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ABIGAIL'S MERCY: Salvation CD
Melodic Goth metal by any other name would smell as sweet - for 'tis the dawn anew and a band from a land-locked territory betwixt Robin Hood and Shakespeare wish to regail you with tales of heaven and hell, love and life, forces of evil and forces of good. Four merry musicians and their mistress singer pour forth a near dozen songs that fill the land with guitars, the songs full of lyrical imagery and their yearnings and aspirations, while a powerful rhythm foundation charts a course through the dark woods of Goth. Male and female voices sing and soar, well above the groundswell of guitars that rises up as the flowers of the forest, the songs forming the real meat of the meal, with little room for instrumental merriment. Whispers on the wind evoke names such as Nightwish and Within Temptation, but the ride to such lofty heights is a long one, and these five people at the moment have only just begun the trek - for 'tis a start, and no doubt further tales will be told.
A DAY AT THE FAIR: The Rocking Chair Years CD
The likes of Blink 182 & Sum 41 are the new "feel-good" music of today - and tomorrow, come to that - here then is the new and best addition to that roster - a band whose songs reflect all that life throws at you - good and bad - where relationships rise and fall, emotions go from adrenaline-rush to mental minefield - a place where elation and angst are old friends - and all joined by some of the most fantastic modern pop-punk songs on the planet. Anthemic to a tee, heartfelt to a tear and more muscular than a WWE wrestler, this is a predominantly driving set of songs that simply light up your life in every way. The production is expansive, the guitars chime and soar to perfection, while the crisp and clear rhythms can go from languid and crunchy to all-out heat in the blink of a song title. The solo and multi-tracked vocals are just a joy to hear, while the choruses, the endless sea of guitars and good-time songs, all go to provide the soundtrack to a life that's there to be lived - u only have one life, so go for it - u only need one album for that life - and this is it!! American pop-punk never sounded so good!!!
ALONG CAME MAN: Believe There's Nothing CDEP
New Welsh trio with twenty two minutes of seriously rousing rock that bridges a gap between nu-metal, emo and punk with a stirring set of songs delivered with firepower and passion. There's a vocalist who provides a quite throaty roar but well sung at the same time, while the guitars show both a searing and an harmonic quality on an anthemic, albeit relatively chorus-free, opener that sets the stage for things to come, as the band positively leap into life on the more Blink 182-esque second track with a real charge to the vocals and some soaring guitar riffing against hammering drums and booming bass, as over four minutes of emo-laced excellence come into being. The third track is similar and, if anything, more urgent while the fourth track steams into life with a thousand riffs, as the main body of the song in terms of vocals and guitar, simply erupts into life as the whole thing takes off for the ride and sounds just amazing for five glorious minutes. The EP ends on an acoustic number that shows the band can really cut it without the energy, the harmony vocals providing the depth as the guitars and bass continue to roll inexorably on.
BEYOND ALL REASON: Beyond All Reason CD
Truly there is something about this band - they thunder through a 14 song, forty-four minute set like a breath of wind on a hot day - as you let the roar wash over you, not with a bite but a caress as the whole dynamic power of the compositions get under your skin and breathe. This thing rocks - the guitars are on fire and the rhythm section steams ahead, while the vocals are way upfront and every word is heard on an impassioned performance. The arrangements are heavy, direct and yet complex, with some neat twists and turns inside some absolutely anthemic tracks. They can go from raging riffs to chiming guitars in a heartbeat, but when the band are on fire, which is most of the album, they give even the likes of FFAF a run for their money. There's not a bad track on this album which means you put it on and you play it - start to finish - no messing - with each song the epitome of economy and strength in terms of the length and structure, while the band whip up a serious storm and take you with them. It's nu-metal, it's emo and it rocks - you can't argue with that.
BLIND TO: Promising Dreams, Selling Nightmares CD£
With the increasing numbers of bands around on the UK hardcore/indie rock/emo scene in the wake of bands such as FFAF & Fony, it must surely be getting harder and harder to produce an album of this sort of music that is going to make the critics and public stand up and take notice - yet this band have managed it effortlessly. Their debut album exhibits such a sense of rage and emotional intensity set in musical arrangements that are absolutely huge, but at the same time exhibiting a great sense of dynamics too. With dual guitars providing a riffing rifle-fire release that positively explodes, a rhythm section that crunches, powers and drives, not to mention dual vocals that simply soar over the heat of the music, every song on this stunning debut, delivers. Take a track like 'Legna' for example - opens with strummed electric bass and solo emotive vocal from lead singer Alex Maxwell as the lead guitars chime in at the same pace, cymbals rustle in the distance, a brief pause, and then - kerboommmm!!!! - the whole band take off like a rocket as the vocals fly and this wall of sound covers the sky - but then the song moves up a gear with the bass now right upfront and pummeling away amid the riffing guitars, before all that dies back to reveal the strummed bass now accompanied by a slow rock-solid drum rhythm, and the whole thing starts again, exploding as before and simply sensational to hear, one of the most fantastic tracks on an album choc full of corking compositions and inventive arrangements. Above all, this rocks and overflows with nuclear furnace, guitars-driven heat, as huge sounding emo-core songs sizzle and shine then explode into your consciousness. 13 tracks and nothing less than addictive, this is a band destined for the lofty heights that this set of songs achieves.
BR:GADE: Made To Wreck EP CDEP£
Oh wow - the first thing you are really aware of on the opening title track here is that production - it's just awesome as the band roar into life. This immense wall of sound bursts into life but with a clarity that most bands would die for, every facet of the band on full display to jaw-dropping effect. So, against a wall of searing dual guitar riffing and thunderous bass, mixed with rock solid drumming, as the instrumental intro twists and turns, the vocalist enters in impassioned mode, every word perfectly audible and superbly sung, as the backing briefly drops back to a whisper, before this torrent of guitars erupts and the rhythms hammer, but then the song turns yet again as rapid-fire rhythms take it off at another tangent, the guitars chiming together in the background, and the whole thing is just huge-sounding, heavy, dynamic, inventive and muscular - writing and playing in perfect harmony, four minutes of utter genius - and this is only the first track of four. You see, this band are awesome and know it - they up the anti on 'Safe Hands' with a song that follows a similar pattern to the first, but, if anything, the guitars are even more electrifying as this immense wave of the things riffs and flies, the song sung to perfection with added harmonies as the icing on the cake while the whole band just surge forward and explode, the intensity increasing as the end nears, so much so that you feel the end of the world may well be nigh. Awesome!! It's immediately into the adrenaline rush of 'Met Me At My Funeral' with a more direct, faster rhythm base as a tower of riffing and swirling guitars drives ahead, the multi-tracked vocal above the mix, emotive, pleading and on fire. Finally 'Null & Void' delivers the killer blow with a roaring slice of song-writing that ends the EP on a glorious sea of dense riffing, pounding rhythms, searing guitar leads and emotive vocals - to die for and then some. As 19 minutes of music goes, this is faultless, and the album is going to be explosive - I can feel it - but for now, whether you're into nu-metal, emo, hardcore, indie-rock or anything, you have to get this just to see what happens when a band comes along that can deliver the goods in every department and yet bring something refreshing and exciting to the world of rock. Outstanding and brilliant!!!
BULLETS FOR TEETH: Six Sides Of Fortune CD
The mark of a seriously fine rock album, one that rises above the rest, is its combination of production, song-writing and playing that provides the three main prerequisites: you can headbang to it; you can listen to it at home without feeling like you've been mangled; you can listen to it over and over again without tiring of it. This is one such album. Across ten storming tracks, there's an anthemic feel going on while at the same time a dual guitar attack creates an inferno of riffing and searing leads. But the guitar work is way more inventive than most, the arrangements revealing everything from high-flying electric slide to riffing leads that smoke and burn, all delivered with a burning passion that endears itself to you right from the start and continues right to the end. Above all this you have a vocalist who can really fly, a mid-range voice that's full of feeling yet just soars, huge strength behind a steaming performance, as hints of everything from Nickelback to Metallica cross the metallic expanse, only with a production that fills the whole musical environment with sound, anthemic and driving. Then there's the rhythm section - drums and bass that play it solid, right down the line and drive it all on, but, once again, you feel a sense of invention there and not just a straight set of pounding beats. With every composition possessing a kind of magic, this is quality rock, a storming album that deserves - and demands - your attention, but one that's a cut above the rest in terms of its structure and delivery.
CANCER: Spirit In Flames CD
First full-length album for seven years from the Death Metal band and it's a stormer. Eschewing the excesses of the genre, they've sensibly decided to make it revolve around the songs, so that while none of it loses the staggering power levels upon which each track revolves, the vocals are "sung" and the lyrics audible, even harmony vocals in there too. Yes, this is the thinking man's end of the Death Metal spectrum, almost so good it's beyond that classification. The band positively erupt as a Vesuvius like wall of riffs, rhythms and solos rains down on an unsuspecting audience. The intensity meter levels are on "perfect" as they strike just the right balance of weight and dynamics, the band really going for it, and while much of it is completely overpoweringly heavy, they never for one minute lose sight of the fact that they have a song to deliver and the result is jaw-dropping. The sheer quality of the compositions puts this band at the top rung of the ladder and must surely break out into a much wider metal arena as a result of an album so remarkably accomplished as this - time to see this not as Death Metal but as immensely powerful metal with a long-lasting appeal.
CHAOS CONSPIRACY: Out Of Place CD
Italian hardcore group who seem to want to exercise their dynamics, so you get a great deal of bits where the raging riffing has vocals on top that are almost hushed, in comparison to most, while other sections see lurching rhythms and splintered guitars make way for the angst-ridden vocal before the whole thing catches fire and roars back into life. In many ways, it's almost too clever for its own goods with songs taking turns and directions that you simply didn't see coming, before the core rage returns. Once you've actually heard it once and got into the fact that this is a much more varied degree of hardcore than you might have been used to up till now, then, providing you want to go with its shifting arrangements and dynamic twists, then it'll endear itself to you for sure.
CO-EXIST: Surgical Removal…………. CD
Oh I say - this is a tad heavy, Patricia! One can feel the walls shake - and isn't that the sound of the conservatory falling down. You know dear, I really do think you ought to turn that down a bit - I mean, the neighbours are going to complain if you have it at that volume. I know you like it loud, but your mother's already coughing up blood and I really don't think that's good for her. Oh look - now you've killed the parrot! Really dear, if you're not going to turn that noise down, I'll have to do it myself - let me see now - Oh my goodness - that's disgusting - are you really enjoying something as brutal as this - honestly, Patricia, I sometime think your mum and I brought you up to do better than this. What do you mean "it's all the rage" - rage is the one word I have to say that came to my mind, dear, Oh look, now you've turned it up even louder - you're making me shout - now I can't hear you at all - you're lost in that hail of…..are those drums, dear? They sound more like mechanical drills, and I really think that singer's being strangled. It really is a rather large blast of sound, dear - you can't mean to tell me you're actually enjoying this!! You are? Oh, the youth of today - where will it all end!!
Sadly, he was just about to find out when she turned the volume up to ten!!!
DEMONBREED: Closer To God CD
Death metal I guess - well, it brought me a bit closer to my maker, that's for sure - one hearing of this and my life seemed pretty pointless - well, so would you if you'd just been pummeled mercilessly by a band playing metal with the effect of a small nuclear arsenal, only to have them jump on your twitching corpse somewhere near the end. It's amazingly fast, furious and ferocious - all-guns-blazing death metal with shouted vocals that sound like the guy's in the electric chair and loving every minute of it, while the band power ahead with enough energy to fuel Glastonbury. There are a lot of bands around right now playing this style of music and it takes something special to rise above the masses. This achieves that by virtue of the excellent production job that means you hear everything in there while at the same time, are assaulted by this monstrous wall of sound from raging guitars and rocket-powered rhythms - with vocals that aren't so much to die for as sound like they've already died - they don't come much heavier than this, that's for sure.
DESECRATION: Process Of Decay CD
Death metallers fifth album that sees them let loose just under thirty minutes of skull-grinding, faster-than-the-speed-of-sound monstrous metal mayhem, with growled vocals, drums that sound like rifle fire at a busy army range, guitars that swirl, burn and drive in a blaze of riffing intensity, with punishing electric bass at the heart of the beast. Song after song unleash this inhuman sonic attack that you simply can't ignore. If you like your metal taken to extremes, then this will be the one for you.
DIED SMILING: Evolution Of The Fist CD
It's not often you find a band that can make their metal brew work by virtue of existing in a world where they are on the cusp of all sorts of styles but evade pigeon-holing by not throwing themselves too far into any one category. Therefore, on this album you'll find elements of hardcore, thrash, stoner, anthemic and '80's metal, and no doubt more, all wrapped up in one potent brew of originality. The songs are well written with an eye constantly on the melody lines while the arrangements are much more powerful, enveloped in a whirlwind of guitars, driven by the hurricane rhythm section, with dual vocals that reflect 2 sides of the metal coin, with King's X style harmonies sitting happily next to raging lead vocal, above this canopy of guitars that power up and burn. I think it's the sort of album that certainly needs a few plays before the material starts to become more addictive - this is not exactly instantly hummable stuff - but if you stick with it, you'll find something new and exciting lurking in here.
DISRUPTION: Face The Wall CD
Swedish death metallers but before you turn off, let me say that this band is one of the most commercial sounding band in that vein I've yet to hear. Sure, they rock with a vengeance, exuding explosive riffs from every pore, rhythms thundering out with the hammer down and the lead guitar work from the two guitarists, proving to be the icing on the cake as the dueling becomes positively jaw-dropping. The vocals are hollered out but, and here's the thing, you can hear every word, which makes this so much more enjoyable. The mix in general is spot on so that nothing drowns out anything else, meaning you get the full effect of the guitars and riffs without sacrificing anything of the vocals. Song-wise they power up and never look back, riding the album on tidal waves of metal mayhem and every song having enough ideas to keep you hooked, a rare thing for this style of music to someone like me who's never full appreciated it. The acceptable face of the genre and a red-hot rocking album.
DRIVING ON THE RIGHT: Life Starts Here CDEP
Twenty minute, 6-tracker of which the opening track reminded me of a cross between Bowling For Soup and early FFAF, the combination of complexity and commercial sensibility absolutely spot on in a track that burns with guitar-led brightness but has a vocal that sticks in the head, despite the lack of an obvious hook or chorus. That said, the second track, 'We Need A Translator' is similarly huge sounding, but this time more anthemic, with a massive production featuring guitars bursting from every pore, titanic drumming and pounding bass, as the song unfolds and rise up to just over two minutes of brilliance. 'Charm Offensive' is THE track of the album, managing to achieve the balance between inventive, complex, flowing and anthemic with ease, as the multi-tracked vocals just fly over a landscape of riffing guitars, searing guitar leads and powerful rhythm section work. A further 3 tracks are every bit as rocket-fuelled as the first three, and that combined, makes this an EP you should check out and a band worth watching.
EARLY NOVEMBER: Acoustic EP CDEP
The phrase "does what it says on the tin" comes to mind, for this is, indeed, an acoustic EP with 7 tracks in twenty two minutes. Lead track, 'Ever So Sweet' is one man and his acoustic guitar delivering an impassioned performance of a song that is so full of yearning and angst you'd have to be a hard man not to be affected by the words and their meanings, a song that tears at the fibres of your heart. The subsequent six songs do exactly the same thing in exactly the same settings, but each song carries its own message of loves lost and found, lives that could be or were never meant to be and general yearning for what could have been. It's curiously addictive and a mark of the utmost song-writing talent and delivery that this guy's got, that it not only works well, but becomes on first play, the sort of thing that you will go on to play again and again. It's not happy music, but when you're in the frame of mind it demands, there's few like it.
ENEMY UNKNOWN: Alert Status Red CD
What a few people round here would call "old skool metal" with a distinct nod towards the likes of Priest, Maiden, Metallica - yeh, we're talking THAT territory. So, you get what you expect - furious metal riffs, thunderous rhythms, incendiary guitar solos and a vocal that, although produced to sound like it was recorded separately from the band, flies along on top, albeit a tad "dry" - you feel like the guy should have had the bottle of JD BEFORE he did the sessions. The compositions are well crafted and feature some quite sizzling guitar soloing along the way. For a debut, it's well played and arranged with a solid selection of songs, some searing metal riffing and a neat sense of dynamics.
ESOTERICA: The Fool CD
Every so often in the world reviewing rock based albums, something will come along that stops you in your tracks on the basis of that it's genuine something new - a completely fresh sounding approach to things with which you've becomes so familiar. So much so that, rather than "review" the album, the first thing you do is forget about all that and just LISTEN. You hear the vocals - a guy who's got a lot to say and it's all interesting - a guy who delivers the lyrics with amazing passion and intensity one minute then heartfelt angst the next, but always pouring his heart and soul into the song. From the giddy heights of the stirring anthem that is the full-sounding 'Salvation' to the more restrained and no less intense flavours of the balldic 'Valium', and leading directly into the stop-start thunder of 'Pushing Providence', this is a thoroughly riveting set of tracks that just dares you to look away - and you don't - it's that confident of its expression and effect. From mountains of soaring, blazing guitars that form a giant fireball in the distant skies, to chiming guitars and a thoroughly wide-ranging display of supreme competence from the rhythm section, all topped off with one red-hot and superbly sung vocals, not to mention arrangements that are positively mind-blowing in their use of dynamics and power, this is the sound of U2, Porcupine Tree, Funeral For A Friend and lord knows what else, all there in one thoroughly original, unique and totally satisfying new set of clothes. This could become a classic - get on board now so you can say "I told you so".