Have you heard of Shrezzers? Vocals, screams, saxophone solos, shred solos, nice drum beats. Very underrated band with a unique sound. Their first album Relationships is well worth a listen 😁
Didnt think anyone could beat I Prevail at the Album game this year. They set the bar HIGH. Then Being As An Ocean came in for the steal, and you guys were just like "Hold my beer"... Feels like 2019 every band I like is bringing their A-game.
@@ThePunkRockMBA Man I remember being roughly 13/14 and hearing that Michael and Tyler were starting a new band and got hyped. I played that EP so much and now it's a relic 😂🤪
Do more reviews for sure. This was more of a band history lesson than a specific album review though, but I like that angle! Obviously, having worked with them and knowing them personally, you had a lot more to say than if you had never heard of them before.
In a weird way I do kindve agree with you calling this a “prog” album. I really bummed me out a few years back when bands like Periphery and After the Burial got really big and then so many bands just copied that sound and made washed out uninspired “prog” music. To me that felt very generic and trendy and nothing was progressive about it. This to me was always a very interesting because they combined so much but nothing ever sounded forced or jarring. The fact that they blended so much without things sounding out of place is an incredibly hard thing to do. Dream Theater is my favorite band, and one thing I’ve noticed is that once Portnoy left some of their later output felt like that. It’s a HARD thing to do. Huge respect to Issues for pulling an album like this off. An album I’m sure none of their “metalcore turned buttrock” contemporaries would’ve been afraid to make.
Exactly. Copying Periphery riffs isn't progressive, that's boring. And that's no jab at Periphery - they completely changed the game for metal, I'm just saying that copying an innovator isn't innovative. Progressive means you are PROGRESSING, not stagnating...
I remember getting into prog metal largely through Sithu Aye and being disappointed when I decided to check out Intervals and realized that it was almost the same thing (minus the self-deprecating weeb jokes). I don’t really care which came first; someone’s clearly being derivative. I can tell that there’s still some fresh blood in the scene, but it’s also sad how even with a very high barrier of entry in terms of playing ability, something as promising as “progressive metal” can become as derivative as any other scene.
The Punk Rock MBA Not to detract from your point, but ‘progressive’ in the case of rock-based music denotes the implementation of complex theory, as opposed to constant innovation. Incidentally, Progressive House (i.e. Deadmau5) diverges from either definitions, instead referring to the gradual layering of sounds and song parts. Agreed with all your points, though, and great video, as always :-)
I would say these guys have hints of progressive vibes, but it's really more experimental/fusion sounds coming out. I feel like "progressive" has gotten thrown all over the place, but hasn't really been represented much in these types of bands. Animals As Leaders, for example, hinge more on that progressive style, with the constant signature changes, but attempting to mesh multiple genres in your songs doesn't make you progressive, per se.
Issues really is one of the best and most unique bands out right now, and they really deserve to be bigger. They’re one of the first bands I bring up whenever someone says rock/metal is either dead or that it’s gotten stale. Even though “Flexin” is my least favorite track I’ve ever heard from them, I enjoyed this album very much and I’m glad you felt it was worthy of a full video on it. If you’re gonna do more album reviews, I think they should be reserved for bands like this who make for a good example on how to innovate or rejuvenate in a particular style. I think that can fit in with your general music commentary/business niche. Awesome video Finn!
They are proof rock/metal is stale if the only way to achieve market success as a rock/metal band is to tone down your rock/metal influences. Its for dullards who want to like Rock because of marketing but really are better off listening to pop RnB except presumably they dont want to listen to a bunch of black dudes singing
@@roxanbar1571 if you really pay attention to their music, you would remember they never really made super edgy Rock or Metal music. They've always been combining pop, R&B, and Metal throughout their time as a band. It's pretty much people like you that are the reason for the "Rock is dead" movement. Issues aren't afraid to make pop music, Rock music, djent, etc. They make music that they want to hear. That shouldn't be such an issue (no pun intended).
I noticed you didn’t give the album a score. I actually really like that as it forces the viewer to actually watch the video and really listen to your opinion. Meanwhile, Fantano viewers will just admit that they don’t even listen to most albums he reviews and just pause the video, check the score, read shitposting comments and leave. Which is unfortunate because Anthony is a fantastic reviewer.
this album was wayyy ahead of it's time. listening to it now in 2019 and it still gives me the chills. going to try hard not to cry when I see them on their farewell tour next week in LA :(
On the subject of screamed vocals, I’ll never forget that Melissa Cross spends a good amount of time on her Zen of Screaming videos saying that as a screamed-vocal performer you need an answer to the question “Why are you screaming?” Lots of heavy bands have screamed vocals because they think the genre requires it. But should you be screaming if you don’t have lyrics or a viewpoint motivating the screaming?
I also feel the same way about the clean parts in songs. Sometimes a song would have a cool heavy verse but then the chorus would be the most generic sounding clean vocals. I feel like they just force the unispired clean vocals in cause they think they have to stick to that screaming-verses clean-chorus format.
omgstoptakingnames depends on the band though, it can go both ways. I’ve heard songs where the screaming/unclean vocals sound the least-inspired. And songs where the clean vocals sounds least-inspired. To me, you should just have good lyrics. Period. Then work in the clean and unclean vocals where each fit best. IF and where each fits. Nothing sucks more than listening to a new song, it’s awesome, a 10 out of 10....to then have a crap chorus that ruins the entire listening experience because it sounds forced. When a band has every verse nailed but forced the chorus. OR on the other hand, having to sit through bland screaming parts (bored as hell) just waiting for an amazing chorus (or an insane breakdown 2-3 minutes into the song)
Dude! This review echoes and unpacks a conversation I just had with my new band mates last night. A conversation on how we can intentionally bridge the gap between the scene and a broader audience by incorporating “hat-tips” to our scene roots and influences, and become that “gateway” band for people to cut their teeth on (“scene” music); while pushing the “genre” forward with a more palatable musical production in order to reach that broader audience. In short, it’s proving its own challenge just to communicate that vision, let alone direct the writing process toward that end. I think you hit the nail on the head, though, that the more proficient a band is at a broader spectrum of music (i.e. actual hours logged in writing material outside of “scene appeal”) the more capable they are at bridging that gap. Thanks for the informative review, and hopefully we can help contribute to bringing new ears into a revitalized scene, too, soon.
problem is most metal people are just elitists who cant just enjoy music, issues like music but makes whatever they want. and it blends the gap between metal and other genres, metal is seen as weird because people cant just ease into it with bands like this anymore bohn always held them back from mainstream success , hes not chester
Without a screamer they don't have that need to write screaming parts. The screams come naturally when the music kinda demands it. Issues are getting better with each release. Easily my favorite record of the year so far. Was expecting a lot of it and it delivered.
I really liked that your review still had that "what YOU can learn from that"-vibe to it, making it more than just a review actually. So if you do it like that, I would personally enjoy more "reviews" from you ;-)
Finn, I can't tell you enough how happy I am that you made a full review of the new Issues album! I've loved these guys since I got their first album from my friend back in my freshman year of college. These guys deserve the praise they're getting and I can't wait to see them live again one day! This album is a big step forward for them and is so unique sounding that I think it's going to be an influence on music from other bands in the future.
I thought the amount of screaming they had was perfect. They used it as a specific enhancement for very brief moments of a song, which I really liked. The amount of versatile talent in the band is astounding and even though this might not be my fallback or go to sound, every moment of this album was a breath of fresh air. Loved it.
I didn’t think they could out do themselves after Headspace. They definitely pushed the envelope without telling their old fans to F off. Keep up the great work Man! Never miss an episode!
I had never heard of Issues until 2022 and unfortunately did just disband. What’s shocking tho is their debut album hit top 10 on Billboard! What a crazy rise and fall. Finn, would you mind making a rise and fall vid on Issues?
This is really rad! I love coming to your channel because I get to learn new bands that I've never knew about before. I will definitely check them out. P.s. Its 5 am in California and I have class today. That's how much I love you lol
I think I get why this album is very polarising to a lot of people: It's a kind of album that explores a lot more than what people expect a metal band to do. Though I'd say calling them prog metal doesn't fit them properly. This is pretty much post metal, where the bands are really starting to play around with different ideas to see what the metal sound could be in the future. It makes sense because of all the projects that all the members are in. In the end, I'm not the biggest fan of this album, but I give Issues so much respect for what they're doing to the genre, but it's the question of whether they're like BMTH in the fact that they are 2 years ahead of the curve, or whether they are too far ahead of the curve and people don't know what the hell they're doing. Still, really interesting analysis of the album and the band as a whole.
Honestly this doesn't feel like huge departure from their sound, this is because they've literally had all the elements since the first EP. Love this record, really pleasant surprise.
I was so unsure of this album, but after three listens this album is contending with Dealer's EP for my favorite release of 2019. This album (and Dealer's) made me feel like I was a kid again, discovering music for the first time, and that never happens anymore now that I'm all old and jaded. Great review, Finn!
Awesome :) I love this album. There's a band coming out on the brink right now called "Shrezzers", total metal fusion band. Issues and those boys are some of the best innovative bands in the game
I've been watching your videos for about three days now not knowing I was signed into RUclips. You won me over already two days ahead but this just put the arrow through my heart my dude. An album review on one of my favorite bands put into such exquisite detail made me less skeptical on hearing it. Liked and subscribed. Now excuse me as i retrace my steps and like all 1,000 other videos I've been watching. They've lifted an anxious weight off my chest through insomnia and I am forever grateful.
@@voidtofillNC I have. I know Rolling Stone gave it best metal album of the year and Fantano gave it a 10/10 and I have been a casual listener of their earlier stuff, but I guess I don't get it. I find it more conceptually interesting than listenable. I'll try again sometime.
💯% agree! I’ve loved ISSUES from the beginning - being a Woe, Is Me fan before then - and this album is the best thing they’ve done. And the best thing out there, as far a moving music forward in new directions. Super proud of this evolution! And, now, going back and listening to old stuff, the two-vocalist, screaming format was absolutely holding them back. I loved it back then, but I can’t even appreciate it as much now that I’ve ingested this new ISSUES.
Hey Finn I’m a Brazilian and I’ve been living in Australia for a year now. Just wanna say that your channel and the content that you put out for us are absolutely amazing! I’ve been watching you every day since I discovered The Punk Rock MBA for two reasons: 1 - It’s so good for practicing my listening in English (specially because you talk about one of my passions: music). 2 - This is literally a MBA with all your knowledge from when you started in the “scene” till nowadays and THERE’S NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THAT! It’s so good to have a vision about the “non-pop music movement “ from people like you so accessible! I love your “bands should’ve been bigger” series and I wanna suggest you a new one: “bands YOU should stay tuned”. You could show us what’s new and promising in the scenes you talk about. Sorry about the big text, thanks heaps for everything and keep recording! Much love, 🇧🇷 🇦🇺
Definetily want you to make more album reviews. I learned so much about the band and you gave a very in depth well reasoned explanation of why you think what you think about the album and actually made me want to listen to the album even tho at first I just heard one song and felt like it wont be for me, but now I want to explore it more.
I've loved Issues since they've formed, I've always knew they were way more creative as a band compared to all their peers. But I've been hesitant to listen to this album. But Finn, you convinced me to listen to it tonight, and I'm sure I won't regret it!!
Did you know that Issues just released a new acoustic version of Tapping Out? It legit sounds like it can top the charts and honestly I view that as a good thing.
Super late on this album and I must say this album BLEW. MY. MIND. I haven’t had this happen since I found Monuments. Big fan of the groove and Tyler’s vocal performance and lyrics really stood out. AJ and Sky wove such great melodies and the drums just solid. Thanks for the review keep it up 👍🏽
I like this review and sort of dissection of the album. I would like to request an album to review, "From Death To Destiny by Asking Alexndria" kinda old but believe me it's a very interesting album
Your review was awesome and brought up some connections I never payed attention too. Also, your knowledge of the genre was unbelievable and I look forward to anymore reviews you do.
Found a lot of new music to check out thanks to this - more please! Loved hearing about the influences and about the other projects each musician is working on.
Thanks for introducing me to this band and album! I've listened to it constantly since this video came out. I love fusions of genres, and this is one of my favorites!
When I first heard this band back I'm 2015. I really like them a lot. Coming from a metalcore, deathcore, death metal, etc fan. Respect them for being creative. I remember hearing them on Twitter the realest was the song.
I don’t think Issues can be articulated any better than you did! I had the album on repeat this weekend and its most likely my favorite in their catalog thus far. Loved this video.
Beautiful Oblivion is their best album and I’m so happy I’m able to experience it. I love them so much and they true rock icons for going against the expectations of the scene they in. Rock is rebellious and what more rebellious than making a weird “not real metal” metal album? Issues is forever my favorite band.
Killer review man! I've been on the lookout for some freaky stuff lately and I think this takes the cake. Don't hesitate to make a review when you feel like you've found a gem!
Great review! Couldn't agree more, this album is extremely technical and very catchy. Pretty tough to mix all the funk/jazz elements with the heavier riffs they tossed in. Pretty awesome! Keep up the reviews.
Issues has been my favorite band for 5 years, and this album didn’t disappoint, it’s been on repeat since Thursday night, every member killed it but special shout out to the riff king AJ, you the man
Outstanding- not a typical, boring track by track format- definitely do it again when an album comes along that stands out to you. I loved your call to action at the end to just go out and get better, whatever your genre or craft may be, and don’t worry about labels and precedents that other people put on you.
I would love to see you review some more albums, both old and new! I very much enjoyed how you gave us some history about the band and the "making" of the album! Keep up the great work! :)
Thanks for talking about this album. I never really dug them prior because it was fairly generic- to me- but played well. This on the other hand is stunning. I already have a few friends into it. Even my daughter (8yrs old) digs how catchy and different it sounds. Great work as usual. Also, new Moontooth is great too. Good year for bands doing things a bit different.
Hey Finn, loving the album review. You gave some really interesting insight into the bands progression and reasons why they recorded this album. I would have never listened to this album if it wasn't for your review. Keep em coming man!
Was super stoked when I saw them post about you on their story. Great video ♥️ I really liked when you added some of the songs in. I was singing along 😂
Man, im so glad to hear some positive feedback on this album. I absolutely love what i have heard so far. I've seen some pretty bad reviews on this album based on it being so different from their past work. I love seeing bands evolve, and this is definitely an evolution for Issues. It doesn't hurt having Sky Accord holding down the low end. Much love brotha!
Great video, Finn! One thing you left out though when you shouted out Kris Crummet - Wikipedia says "recording sessions took place between 2017 and 2019, in Calabasas, California with producer Howard Benson. Kris Crummett stepped down as producer and served as an engineer on the record" which makes a lot of sense (to me) why this record is larger than life. Benson is polarizing, but no one can argue with the success he has had and that bands have had because of him. He nailed it with this.
You should trust me on this my man! I know a thing or two about this 😜 I said kris mixed and mastered this, which he did. That’s not the same thing as producing, and every “producer” does things differently. So, i didnt actually leave anything out - i said exactly what i meant to say, in exactly the way i meant to say it.
The Punk Rock MBA there I go running my mouth again 🤭 my bad! Kris is definitely the man - I’ve been a fan of basically everything he puts out. Same with you by the way!
I really enjoyed the review. I am glad more people are appreciating this musical transition. One parallel would be BMTH's new album. I can certainly see a lot more metalcore bands making music under a similar construct - metal guitars over pop music. I certainly want to see more of it.
More album reviews!!!! It would be cool to see some reviews on older albums too in light of where some of the genres have come today/where they’re going
I really enjoyed your take on this album, Finn. I'm still processing my thoughts on it personally and your review brought to light a handful of things that I haven't considered. Like you, I've been a fan of the band since Black Diamonds and I've always loved how they keep evolving and fine-tuning their sound. But for some reason, this one hasn't clicked in the same way their other releases have. But like I said, your review put some things into perspective for me, so I will keep listening and processing it.
Finn, would love to see you review more stuff. Maybe just new albums you like. Enjoyed this very much and I think you explained better than anyone why Issues is great. Great video!
This album surprised me, especially because I'm not much of a funk/pop fan. But Issues found a really good blend of that with Neo soul, rock, and prog stuff, and I love Tyler's voice (he's next level imo). I'm in love with this whole album!!!
Fav tracks: Rain, Second Best, and Get It Right I said the exact same thing about how this is the album they were suppose to make. You can listen to the early stuff and hear how they would lean into the R&B soulful stuff, even when it’s a “heavy” song. I love this album so must that I’m already waiting to hear what’s next. And I also wonder what didn’t make the cut. They said they had over 40 songs during the writing process
I really loved hearing your opinion and would love more album reviews! Also pretty sure I saw you at the Knocked Loose show at El Corazón the other night but didn't get a chance to say hey and thank you for all the good content!
It's funny for you to mention them not screaming, since when I saw Issues live back in May (how I got into them), AJ was the one doing most of the screaming, with Sky and Tyler backing him up at some of those moments. They're amazing live and I can't wait to see them again
Couldn't agree more man! I went in and dived back into this album after awhile and will say Headspace in my personal was my favorite record. But Beautiful Oblivion has taken that spot for me! My old band The New Age opened for them and they were absolutely flawless live! Josh is such an insane drummer! 🙏🤘🔥💀
I believe Beautiful Oblivion will be remembered as an important crossover record. Story time. My partner listened to skate punk, pop punk, post hardcore, and some of the more popular nu metal back in jr high and high school. But as happens with most people, years pass, tastes develop, and priorities change. She never stopped liking any of it, but she just got more into other stuff. Her being out of the loop does mean she missed out on a lot of interesting music; bands and subgenres came and went over the years, stuff I’d love her to check out. But that hiatus also means she didn’t get to experience the evolution of this music over the years into what it is now, so there are a bunch of current genre conventions we take for granted that she has no context for (example: having to explain how we got to “djent” as a thing). It doesn’t make it any easier that a lot of bands would rather contribute to the subgenres they’re already in by doubling-down on those existing conventions instead of trying to pull from a more diverse pool of influences. It feels like her and others interested in getting into this music sometimes have to, like, put work in to “get” it. Related to this problem: harsh vocals. They don’t do it for her. She’s not against them, she’s listened to enough music with them, but it’s more about how they’re used in relation to a whole song or album, big picture-style. So for her to try and get into a lot of this music now, it’s tough because so many bands (hell, the majority of some subgenres) really lean on the false chord screaming. I had the benefit of always listening to hard rock and metal, always being on the periphery of new genres coming up, getting acclimated to harsher and harsher vocals as years went by, and eventually developing appreciation for them; the li’l kid me who listened to Korn was literally scared to even catch a snippet of a death metal tune and now I listen to it all. But for her it’s almost a kind of culture shock. Before her time away from the music screaming was something she’d hear a lot of bands use a bit, some bands a lot. Now there are a lot of bands who only do false chords for all vocals, and it just takes a huge swath of stuff off the table. So it made me beyond happy I could share this record with her and hear her first “I love it” toward something prog or metalcore, and have it be toward a whole album at that and not just a tune or two. Now she’s more interested in trying stuff from the outer circles that came together in this venn diagram of an album, because she had some familiar mixed in with the unfamiliar to get her in the door. Now I have a playlist I try to keep updated with stuff I think she’d find accessible while also trying to let her test the waters with more challenging music. It’s fun.
This is a great album. At first I wasn’t totally sure if I would label it as super unique and innovative on its own, but then it hit me that it really is those things when you consider how this band started and the scene they came from. Speaking as someone who has followed them since Hooligans dropped, they were fresh and innovative for their scene then and they are still innovating in a different way now. I had never really considered that dropping the screaming would be such a benefit, because I just kind of accepted that “hey, it’s metalcore, it’s gotta have screaming”. But you’re absolutely right, dropping some of the obvious metalcore tropes really opened up whole new possibilities. It feels creative without taking the edge off where it really matters.
I absolutely value your opinion so much man you truly know whats up man. I feel that i share many many of your opinions and you take the words right out of my mouth. Couldnt agree more about this album. And its so fucking cool that josh manuel himself commented on this
Well you were the guy to get me to check out Issues anyway Finn. And can say it was definitely a breath of fresh air. My mum hates most of the music I listen to but she digs some Issues songs. So if my mum can dig it, it must have a broad reach haha
Great piece! Despite loving Michael's screaming in Headspace I am very pleasantly surprised at how much I love where they managed to take this new album without it. Coletta is another band I feel is on a similar situation to Issues where it's pushing the genre in new interesting ways, and I can't wait to see them put out more content. It's a really exciting time.
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/finnmckenty
You should listen to the band Wheel.
As for relation to Issues, if you think this album is good, check out Novallo.
Ever Forthright?
Have you heard of Shrezzers? Vocals, screams, saxophone solos, shred solos, nice drum beats. Very underrated band with a unique sound. Their first album Relationships is well worth a listen 😁
I think the album is unbalanced
So glad you like the record man! Thanks for the shoutout.
And we're glad you put that much work and effort into it, thank you.
You’re doing a great job, bro.
So stoked to hear this album. Fully back the direction 🤟😎
Didnt think anyone could beat I Prevail at the Album game this year. They set the bar HIGH. Then Being As An Ocean came in for the steal, and you guys were just like "Hold my beer"... Feels like 2019 every band I like is bringing their A-game.
How awesome is it to get a shout out....from a shout?!
YO I'VE BEEN DESCRIBING THEM AS DJAZZ SINCE HEADSPACE LMAO
Bro it just hit me that they dropped Black Diamonds 7 years ago 🙃
Right??
@@ThePunkRockMBA Man I remember being roughly 13/14 and hearing that Michael and Tyler were starting a new band and got hyped. I played that EP so much and now it's a relic 😂🤪
there best one cant do there new sound
Wtf
bro stop don't say that
Do more reviews for sure. This was more of a band history lesson than a specific album review though, but I like that angle! Obviously, having worked with them and knowing them personally, you had a lot more to say than if you had never heard of them before.
In a weird way I do kindve agree with you calling this a “prog” album. I really bummed me out a few years back when bands like Periphery and After the Burial got really big and then so many bands just copied that sound and made washed out uninspired “prog” music. To me that felt very generic and trendy and nothing was progressive about it. This to me was always a very interesting because they combined so much but nothing ever sounded forced or jarring. The fact that they blended so much without things sounding out of place is an incredibly hard thing to do. Dream Theater is my favorite band, and one thing I’ve noticed is that once Portnoy left some of their later output felt like that. It’s a HARD thing to do. Huge respect to Issues for pulling an album like this off. An album I’m sure none of their “metalcore turned buttrock” contemporaries would’ve been afraid to make.
Exactly. Copying Periphery riffs isn't progressive, that's boring. And that's no jab at Periphery - they completely changed the game for metal, I'm just saying that copying an innovator isn't innovative. Progressive means you are PROGRESSING, not stagnating...
I remember getting into prog metal largely through Sithu Aye and being disappointed when I decided to check out Intervals and realized that it was almost the same thing (minus the self-deprecating weeb jokes). I don’t really care which came first; someone’s clearly being derivative. I can tell that there’s still some fresh blood in the scene, but it’s also sad how even with a very high barrier of entry in terms of playing ability, something as promising as “progressive metal” can become as derivative as any other scene.
The Punk Rock MBA Not to detract from your point, but ‘progressive’ in the case of rock-based music denotes the implementation of complex theory, as opposed to constant innovation. Incidentally, Progressive House (i.e. Deadmau5) diverges from either definitions, instead referring to the gradual layering of sounds and song parts.
Agreed with all your points, though, and great video, as always :-)
MeowTheRainbowX Didn’t see this comment initially, but god damn, you are painfully spot-on. It’s almost a waste of success, in a way
I would say these guys have hints of progressive vibes, but it's really more experimental/fusion sounds coming out. I feel like "progressive" has gotten thrown all over the place, but hasn't really been represented much in these types of bands. Animals As Leaders, for example, hinge more on that progressive style, with the constant signature changes, but attempting to mesh multiple genres in your songs doesn't make you progressive, per se.
Issues really is one of the best and most unique bands out right now, and they really deserve to be bigger. They’re one of the first bands I bring up whenever someone says rock/metal is either dead or that it’s gotten stale. Even though “Flexin” is my least favorite track I’ve ever heard from them, I enjoyed this album very much and I’m glad you felt it was worthy of a full video on it.
If you’re gonna do more album reviews, I think they should be reserved for bands like this who make for a good example on how to innovate or rejuvenate in a particular style. I think that can fit in with your general music commentary/business niche.
Awesome video Finn!
They are proof rock/metal is stale if the only way to achieve market success as a rock/metal band is to tone down your rock/metal influences. Its for dullards who want to like Rock because of marketing but really are better off listening to pop RnB except presumably they dont want to listen to a bunch of black dudes singing
@@roxanbar1571 I wish RUclips had a laugh react because this is one of the dumbest comments I've ever read.
@@RanterInShades You could laugh react one of my comments if you didnt block me on your Facebook that gets 0 traffic because youre a fat broke pussy
@@roxanbar1571 if you really pay attention to their music, you would remember they never really made super edgy Rock or Metal music. They've always been combining pop, R&B, and Metal throughout their time as a band. It's pretty much people like you that are the reason for the "Rock is dead" movement. Issues aren't afraid to make pop music, Rock music, djent, etc. They make music that they want to hear. That shouldn't be such an issue (no pun intended).
I noticed you didn’t give the album a score. I actually really like that as it forces the viewer to actually watch the video and really listen to your opinion.
Meanwhile, Fantano viewers will just admit that they don’t even listen to most albums he reviews and just pause the video, check the score, read shitposting comments and leave. Which is unfortunate because Anthony is a fantastic reviewer.
Lol. Exactly - giving a number just encourages laziness
@@ThePunkRockMBA This shits a 10 tho. cmon now
I actually think the fantano community is great. The sense of community makes everything feel homey
this album was wayyy ahead of it's time. listening to it now in 2019 and it still gives me the chills. going to try hard not to cry when I see them on their farewell tour next week in LA :(
I really wanted to see that. Although, Beautiful Oblivion without the main vocalist seemed like a wild attempt. Hope it was a good experience
Finn also likes find forever? I see you're a man of culture as well.
Appreciate the love for the sax solo on “Find Forever”! Huge fan of your channel and all of your content. Keep doing your thing!
-🎷🌹
Oh shit! Thanks man- great work!
The Punk Rock MBA likewise playa!!
On the subject of screamed vocals, I’ll never forget that Melissa Cross spends a good amount of time on her Zen of Screaming videos saying that as a screamed-vocal performer you need an answer to the question “Why are you screaming?” Lots of heavy bands have screamed vocals because they think the genre requires it. But should you be screaming if you don’t have lyrics or a viewpoint motivating the screaming?
Excellent point
I also feel the same way about the clean parts in songs. Sometimes a song would have a cool heavy verse but then the chorus would be the most generic sounding clean vocals. I feel like they just force the unispired clean vocals in cause they think they have to stick to that screaming-verses clean-chorus format.
omgstoptakingnames depends on the band though, it can go both ways. I’ve heard songs where the screaming/unclean vocals sound the least-inspired. And songs where the clean vocals sounds least-inspired.
To me, you should just have good lyrics. Period. Then work in the clean and unclean vocals where each fit best. IF and where each fits.
Nothing sucks more than listening to a new song, it’s awesome, a 10 out of 10....to then have a crap chorus that ruins the entire listening experience because it sounds forced. When a band has every verse nailed but forced the chorus.
OR on the other hand, having to sit through bland screaming parts (bored as hell) just waiting for an amazing chorus (or an insane breakdown 2-3 minutes into the song)
Dude! This review echoes and unpacks a conversation I just had with my new band mates last night. A conversation on how we can intentionally bridge the gap between the scene and a broader audience by incorporating “hat-tips” to our scene roots and influences, and become that “gateway” band for people to cut their teeth on (“scene” music); while pushing the “genre” forward with a more palatable musical production in order to reach that broader audience. In short, it’s proving its own challenge just to communicate that vision, let alone direct the writing process toward that end. I think you hit the nail on the head, though, that the more proficient a band is at a broader spectrum of music (i.e. actual hours logged in writing material outside of “scene appeal”) the more capable they are at bridging that gap. Thanks for the informative review, and hopefully we can help contribute to bringing new ears into a revitalized scene, too, soon.
problem is most metal people are just elitists who cant just enjoy music, issues like music but makes whatever they want. and it blends the gap between metal and other genres, metal is seen as weird because people cant just ease into it with bands like this anymore
bohn always held them back from mainstream success , hes not chester
Without a screamer they don't have that need to write screaming parts. The screams come naturally when the music kinda demands it.
Issues are getting better with each release. Easily my favorite record of the year so far. Was expecting a lot of it and it delivered.
In my opinion this has been foreshadowed for the longest time especially after Michael started singing. I was only surprised they let him go so early.
My second favorite drop of the year right next to Alien by Northlane
I really liked that your review still had that "what YOU can learn from that"-vibe to it, making it more than just a review actually. So if you do it like that, I would personally enjoy more "reviews" from you ;-)
Finn, I can't tell you enough how happy I am that you made a full review of the new Issues album! I've loved these guys since I got their first album from my friend back in my freshman year of college. These guys deserve the praise they're getting and I can't wait to see them live again one day! This album is a big step forward for them and is so unique sounding that I think it's going to be an influence on music from other bands in the future.
I thought the amount of screaming they had was perfect. They used it as a specific enhancement for very brief moments of a song, which I really liked. The amount of versatile talent in the band is astounding and even though this might not be my fallback or go to sound, every moment of this album was a breath of fresh air. Loved it.
I LOVE that you did an album review! Thanks for being an inclusive dude who takes a multi-genre approach to music - truly punk 🤘🏼
Do more! I love this page. It's always fun and when I get a notification I always get hyped up!
You made a good case, but headspace is still my favorite
I didn’t think they could out do themselves after Headspace. They definitely pushed the envelope without telling their old fans to F off. Keep up the great work Man! Never miss an episode!
I had never heard of Issues until 2022 and unfortunately did just disband. What’s shocking tho is their debut album hit top 10 on Billboard! What a crazy rise and fall. Finn, would you mind making a rise and fall vid on Issues?
This is really rad! I love coming to your channel because I get to learn new bands that I've never knew about before. I will definitely check them out.
P.s. Its 5 am in California and I have class today. That's how much I love you lol
Thank you for getting me into this band. Beautiful Oblivion is a great album and I wouldn't know about it without your video.
I think I get why this album is very polarising to a lot of people: It's a kind of album that explores a lot more than what people expect a metal band to do. Though I'd say calling them prog metal doesn't fit them properly. This is pretty much post metal, where the bands are really starting to play around with different ideas to see what the metal sound could be in the future. It makes sense because of all the projects that all the members are in. In the end, I'm not the biggest fan of this album, but I give Issues so much respect for what they're doing to the genre, but it's the question of whether they're like BMTH in the fact that they are 2 years ahead of the curve, or whether they are too far ahead of the curve and people don't know what the hell they're doing.
Still, really interesting analysis of the album and the band as a whole.
Honestly this doesn't feel like huge departure from their sound, this is because they've literally had all the elements since the first EP. Love this record, really pleasant surprise.
I was so unsure of this album, but after three listens this album is contending with Dealer's EP for my favorite release of 2019. This album (and Dealer's) made me feel like I was a kid again, discovering music for the first time, and that never happens anymore now that I'm all old and jaded. Great review, Finn!
Awesome :) I love this album. There's a band coming out on the brink right now called "Shrezzers", total metal fusion band. Issues and those boys are some of the best innovative bands in the game
Delight go so hard
Shrezzers is so good!
Yes! They're great. Would love to hear them with a top notch producer.
@@ThePunkRockMBA I think their production is really good already 🤔
They're better than issues imo
I'm not really a fan of this band but i can appreciate them for being unique.
Finnthony Mckentytano, the Internet’s Busiest Punk Rock MBA
Haven't heard this album yet and was apprehensive due to Michael no longer being in Issues, but now I'm definitely checking it out.
Ditto
Agree 100% album is fantastic. Would like to see a Counterparts new album review when it drops Nov. 1st
Issues was the first band I became obsessed with and the continue to impress me. I miss Micheal, but I’m glad they’re still kicking!
I've been watching your videos for about three days now not knowing I was signed into RUclips.
You won me over already two days ahead but this just put the arrow through my heart my dude. An album review on one of my favorite bands put into such exquisite detail made me less skeptical on hearing it.
Liked and subscribed.
Now excuse me as i retrace my steps and like all 1,000 other videos I've been watching.
They've lifted an anxious weight off my chest through insomnia and I am forever grateful.
🙏🏼🙏🏼
In a world where pretty much every band bores me, issues is a breath of fresh music to my ears
have you listen to the new daughter's record, 'you won't get what you want?'
@@voidtofillNC I have. I know Rolling Stone gave it best metal album of the year and Fantano gave it a 10/10 and I have been a casual listener of their earlier stuff, but I guess I don't get it. I find it more conceptually interesting than listenable. I'll try again sometime.
The 60 people who thumbs'd down this video listen to anything from Architects to BMTH
💯% agree! I’ve loved ISSUES from the beginning - being a Woe, Is Me fan before then - and this album is the best thing they’ve done. And the best thing out there, as far a moving music forward in new directions. Super proud of this evolution! And, now, going back and listening to old stuff, the two-vocalist, screaming format was absolutely holding them back. I loved it back then, but I can’t even appreciate it as much now that I’ve ingested this new ISSUES.
Hey Finn I’m a Brazilian and I’ve been living in Australia for a year now. Just wanna say that your channel and the content that you put out for us are absolutely amazing! I’ve been watching you every day since I discovered The Punk Rock MBA for two reasons:
1 - It’s so good for practicing my listening in English (specially because you talk about one of my passions: music).
2 - This is literally a MBA with all your knowledge from when you started in the “scene” till nowadays and THERE’S NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THAT! It’s so good to have a vision about the “non-pop music movement “ from people like you so accessible! I love your “bands should’ve been bigger” series and I wanna suggest you a new one: “bands YOU should stay tuned”. You could show us what’s new and promising in the scenes you talk about.
Sorry about the big text, thanks heaps for everything and keep recording!
Much love,
🇧🇷 🇦🇺
Um grande abraco!
heuheuheu e um baita conteúdo mesmo que ele faz
A resposta dele em português :D
Morei em São Paulo por 2 anos. Achei legal que conheci muitos brasileiros que praticam inglês com RUclips. Seu inglês está bem ótimo mano
Tamo junto, meu brqzza`1
It's so badass that this album is your first album review. Great job. Pretty much took the words right out of my mouth. Especially on the flexin song.
The only band that has an original sound with the must complex songs and they were very underrated. It seems people don't appreciate the best.
They weren't underrated by any sense of the word. They were huge in the scene.
More reviews plz! this is one of my fav albums of all time.
Definetily want you to make more album reviews. I learned so much about the band and you gave a very in depth well reasoned explanation of why you think what you think about the album and actually made me want to listen to the album even tho at first I just heard one song and felt like it wont be for me, but now I want to explore it more.
Rain is my personal favourite song on the album
great review, the way you talk about every aspect of the band and album is just great. keep it coming!
I've always been a fan of the singer, so him having more time to let his voice free on this album was really cool to hear.
I've loved Issues since they've formed, I've always knew they were way more creative as a band compared to all their peers. But I've been hesitant to listen to this album. But Finn, you convinced me to listen to it tonight, and I'm sure I won't regret it!!
"Have you ever heard of DEVIN TOWNSEND!?" holy shit i lost it
Sameeeeeeeee
Issues is and will forever be my favorite band
Did you know that Issues just released a new acoustic version of Tapping Out? It legit sounds like it can top the charts and honestly I view that as a good thing.
Super late on this album and I must say this album BLEW. MY. MIND. I haven’t had this happen since I found Monuments. Big fan of the groove and Tyler’s vocal performance and lyrics really stood out. AJ and Sky wove such great melodies and the drums just solid. Thanks for the review keep it up 👍🏽
Really appreciate the review and commentary. Learning a lot about music as a result of listening to this channel.
love this video and your channel, would love to see more album reviews!
Thank you!
I like this review and sort of dissection of the album. I would like to request an album to review, "From Death To Destiny by Asking Alexndria" kinda old but believe me it's a very interesting album
Headspace was NEXT LEVELL! Top album! Been waiting for this!
Keep the reviews coming! loved it!
Your review was awesome and brought up some connections I never payed attention too. Also, your knowledge of the genre was unbelievable and I look forward to anymore reviews you do.
Found a lot of new music to check out thanks to this - more please! Loved hearing about the influences and about the other projects each musician is working on.
Thanks for introducing me to this band and album! I've listened to it constantly since this video came out. I love fusions of genres, and this is one of my favorites!
When I first heard this band back I'm 2015. I really like them a lot. Coming from a metalcore, deathcore, death metal, etc fan. Respect them for being creative. I remember hearing them on Twitter the realest was the song.
I don’t think Issues can be articulated any better than you did! I had the album on repeat this weekend and its most likely my favorite in their catalog thus far. Loved this video.
Beautiful Oblivion is their best album and I’m so happy I’m able to experience it. I love them so much and they true rock icons for going against the expectations of the scene they in. Rock is rebellious and what more rebellious than making a weird “not real metal” metal album? Issues is forever my favorite band.
Exactly
Killer review man! I've been on the lookout for some freaky stuff lately and I think this takes the cake. Don't hesitate to make a review when you feel like you've found a gem!
Quickly becoming One of my favorite RUclips channels
Props for this review man! You should def do more of them 👍 more power!
Great review! Couldn't agree more, this album is extremely technical and very catchy. Pretty tough to mix all the funk/jazz elements with the heavier riffs they tossed in. Pretty awesome! Keep up the reviews.
So happy you reviewed this man. Spent years waiting for this and the boys didn't disappoint at all.
Issues has been my favorite band for 5 years, and this album didn’t disappoint, it’s been on repeat since Thursday night, every member killed it but special shout out to the riff king AJ, you the man
Outstanding- not a typical, boring track by track format- definitely do it again when an album comes along that stands out to you. I loved your call to action at the end to just go out and get better, whatever your genre or craft may be, and don’t worry about labels and precedents that other people put on you.
I would love to see you review some more albums, both old and new! I very much enjoyed how you gave us some history about the band and the "making" of the album! Keep up the great work! :)
Thank you!
Thanks for talking about this album. I never really dug them prior because it was fairly generic- to me- but played well. This on the other hand is stunning. I already have a few friends into it. Even my daughter (8yrs old) digs how catchy and different it sounds. Great work as usual. Also, new Moontooth is great too. Good year for bands doing things a bit different.
Hey Finn, loving the album review. You gave some really interesting insight into the bands progression and reasons why they recorded this album. I would have never listened to this album if it wasn't for your review. Keep em coming man!
One of my favorite vids of your's. Maybe consider doing a few hundred more of these.
Thanks!
Was super stoked when I saw them post about you on their story. Great video ♥️ I really liked when you added some of the songs in. I was singing along 😂
Man, im so glad to hear some positive feedback on this album. I absolutely love what i have heard so far. I've seen some pretty bad reviews on this album based on it being so different from their past work. I love seeing bands evolve, and this is definitely an evolution for Issues. It doesn't hurt having Sky Accord holding down the low end. Much love brotha!
Great video, Finn! One thing you left out though when you shouted out Kris Crummet - Wikipedia says "recording sessions took place between 2017 and 2019, in Calabasas, California with producer Howard Benson. Kris Crummett stepped down as producer and served as an engineer on the record" which makes a lot of sense (to me) why this record is larger than life. Benson is polarizing, but no one can argue with the success he has had and that bands have had because of him. He nailed it with this.
You should trust me on this my man! I know a thing or two about this 😜 I said kris mixed and mastered this, which he did. That’s not the same thing as producing, and every “producer” does things differently. So, i didnt actually leave anything out - i said exactly what i meant to say, in exactly the way i meant to say it.
The Punk Rock MBA there I go running my mouth again 🤭 my bad! Kris is definitely the man - I’ve been a fan of basically everything he puts out. Same with you by the way!
Polyphia is one of my favorite current bands.
Absolutely love the "album review" format and would love to see you continue to do more videos like this.
I really enjoyed the review. I am glad more people are appreciating this musical transition. One parallel would be BMTH's new album. I can certainly see a lot more metalcore bands making music under a similar construct - metal guitars over pop music. I certainly want to see more of it.
I thought Amo was a huge shake up, but ye gads this is next level.
Too bad it wasnt as commercial success as Amo.
Killing it man. These videos are fantastic and educate me. You’re the man 🙌
You should def review more albums man. Big fan. Speaking of prog, haven't heard you talk about Pierce The Veil. Thanks man.
Love this! Keep doing more album reviews!
More album reviews!!!! It would be cool to see some reviews on older albums too in light of where some of the genres have come today/where they’re going
I really enjoyed your take on this album, Finn. I'm still processing my thoughts on it personally and your review brought to light a handful of things that I haven't considered. Like you, I've been a fan of the band since Black Diamonds and I've always loved how they keep evolving and fine-tuning their sound. But for some reason, this one hasn't clicked in the same way their other releases have. But like I said, your review put some things into perspective for me, so I will keep listening and processing it.
It seems they finally found their ground. I hope Issues get massive big from now on because of this.
I wanna hear Fantano review you reviewing Issues, zaddy
Finn, would love to see you review more stuff. Maybe just new albums you like. Enjoyed this very much and I think you explained better than anyone why Issues is great. Great video!
Definitely in my top albums of the year. I’m so happy this album has been received well. They deserve the success!
This album surprised me, especially because I'm not much of a funk/pop fan. But Issues found a really good blend of that with Neo soul, rock, and prog stuff, and I love Tyler's voice (he's next level imo). I'm in love with this whole album!!!
Fav tracks: Rain, Second Best, and Get It Right
I said the exact same thing about how this is the album they were suppose to make. You can listen to the early stuff and hear how they would lean into the R&B soulful stuff, even when it’s a “heavy” song. I love this album so must that I’m already waiting to hear what’s next. And I also wonder what didn’t make the cut. They said they had over 40 songs during the writing process
Again with another awesome video. Keep it up man! 👌
I really loved hearing your opinion and would love more album reviews! Also pretty sure I saw you at the Knocked Loose show at El Corazón the other night but didn't get a chance to say hey and thank you for all the good content!
Thank you for watching! We were at that show - say hi next time!
It's funny for you to mention them not screaming, since when I saw Issues live back in May (how I got into them), AJ was the one doing most of the screaming, with Sky and Tyler backing him up at some of those moments. They're amazing live and I can't wait to see them again
This is a review of the album not their live show - but aj and sky do a great job of doing the screams live!
Couldn't agree more man! I went in and dived back into this album after awhile and will say Headspace in my personal was my favorite record. But Beautiful Oblivion has taken that spot for me! My old band The New Age opened for them and they were absolutely flawless live! Josh is such an insane drummer! 🙏🤘🔥💀
I believe Beautiful Oblivion will be remembered as an important crossover record.
Story time. My partner listened to skate punk, pop punk, post hardcore, and some of the more popular nu metal back in jr high and high school. But as happens with most people, years pass, tastes develop, and priorities change. She never stopped liking any of it, but she just got more into other stuff.
Her being out of the loop does mean she missed out on a lot of interesting music; bands and subgenres came and went over the years, stuff I’d love her to check out. But that hiatus also means she didn’t get to experience the evolution of this music over the years into what it is now, so there are a bunch of current genre conventions we take for granted that she has no context for (example: having to explain how we got to “djent” as a thing). It doesn’t make it any easier that a lot of bands would rather contribute to the subgenres they’re already in by doubling-down on those existing conventions instead of trying to pull from a more diverse pool of influences. It feels like her and others interested in getting into this music sometimes have to, like, put work in to “get” it.
Related to this problem: harsh vocals. They don’t do it for her. She’s not against them, she’s listened to enough music with them, but it’s more about how they’re used in relation to a whole song or album, big picture-style. So for her to try and get into a lot of this music now, it’s tough because so many bands (hell, the majority of some subgenres) really lean on the false chord screaming. I had the benefit of always listening to hard rock and metal, always being on the periphery of new genres coming up, getting acclimated to harsher and harsher vocals as years went by, and eventually developing appreciation for them; the li’l kid me who listened to Korn was literally scared to even catch a snippet of a death metal tune and now I listen to it all. But for her it’s almost a kind of culture shock. Before her time away from the music screaming was something she’d hear a lot of bands use a bit, some bands a lot. Now there are a lot of bands who only do false chords for all vocals, and it just takes a huge swath of stuff off the table.
So it made me beyond happy I could share this record with her and hear her first “I love it” toward something prog or metalcore, and have it be toward a whole album at that and not just a tune or two. Now she’s more interested in trying stuff from the outer circles that came together in this venn diagram of an album, because she had some familiar mixed in with the unfamiliar to get her in the door. Now I have a playlist I try to keep updated with stuff I think she’d find accessible while also trying to let her test the waters with more challenging music. It’s fun.
This is a great album. At first I wasn’t totally sure if I would label it as super unique and innovative on its own, but then it hit me that it really is those things when you consider how this band started and the scene they came from. Speaking as someone who has followed them since Hooligans dropped, they were fresh and innovative for their scene then and they are still innovating in a different way now.
I had never really considered that dropping the screaming would be such a benefit, because I just kind of accepted that “hey, it’s metalcore, it’s gotta have screaming”. But you’re absolutely right, dropping some of the obvious metalcore tropes really opened up whole new possibilities. It feels creative without taking the edge off where it really matters.
I absolutely value your opinion so much man you truly know whats up man. I feel that i share many many of your opinions and you take the words right out of my mouth. Couldnt agree more about this album. And its so fucking cool that josh manuel himself commented on this
Well you were the guy to get me to check out Issues anyway Finn. And can say it was definitely a breath of fresh air. My mum hates most of the music I listen to but she digs some Issues songs. So if my mum can dig it, it must have a broad reach haha
Great piece! Despite loving Michael's screaming in Headspace I am very pleasantly surprised at how much I love where they managed to take this new album without it.
Coletta is another band I feel is on a similar situation to Issues where it's pushing the genre in new interesting ways, and I can't wait to see them put out more content. It's a really exciting time.
Yes Finn! Definitely do more album reviews! This one was great. For sure gonna check out the full album now.