The first thing you’ll notice about the new Vanisher song “Reaction” (other than the typically sick riffs) is that where there once would’ve been screamed vocals, there are no more. That’s because ex-Glass Casket vocalist Adam Cody, who is currently out on the road fronting Wretched, has officially left the band and the remaining members (plus a new bassist and drummer) have decided to continue on… (drumroll)… as a clean singing-only outfit.

Where most metalheads would throw their hand up in the air and wave this new direction away with a resounding “phooey,” I raise my fist and say “bravo.” The decision to go all-clean is the final step in a natural evolution that’s been coming ever since a couple of ex-Bloodjinn members decided to form Zero System a couple of years ago. Zero System were kinda like Bloodjinn Jr. (in a good way) in that their sound closely resembled the former but made an obvious attempt at something more catchy — and dare I say more mainstream — with clean-sung choruses. As the band’s sound morphed and continued in that direction, they changed their name to Vanisher. So it feels right that the band finally made the decision to ditch cliched growls altogether because it’s where they’ve been headed this whole time. Since Vanisher are excellent songwriters, I don’t really see this is as a problem… they’ve got the goods to back it up. And I’ve always been a fan of Justin Reich’s entirely unique clean-sung voice.

Check out the new song “Reaction” at the band’s official website. It is 110% guaranteed to get stuck in your head instantly.

-VN

Some of the members of Bloodjinn are in Vanisher now, and Vanisher is an excellent band, so I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or nuthin’, but – I am so fucking ready for Bloodjinn to get back together. I feel like I hear rumblings that it’s gonna happen at least twice a year, but so far, zip, zilch, zero. And our world is still in some dire need of Bloodjinning*.

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This morning I received an e-mail with the subject line “CERBERUS announces reunion show!” Which is great news, if, like me, you are a fan of California deathrashers Cerberus, and if, like me, you had no idea that the band had ever split. I mean, I guess I should have figured as much, since it’s been more than three years since their last release, 2007′s face-melter, Dispute the Truth. But if there was ever an announcement that the group was dunzo, I totally missed it. I guess I just figured that they were one of those bands like Bloodjinn, who hit some rocky roads and will hopefully make their return when they can.

Moot point in Cerberus’ case, though, as “when they can” seems to be “right now.” They’re playing Skumfest on December 18 at the Cobalt Cafe in Canoga Park, CA, along with some other killer bands, like The Funeral Pyre, Black Sheep Wall, and Noriega. The press release didn’t say anything about a new album, but I’m hopeful that more music will be these dudes’ next step.

At the risk of sounding like the sticker on a Victory release, if you enjoy bands like Machine Head and Chimaira and have never checked out Cerberus, you’re depriving yourself. You can hear some music at their MySpace page, natch. I tried to find some good videos on YouTube, but all I found was the below short, not-great-quality footage of them playing (rehearsing, I think) one of the most awesomest songs, “The Filthy Few.” You can check out the studio version here.

And if anyone hits up Skumfest, drop me a line and let me know how Cerberus were.

-AR

We’ve already told you how we feel about NC-based metallers Vanisher, who feature in their ranks members of Bloodjinn and Glass Casket, North Carolina royalty. Their debut album The History of Saints drops on Tribunal Records on September 14th, and now, in addition to the couple of tracks they’ve got on their MySpace page you can also stream “Conviction Cell,” the album’s very last track, below. It’s a good taste of what Vanisher are all about — razor-tight riffs and an uncanny sense of melody with songs that get stuck inside your brain almost instantly. Pre-order The History of Saints here.

Vanisher will be on tour from September 17-26 with MS faves The Binary Code and fellow NC-rockers Hephystus. Tour dates after the jump!

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North Carolina’s Vanisher, who were once known as Zero System and feature in their ranks members of Bloodjinn and Glass Casket, have a dual-pronged piece of good news for metalheads this week. First is the announcement that they’ve signed with Tribunal Records and will release their new full-length album The History of Saints on September 14th. And to support the album they’ve announced a 10-day tour of the East Coast in September on which they’ll have MS faves The Binary Code and NC rockers Hephystus in tow.

Despite the pedigree of its members, Vanisher actually doesn’t sound a whole lot like Bloodjinn or Glass Casket; dare I say, they’re a bit more straight-forward than either? I’ve really been digging what I’ve heard of The History of Saints from their MySpace page; it’s melodic and catchy without being trite or obvious, and it’s got plenty of brutality and razor tightness which was what I always loved about Bloodjinn. Of course you all know how we feel about The Binary Code, whose new EP Priest is out now and the title track of which we’re streaming here. Hephystus are new to us, but we look forward to seeing them when they hit the NYC stop (with local faves Empyreon).

Tour dates after the jump!

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No, they didn’t break-up; the band – which features members of Bloodjinn and Glass Casket – has just changed their name to Vanisher. They’ve also announced an August 10 release date for their new full-length, The History of Saints.

Is the name change good or bad? Vanisher strikes me a slightly more generic, but at least kids won’t ask what it means. (On the other hand, I’d wager nine out of ten Misery Index fans have no idea what a “misery index” is, but whatever.) Still, the band seems to have some good reasoning behind the name switch. Says vocalist/bassist Justin Reich:

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A couple of weeks ago, Vince reported that Zero System, the North Carolina band featuring Bloodjinn guitarist Kyle Odell along with fellow North Carolinians Justin Reich and Adam Cody of Glass Casket, would be releasing a new EP this month; now that EP, Meridian, has a January 12 release date and – egads! – is going to be a completely free download!

Vince eloquently noted that “Zero System’s music is similar to that of Bloodjinn, but with a slightly more melodic and dynamic feel,” and based on the five (out of a total of six) Meridian tracks currently streaming on the band’s MySpace, I’m prepared to give Meridian the thumbs up. And, really, what’s the worse thing if you end up not liking it? It’s free. You should at least check it out.

Get details on the download here.

-AR

We’re big fans of North Carolina metallers Bloodjinn around here. That band had all sorts of wicked chops and should be mentioned in the same breath as Converge, Cave In and Hatebreed in conversations surrounding the origins of metalcore. Bloodjinn did their thing for a long time but never got quite the credit they deserved, and as such they haven’t put out any new music since 2007′s excellent This Machine Runs on Empty. A new album was expected in April of this year but never seemed to materialize.

Enter Zero System, the new(-ish) band led by Bloodjinn guitarist Kyle Odell along with fellow North Carolinians Justin Reich and Adam Cody of Glass Casket. Zero System have been incredibly productive over the last several months, opting for a series of EPs and small-time releases rather than a full-length album. The basic blueprint for Zero System’s music is similar to that of Bloodjinn, but with a slightly more melodic and dynamic feel. Zero System released a self-titled EP this August and already have a new one called Meridian on the slate for January 2010. Four songs from the 6-song Meridian are currently streaming on the band’s MySpace, and they all sound fucking great; the knack for great songs that drove Bloodjinn’s music is still intact and the production and playing are tip-top.

Check out the four new Zero System songs on the band’s MySpace page and let us know what you think.

-VN

If there’s such a thing as “the North Carolina sound” Seneca have got it; think Between the Buried and Me, Glass Casket, even Bloodjinn. No surprise then that Reflections was produced by fellow North Carolinian Jamie King who also produced the former two of the above three bands. Seneca have actually been around since 2002, but their March release Reflections is their first for Lifeforce Records, and it’s a surprisingly solid listen. Seneca actually sound a whole lot like BTBAM in particular — at times a little bit too much — but manage to modify BTBAM’s prog-core sound just enough to be original. Where BTBAM go big and epic with 8 or soon-to-be 6-song albums full of long songs Seneca somehow manage to cram all of their epic structures, song-changes and shred into much shorter templates, with most songs on Reflections coming in at under 4 minutes and many even under 3. There are a few too many deathcore-skirting breakdowns on Reflections for my tastes, but the band still manages to keep it interesting most of the time. Call them the working man’s Between the Buried and Me.

Check out Seneca on MySpace and let us know what you think.

-VN

I don’t know very much about the band “party grind” outfit Dr. Acula, but I’m guessing I wouldn’t like them. And here’s why: even though “Dr. Acula” was initially a character in an Ed Wood movie and the nickname of sci-fi writer Forrest J. Ackerman, I’d suspect that the band actually took their name from this…

…and if you took your name from a joke on Scrubs, you and I now the very definition of “got off on the wrong foot.”

I guess the fellas in Cattle Decapitation agree with me, because after Dr. Acula apparently cancelled an NYC appearance with the vegan death metallers, vocalist Travis Ryan decided to voice his displeasure publicly. Full video after the jump.

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Both Vince and myself have made it clear that we’re fans of Bloodjinn, a first generation American New Wave band that, for reasons completely beyond our understanding, don’t get the same love as many of their peers (even those peers who are significantly less talented). With the creation of Zero System, a new band featuring Bloodjinn members Joel Collins (vocals) and Kyle Rakes (guitars), I was a little nervous that Bloodjinn might be coming to an end – they’ve gone through something like 378 line-up changes and they’re obviously not millionaires or anything.

But I was worried for no reason. Bloodjinn are about to start recording a new album, Between Breaths, which is set for a tentative April ’09 release on Collins’ Foresaken Recordings. Meanwhile, Collins has actually split with Zero System to concentrate on Bloodjinn; Zero System will move forward with Glass Casket singer Adam Cody, who will also apparently make a guest appearance on Breaths (Which will have cover art by Mike D’Antonio!).

So, in short: Vince and I are stoked. We’ll keep you updated on this band’s activities. If you dig bands like Killswitch Engage and Chimaira and you don’t know Bloodjinn, you’re doing yourself a serious disservice.

-AR

I loved Bloodjinn’s This Machine Runs on Empty so much that it’s no wonder “Through Collapse” is my favorite of the four songs released so far by Zerosystem, the new band featuring Bloodjinn screamer Joel Collins and guitarist Kyle Rakes — it’s the most Bloodjinn-like song to hit Zerosystem’s MySpace page thus far. The riffs are crushing, and Collins’ full-throated scream rips and claws at my jugular with a visceral anger most metal screamers lack. Even if Zerosystem kind of comes off as Bloodjinn-lite, you get the impression that’s kind of the point; exploring new directions under a different moniker unshackles the band of having to worry about being br00tal and tr00 all the time. Rakes’ guitar melodies are catchy as hell, and Collins’ clean voice calls Mike Patton to mind. Check out my interview with Joel a few months ago, then jam the new track on Zerosystem’s MySpace page.

-VN

When news of the new band Zero System surfaced — featuring two members of North Carolina’s Bloodjinn — I was naturally curious, as Bloodjinn’s This Machine Runs on Empty was one of my favorite records of 2007. So I went straight to the source, emailing their singer Joel Collins to get the scoop, and he agreed to answer some questions about the new band, the old one, and what its various members are up to on all fronts. The interview, after the jump.

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So I totally snoozed yesterday on the fact that After The Burial’s new album Rareform was finally released. If you guys haven’t checked out After the Burial yet, I highly recommend you do so this instant; it’s like Meshuggah’s rhythm section decided to have a three-way with John Petrucci and Bloodjinn vocalist Joel Collins. The results are phenomenal, striking that ever-delicate balance of musicianship and songwriting. It’s some truly invigorating shit! Seriously; more bands should be this good.

After the Burial will be out on this summer’s Thrash and Burn Tour (with Darkest Hour), so if you’re planning on hitting that up be sure to get there early… And let us know how they are live. In the meantime listen to the three songs from Rareform posted on their MySpace, and prepare to be be bludgeoned.

-VN

[After the Burial on MySpace]