disc as noted in my end of year review. Mellow in places, but excellent.

2. Badger - Time Will Tell ; probably the surprise of the year, as also covered in my end of year review.

3. Dorydrive - Here's To You ; almost a re-issue of sorts as most the best songs from this were on 'Calling all angels' a few years ago, but they still sound good.

4. 5 Seconds Of Summer - 5 Seconds Of Summer ; along with their 2 EPs released in 2014, these guys actually held the honour of having the most songs on my 'Very Best Of 2014' MP3 disc, with a grand total of 6 gems. If my 10 favourite songs on the 3 different discs were on one album, it would have been my favourite of the year.

5. Framing Hanley - The Sum Of Who We Are ; very solid disc ; arguably their best yet. Right in line with what fans of the band would hope for, I dare say.

6. The Relapse Symphony - Shadows ; takes a few songs to get going, but I do like this one.

7. James Durbin - Celebrate ; also spoken about a lot on the forum by myself, but a very good album with a handful of outright gems.

8. You Me At Six - Cavalier Youth ; this one would rank in the top 5 of most played albums in 2014 for me. Just keeps getting better with every listen. I like this band's entire discography, and this does not disappoint. If anything, better than I expected.

9. Let It Happen - Cause & Effect ; 3 amazing songs on this and otherwise it's pretty good.

10. The Amity Affliction - Let The Ocean Take Me ; an acquired taste, almost mixing pop choruses with very heavy, screaming verses. I saw these guys live once and have been hooked ever since. I just like it.

11. We Are The In Crowd - Weird Kids ; good catchy "pop punk" album. I do like these guys.

12. McBusted - McBusted ; patchy, with some real rubbish on here... but also some stupidly catchy stuff too. It's a guilty pleasure, but not bad.

13. Dead By April - Let The World Know ; like Amaranthe, these guys have basically just recorded the same album again, but let's not kid ourselves. It's a damn freakin' good album to keep re-recording, imo! lol, it's good stuff.

14. Seventh Day Slumber - We Are The Broken ; go Jesus! But yeah, it's actually a pretty good disc, surprisingly.

15. We Set Signals - Polaris ; a very late entry at the band end of the year. Not sure it's better than all those below it - time will tell, but it's good one. Good mix of heaviness, screams and melody. I diggit.

16. The Used - Imaginary Enemy ; reliable as always - another good disc from a very consistent band.

17. Highway Saints - Highway Saints ; In all honesty, with backing / harmony vocals, this thing would have sky-rocketed up my list, honestly probably even encroaching on my top 10. Great songs, but severely missing something more than just the lead vocals.

18. Yellowcard - Lift A Sail ; excellent return to form from these guys after they pottered through a few discs since the magnificent 'Paper Walls.' It's a new sounding band, with a much more mellow, atmospheric sound - I guess almost like Safetysuit more than what you expect from Yellowcard. But thank goodness, it works very well.

19. Disciple - Attack ; a very good disc and probably only this far down the list because of the stupid lyrics. It's good modern rock, but the God message is stronger than most their recent previous discs and really puts a downer on the whole thing. Shame; could have been good with better lyrics.

20. Fahran - Chasing Hours ; a very well played disc, with some great moments. Good album.

And some other interesting names and where they ranked;

23. Melody Fall - The Shape Of Pop Punk To Come

27. Kadwatha - The World Of Hypocrisy

29. In This Moment - Black Widow

32. Ryan Star - Angels & Animals

33. Otherwise - Peace At All Costs

34. Flyleaf - Between The Stars

36. Tokio Hotel - Kings Of Suburbia

41. Colton Dixon - Anchor

44. Jason Lancaster - Jason Lancaster (ex Mayday Parade & Go Radio vocalist)

I just posted this song in the Hit The Lights thread, but I'll put it here too so people can swim in it:

[Glen]

On a side note have u heard the new Papa Roach album yet?

 

I havent checked it out but will.

[Gibbo]

On a side note have u heard the new Papa Roach album yet?

 

I havent checked it out but will.

 

Bloody hell - are they still going?

[JC_AOR]

 

So out of curiosity, did anyone have a top 10 or 20 modern rock albums from 2014? I don't separate my lists anymore, but if I go through with a filter, here's what my top 20 would look like, fyi:

 

1. Michael Paynter - Weary Stars ; great disc as noted in my end of year review. Mellow in places, but excellent.

2. Badger - Time Will Tell ; probably the surprise of the year, as also covered in my end of year review.

3. Dorydrive - Here's To You ; almost a re-issue of sorts as most the best songs from this were on 'Calling all angels' a few years ago, but they still sound good.

4. 5 Seconds Of Summer - 5 Seconds Of Summer ; along with their 2 EPs released in 2014, these guys actually held the honour of having the most songs on my 'Very Best Of 2014' MP3 disc, with a grand total of 6 gems. If my 10 favourite songs on the 3 different discs were on one album, it would have been my favourite of the year.

5. Framing Hanley - The Sum Of Who We Are ; very solid disc ; arguably their best yet. Right in line with what fans of the band would hope for, I dare say.

6. The Relapse Symphony - Shadows ; takes a few songs to get going, but I do like this one.

7. James Durbin - Celebrate ; also spoken about a lot on the forum by myself, but a very good album with a handful of outright gems.

8. You Me At Six - Cavalier Youth ; this one would rank in the top 5 of most played albums in 2014 for me. Just keeps getting better with every listen. I like this band's entire discography, and this does not disappoint. If anything, better than I expected.

9. Let It Happen - Cause & Effect ; 3 amazing songs on this and otherwise it's pretty good.

10. The Amity Affliction - Let The Ocean Take Me ; an acquired taste, almost mixing pop choruses with very heavy, screaming verses. I saw these guys live once and have been hooked ever since. I just like it.

 

11. We Are The In Crowd - Weird Kids ; good catchy "pop punk" album. I do like these guys.

12. McBusted - McBusted ; patchy, with some real rubbish on here... but also some stupidly catchy stuff too. It's a guilty pleasure, but not bad.

13. Dead By April - Let The World Know ; like Amaranthe, these guys have basically just recorded the same album again, but let's not kid ourselves. It's a damn freakin' good album to keep re-recording, imo! lol, it's good stuff.

14. Seventh Day Slumber - We Are The Broken ; go Jesus! But yeah, it's actually a pretty good disc, surprisingly.

15. We Set Signals - Polaris ; a very late entry at the band end of the year. Not sure it's better than all those below it - time will tell, but it's good one. Good mix of heaviness, screams and melody. I diggit.

16. The Used - Imaginary Enemy ; reliable as always - another good disc from a very consistent band.

17. Highway Saints - Highway Saints ; In all honesty, with backing / harmony vocals, this thing would have sky-rocketed up my list, honestly probably even encroaching on my top 10. Great songs, but severely missing something more than just the lead vocals.

18. Yellowcard - Lift A Sail ; excellent return to form from these guys after they pottered through a few discs since the magnificent 'Paper Walls.' It's a new sounding band, with a much more mellow, atmospheric sound - I guess almost like Safetysuit more than what you expect from Yellowcard. But thank goodness, it works very well.

19. Disciple - Attack ; a very good disc and probably only this far down the list because of the stupid lyrics. It's good modern rock, but the God message is stronger than most their recent previous discs and really puts a downer on the whole thing. Shame; could have been good with better lyrics.

20. Fahran - Chasing Hours ; a very well played disc, with some great moments. Good album.

 

And some other interesting names and where they ranked;

 

23. Melody Fall - The Shape Of Pop Punk To Come

27. Kadwatha - The World Of Hypocrisy

29. In This Moment - Black Widow

32. Ryan Star - Angels & Animals

33. Otherwise - Peace At All Costs

34. Flyleaf - Between The Stars

36. Tokio Hotel - Kings Of Suburbia

41. Colton Dixon - Anchor

44. Jason Lancaster - Jason Lancaster (ex Mayday Parade & Go Radio vocalist)

 

2014 was probably my least active year both here on the forum and with listening to new bands so unfortunately I missed a lot of these.

 

However I did love both 5SOS and We Are the In Crowd...both catchy as hell. I'm doing my best to keep up with some more of the new releases in 2015. Hey Geoff didn't Yellowcard release some kind of Paper Walls remake or acoustic thingy last year or am I just dreaming that?

[JLPRocks]

I didn't know Tokio Hotel were still a band......let alone a new release. Geoff......can you give me a tiny review??

[Geoff]

@ Glen - yeah mate, heard the new Papa Roach disc. Solid as hell. Good disc, but kind of missing the real highlights. Usually when I say solid it's code for boring shit, but I don't mean that. It is that - just a really solid hard modern rock disc. No duds (even a rap tune with a great chorus). Yeah, well worth checking out. It's kind of like 'Paramour Sessions' but without a 'Forever,' 'What do you do,' or 'Reckless.' But still a very good album, and defo worth checking out.

 

@ Justin - 2014 was easily the weakest year in modern rock in as long as I can remember, so don't worry too much about what you missed, though I'd at least check out what's on my list. And don't forget Thief Club and Waltham, which were the best 2 releases of the year, but both EPs/mini-albums. As for Yellowcard - I have no idea about an acoustic 'Paper Walls.' To be honest, I wouldn't pay it a second of attention if it does exist.

 

@ Jim - haha, the main reason I wanted to do that bottom part of the list to note Tokio Hotel. It's probably a lot better than the position suggests, but I only heard it a few times before I finalised my end of year list. If you were ever even a moderate fan of the band, buy this without further question. Despite it's low ranking (and as happened a lot in 2014) I actually really liked the album. It's very mellow, but across the board - all 15 songs!!! - there is not one dud or one song lacking a good chorus hook. It's mellow with a good relaxed vibe, but yeah, never boring or shit, because the hooks keep coming. It's also pushing the boundaries if you were to call it any type of rock too. It's very modern, no doubt about it.

 

I know most on the forum would make a big scene about how much they hate this, but if, like me, you don't - check out the album. These are my 3 faves ones off the album:

 

 

 

 

I hope I do myself a favour and listen to this album a lot more because I guarantee it's the kind that will grow on you more every time until you basically completely love it.

[JLPRocks]

Geoff....thanks for the posts. The second and third songs (vids) are pretty good, and I get what you mean by mellower.......will check out the album to see what it's like. I enjoyed their previous stuff quite a bit......not sure I'll like this as much (cuz it may be too mellow for me), but will definitely give it a chance. Thanks!

[martinsane]

So Geoffrey with your love of 5SOS maybe these lads will be up your alley, I know my kids don't mind them.

 

 

[Geoff]

So Geoffrey with your love of 5SOS maybe these lads will be up your alley, I know my kids don't mind them.

 

 

 

Haha, nah mate, completely different kettle of fish. The main mistake people make about 5SOS is assuming they're a boy band rather than just a "pop punk" band that somehow made it huge. But yeah, they're 100% Simple Plan, 0% Backstreet Boys. A vocalist/guitarist, bass player/vocalist, guitarist and drummer. Not 4 random vocalists.

 

Anyway, I did hear this album due to (incorrect) comparisons and only liked 4 songs; the rest is just pop rubbish and earned a 52% from me. The tunes I liked were 'Somebody like you,' 'Dangerous,' 'Shout about it,' and 'Lovestruck.'

 

[martinsane]

I didn't think them to be too much a "boy" band as at least they play instruments and such and I agree the 5SOS are definately a mile better imho. The Vamps are a little softer and alot more "Radio Disney".

[Geoff]

I didn't think them to be too much a "boy" band as at least they play instruments and such and I agree the 5SOS are definately a mile better imho. The Vamps are a little softer and alot more "Radio Disney".

 

I don't know much about them to be honest, but are you sure they play instruments? I know I saw one of their clips and I think there were instruments there, but it looked like one of those clips where they put random instruments in their hands for the sake of the clip... probably to capitalise of the success of 5SOS.

 

As you say, The Vamps are a lot softer. I couldn't detect any kind of rock edge to their songs (hence me doubting they play instruments) whereas 5SOS is pure "pop rock/punk."

[Grey]

@ Justin - 2014 was easily the weakest year in modern rock in as long as I can remember...

 

I'd have to agree. Aside from the Seconds Away EP, there wasn't a single album that grabbed my attention. Though I did find a few tracks among the rest that I'd put in my top 10 for the year.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rzj6aUna7U

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srSkou3Hj6M

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTyKk53Wq3w

[Geoff]

That was my main worry about 2014 - that there were good modern rock releases being released, but I was just missing them. I didn't know about any of those 3, lol. Did the first two release new albums? I'm amazed I missed the Thousand Foot Krutch one as I've kept up to date with their discography until obviously last year. I really like the Shallow Side song.

[Grey]

That was my main worry about 2014 - that there were good modern rock releases being released, but I was just missing them. I didn't know about any of those 3, lol. Did the first two release new albums? I'm amazed I missed the Thousand Foot Krutch one as I've kept up to date with their discography until obviously last year. I really like the Shallow Side song.

 

New Medicine released a new album last summer, but I only liked that one track. They're not really my style, but I still gave it a listen since I liked another of their songs (Baby's Gone). Shallow Side is only a 5-song EP.

 

Two more good tracks:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbh8NM-J6iU

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHE3SW-2Fd0

 

But like the others, I didn't find anything else I liked on the albums.

[JC_AOR]

 

 

I couldn't play the New Medicine song but the other two are great, thanks for the tips.

 

 

@ Justin - 2014 was easily the weakest year in modern rock in as long as I can remember...

I'd have to agree. Aside from the Seconds Away EP, there wasn't a single album that grabbed my attention. Though I did find a few tracks among the rest that I'd put in my top 10 for the year.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rzj6aUna7U

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srSkou3Hj6M

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTyKk53Wq3w

[JC_AOR]

Still Echo

 

 

http://www.facebook.com/stillecho?sk=app_178091127385

 

http://www.myspace.com/stillechoofficial

 

These dudes are heavy, very heavy at times. A mix of clean vocals and lots of screaming as well. Not usually my thing but I am enjoying this a lot. Really good stuff and worth checking out for sure.

 

 

Does anyone have anything digital or otherwise from Still Echo?

[Glen]

New Destine album in May.

 

That is all.

[Geoff]

Where's Safetysuit? Will that ever actually be released?

 

The new All Time Low CD from this year is very well worth hearing too. Really good album, and much better than their last few. However, I did hear 'Nothing Personal' again the other day, from 2009. Made it very clear why I have loved this band so much in the past. By fuck that is an excellent album.

[Ponen]

Hats off to you Geoff! This thread is an extensive research on modern rock. Its indeed very informative.

 

Grateful to you that I got introduced to great bands such as The New Shining, Silly Fools, Crashcarburn, Cauterize, Parachute Run Kid Run, Summerlin etc. Am yet to check out so many of them mentioned on this thread(don't think I will be able to cover all). Could you please suggest names of bands along the lines of the bands that I have mentioned. Thanks.