Ouch, that Hurt!

These puns with the titles are getting out of hand. Sorry for the lack of updates over the last couple of weeks, been really busy. Over spring break, I went and saw Red (go back about 2 posts ago) and walked away with 2 water bottles and I shook the lead singers hand. It was awesome!

Anyway, with the sad, boredom inducing school year about to come to a close, I’ve turned rather emo. Yea, I said it. I’m tired of being here in this tiny room doing work all the time. I MISS FREEDOM! So why not listen to some music that reflects the depression within?

Hurt is a perfect band to do so. A more dark, depressing band you will not find. Yet, my god, the emotion they fill each song with and the passion they put into it will blow you away. There musical sound closely resembles that of the popular hard rock on today’s radio (the good stuff, Shinedown, Alter Bridge, etc.) when they’re heavy, and when they’re soft, they are as progressive as they come.

Yet the music really isn’t what makes them special. Sure it matches the vocals and lyrics, but these both outshine the guitars and drums in a way that I thought previously unimaginable. J. Loren, Hurt’s lead singer, is one crazy motherfucker, and his music reflects that. Whether singing in a low, almost whisper-like voice, or yelling at the top of his lungs, Loren takes your music listening experience to whole new levels. Then when he stops, he picks up his violin and adds an entirely new dimension to each song.

Another reason why Hurt is truly capturing my attention as of late is their wonderful lyrical songwriting. J. Loren gets most of the credit here too, as he is the main lyricist. Most of the songs tell a story, a story that can be followed from record to record. Think about famous storytellers like Johnny Cash, and bring them into today’s classic hard rock, with much more dark stories, and you have Hurt. Some songs, like Rapture, tell stories of family life gone horribly wrong. Others tell of relationships destroyed due to unfaithfulness or lives torn apart from wrong decisions, like Pandora. This is what sets Hurt apart from anything you’ve ever heard.

Similar Bands:

Take Shinedown and Tool, and meet in the middle.

Songs

Rapture

Alone with the Sea

Let's go to the Karnivool!

Well, obviously my statement was a little early about the Canada thing. They are truly the dominant ones in the hockey world. But who cares about hockey anyway?! That's right, no one. Regardless of the sports world, I'm excited. After a crazy weekend at State College (State Patty's day is the greatest holiday ever), we've only got one more week 'til spring break. THANK GOD!

Over spring break I'm not going anywhere though. Which sucks some serious ass. But hey, what are you gonna do? Maybe I'll go to see a Karnivool. HAHA WHAT A TERRIBLE JOKE! No, but seriously Karnivool is a progressive rock band out of the down under. With their first album, Themata, Karnivool made a name for themselves by creating a very "epic" and exciting sound that really hadn't been delved into before. Songs like "Cote" and "Themata" are the epitome of what Karnivool likes to accomplish through their music.

With their most recent album, Sound Awake, which just released in the U.S. a couple of weeks ago, Karnivool made an even bigger move towards the progressive side of things. Their bass got louder, their drums got more sporatic, and any semblance of the main stream rock song structure that they may have had before was completely thrown out. Songs such as Change and Deadman rank right up there with the best songs that Karnivool have released.

The music itself creates a very serene feeling. It seems to be a bit dark, yet there is a sense that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Karnivool is not an overly technical band by any means, but they sure do know how to play together. The lead vocals are also very well done, giving an overall happy feeling to the music.

Similar Bands:

Tool (ALOT)

Coheed and Cambria (Not much)