RAMzine Issue 23 | Bowling For Soup, #DL2019, Fleetwood Mac

rock & metal ISSUE #22 WWW.RAMZINE.CO.UK

25 Years of BFS

“My heart loves Reading and Leeds”

7 Things You Will See At #DL2019 Get Ready For The Newport Helicopter!

CONTENTS

7 Things You Will See At Download 2019

04

First Time Festival Goers Survival Guide

06

Modern Classic

08

RAMzine Classic

10

As Download Festival 2019 approaches, we take a look at some of the activities and things you may see.

RAMzine’s Jay Brown puts together his list of advice and tips for this years new festival goers!

Tom Dixon takes a look back at the work of Joanne Shaw Taylor.

We take a look back at Fleetwood Mac’s Pious Bird of Good Omen.

Bowling For Soup

Bowling For Soup

12

Anniversary Editions and Re-Issues Rant

18

Jaret and Gary talk to us about all sort of things!

Not Ur GirlFriendz, The Rock Star Dad Show, that time they met Dimebag Darrell...

Do we need so many?

12

We sat down with Jaret and Gary to talk new bands, being dads and friendship is like after a couple of decades together...

Reviews 19 Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts, Heavy Feather, Hosemen

Reviews 19 Latitudes, Rock Bottom, Cracked Machine, Atlas Pain.

Reviews 21 Dun Field Three, Lonesome, Avandra, Creature.

Reviews 22 Sworn Amongst, Pectora, Shotgun Sawyer.

Reviews 23 The Wolf Howls When I Scream Your Name, Snowy White And The White Flames, SPQR, False Gods.

10 Fleetwood Mac

Although named after band members Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, the band was formed in 1967 by guitarist Peter Green, after he and Fleetwood left John Mayall...

06

Festival Tips With festival season just around the corner, it’s time to start making your preparations....

Kill The Stigma! Let’s Talk About Mental Health!

Year after year we have been losing rock stars to suicide. Late last year I read a really shocking fact on the Movember website, it says “Globally, the rate of suicide is alarmingly high, particularly in men. Around the world, on average we lose a man to suicide every minute of every day... too many are toughing it out and struggling alone.” In the United Kingdom, 75% of suicides are men.

18 Re-Issues Rant

This relatively new trend is growing exponentially and is costing us a fortune...

I like to think that through rock and metal we have a huge community/ network of people to talk to. We are one of the most accepting and kind music communities in my experience. Jaret Reddick speaks about the Bowling For Soup Community in our interview on page 12.

Regardless of gender, we should continue to talk about anxiety, stress, depression and all mental health issues. We should kill the stigma around sparking about these topics, because most people will go through mental health issues during their lifetime, it’s completely normal and if someone is struggling the best thing for them to do is talk to someone, and then get pointed in the direction of help.

Regardless of the month, the Movember has lots of help and advice for Men, on a range of health topics. To speak with someone immediately, contact Samaritans on 116 123. If life is in danger, call 999 or go directly to emergency services.

Victoria Purcell Editor

On The Cover: Bowling For Soup

by Benji Walker.

7 THINGS YOU WILL SEE AT DOWNLOAD 2019

By Neale McGeever

As most RAMzine readers know, Download is pretty much akin to Halloween or Christmas in terms of anticipation. So many great bands have been announced, and each year gets better! Even so, it’s true some haven’t been to Donington Park in recent years, if at all. Well if it’s your first time, or you haven’t been for a while, this is your chance to find out what to expect. If you’re a regular, you may also want to take heed.

VETERAN ROCKERS HAVING THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES Which other festivals can you say satisfies many, many generations of rock n roll fans? Not that many. Yet Download has you covered, this is a great year for Donnington veterans.

Alongside Friday headliners Def Leppard there’s a smorgasbord of legendary bands including Whitesnake, Slash, and Tesla on the main stage.

As well as Skid Row, Anthrax, Dream Theater, and the final UK performance

by Slayer on the Zippo Encore stage.

This is surely a salute to our most pit Mums and Dads. It’s also a nice nod to the original Donnington Park festival, Monster Of Rock, which hosted the likes of AC/DC, Van Halen, and many other legends in their heyday.

Heck, I’d even consider Smashing Pumpkins, Rob Zombie, At The Gates and a lot more in that category. A lot of these cats have spent 20, 30, or even 40 years in the recording studio and on the road to entertain us. It also displays the longevity of their music and the loyalty of the fans. Trust me, Whitesnake is amazing live a must-see at this year’s festival.

BRITWRES GRAPS

PEOPLE IN SCARY MASKS & BOILER SUITS

Photo credit: Kyle Mcloughlin

The one band that is synonymous with Download Festival is without a doubt SlipKnot. Despite reported troubles with the Iowa band’s members, ‘maggots’ stay loyal throughout. Expect homemade paper-mache masks imitating Corey Taylor and co. and what better way to set it off then with an industrial boiler suit? SlipKnot have announced they will be unveiling their new Tom Saivia developed masks at Download 2019. Don’t have time to craft your own? Dig out an old Halloween costume and pick up a boiler suit at your local work-wear store, and voila(!) you can now disguise yourself as one of the nine-piece.

Although SlipKnot has had a few ups and downs since their last album, the masked metallers plan to release a new album this year. So the Saturday headline set is sure to be a memorable one. This year is also their 15th anniversary of Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses - so expect a few nods to that classic.

4

It’s now a tradition at Download to indulge in the other forms of entertainment, alongside the fantastic line-up.

This includes comedy, stunt-shows, club nights, and of course ... WRESTLING! This time from the roster of NXT UK, including Pete Dunne, Walter, Toni Storm, and many more.

There is certainly a correlation of wrestling fans and the typical audience of Download. NXT UK Women’s Champion, Toni Storm, has even based her persona on Motley Crue and the ‘Sunset Strip’ scene. Brit-rockers Astroid Boys provide the opening theme to NXT UK’s weekly show... the list goes on. We usually see bands get involved in the matches, plus this year the shows are being recorded for the WWE Network, so you never know what you will see next. For those who want to get into the world of wrestling, this might be the best way to dabble.

THE NEWPORT HELICOPTER

Speaking of getting active. A tradition at any festival or gig where Skindred are concerned is, of course, ‘The Newport Helicopter’. How is this done?

Take off your t-shirt/hoody/top layer, hold it above your head, and on the instruction of frontman Benji Webbe “spin it”! Usually occurring during the performance of their track ‘Warning’.

After the success of their last album Big Tings, and news of their next album around the corner, this could be the most epic ‘Newport Helicopter’ of all time.

Arya Goggins recently stated “We are currently gearing up for a very heavy year of extensive touring and are also hoping to work on writing new material in the gaps”. We may even hear some new material at #DL19 during their Saturday set, sandwiched between Stone Temple Pilots and Halestorm. Gonna be a great weekend!

SKINDRED RECENTLY RELEASED NEW LYRIC VIDEO ‘LOUD AND CLEAR’, AHEAD OF UPCOMING DISTURBED TOUR, SUMMER FESTIVALS AND EUROPEAN HEADLINE TOUR

...SOMETHING YOU HEAVY METAL ACTUAL 90’S KIDS on from the old skoolers, are DON’T SEE EVERY DAY! Following EXERCISE other old skoolers. More specifically As mentioned earlier, Download IS the biggest rock festival in the country and DOES provide many, many amazing musical acts. Yet, there are many more things to do there. We’ve covered NXT UK wrestling, and Rock Fit workouts, but there’s also a lot of other activities and entertainment at Donington Park. One that always catches the eyes of fans is the worldfamous Circus Of Horrors. This year performing twice in the Doghouse tent (Wednesday and Thursday night).

If you don’t know what Circus of Horrors is... it’s basically many bizarre circus acts performed to a rock n roll soundtrack.

In addition to this you have: the UK Air Guitar Championships and the Metal Screen (with both indoor and outdoor screens), the Thunderdome, the fairground, tattoo artists, Demolition Download (medieval battles). As well as Area 51 which will bring eye-popping-ly amazing sideshow acts to the main arena and serve as a great way to enjoy some quirky entertainment between bands.

those who grew up in the 1990s. The ‘90s seem to be all the rage these days, you see it in fashion, movies, gaming, everywhere! As always Download is the place to be. Of course, we now have an annual outlet for punk-pop in the shape of the Avalanche Stage which will host the likes of Reel Big Fish, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes and Mark Hoppus’ new band Simple Creatures. The main stage is no exception, alt-rock icons Smashing Pumpkins join Sunday headliners Tool.

Not forgetting grunge-era legends Stone Temple Pilots who are back in action with new material on the Zippo Encore stage, alongside Friday’s headliner, shock-rock groove-metaller Rob Zombie. The musician and filmmaker always puts on a spectacular show to rival any main-stage act. Looks like #DL19 will be a masterclass on the history of rock! Through the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and present day.

It seems everyone these days are all for keeping fit... and so they should be! This year, Download presents the debut of RockFit. This is heavy metal exercise, working out to the likes of AC/DC, Metallica, and many more including this year’s acts such as Slipknot, Def Leppard, Rob Zombie and Slash. These classes are suitable and adaptable for anyone to take part in.

In addition to this DO.OMYOGA is back, where fans can practice movements like ‘The Download Dog’.

Join 250 other metal yoga enthusiasts in taking a leap into the heavier world of wellness and fitness in a slow vinyasa based practice, set to a selection of dark, ‘vibrational’ end of the music. All welcome.

#DL19 5

FIRST TIME FESTIVAL GOERS SURVIVAL GUIDE

By Jay Brown

W

ith festival season just around the corner, it’s time to start making your preparations.

Veteran festival goers will be checking their tents and ordering wet wipes in bulk (more on this later) - but what about those of you out there who are attending a festival for the first time?

Fear not fest-virgins, we’ve got you covered. Read on for a curated list of what to expect and handy hacks for getting the most of your festival experience.

Your phone is your lifeline at a festival and possibly the most important part of your kit. It should go without saying that investing in an external battery pack or charger is a sound idea. Most festivals will have charging stations but this means leaving your phone locked in the charging locker for a while and therefore severing all ties to your friends and missing those all important photo ops, using the charging stations will almost always cost you a fee each time you need to use the service as well, so beware.

External power banks are a lifesaver, just make sure they themselves are charged before you leave. Those of you hitting the five-dayers will be thankful you did.

Bonus tip: If you still have an old handset lying around from days gone, charge it up, throw a pay as you go SIM in there and keep it switched off in reserve only for emergencies (don’t forget to load important numbers beforehand).

6

Tying for first place on the most important list is... your tent. You’re going to be camping in summer and if luck is on your side it’s going to be warm weather and clear skies so make sure you have a tent bigger than what you need. Camping as a couple? Take a four-man tent, camping with four?

Boost that tent up to six if you can.

You’ll need the space to spread out after long days on your feet in the sun and the extra space will be a gift.

Also, remember where you pitched up! Take note of the campsite name and zone (if it has one), if not try and pinpoint a landmark or another tent that stands out nearby. If you can raise a flag that’s even better but you won’t be the only one doing so. If you do go with the flag option then pick a distinctive one (it doesn’t have to be ‘cool’ it just has to stand out) Bonus tip: If you can get your hands on luminous ties for your tent do so, it will help when returning at night and others will appreciate it too. Take care when returning to your tent in the dark, all too many people trip and fall over tent guide ropes every night. And don’t forget your mallet for the pegs!

Yes, you’re reading this right, pack some duct tape, it will be handy for snapped tent poles, ripped shoes or bags and basically anything else that breaks!

I told you we’d circle back to these little beauties and they will be your best friend. These can be easy to

Decorate your tent with flags or bunting to help you find it among the masses.

Bonus tip: Don’t expect to be able to return to your car! Take everything you need and double check, the parking area will require a trek, usually you’ll be required to unpack in one trip so beware.

A simple tip: don’t try to leave or enter the festival at the same time as 100,000 plus others, leave super early in the morning or late afternoon.

A simple one really, keep clothes and shoes in reserve, if you get washed out you’ll need a dry set of both and possibly more than one set if the weather is really against you. Waterproof ponchos will likely be available but at a steep price, so it will be worth grabbing one beforehand, just in case.

Festivals will sap your energy one way or another, no matter what, so make sure you eat a real meal at least once a day to replenish your energy and take on water while you are at it. Fruit is also a good tip, bananas (for hangovers) Watermelons for hydration and Coconut water.

forget, so take a couple of packs (at least) of deodorizing wet wipes. Again if the weather is nice you’ll be working up a sweat, your tent mates will thank you for bringing them. If you’ve never been to a large festival before you’d be forgiven for expecting the camp areas and the main arena to be close together... they’re not. Be ready to walk long distances to get to the arena every day.

The arenas at many festivals will not allow you inside with various items, such as alcohol or even water. This is due to regulations and simply because they will want you to purchase these inside, so if you are planning to drink, do so outside otherwise you’ll lose it.

Also, hydrate outside of the arena and make any bottles you buy inside last as these will be at a premium price.

Don’t rely on energy drinks, you’ll only crash and make yourself feel worse if you overdo it. Water is best and if you plan to drink alcohol, take it easy, there are few things worse than a festival with a hangover, trust me.

Lastly, the golden rule. Respect your surroundings and the people around you, you’re interacting with thousands of people every day over the course of a long weekend so it’s good practice to remember to clear up after yourself (especially when you leave) and more importantly to recycle everything you can. Most festivals will have an area you can turn in discarded beer cups to be recycled, you’ll be rewarded with either drink tokens or a small amount of money (which can add up over the course of the event) Follow these simple tips and you’ll have a fantastic festival experience, stay safe and have fun!

7

Modern Classic Tom Dixon takes a look back at White Sugar...

H Perfect for guitar lovers, blues lovers, rock lovers and… lovers!”

8

aving ‘discovered’ the blues from researching the inspirations that informed songs of the rock bands I love, I couldn’t help but fall madly in love with the rawness, honesty and beauty of the music of the 1920s through to the ‘60s. It was here that I realised that lines such as “squeeze my lemons ‘til the juice runs down my leg” actually came from a Robert Johnson song from 1927 and that many of the riffs I thought unique had their genesis clearly in the blues. This also meant that I started to collect the modern equivalents of these seminal composers. It seems I am not alone, as the industry has seen a new ‘blues boom’ with the likes of Joe Bonamassa bringing it to a wider audience, and the resurgence of the ‘old guard’, such as Buddy Guy and the ever present Eric Clapton. More and more new talents also began to appear and I lapped them up. Another aspect that appealed to my sense of fairness,

belief and yes, libido, was the upsurge in truly talented female guitarists.

Apologies for a slightly sexist tinge, but if you have seen the cover of Ana Popovic’s Unconditional album and not reacted… well, suffice it to say that I did! Rest assured however that the quality of playing and compositional skills was the reason I bought all of her albums as well as those of a sort of new wave of female guitarists including Ana, Samantha Fish, Tal Wilkenfeld, Erja Lyytinen and the wonderful Joanne Shaw Taylor.

Born in Wednesbury (near Birmingham), Joanne took to the blues after hearing Hendrix, Vaughan, Albert Collins and the like. Her first break came after Dave Stewart heard her potential and invited her to join him on tour. Fortunately for us, this led to her getting the opportunity to record an album of the music she loved and, in 2009 her debut, White Sugar, was re-

leased. Here was an album just oozing the blues influences and showcased a remarkable talent… only one of the tracks was a cover proving a compositional and playing ability coupled with a deep understanding of the blues way beyond her years.

It starts off in fine style with ‘Going Home’ that manages to embrace blues rock and insert a raw, funky, soulful and sultry edge. The sound that is now so recognisably Joanne is evident from the first note as, using a unique attack on her Telecaster, she wrings depth, passion and flair from every note. Her voice too has the ability to melt into the song… and me. After the slow build the guitar shows even more expression with a combination of picked and strummed chords and the solo is incendiary. ‘Just Another Word’ has one of the best laid-back guitar intros on record with an inventive approach that still has a blues underpinning. The bass is great too as JST weaves lovely chord phrasing around her voice… the bridge is equally inventive and leads to a solo of depth and quality. The only cover is next and ‘Bones’ written by Jon Amor, Hugh Coltman, Jesse Davey and Robin Davey is transformed into a hefty slice of blues-rock. It’s catchy, technically superb and JST’s guitar and voice just drag you in, especially when she lights up the fret board on the exquisite solo.

‘Who Do You want Me To Be’ sounds as if a blues artist of some vintage has written it and yet here is a young lady from the Black Country lacing the song with a riff of genius and a clever verse and chorus structure in the melody.

The sustain she employs is so subtle before another brilliant and different solo. ‘Time Has Come’ is a slower and bluesier song that follows a slightly more traditional approach but, as the guitar weaves around that sultry vocal, it becomes such a listening experience as every note is so carefully planned and played. The soloing is an absolute delight as she nuances every method… picking, strumming, bending, hammering and uses most of the neck to develop it even further, shiver inducing. The title track ‘White

Sugar’ is an instrumental of sheer perfection, I could listen to the playing styles and the rhythms she employs all day. It’s the kind of instrumental where the guitar really does speak and lyrics aren’t needed. I have tried to replicate this on my Musicman and failed as miserably as when I try to do Tumeni Notes by the signatory of my guitar. I cannot praise this highly enough and if you listen (not just hear) the variations and feel JST seems to find with ease, you will see what I mean. ‘Kiss The Ground Goodbye’ is the song on this album where my hormones take over, her voice is just so warm and sensual and when that is backed by another inventive riff, it just sends me into Eden. (The only spoiler is that I was convinced she sang “one day I’ll hang my pasta dry” but I got over that!) The solo, needless to say, is brilliant too. ‘Heavy Heart’ is a midpaced blues with a brilliant bass and drum backing that JST showers guitar phrases to illuminate without overpowering and then turns in a lovely wah-inflected solo. ‘Watch ‘Em Burn’ is another great piece of blues-rock with her now trademark structures, riddled

with deft playing, lovely vocals and another class solo. Final track, ‘Blackest Day’ is the kind of song that, if some famous bloke had written and performed, would have been hailed as a genuine classic example of ‘slow-burning’ blues… well, it wasn’t written by a bloke but it is better than most of them produce. JST displays an ability to match lyrics with lyrical playing and the two solos contrast each other, one communicating tangible regret and the other a sense of ferocity.

You may have guessed by now that I adore this album, it stands up against any other modern blues-rock album and surpasses many. Her subsequent albums haven’t held the same fire for me, although her just released Reckless Heart gets near, especially on the superb acoustic Jake’s Boogie…but they are still damn fine albums. White Sugar however is perfect for guitar lovers, blues lovers, rock lovers and… lovers! It’s simple, if you haven’t heard it you need to and then you need to buy it.

9

Classic Tom Dixon takes a look back at Pious Bird of Good Omen...

It will show how the really early blues can be interpreted so well”

10

W

henever I think about Fleetwood Mac, it isn’t the fluffy version of more recent years that gave us ‘Rumours’ and ‘The Chain’ for Formula 1 to use as theme music… no, it’s the more feral, raw and innovative version that existed back in the late ‘60s. Although named after band members Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, the band was formed in 1967 by guitarist Peter Green, after he and Fleetwood left John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. It was a little later before McVie would join them even though they named the band to entice him to leave Mayall. So, strangely, the first incarnation of Mac was actually without the Mac! Instead they recruited slide guitar specialist Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning on bass.

After their live debut and the resulting recognition, McVie did join, and Brunning left. The first two albums Fleetwood Mac and Mr Wonderful were

solid blues albums and sold well, but didn’t have any perceived singles on them. So they recorded ‘Black Magic Woman’ and ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ which, along with ‘Albatross’, saw them appearing in the top twenty and even a number one, thus gaining them a wider audience. They then recruited a third guitarist, the talented Danny Kirwan and continued to forge their own blues-rock furrow - a different and more complex sound than many of their contemporaries. The wonderfully titled The Pious Bird Of Good Omen is actually a compilation album, but I have chosen it, as it combines the best of the first two albums with the single releases and B-sides, as it gives a true insight into the prodigious talent that is Peter Green and what the Mac were really about. Incidentally, the title comes from a line in ‘The Rime of The Ancient Mariner’ and references the albatross the mariner killed… neat, eh?

It opens with the Little Willie John blues classic ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ but in Green’s hands it’s transformed into the sublime slow guitar-led blues that formed the template for so many other guitarists. Another early blues classic is next with the electrifying update to the Elmore James penned ‘Comin’ Home’. The rhythm and slide guitar at the start give way to a definitive blues rock interpretation that shows how to take a classic and make into err… a classic.

‘Rambling Pony’ is a Green composition that takes a basic rhythm and chanting, backed with a simple guitar and harp phrasing into a song that could have come from the deep South of another era and retain a modern edge. It is raw, basic and enthralling.

American R&B (that’s proper Rhythm and Blues… not the current understanding of it). Artist Eddie Boyd contributed and sung on the next track ‘The Big Boat’. This follows the traditional blues pattern but, with Green interjecting lovely guitar between each line, it becomes so much more. Next up is a song credited to Jeremy Spencer, ‘I Believe My Time Ain’t Long’, and with grammar like that you’re safe to assume that it’s written with the blues standards in mind… in fact it’s a blatant update of the classic Robert Johnson, Elmore James song, ‘I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom’. Suited perfectly for Spencer’s slide, it’s a bril-

liant update of a seminal song. Elmore is featured again as the composer of ‘The Sun Is Shining’, and the band play a blinder as the slide wraps around the basic riff and vocals. This is the best way to get to know the classics of the past, when the updates are so clear and powerful. Side two of the vinyl opened with the ubiquitous ‘Albatross’, a tune so well known that all I will add is that the way the cymbals (courtesy of tympani mallets) evoke the sea while Green and Kirwan take a relatively simple chord and soloing structure and put together a majestic instrumental. The next song, ‘Black Magic Woman’ has also entered the annals of history from this version and, of course, Santana had some success with it too. It is another awe-inspiring piece of blues and blues history and almost as well known as the big bird tune. Eddie Boyd reappears on ‘Just The Blues’ that has his piano intro before more careful guitar phrases punctuate the lyrics. Yes, it is another standard approach, but it captures everything that the blues stands for and what this genre and the guitar stylings of Green has fed into rock and metal music. Just listen to the solo to understand how mood and playing the right notes make good, great. The Danny Kirwan composition, ‘Jigsaw Puzzle Blues’ was the B-side to Albatross and, although only one and a half minutes long, it manages to transcribe

the essence of the day into a jaunty instrumental… think Kinks and Beatles.

Another Green composition that pulls many blues tropes together in a new way is ‘Looking For Somebody’.

It employs subtle bass and drums in sync and a harmonica wailing in a good way… not the overplayed and overblown style of some. It all finishes in the rousting blues of ‘Stop Messin’ Around’ that has fabulous guitar over the basic rhythm as the band again evokes the blues of yesteryear but with such modern touches and, with hindsight, in such an influential way.

On first hearing, if you aren’t familiar with the late ‘60s blues rock music or its sound, then this will sound a bit primitive… it is to an extent, but it’s the sound that proved to be the inspiration for many bands to follow.

If you haven’t really heard blues music before, then I implore you to try this excellent album, it will show how the really early blues can be interpreted so well, and maybe inspire you to research deeper as it did to me. Don’t dismiss this on one listen, it needs to be absorbed over time so that the nuances and sheer brilliance of Green, Spencer and Kirwan is fully appreciated. All of the music we love is firmly rooted in the blues. This will show how, whichever bands you love now, owe the likes of Fleetwood Mac a real debt.

11

25 YEARS IN THE MAKING

C

Interview By Victoria Purcell | Photos by Benji Walker

ome June 4th 2019 Bowling For Soup (BFS) will turn a quarter of a century old. Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), and Chris Burney (guitar, backing vocals) formed the band in 1994. They were later joined

by Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion, backing vocals) in 1998.

In December 2018 during the Almost Christmas Tour, long-time bassist/ vocalist Eric Chandler did not appear to be on the road with the rest of the crew and we don’t know why, at the time vocalist Jaret told us “He is just figuring out some stuff and that’s his business and his privacy so we don’t talk about it”. On January 12, 2019, Reddick took to the band’s official Facebook page to confirm fans speculation that Chandler had left the band due to personal reasons after not performing in some time. Chandler was replaced with long time friend, Rob Felicetti (Patent Pending/The Ataris).

It’s hard to think of the early 00s’ without reminiscing in events that had tracks such as ‘Girl All The Bad Girls Want’, ‘1985’, ‘Almost’, or ‘High School Never Ends’ playing in the background. Whether you were at a festival, a rock/student night in town or simply in your living room watching a music TV channel, Bowling For Soup was one of the top Pop Punk bands being played at that time and they still are today.

12

We sat down with Jaret and Gary to talk new bands, their home state of Texas, being dads and friendship is like after a couple of decades together.

RAMzine: First let’s talk about new Pop -Punk band Not Ur Girlfrenz, who you brang out on tour with you in the UK! How did you discover them?

Jaret: Well, a little over a year ago I was introduced to them and their families by a mutual friend who is also in the business, and so I went over to their (Not Ur Girlfrenz) house to just meet them and talk. They had some questions about just being in a band, they had been together for about a year at that point. And [I] just fell in love with them, so got them in the studio, did a couple of videos for a couple of covers [‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ and ‘Friday I’m In Love’] and around December last year [2017] I started managing them and producing them and all that. So now the EP [New Kids in America] is out and they have been on Warped Tour, they have toured in the US and now they have toured in the UK. They’re legit, ya know, they’re not just a bunch of little kids.

are bands out there that have been practicing for years, that don’t sound as good as they do right now, so I feel there is really something there with them...

Jaret: haha, yeah! One of the first things that I did was get them into this band competition. I remember even telling Gary, I was just like ‘You gotta at least try and come out and see these girls play, like it’s not what you think, it’s crazy’. And I’ve had many things come across, put in front of me and bands that i’ve tried to work with in the past and I always do really sing their praises... but I don’t even really have to say much about the girls they just do it.

Gary: Yeah, they do it on their own, I mean there are other young young bands that we have toured with or done shows with or known of, and it’s like ‘oh they’re good for that age’. But with Not Ur Girlfrenz... they are GOOD and you don’t have to add that bit [about age] on.

RAMzine: Yeah I spoke to them earlier and they were saying how when they did their first band practice and they learnt one song within one week... and I was thinking there Not Ur Girlfrenz Photo by Benji Walker

I remember the first Reading Festival that we played... Man we had no idea what we were in for.�

13

Jaret: Yeah they’re all individually amazing at what they do, they’re great writers, they’re great singers and they have amazing personality… a big part of what makes them great is their confidence, they’re just very confident in what they do.

RAMzine: They’ve received a great reception from UK fans so far. It would be cool to see them play a London show at some point!

Jaret: They just signed with an agent, so that will be in the works.

RAMzine: Perfect, we look forward to their return. What is the music scene like over in your home state of Texas at the moment?

Jaret: Well, there is a big movement called Red Dirt, that is just enormous right now! It’s basically like a cooler Country, I guess you would call it. It’s huge!

Gary: Texas itself has a really good music scene, I mean Dallas itself has a great music community, Austin is like the music capital or something, I mean it’s insane, there’s so much music down there and Houston’s got cool stuff too, so I mean it’s a good musical state.

RAMzine: Is it quite varied with genres?

Jaret: Yeah! So Red Dirt is huge right now, there’s just something for everybody. Where we’re from, where we started the band, Denton in Texas, gets named one of the five top music cities every year. We just heard of a new band yesterday, I can’t remember what they are called, some pop band put they are doing really well over here, it just never ceases to amaze us.

RAMzine: Are there any local band who are regularly high up on bills, well known to the local people?

Jarett: Sure, like the Toadies are big, Blue October, there’s a lot of bands that have been around for a long time, that when they are around every show sells out.

RAMzine: So tell us about The Rock Star Dad Show!

14

What we mean by rockstar dad is being an Awesome dad” Jaret: It’s a podcast that Gary and I do, and ya know it started like everything, a conversation over beers…

Gary: I think we were drinking in the pool over the summer and Jaret like ‘we should do a podcast’ and i’m like ‘alright cool’. We spoke about doing it about a different topic but I was like ‘we should just do it about Dad stuff’.

Jaret: Yeah because we’re both very involved fathers and we spend a lot of time together, both in and out of work so like our kids play together, we were watching each others children grown up. Each of us have our defined style of parenting, which is not the same, but very close. And we’ve got all these friends, and I think what put it over the edge was when we started Warped tour, it was like all of our friends who we have known for 15 years all had

their kids out on the road and i’m like, ‘dude we’re all dads now, we’ll be able to get some really cool guests. And we’ve already had... Jeremy from Lit, Sebastian from Simple Plan, Stacy Jones from American Hi-Fi, and the Creator of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire.

What we talk about is parenting, but we talk about like situations and funny stuff our kids do and all of that.

Gary: There’s a never ending supply of topics.

Jarett: Yeah definitely.

RAMzine: What is it like to be a Rockstar Dad? Many people would not be able to relate to that, how would you describe it?

Jaret: One of the cool things about it is that they can relate, because what we mean by rockstar dad is being an Awesome dad. We just happen to be rockstars.

Gary: Most of the episodes that we’ve done so far, we do two segments, then we have a guest on, and the guest [most of the time] has been an actual musician or something, but we’re starting to have some people who are just our friends because they’re great fathers and have good perspective as.

Jarret: But we talk a lot about what you were leading to... which is how, we don’t really talk about Bowling For Soup as much as we talk about how Bowling For Soup relates to our home lives, so how Gary has an easier time having young children then I did.

Because technology... ya know when I had kids in 2003... was nowhere near what it is now.

Gary: You could have a phone call, but having a phone call with a two year old is not really anything, but with my one and a half year old I can facetime with her and there’s actual interaction going on, even though it’s not a conversation.

Jaret: Yeah so we talk a lot about that and those kind of things. And then we run the spectrum of children because I have sixteen, twelve and six. And then he’s got eight and then a [one] year and a half old, so he’s still got one in diapers, and i’ve got a kindergartener, and he’s got one that’s in primary school, and i’ve got one in junior high and high school. So it’s like, we kinda have a lot, as he says all the time never ending topics.

RAMzine: Did you ever bring your kids on tour?

Gary: You bought Jack to Warped Tour for a week this summer. All the other kids have come to shows, but not necessarily tours.

Jarret: Yeah, he’s Twelve and he had a blast, just helping carry stuff and all of that. And i’ll be honest, fetching us beers, it was nice having him around.

Their lives are very normal, I mean our kids all go to regular school and they have regular schedules and coming on the road doesn’t lend itself to that. So we’re lucky because we both have good support so our wives are able to come out every once in a while, but kids I think it’s better, especially in the school year, if they’re home doing their thing.

Gary: It’s probably not the most fun for kids to be on tour though, because there is a lot of down time where there’s nothing to do. They’d just be bored for the most part. Warped Tour was a good one because it’s never ending and stuff happening.

RAMzine: Bowling For Soup’s 25th Birthday is coming up, have you got anything planned?

Jaret: We do yeah! We’re going to be doing a new record... We’re also doing a four day celebration in Dallas, so we’ll be having people coming in from all over the world for that, it’s going to be really cool… celebrating a quarter century. Then we’re touring over summer with Reel Big Fish in the states, we’re be back here [in the UK] for Reading and Leeds Festival.

RAMzine: Will another UK Tour be in the works?

Jaret: Yes, it already is! We basically can’t talk about it yet, but what we have planned next will be the biggest thing we have ever done in the UK! RAMzine: We look forward to that!

We hear that you have been in the studio over February and March (question asked prior to recording).

How do you tend to go about writing?

Jaret: The writing is really one of those things that happens when it comes down to the wire, it’s like I need to pump out 15 songs. It’s better if I have a time to do it. We record things different, some albums we do a song a day, so like I’m still like writing and showing him stuff as we’re going and then sometimes the whole records written and he goes in first and he’s done in two/three days...

RAMzine: If you could go back 20 years and give yourself advice, what would it be?

Jaret: Man, I don’t know, that’s a tough one. This is a cheesy answer but I think for me personally, like right now i’m in a really good spot. I’m like the happiest i’ve ever been in life and my family’s doing great and my band’s doing great. There’s a lot of things that i’m working on and really excited about, weather it’s Not Ur Girlfrenz, or my album with Kelly Dollyrot, or whatever it is and obviously Bowling For Soup and then our Podcast is blowing up and we really have a lot of fun doing that. I think i’d just say stay the course man, ‘cz I really really like

Rob Felicetti on Bass Photos by Benji Walker

where I am at this minute, so I don’t think I would tell myself to change anything.

Gary: Probably the only thing i’d tell myself is... to stretch before playing shows because I never have done any warm ups or anything and after doing that for 20 something years, now my muscles are feeling it.

RAMzine: Do you incorporate that now?

Gary: No I still don’t, I’m not taking my own advice.

Jaret: *Nodding to agree* If we tour for a long time... because obviously we’re not getting any younger, he just gets so badly cramped that he has to shock himself with ice... stick his arms in the ice.

Gary: It sucks.

Jarett: It looks like it sucks. The physical part of it, you wish that you could stay in that same shape that you were in, in your 20’s because it was a lot easier.

RAMzine: What is friendship like after that long, do you still get in arguments, or does it smooth out as you get older?

Gary: The friendship’s more like family, we all know what each others thinking, we can finish each other’s sentences, order food for each other. Whenever there’s an argument, the next day 15

we don’t even need to say anything, we just keep on going.

Jaret: He was really young when he started the band, and Chirs is ten years older than him, and i’m like in the middle and so essentially he grew up in this… all of us did. But like now priorities are different for everybody and so Gary and I are actually closer now then we were, I mean we’ve always been super close, ‘cz we’re roommates on the road, and we think the same as far as what we want to eat and shit. But now he’s got kids and i’ve got kids and we spend our Sundays together and all of that, so like he and I are like together literally all the time.

Especially now with the podcast, and so I would say the friendships are getting stronger, and even Chris. We’re a really really tight bunch, everybody that’s toured with us would tell you that. They would tell you that this legit, we are really very very close.

RAMzine: What’s your favourite UK festival?

Gary: I mean, I think Download is unbelievably impressive, but I had a lot of fun when we did Slam Dunk last year. That was so much fun because a lot of friends and bands that we are fans of as well.

Jaret: My heart loves Reading and Leeds because it was our very first time to ever play in this country, and it really did set us up, to be able to come here for 20 years or whatever. But I do agree Slam Dunk is a lot of fun and I don’t know... with Download you get the bragging rights and taking a picture of that crowd and going ‘yeah I just played in front of 100 thousand people’.

Gary: We have a bunch of photos of us on the Download stage, but it’s like whenever you meeting other kids parents at school or whatnot and they’re like ‘oh yeah your in a band’.

And it’s like ‘look’ and they’re like ‘holy shit, I thought you just played at the pub up the street’.

RAMzine: One of the most memorable times of Bowling For Soup playing a UK festival is when you brough a giant inflatable sheep on the stage.

16

Jaret: We sacrificed it, we had a knight come out and kill it. That started with a little sheep that got thrown on stage, and a banana balloon and then every single year we would come back and we would just play off that. At one point we had two, Chris poked one of them in the butt with a banana balloon and it fucking killed it, like the thing never worked again and so we had the other one sacrificed, a knight came out and stabbed it.

RAMzine: Was you aware that you music videos were getting played quite a lot in the UK? Jaret: We knew that. But also what had happened was one of the really big shows on Radio1 had played our cover of ‘Summer of 69’. Since we don’t have national radio and good support for music videos and stuff in the states, we didn’t really know what the impact of that would be, we didn’t really understand.

RAMzine: Have you got any fun stories of times that you played at Reading Festival?

Jarret: I remember the first Reading Festival that we played, which I think was 2000. Man we had no idea what we were in for. We rented a van, we drove ourselves, we got there. We got our passes and we just started walking around, and we did not think anyone was going to recognise us or whatever.

We went to go get a beer and some kid just came straight up to us and just lost his ever loving mind, and we were just like ‘What... is happening here’ and that continued through that day, and I remember watching Slipknot and Blink 182 on the main stage and just being like ‘holy crap, this is insane’ and people were just constantly coming up to us and so we were in a little bit of shock because at that time, we didn’t have that anywhere.

RAMzine: Yeah, Radio 1 is huge, if you get played on there.

Jaret: It’s huge, I mean like one play on Radio1 is like the biggest thing in the world. But you gotta understand we’re on a 1000 radio stations in the states and nobody gives a shit, but if they played ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’ one time, man my email box would just fill up. People would be like ‘Holy Crap you were on Radio 1 today’. We didn’t know any of that at first, so once we started to figure that stuff out... we understand the significance of it now.

The next time that we were kinda shocked was the next time that we came [over to the UK]. We were in a Burger King at a services and there was a school bus that was doing some sort of a trip and they came into the services and they recognised me and Chis, and they like mobbed us, like staff from the stores were coming to

help us get the hell out of there. It was nuts! So about that time we started to realise ‘OK maybe we do have a shot over here’.

RAMzine: How about Download Festival, did you ever have any fun interactions with people backstage?

Jarett: Yeah a bunch of times actually. I remember one time I had met Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, and we went and watched their show. Then we look over during our set and Dee Snider, his wife and one of their kids was standing on the side of the stage, singing ever word to all of our songs.

So I introduced myself to his wife and she goes ‘you guys are our travelling music’ and i’m like ‘What!? that’s the the most insane thing ever’. And so we got to become friends with him and we do talk ever so once in a while and that’s a pretty cool one.

Gary: One night at the end of the show we ended up on our bus playing dice with Dimebag Darrell, and you [Jaret] took all of everyone’s money, and once all the money was gone we got off the bus and then went and got into a drum circle with him and Dragonforce.

Jarett: hahaha yeah! It was an interesting mix.

RAMzine: Wow Dimebag Darrell!

That’s insane.

Jarett: Yeah it was just a few month before he passed away.

RAMzine: What was he like in real life?

Jaret: Hammered! They’re from just south of where we are, so when we grew up Pantera was already a huge thing. And so we interacted with him a few times here and there, he’s a really sweet, sweet guy. And loved music and loved to play.

When I first started talking about these issues, the last thing I wanted was for people to know” Jaret: First of all, you’re exactly right and when I first started talking about these issues, the last thing I wanted was for people to know. But once I did start talking about it and helping people every single day... at some point someone either emails me or texts me, or Facebooks me or comes up to me in the street and tells me that they got help because of me, everyday of my life. And that to me, means that I’m not embarrassed about it, I put it all out there and everybody needs to do that. But the big thing is you got to talk to somebody, you can’t keep it all inside you, so you need to talk to a Dr, or your parents, or if you can get counselling. I know it’s different over here, how all of that works.

RAMzine: Yeah over here, they will say you can call someone on the phone, but not everyone feel comfortable picking up a phone to discuss those things.

Jaret: Yeah it’s unfortunate, because in our country Mental Health support is readily available and counselling is something that you go to in your personal life, or for your marriage and

it’s becoming less and less of a stigma thing. I mean that’s the big thing, just talk it out and definitely talk to your Dr, if you’re having like anxiety or suicidal thoughts and shit like that. And honestly if you just need a friend, and i’m not doing this as a plug, but our fan page has become a place of support and a place where you do have friends and even if you’re not a huge Bowling For Soup fan, go on the Bowling For Soup fan page and say you need somebody to talk to and there’s 100 people that you can talk to.

That’s the main thing, just talk.

RAMzine: That’s thing with coming even to a gig with a fandom like your’s. Even if you came to a gig on your own, you could talk to people…

Jaret: Yeah and that’s the thing with our fans, and here’s what’s crazy, it’s like that everywhere. It’s like that in the states as well, our fans are always appreciative of the opening bands.

And I realise culturally you guys always support the support bands, that’s a very big thing here. It’s not necessarily a thing in the states. A lot of bands, you won’t even show up until they play, but our fans do get there early they support the bands. You can always find a friend at a show for sure.

Bowling For Soup released live album and DVD Older, Fatter, Still The Greatest Ever - Live From Brixton earlier this year. Jaret also released Sittin’ In A Tree with Kelly Dollyrot. Do check out the Rock Star Dad Show by Jaret and Gary and of course be sure to see Bowling For Soup at Reading and Leeds this August.

RAMzine: In the past you’ve spoken about mental health, and I think it’s quite important for people who are in the spotlight to use their platform to talk about issues. One man dies every minute around the world from mental health related issues.

What advice would you give to anyone who is struggling?

17

DO WE NEED SO MANY ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS AND RE-ISSUES?

By Tom Dixon

I

f you stream your music, then this is irrelevant as you are not concerned about owning the songs. If you download then, in my experience at least, you listen on phones or tablets and not through the traditional hi-fi where I find the best sound quality and that requires vinyl or CD. If you do want to own the music and every single, legitimate track as well as the physical manifestation of that music then, like me, you are an addict, a true fanatical fan. It is OK for me as I can usually afford to pay ludicrous sums of money for the special editions and reissues but there are many fans as dedicated, or more so than me that cannot, that is just not fair. Therefore, I am airing a personal view that questions the morals and strategies of some of the record labels. I freely acknowledge that my addiction is here to stay and that I will continue to pay through the nose so that my collection is always complete, but sometimes even I wonder at the amount of duplication I endure to get yet another elusive track.

This relatively new trend is growing exponentially and is costing us a fortune. Once upon a time, the only extra expense was finding the irritating favouritism of a “Japanese only extra track” or forking out for bootlegs at record fairs. Now it is the record labels that are going for our pockets in a big, big way. There are the expensive ultra-exclusive box sets (that never seem to sell out) that entice with tracks unavailable on any other edition. Then there are the “Tour Specials” which add additional studio or

18

live tracks to the album you have only recently shelled out for. Last, but by no means least, are the endless “Anniversary Editions” that somehow find extra tracks for the 20th, 21st, 25th, 30th, 35th etc. etc.

I will use Deep Purple as an example of my devotion and the subsequent costs I have endured… take Machine Head for example. I bought my first edition vinyl on the day of release back in 1972… when CDs became widely available (‘remasters’ hadn’t been invented yet) so I bought a CD copy. A quadraphonic edition was also released, and became a bit of a holy grail among fans, but the turntables etc. were beyond a teenager on pocket money… but in 1997 a 25th Anniversary edition has the original remixed and, separately, remastered and had two of the quad mixes included… I bought it. In 2003 the whole quad mix came out, but only on SACD (Super Audio CD)… so I bought it. It cost me £250…yes, £250; £25 for the SACD and £225 for a new player so I could, at last, listen to it. Then in 2012, the 40th Anniversary release had 4 CDs

and a DVD with the ’97 remixes again, a ‘new’ remaster, the quad mix and a remix of the 1972 In Concert recording I already have on vinyl and CD! This means I have eleven copies of the same album. A similar story exists with Made In Japan of which I have nine copies, all bought so that I eventually got copies of all of the encores!

Yes, I know, I am daft, bordering on crazy for this level of commitment and to get all of the studio out-takes, bootlegs of every tour from 1968 to the present I have over 320 Deep Purple CDs. Do not get me started on the latest round of Whitesnake reissues.

I am content to continue but I always find myself thinking of those fans who cannot afford to indulge themselves in this way. So come on record labels, reward the dedication of the fans and release all of the material on a standard priced CD…silly buggers like me will still buy the box-sets with the limited edition 10” vinyl/7” vinyl/posters/t-shirts/memorabilia reproductions and all the other stuff you dream up, just give all of us access to this extra music.

Reviews MATT MITCHELL & THE COLDHEARTS Matt Mitchell may be familiar to you from his time in Pride, Furyon or Colour of Noise where he made his mark as a singer and composer of skill. He has a new venture called Matt Mitchell and the Coldhearts and has gathered some noted musicians to back him: Mauro Laconi (guitars), Dom Ladd (bass), Matt Cherry (drums) and Stevie Watts (keys), do a sterling job too. They have featured on radio with single ‘Black Diamond’. from their self-titled album. It gives a good insight into the potential of his venture and a clue to the depth and power displayed across the twelve tracks from ballads to heavy. Highlights are ‘Old Enough and Ugly Enough’ (my own mantra), a really well constructed acoustic led ballad. ‘On and On’ is a staccato catchy riff with a delightful organ and guitar solo, albeit short ones.

‘Unavailable’ is pure rock from the drum intro through to the riff and solo.

‘Waiting For The Sun’ is a short epic of heavy, melodic, heavy and wraps it all up nicely.

In summary, a great rock/melodic rock album with enough variation to keep your interest. It could have done with some additional organ/guitar solos for my taste, but still a strong album on all counts. Matt Mitchell and the Coldhearts is out 19th April 2019 via MMRecordingworks. | Review by Tom Dixon.

HOSEMEN - SATURDAY NITE CONFORMITY Connecticut alt-rock trio Hosemen - “Quinn” (guitars), Brien (bass), Wade (drums) — offer their grunge-a-lite track ‘Sickness’ as a teaser for the upcoming Richard Corsello engineered album: Saturday Nite Conformity. It has scuzzy musicianship and inebriated rhythms. ‘Surround’ has a tubby bass and jangly guitars. The voice is emphatic and filled with greyness and echoism, it’s as if Tears for Fears had reunited in a haunted mausoleum to record an ancient Undertones song.

There’s neat layering to the arrangements and coloratura on ‘Hollow Man’ as it shuffles along with an irregular gait, yet this also contributes a sense of distinction to provocative thought.

‘Saturday Nite Conformity’ blats-out a cloutage of sound and is reminiscent/resonant of Alice in Chains with the punk-infected moodiness of Joy Division. The discordant jangles on the lamentation to ‘Rotterdam’ are dirgelike in their coffin-line rhythms and the circumvallation of guitar patterns leads to a dry-cavity antiphon which touches-upon either a man-made concrete hell or a bottomless pit of greed. Your choice. On the other hand, perhaps this song is just an overemotional reaction to a boozy weekend in Holland. Yep, however you immerse yourself in this darkness, it’s sure to increase your peripheral consciousness. | Review by Neil Mach

HEAVY FEATHER DÉBRIS & RUBBLE Stockholm based Heavy Feather (beware of a UK wedding band of the same name!) release their debut album, Debris and Rubble. They show how to take influences like Free, Cream and Southern Rock and fashion it into a genuinely new sound. Band members Lisa Lystam, Matte Gustavsson, Morgan Korsmoe and Ola Göransson epitomise all that is good about ‘60s and ‘70s rock brought up to date.

Imagine a female fronted, heavied up Bad Company and you’ll be close.

All eleven tracks are exceptional, the Creamy, dreamy ‘Dreams’ and its blues weight, sultry vocals and quality guitar solo. ‘Where Did You Go’ is pure blues rock via a Free inspiration and near perfect construction. ‘Tell Me Your Tale’ is a beautiful ballad. ‘I Spend My money Wrong’ with its Purplish riff and great vocal and guitar/harp interplay is a peach. The best of a very good bunch has to be the closing ‘Whispering Things’. It’s slow, slow-burning and incredibly well put together as the guitar harmonics, the simple but effective drums and bass build the atmosphere for a classic harmonica. This is a debut of such quality with skills in every department and the playing and writing ability to back it up. They definitely deserve recognition and this is already on repeat, repeat. | Review by Tom Dixon 19

Reviews LATITUDES - PART ISLAND Twelve years into their career, and the UK-based experimental/post-metal band Latitudes release album four, Part Island. They’re Rush, King Crimson mixed with Sabbath. Each of the six tracks has atmosphere and skill. ‘Dovestone’ and the ten-minute ‘Past Islands’ are true highlights of heavy prog showing light, shade, weight and attitude. ‘The Great Past’ starts like the Smiths on speed but gets good later. Not a one sitting listen but still damn good. Part Island is out 5th April via Debemur Morti. | Review by Tom Dixon.

SCREAM BLUE MURDER CRACKED MACHINE - ROCK BOTTOM THE CALL OF THE VOID Coventry metalcore band, Scream Blue Murder, claim this new album is the direction the band’s now taking.

This is an album containing some huge hooks and power playing, all put across with intensity and passion.

Single ‘Light it up’ sums up the album, high energy stuff with solid guitar riffing, a powerful rhythm section driving the music forwards and a hypnotic riff running through the tune.

Rock Bottom is being released on the 12th of April 2019 through Stay Sick Recordings. | Review by Laurence Todd.

Described as either ‘psychedelic’ or ‘stoner space rock,’ the longer this album progressed, the more unsure I was whether the band were actually following a tune or simply jamming. For sure, there’re some nice touches on this album, but it suffers from a lack of variation because mostly the tracks consist of repeating the same few notes or chords for several minutes at a time. “We have all come from different musical backgrounds, which can sometimes be a tricky situation, but we have developed a style and method of working that embraces the differences.” say the band. | Review by Laurence Todd.

ATLAS PAIN - TALES OF A PATHFINDER Italian pagan-metal four-piece Atlas Pain return with new album Tales of a Pathfinder. Thoroughly enjoyable, fast paced and detailed, if not a little ‘samey’. There is little to separate the ten tracks, making it difficult to pick a stand out track. Indeed, running your finger down the track list, stopping at random is your best option. That said, you won’t be disappointed with where ever you land. Tales Of A Pathfinder is out via Scarlet Records on 19th April 2019. | Review by Stephen Stanford.

20

CREATURE - HEX A pummeling and highly effective mixture of grinding heavy metal and ugly hardcore is what the foul UK ensemble known as Creature are all about. These four compositions are riddled with crushing breakdowns, neck-snapping riffs, spirited (not to mention spiteful) vocals, and a lively production, which is to say that it leaves very little to be desired in terms of aggression and atmosphere.

Hex is the perfect soundtrack for an awful day. | Review by Jens Nepper.

DUN FIELD THREE DUN FIELD THREE

LONESOME - TO MYSELF, FROM

AVANDRA - DESCENDER

Vienna’s Dun Field Three is, errr... a three piece with a self-titled debut of music as mental as the cover suggests and they use heavy rhythms behind keys and guitars. ‘Lion’ is a heavy circus invoking melody. ‘Sins’ is my favourite with slide and backing working very well. The whole album is fun first but backed by some great instrumentation, plenty of variation and decent songs – think Zappa and SAHB in an unholy union! Dun Field Three will be released 12th April. via Noise Appeal Records. | Review by Tom Dixon.

Peterborough’s melancholic five-piece Lonesome certainly give it their all with their debut EP To Myself, From Myself. This isn’t rocket science, the name does pretty much as you’d expect. Long passages of reverberated builds and breaks that send your mind off on an inner journey that touches on all your feels. Despite being infectiously hypnotic, it doesn’t leave much room for any surprises either. Although it might leave hardcore fans underwhelmed, there’s certainly potential here. | Review by Hywel Davis.

When I think of Puerto Rico, metal is not the first thing that comes to mind (if at all!) it’s usually the Rum Diary, holidays and the like, well courtesy of Avandra all that has just changed with their second coming, Descender.

Far from the titles name, this ascends every sense with such amazing writing, prowess, and progressive glory.

Like prog music? Check this out, so good it is beyond words! Out April 26 via Blood Music, featuring guest spots from current and former members of Haken, Dream Theater, and Astronoid. | Review by Ash Crowson.

21

Reviews SWORN AMONGST - RECLAMATION

PECTORA - UNTAKEN

SHOTGUN SAWYER - BURY THE HATCHET

Freshly signed to LA-based label Famined Records, UK heavyweights Sworn Amongst are due to drop a new five track EP, April 12th. Filled to the rafters with a maelstrom of unrelenting metalcore, a well-balanced mix of soft vocals and deep growls of pure brutality Reclamation hits like a force of nature. That’s not to say that the record’s meteoric impact isn’t made up of well-constructed and diverse tracks, it most definitely is. Anthemic offers like ‘The Cleansing’ and lead single ‘Believe’ jostle for space alongside the might of opening track ‘Enslaved’ and the riff-heavy ‘Set This World Alight’.

While not leagues apart, Reclamation does differ from the band’s previous outings with a grittier and more dynamic sound, possibly showing us what to expect from future releases on their new label. The songs are paced well and mixed with pinpoint accuracy. Any track here would fit perfectly alongside the live show favourites and will see that venues are well and truly obliterated when the pit opens up. Sworn Amongst act as proof that the UK metalcore scene is still alive and well and if this offering is anything to go by it will remain that way for a long time, at least if Sworn Amongst have anything to do with it. | Review by Jay Brown.

Parts of the human body have appeared in many a song and many a band name… here is a new one: Pectora. The reference is of course to the pectoral area of the body and is, I assume, an indication of their muscle.

Well, Kenneth Steen Jacobsen (vocal), Morten Nielsen (guitar), Nicolas K Frandsen (drums), Laurids Münier (bass), Søren Weiss (guitar), do indeed put muscle into their crafted take on metal. Opener and title track ‘Untaken’ is riff heaven and stays the right side of thrash to provide a more melodic aspect over the heavy instrumentation. ‘Haunted Memory’ is a Priestly epic with all components present, rattling riffs back strong vocals and it only lacks a solo. ‘Unkindled Flame’ is one of the best melodic metal tracks of recent times.

Last track, strangely, is called ‘The Arrival’. It’s the longest and best starts with a neat bass line and a Sabbath heavyweight riff and, across seven minutes and numerous time changes, proper solo and an acoustic interlude, doesn’t put a metallic foot wrong.

Metal fans will love this, it falls short for me only in the lack of soloing on many of the tracks, my metal mind always craves serious guitar playing.

Otherwise this is a fine album welcome on any playlist. | Review by Tom Dixon.

Shotgun Sawyer are a three-piece blues rock band from Auburn, California featuring David Lee on drums, Brett (the Butcher) Sanders on bass, and Dylan Jarman on vocals and lead guitar. Best described as a heavy, Delta Blues, their music takes a lot from Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, as well as Zeppelin and Sabbath, with a little grunge thrown in.

Their second album, Bury The Hatchet takes up where the impressive debut, Thunder Chief left off. Opening with the true heavy blues of ‘Ain’t Trying to Go Down Slow’ the riff will remind some of Zep but owes more to the Wolf. ‘Backwoods Bear’ is a great title and the acoustic slide, backporch style heavied up is just great.

‘Hombre’ isn’t ZZ Top, its all-brilliant blues riffing for the 21st century. ‘Love You Right’ evokes thoughts of heavyweight Free with echoes of Cream, the feedback led wah’d solo is a highlight.

‘When The Sun Breaks’ is a wonderful amalgam of Sabbath and Budgie but with more blues. The picked solo is simple, clever and effective.

This is a well crafted album tailor-made for the blues rock lover and repeated listens reveals the depth of abilities and blues nous on display.

Just remember that any similar riffs come from pre-1968, look ‘em up. | Review by Tom Dixon.

22

THE WOLF HOWLS WHEN I SCREAM YOUR NAME In their creativity The Wolf Howls When I Scream Your Name mix the energy of early Joy Division with the sympathy of The Smiths. In depressive melodic structures with lots of energetic and distorted bridges. They end their new album on a strong emotional note ‘Endless Sky’, where the band focuses not on their sound experiments, as they did on the opening ‘Alive…’, but on the power created with voice and acoustic guitar is simply beautiful. | Review by Dan Volohov.

SNOWY WHITE AND THE WHITE FLAMES

SPQR - LOW SUN LONG SHADOWS

On The Situation, former Thin Lizzy guitar wizard Snowy White and his talented cohorts have delivered a strong and muscular rock record that is as soaked in the blues as it is melodically exquisite. Its sweetly melancholy vibe and funky undertones are enchanting at times and there are plenty of songs to get excited about here, most notably the ones entitled ‘Crazy Situation Blues’ and ‘Why Do I Still Have the Blues?’. The Situation will be released on 19th April. | Review by Jens Nepper.

Liverpool art-rock trio SPQR’s new EP Low Sun Long Shadow needs to be heard to be believed. An eclectic mix of tracks that refuse to be confined to one genre or another. Instead content to grab you by the lapels, and force you along for the ride, never giving up a second to let you question what’s going on. While you may come away slightly confused by it, you’ll know you’ve enjoyed it. Low Sun Long Shadows is out via Modern Sky UK on 26th April 2019. | Review by Stephen Stanford.

FALLEN LEGION - DOWNFALL Fallen Legion start their new EP well.

The ethno-notes are throughout the record, but the most important part is opener ‘Cipher’ which breaks the structure of a typical metal album.

This prelude prepares you for further development that the band achieve through the collider of constant experiments. In their creativity Fallen Legion follow the established standards of experimental music. Downfall is out now. For fans of Veil of Maya, Protest The Hero etc. | Review by Dan Volohov.

23