RAMzine Issue 9 by RAMzine

Contents

Featured 04 download review 10 breaking bands review 15 Tribute to prince

INTRODUCING 12 Sincerely,Yours We talk to Reading band Sincerely, Yours about ‘metalcore’ and their forthcoming EP.

RAMzine Classics 14 the sex pistols

his year has been my first attending the Metal To The Masses shows in Reading. There aren’t many other continuous events that help to create and sustain a local scene. The contest really does create community spirit, giving bands the chance to perform, progress, and support each other. Sometimes I feel like we are a bit of a broken record saying ‘‘Support your local music scene’’. Those that already do, I salute you! Those that currently don’t, I promise that once you get out the door and to a show, you will be having fun. There is so much undiscovered talent out there. In this issue I spoke to a local band that I met through/discovered through Metal To The Masses, they are called Sincerely, Yours and they play metalcore. I will brush past it - what is going on the world at the moment!? We will be keeping a close eye on the long term effects of the music industry, keep an eye on our website for more on this. At least it’s festival season, our favourite time of year! This year we have already covered Hammerfest, Breaking Bands, Stone Free, Camden Rocks, and the mighty Download Festival. Next we are off to 2000trees, Ramblin Man Fair, MetalDays, and Bloodstock! Not to forget Hard Rock Hell in November with headline sets from Ugly Kid Joe, RATT, and Glenn Huges! No doubt we will be off to plenty in between too. Don’t be shy come and say hi if you see us at any!

We take a look back at Never Mind The Bollocks.

17 Reviews

WELCOME!

- Victoria Purcell Edi tor-In-Chief

Head to RAMzine.co.uk for lots more Rock & Metal content!

Mindriot // Revenge of The Psychotronic Man // Gojira // Wolf Hoffman // Black Crown Initiate // Donkerkarnuffel // Defy the Ocean // Wild Throne // Bull-Riff Stampede // Melvins // Greyhaven // Jenovese // Motörhead // As Sirens Fall // Morganway // Echotape // Stray Train // Tarja // Farewell, My Love // The Thinking Men // Chapter And Verse // Raging Speedhorn // Vintage Trouble

CONTRIBUTORS On the cover: Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath by Ben Gibson. Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden by Matt Eachus. Cover design: Gaz Jackson: www.sinisterarts.com

Marcus Wh eeler

Contributing Editor -Download Festival Review

Download Festival Photos : Pete Key, Marcus Wheeler, Ross Silcocks, Derek Bremmer, Jen O’Neill, Matt Eachus, Ben Gibson, Adam Elmakiasn.

Breaking Bands Photos by Adam Hemmings. Sincerely, Yours Review & RAMzine Classic ‘The Sex Pistols’ by Pagan Hel. The Sex Pistols artwork by Mike (RebelFuturism)- http:// rebelfuturism.deviantart.com. Prince artwork by Luceene Kaloyan - http://luceene-k.deviantart.com.

Release Reviews by: Natalie Conway, Stuart Iversen, Pagan Hel, Sean Rafferty, Ash Crowson, Jules Burnan, Neil Mach, Reg Richardson, Neale McGeever, Milly Youngman, Jay Russell. Vintage Trouble photos by Jay Russell.

Neale McGee ver Contributing Editor -Prince Tribute

Heck

By Ben Gibson

Zoax

By Ross Silcocks

Rammst ein By Jen O'Neill

Raging Speedhorn By Derek Bremmer

Iron Maiden

By Matt Eachus

DownlOAD

catchy number, ‘Hey Hey Yeah’. WEIRDS were very appreciative of their large crowd as the openers of the Dogtooth stage. The band had a great presence and got the crowd they deserved. The singer came into the crowd unleashing his aggressive snarls much to everyone’s enjoyment. The sound was fantastic with the great bass work and awesome use of effects really coming through. On my way to the Maverick stage, I saw that the main stage area looked packed for ALIEN ANT FARM. Fifteen minutes before ZOAX play – pronounced ‘zokes’, I have come to learn – I secretly hoped for the rain to come down so that they would get the crowd they deserve, if only from people seeking refuge. The crowd really started to build as the band benefited from their stage time, having no one else playing while they came on. As they played ‘The Wave’, the heavens opened with the heaviest downpour of the weekend drawing more people in to see them. As always, front man, Adam Carroll, jumped offstage to boogie with the audience during ‘Devil Dance’ and ‘The Bad Blood’, at one point getting the crowd in the immediate vicinity to sit down. The band

RAMMSTEIN BLACK SABbATH IRON MAIDEN FRIDAY: Before cat-

ching my first act of the weekend, I had a wander around and saw plenty of stalls selling food and clothing. RAVENEYE opened up the Zippo Encore Stage with a slightly late start to their set as the clouds came in and the temperature dropped. The band donned their instruments for a soundscape start as the sound guys found their feet and the levels started to even out after initially being too vocal-heavy. The band’s groove laden rock was a great way to kick off the day, however, I felt they were let down by poor levels on the drums, with the symbols been particularly hard to hear. The blues trio made a good go of their first appearance at download festival and really know how to put on show; at one point guitarist Oli Brown jumped on bassist Aaron Spiers’s shoulders as they carried on playing and walking around stage, something that I have never seen before; they also offered some good audience interaction with Brown getting the crowd to singalong to

Words By Marcus Wheeler showed their appreciation for the huge crowd highlighting that they are just a speck in the music industry – they may be a speck now, but these guys are going places. I left the Maverick stage in such a downpour that I had to run back to the press area to abandon my camera and my bag which were both soaked through by the time I got there. After the rain had eased off I made my way round to the main arena to catch the curious phenomenon that is BABYMETAL; I’ll be honest, I still don’t get it but they are very popular – the only thing that really drew my attention was the talent of the backing band. Heading back over to the Maverick stage, I arrive part way through HECK’s blistering set, as band members were climbing all over the tent and crowd; their antics were so extreme that the stage manager pulled the plug on them. Twice. Health and safety and all that... Being someone that can’t get enough of ZOAX, I headed over the Firestone stage to catch their second performance of the day. Needless to say, it was a far more intimate affair with much more mischief. During the performance, amongst other things, Adam relocated a large wheelie bin, put his head under someone’s Tshirt, redistributed a beverage, and even served couple of drinks from the bar next to the stage. The crowd were also treated to a different set which included uber-feelgood track, ‘Alive in Sound’ from their recently released debut, selftitled album.

I got caught out by the MOTÖRHEAD TRIBUTE, thinking that there would be a live performance, and so I sadly missed most of it, however, I did hear some great live moments from Motörhead and caught some touching tributes from the likes of Dave Grohl, Ozzy Osbourne, James Hetfield and Brian May. Following the tribute came the almighty KORN. The nu-metal masters were on fire, performing classic tracks like ‘Shoots and Ladders’ and ‘Blind’, and finishing up with popular numbers ‘Got The Life’ and ‘Freak On A Leash’. Over on the Dogtooth stage, I caught a packed out performance from London-based, thrashmetal wonders, SAVAGE MESSIAH, who put on an excellent, high energy show. Closing up Friday were the almighty RAMMSTEIN; having seen them a couple of times before, I knew what to expect. As the crowd waited, a countdown began; upon reaching zero, the curtain dropped and thick plumes of purple smoke bellowed from the top of the stage, kicking off one of the best set openers I have seen in a long time: smoke drifted over the stage as Flake started on the synth, joined shortly after by Schneider on drums setting a real driving pace. As the guitars kicked in Kruspe and Landers drifted down from the top of the stage, standing purpose built lighting-rigs; upon touching down, Riedel popped up from the beneath the stage just before a series of very well-timed explosions accentuate a drum roll. Then on came Lindemann, tap dancing onto stage as all else momentarily stopped. Their thigh-pounding set was dressed up in the usual manner with fire and explosions, something that has come to be expected but is never a let down, unlike the sound, however; sadly they were let down by poor, crackling and muddy sound behind the second row of speakers. In fact, the whole performance, it seemed good sound was patchy - a real disappointment for such a huge headliner. While Rammstein were doing their thing, I went over to the Dogtooth stage to catch some of RAGING SPEEDHORN’s set and found a respectable gathering going crazy for set opener ‘The Hate Song’, however, they deserved a bigger crowd. Their energy and sound was incredible; no one could help but move,

Thirt een Stars!

Crowd

A vatar

By Pe t e Key

By Marcus Wh eeler

Bury Tomorrow By Pe t e Key

Inglorious

By Pe t e Key and even I wanted to get in on the moshing action. The day closed up with the usual firework finish on the main stage.

SATURDAY: We found out first thing that ARCHITECTS would not be playing due to a personal matter; disappointing, of course, but no one can doubt that if a band cancels at Download, it must be for a good reason. As I walked over to the main arena, ‘St. Anger’ was playing out of the main stage speakers; some might say a controversial choice, however, one photographer behind me, en route to the Zippo stage, declared to the others “I love this album!” Well said, that man, I am with you all the way. Stepping into the main arena, I saw it had, as usual, been transformed from the night before; the rubbish gone, and straw and woodchippings making the ground slightly less precarious. I took my place in front of the main stage for the theatrical, Swedish metallers, AVATAR.

They deliveWage War red a great per formance By Pe t e Key of a thumping set to a very engaged crowd – the early shows are always good to catch – and were met with booing upon the announcement of their last song. They are a great band to see live - they really put a lot into their performance, never have I seen so much circle head-banging! I moved over to the Maverick stage for SHVPES; another good performance but the sound was not very clean at all; sadly I have found the maverick stage is always a bit hit or miss in terms of sound. In a successful attempt to liven things up, Griffin (the second of the three Dickenson’s to take the stage

over the weekend) coaxed the audience over the barrier with the promise of beer, putting aside a few cans, which were duly dished out as promised to the first people over the line - they did a great job of working a relatively small crowd. Walking about the festival, I heard BEARTOOTH on the Lemmy stage as I headed over to watch the hard rock offering of INGLORIOUS while grabbing a bite to eat. I also noted a few people sat against a bill board that the previous evening had become a urinal. I had considered telling them, but decided against it - ignorance is bliss. Over at the Dogtooth stage preparations were being made for WAGE WAR. Heading over there, I walked past the Maverick stage as TURBOWOLF were organising a huge conga line, and happened upon a crowd, at the centre of which were about 10 people battling medieval style, complete with swords, shields, halberds, chain mail and plate armour, however, it was so packed, I couldn’t really see much. WAGE WAR put on an absolutely astonishing performance; they had so much energy that they were infecting the

audience. The sound team did a great job of capturing the sound, which is no mean feat for the Dogtooth stage. One after the other, the crowd surfers poured over the barrier, much to the amusement of myself and the security guard at the edge of the barrier; when I asked him, he said that he’d not seen anything like it, except for the six-foot giant of a man that went over, who he said he had seen go over a couple of times before. As I walked back over to the Zippo stage, SIXX A.M. were in full swing. A huge crowd was in place for TESSERACT’s first download performance; the sound, as usual, was excellent, and although there was no stage show to speak of – nor a banner or branded drum skin, for that matter – however, it was a great performance, nonetheless. And let’s be honest, it’s not really the kind of music that lends itself to flamboyant stage shows. Ahead of BURY TOMORROW, I saw people catching up on sleep, laying on some of the few dry patches of grass that remained. Throwing down like WAGE WAR’s bigger brother, they too had the crowd pumped, as evident by the droves of people tipping over

the barrier - one of the great things about the band is Dani Winter-Bates’s pouring appreciation for his audience and fans. In a respectful nod to their absent peers, they dedicated ‘Man Down’ to ARCHITECTS. I am a huge fan of MEGADETH, but to put my comments into context, I saw them play in 2007 and thought they were crap - it was a sad day for me however, this year, it was one of my favourite performances of the weekend, they were incredible; yes, Mustaine’s audience interaction leaves a lot to be desired, but what a performance of the music! In an interesting development, old rivalries were put to one side as Nikki Sixx joined the band on stage for their cover of Sex Pistols number ‘Anarchy in the UK’.

Black Sabba th By Ben Gibson

DL2016 Organisation For such a huge event, it really does flow like clock work; all thanks to those hard working people in the background. The event treats safety as a priority, of course, and everywhere I went, I saw staff checking in on festival goers, helping them safely off the top of the crowds as they poured over the barriers, giving water out to those stuck at the front of crowds, and they were always friendly, polite and respectful. Each night after the downpours, and as the music wound down, the armies of workers and volunteers would pour over the site picking up all the litter from the day, leaving the place immaculate for the next morning. Straw and wood-chippings were spread about to soak up some of the water and make it a bit safer – let’s be honest though, no amount of straw was ever going to fix that arena. Two thumbs up to the management and staff.

DL2016 Vending/Merchants As always, there was a great choice of vendors; from the dirty burgers and hot dogs through to Mexican and Chinese. Being somewhat health conscious, and knowing what a slog festival coverage is, I tend to go for the healthier options, but trying to find a balance between healthy and calorific can be a challenge. Fortunately, there were a few good quality Mexican and vegetarian outlets, and my choice meal was a burrito. These were available in traditional meat varieties, but also with veggie chilli. For me, this was by far the best value. Paying £7.50 for a hearty burrito full of beans and veggies, yet packed with flavour, is the best on offer. Compare that to paying £5 for a cone of potato wedges, and it really is a no-brainer. Had I been inclined to branch out more, I saw that there were stalls offering what seemed to be rather good quality burgers and hot dogs, pulled pork, steak and baguettes. There were also the usual sweet treat stands with pick ’n’ mix, doughnuts and coffee, and churros. Yes, I had some doughnuts. This year, there was no cashless vending system – I know from my own experience the frustrations of last year’s system when it wasn’t working; there was no option to even pay by card last year, so when the system failed, there was no way to get food or drink, which of course is entirely unacceptable. This year, it reverted to the conventional means of cash and card payment; queues for topping up the tags last year were merely replaced by queues for cash machines and increased waiting times at bars and vendors. Speaking with a couple of the vendors who were present last year, it seems that the dogtag system worked better for them; it was less hassle because they didn’t have to deal with cash – less risk as well, I suppose – and they made a bit more cash, meaning the prices for the punter could be slightly lower. From the customer point of view, well, when we asked one vendor for some potato wedges, he had the audacity to ask for £10, despite the already extortionate advertised price of £6.00; when challenged, he simply replied “well, y’know, I gotta try it on ain’t I?” No, sir, you certainly do not. How many festival goers were exploited by unscrupulous food merchants I wonder? You see, this is the problem with cash, there is no audit trail, so it is all too easy for people to over-charge and siphon off the excess. Bring back the dogtag system, I say.

Disturb ed

By Adam Elmakia sn

After the set, as part of Metal Hammer’s Golden Gods awards, Mustaine came back onto the stage to present WWE’s legendary Triple H with the first ever Spirit of Lemmy award. Not to miss out SKINDRED from our review, team member Natalie told us “despite the miserable weather, there was a huge turn out for SKINDRED at the Zippo stage on Saturday. Front man Benji Webb kept the whole crowd engaged throughout the set. Rock and metal fans were singing their hearts out in unison as a few favourites were performed and braved the rain, removing their shirts to participate in the infamous ‘Newport Helicopter’. It was one of the best performances I had seen all weekend.” BLACK SABBATH closed up the night. Metal legends, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi took to the stage for one of the most anticipated performances of the weekend. The scale of the audience was staggering – from the back of the festival ground, I really got a feel for just how many people were there. Curious about NOFX playing at the same time, I went and had a look at the Zippo stage to find a rather meagre audience gathered, for a performance that, at times, struggled to compete with the cheering of Ozzy’s crowd. Between the psychedelic visuals, drum and bass solos, and favourite tracks like ‘War Pigs’, ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Paranoid’, it was a show not soon to be forgot. SUNDAY: First thing I heard was that GHOST had cancelled due to illness, now, as much as I wanted to see them, I was actually pleased when I discovered the new stage times - it meant I could now see the most part of DISTURBED, GOOD TIGER and GOJIRA’s sets. Every cloud… I had earmarked MONSTER TRUCK as a personal favourite to watch, however, someone recommended seeing SLASH-backed guitarist Chris

Buck, over on the Zippo stage. Buck is unquestionably a rare talent, and the pairing of BUCK & EVANS could not be better, it is a collaboration that allows both to shine; the fluidity and warmth of their performance was incredible, and I was glad to have received the tip; they were well worth seeing. WHISKEY MEYERS followed on the Zippo stage. They played an enjoyable set, but during one of the songs, their guitarist busted a string; there was an incredible level of professionalism as a new string was fitted mid-song, however, while this was being done, the jam that was taking place lost its appeal as the drums and bass droned on; a little bit of improvisational spice never hurt anyone, and it was a shame that the rest of the band didn’t make more of the opportunity - it was blues based, for crying out loud, you couldn’t ask for a better chance to get creative! Afterwards, I went over to see Swedish viking metallers, AMON AMARTH. I was impressed with the stage setup; they had two huge dragons’ heads, complete with smoke breathing capabilities, upon which the band would stand. They also had pyrotechnics, which surprised me a little for such an early act. Behind all the growling and hair, there was something noticeably ‘human’ about the frontman, which warmed me to them even more he looked like he was having a great time and that he appreciated the audience, which is always nice to see. THE KING IS BLIND proved to be an interesting experience; head-banging riffery was interspersed with being confronted by a savage wall of sound and, despite the heavy set, the crowd remained very civilised and not one appeared to surf to the front. I caught the first track from ATILLA’s rowdy offering before heading over to watch PERIPHERY, who suffered from an excessively bass-heavy sound; moving to the side of the stage seemed to sort it and I got a much more balanced sound for one of my favourite tracks, ’Icarus Lives’. FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES were shut down just before finalising a Wall of Death;

DL2016 Activities For those that want something a little more than the music, there was plenty else to do. There were the usual little things like fairground rides, the inflatable church, a fun house and a few places to hang out and drink. There was also the Side Splitter stage, where there were over 30 live standup comedians, and the silent disco until 2am Friday, Saturday and Sunday; The Pound, where you could take

after having a word with the stage manager, Carter apologetically explained to the crowd that he wasn’t told that it was against the rules. I decided to head over to the WWE NXT tent to watch a bit of the wrestling and found Bayley and some other woman going at it - I was not convinced, however, the crowd seemed to be having a great time, singing, cheering and jeering. DISTURBED were another one of the highlights of the weekend for me. Kicking off with ‘Ten Thousand Fists’, immediately the crowd were with them. David Draiman and Co. performed an incredible set - Draiman is a particularly talented vocalist, and it’s only through live performances that this is truly evident. They have always been a fantastically enjoyable band, from their unique signature sound to their penchant for applying that sound to covers of other artists’ tracks; as well as a good selection of their own repertoire, during their performance they played their latest cover, ‘Sound of Silence’, and, for an entertaining showcase medley, were joined on stage by Lzzy Hale for ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, by Blaze Bayley for ‘Baba O’Reily’, and by Benjamin Burley for ‘Killing In The Name’. Back over at the Dogtooth stage, I caught GOOD TIGER, a band on my list of priorities after hearing their crowd-funded debut album A Head Full Of Moonlight. Something of a super-group, these guys blew me away; their live sound was astounding, especially for the Dogtooth stage, which I often find has a habit of letting bands down. The band benefitted from a downpour part way through their set which drew more people in. They are a group I would be keen to see again. French death-metal outfit, GOJIRA, had a huge audience, helped by

part in Bogan Bingo on Wednesday, catch Area 51’s Caravan of Lost Souls on Thursday, and, for those with the stamina, party down until 3am in the club nights once the live music had finished. In addition to its own Bogan Bingo slot and club sessions, for four consecutive nights, The Doghouse was host to Circus Of Horrors, who have previously worked with Cradle Of Filth for their ‘Born In A Burial Gown’ music vi-

a later slot and poor weather, no doubt. They delivered an excellent choice of songs as heads bobbed up and down and people stood in the pouring rain at the edges of the tent (myself included). I was particularly chuffed when, they played the two superb tracks ‘Silvera’ and ‘Stranded’ form their latest release, Magma. I appreciate that this show was part of their Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour, however, I was let down by NIGHTWISH’s weak set, which was far too dominated by tracks from their last release and did not pay enough homage to their previous material far better material in my mind. IRON MAIDEN’s performance was, as you might expect, fantastic. With no other band playing, they had the entire 85,000 strong crowd watching. Again, I headed to the back to get a sense of scale; so huge is the crowd at Download Festival, that when everyone gets involved, as happened during ‘Children Of The Damned’, one can literally see the effect of the sound delay as the audience claps in waves, the front clapping a second

deo and also featured on their Heavy, Left-handed and Candid DVD. Within the the arena itself, there was the odd ride, face painting, and a huge ferris wheel; it was incredible to see the scale of the site from the top of the wheel, as it’s always hard to gauge just how many people there are from the ground. And, of course, there was the WWE NXT ring, with appearances from WWE superstars Finn Balor, Bayley, Baron Corbin, Jason Jordan, Chad

time time before the back has clapped their first. They made a couple of touching dedications, the first to Robin Williams in the form of ‘Tears Of A Clown’ and the second, ‘Blood Brothers’ to the victims of the Orlando shootings. In a pleasant turn of events, the weather had cleared up, however, despite people lamenting the predictability of the ‘firework finish’, they closed up the weekend in a rather anti-climactic fashion, very Britishly stating, “we can’t go crazy;

Gable (American Alpha), Asuka, Shinsuke Nakamura. And, lastly, for those that don’t require so much from their entertainment, you can collect empty paper beer cups for 10p refund on each one. The more ambitious and exploitative Fagin-types employ small armies of children to collect cups on their behalf – I sees it with me own two eyes, I swears. Who said child labour was dead...

it’s a Sunday night.” That’s right, no fireworks; instead, the band made their exit to Monty Python’s ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’, leaving everyone a bit befuddled. Overall, it was a fantastic year for Download in terms of the line-up, but it did turn out to be one of the muddiest. Each year I hold out hope that it may just stay sunny for the whole weekend, but perhaps I should just learn to embrace the rain…

Iron Maiden

By Matt Eachus

Iron Maiden By Ross Silcocks

Breaking bands festival 2016

“Breaking Bands Festival is proof that rock and metal music brings people together’’

Words by Victoria purcell - Photos by Adam Hemmings.

Breaking Bands Festival took place in Bromsgrove for its second year running. In the words of the organisers they ‘‘smashed it!’’ The festival progressed to accommodate a few more people this year, which saw groups of family and friends congregate for a weekend of merriment. The small nature of the festival makes it really easy for festival-goers to soon become a small community. My photographer and I had set up camp, and before long we had formed a camp of people all of whom were from different locations in the UK, and all very different ages. Talking with one lady, a seasoned festival-goer, a veteran, she said ‘‘there is not many cases other then rock and metal, where a group of different ages can gel so well.’’ Breaking Bands Festival is proof that rock and metal music brings people together, and we don’t judge on age. The opening band of the weekend was SKARTHIA from London. The first thoughts are that this is a skilled band; the lead singer was super-confident - as he should be, he sounded great! The band couldn’t quite seem to believe the reaction they were getting - I think the crowd would’ve agreed they were killing the opening (in a good way)! Three bands in, and the beer and cider, which was very reasonably priced was indeed flowing (£3 per pint). Sometimes there can be such a thing as too much sass, and that’s what I saw when I watched the composure of the vocalists of METAPRISM. Perhaps that’s not how they were intending it to come across, but it was a little unwelcoming to their band. Saying that, if you just look the other way, the band’s sound was great melodic metal. Friday came to an end with REIGN OF FURY, who unleashed thrash over Bromsgrove. Very NWOBHM, they set the mood perfectly for beer guzzling and partying. The night did not end there, as the

excitement of the festival and making new friends continued into the early hours of the morning. This is where the camping system comes in handy. There was ‘The Good’ (the quiet/ family camping), ‘The Bad’ where any party-goers / rowdy people can camp, and then there is ‘The Ugly’ for staff and crew. Saturday brought the sunshine, perhaps the best we have experienced this year at a UK festival so far. May is certainly a month where you can expect sunshine each year now - we hope! The lead singer of SUPERHOOCH is quite magical, he has a flare that seems to come so naturally to him. The band overall have such a high energy, it’s fun, passionate and raw. Their carefree attitude was absorbed by the crowd who were most certainly letting go, swaying, drinking and hugging each other. Probably also a reflection of the venue’s cheap bar prices! A highlight of the day for us was Jordon and Dan of THE LOVED AND LOST doing an impromptu couple of songs on the Acoustic Stage. We first heard of TLL last year at Breaking Bands Festival and they are just so talented - keep an eye on them! A band that we were incredibly impressed with was NYCOSIA. They play TechMetal/Djent and come from Monmouth, Herefordshire. Nycosia might have room for progression, but lucky for them they are a very young band. They have a brilliant stage presence we have seen much bigger bands fail at getting a mosh pit going and everyone moving! CHASING DRAGONS from Leeds were another impressive band! Vocalist, Tank, sure has some pipes on her and she oozes confidence and presence, dominating the stage. Now, someone please give them a nice big support slot, they are guaranteed to get the crowd warmed and partying. The night’s headliner EVIL MASQUE-

RADE had broken down and had to get a taxi over from the ferry port. Luckily there was a whip around at the festival to help cover the costs - a very nice idea indeed. They performed a stellar progressive performance. They are quite majestic really, and this can only come from a truly honest type of band. Another night of drinking until the early hours in our now tight-knit community. The first impressions of KILL ALL THE GENTLEMEN were simply... ‘‘woah!’’ If you like your metal turned up to 10, then this is the band for you. They play an impressive set including a song about being fucked by ghosts in the night. One truly impressive set was played on the acoustic stage by CHRIS & LUKE APPLETON UNPLUGGED. Both now members of Blaze Bailey, Luke is the bassist of Iced Earth and both are in Absolva! Their guitar skills combined are laced with talent. They know how to get a crowd going - it was nice to have a sign-a-long. Dressed as jokers (obviously), A JOKERS RAGE were one of the most fun bands of the weekend. 2014 single ‘Bounce’ literally makes you want to do just that - check this track out first to get a taste of what they are like. Then head straight for their cover of Tupac and Dr Dre. BLAZE BAILEY headlined Breaking Bands Festival and he was a very fitting choice from the organisers. During his set he thanked the bands that had played and announced that he was also a ‘Breaking Band’. He is a selfmade band, not confined by a record label that tell him what to do, instead he has his own. The ex-Iron Maiden singer can still nail those notes! Blaze and the band are currently out on a world tour. Keep an eye on the next announcement for Breaking Bands Festival and discover your new favourite band.

Introducing Sincerely,Yours Classics!

By Victoria Purcell

“Broken Utopia is about 5 normal guys pushing the boundaries of metal music, and not being afraid to try something completely new’’

horty after this issue goes to print, Reading based metalcore band Sincerely, Yours will battle it out at Reading’s Metal To The Masses. Talking of the competition that gives the winner an almighty slot on Bloodstock Festival’s New Blood Stage, Freddie (bass) tells us ‘‘I am new to the scene and to Sincerely, Yours so it’s my first year participating in Metal To The Masses Reading, but seriously I’ve met some great bands and people from day one; I’ve had so much fun. It’s strange because the prize/reward is so big but everyone is really cool and supportive’’. Steve (vocals) continues; ‘‘It’s my second year in the competition and in the final, and to be honest the competition seems even harder this year. I think it’s great as a competition but I see it as more of a chance to make new friends and contacts for future gigs.’’ It’s nice to see this side of the music industry, ‘the underground’

some may call it. This is where community spirit for metal exists at the core. Whatever to outcome at The Facebar in Reading, nothing changes the fact that Sincerely, Yours are about to unleash another awesome new EP, this time called Broken Utopia. The band all agree when Steve tells us ‘‘Broken Utopia is about 5 normal guys pushing the boundaries of metal music, and not being afraid to try something completely new.’’ When asked why they are in the business of music making, Freddie tells us ‘‘Music is a therapy to me. I need it to deal with emotions, whatever they are. If our music can help and reach one person as it has helped me, then I’ll be a more complete person.’’ Steve continues; ‘‘I joined the band for very similar reasons and I just have the passion to go as crazy as possible and have fun as I love music so much!’’

Although bands don’t like to be pigeonholed with labels these days, Sincerely, Yours are often referred to as a metalcore band; to some this is a genre much loved but others have no clue what it means. Freddie tells us ‘‘metalcore is characterised by big heavy riffs and breakdowns, a loud and deep sound that resonates in your bones.’’ Steve says; ‘‘For me me-

“metalcore is deep sound that resonates in your bones’’ talcore at its essence is metal mixed with hardcore. Metalcore can be very varied from clean singing to screams and the same with the actual instruments. Metalcore has been diverse in its approach since its inception with bands such as Converge and Killswitch

Engage starting off the scene.’’ Barry (Guitar/Vocals) tells us that he is a huge fan of modern day metalcore; ‘‘I enjoy the brutal breakdowns of deathcore such as Born of Osiris and Whitechapel with the catchy clean choruses of metalcore such as Asking Alexandria and Issues, topped off with the technicality of bands like August Burns Red and Veil of Maya.’’ Every county in the UK seems to have a different type of music scene, it always

seems smaller down south, however Freddie tells us; ‘‘It’s much bigger here than I originally thought when I first moved to here. It’s obviously not as big as London, but there is always something going on. There is definitely something different about it, it’s a small community - small enough so you know everyone but large enough so you experience new things every week or so’’. Sincerely, Yours are a fun live band,

they get the crowd involved and make everyone feel welcome. Steve tells us ‘‘If you like a passionate energetic live band, come and watch us the more you move the more we go crazy!’’ Freddie confirms ‘‘Our live show is the best way to experience who we are.’’ This could be one of the band’s best qualities; that metalhead community spirit. Metal To The Masses has shown us that Reading and Berkshire not only have a wealth of alternative bands, but that spirit exists here.

Sincerely, Yours Broken Utopia Self-Release Released 29th July 2016. The mere words ‘technical metalcore’ are enough to get the blood coursing through the veins, and ‘Apocalypse’ is certainly ‘different’ although I would have preferred a little gruffer low toned vocals as they are my favourite, but there is no getting away from the intensity that exudes through every biting riff and colossal rhythm here. The slower moments are sumptuous, warm and scintillatingly inviting. ‘Clear the Shores’ is a beast of a track that stomps with an expanding foot. Its powerful tones are forthright and creative with a surging vocal berating. The riffs are daming and squeak with an urgency that cannot be ignored. ‘Strike to The Face’ is perhaps not as ‘in your face’ at the beginning as I would have expected, but it still possesses urgency and incredible vocals. The hearty roars are ablaze with immense volatility and another great encounter with sonic riffs, and the harmonies are just superb. ‘Wake Up’ snakes, twists and turns into a prowling melody that turns malignant with vicious vocals. Its appetite is hell bent on destruction and its increasing pulsing riffs are equally exciting and skilfully creative. The band have really put together a superb EP here. Although just four tracks only whet the appetite and do leave you thinking “I wish there were more!” which is a very good sign for all the technical metalcore heads among us. For me this raw temptation always sucks me into its almighty groove, but Sincerely, Yours are not just all in-

tensity they do possess that creative tendency to be diverse and surprising with all the time signature and tempo changes that accompany the brutal breakdowns and ravishing riffs. It’s a real thought provoking EP that holds plenty of momentum keeping the listener gripped with their imposing rhythms and vocal snarls. It is relentless and unmerciful, make no mistake and has a high calibre delivery that will broaden your horizons.

Fuel-filled and energy driven, this very impressive creation is nothing short of brutal and savage but yet holds melodic flavours and warm textures that can soothe as well as swamp the aural. So there is a lot to enjoy from Sincerely, Yours. For anyone who is into this diverse set of genres it will no doubt please the ears and then some. For those who don’t – it’s your loss. But one thing is for sure, these guys are going places! Review byPagan Hel

Art By Mike (Reb elFu turi sm)

The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks Virgin Released 28th October 1977 At the tender age of 13, and just in my prime, there materialised The Sex Pistols, a crazed punk band who nearly every school child aspired to and I was no different! I loved the fact they said and did what they wanted and wore extremely outrageous clothes. Their songs scorned society and brought out the anarchy that was inside each and every teenager at the time. I first saw them on TV and was astounded at their crass behaviour as a lot of teens at the time. Parents all over were reprimanding their wayward teens for trying to mimic the band which only added fuel to the fire. The outlandish spikes and torn clothing were part of what everyone wanted to wear and difficult when school uniform was what you were told to wear, but underneath our uniforms were Sex Pistols

T-Shirts and obscure jewellery that went unnoticed even by the most eagle-eyed teacher. So the scene is set and pogoing became the new rage to sounds like ‘Anarchy In The UK’ and ‘God Save the Queen’ with teens running riot and wearing safety pins in their ears – I wasn’t quite so lucky with the safety pins in my ears, (over protective parents) however, I was getting good at back combing my hair and learning all the words, plus I hated Royalty even at an early age. The only ‘problem’ pogoing in the bedroom was the stylus jumping on vinyl as it was back then, to combat this we used to pogo furthest from the player in order not to scratch the record. It didn’t matter that Rotten/Lydon sang out of key, it all added to the slur that the Sex Pistols produced, plus it gave us a chance to swear a lot and be part of a new trend.

Classics Review! Of course the Sex Pistols were not without their casualties and one was the unfortunate demise of the legendary Sid Vicious (who replaced Glen Matlock in 77 due to drug use) who then met girlfriend Nancy Spungen which culminated in her being stabbed in a New York Hotel and Vicious being arrested on suspicion of her murder. Vicious died as a result of his mother supplying him with Heroin on which he later overdosed on in his sleep. So Anarchy prevailed under the guise of the infamous Sex Pistols, assault, drug use and even murder.

By Pagan Hel

RIP

S Prince

et’s face it - 2016 has been a horrible year. After losing Lemmy and David Bowie over Christmas - all kinds of legends have left us: Muhammad Ali, Alan Rickman, Victoria Woods... the list goes on. The name that really sticks out is one Prince Rogers Nelson, otherwise known as ‘Prince’, ‘The Artist’ and even as a symbol (literally). You may be wondering why RAMzine - a rock and metal zineis covering the pop superstar who brought us ‘1999’ and ‘Kiss’. Dig in to his wider back catalogue and you will find he was one of the biggest rock stars on the planet. Back in September 2007 - I saw the legend himself perform at London’s newly opened O2 arena. It was 21 nights, for the small price of £21.31 to celebrate his latest album, you guessed it, 3121. Plus we got copy of Prince’s following album (Planet Earth) on entry. The stage was in the centre of the arena, lit up in all shades of purple. ‘I have too many hits’ claimed the Minnesota icon. He’s right! Even with a 21 song setlist, including 2 encores: there is too many hits to cover in one night. What I saw was a masterclass in rock n roll showmanship, sprinkled with infectious riffs. Opening track of the ‘Purple Rain’ soundtrack, ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, is a great example of this, as well as the face-melting solo in the title track. The world of rock paid respect to ‘the great purple one’ across social media ranging from Nikki Sixx, Lzzy Hale, Travis Barker, and this heartfelt message on Twitter from Slash: “So sad to hear of Prince’s passing; one of the greatest musical talents of my lifetime. Maybe of the 20th century. RIP Prince truly had an impact on many rock musicians of the modern age. Listen to Muse’s ‘Blackholes and Revelations’ and tell me it isn’t inspired by Prince. He was dubbed ‘the new Hendrix’ by Kerrang! Magazine at the height of ‘Purple Rain’ popularity - and for good reason too. Check

Art By Luceene Kaloya n out the footage of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ also featuring Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Steve Winwood ... skip to three minutes in. Yep. That’s a member of security having to steady him back on stage. His 2007 album ‘Planet Earth’ even has a song dedicated to his favourite instrument (‘Guitar’ of course). However you saw the man they call Prince,

there’s no denying he was a musical icon and changed the face of popular (and alternative) music forever. He will forever be missed. Rest in peace.

By Nea le McGee ver

REVIEWS

Mindriot

Revenge of the Psychotronic Man

Gojira

Wolf Hoffman

Brothers

Colossal Velocity

Magma

Headbangers Symphony

Self-Release Words: Victoria Purcell Irish hard rockers Mindriot bring us new album Brothers. Each track seems to have catchy lyrics, whilst also telling a story. “We are very much a voice for mental health awareness” says vocalist Mike. The album takes you though phases, that are ‘Low’ moments, and there are groovier moments, like on ‘Fire’. Always hold out for the last track because ‘Vain’ features a killer guitar solo which is always pleasing to hear within hard rock. You can hear the experience of Mindriot on Brothers.

B TNSrecords Words: Natalie Conway Revenge of the Psychotronic Man release new album Colossal Velocity. From the first second, you’re hit hard by the fast paced punk rock that we have grown to love. This is in true rock punk fashion, a very political album addressing issues in our society with tracks like ‘Dismantling the Corby(n) Trouser Press’ and ‘Share If You Agree’ tackling the issues of social media and the influence it has on us, but doing so in a very enjoyable way that leaves you pumped up and wanting more.

Roadrunner Words: Stuart Iversen If you are already one of the best heavy metal bands on the planet, where do you go next? Well if you are Gojira, you strip everything back. And they must have heard the howls of outrage from miles away. However, if you can get past the mentality that heavy always equals better, Magma is a game changer. Whether it’s the slow Mastodon-esque ‘Shooting Stars’ or the swagger of ‘Stranded’ this is brutal, but groove-filled metal at its best. Bow down before the Gojira.

Nuclear Blast Records Words: Pagan Hel So Wolf Hoffmann has broken free from metal band Accept and taken a divergent path which incorporates classical and heavy moulding the two together and is a drama that unfolds into a metal legacy with a difference. Hoffmann admits that classical was an influence and since taking a hiatus from the band released his first album Classical. This is his second attempt and it really gives an insight into what Hoffmann is all about. Still possessing metal tenacity but also offering a more mellow approach.

Black Crown Initiate

Donkerkarnuffel

Defy the Ocean

Wild Throne

Selves We Cannot Forgive

The Omen

Elderflower

Blood Maker

SPV Records Words: Pagan Hel Almost at boiling point you can feel the intensity as the tracks grow bolder and more enticing. It has a duty to seduce with varying consequences, rigidly maintaining its service to the metal community. Daming and savage, its energy broods to new levels never letting down its guard for a second, although its pace is slowed down on ‘Sorrowpsalm’ as it plods in an attempt to throw you off the scent. It also possesses great ingenuity of progressive influences and superb encounters of melodic craziness.

Self-Release Words: Pagan Hel The strange concoction of ‘clown-core’ mixed with horror is a sheer battle of wills and sparks off some devilish, symphonic lures which lead to full demonic possession, as we get to grips with its evil intentions. The aural dynamics of the EP are far reaching and malevolent in delivery, making it very hard to ignore. The next chapter becomes a lot more apparent as the deep chasms appear, swallowing the listener whole and spitting them out into a sea of congealed blood.

Self-Release Words: Pagan Hel If you are soul searching for something ‘off the cuff’, so to speak, look no further than Defy The Ocean, as here you will find your atmospherics and melancholy, no mistake. It’s rather haunting, quirky and not to mention oppressive, but holds its own ground. ‘Elderflower’ rather catches your breath for being all of the above while ‘Poison’ possesses a more dark and sinister edge. There are no boisterous riffs here, just mundane solitude that wraps itself deliberately around the audial with deep, disturbing results.

Roadrunner Words: Pagan Hel Wild Throne were formed in 2013 and released their debut album Harvest of Darkness in October. From the off new EP Blood Maker makes you feel the energy as it sparks a deluge of fire and brimstone with Joshua’s vocals sounding eerily similar to the great Robert Plant - that can only be a good thing! They play a blend of styles. The mood is one of sheer spine tingling savagery with enchanting moments of utter pleasure and it doesn’t end there, with thrilling twists that make this EP one to own.

Bull-Riff Stampede Enraging The Beast Pledge Music / Self-Release Words: Pagan Hel This album is an intense surge of magnetism that draws you into its finely tuned riffs and it is highly pleasurable, giving the ears a good lick. Blossoming with amazing quality, the instruments work together to produce a superb rampage of thrashing melody. The vocal scathings are powerful and ravishing, bursting with sheer unmerciful grandeur and running away with itself leaving a mass of dust in its wake. The choking rhythms are thick and vibrant. Fuelled by tenacious groove it plants the seed of pure unadulterated emotion, make no mistake. There is no messing around on this masterpiece, making way for a thrilling escapade from start to finish. Brooding with frantic enterprise and riffs made of steel and bristling with all the great qualities of thrash and death combined. It would be difficult to pick a favourite track here as they are all pretty intense, creative and drenched in utter madness. The vocals are punchy and create a rasping all of their very own, while the music is heavy and compelling with each striking riff and equally impressive rhythm the band throws our way. Bordering on insane it possesses plenty of attitude and is stocked up with plenty for the ears to gravitate to, making it a gripping encounter. Bull-Riff Stampede work well together and have produced an amazing array of tracks that fuse together and become something magnificent. I cannot see anyone ignoring this album – do so at your peril, as it will catch up with you and simply devour you from the inside out. It’s clearly an apt title for the band to get their message across and get it across they do with resounding effect. Its antagonistic flair gnaws feverishly and doesn’t let up all the way through its ten strong hold. Its advantage is holding all the right cards to become a very successful album for Bull-Riff Stampede.

Melvins

Basses Loaded Ipecac Words: Stuart Iversen The Melvins have never given a damn what anyone thinks about them. That attitude has meant that while the world has kept on turning and musical tastes have changed, they have survived. Maybe never prospered, but definitely survived. Yet it is also hard to get past the fact that not giving a damn has not been the best thing for their career. Because not giving a damn leads to bizarre albums like Basses Loaded. The newest Melvins’ release features a revolving door of bassists with everyone from Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) to the band’s drummer Dale Crover stepping into the duty, which leaves it as a hodge-podge of ideas and strange concoctions, from the jazz meandering of ‘Planet Destructo’ to the reimagining of traditional songs like ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ and ‘Shaving Cream’. This is an album that is making no sacrifices for modern taste or even to listener satisfaction, which quite frankly, is brilliant to see. It may not do much for The Melvins’ bank balance, but it does create a challenging and engaging piece of work. Perhaps obviously, the whole thing is bass heavy, and the fuzzed up menace of it leaves you with a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach. There is the almost arrogant swagger of songs like ‘Captain Come Down’ standing next to the slow, ponderous and energy sapping ‘The Decay of Lying’. The world needs more bands like the Melvins. They write music that you might not always want to listen to but you can be glad is out there. They don’t give a damn about the rules and because of that they will never sell out arenas or play on a show beside whatever a Justin Bieber is. They are, however, a hell of a lot more punk rock than the rest of us and will continue to be until the day they die.

Greyhaven

Jenovese

Motörhead

As Sirens Fall

State Of Mind

Love U To Death

Clean Your Clock

The Hospital Party

Outsider Records Words: Sean Rafferty Greyhaven accomplish stuff. This is clear. Since only the star of last year they already have a release to their name and travelled the UK with their music. A second EP is the next logical step for this group, to further cement their name with audiences. And so in comes State of Mind to fill this gap. State of Mind is a strong post-hardcore EP, made by men whose talents fit the genre like a glove. But it’s not as simple as a bunch of blokes replicating their favourite music. The influences are clear, but they are trying to do something different; and this is mostly to success. ‘Sinners and Hexes’ outline the basic post-hardcore style this EP is committed to; tranquil, Parkway Drive-esque guitar melodies over hardcore riffs. But then there are some light electronic moments, although this seems to get forgotten about after one track. All of the songs are loud ’n’ proud, made for being blasted out of headphones as much as a gig. ‘On & On’ is 100% the best track, showcasing the band with the very best of their melodies, chugging riffs and combination of growled and clean vocals. ‘Our Stand’ and ‘Brother’ give off an almost ballad-like feel; these are emotional songs with a slower tempo on the guitars but just as much power. Fans of British music will also be easily wooed by the audible accents across the EP. State of Mind is the ideal ‘next step’ for a band with greatness on their horizon. There’s power and energy in some songs and heart wrenching emotion in others. The occasional moment of an element that would appear to be their unique input, only never to be heard again shows they might not have quite nailed their style. But this is easily forgiven; they are still yet a young band and State of Mind will deservingly win them new fans.

Self-Release Words: Pagan Hel More than just anthemic, this is dizzyingly mesmerising and temperamental with large helpings of metal that dance with the ears. The superb ‘Despair’ drives hard with forthright rhythms that swagger with baited breath and flirts with imagination. ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ explodes with ferocity and rides high on seductive rhythms that are scorching. Lilting vocals from Emma Rees, she really sings her heart out. ‘Love U to Death’ badgers with a sumptuous, melodic core that is mouth-watering as well as erupting with superb dynamic quality.

UDR GmbH Words: Pagan Hel It is with extreme sadness reviewing Motörhead’s final album, as much as the music makes me ecstatic and always has, but the thought of a legend that is no more, is too much to bare. I decided to review this because I felt I owe it to the man himself, our rock God Lemmy, for all the happiness he has brought to millions of rockers all over the world. The tracks don’t really need an introduction as every one of us know how good they are and still whizzing around in people’s stereos to this day and will continue to be for ever more. I loved how he got his nickname ‘Lemmy’ from his Hawkwind days of being extremely broke and going round the other band members saying “Can you Lemmy a fiver!” (as read in Sounds Magazine). This album is a great credit to Lemmy and the band, keeping his name alive, not that it could ever be forgotten in the metal circle. It’s great to hear the crooning vocal chords backed with a rabblerousing intensity on now very familiar tracks. It still makes me sad though, as it does many others, afterall Lemmy’s reign lasted 40 years and within that time he has along with Motörhead, produced some amazing tracks that are instantly recognisable and epic. There is nothing better than listening to Motörhead with the volume on screaming urgency and having your ears melt; it still sends goosebumps down my arms when I hear ‘Ace of Spades’ and always will. You can hear on this album Lemmy’s vocals sounding quite fragile, but little did anyone know, him included, that he was being ravaged by cancer, but he didn’t let any of his fans down and always took time out to answer their many questions. He remained true to himself and did what he loved best and will be remembered fondly by all who knew and followed him over his 40 year reign and this album is a fitting tribute to a true and wonderful legend! LEMMY!

Self-Release Words: Natalie Conway West Yorkshire rockers As Sirens Fall have just released their debut EP and, if I’m honest, it was a great listen. The first track, ‘Where You Are’, opens up the EP with a light hearted but upbeat track, musically, despite the topic being about a loved one being in the hospital after an accident. It’s one of those tracks that I feel is a bit open to interpretation. See what you get from it. Track two ‘Lonely Tomorrows’, instantly kicks in with that punk / rock riff that we came to know and love from the US in the early naughties. It gets you tapping your foot and bopping your head before you even realise you’re doing it. If you think you’re moving on the verses, just wait for the chorus. Track three, ‘Smoke’, again delights the senses with the riffs and melodic vocals and drums that build to a hardhitting crescendo of a chorus. Track four, ‘State of the Artist’, is heavier yet. Our ears are greeted with Mikey Lord talking through what appears to be a megaphone and instantly jumping into screams and heavy guitars. On this track he combines what he’s slowly been introducing through the EP: Vocal screams along with his well-toned melodic vocals on choruses. I found myself mildly head banging and bopping to this track. It’s like a warm bath after exercise; it hits every spot and penetrates deep leaving you feeling rejuvenated. ‘Last Goodbyes’ finishes on group harmonies on the choruses, upbeat guitars, incredible tone, drums that set the pace and get you going, punchy riffs, unforgettable hooks and generally a big sound. The worse idea I’ve had was to listen to this EP before bed. It left me feeling pumped up and ready to party. It demonstrates great vocals and quite frankly you would never guess this was their debut EP. As Sirens Fall have such a honed and massive sound to them, you would think they had been selling out venues for years.

There is no escaping the ‘beauty and the beast’ feel that Jenovese possess. The all-round sound is coaxing and temptingly delicious as it takes from its surroundings and offers even more rewards. The catchy vocals are pitch perfect and very impressive, despite not being an allout lover of female vocals, but Emma’s are one of the exceptions to the rule. The goose-bumps proceed down the spine and leave you tingling with intensity. The songs are catchy too and so easy to get into, with their hardened edge of blistering quality, nobody in their right mind could say this is NOT good. The melodic content is rife and the brutal chugs are mesmerising to say the least, but together it is one powerhouse of infection and chases a distinctive pattern that engages on all levels. It dances and plays with the audial, blending its original sound with potency and forcibly makes you obey its rhythms, although they are hard to ignore anyway. The textures are warm and yet still manage to cause an excessive drama which is a great attribute for Jenovese to possess. Its punishing intervention on ‘It doesn’t matter’ is captivating and mouth-watering, no matter which way you look at it. Listen to ‘Nothing left to Say’, get hooked and enjoy the scintillating flavours that Jenovese have captured.

REVIEWS Morganway

Echotape

Stray Train

Tarja

Farewell, My Love

No Tommorows

Wicked Way

The Shadow Self

Above It All

Self-Release Words: Ash Crowson Morganway have gone far for a band still so young. No Tomorrows is a pathway into an imaginary world where all life worries disappear from mind. The peaceful, tranquil sounds of this upand-coming band blend the classic nuances of legendary acts like Fleetwood Mac and a country sound. Their soothing sounds can calm the roughest of seas while maintaining a strong current to keep things flowing. No Tomorrows has the perfect recipe to gather huge momentum and radio airplay.

AVR Records Words: Jules Burnan You’ll be hard pushed to find a more adventurous band than Echotape. For one, they are always trying to break new ground and constantly trying to improve their sound. What more could you want? The answer: Wicked Ways, the band’s 2nd full length outing. Wicked Ways is loud in others, soft in places, the sound remains raw and improves on its predecessor in almost every way. All that needs to be said is: check these guys out. Stand-out tracks are ‘Little White Lies’ and ‘Friend Like Me’.

Just ‘Cause You Got The Monkey Off Your Back Doesn’t Mean The Circus Has Left Town!

earMUSIC Words: Reg Richardson This is a 9-song forerunner to Tarja’s next release, The Shadow Self, due in August. It’s an album of highs and lows, some of the highs being very high, some of the lows being very low particularly the final three songs, all covers, which seem to be a bolt-on to the first six, original, tracks. The rock music side of the songs is brilliant, Tarja’s vocals excellent. Less so the duet with Michael Monroe, however. The covers don’t entirely cut it. Tarja recently said “Keep your eyes open. There might be further surprises down the road.”

CRCL Records Words: Neale McGeever A lot of bands under the same umbrella as FML are certainly influenced by the films of Tim Burton but Above It All, the latest offering from the Arizona rockers, sounds like the first album that could have been written and recorded in one of his movies. Following a cinematic intro, ‘Burn Out The Night’ is the perfect way to set the scene for this album. At the lucky number of 13 tracks, this record is a perfect introduction to Chad Kowal’s vocals mixed with Robby Creasey’s badass solos. Essential listening for fans of MCR, AX7, and even Panic!

SAOL Words: Neil Mach Experienced musicians from Slovenia who planned to play some blues rock in local bars, yet instead, they found themselves recording an album [long-title but “Just ‘Cause” will suffice.] Starting with ‘Soulseller,’ the plummy bass-notes motivate the screams of guitar and darkcoated riffs blending with coarse-haired vocals. There’s also a hint of luscious bluesharp. ‘Wander Man’ is a funky little groove-maker. ‘Plastic Princess’ has thrilling organ and wah-pedal effects. It is defiant & bold blues-rock!

The Thinking Men Queen Of The Ravens Self-Release Norwich based alternate rockers The Thinking Men have returned with the short 4 track EP, Queen of the Ravens. Instantly you are drawn into the soft, bluesy tones and catchy hooks. The vocals sing through crystal clear with a rather unique tone of its own. Title track ‘Queen of the Ravens’ would fit neatly in some Las Vegas movie drug scene or Vietnamese war film as stuff is about to go down. It’s one hell of a great opener.

Chapter And Verse The Wolves Back Home Self-Release When it comes to the East London music scene, you’ll probably think of grime and UK rap before you’d think of heavy alt-rock. Chapter And Verse might just change your mind with their debut EP, ‘The Wolves Back Home’. Despite having been a band for barely a year, the London foursome have already impressed crowds at The Old Blue Last and Camden Rocks, and are currently spreading their wings on their own UK tour. Opening track ‘The New Breed’ wastes no time in setting the tone, with a big, aggressive riff paving the way into Josh Carter’s

impressively recognisable and acrobatic vocals – managing to balance captivating highs with a powerful delivery. Basically, sort of like driving your car into a pissed-off choir practice at a boxing-gym- come-rifffactory. Balancing the heavy instrumental breakdowns with melodic, mellower verses, this is Chapter And Verse telling us that they’re here. The towering chorus of ‘Shelf Life’ channels early Emarosa, with jutting spoken vocals and piano backing also adding an extra dimension to the lighter moments of the track. ‘Electric Tongues’ has a less agressive feel to but still gives a hefty bite, with a piano-and-spoken ending reminiscent of the likes of La Dispute. With touches from

By the second track ‘Under My Skin’, despite yet again catching ideas and the continuing fresh sound, I find myself a little underwhelmed as it seems to play along like a TV theme. Like a small hiccup though, it soon passes and the second half of the EP picks itself back up with tracks ‘Oil Song’ and ‘Graveyard Shift’ with an almost carnival feel, showing they are more than just a one-trick band. Devilish sounds and fiendish voices consume you through choruses in ‘Oil Song’, a song showcasing all of the band nicely in one rounded package. ‘Graveyard Shift’ takes ‘Oil Song’s treats and merges it with the catchy writing abilities in the same

all edges of the alternative rock spectrum, it’s clear to see that Chapter And Verse’s influences are far-reaching and diverse making for a fantastic melting pot of sound across the entire EP and even within individual tracks. Production values on ‘The Wolves Back Home’ are impressive, especially for such a fledgling act - and it’s clear that all four band members are highly capable musicians in their own right, working together to create a near-flawless sound. A top quality post-hardcore EP for the current British music scene to lap up, Chapter And Verse have created an absolute stormer of a debut release, and we’re definitely hoping that a full-length album will be with us soon.

vein as the EP title track. A closing track that fits in perfectly in its own way. Queen of the Ravens may not have much for people looking strictly for alternative rock, blues, or any other specific genre for that matter; what it does have, though, is an extremely creative, well-written EP that covers a broad spectrum in its own right giving a taste of its own medicine to anyone in search of something knew. Unique is often used describing bands, but The Thinking Men with the Queen of Ravens truly are.

“top quality posthardcore”

Ash Crowson

Milly Youngman

L i ve! Pho tos & Re view By Jay Russell

Vintage Trouble Kentish Town Forum, London Approaching Glastonbury weekend, the masses made their way to an open-air, knee deep swimming pool in a field with live music. However others were making their way to Kentish Town as Vintage Trouble are taking everyone to church with their bluesy rock-and-roll stage show, and what a show it turned out to be. Providing main support for the evening are a band known as Slydigs and fit well with their groovy rock and roll. The crowd are still making their way into The Forum when they take to the stage but it doesn’t take long to fill up as the bands groove draws more folks quickly into the venue. The band make an effort to greet the fans and tell us that it’s been a while since they have been in London, England, having been busy touring with Vintage Trouble across Europe and shortly after, English rock legends, The Who, by the end of the show they have the fans riled up, ready to go and eating out of the palm of their hand. The set ends with the guys making their way through the crowd to the merchandise stand to sign and talk to fans. Such a lovely bunch they are! It doesn’t take long for Vintage Trouble to take to the stage and when they do, it’s so easy to see what all the fuss is about. A band like this doesn’t come along often but when they do, it’s special. Frontman Ty Taylor absolutely owns his stage along with his band. Who cares what you call this. Rock, blues, whatever. Tonight, we are renaming their genre to simply ‘awesome’.

Tonight the band absolutely oozes class with Ty Taylor’s only time standing still to serenade the crowd with tracks such as ‘Nobody Told Me’. At one point he even ends up crowd surfing and at the top of the balcony! From start to finish, the band gives the crowd their everything, and the crowd gives it back with massive singalongs and smiles all around. Amazingly awesome rock and roll from an amazingly awesome band. If this bunch have been on your list to check out, then you should stop waiting and get to it. But be prepared to be mesmerised, be prepared to dance, be prepared for a crowed surfing frontman and be prepared for the band to capture your absolutely undivided attention, for the night will be one not forgotten.

Ash Crowson

Raging Speedhorn Lost Ritual

Self Release Following their triumphant return to the live music scene with impressive performances on tours and festivals since regrouping, Raging Speedhorn have grafted away in the studio at their first crowd-funded album. For fans of the band and, probably more importantly, those that invested, they will not be disappointed. Lost Ritual hits you as hard as Speedhorn have ever done, showing their time away hasn’t aged them one bit when it comes to writing. Working away in the studio with Russ Russell has done wonders for them, and the overall sound of the album displays that with its superb production, bringing out the heaviest and most dirty of tracks they ever have. Steadily paced tracks, like opener ‘Bring Out Your Dead’, show a strong control on crippling aggression. The familiar ‘Halfway to Hell’ brings out a

more classic Speedhorn sound, while the heavy rocking ‘Motörhead’ smashes out some impressive groove in a clear tribute to the legends. The variety in the first three tracks brings home a perfect taster for the album as the next 7 tracks carry along with a perfect blend of those styles. Tracks like ‘Dogshit Blues’ really display their rocking skills and quickly the track becomes engrained in your mind, while follow up ‘The Hangman’ takes out the fast rock vibe like a sledgehammer to the knees with such a dark, sludgey monster of a track. Even that track though holds nothing on album closer ‘Unleash the Serpent’, venturing into an almost doom-laden atomic bomb of a song really showing the sheer brutality of the double vocal assault. As a whole, this album is something that blows all their previous releases out of the water. If they ever needed any vindication that they returned, this is certainly it. Planting the Speedhorn flag firmly in the ground, they a certainly putting Corby back on the map. ‘Lost Ritual’ really shows they’ve lost nothing, and this is most

“blows all previous releases out of the water!”

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t u o 0 1 e u s s I 016!

r2 Septembe