Evil Robot Love Songs EP by All Hail the Mustache

Artist- All Hail The Mustache
Album- Evil Robot Love Songs EP
Date- September 2013
Country- Hollywood, United States
Facebook- All Hail The Mustache
Soundcloud- https://soundcloud.com/allhailthemustache
Genre- Nintendocore, 8 Bit Deathmetal
Track List:
1.My Fate Is Sealed With Hers
2.Forgotten
3.Rainbow Roadkill
4.B.A.C.O.N (Beyond Anything Conceivable Or Non-Existing)
5.Missing Like a Number
6.Master Sword

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 Review By Blake

No, I promise you the band isn't some weird cyber from 08. Yes, the guys in the band can actually play and program their shit properly. No, it is not a pleb band either. What is it? It is Nintendocore with melodic death metal influences.
Now, if my knowledge serves correctly, the project was a single man thing, with two whole songs being put on the Rawesome split. Unfortunately, if you know the story, Rawesome has had the split go on for about four years now, and it still isn't finished. Hell, I don't think Pop Star Burst! exists anymore, and Lombardi Skies went from being NxC, to acoustic stuff, to hipster NxC. But you know, some times people get busy.  Whatever, this band is awesome and made an ep in the meantime.

Mixing: It is pretty damn decent, especially for the genre. It might be on the louder side but this is MEEEEEEEEEETAAAL!!! So, all is forgiven.

Guitar: Riffs are sexy, demanding, bouncy, catchy and yet still carries a heavier metal flair while still being NxC. Kudos.

Drums: I like the drums. They don't dominate but carry the song. I think that is a problem in a lot of louder music. 

Bass: Good, good. Nothing to speak more of here. Go get laid I guess.

Synths: TBH, if you are an NxC band and your synths are not big in your production, they probably blow monkey balls. This however, is like the guitar. God, this is my favorite part of the whole affair. Synths for days homie.

Vocals: Now, this is where it is going to iffy. Now, is that to say they are bad? Hell to the no. However, these are screamt vocals and not clean vocals, which may deter some homies away, which is fine. This may be the more decisive part of the album.

Orignality: The originality doesn't really come from the sound as the lyrics being a cross between being silly and not being shit, which is a higher quality compliment. Nothing else can be said unless a song about bacon really puts you off as too silly. You know who, the KEEP NXC KVLT!!!1! losers who seem to pop-up once in a blue moon.

Album Art: TBH, I don't really feel this. I mean, it is cool and all that there is a mustached robot, but I just don't care for the art honestly. The name pulls in more than the art. (Silly name/Meh Art)

Final Opinion: This is gonna blow your mind with the fact it is NxC with live instrumentation that is mixed well, even if it is on the louder side, silly lyrics that don't make you barf, synths the lead, guitars that hit hard, drums that don't overplay, bass that is bass. Nothing is really wrong about this album. Even the vocals are pretty decent. However, I cannot give this a 10. WHAT????? WHY? BLAKE YOU ASS!!!!!!!!
Listen, I say that because of personal taste. I am not a big fan of melodic death metal. I know, call me crazy but sometimes the influence just doesn't make me crazy over the tracks like I should. However, this is nothing but pure honey to those who don't mind NxC having a more refined taste or at least it being at the gates.

VERDICT:9.5/10

Expansion Pack by Senpai Suicide Club

Artist- Senpai Suicide Club
Album- Expansion Pack
Date- August 2014
Country- Vancouver, British Columbia
Facebook- Senpai Suicide Club
Genre: Nintendocore, Cybergrind

Tracklist:

1.Are You There God? It's Me, Snake. 01:50   
2.Deus Ex And Girls Suck 01:24   
3.Heists Are Never Coming Out 00:49
4.I Fucking Hate Water Levels 00:29   
5.The Chick With The Huge Cans From Lost Planet 01:23   
6.Sephiroth Is Vincent Valentine's Son 01:07
7.Malon And Other Hylian Hunnies 01:00       
8.Spore Carriers Of Vault 22 01:24

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Disc Read Error by Insert Disc

Artist – Insert Disc
Album – Disc Read Error
Year – 2008
Genre – 8-Bit/Electronic
Myspace – www.myspace.com/zomginsertdadisc
Country – Texas, United States

Current Wesbite: Unknown :(

Tracklist:
1. I HAVE NO GREETING
2. critmebbyonemoartime
3. Kupwn
4. Leave Luck To Heaven
05 Insert Disc 2 plz
06 Loading…kk
07 199X
08 Super Happy
09 The Cake Is A Lie
10 Corrupt Data
11 Ephemeral Calm
12 Disc Read Error

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Review by Travis

Maybe it is nostalgia. Maybe it is the fact that Disc Read Error is a masterpiece. I listened to Insert Disc after I listened to iamerror. They were the big dogs of nintendocore when I started listening. I’m happy to say that this album has stood the test of time. I hadn’t listened to the album from start to finish in quite some time.  This album has only improved with time. Over the past five years I have learned tons about music. I have dabbled in different genres, jammed with a few bands, and released several different albums. Whether it was my younger self listening to “Shadows Are Security” by As I Lay Dying, or my current self listening to Animals as Leaders, the album has only increased in quality. It has become more enjoyable the more I have immersed myself in music.

“I HAVE NO GREETING” is a great intro to the album. Once the twenty second mark of “critmebbyonemoartime” hits the album launches into full force.  Insert Disc uses beautiful sounding synth/chip/bit/FL presets in rapid arpeggios. Amazing lead work, great rapid kicks, rhythmic drum patterns, fast breakdowns. It is really hard to summarize the album in text. I find the whole album flows together perfectly.  You go from listening to absolute harmonious chaos, then get immersed in “Insert Disc 2 plz”, which is absolutely heavenly.  “Insert Disc 2 plz” sounds like an interlude song that would go into the best RPG ever made.  “Loading…kk” sounds like it should be in Super Mario RPG. The previously mentioned song segways into “199x” which puts the album right back into a heavier and chaotic pace. “Super Happy” is the eighth track, and the best 1:12 second song I have ever heard. It is amazing how much he was able to accomplish with such a short song.  “The Cake Is A Lie” is another song that manages to move through a whole lot of different feelings and emotion in a short period of time. The toy piano/xylophone instrument melody is quite fantastic. “Disc Read Error” is a good finale song on the album. 

Over the years I have seen people criticize his use of FL preset drums, have read Peet of iae and Monomate fame criticized IIRC the use of minor/major 7^th triads. Whatever criticisms I have read on the album have not deterred my appreciation for the album. I believe it is one of the, if not the best nintendocore releases of all time. Give it a listen and appreciate the album. Years back on Myspace I remember corresponding with Inset Disc, Doctor Drank at the time. I believe he had just gotten out of jail, and made appearances on his Myspace. After that he essentially fell of the radar. It is a shame this guy has dropped off the map. I wish I knew what he was getting up to these days. It is a shame this man no longer creates music.  

FINAL SCORE: 10/10

ZOMBIESHARK! by Zombie Shark!

Artist- Zombie Shark!
Album- ZOMBIESHARK!
Date- January 2014
Country- Reading, Pennsylvania
Facebook- ZOMBIESHARK!
Soundcloud-https://soundcloud.com/zombieshark-1
Genre: Nintendocore, Electronic Grind

Tracklist:

1) GEDDAN!
2) Missingno
3) Bit Rot
4) Death Punch!
5) Giygas

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Review by Matt

ZOMBIESHARK! is a cybergrind band hailing from Reading, Pennsylvania. Powered by “beers, bitches, and breakdowns”, their chaotic brand of cybergrind has landed them massive success in the community and allowed them to write splits with prestigious chip acts such as Vernal Equinox and Kloudygirl. Now that they’ve released their anticipated self-titled album, it’s time to see how the monoliths of electronic chaos have fared on their most recent outing.

Two things initially struck me upon first listening to this album: Production and tone. ZOMBIESHARK! has dropped the lighthearted atmosphere of their past albums in favor for a more traditional black metal soundscape; this means paper thin guitar tones, chromatic scales, and iPhone quality recording. While an ambitious undertaking in the growth of the project, this production style incredibly hinders the band’s ability to shine. Guitar and synth constantly fight for dominance, fading in and out so that only one of the two can ever be made out clearly at a time.

It’s really upsetting since the composition of the album is some of the strongest song writing ZOMBIESHARK! has ever exhibited. The guitar is angry, the drums are driving, and the synths add a delightful layer of atonal chaos into the mix. It allows for the band to create their most enticing instrumentals to date regardless of the fact that they’ve decidedly went with black metal tropes.

The vocals on this record suffer a similar fate. We’re shown skull crushing highs on tracks such as “Death Punch” and delightfully sarcastic mid range vocals on “Missingno” only to be greeted with sloppy and distasteful high screams and growls on album closer “Giygas”. The boys have a large amount of vocal talent and variety in them, but it seems that they need more time to adapt to properly applying screaming techniques in this new musical environment.

Overall, ZOMBIESHARK!’s self titled album is a compositionally strong album plagued by an unruly amount of mixing struggles and a slight lack of vocal maturity.

Final Grade: D

Key Tracks:
Missingno
Death Punch!

Funeral Phrases by The Man With 31 Faces

Artist-The Man With 31 Faces
Album-Funeral Phrases (Instrumental)
Date- July 2014
Country- Stewart,Virginia
Facebook- The Man With 31 Faces
Soundcloud- https://soundcloud.com/jessie-martin-12
Genre: Nintendocore, Experimental,

1.The Frankenstein Complex 01:16
2.The Apparition 03:57
3.Paranoid Parasite 04:39
4.Technophobia 03:11
5.The Bleeding Machine 02:55
6.Rust 01:34   
7.Funeral Phrases 03:42
8.Volta 05:15   
9.IV 02:47

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Review by Matt

Maturity doesn’t always need time to develop, and there is no better nintendocore album to prove this with than the instrumental version of The Man With 31 Face’s debut album “Funeral Phrases”. Hailing from Virginia, TMW31F (Jessie Martin) has managed to concoct a unique mix of deathcore, industrial, chiptune, and ambience that blends together into a dark and catchy album that would make even the best Castlevania soundtrack blush.

The true beauty in this album lies in the progressive song structures and the incredible variety. Ferocious guitar riffs weave in and out of crooning violins, heartwarming chiptune, and jazzy saxophone solos that still leave enough room for ambient interludes and dark industrial sections. If it doesn’t sound logical, that’s because it isn’t. Hell, I’m pretty sure conventional isn’t a word in the band’s vocabulary. The tracks feel less like compositions and more like a free form band practice gone perfectly right. Each song is well crafted and nothing feels like filler.

The production on this record also creates a great impact on how great listening to the album feels. While some synths may seem initially breathy, Martin always builds upon it with either orchestral instruments or deep industrial buzzes, creating a soundscape that is always rich in texture. This allows for epic crescendos throughout the record that help add to its grandiose big band feel. 

However, even the best beginner’s luck can’t prevent a couple of minor flaws The synthetic guitar ever so slightly shows it’s unreal nature from time to time, bass is slightly lacking in the mix, and the triggered drums feel cold, mechanical, and inhuman (the latter of which is more of an issue of personal preference). The interludes, while providing great relief from the heaviness of the rest of the album, drag on for slightly too long and ever so slightly kill the pace of the record. It should be dually noted though that it’s on these tracks that project head Jessie Martin’s electronic production truly shines.

Overall, Jessie Martin has managed to create a great record that’ll only get better once vocals are drizzled on top of it like hot fudge sundae on your favorite ice cream.

Final Verdict: B+

Key tracks:
The Apparition
Technophobia

A Sinking Ship by Zombieshark!

Artist- Zombie Shark!
Album- A Sinking Ship
Date- September 2012
Country- Reading, Pennsylvania
Facebook- ZOMBIESHARK!
Soundcloud-https://soundcloud.com/zombieshark-1
Genre: Nintendocore, Electronic Grind

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Track List
1.Good Fuck'n Morn'n!  01:08
2.ANIMUAL!  01:12
3.Boo's Mansion  00:49
4.Life Is A Beach  01:21
5.Failing Math For The Year  00:56
6.Swimming Holes  00:36
7.Climbing Trees  01:04
8.Bicycle  01:12
9.Car Crash  00:37
10.WWAAVVEE  01:05
11.Bear Trap Sneakers 01:00
12.We're Gonna Need A Bigger Raft  01:21
13.A Sinking Ship  02:38

Thats a whole lot of album! by Falcon Pawnch

Artist- Falcon Pawnch
Album-Thats a whole lot of album!
Date- August 2014
Country- Valley Head, Alabama
Facebook- Falcon Pawnch
Soundcloud- https://soundcloud.com/falcon-pawnch
Genre: Nintendocore

1.Br00tal
2.When All Else Fails
3.Would whoring myslef count as community service
4. Over The Horizon
5. Mindless
6. WTF This Makes No Sence
7.Immortality Has A Price (Piano Version)
8.A Paradise We Once Knew
9. Justice Isn't Justified
10.Immortality Has A Price
11. Drowning Effect
12. Washed Ashore
13. Dragon Slayer
14. A Burning Hope
15. Break Down Part 2
16. Okay, Who Drank All The Milk
17. As Darkness Swept The Earth
18. Outro
19. Andy James- Angel Of Darkness (Cover)
20. Amazing House Cover
21. Unicorn Hole - Some Shit I Better Talk While I Still Can with vocals
22. The Browning- Standing On The Edge
23. Axelay - Stage 6
24. Final Fantasy - Birth of a God Zeromus
25. Final Fantasy VIII - Extreme
26. Romancing SaGa - Final Battle
27.Dialga & Palkia Battle at Spear Pillar Super Smash Bros Brawl
28.Luigis Mansion Main Theme
29.Chrono Trigger - The Fall of Zeal (Schalas theme)
30.Chrono Cross Radical Dreams(Acoustic)
31.Top Gear - Temple SNES
32.Beavis and Butthead - Hospital (SNES)
33.Dragon ball GT Final Bout - Hikari no Willpower
34.Blaster Master Stage 1
35. Mega Man Airman's theme
36.Terranigma - Resurrection

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Review by Blake

Falcon Pawnch - That's a Whole Lot of Album Tbh, I never jammed this dude's music on MySpace. I always jammed it on last.fm and boy was I not disappointed! I loved the style! It was like damned good metal core meets 8bit with a cheesy 90's metal flair. It was very different from the NxC scene at the time. The style was pretty much iamerror worship (It still kinda is but has greatly evolved the formula, TYBG). How does a NxC artist keep his core style but evolve over time? Fortunately, he has done it pretty well so no nasty review from me.

Mixing: The guitar is heavy, the drums thunder along, the synths illuminate the path but doesn't blind you sonically, it is really nice and helps add some necessary cheese factor.

Guitar: This is done amazingly. The tone and writing style is like a cross between 90's metal, good metalcore, and F-Zero X. It is pretty damn swaggy. 

Piano: Kinda X-Japan meets Manowar. I mean, I know that sounds weird, but it works and isn't too out there. 

Synths: The synths truly illuminates the path but does blind the composition sonically. It is a nice complimentary piece, just needs to be more prominent in my personal opinion, but it is once again pretty nice. 

Drums: THUNDER OF THE METAL! It isn't going to be like,"Holy shit, 3 min drum solo", but bro, who needs that floaty shit. Dis dat real shit. 

Concept: Half Cover, Half Original NxC Double Album. Critical Hit, too damn intense. I like it. 

Originality: Now, this isn't as crazy or innovative as a lot of 2nd Gen NxC artists are. Does that make it bad? HELL NO YOU ANTHONY FANTANO WANNABE!!! It is NxC done right for those who dig the metal, which isn't common. 

Covers: They are really damn nice, but this depends more on if you like the originals and if you compare them to the covers and you like the covers as well. This is a nice 2nd half of the album. 

Album art: It is simple and I want merch using the art. No, I demand merch. (t-shirt/friendly) 

Final Opinion: This isn't aiming to be some ultra-fusion of some sort. This is truly just Nintendocore done with a stronger, purer, cheesier metal flavor that is refreshing, yet familiar and frankly, I really dig it. This makes me wanna crack out out a N64 game or SNES game and just play with my buddies and be pumped as hell while doing it. Not enough bands do that in general and I applaud that. This may not be a crazy wtf album, but what it is a FUCK YEAH!!! album and that's all I need today. 

Verdict:8.5/10