5.) Dear Elizabeth: One of the more mellow songs on the c.d. Starts off with an acoustic part, and goes into a mini guitar solo. This strong is very expressive, seeing that it is an instrumental. There’s not anything that exciting about this so. This song is more about Catherine showing another side to the band, and that they don’t keep to one sound. The best part of this song is that it transitions right into the next song and you can barely tell that they are two different songs (minus the fact that the vocals start right when it switches to track 6).

6.) Fallacy: Many hardcore bands have energy-packed songs, but don’t really evoke much emotion other than the raging hormones of a teenager. This band is different in that I see their music as more so poetry than just a bunch of a noise. This song is a piece of artwork. The screams sound awesome, yet you can still make out what he is saying. It’s hard for me to tell if in the recording there is a different screamer behind the main vocalist, or if it’s the same guy with some mixing done in the studio. The screams sound different enough that they could be two different band members, but at the same time it sounds like the main vocalist screaming in a higher pitch. Like in other songs, the screamer and singer sound great together (especially in the chorus).

7.) Thou Art A Villain: The transition into the verse really gets the song moving a lot. The drums keep the intro alive and you can get really feel the double bass. This song is effective at using dynamics. In some parts of the song one of the instruments will drop out making the overall sound of the bound lower, but still remaining heavy. The line, “There’s no heroes, there’s no heroes” is repeated over and over again until the song is over. I really like how they can use only one lyrical line and make it so powerful through repetition. The line eventually fades out into the nothing and leads into the next song.

Believe it or not, Warped Tour 08′ is right around the corner. The summer long tour begins in Ponoma, CA on June 20 and ends in Carson, CA on August 17. The tour has been long known as one of the biggest punk tours of the year, but every year it seems more hardcore/metal bands are joining the tour. In my opinion this years’ warped tour line-up is one of the best ones I’ve seen yet, especially for metal lovers like myself. Some of the hardcore/metal bands to look out for on this years’ warped tour include: A Day to Remember, Alesana, All That Remains, As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red (not appearing in august unfortunately), The Devil Wears Prada, Evergreen Terrace, Every Time I Die, Greeley Estates, The Human Abstract, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Norma Jean, Protest the Hero, Sky Eats Airplane, and last but not least, Story of the Year. Click here to view the complete list of bands and dates

History of Van’s Warped Tour

Warped Tour first began in 1995, making this upcoming tour the 14^th annual Warped Tour. The name “Warped Tour” originated from Warp Magazine, a magazine published by Transword Magazine that featured skating, snowboarding, surfing, and music. The concerts are usually held in outdoor venues or large parking lots across the country. There has been up to 100 different bands playing on the tour during the summer. Typically the bigger bands get the large stages and the smaller ones get the smaller stages. In 1998, Warped Tour became international and toured in Australia, Japan, and Europe. The summer concert tour continues to grow in popularity, selling hundreds of thousands of tickets each year.

Oh wait…There’s More!

Aside from the huge list of bands that play on the Warped Tour, there are many other side attractions to visit. This includes a half-pipe where you can watch crappy skateboarders who think they are good fall on their ass. I remember last year when I went there was a tent with TVs & Xbox’s that you could play Guitar Hero 3 on before it was even released. Warped Tour is also a good way to get a chance to hang out and talk to your favorite bands. Usually after a band is done playing they will migrate to their designated tent to visit with fans. Some bands even do signings at specified times, but beware of the mile long lines. Every band has a merchandise stand set up if you want to get a band shirt of your favorite shirt or pick up a cd. This show is definitely worth the $30 it costs to get a ticket. Warped tour usually runs from approximately 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. so drink lots of water and prepare for some killer music!

Banner from the Warped Tour last year

Catherine is a smaller sized metalcore band out of Sacramento, CA. They are relatively new to the scene and are starting to blossom now that they have a steady line-up. I recently picked up Catherine’s album, The Naturals. The album was released in 2007 on Rise Records. This is the only c.d. they have release so far, minus their EP titled Rumor Has It. Here is my review of The Naturals…

1.) First Take: Intro… just a dude coughing. nothing to see here… move along

2.) The Naturals: Great song to start off the c.d. with. Begins with a drum introduction/fill and moves right into the whole band, with screaming over the instruments. The transition from the verse to the chorus is well done. The verse has a rhythm guitar with a lead playing over the top. For the transition both guitars play a rhythmic, which is a nice switch. The chorus has a mini-break down and foreshadows the breakdown towards the end of the song. They do something for a bridge that you rarely see heavy bands do. The instruments drop out and an acoustic guitar comes in with the singer laying out the melody. Shortly after, the screamer comes in over the singer. Song ends with a short lived but electrified breakdown.

3.) Tailor: This song has to be one of my favorites because of the grindcore influence to it. This song covers a spectrum of different sounds and uses more singing (as opposed to screaming) than other songs on the album. The guitars use a lot of off-beat rhythms and the screams are on the accents of the guitars. All the phrases in this song are short and transition quickly from one section to another. The drummer does an awesome job at changing up the beats so they don’t all sound the same.

4.) Light Brite: The intro this song is extremely basic but still sounds decent. The song is turned up a notch when the verse starts. The drums and bass go perfectly together, creating a real heavy sound. The breakdown in the middle of the song is nice because you don’t see it coming. The screams really sound badass over the open chords of the breakdown. The bridge is absolutely genius. Like in Track 2, all the instruments drop out momentarily and an acoustic guitar fades in. The vocals the same line until the song is over. One of my favorite lines is in the bridge- “Thinking maps were made for us to follow, you showed me light was near, the brightest light is here.” I can’t even explain how explain how good this song is, you just have you hear it for yourself.

Catherine Photo

Just released albums to look out for – HOT!

In Flames - A Sense Of Purpose (Koch Records)

Sevendust – Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow

Veil Of Maya – The Common Man’s Collapse (Sumerian Records)

Meshuggah – ObZen (Nuclear Blast Records)

Bury Your Dead – s/t (Victory Records)

Upcoming c.d. releases to look out for – HOT!

Children Of Bodom – Blooddrunk (Spinefarm Records)

Heaven Shall Burn – Whatever It May Take (Lifeforce Records)

Stick To Your Guns – Comes From The Heart (Century Media Records)

From A Second Story Window – Conversations (Black Market Activities)

36 Crazyfists – The Tide And Its Takers (Ferret Music)

Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I-IV (n/a)

Arsis – We Are The Nightmare (Nuclear Blast Records)

Atreyu – Lead Sails Paper Anchor 2.0 (Hollywood Records)

Kataklysm – Prevail (Nuclear Blast Records)

Our Darkest Day – By The Time You See This, I’ll Be Gone (Indie)