Helmed by metal guru Matt Hyde, Matters – excluding the opener – is a precise, intense, and seasoned output from guys who’ve been at the SoCal game forever.
Kaas returned to her roots as a jazz and blues-influenced French pop diva. She knows what she does best, and that’s belt out emotional songs en français.
Less abstract padded noise and electronic blips and more well-crafted song structures featuring effected guitar hooks coming at you from all directions.
Atreyu’ve been combining Arch Enemy guitar wails with hardcore rumbling since ’01, recently overtaken by Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and Avenged Sevenfold.