Jeff Hanneman, guitarist and founding member of thrash metal legends Slayer, has tragically passed away at the age of 49.
Asking Alexandria have confirmed their new album, ‘From Death To Destiny,’ will be released on 5th August through Sumerian Records.
Blessthefall have announced a UK headline tour with support coming from Glass Cloud and Oceans Ate Alaska. October 3rd Birmingham Asylum 4th Leeds Cockpit 5th Manchester NQ Live 6th Nottingham Rescue Rooms 7th Glasgow Cathouse 8th Newcasle University 9th London Underworld 10th Bristol The Fleece Multi-platinum US rockers Filter will return to the UK in August for two headline dates. August 26 Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh 28 Islington O2 Academy, London
Alkaline Trio have announced four UK and Ireland dates taking place in late August. August 26th Dublin Academy, 27th Belfast Limelight, 28th Edinburgh Liquid Rooms, 29th London, O2 Academy Islington
Moose Blood have announced they will be releasing a split EP with Departures this summer. Fist in the Air Records will handle the UK/European release, with No Sleep Records taking care of the US release.
A Rocket To The Moon have announced they will be splititng up.
Scylla Records have announced the signing of Bristol band Cautioners. The bands debut EP, ‘Conditional Identity’ will be released 10th June.
The Dillinger Escape Plan have announced a UK headline tour. October 31 Brighton, Concorde 2 November 01 Cardiff, Solus 02 Leeds, Cockpit 04 Aberdeen, The Garage 05 Glasgow, Garage 06 Manchester, Academy2 07 Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms 08 London, Koko 09 Nottingham, Rock City In support of their upcoming new album ‘The Distance Is So Big,’ Lemuria will be returning to the UK in July for a headline tour. July 21 Sheffield Tramlines Festival 22 London Black Heart 23 Norwich The Marquee 24 Stoke On Trent Minister’s Bar 25 Leeds Cockpit 26 Kingston Fighting Cocks 27 Exeter Cavern 28 Bournemouth Burnout Festival 29 Bristol Exchange 30 Nottingham Old Angel 31 Cardiff Globe August 01 Plymouth White Rabbit 02 Glasgow Classic Grand
Defeater have revealed details of their new album, ‘Letters Home’ which is set to be released on 16th July through Bridge Nine.
Chiodos have joined Razor & Tie and will be releasing a new album later this year. Into It. Over It. has signed to Triple Crown Records and will release a new full-length in September. Hawthorne Heights will release their new album, ‘Zero’ on June 25th. Palms the group featuring Chino Moreno of Deftones and Jeff Caxide, Aaron Harris and Bryant Clifford Meyer of Isis, have released details of their self-titled album which is released on 25th June.
P.O.D. have announced two UK dates ahead of their appearance at this years Download Festival. June 17th Electric Ballroom, London 18th Cellars, Southampton After much speculation Google has launched their own music-streaming service called ‘Google Play Music All Access’. The service has been launched immediately and will come in both free (ad-supported) and paid flavors. A subscription costs $9.99 a month in the US, and all users will get a 30-day free trial.
Letlive. will be making their return to the UK later this year for their first headline tour on these shores. A new album is expected to be released through Epitaph later this summer with details yet to be announced. October 03 Bristol The Fleece 04 Southampton Talking Heads 05 Birmingham Asylum 06 Leeds Cockpit 07 Newcastle Warehouse 34 09 Manchester NQ Live 10 Belfast The Limelight 11 Dublin Fibber Magees 12 Glasgow King Tuts 14 Nottingham Rescue Rooms 15 Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach 17 London Underworld London-based rock band Me And The Mountain will release a self-titled EP on 17th June.
Soilwork have announced a one-off UK show at The Underworld in Camden, London on Wednesday 13th November. The organisers behind the Merthyr Rock festival have announced the event won’t be taking place this year due to “overwhelming economic pressures. Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying has pleaded not guilty to his solicitation of murder charges after he allegedly hired an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife. At a hearing Lambesis’ bail was set at $3million. prosecutors alleged that Lambesis gave cash to an undercover detective, as well as her address and gate codes, under the impression that she was to be killed.
Touche Amore entered the studio this week with producer Brad Wood (Sunny Day Real Estate, Smashing Pumpkins, mewithoutYou, etc) to record their third album.
Balance & Composure have finished recording their new album, and it will be released later this year. Chad Ruhlig has re-joined For The Fallen Dreams with the band also returning to Rise Records.
Tiny Moving Parts have joined Kind of Like and will release their latest album ‘This Couch Is Long and Full of Friendship’ on vinyl on 9th July.
Soulfly have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a new division of Nuclear Blast formed by NB owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner A&R chief Monte Conner.
August Burns Red will release ‘Rescue And Restore’ on June 25th through Solid State Records. Matthew Vincent of The American Scene and Alexander Correia of The Tower and The Fool will release a split 12 on July 9th via Pure Noise Records.
Night Verses have announced their debut album, ‘Lift Your Existence’ will be released on 22nd June. Living With Lions will release a new EP called ‘Some of My Friends Appear Dead To Me’ on July 9th via Pure Noise Records.
Paramore will be touring the UK and Ireland in September. September 02 Dublin O2 Point 20 Manchester MEN 21 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena 23 Birmingham LG Arena 24 Nottingham Capital FM Arena 27 London Wembley Arena 28 London Wembley Arena
Shadows Chasing Ghosts have announced they will be splitting up later this year following their appearance at SummerJam in Manchester in July.
Portugal The Man have announced a run of UK shows in support of their new album, ‘Evil Friends.’ September 11 London, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen 12 Brighton, The Haunt 13 Manchester, Night & Day Café
Braid have announced four additional UK dates AND this will see the band marking the 15th Anniversary of their ‘Frame And Canvas’ album. July 24 Leeds Brudenell Social Club 25 Manchester NQ Live 26 Glasgow Stereo 27 London Garage 28 Kingston Peel
Evarose have announced a headline UK tour which will take place in the Autumn. September 25 – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach 26 – Southampton – Joiners 27 – Nottignham, Red Rooms 28 – Leeds, Cockpit 3 29 – Newcastle, Reds October 01 – Manchester, Sound Control 2 02 – Birmingham, Academy 3 03 – London, Camden Barfly 04 – Oxford, Academy 2 05 – Norwich, Waterfront 2
Victory Records has signed Seeker.
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Interview with Jono
How did your recent tour go with Lower Than Atlantis, and can you give us a couple of highlights from the tour? It was brilliant. Easily the most fun we've had on the road to date. It's nice to go out with a band who likes to party as much as we do. It makes us feel better about a tour when all the bands are having fun, rather than staying in their dressing rooms all night. Highlights include playing Shepherds Bush Empire, and having a massive BBQ outside the venue in Norwich when the sun was out.
Can you tell us about why you parted ways with Hassle Records, as well as how you ended up on Red Bull Records, and what they've been like to work with so far? Hassle did a lot for us and we'll forever be grateful to them for showing faith in us when we were a bit of a shambles. But when we got the call from Red Bull saying they'd heard our new demos through John Feldmann and loved them, we really couldn't turn down the offer. They've given us total creative control, which is rare for a label as big as that. We have the vision, and they make it happen. It's perfect, really.
How did you end up recording with John Feldman? As far back as I can remember he's been the dream producer for us. We messaged him on MySpace back in 2006, and he got back to us saying keep sending live videos. Then after sending him a couple of (poor) live videos, contact kind of fizzled out. Until 2011 when he tweeted at us and said he'd love to work with us. We were in shock. We couldn't afford to go over, so John paid for us to fly out and let us stay at his studio. It was an incredible experience, easily my favourite since being in a band. He really got the best out of us, and to be in LA, 'living the dream' while we did the album was unbelievable.
Can you tell us about the main themes and influences that run through your forthcoming album? It's a lot more positive than our last album. We were in a better and clearer headspace while we were writing. The main theme is to take advantage of your youth and to not let your fears and anxiety get the better of you. It's about taking control of your own life, instead of letting other people and your thoughts/insecurities controlling you. It's got such a wide array of influences; it's hard to really define it. It's got a bit of everything running through it. The best parts of all the music we listen to and love.
Can you also tell us about the narrative behind your newest single On My Own, as well as how happy you have been with the response to the single so far? It's about being stuck in a cycle of depression. Drinking and abusing drugs in your home town with no aspirations. Going to the same bar every night with the same people and pissing your life away. It's about taking the reigns and ending the cycle. Breaking the mould and getting yourself out there to strive and achieve greater things. It's about focusing your energy on something positive, and leaving all of the crutches like alcohol behind and getting out there to enjoy life. The reaction has been amazing. Better than I could ever have expected!
How did you guys get to the album title and what does the title mean to you? The Good Youth is basically the generation that is growing up now. There are so many influences with the internet and technology that can mould you into something that isn't necessarily who you are. But as long as you remain true to yourself and good, then that's what matters. I guess to us, it means hope. You hear something horrible on the news every day. We want to spread this positive message and hopefully people will listen and be better!
As your mini-album only came out last October, can you tell us a bit about how Never Die and the new album compare? It's a natural progression from Never Die. We were so proud of that mini-album. The production was the best we've ever had, and we were super proud of the songs. The new album takes that kind of polished sound and expands on it. We're using a lot more instrumentation and the songs are just massive. I can't wait for people to hear it. I've been talking about it to people for so long now.
Also, how happy were you with the reception to Never Die, and what songs are you enjoying performing live the most at the moment from that record? I'll always love performing the title track. The chorus always gets people bouncing and singing. We had quite a mixed reaction from fans when they first heard it, as it was our first release in about a year, so they didn't know what to expect. But on the whole, people liked it a lot and we gained loads of new followers from it, so it was a job well done.
What do you want the new album to do for the status and representation of Blitz Kids? I want this to be the album where people HAVE to take notice of us. We were easy to ignore before, but now we're going to be everywhere. I hope people like it, obviously. But the most important thing, as with anything you do creatively is that we like it, and we absolutely love it. The hard work that went into this record has really paid off, and even if nobody likes it, it'll still help me out when I'm feeling a bit under the weather.
How excited are you to be performing at this year’s Download Festival, and what can attending fans expect from the show? We've only got a 25 minute slot on the second stage, so we're just going to try and blast away everyone's hangover with our heaviest and fastest set I think! I've never been this excited before a show to be honest, and I'm also pretty nervous!
What else does 2013 hold for Blitz Kids? Tour, tour, tour; we're going to be bloody everywhere so get down to a show!
Interview with Dan
So how did your recent tour go with The Catharsis, and can you share a couple of highlights from the tour with us? The tour was incredible, every day was a laugh, we've been friends with those guys for years and it was great to finally tour with them. The best show of tour was Chichester because everyone went nuts for both bands. It was incredible.
Can you tell us a bit about the formation of Palm Reader? PR started in early 2011 after numerous drunken conversations between Josh (vocals), Sam (guitar) and Posh (bass). We were so fucking sick of everything to do with aggressive or 'heavy' music in the UK and we wanted to do it differently. So we wrote a handful of songs, and played as many shows as possible and haven't looked back.
How did you guys get to the name Palm Reader, and what does it mean to you? Palm Reader is all about creating your own path and reading your own future, everything's laid out for you nowadays. Go to school, get a job, get a house, get married, retire. So the band is our way of making our own future and making our own paths.
How did you guys end up on Small Town Records, and what have they been like to work with so far? Small town have been great to us. They have really helped us promote and get our name out there. I think that if Small Town weren’t helping us, some of the people that have heard the album have now heard it through them and have opened up a few new doors to fans who we wouldn't of had otherwise
A debut album is always such a milestone in every bands career, so with this in mind, what were your main goals and targets when you started to create your debut record 'Bad Weather'? As far as goals and targets are concerned, we aimed to push ourselves as a band and that was pretty much it! If we're aiming for anything else, then we're off course.
Can you tell us a bit about the main themes and influences that run through your debut record 'Bad Weather'? Bad Weather is kind of a social commentary and we address situations. If someone needs calling out because they're being a dick, the songs are like we're calling them out, as we've all encountered someone like that.
Can you tell us about how the Grace part 1,2,3 came together, and a bit about what those parts mean as a whole? The three parts of Grace are something that came together as a bit of an accident. They were a result of endless writing sessions for the album and each part is a natural progression of its predecessor.
Can you tell us about how the artwork for this record came together, as well as what it means to you? We're a very British sounding band and we wanted the artwork to convey that. Nothing personifies the sound of the record more than an oncoming attack from a squadron of Lancaster Bombers!
How excited are you to be performing at this years Hevy Fest, and what can attending fans expect from the show? Very excited. The band was formed on the idea of one day playing Hevy. so it’s going to be a very special day for us.
What else does 2013 hold for Palm Reader? Way more than we ever expected. We're playing some crazy festivals like Download and the day after Greenfields in Switzerland. We're also a few weeks off going on a tour with Heart In Hand, so we're stupidly excited for everything coming up, and hopefully we'll see everyone down at one show or another!
Interview with Kev and Neal
How did you guys end up on Century Media Records and how have they been treating you so far? K: We originally signed to a Century subsidiary ‘People like you Records’ (PLY) in 2011 this was more of a punk rock label but it seemed that we would be better suited on Century Media as they are a bigger label with a larger distribution, so really we were always signed to Century, we just want what’s best for the album. But the guys at PLY did a great job with our last EP “Slow Down for Nothing” and they are a great label in their own right.
So, how did you get to the album title 'Signs' and what does it mean to you? N: ‘Signs’ was the first song we wrote and recorded in the cycle following the second album, and it was a definite leap upwards in song writing, performance and production and a fresh start to a new era for us. It’s strange to think that that song was originally written as a demo just so we had something to record in a studio to test if we liked the producer or not, and it ended up being the title track of the album. But meaning wise; “Signs” are triggers for thoughts, feelings and memories. We liked the concept that the album is a product of the sum of all our thoughts and experiences. I also tried to transfer that theme into the artwork.
Can you tell us about the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Signs'? K: I guess during the whole process we were going through a lot of changes as a band, and that naturally transfers into what you write. We wrote two tracks when we were out in the states whilst we were recording which was very new to us because in the past we had always had everything pre written ourselves so we all knew exactly what we were doing and what we wanted to do. Also there were a few personal things from my point of view going on behind the scenes that were very much at the forefront of the writing process so I guess in a way that helped us craft some of the songs that have ended up on the album. N: Song writing is definitely a cathartic process, and a lot of the time you don’t realise what you are writing about until you hear back the finished product some time after.
What can you tell us about your brand new single 'Wake Me Up'? N: We wanted a more accessible song and we are not afraid to say that, but we didn’t want to do something half hearted, for the sake of it and frankly not for us. So the lyrics are pretty dark and they are about how different people deal with different situations they are in whether it’s depression or something out of their control. We all have our coping mechanisms, and everyone goes through dark patches so it’s totally relatable. The chorus was always intended to be uplifting and infectious in contrast to the verses. This was one of two songs we actually wrote out in New York with the producers which was an alien process for us but it was totally productive.
What was it like to record with Shep Goodman in New York, and how do you think he pushed you guys as a band? K: Recording with Shep was great, we ended up being in New York for a month recording which is something that I never thought would happen, and just to be in different surroundings was very inspirational. We recorded in two locations whilst we were out there; the 1st was in Soundmine Studios out in the sticks of Pennsylvania (if you can imagine the set from the film “deliverance” then you are not far off) This is where we tracked all the guitar, bass and drums. The 2nd location was at Mount Kisco in New York, and this is where we did all the vocals and extra guitar, percussion, programming parts and the fine tuning etc. N: We were definitely pushed out of our comfort zone from the start, especially with the co-writing aspect, but that’s important to do as a band, as it’s very easy to fall into writing and recording the same songs without realising and becoming stagnant.
How would you say you have progressed as a band since the release of 'Slow Down For Nothing'? K: Personally I feel that we are a band that is learning all the time... and we are now more together than we have ever been purely because we know what we want and we still have the drive to get us where we want to be whether “the man” says so or not. I feel that recording and producing our 2nd album “Scratches and Scars” ourselves definitely paved the way for how we wanted things to continue as a band as we really honed our sound on that record.
N: Definitely the fact we self produced an album ourselves and for it to be well received confirmed any doubt to that we knew what we were doing in the studio, which ultimately means we worked so much more efficiently on the “SDFN” and “Signs” sessions, and we are a better band for it. SDFN also gave us the confidence of working with producers and “Signs” again gave us the ability to write with others too.
You guys have stated that you have an 'unapologetic belief in what they (you) do' so can you elaborate a bit more on what you mean by that? K: Well, this is our 3rd album now and we are still here doing what we do with nobody telling us how to dress/act/what to write... and this is all down to our self belief as well as most importantly enjoying what we do. We like people to judge us on our music. Admittedly this is our 1st interview in the UK in a long time purely because other countries embraced us for what we are and not what we are wearing or because we sound like band A,B,C,D. That’s around a lot at the moment but it will be gone tomorrow... and we will keep trying the UK as it’s our home and we want our home to embrace us too. So by ‘unapologetic’ we mean this is who we are so deal with it, and you never know you just might like it. N: We’re experienced enough now to realise how the system works and we refuse to bend to fit into what is currently in fashion. The problem with fashion is it is temporary, and we are far more interested in longevity than being on magazine covers.
How excited are you for your upcoming shows with 4ft Fingers and what should attending fans expect? K: We are very excited for a lot of reasons... We finally have some UK shows and we are big 4ft fans! We have been trying to do some shows with them for a long time so yeah we are very excited and happy about this. What you can expect will be literally a half hour of power as we are going to play an almost relentless set! We may even wander around the venue a bit mid set for a shot at the bar.
Interview with Matt
For those that don't know, can you tell us why Harry, Tom & Steve decided to leave the band over the last couple of years, as well as how the current touring line-up has come to formation? Ok, History time! So Steve moved on to playing drums in our friends band Japanese Voyeurs when I was recording the first album. We knew JV's really well and they needed a drummer for tour, it was cool. We're all friends all playing in bands so it's no big deal. Tom left kind of after, he just didn't really want to be in a band anymore, which was a bummer, we were friends but I guess you've got to keep yourself happy right? Harry was doing a lot of his own stuff when he was in the band, and I guess that was kind of confusing for us and him so we just called it, which is better because it meant our friendship didn't have to get weird. People love a story, like that everybody got fired and it was crazy and fucked up, it's funny. We're probably the most amicable band around. Drama sucks, and everybody was always very aware of not fucking up a friendship over the band. Mikey has been in the band for two years or something, he's like my brother which is cool, and he's the baddest drummer in the UK. Fact, I wouldn't have anyone else on the skins. James Sacha is on bass now, and he's my other brother, we met about a year ago through a friend. He helped me out rehearsing for the second record, so we're a gang.
Will this current line-up become a part of Dinosaur Pile-Up on the recording side of things, or is that something that you will continue to do via your own way in the future? The third record I imagine we'll do as a band. I've done enough for me on my own, and the band has never felt like a band until now, so yeah, it's a new chapter!
How did your recent tour go with Lower Than Atlantis? Touring with LTA was rad. They're nice guys, and Mike Duce is a dude. It's nice to tour with people that get where you’re coming from, and the dates were pretty intense!
What's it been like to perform the new songs live then, and how are the crowds reacting to the material so far? Playing the new stuff live is killer. Obviously we're still playing a bunch of stuff of Growing Pains for everybody, but we are putting in a couple of the new rocking tunes which is rad. The crowds are digging it, as sometimes I can see kids in the crowds getting their minds blown, and that's super cool. I don't know, I don't give a fuck if people don't like us anyway! I'm pretty awkward.
You've just released your music video for 'Derail' which features Diana Vickers, so can you tell us a bit about how it all came together, as well as what the concept behind the video is about? Yeah that turned out pretty cool. Diana is a friend of ours through a friend of a friend, and she's getting in to a bit of acting. We said she should be a murderer in our video and she was up for it. We wanted a video with a twist, something that pays you off for watching. We didn't want to be in it, so we got this badass french director to figure it out, he likes Tarantino, as do we, and I think it's cool.
So can you tell us a bit about the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Nature Nurture' ? Nature Nurture is a record about the journey between adolescence to young-manhood I guess. It's about dragging yourself through the shit to get there. It's about choosing to master your own destiny, or grow up having someone else make decisions for you. The two years between Growing Pains and Nature Nurture was a learning curve, both good and bad, so I guess that's what it's about.
How would you say you have progressed as a musician and songwriter since the release of 'Growing Pains'? I guess I've become more concise as a writer? I don't even know if that's good or bad. I think like as a musician I've realised it doesn't matter how well you play, what matters is what you're saying.
What made you want to produce & record these records yourself (you play every instrument right?), and does this make the recording process easier or harder for you? Recording and writing on my own is just how I've always done things. So I find it easier sometimes that way. As a kid I was always on my own just writing...I don't know, it just feels more natural to me. With the first record I knew what I wanted to make so I just went and made it. It didn't make sense to me to mess around doing it any other way you know? On this record I actually wanted Mikey on the kit, but we had such limited time in the studio and Mikey just couldn't make it. It was either do it myself or don't make the record, so I went and did it. That pressure was a good thing.
Also, what was it like to record at Courtyard Studios in Oxfordshire with Ian Davenport for 'Nature Nurture'? It was awesome. Ian is a dude. It was really nice working with him, and courtyard isn't that big so it was really personal. We also did the drums at courtyard in Wales which was so rad. A big old 70's studio, in the middle of nowhere. I slept in the same room that Freddie Mercury slept in. That blew my mind.
How did you end up on 'So Recordings' and what have they been like to work with so far? SO are amazing. Such a tight-knit family of people that know what they're doing and genuinely care about the well being of the band as well as making the record a success. Dudes. In this market that's hard to come by now. We met them through a friend of the band, so it was a happy coincidence.
What else can we expect to see from Dinosaur Pile-Up in 2013? A load of touring. Hopefully some new songs. Pizza. Me being too tall for my own body. A lot of the 'whatever' attitude. A distinct lack acid-jazz. Hospital.
Interview with James
In the six years since forming you’ve been going from strength to strength, and you really have achieved so much as a band. So with this in mind how do you think you got to the level you are at now, and also how happy are you with where you are at now as Sharks? Yeah definitely. You can't honestly expect a thing when you start a band and it's good to remain that way in order to stay humbled. It's a much nicer attitude to have and thankfully we all have lots of like minded friends who are stoked to get to do what they do too. We are thankful for the things we get to do but also realize that it won't last forever.
For your album 'Selfhood' you've stated that "The whole approach with this record from the beginning was to have the process be very reckless and fun, and for every decision and idea not to be pondered on or over thought" so with this in mind can you tell us about the recording process for this record and a bit about how it compared to what you've done before as a band? Well it was the opposite to our last record in almost every way. But it was only because we didn't have a bass player that we couldn't record it live. So it was really disciplined in terms of how organically we approached it and overdubs were kept to a minimum. It's pretty much the same process of our early recordings, but we're much better now.
We've read that most of the lyrics were wrote above a morgue, so what kind of effect did this location have on the lyrics, and also, what other themes and influences can we expect to see on 'Selfhood'? I've always been a fan of the more morbid and darker themes so it was a real treat. But I lived there for five months with my Fiancee. It had no heating or hot water or even a bathroom. It was basically a factory and we threw a mattress down and that was our weird life for five months. But we just wanted to be together and that was all that mattered so it was amazing too. The album was written over this period so as you can imagine I let a lot of it influence the lyrics.
What was the hardest part behind creating 'Selfhood' for you, and why? It really wasn't hard at all! It felt very focused and truthfully it was really just FUN. I definitely wouldn't change a thing.
You supported Blink 182 on their Australian tour in February, which is quite an achievement in itself. So how did this come about, and what was this whole experience like for you guys? It was incredible. We were on Soundwave and I think all bands have to book these side shows as a means to just fill the days out and not go broke. But we certainly weren't expecting to end up with Blink. I don't even know how it happened to be honest, but they were really nice and Tom had been a fan for some time too so it was all very welcoming. I mean the shows were ridiculous and we probably sounded like shit but it was still an experience.
You’ve said before that Sharks doesn’t seem to fit comfortably in any particular music scene, so why do you think that is? I'd say what we're doing isn't exactly popular, and by the looks of our record sales I stand firmly by that remark. I'm not saying I think we're better than anyone else or anything, we just couldn't feel further out of place with what seems to be popular right now. But I believe it's a timeless sound we have and that's why we believe in it.
Why do you feel the UK lacks a healthy punk scene these days? Because kids love metal and dubstep, and metal and dubstep smashed together.
How excited are you to be performing at the 20th Anniversary Anti-Flag gig in London, and what can attending fans expect from the show? Yeah, it should be good. Gnarwolves are great too. We're very honoured.
What else can we expect to see from Sharks in 2013? More music. We'll be writing an album but we want to get some new singles out or maybe an e.p. It's all we've got, and we're working on it!
Interview with Sherri
So, what made you want to self-record and self-produce 'Currents'? We're a group of people who has always enjoyed being 100% involved in the creative process and the outcome of our music and art, so it is something we've always wanted to do from the beginning but this is the first time we've been able to because our record label (Equal Vision) is awesome. It was such an amazing experience!
You also recorded this record in your new home studio, so what was that like for you? In some ways it was even more pressure because the outcome was all on us. We recorded and produced it all on our own so if it were lacking, there would only be ourselves to blame‌but it was so incredibly fun. We work really well together as a band and this whole experience brought us even closer. I think we really learned more about each other and also what our strengths and weaknesses are as a band and how to work with those things.
Could you give us a breakdown on how a song(s) came together when you were creating your record 'Currents'? Stacy and I write our songs separately from one another, on our own time, demo them, and then send them to the band early on so that they can wrap their heads around them and listen to them a ton. Once we have enough demos to wade through, the band decides together which songs they want to work on for the album. Once we get in the studio though, it really becomes a band effort shaping each song. Everyone weighs in and has ideas and the rule is that "no idea is a bad idea"‌‌until you try them and then clearly some are!
What are the main themes and influences that run through 'Currents' ? This record basically sounds like Eisley got their creative freedom back. I really think you can hear that in all of these songs and I'm really proud of this album. It's not trying too hard. It's just Eisley writing music that we love with no industry pressure.
How did you get to the album title 'Currents' and what does it mean to you? It's the title track for the record, which is a sort of dark, whimsical, love song. We just felt it was very fitting for the project. It made us think of movement and change and that's what Eisley has been all about over the past couple of years.
Would you say you have progressed as musicians since the release of 'The Valley'? I would like to think so, yes. Fans can be the judge of that, but I do think that musically, lyrically and spiritually you can hear the progression in these songs. There's definitely a sense of creative freedom in the music and I'm especially proud of our drum and bass section. The boys really stepped in and helped take these tracks to a new level, musically.
What made you want to work with Merriment on the track 'Wicked Child' and how was this whole process for you guys? Well Merriment are brother and sister to 4/5's of Eisley…so when I wrote a bridge for the song, I thought it would be fun to have my sister Christie sing it because she has this gorgeous voice that can just make me cry! So, it was really just me texting her to walk down the street to my house and sing it right there and then…or else. Just kidding. And Collin (Merriment's guitarist, my brother) is a sick guitar player.
You actually created the artwork for this record, so can you tell us about how the idea for the cover came together, as well as what it means to you? I was creating that illustration in the same week my daughter was due, so I was feeling very inspired and also realizing it might be the last time I was able to focus on creating an illustration for a few months (new baby, ah!) so I put a lot of time and love and focus into the details. We had decided on the album name, Currents, so I wanted the illustration to convey movement and have a certain dark, whimsical moodiness. It's very befitting of the sounds on the album as well. I actually finished the art and two days later my daughter was born!
Can you tell us about the side projects that run through Eisley, and a bit about what those projects have been up to in the last year or so? So many. haha! There is always someone creating new music outside of Eisley, as well as between all of us, so it's really non-stop and it's super fun. My sister Stacy (my writing partner, Eisley keyboardist) has a project with her husband Darren King (who plays drums for Mutemath) and Jeremy Larson (who wrote strings for and mixed/mastered Currents) called Sucre, and they have a self titled album out now and are currently working on new music for upcoming releases. My sister Chauntelle (Eisley guitarist) has a solo album coming out later this year, and my husband (singer/songwriter Max Bemis of Say Anything) and I have a band together and just finished recording our first record which will be coming out later this year also. We're called Perma (short for 'Permanent).
What else can we expect to see from Eisley in 2013? The sky's the limit! With this studio we can now record music whenever we want to, which allows for more freedom to do EPs and and special songs whenever we want/need to. But also, we started a Kickstarter this month to try and raise money to help fund touring for Currents, as well as (hopefully) be able to invest in lights/production for our live shows to make the experience richer for fans, which we've never gotten to do before. We hope to be able to tour other countries by raising money with the Kickstarter. We want to go back to the UK, Australia, etc! Our fans are amazing and we want to be able to give back, by coming to where they are and putting on the best Eisley show we can. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eisley/eisley-touring-our-new-record
Interview with Alex
How did you guys end up signing to Bridge Nine Records, and what have they been like to work with so far? Bridge 9 have been perfect. We heard they had been listening to our first album ‘Get Better’ in their offices through some mutual friends, so when we were beginning to write songs for ‘Pebble’ we approached them asking if they would be interested in releasing our new album and from there we all hit it off.
How did you get to the album title 'The Distance Is So Big' and what does it mean to you guys? The name came from a lyric in the song ‘Oahu, Hawaii’. It's the last song on side A of the album. The line is very relevant to us in many ways because we aren't strangers to long distance relationships. The three of us all live very far from each other but we are still keeping the band going and we are actually more active now than we ever were when we all lived in the same city. The full line in the song is "The act of father and son shaking hands, the distance is so big". The song isn't about the band situation of distance, but the line applies to each of us personally in many different ways.
How did you first end up working with J. Robbins and what would you say he brought to the recording process for 'The Distance Is So Big'? J. Robbins is incredible to record with. He works hard on everything he does, whether it's his own bands or the bands he produces. We recorded the album ‘Pebble’ with him, along with our ‘Varoom Allure’ 7" we did. When we came in to record ‘The Distance Is So Big’ with him we had built a relationship with him and he really understood exactly what we wanted and were going for. This was definitely the best recording experience I have ever had.
It's been stated that this is your 'most mature' record to date, but for you, how would you say this record compares to what you've done previously as Lemuria? I like to think that we are constantly maturing as musicians and so I can see how this album would sound more mature to people who are listening. It's a natural progression for us. This album is my favorite thing I have ever been a part of, and I'm not just saying that because it's our new album coming out and I'm supposed to be pushing it. This is the first time we properly made demos of every song, reworked them, etc. We put so much time and effort into this record and I think all of that hard work really shows with the final mastered release. I'm very excited for everybody to hear it. This album also has re-lit our passions for what we do, and we have never been this excited to get back on tour.
Can you tell us about how the collaborations on this record came about? Tony Flaminio, a Buffalo friend and musician that we respect very much came into the studio and recorded some piano and backing vocals that are sprinkled across the album. He is an incredible musician. We also had Gordon Withers who plays cello in J. Robbins new band Office of Future Plans come in and put cello on our song ‘Oahu, Hawaii’. We also had a choir of our friends, pretty much the full staff of Sticky Fingers bakery in Washington DC, come in to perform an atonal chant.
What was the hardest part behind creating 'The Distance Is So Big' for you guys, and why? The hardest part was that we were all working our regular jobs throughout. We all live so far apart from each other that we were commuting back and forth a great deal. Sheena would take the MARC train from DC to Baltimore everyday around her work schedule and Max would fly back and forth from Austin. I pretty much stayed there most the time and was nerdy with J. But this actually was something that accidentally benefited the album, so much so that we decided to always record in this fashion. Because of this situation, we ended up separating the recording process into three blocks. The first where we recorded the bare bones tracks. The second where we came in and did all the auxiliaries, vocals, etc, and the third where we mixed. Between each session we had plenty of time to take our progress home and listen to it and really focus on what needed to be done next. This is how we will continue to record in the future, as opposed to going and cranking it all out in one sitting and never looking back.
Can you tell us a bit about how the artwork for 'The Distance Is So Big' came together? Our friend Nicole Kibert sent us photos that we loved and we chose our favorite, we then took it in our own hands and Max colored in the photo. We wanted the album to be colorful and optimistic seeming. Throughout the album we use some imagery with colorful cosmic atmosphere occurrences. We did make sure to keep some dark spots in the image because the core of the album comes from a dark place. However, even though the album comes from a dark place, it's definitely our most upbeat and positive release yet.
It's been a long time since you released 'Pebble' now so with this in mind, how happy are you with that record now as well as what it has done for the status/representation of Lemuria? Pebble was recorded in mid 2010 and released in January 2011. So it's been almost three years since we recorded it and even longer since we wrote it. Which is pretty crazy to actually think about because it doesn't seem that long ago. ‘Pebble’ is a very important album to us, and so is ‘Get Better’. We still enjoy playing our old songs, and even though the lyrics might not be relevant to what is happening in our current lives, they are still important to us and they are what helped develop us personally to get us where we are today with our new album. Just like ‘The Distance Is So Big’ will also help us shape our 4th album when we record that in the future.
What else does 2013 hold for Lemuria? A great deal of touring. We will be all over the US, Canada, UK and if we can fit mainland Europe in the fall, but if not we will be there in early 2014. We have never been to Australia or Japan, and that is a very big priority for us.
Interview with Brian and Matt
It's really interesting to see that it's just the two of you in the band, but originally there was three of you right? So can you tell us a bit about how this current line-up came to formation, as well as what's like to create music as a two piece? Well since we started the band Brian and I would always write the songs together, and since my brother would always be hanging around with us he just helped write parts. The moment we started doing small tours my brother decided he didn't want to continue playing in a band.
Do you tour with extra musicians live, and also do you think the line-up will expand over the next couple of years? We are very grateful to have our two friends Ciaran and Tom who come on tour with us. They also played a solid role in writing and recording Talon of the Hawk.
How did you end up on Bar/None Records and what have they been like to work with so far? Emmy went to school with Brian and she introduced our band to the label. We love being with bar/none!
How did your recent tour go with Bad Books, and can you give us a couple of highlights from the tour? It was such a sick tour. All the guys in Bad Books are the best, and having Weatherbox on the tour as well only made it better. I think every moment was a highlight with that crew. The last night before tour ended we all got connecting hotel rooms and played Wits and Wagers, and shit got real.
So, what are the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Talon of the Hawk'? I think the main themes in Talon of the Hawk are nightmares, roastin bones, and catchin mad goose. The record was influenced from rock and roll, dirty style ping pong playing, living in a van, and like always our friends.
Since you started this band, what have been your main musical influences and why? Zak Spade and the love enemies have always been a main musical influence. They're just a great band that we have grown up listening to.
You stated that most of 'Talon of the Hawk' was wrote on the road, so can you tell us about how the writing process on this record compares to what you did on your selftitled debut? We had many different and new experiences from living on the road, so it was the first time we were writing new songs in that situation.
In a kind of reference to the last questions, can you tell us a bit about how the idea for the 'Twin Size Mattress' video came about? I mean, was it maybe to capture the fact that this is what the lifestyle of the band is about now? We didn't have an idea at first. Our friend Mark just came on tour with us to do merch, and he ended up filming a few clips from the tour, so when we got home he put it all together!
So, what was the most rewarding moment behind creating 'Talon of the Hawk' for you, and why? This is the first time we have ever recorded in an actual studio, as well the first time we recorded with Tom. This whole record in all feels very rewarding.
What else can we expect to see from The Front Bottoms in 2013? Tons and tons of touring.
At the start of the year you released 'The Pioneer Sessions' which is an album that features stripped down versions of your prior EP tracks, so can you tell us about how this idea came about, as well as what it was like to re-record your songs in a different way? I really wanted to showcase my growth as a singer in a very raw, stripped down production approach. I think Pioneer Sessions was a blast of a project because it shows the songs I released last year as one collective piece as apposed to the episodic EP releases every three months.
Looking back at your trilogy of EP releases last year, how happy are you with them now, as well as how they have been received by your fans? I think it was exactly what I needed. I was writing SO much new music that I felt just had to be heard. I am very proud of the EP trilogy and I think that not only did a lot of TAI fans enjoy them, but I've seen a lot of new faces as well.
Can you tell us about how your upcoming album is coming along so far, as well as what fans can expect from it? The album is epic, I can tell you that. It's hard-hitting and compassionate. It's honest and dangerous. It's by far the best thing I've done, and I put every part of myself into it.‌Wow that sounds intimate. But it's true.
Also, how do you think it compares to your trilogy of EPs that you released last year? I think it's an evolution. A big part of last year was experimenting and finding my sound; The full-length showcases that I've found it.
How did you end up working with Marc McClusky, and what has he brought to the recording process? Marc is a mad scientist. We met a while back through mutual friends. Coming into the record, I had everything written song-wise, so at that point we could completely focus on performance and the overall vibe. He's truly a sonic genius and working together, we were like salt and pepper in harmonious doses.
Also, in a kind of reference to the last question, what has it been like to actually record this record in your hometown? It was perfect recording in Chicago after all these years. I spent a lot of time away while writing the record, so to be able to record in the city and come home to sleep in my own bed and see my family every night‌it was a great way to make the record.
What are your memories from playing the Vans Warped Tour before, and how excited are you to perform on the tour this year? The traveling circus that is Warped is back! It's been a few years since I've braved the madness, so I'm particularly stoked about this year. In the past things have gotten quite out of hand with being on tour with a bunch of friends in other bands. One year when Less Than Jake was on the tour, I became really close friends with their sax player JR. One day we both had early sets and were done by noon. So JR shows up to our bus with a gallon jug of Jack Daniels. We proceeded to drink the entire thing, and needless to say, I remember very little of the incidents that followed. Let's just say I got some REALLY evil, pissed off looks at the catering line the next day. This year I'll steer clear of the Jack. Maybe switch to Irish instead!
What else can we expect to see from William Beckett in 2013? This whole year is built around my record coming out. Then after Warped this summer more touring is on the horizon. It's going to be a huge year for me and I can't wait to take it on.
Interview with Ilan Rubin
Can you tell us about how the idea for The New Regime came about? The New Regime came about from a combination of being able to play multiple instruments and not liking having to depend or wait on other people. Once I got over being shy while singing and started writing material I was happy with, The New Regime was born.
Over the years you've drummed for literally some of the biggest bands on the planet, so with that in mind can you tell us about what it has been like to fit The New Regime around your touring & session recording commitments? I pride myself on being as productive as can be so I've literally written and recorded music regardless of other commitments. What I typically do is write whenever I have a guitar close by or am at a piano, come up with ideas that I'll get around to later and when things are nearing completion I determine when I can set aside some time to record things properly for the final product.
As you've been involved with so many different bands then have they maybe helped or influenced you with the recording & writing process for your work as The New Regime since you started? All bands I've been involved with have been a great help in introducing my music to their fan bases. In terms of musical influence, Trent Reznor has been a great guy to learn from in terms of writing and sound design.
So what are the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Exhibit A'? I can't say that there are consistent themes or influences that run throughout 'Exhibit A' because I always want to keep songs different from each other and have the listener guessing as to what's next. Tonally however there's a nice blend of organic instrumentation and electronics.
How would you say this release compares to what you have done previously as The New Regime? As a writer I feel that 'Exhibit A' was the logical next step for The New Regime but I suppose that the listener will find it to be pretty different. So far the response has been great and I'm really happy about that.
You will be releasing new EP's as a series of 'Exhibits' after this release, so can you tell us about how this idea came about, as well as how the records will relate to each other over time? As a third release I didn't have a specific vision in mind to stick to. The songs I was writing were separate pieces that had absolutely nothing to do with each other and I had more than an albums worth of material to pick from. The idea of releasing EP's seemed like a better platform for this music and the word 'Exhibit' came to me out of nowhere. I think 'EP' make a group of songs sound a bit too informal, so by calling these releases 'Exhibits', then I can put groups of songs out that aren't quite albums in sequence as 'Exhibit A', 'Exhibit B', 'C', and so on.
What is it like to write and record your releases by yourself, I mean do you maybe miss the input of other musicians, or alternatively is it easier because you know exactly how you want it to sound? It’s much easier being the one solely in charge of writing and recording everything. It’s the only way I can have the music exactly the way I want it.
In your press release for this record it states that 'The modern age of music is dictating a new approach to releasing material' so can you tell us how you feel about the way music is distributed in this day and age, as well as how you've decided to approach it with your own release? I think it’s great that music can be purchased and listened to within minutes without even having to leave your house. However, since music can be distributed instantly and it becomes easier and easier to record music, there is so much out there that the general attention span and willingness to sit with something for a while is practically non existent. I will continue to release albums but will also put out shorter pieces of work such as the 'Exhibits' or even one off songs here and there.
What was it like to record with Paramore and also as they had a lot of the record done already when you joined then what kind of input did you get to add to the record? Recording with Paramore was a very fun experience. I didn't have any input on the music because that's not what I was there for. I had a great time playing drums, a bit of percussion, some piano, being an occasional backup vocalist.
Also, what's it been like to be a part of Nine Inch Nails? Nine Inch Nails is a great band to be a part of. I love the work that goes into everything and the extensive live performances. I'm happy to be back and we're currently rehearsing for shows this summer.
As a musician what is it like to step into all these different styles of music, and also how would you say you have progressed over the last couple of years as a multiinstrumentalist? As a drummer it feels pretty seamless stepping into these different bands. As a multi-instrumentalist I feel that I'm always evolving but even more so as a songwriter.
What else can we expect to see from The New Regime in 2013? A lot of online video content will present itself over 2013 and most likely 'Exhibit B'. The music doesn't stop.
Interview with Dryden
For those that don't know, can you tell us why Alien Ant Farm and Joe Hill parted ways, and a bit about how the original line-up came back to formation? Joe Hill is great. We always wanted to have the original line-up back, so when we got all our differences aside...It was never a question if Terry would be playing again, as Terry is Alien Ant Farm, the four of us.
Also, with the original line-up now back in place, what's the writing and recording process been like for you guys so far then? All over the map. We have killer chemistry, so we try and dig and scratch all over different music styles. What can we bring to the table? We have also done quite a few co-writes with various producers and musicians. Most went extremely well. Some others? Yikes!
How did you guys end up making your new album 'Always & Forever' a PledgeMusic project, and how has this whole experience been for you guys? Pledge is such a great idea, and it should have been around years and years ago. that being said, maybe it's the perfect time for a band like Ant Farm. We're on a Label that really likes to get their nose in the creative side of things. We just couldn't handle it anymore.
What has been the hardest process for you behind creating 'Always & Forever' and why? All of it. This label has made it next to impossible to finish a track. Now, with the process back in our hands, we are moving again.
'Let Em Know' is the first track that you have kind of previewed to your fan base from 'Always & Forever', so with this in mind, what made you want to share this track first, and also how happy have you been with the response to the song so far? Let em Know is a nice heavy track that comes out swinging. Harder than most of the other tracks, we felt it was a good poke in the eye. The response has been great!
What themes and influences can we expect to see on 'Always & Forever'? Our influences have maybe taken a backseat on this one, as we just set up and went to work, peeling our own onion, not our heroes. From pop to almost metal to ballads that we were maybe to scared to do in the past. Worrying what fans might think is a good and bad thing. I think real fans want to hear different aspects of the bands they love. Not just what they do that has already proved successful.
How would you say this release compares to your last original line-up record 'TruANT'? TruANT was a whole different animal. We went sideways and forward with this record. I hope this one will be more gettable to more people.
“Now, with the process back in our hands, we are moving again� So, what do you want 'Always & Forever' to do for the status/representation of Alien Ant Farm? The idea is just to be back into a touring situation with tracks that people want to listen to. That's the simple truth. I want to see all my friends around the world, and I want to make new ones. Also, I think I'll be very happy, once it's out. And then... put it behind us, and make another record, and another!
What are your memories from performing at Sonisphere Festival in the UK back in 2010? I remember we were the first band that day. I remember it was raining. I looked out into the crowd about twenty minutes before we went on and no one was there. I got super sad and went back into our little gathering area/Dressing room. Then we walked out to stage to start the set, and it was full of people! We had a blast. UK shows are the best!
What else can we expect to see from Alien Ant Farm in 2013? Hopefully... good shows and good health.
Interview with Justin
How did the Suppy nation tour go for you guys, and are there any particular highlights that you could share with us? Now that we have had a chance to look back on the whirl wind of 30+ shows in just about that many days, we couldn't be any happier with it… There was loads of crazy and packed shows, awesome fans, awesome hangouts and it was very humbling… It's an insane feeling to play on the other side of the country and have kids come out and sing along.
Idobi Radio & Man Overboard have teamed up to create the new show “Man Overboard Radio” so can you tell us about how this idea came about, as well as what we can expect from the show? Man Overboard used to do quarterly podcasts and it seems like people really enjoyed them. We reached out to iDobi as a kind of "shot in the dark" type thing and they were excited to have us as part of the family so we now have a one hour show every Monday at 7pm EST. It's a very lose format in that we just talk and play music…. sometimes we interview people… we'll I'm not sure I'd call it interviewing… we hang out, ask questions and bullshit… it’s very fun though. I think it shows a different side of us as people.
It came as a bit of a surprise in February of this year to hear that you guys had spent the winter working on your new album 'Heart Attack', so can you tell us about the recording process as well as how exciting this was for you guys as a band? We wanted to keep the recording process a secret. We had A LOT of other stuff going on… the release of Before We Met, the Lost Tape Collective Holiday show and the documentary that went along with that, etc etc… So we thought "hey, let’s keep the album recording a secret and when we are done, tell everyone it’s 100% complete" and that’s exactly what we did… people were certainly surprised. It was a great process. Steve Klein (producer) and Will Yip (engineer) were nothing short of amazing to work with. We have a documentary up on our website about the process if anyone wants to take a look at what it was really like.
How did you end up working with Steve Klein & Will Yip on this record? We worked with Steve on the previous album. Will Yip is friends with a lot of our friends and has done loads of records we like so reaching out to him was sort of a no brainer.
Can you tell us about how your collaboration with Geoff Rickly came about on your new record 'Heart Attack' as well as what this whole experience was like for you guys? We met Geoff on Warped Tour and became buds. We asked him to do the part and he agreed straight away. He was on tour so he had to record it at a different studio but it came out rad none the less!
How did you get to the album title 'Heart Attack' and what does it mean overall? I believe Zac came up with the name. It ties into one of the songs of the same name… the lyrics read "Attacked by my own heart, attacked by my own heart" so it kind of grew out of that.
What was the hardest part about putting together the record 'Heart Attack' for you, and why? The hardest part was picking the songs… we had 30+ songs and set a goal of narrowing it to twelve…. we made it to fourteen… So this will be our longest record yet!
How would you say 'Heart Attack' compares to your last self-titled release? We have a new drummer, Joe Talarico. He has a different style than our previous drummers so that certainly helped shape the album. There are parts of the album that are darker, and there are parts that are more serious lyric wise, but at the same time there is light hearted fun… so it’s hard to say - i think listeners will have to judge for themselves.
Also, in a kind of reference to the last question, how happy are you with what that selftitled record has done for the band, as well as how it has been received by your fan base? I think our band grew a lot after the release of Self-Titled and the tours that we did with it so I couldn't be more stoked about it.
How much work has it been to run 'Lost Tape Collective' on the lead up to the release of 'Heart Attack', and can you tell us about what else the company has been up to just recently? Lost Tape Collective is our little mini-label… we don't do a ton of releases, mainly Man Overboard stuff but it keeps us busy. We are working on a few small releases that I can't talk about just yet!
What do you want 'Heart Attack' to do for the representation of Man Overboard? I know there are certainly people who like Real Talk and hate Self-Titled, and people who like Self-Titled and hate Real Talk… hopefully this is the album everyone can like as well as gain us some new fans… at the end of the day we are extremely excited about the album no matter what… so that’s all that really matters to us.
What else does 2013 hold for Man Overboard? LOTS of touring. lots!
Interview with Tim
How did the ‘Young New England’ tour go? It was fantastic. Young Statues, All Get Out, and Seahaven are all amazing musicians and people. It was a pleasure to be together. As for the songs, the record came out just recently and we've already got people singing along! It's a really cool thing. We are happy that people are digging it.
We know that this album is certainly a nod towards your hometown of Boston, but can you tell us a bit more about the other themes & influences that run throughout this record? Well, we were all lucky enough to grow up in and outside a real cool city. We've toured across the world and seen our country countless times. Through all of this, we all increasingly gained this consistent, underlying love for our home. When writing, we felt like the record needed to voice that. So we wanted to give back to something we, as a family, hold so close to our hearts.
Also, as some of the songs relate so well to your hometown, how did you go about making these songs communicate to a wider audience, so that for example when you tour these songs, everyone can sing along to a track about your hometown whilst still interpreting that song in their own way? Weather a song is about home, love, or hate- we try to make our songs slightly open ended. Not because they're not specific (as they are) but because we want everyone to be able to relate. To us, there is nothing better than that, "damn, this sounds JUST like my life" feeling when listening to a song.
So 'Young New England' came out just recently, how does it feel to have this record released, and how happy have you been with the feedback to the record so far from both fans and critics? There is no better feeling than releasing something you're wholeheartedly proud of. I try not to read it all but from what i've seen, people really only LOVE or HATE it. I love that.
How did you go about picking 'Nothing Lasts Forever' as the first single to release from the record, and how happy have you been with the feedback to this single so far? First song we wrote for the record, first track on the record, first single. Simple. It seems as if people like it! We've been opening up with it, and that has been a killer way to start the set.
What did you enjoy the most about working with Ted Hutt & Gary Cioffi and what would you say they brought to the recording process of 'Young New England'? We kept the record so raw. All the vocal takes, all the guitar takes, everything was just rock and roll. We'd set up, play the song a couple times- and that was that. It's a record that's meant to be played live. We wanted to capture the band being a band. No overproduced bullshit.
What would you say was the hardest part behind creating 'Young New England' for you as a band, and why? Working with a producer was interesting, for us. We're creative people who like things to be our way. It was refreshing to have a new set of ears with an opinion, but it was definitely tough for some of us to get used to.
How would you say 'Young New England' compares to 'Listen & Forgive'? I don't like comparing things. There is no reason to write the same record twice, or to "try" and write a record that sounds like another. Our music is all about capturing what we were trying to express at that certain point in time. Transit writes the songs that we want to write, and that's the way it's always going to be.
In a kind of reference to the last question, how happy are you with what 'Listen & Forgive' has done for the band, as well as how it has been received by your fan base? We're very blessed to have amazing fans and amazing people that support our band. L&F was received well by a lot of people, and it was the most perfect, humbling year of our lives.
What do you want 'Young New England' to do for the representation/status of Transit? I've never looked at things that way. I just want people to listen to our music!
What else does 2013 hold for Transit? Touring and playing our songs to as many people as possible.
Interview with Dan
On the album trailer you guys stated that "People say the greatest generation has come and gone, but they're wrong. They haven't seen what we're capable of." So can you tell us a bit more about what this quote means to you guys? I don't know if it has really transitioned into the UK, but considering we were World War II allies and had a Great Depression around the same time, I think it's pretty much the same generation. Tom Brokaw wrote this book, which had this overarching idea of the Great Generation being this generation that was born during the Great Depression, and fought during World War II, and were like selfless, brave, determined people. I started to think about how fucked up it is that despite how - you know, they were great, they had their flaws, they weren't as progressive as we are now, that's how culture moved, they had a lot of attributes worthy of admiration - but I was thinking about how fucked up it is that we're ok with calling someone else the greatest. I think that this generation has been gifted this chance to not have to be an adult at 18 years old - you don't have to go to war, there's no Vietnam, there's no World War II. When you get out of high school, you're expected to go do something which isn't going to be your entire life for the next couple of years - whether it be seeing the world, or going to college, we've been gifted the chance to get a couple of years to catch our bearings generationally and figure ourselves out. I think we spend a lot of time focused inwardly and working on these internal struggles, and your fears, and where you fit into the world, and this record was a place for me to say "Ok, you've had that time to meditate on that, now it's time to put all that aside and say this shit will not stop me. I will be great.
Everyone wants to be great, you know? Everybody wants to grow up to be something admirable. My first dream job was to be a landscaper, so that's not totally true. But every job has its merits and everything is a necessary part of society. But growing up, no one says they want to work in a chip shop for the rest of their life. Everybody wants to be a lawyer, or a scientist, or a musician, or the President, or the Prime Minister. Is it a thing in England? Obviously you can't want to be the King or Queen..
Yeah, a big one in England is wanting to be a footballer, although it's a pretty impossible dream. That's something we got told when we were kids - in seventh grade we had a project where you had to say what you wanted to be when you grew up, but you couldn't say a professional athlete, a professional musician, or an actor or actress, because that will not happen. It's almost as if the world is squandering your chance of greatness, and I think now that we've had these couple of years we can say all these years I've told myself I can't be great, I'm gonna' break through all that shit and I will be great. For me it's not even about writing music, this is maybe the next couple of years of our life and we have a lot of life left to live, everyone in this band can do great things outside of it as well. I think generationally we can be great.
But is the greatness coming from the Wonder Years as a band? Our generation still seems pretty apathetic. What I'm trying to say with the record is everyone I know, everyone I spend time with, has this potential for greatness. I think for me at least, and I hope for everyone else, it's to put aside all the reasons that I've given for not being able to reach these heights, and I need to start working on the man (or woman) that I wanna' be.
Did you go to college? I did. I have a degree to teach high school English.
With the time constraints of touring, it's not always that common to talk to a pop-punk musician with a degree. Yeah, all the early tours we did, when we were playing places like Watford Rugby club, we were all in school for that. We toured in our breaks. We wanted both worlds, we wanted both things and we went after both.
What events and influences in your life can we expect to hear about on 'The Greatest Generation'? You'll hear about a couple of sad events that caused sparks. My great grandfather's funeral gets a mention. I didn't even know him before the funeral, it's more about finding out about his life than it is about his passing. My grandfather had a series of heart attacks and a triple-bypass surgery right before we went on tour.
I'm sorry to hear that. No, he's fine, he beat the shit out of the surgery and he's better than ever. But it was a really strenuous week for me because if something had gone wrong with the surgery then I was more than likely gonna' have to cancel a full UK tour, and let down our fans, and our band, and it was gonna' cost a lot of people thousands and thousands of dollars. Or if he'd made it through the surgery, do I go and leave the rest of my family to shoulder the burden? That was a difficult moment. A lot of it is reflective, reflective of my upbringing, of what's in my blood, reflective of the place that I came from.
You've stated that 'The Greatest Generation is the third piece of a trilogy about growing up', so with that in mind can you tell us about how the themes and influences on 'The Greatest Generation' compare to 'Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing'? I think it's just the next step forward. I think Suburbia was a step and I think that The Greatest Generation is a step. We'll keep doing that musically and lyrically. You pretty much write a record every two years and after two years, you're two years older, two years wiser and what you're hearing is two more years of our lives.
If we take a track like 'I Won't Say the Lord's Prayer' as an example, are there songs which deal with moral, religious or political issues on The Greatest Generation? No, it's a markedly unpolitical record. It's more of a record of personal reflection. I think people took the title as political, and some people have seen the track 'An American Religion' as political, but I think that track is more of a social commentary than a political commentary. I think that's most of the record. It's not so much about religion as it is about the idea that religion is necessary to beat addiction, which I always found to be a fallacy. There aren't any songs as charged as Lord's Prayer. Lord's Prayer was an important one for us to write, because it basically spoke to the idea that America is ruled by a religious bias. There is a movement to rule the country with a religious bias and we're fervently against that.
Yeah, 'Lord's Prayer' certainly caused a stir when it was released. Yeah, as soon as you criticise someone's religious beliefs they feel persecuted. The whole point of the song was that I don't care what you believe, I just don't think it should impact us as a nation. We were having a discussion about this yesterday, a couple of buddies of mine. I believe that if you are a religious person that you should be smart enough and rational enough to know that the religious text you're working from is not directly word-for-word the word of God. Obviously I don't believe it's the word of God in anyway. Even if you do believe that you have to understand that in the translation from Aramaic to another language, a lot has been lost and a lot is going to be changed for political bias. I think it's important for anyone of any religion to take certain/any religious text and put it through the filter of your own morality and see what that leaves you with. People need to be more responsible. When people say "homosexual couples shouldn't have the right to get married because that's the word of God", what they should really say is "homosexuals shouldn't have the right to get married and I read that in a book once and I morally agree with it and that's why I'm saying it�. That takes responsibility for your own - I don't mean to be judgemental - shitty, ignorant opinion. Unless you're going to say I believe every fucking word of the bible, then you can say it's the word of God, but the first thing you do that doesn't follow that, you have to say "it says this in the bible, but I morally agree with it and I'm that asshole", and I'll have way more respect for you then.
How was it working with Steve Evetts on this record? Working with Steve was great, we worked with him on the last record, so it was a little more comfortable this time, but he really fucking works you. He's a proponent of hard work and really fucking going for it as many times as you have to to get it right. That can cause a really stressful working environment, because sometimes it's like "dude, it's three in the morning and I just can't hit this note today", but he'll push you until you hit it. In the end it definitely makes a better product, but it also makes a really stressful experience. I think that was good for the record.
So, does that work ethic show through in the sound? Yeah, you'll feel the stress and the angst on it.
What made you guys write the record above an abandoned sandwich shop and how much of an impact did this have on the record? It was definitely freezing there in the winter time and incredibly hot in the summer. We were just there recently and a ceiling tile collapsed because it's so rotted out and ironically enough there was a skeleton of a pigeon up there. But, it was just the place we could write it. We didn't choose it because of its gritty nature, it was just cheap enough so we could afford it.
Hank the pigeon won't be making any more appearances on this record, will he? Well there's a lot of edges to that sword. We never considered the pigeon logo to be Hank the pigeon, it was just our logo and that will still be everywhere, we love the art. The actual pigeon mascot, we'll still bring it around every once in a while, but we're not gonna' put it on the cover of every record. It made a lot of sense to that record because it was a record about not knowing where you fit in the world and no one wanting you anywhere, and that reflected the life of a pigeon. So to put this actual huge pigeon in places in our town was actually really fitting for our artwork. But we don't need to have a picture of a pigeon in a World War II costume on a depression food line.
Speaking of the front cover, what does that mean to you guys as a band? For the artwork, I went and found a bunch of photos at thrift stores and flea markets. I guess people sell their personal photos at points, I'm not sure how they got there. They were from that era of time, between the twenties and the sixties, and we got those photos, and we had James Heimer, who has done almost all of our artwork, illustrate around it. There are these five themes that circle the record, and they're the five things that represent the major stumbling blocks for me in my search for being bigger and better than who I am. So we illustrated those themes into those photos to show that we call this the greatest generation, but they had the same problems and were able to put them aside and strive towards greatness and that's what we can do too.
You guys are one of the most recent bands who have really pushed the Pop Punk genre, and as you've progressed as a band through the first two records, you've still related really well with your fan base. So with this in mind, what was the pressure like for you guys when you were trying to figure out which direction to go with your new album 'The Greatest Generation'? There was definitely a new pressure. With Suburbia we were just barely a full time band. We had been touring full time for one year and we weren't making any money and it didn't really matter. We started writing that record the week after I moved of my dad's couch. If the record failed, it was like "oh well, we'll just go get jobs". But now this is kind of our career. When I was younger I was watching this thing on the Goo Goo Dolls - and don't talk shit on the Goo Goo Dolls cos' that band is fucking great - and he said that after they released 'Name', and the band got really big, all of a sudden it was like "this is your job now, your job is to write good songs" and that's a lot more pressure. So everyone who came into write this record had this "Oh my god, what are we gonna do?" and everyone had these spastic ideas of what the record should sound like and they were all really variant. Like someone would say "we should write a really heavy, rockin' record" and I was like "I'd like to write a folk record" cos' that's what I'm into and everyone had these really different ideas, and then all of a sudden it was like "oh wait, we're the Wonder Years, we should write a Wonder Years record. Let's write together as a team, and the records that come out of that are gonna' sound like the Wonder Years because it's the six of us". We just started letting it come out naturally and all of a sudden it just clicked, and I think it's by far the best work yet. We just needed to remember that every record is one step, just taking one more step. And in my opinion, that's the key to a great career. We follow in the footsteps of bands like Motion City Soundtrack and Bayside who do that super well. It's just one step, and that's how you stick with your fans and also create really memorable stuff.
So, what would you say you have learnt as a band from putting together this record? It speaks to the work ethic of our guys. We learnt how to work together even better. This is the second record we wrote with this line up, the six of us, we just learned to work with the three guitars better, to implement the bass and keyboard better, to write better choruses. Not being so verbose in the chorus and getting that out in the verse. We learn and we grow.
How excited are you to be back at Warped Tour this year on the main stage? I think back to being a kid in the Alkaline Trio pit and looking up and being like "holy shit, that's a lot of people watching Alkaline Trio", and in my wildest dreams I only could imagine being there. I had wild dreams about being in a band, about going on tour, maybe playing to a couple of hundred people. But the main stage of the Warped Tour? There was never even a chance of that for me.
Can we expect a full UK tour? We're planning to come back before the end of the year, we're looking to do some headline dates and we're looking for a way to fit it in, and for it to make sense for everyone. We want to make sure it's at a time when our fans can make it out to see us, like it's harder to tour in the summer because everyone's on holiday, no one's at Uni. We're balancing it out right now.
What else can we expect to see from The Wonder Years in 2013? We just wanna' do it bigger and better every year. Every single year's the same goal: see more places, play for more kids, bigger and better shows every year.
Interview with Paul
How did you recent tour go with A Day To Remember, and what were the main highlights from the tour for you? It was incredible, we had such an amazing time on this tour! Being able to play our songs to such a bigger audience was an amazing opportunity, we didn't expect such a good reaction from the crowd every night and it looks like most of the kids didn't know the band before this tour which is awesome because we gained a lot of new fans. A Day To Remember and their crew really took care of us and made sure we were always comfortable throughout the tour. Every band and their crew on this tour were very professional and we learned a lot from them as musicians and as individuals, it was definitely a tour to remember!
Also, in a kind of reference to the last question, how fun has it been to play the new songs from your latest album 'Pardon My French' live, and how happy have you been with the crowd response so far? Playing new songs live is always great, it brings some fresh air to your live set and you can analize the reaction of the crowd which is very important before dropping a new album. We released the single "Restart" when the tour started and we didn't expect kids to know the lyrics but there was so many faces in the crowd screaming it every night, and it looked like everyone was really pumped about the song! I wish we had more time to try some more new songs on this tour but we had a short set and didn't want to mess up in front of a big audience!
When we last spoke, you had just released 'Something For Nothing' so with this in mind, how would you say you have progressed musically since this record? Yes of course, we wrote "Something For Nothing" a long time ago, and at that time we didn't really know what to do and we didn't expect to sign on a label or anything, we just did it for fun. After spending a lot of time touring on the road, we have grown a lot as people and discovered new horizons and new people, experienced a lot of new things and learned a lot musically. When we started writing this new album, we took a different approach. We knew exactly what we wanted to do musically and the direction we wanted to take. It is similar in taste, but we have learned a lot as musicians and our new music has evolved into something that makes more sense, it's more mature and more personal at the same time.
So, what are the main themes and influences that run through your latest record 'Pardon My French'? There's a lot of different themes in this album and it was influenced a lot from our personal life experiences. One of the main themes of the album is believing in yourself, never giving up and fighting for what you want and being who you want to be. The Lyrics of the heaviest songs on "Pardon My French" are about people/friends changing with time and becoming what they said they would never be. We also have a song about people talking shit and hating on us (which could apply to everyone), it's just a positive message to tell them to go fuck themselves because, we are never going to change who we are and the haters will never affect us. In any situation there will always be haters, we just live to have fun and do our best to enjoy everything and everyone! For the rest of the record we're talking about living in the moment, growing up far from your loved ones, and life on tour.
What made you want to record with Joey Sturgis and what did he bring to the recording process? He's one of the best producers out there for heavy music and we are all big fans of his work. Our goal was to make this album sound like the heaviest pop punk album ever and he was the first producer we had in mind. We never thought he would be down to work with us so when we got the confirmation that he was going to produce our album we were really pumped and knew we wouldn't be disappointed! He's very picky on the production and will not leave you alone until your part is done perfectly. From drums to vocals he made sure every single part sounded perfect and helped us a lot with the accent when we recorded the vocals, it totally made a difference from what we've done before. It was also easy working with him because we were really prepared before entering the studio and we knew exactly what we wanted. We are more than happy with the end result and we are very proud of this record!
Can you tell us a bit about how the artwork for 'Pardon My French' came together, as well as what you want it to mean to your fan base? We were looking for a French symbol to put on our album cover and match with the title of the album. We thought it would be too cheesy to put the Effeil Tower or the French flag on it so we decided to find something that everyone knows about the French culture, Napolean was an evidence for us. We thought this painting looked great with the frame and we wanted something that popped out well so everyone could be interested by checking out the album after seeing the cover even if they've never heard of the band before. The idea behind this cover was to change the meaning of the original painting to something more positive, a small French band ready to conquer other countries with their music instead of violence.
In 2012 you guys managed to tour loads across the globe including 180 shows in the USA alone, so with this in mind, what's it like to be on the road this much, and what other places would you really like to tour next in the world and why? It's awesome but hard at the same time... You're having the best time playing in front of new people every night, you make a lot of great friends on the road, have the chance to share the stage with your favorite bands, see some of the most beautiful places around the world and party like you'll never do anywhere else. But at the same time it's also really hard to live with the same six stinky people in a dirty van for months. When you get sick it's going to last the entire tour and everyone around you will get sick too... You live really far from your loved ones, and everyone grows up and changes without you so it's really hard when you go back home to see how things have changed while you were gone... Being on tour is a little bit like being disconnected from the world. We already had the chance to tour in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia in the past so i'm really stoked to tour South America in the future, Mexico/Brazil/Argentina/Peru sounds awesome even if some of those places are sketchy it just brings more fun to the trip!
What else can we expect to see from Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! in 2013? We have a couple of shows scheduled in France before the summer, and some shows in Russia and another big US tour that will be announced soon in the fall. Hopefully we'll be able to develop the band in other countries after "Pardon My French" gets released but for sure 2013/2014 will be a big and very busy time for us!
Interview with Marc
Can you tell us how Louis Gauthier ended up as the new front man for Brutality Will Prevail, as well as what it has been like to work/tour alongside him so far? He actually filled in for us on a couple of shows on our UK run with Terror, so when the chance came up he jumped at it. He was a friend prior to this, so touring with him is just like having another one of your mates along too, it’s all good.
What's your relationship like with Ajay at the moment, have you spoke seen each other much since you parted ways? He's doing his thing and we are doing ours. Everyone's just getting on with their lives and doing what's best for them.
Also, are you guys going to stay with Purgatory Records, or does the future hold something different for you? We recently repressed our record Scatter The Ashes on Holy Roar records and also released a tape of the same on Pinky Swear records. As far as future endeavours go we will just see what comes of it when it arrives.
So, how has your tour gone with Coldburn & In Circles, and can you give us a couple of highlights from the tour so far? The tour has been awesome, everyone in In Circles and Coldburn are awesome guys, and if you haven't checked them out yet then I urge you to! Europe's finest. As far as highlights, I would just say hanging on a beach in France or visiting Auschwitz, as it is unreal there and a real eye opener.
Just before that tour you completed a UK run with Cancer Bats, so with the new line-up how was that for you guys, and what are your memories from this tour? The tour went down really well. I wouldn't say we were nervous about reactions to the new line-up, but we definitely didn't know what to expect. Fortunately the shows were awesome and I think the fact that we were playing to a lot of people who didn't know who we were also helped. All the European dates have been full of familiar faces and it’s like nothing has changed at all. Memories of the tour are great and we appreciate a band like Cancer Bats taking a band like ourselves on tour, as not many bands in their shoes would do the same, so we thank them for that.
How have the new songs been going down live, and also what songs have you been enjoying performing the most of your latest release, and why? The songs have been received great with plenty of kids singing along. I think one of the most interesting songs to play live off STA is Sins of Commitment. It's the first time we have had a true fast-paced song and playing it with bigger crowds circle pitting, is something new and fun to us. I think a lot of the new songs are more based towards sing-a-longs and the reactions have been unreal. Hopefully we will start throwing some more new songs into the set to see how they fare.
How excited are you for your slot at Download Festival, and what should attending fans expect from the show? Download is going to be insane. I know it's cliche but when you start a band as a kid, that's one of the stages you hope to be on. As far as what to expect, we will just do what we always do and hope that more kids who haven't seen it before will enjoy it.
You are also hitting Burn Out festival this year, so how excited are you for your slot there? I think we are one of the bands of that festival who maybe stand out a bit, but we will just view that as a positive and hope that people will enjoy the change in sounds throughout the day.
Will you be recording with your new line-up soon, and also what else can we expect to see from Brutality Will Prevail in 2013? We are currently touring as much as we can, all over the place, with shows in Japan, Australia, South East Asia and so on. After that hopefully we will get back on writing and have something new soon enough. We are going to try to keep ourselves as busy as possible, so come to a show and hangout with us!
Interview with James
How excited are you to finally have your new album ‘Altered State’ now out in the world for everyone to hear? Yeah definitely, it's nice to finally get it out there because it's sort of like the relaunching of the band again, obviously there have been quite turbulent times for the band over the last year so it's good to be able to put all of that behind us and keep moving.
Were there any pre-release nerves at all? Not really, I think we're pleased with the record and hopefully other people like it, it's up to them really. We've just found it really nice to have finally got to the point where it's out and we can move on from all the various drama that we've had previously
It's the first TesseracT album with Ashe singing on, how has he fitted into the band? He's been amazing, the first track that he wrote was actually Nocturne so it was his audition piece really. He's been brilliant, so we're all really happy with the whole record, basically his amazing performance is what has enabled us to move on so quickly.
So how pleased are you with how the album has turned out? Yeah very much so, it's kind of an evolution from where we were a few years ago. It feels like a much more complete album because the first album was a mash of the best tracks that had been written since 2004 when the project began whereas everything on this album is something new and fresh. It all works very well together, it's matured a little bit as well both in the songwriting but also the production as well so we're really pleased with it.
Wasn't it produced in house with members of the band as well? Yeah it was primarily produced by Acle (Kahney, Guitar) who's also the main songwriter and a lot of the editing was done by Amos (Williams) who plays bass in the band as well so it was very much an in house effort
Why did you decide to produce the album this way then? For a number of reasons, the last album was self produced as well and basically we have the skills within our team so we may as well do it ourselves and not spend any money. Also we've maintained full control over what it sounds like, most bands have an engineer for a set amount of time that they pay for and they get what they're given at the end of it whereas we're able to get down to the nitty gritty of every track and have it exactly how we want. So yeah it's partly artistic but also financially it makes sense.
The album is split into four parts, how much does the sound vary between the different sections? The overall sound of this album doesn't really change very much, it flows from beginning to end but I guess musically the first act is a big sort of intro. It's basically like one song that flows, the first movement is the first four tracks and they're a good sort of expression of where we are as a band at the moment. Track two is just a block of songs but the third one is where it goes a bit more out there, we have a saxophone solo section and then the fourth section is a very experimental track, it's based around one chord the whole way through.
The four parts to the album represent different states, what was the thinking behind this? Basically they're kind of four elements of life and the theme of the album is basically movement and the way that things continually change, also it's about evolution, not in the Darwinism sense but in the way that things are always moving forward, nothing stays the same.
You filmed a music video the other day, what can you tell us about it? I feel we're still to come up with the actual storyline for it but it's a bit abstract, it's kind of about ....... Well I can tell you literally what it's about, it's about aliens impregnating or basically coming to earth to essentially take over, it's a bit sci-fi and geeky, there's also a deeper meaning to it.
What was it like to film then? We didn't really have anything to do with the filming, we talked to the producers and storyboarders and then they sat down and did it, we've not really had anything to do with it. It's just a crazy, weird five minute film with our music behind it. We've only seen a few stills so far so we're looking forward to seeing it.
You'll be cycling to Download Festival from London this year, why? I cycled eleven miles actually, I'm getting in training. I was asked to do it by the editor of Prog and I thought it would be a really good thing to do, it's always good to do charity events and I'm cycling for a charity called Nordoff Robbins who are a music therapy charity and they basically treat people with mental health problems through music therapy and it's proved to be quite successful so as a musician I've took an interest in it. It will be good to raise money for them and it will be good to get fit again because I've not done any physical exercise in years, hopefully it won't kill me and it'll be a laugh.
So who are you looking forward to checking out at Download? I'm looking forward to seeing After The Burial, Hacktivist and on the rock side of things Black Dogs they're bloody awesome, they're a groovy, hardcore band from the North. I've never actually seen Iron Maiden, I probably shouldn't admit that because I'm probably the only person in the world who hasn't seen Iron Maiden so that's going to be good.
What's the best case scenario for everything to play out for TesseracT this year? The best case scenario would be that people like the album, the feedback has been good so far so fingers crossed. We've got some good tours lined up as well so the best case is that we get the chance to get out there, start playing again and that people accept our new line-up and stop saying that we need Dan back in the band because that was two years ago and it’s distant history to us now. We just want to get out there and play music now.
Interview with Nathan
How was 'normal life' once the band ended and what was it that led to getting the band back together? "normal life" was anything but normal, as I immediately started working on other projects. At the time I had formed a band called The Casting Out which has since broken up, and more recently I have started a band with my son called I AM HERESY. both BSF and I AM HERESY have become giant priorities in my life which keep it anything but normal. I can’t really say that any one thing or event lead to BSF writing and putting out a new album..I guess it just seemed like the right thing to do.
Can you tell us how you got to the album title 'While A Nation Sleeps....' as well as what it means to you as a band? Very simple actually.."while a nation sleeps" was a slogan BSF used before we had even written a note. We would plaster it all over town: "WHILE A NATION SLEEPS...BOY SETS FIRE".. it seemed to get people's attention for what we were about to do. So after writing this album, we realized that we had never used that again, so we did and I think it is very fitting for the album and the content within.
How would you say your musical style/direction has progressed or developed since the release of 'The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years'? I would actually say that whille a nation sleeps is very similar to the feeling of misery to me. As there is no bullshit, just songs we love and wanted to share with whoever will listen.
What made you want to avoid major labels and create End Hits Records, and also what is it like to run this alongside the band? It just seemed like what we should do. As we didn't see the point of going through the horrible rat race. We are not here to write a single, or to do anything that we do not feel like doing. We are beholden to no one...and that is the way we like it.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what should attending fans expect? I am always really excited to tour. Recording is fine and all, but touring is where you really get to push yourself, as well as also getting feedback from the people that love/hate your music.
Next year will be the 20th anniversary of Boysetsfire, so with this in mind, what have been the biggest changes in the alternative music scene for you since starting and now? Well..I guess the biggest difference for me is the amount of genres there are now. In the early 90's everything that had a certain ethic was "hardcore"..it didn’t matter if your band was metal, pop, or country..if you belonged to this certain little community then you were a hardcore band. You don't get much of that anymore. this old man gets confused wading through all the titles and labels.
Interview with Josh
How are the new songs going down live from your double concept album ‘House of Gold & Bones’, and what songs are you enjoying performing the most from these releases at the moment? The new stuff is awesome to play live & even though the new albums are 'a concept', the stuff fits together well with the older material. I really enjoying playing 'Gone Sovereign/Absolute Zero' at this moment.
You've stated that your new record contains 'reprises of Part 1' and that it is also a darker record, so with this in mind can you tell us a bit about how 'House of Gold & Bones – Part 2' compares to Part 1? I think by the time we started recording the tracks for Part 2 we were more comfortable with the recording process and our surroundings, which I think opened us up more to trying new things than we had ever done before. Part 1 to me is us at our best, with what we have done over the last decade, and then Part 2 is more where we are in the present as well as showing us move forward as a band.
When did you decide that this was going to be a concept double album, and can you tell us a bit about how this idea came together? Really when we realized that we had music for 24 songs & Corey’s short story. Then I suggested that we break them up over two albums.
How did you guys end up having Rachel Bolan join the band to record on bass for these two records, and what was it like to work with him? Roy, Corey & myself were at Corey’s place trying to think of people that could come in and play bass on the record. I suggested Rachel. I just thought his style would blend well with what we were doing. He’s a total pro, he came in & knocked the stuff out in like five or six days. He is a great player and I think he is very underrated.
What made you want to work with David Bottrill on these records? When we decided on making a concept album, we knew it was very important to have the right producer that was not going to be a 'yes man' to the label. Dave had worked on all of these progressive albums over the years, so we knew he'd be able to see the same vision. What he brought to the table was a sense of freedom to try and do whatever we wanted, without thinking about what anyone else would think.
What was it like to record both records simultaneously? We know bands record a lot of songs when putting together just one record, so did this maybe keep you in the studio for a longer amount of time? It came together really quickly after the demos from everyone were collected, in the Fall of 2011. We did like, two weeks of pre-production in January 2012 in Des Moines with the four of us. Then we recorded the albums in three months. That’s half the time it took to record our last album, 'Audio Secrecy'!
Also what made you want to record this double concept record closer to home? I know for Corey & myself we loved the fact that we could drive home everyday if we wanted to!
You've just released a series of comics entitled 'House of Gold and Bones' so can you tell us how the idea for this came about, as well as how the comics relate to your new album? The comic was Corey’s idea. It’s a 4-part mini series via Dark Horse Comics. It’s basically the visual to the albums, and it's all based around the short story in Corey's lyrics.
So what does the future hold for this double concept album then? For example, have there been any plans to maybe perform this record back to back by doing two shows in two days? We would like to do that if we can, but there are a lot of logistics that have to be worked out to see if it’s even possible. If it happens, it won't be 'til the spring of 2014.
As a guitarist, what is it like working with Jim Root and also, what would you say you have learnt from each other over the years? I think we complement each other very well as players. We have a cool push & pull dynamic to our styles which gives Stone Sour our sound. As far as learning from him, I think it was more in the early days in how to make a record & things about touring, since he had two Slipknot albums & tour cycles under his belt.
What are your memories from performing at Download Festival before, and how excited are you to be performing on the main stage there this year? I’m stoked to play Download. It’s my favourite festival to play, not only 'cause of the history of the event but because the UK is like our second home.
Interview with Justin
So what was it like to audition for new singers when Killswitch Engage parted ways with Howard, and when & how did you realize that Jesse Leach was going to be your new front man? It was a weird situation for sure, we had no idea what was going to happen. We wanted to make sure we had the right person going forward, and as soon as we got into a room with Jesse and started playing through songs with him, it was obvious that he was the only answer.
Was it maybe a bit strange having Jesse audition for the band when he'd previously been a part of Killswitch Engage? It could have been, but he understood. He knew how important a process it was for us, and that we had to make sure we covered every option that was available. It also helped put our mind at ease, knowing how badly he wanted to come back.
How much of 'Disarm The Descent' was done before Jesse joined the band, and what was it like to have him as part of the recording process once more? Almost all the music was written by the four of us before he rejoined. I have been a fan of his music forever, so it was especially exciting for me to be part of a creative process with him. I would anxiously await new demo material from him, and it always made me more excited about the song's future.
Also, what's it been like to tour with this new line-up? I mean maybe you feel that you have to prove something live as Killswitch Engage enters this new chapter, or alternatively maybe it has just remained as a much more natural process? Touring has been an absolute blast. I can't remember a time when it felt so easy. I am sure that there are some people and even some fans that aren't sure what to expect from us, after making such a big change. However, we aren't feeling any pressure whatsoever from it. We just enjoy being together and playing music together a lot, and that is all we can control and all we are focused on.
With Jesse last recording with the band on 'Alive or Just Breathing' how would you say the recording process has changed or developed within Killswitch Engage compared to that record? Well, it is a much more comfortable situation now, since we do so much of it at Adam's house. It doesn't feel at all like it is work. The writing process is what has likely changed the most, since we usually write and demo material on our own and then share it with each other, instead of getting together in a room and jamming on riffs. We seem to be a lot more efficient now than we once were because of that.
So, how did you get to the album title 'Disarm the Descent' and what does it mean to you? Mike and Jesse put it together, using the themes from the lyrics and artwork. It has a similar meaning to the name of the band, really. Kind of shutting down what was previously happening and starting something new. Given all that has happened, we felt it was the right fit.
Can you tell us a bit about the main themes and influences that run through 'Disarm the Descent'? Musically, we all had a lot of aggression and were itching to write and record again, and I think that came through with the speed of this record. There are a lot of songs that are pretty fast, more than usual. Lyrically, Jesse likes to write about things he sees in the world, and things that personally affect him.
We've read that you were a 'little unhappy' with some parts of your last self-titled record as it felt a 'little ballad-y' so was it your intention to make your latest record a bit more of an aggressive & faster record, or did this process just happen naturally? I think it happened naturally. All the time we spent sitting on our hands manifested itself with fast riffs and a certain intensity that can't be forced or contrived, I believe. I think it is a perfect representation of how we were all feeling as a band.
What is it like to have Adam Dutkiewicz produce on the Killswitch Engage records, and how does this help with the recording process? Adam is flat out the best. As I said earlier, it doesn't feel like we are working when we record with him. He knows how to set a comfortable atmosphere, yet also get everything done. I am sure it helps that we are all so close and such good friends, but there is also no one that I would trust with our music and our art more than him.
Your very own Mike D'Antonio even created the artwork for 'Disarm The Descent' so can you tell us about how him and his company came up with the idea for it, as well as what the artwork means to you guys? I think the tone of this layout compliments the vibe of the record perfectly. He had a few different ideas, some different versions of the same kind of imagery, and all of us felt that it was right on the money. He worked with a photographer and good friend of ours, Jeremy Saffer, to get the images just the way we wanted. In the end, I think they nailed it.
In a kind of reference to the last two questions, it's pretty cool to see a band have such a huge control over a release, so with this in mind, what's it like to have this kind of control on a release, and how important is this to you? I think we are very fortunate to have so many elements of the band remain in house. Mike and Adam are both very talented at design and engineering, respectively, as well as being such talented musicians. It is a unique situation, and it really helps streamline our vision.
The album has charted really well across the globe, so how happy have you been so far with the response from both fans and critics? It's been a little overwhelming. After all that has happened, after so much time, we didn't know what to expect at all. So this has all been great. But the core of the band is and always will be the shows, and they have been so much fun so far.
What else can we expect to see from Killswitch Engage in 2013? Touring, touring, and more touring. After that, we'll tour. I think we have a tour coming up after we tour. Then, we'll probably tour!
So when did you start taking up photography and videography? I've been interested in photography since I was younger, and when I started going to shows in my early teens, I would bring my old point-and-shoot film camera. The shots were never particularly good, but I was always thrilled to get them developed. I eventually upgraded to a digital camera, which, in addition to low-quality pictures, took short videos with no sound. I really enjoyed doing it, so I eventually picked up a real video camera and a digital SLR.
Who was the first major band that you filmed live, and what was this whole experience like for you? I would film and photograph local shows with my lackluster beginner cameras. When I realized what great live sound my video camera picked up, I contemplated shooting full sets. I eased into it with my early attempts, starting at in-store performances and acoustic sets. I think the first relatively known band I filmed in a normal show setting was Mushroomhead. The response was great, even though back then you could only upload footage to YouTube in 10-minute segments at a time. Not too long after that, I recorded bands like Transit, Man Overboard, The Swellers, The Ataris and Set Your Goals, and people started to take notice. Around the same time, I was getting more into photography, so I decided to invest in a digital SLR.
So can you tell us a bit about who you have been filming recently? I'm still shooting lots of live videos, the most recent of which was an Andrew W.K. solo show. It was packed in a small room, and the show was an absolute blast. I've also been filming a bit more with my SLR, which captures much better video quality but isn't piratical for full sets. I recently teamed up with my friends in Scholar, an awesome pop punk band from Rochester, NY, to make a lyric video using my footage of them in the studio. As for photos, I just shot the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, which is something I look forward to every year. This year included Anthrax and Hatebreed, among many others.
So, when filming live, how do you go about getting the best recording possible? The first step is to find the best vantage point. A venue with an elevated platform towards the back of the room is ideal, so the video isn't just the back of peoples' heads. If there's no good spot like that, I usually try to make my way to the front of the stage towards one side so I don't have to film over people but I'm not right in the middle of the action. Once a spot is secured, I always try to get a healthy mix of all of the musicians. The singer usually gets the most screen time, since that's what most people want to see, but I'm always conscious of the other musicians on the stage. I also try to alternate between wide shots and close ups to keep things interesting.
Also, can you tell us about the equipment that you normally use? I shoot photos on a Canon 7D, and my go-to lens is a Canon EF-S 17-55mm, which allows for great range. My video camera is Panasonic PV-GS320. People are usually surprised to learn that it's a pretty small, inexpensive handheld camera. I would love to upgrade to a high-definition camera, but I have yet to find one that captures as good live sound without an external microphone as my Panasonic. If anyone has any leads on a good one, please hit me up.
What do you find easier to do live photography or videography, and why? I find videography easier, even if it's often more labor intensive. Not only is there much less post-production work, but a photography is an entirely different beast. It captures a single moment, a split second in time, but people will look at it for longer than that. They'll be able to analyze every minor imperfection. With videos, however, people experience them in real time. They won't care about 30 seconds of less-than-perfect footage when there's another 40 minutes of good stuff to watch.
When the lighting is bad in a venue, how do you go about getting the best out of the band when either filming or shooting? Bad lighting is the bane of my videography. My video camera is weak in low light conditions, and trying to brighten the footage afterward is usually futile due to the standard definition. I just try to work with what I have and make the most of the situation, because even if the footage is dark, I can count on the audio being listenable. It's much easier with photography. If I can't use a flash, I shoot at a lower F-stop and longer exposure to let in the most light possible. This can result in a lot of motion blur, so I tend to take a bunch of pictures of the basic shot so I can choose the best one.
What band have been the most fun for you to record live, and why? The most exciting band to photograph for me was Blink 182. Not only do they put on a fun live show, but they're my all-time favorite band, so I was in awe to be just a few feet away from these people I've looked up to for years, shooting their set. I think my favorite show I ever filmed was last year's Glamour Kills Tour. Not only was the line-up great, but kids went so crazy for The Wonder Years and The Story So Far. The crowd moved the barricade so they could get on stage, and it was just nonstop stage dive madness. I had an awesome view from the balcony to capture it all.
Alternatively, what band have been the hardest for you to record live, and why? The hardest band to photograph was, without a doubt, Gwar. If you've never been to a Gwar show - you should - they shoot fake blood, semen and other bodily fluids all over the crowd throughout their set. It was a bit scary knowing my camera could be ruined at the sight of a fake penis, but thankfully a fellow photographer in the photo pit came prepared with plastic wrap and gave me some to protect my camera. I can't think of a particularly hard time I've had shooting bands, but anytime there's no safe place to stand and lighting is low is usually not the best experience.
What else can we expect to see from you in 2013? I've been shooting more professional-quality, edited HD footage as of late, which I'd like to continue to explore. In addition to regular shows, I'll be photographing Warped Tour and Mayhem Festival in the summer, which are always fun. Keep an eye on alexislegend.com and follow me on Twitter at @alexislegend for my latest photos, videos and more.
Anything we've missed? People often ask about the name alexislegend. I know it sounds pretentious and grammatically incorrect, but it's a play on the title of my favorite book, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. If you've only ever seen the Will Smith movie adaptation, then do yourself a favour and pick up the novel. Some people assume I got it from the band He Is Legend, but they're also named from the book.
Who was your first major client, and what was this whole experience like for you at the time? My first major client was Deftones. I couldn't believe my eyes when I got the email, I felt like i'd won the lottery! The chance to work with one of my favourite bands was awesome. I did three designs for them, two made it through to the very final stages but unfortunately didn't get used in the end. It was still a GREAT experience to at least have my designs seen by Chino and the guys.
Can you tell us about how your designs come together? For my personal work for bands and others I do all my own work, be it an illustration piece or a photoshop piece created form scratch. With Glorious Nightmare I did all the branding and have created three of the tee designs I have had on the site since starting it. I'm actually working on some new ones at moment. I also have artist friends do some design for me from time to time, such as Craig Robson (Erebus, wolfman,serpentine) and Si Mitchell (face tearer). I usually give them a very loose brief and let them come up with what they have in mind and go from there.
Can you tell us a bit about your latest designs/projects? My latest pieces I'm working on are a few new glorious nightmare designs and my bands Sleep Pattern Destroyed's tee. A few pieces I have recently finished are sleep pattern destroyed's EP artwork and Terebos's cd packaging.
What's the hardest part about running your own clothing company, and why? There's a lot of things to do, remember and update. I would say the hardest part is juggling everything at once. The secret is being organised, that helps a lot.
It's fair to say that there are a lot of clothing companies out there, so with this in mind, can you tell us what puts you above the rest? Well as i'm still growing at the moment I can't offer as many products as others can but I would say the high level of customer service I provide is definitely a strong point. Also the attention to detail, as I hand wrap/package each order and always take the time to write a personalised thank you note to show my appreciation for the customer taking the time to, not only order, but check out my brand.
What else can we expect to see from Glorious Nightmare in 2013? Well this year I will be putting out some new designs and hopefully some other goodies but I can't give away all of my secrets!
Can you tell us about the formation of Signature Brew? Well, there are three founders, myself, David Riley and Tom Bott. I’ve worked with David for a number of years in the Music Industry, and Tom is my cousin and our head brewer. Once I had the initial idea for Signature Brew, we all sat down together and developed it into a proper plan. We all love music, and beer, naturally, but we all also shared a disdain for the sub-par mass produced beer that is served in most music venues, so our goals were clear. We secured our first brewing partner, and then our first band, The Rifles, and set about making some new and awesome beers.
Can you tell us a bit about the Signature Brew team? Well we all chip in everywhere we can but it’s roughly like this: Tom - Head Brewer, Recipes, Tasting Notes, Logistics, Production Schedules, Drayman. David - Marketing Strategy, PR, Events, Partnerships. Sam - Artist Liaison, Marketing, Brewing, E-Commerce, Finance, Branding, Drayman. John - Creative Design. Marcus Video Director & Editor.
What does a typical day involve for you at Signature Brew? No day is the same! Typically for me it’s anything including, emailing, organisational stuff, deliveries, meetings, gigs, beer events, sales calls, brewing, proofing artwork, filming, marketing proposals, and naturally, drinking some beer, which is also work.
So who was the first major client for you guys, and what was that whole experience like? The Rifles - they were our first band, and the experience was great. We had to find our feet quickly, but it all worked out fine in the end with a great beer.
You recently went on tour with Frank Turner to promote his drink 'Believe', so what was that whole experience like for you, and how happy were you with the response to the drink? Really happy with the response to the beer, going to new cities and drinking Believe with fans and landlords is awesome. I wish we had the time to do this more.
Also, what was it like to work with Frank Turner to create his drink 'Believe' and what has this experience been like so far for you guys? Frank is great, and he got really involved in the process. Beyond creating a beer, the promotion and marketing of the beer is important too and he’s been super involved there too. Believe was really well received, and we’ve had plenty of live dates to work around in terms of getting it out to fans.
What was it like to work with Enter Shikari to create their drink 'Sssnakepit' and what has this experience been like so far for you guys? Working on creating Sssnakepit with the Enter Shikari guys has been awesome. As the band has four very opinionated members - it took a bit longer to get the recipe down, but the end result was amazing. Sssnakepit is our first lager that we’ve brewed with a band, and we didn’t hold back with the recipe, its packed full of the best ingredients, including tones of Chinook hops which give the beer the grapefruit edge that the band were looking for.
When you work with a band on a drink, how hard or easy is it to get the idea across about what they want the drink to taste like? For example do you guys come up with the ideas, or do the bands have a taste idea themselves that you adapt on? We have recently had some preliminary meetings with bands before full on tasting sessions to discuss ideas beforehand. This allows us to tailor the sessions towards what they already have in mind, and make the recipes more detailed. We now also create test brews to again allow the artist to have even greater input on the final beer profile. In terms of creating the beers we often have ideas that we take to the tasting sessions, but it’s always a joint effort. We want the beer to be part of the artists overal creative output so the creation process is always very important.
Can you tell us about what other drinks you guys offer, as well as who else you have been working with lately? Remedy by Professor Green, an American Style Pale Ale, crafted with all British Ingredients, is one of our other core beers. Mammoth by Dry The River - a huge double IPA at 7%, very limited edition beer, that we're all super proud of. Coming up we've got Dark Heart by Ed Harcourt - a massive transatlantic brown ale, clocking in at 6.8% is out now. And also Doctors Orders by Hospital Records - a Vienna style lager, a malt forward beer, that is our first foray into dance music. That is also out right now!
www.signaturebrew.co.uk
Whales'Island is melodic-hardcore band from South Italy, exactly from Palermo (Sicily). This project bore in 2010 from Turixxx (Values Intact, The Break!) and his fella Nicolò (The Break!): their objective was to link old-school sounds with the new fresh ones mixing a little bit of hardcore, a lot of punkrock sound, a little bit indie rock but keeping it very melodic, leading it to a sound similar to Lifetime, Polar Bear Club, Strike Anywhere, Death Is Not Glamorous, Samiam and much more... After the recording of their first full-lenght "Not A Dream But Never The End" (out for Indelirium Rec. -2011-), they started playing from time to time all around Europe (five european tour till now), gaining the attention of some others indipendent labels. Thanks to No Reason Rec. (IT), No Panic Rec.(DE), WAK rec.(GR) "Chronicles Of Pretenders"(7" vinyl -2012-) and "Crossroads"(7" vinyl -2013) came out later with new sounds and new concerts. Whales' Island like to talk theirselves as a big family at first, also composed by everyone who supports them, have the same passion in music and who believes that in this world Hardcore is not dead, because it lives within our hearts and souls. We played five European tour in two years and more... in Germany, Poland, Belgium,Austria,Cz,Greece,France,Holland..big shows with bands as: Polar Bear Club, Ceremony, Man Overboard, Antillectual, Rebuke,The Flatliners, No Trigger, Tim Vantol, The Queers and much more...
Dave McPherson - Dreamoirs InMe's own Dave McPherson is a man who should rightfully be ranked within music's most hardworking men. Between constant touring, InMe's latest offering and his own 365 Pledge campaign, he has found the time to dedicate his passion and effort into another solo offering in the form of 'Dreamoirs'. From the angelic twinkle of 'Snowball' to the blazing acoustics of 'Relics of Don Quixote', McPherson makes you eternally glad that he finds the time for his plethora of work, because it fails to disappoint. Raw and impassioned, the opening moments of 'Kingdom' see his restrained guitar work and vocal capabilities take the fore, evolving into its own minimalistic and delicate machine. And while it might sound like one man and his guitar so far - musical simplicity at its finest - McPherson utilises other ambient tweaks, like strings on 'The Wilderness' teamed with a punctuated undertone from the drums. Yet, in amidst all this - it remains fragile. At no point does this record grab you by the shoulders and demand your attention; it lures you in with passion and an undeniably soaring quality. You almost don't want to play this album too loud at risk of breaking it - it really does feel that light and airy at times; but, amidst that acoustic haze, there lies something completely and utterly wonderful. HM
Penny Dreadful - Fly The Courts Of Princes Imagine if all the Sex Pistols did was release instrumentals, and then Morrissey found them and decided to combine them with his marvellously sombre vocals, this imaginative creation is probably similar to what Penny Dreadful sounds like. The band also are quite suggestive of the Misfits and definitely haunted by that punk revival feel, yet what makes the bad so interesting is the vocal pairing. The entire EP is quite fast paced and has a deeper minor feel to a lot of it. Towards the end of the album, it starts to feel a lot more modern punk, and the riffs used in 'Forsaken' definitely remind the listener of a much heavier category of music, than you would have thought after listening to the beginning of the EP. Overall, it's a nice progression of an EP to slightly alter until you end up with a slight twist at the end. Although the punk vibe is strong and prominent throughout the EP, I especially like the way it progresses to heavy modern rock with a less 'Smiths' feel to it, because although as great as Morrissey can be, he can also be rather depressing, which is not ideal for a punk band. EG
Roadside Theory - Detox of Sanity Detox of Sanity, is an EP/Single release from the band Roadside Theory, a five-piece Metalcore band from New Zealand. Their main influences are, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God and Bullet for my Valentine, which can be identified especially in this release. Their partnership of melody and aggression comes together on this release, making you feel like a wound up, rowdy, don't-give-a-fuck teenager, ready to go out and cause havoc in the suburban streets. For a Metalcore band, the vocal content in both songs featured are extremely strong, the switching between typical 'scream' and a melodic chorus type singing in the background create a very interesting combination. The instrumental value is very tight, skilled and well-constructed, which adds to the tone for both songs. 'Detox of Sanity' is heavy; fast paced and carries plenty of energy, perfect for any fan of the band or Metalcore in general, the second song, 'Knife in the Spine' is a lot softer than the title track, and has a much stronger vocal content, however both songs carry their own individualities and are both very good. EG
Koji - Crooked In My Mind Crooked in my mind is the first release from Pennsylvania singer/songwriter Koji, via Run For Cover records and it's been a long time coming. After a difficult couple of years, Koji has managed to create an album that not only combines an impressive instrumental collection but also superb lyrical content. Good news, the EP is finally here, and for fans of an acoustic, indie feeling album, it doesn't disappoint. The first thing that comes to mind when listening to Koji is a City and Colour type feel, and also reminiscent of those pop-punk bands we all know and love. Throughout the album there is also a massive rocky undertone, yet with a somewhat jazz/blues feel and definite dark undertones, especially when reaching the middle of the Album. The first song, 'Chasing a ghost' is the perfect welcome; it's upbeat and joyful, with strong vocals that show Koji off as a talented musician and vocalist. It has a very acoustic and easy listening feel to it, but it shouldn't be passed off. Personally, my favourite track is the second; it's got a great rhythm and great lyrics, which adds to the general feel of the song. The album gets more and more bluesy, and fast paced, which you can see in track five, 'fragile times', you almost feel as if you've left the beginning song behind, when just as you're used to this change Koji brings it back to the beginning with 'What you leave behind' which recreates the happy, acoustic feel the album brought with it. Overall, for a debut album it's incredibly well put together and thought out, and if acoustic/indie/pop-punk is your thing, it couldn't come higher recommended. Also, with every copy bought, Koji dedicates a dollar to one of his favourite causes, just another thought. EG
The Anthem - High Five Italian pop-punk four-piece The Anthem released their debut album ‘High Five’ back in 2012 under the same label as Gaslight Anthem, The Ataris and MXPX. Over the last two years they’ve played some prolific shows with You Me At Six, The Maine and Your Demise. ‘Draw You Over’ fades in with a chorus of “whoa oh oh” that sounds like they’ve been taken straight from an All Time Low track, which isn’t a bad thing if you want to be another blueprint for how to sound like a one layer band making easy listening pop-punk music (punk used loosely in this instance). The album doesn’t establish any serious musical credentials with songs like ‘Finger Lickin' Good’ that illustrate shallow lyrics, however they’re infectiously catchy which can be played to their advantage in gaining many young fans of fun pop punk. Nonetheless their maturity rears its head in ‘High Five’ indicating the opportunity for a more developed sound. The track is comprised of acoustic guitars and mellowed vocals along with an infectious, anthemic, chorus that is guaranteed to get stuck-in-your-head. Last track ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ adds a bit of a kick that the album is in desperate need for. The track has a somewhat compelling yet short instrumental solo of punk guitar lines and hard drum beats. They do say save the best to last. High Five is an album that isn’t a creative masterpiece but is understandably an easy listen that is by no means a negative thing. But if you’re looking for music that holds no real depth and an undeniable amount of catchy vocals then The Anthem are worth that much. MH
To The Wind - Empty Lies Melodic metal-core mob To The Wind, are set to release their debut album ‘Empty Lies’ this July. In those coming months the Seattle based band have been gaining credibility and attention through playing a United States wide tour. ‘Balance’ opens up the 10-track album, a short intro held together with rage from all directions. It all sets out to be a well-proposed album, the pounding drums; throat-powered vocals and polished-metal guitar work, it seems this album has all the components for a solid hardcore record. However a slight niggle in the back of the mind can be felt just prodding away with annoyance until it recognises that this album comes with a catch. Yeah, it can be sure people will be circle pitting the fuck out to this because To The Wind has all of the elements a heavy metal band should boast. But the songs seem to have a lack of individuality, it’s hard to tell when a song has ended and the next one has begun and, in all honestly, if every song was described it would literally be the same paragraph copy and pasted over and over. Giving the guys credit where it’s due, each track illustrates guttural vocals, ferocity, and a well-balanced mix of heavy production and subdued climaxes but the album is still rather forgettable. Saying that, this is their first LP and if it’s anything to go by they can only progress. MH
The American Scene - Safe For Now Californian band, The American Scene have been continuously compared to other bands like The Dangerous Summer, Biffy Cylro, Transit, (and even Tom Delonge.) As accredited acts that they are it’s never a good thing when a band is pigeonholed into a genre and compared to everyone else, resulting in not really acclaiming the bands own identity. Vocalist matt does appear to have a slight Scottish rasp to his voice at times, and his deliverance of emotive lyrics is received warmingly by a slash of punchy guitars in ‘Just Say it’ and ‘Blood Orange’. Both tracks that kick off with a gentle blow but end a little flat.
‘Hungry Hands’ gives the album a swift change in pace to an upbeat tempo with twangy guitar notes charmed with catchy lyrical energy. But then it’s back to the plodding pace with tracks such as, ‘Untitled’, a soulful acoustic ballad and ‘Used To You’; both charming tracks nonetheless.
The album opens itself up to a slow start but later flourishes, however at times it lacked variation and would work great as a 7-track long album. The American Scene however do demonstrate massive amounts of promise with this album, and with all the sound-alikes they’ve been compared to, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing after all. For in a way it shows this band could go in any direction they’d like. MH
Arcane Roots - Blood & Chemistry Arcane Roots are a three-piece Alternative Rock band from Kingston Upon Thames, England. Incorporating a concoction of genres including progressive, indie and math rock, creating a complex and interesting sound that can be heard on their highly anticipated first full length debut... The intelligible titled opening song starts off on a soothing note, then the instruments come to life.. bouncing and pounding around brilliantly in a extremely catchy affair with great rhythms and riffs, not to mention stand out varied vocals. A powerful one to open on with its skilful changeability.. "Resolve" has ambient qualities and complex intricate riffs and sounds that stay throughout creating a nice ethereal sound with impressive driven vocals accompanied with clever musical arrangements.."Belief" has an optimistic feel through the instruments but is paired with more melancholic and emotive vocals. This has the sound of a big radio friendly track where vocalist Andrew shows off his incredible pipes further..the result is unbelievable good!.. "Sacred Shapes" dives straight into a powerful fast paced riff and superb melodies. It shows off skilful changes and diversity in terms of the instruments and going between melodic clean singing to fierce heavy vocals..It takes a different 'shape' towards the end with a nice acoustic breakdown. "Triptych" opens on a busy complex riff which carries on throughout with striking melodies, and as seen previously varied vocals with the appearance of fierce screamed vocals backed by bad-ass guitar and bass riffs to compliment and heavy pounding drums, and then seamlessly and effortlessly returning to the former state..the transitions are executed with precision making this another highlight! "Second Breath" opens in a great heavy manner making this the mightiest offering on the album. The angry vocals paired with Andrew's clean melodic vocals make a great contrast; and of course with its characteristic slick variations and massive atmospheric feel this is another favourite track with its great darker sound.. Last track, "You Keep Me Here" is fast paced, with ever strong great rhythms and melodies that show no signs of dying out now, with strong bass and guitar riffs. This is the perfect ending to what has been a amazing debut in my opinion; I know its quite clichéd to say they saved the best to last..well this just well could be one of the best!.. they demonstrate all their best traits with even more grandeur..'epic' is used a lot to describe music, but it shouldn't be used lightly and often unless credit is due..but this truly deserves the branding of epic! This may well be one of the best releases of 2013 so far..this is going to be a huge year for them..and if not then something is very wrong with the world! What is to dislike with their debut with its dynamic intelligibly brand of alternative rock with rough hard edges and beautiful mainstream qualities alike! CL
Beware Of Darkness - Orthodox Who doesn’t love a bit of rock ‘n’ roll? Well, if you don’t, I strongly suggest giving Santa Barbara, California’s, Beware Of Darkness a go, because they might just change your mind. On this, their debut album, they’ve managed to conjure up the age-old spirit of rock, whilst still sounding contemporary, fresh and effortlessly cool. If this isn’t clear after the opening riff of first track, Howl, then they’ve got eleven more absolutely storming tracks to try and convince you. There’s influences from all corners of the rock spectrum here, sixties and seventies rock, garage, grunge, indie, a bucket-load of blues and everything in between, the results are edgy, beautiful, slick and subtle and the band blends these styles with consummate ease. Their knack for placing big rock tunes next to slower more melodic tracks gives the album a great flow that picks you up and shakes you around one minute and places you down, gently, the next. Frontman, Kyle Nicolaides, vocals sound like Jack White being caressed by Robert Plant and are simply stunning. Highlights include the aforementioned, Howl, the brooding blues of Ghost Town and the countrified, Zeppelin-esque, final track, Hummingbird. A simply stunning debut, worthy of the buzz that’s currently surrounding them in the US. So, now do you love rock ‘n’ roll? GM
The Front Bottoms - Talon Of The Hawk This two piece band from New Jersey consists of Brian Sella (vocals/guitar) and Matt Uychich (drums) and with a name like 'The Front Bottoms' you expect them to be on the comical side, so why not humour yourself in style by listening to their new album, 'Talon Of The Hawk'.. Opening song, the short "Au Revior (Adios)" is commical and sarcastic, building up strength as it goes, with a interesting and good use of sounds making this track pop into your head randomly..(a bit like their lyrics!). If your'e not familiar with the band then not only is this a good start to the album, its also a nice intro to the band overall.. 'Bone' baringly honest "Skeleton" has some great strange lyrics about being high making this a rather amusing song with fun upbeat melodies and stand out keys and strong rhythms with complimentary varied vocals from Brian. "Twin Size Matress" (first song released from the album) has interesting lyrics again as you might expect, along with nice guitar melodies and Brian's peculiar style of singing and arrangement of vocals which is characteristic of him, as well as effective use of gang vocals..this song embodies the band's unique qualities especially making this a good representation for the album! "Lone Star" has a strong melody and chorus with quite baring lyrics, without becoming too serious with the backdrop of upbeat music and prominent keys. Brian shows off his great unusual vocals more-so and becomes a bit more riled up towards the end. "Back Flip" is perhaps the most random song so far, displaying Brian's charateristic trail of thoughts best with a weird and wonderful array of issues explored in the lyrics from tattoos, the task of breathing, how people sit in cars and traffic lights. This is a great fun wacky track with catchy guitar and bass riffs and effective use of backing vocals to aid Brian's thoughts. Ending track, "Everything I Own" has slightly melancholic lyrics with a more downbeat sound with an air of hope and optimism about it also, helped through the keys and trumpets particularly..Brian has some funny thoughts looking to the future and the realistic nature of things.. I enjoyed listening to this album with their upbeat pop indie rock with refreshing honest and say what you think lyrics..They have created a unique style which is funny, weird and random and I think they will be rewarded for this! CL Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent Everyone was saddened to hear that Howard Jones was leaving metalcore masters Killswitch Engage, however excitement soon arose when it was announced that original vocalist Jesse Leach was re-joining the band to create the triumph that is Disarm The Descent. The Hell In Me is a really intense opener, with pounding guitars, drums and vocals dropping you straight into the band’s heavy wall of sound. Jesse blends into the band so well you can barely sense that anything changed. KSE’s talent and experience really shows through with some amazing melodies that make you want to bang your head or sing your heart out. The New Awakening feels like something from Alive Or Just Breathing, but blended more with the guitar melodies that arrived during Howard’s presence in the band. Other major song highlights include The Turning Point, All That We Have, The Call and Time Will Not Remain. All with their own gripping melodies, guitar chugs, intense drumming and of course, Jesse’s amazing metalcore vocals. The album takes you through a journey much live AOJB which is why my ears received it so well. It’s an extremely solid album with consistent sound, with some typically complex musicianship from their extremely talented guitarists Adam and Joel. In fact, the whole band is extremely talented, which is why Killswitch Engage still remain as one of the most successful and well received metalcore bands to date and Disarm The Descent will sit towards the top 5 of my favourite albums released in 2013. DG
Stone Sour - House Of Gold & Bones Part 2 American hard rock champions return with the conclusion to their two part concept album. With 'House Of Gold & Bones - Part 1' being a huge success will the concluding chapter do the ending justice..How will it end?!... Opening song, "Red City" is atmospheric and scene setting with gloomy instruments and backing sounds that turn darker towards the end with the appearance of some of the darkest and demonic vocals from Corey stirring things up..a very memorable first track that progresses excellently like the telling of events!.. "Black John" follows on well with a haunting sombre sound at least initially, as it goes on to become quite upbeat and catchy with a great strong rhythm. It features a nice solo along with plenty of bad ass riffs from guitarists James & Josh which will stick with you. And to round it all off..an awesome fast paced mental ending! "Sadist" opens on a great eerie guitar melody with soft clean vocals throughout and a strong powerful chorus..this is a stand out track! "Peckinpah" fits in nicely with both parts of this concept album ..in true Stone Sour style there is a killer rhythm and a massive heavy chorus, and as you might expect brilliant and elaborate lyrics to help tell the story! "Stalemate" gives you a brief 30 seconds of calm before pumping up to a steady stream of fast paced driving fierce riffs and brilliant melodies! Further along we are welcomed with a well structured guitar solo, good use of backing vocals for effect and depth and again as seen previously a tight dark fast paced instrumental parting to end on! The grim "Gravesend" is a monstrous track with bleak instruments that add to the atmosphere and 'story' of the song, which is brilliantly done..they have 'dug' deep to produce this dark gem! Simply titled '82' opens on a creative riff and has a more optimistic sound portrayed through the instruments and vocals and not to mention is super catchy without losing their edge - which you only grow to expect! The lyrics are well thought out and placed which of course they would be especially for this album, but it never ceases to amaze me the bands ability to get the most complex lyrics to fit perfectly with the rhythms!
Single, "Do Me A Favour" contains what has to be one of the most addictive Stone Sour choruses to date, which will be a fun one to chant out live! This is another highlight of the album and a very wise move for a single, even though it has quite a different feel to the rest of the album musically. "The Conflagration" comes in the form of what will be the album's power ballad and gives you the opportunity to calm down and sit back and let it wash over you - the results are positive as they do this well as it 'blazes' out and soars! A fitting end to the two chapters comes from the closing track aptly named, "The House Of Gold & Bones" which opens on a strong intriguing note of angry chanting, followed by fast pounding drums which are joined by powerful hooks and vocals which sing out ever cunning and though provoking lyrics making a nice closing piece. The two parts of this concept stand on their own feet alone but together fit together like an impressive complexing puzzle! With this part there is more depth in the context of the songs in order to finish the story and close the chapter. Part 1 was a solid hard rock album but this more menacing digging deeper part two is pure 'gold'! Concept albums can be hard to pull off, but a band like Stone Sour never disappoint and always create a defining album! CL
Daylight - Jar After releasing three EP’s, Daylight are back with their highly anticipated first full length album ‘Jar’. ‘Sponge’ is a very powerful opener. A perfect opener to the album, big sounding guitar riffs mixed with very clean vocals which add an almost eerie effect to the song. The song ends in typical Daylight style with an experimental riff, low guitar tone and heavy drumbeats. ‘Life In a Jar’ erupts with a very grungy introduction, very similar to the likes of Nirvana. This grungy sound is present throughout with a very low bass tone. The vocals are much stronger in this song, much like the vocal style heard in the ‘Dispirit’ EP. ‘Outside of Me’ and ‘Sheltered’ again show the soft side of Daylight’s vocalists. These two tracks are very flowing in sound and structure and don’t have as much instrumental activity as the first couple of songs. Both songs are very effective at keeping the album rolling onto the next tracks. These tracks will undoubtedly draw comparisons to the sound of bands such as Balance and Composure and Citizen. ‘Crawl’ is my personal favourite on the album, again the use of interesting guitar riffs provides something new, the emotionally charged vocals in this song is what makes this song so likeable. ‘Last October’ continues the powerful theme created by ‘Crawl’ - again the vocals are very emotionally charged and very meaningful, so similar to previous works of Daylight. The potent drums and guitar complements the strong vocals perfectly, the bridge again gives the listener a new experience. ‘Youngest Daughter’ slows down proceedings; it’s a much slower songs than previous on the album. This track is very reminiscent of post-grunge band Sunny Day Real Estate. It provides a nice break in-between the album and shows the variety of sound that Daylight is trying to showcase on their first LP. ‘Knew’ is the first short song that Daylight have ever written, again it shows their progression in sound and their experimentation of new ideas. ‘No One’s Deserving’ is another slower number; again I’m picking up vibes of 1990’s grunge and emo bands, a sound that Daylight draws much comparison too. The vocals are consistently impressive on this album and blend in wonderfully with the sludgy guitar sound. ‘Hole in the Ground’ gives the listener another example of experimenting with different sounds. The guitar and drums are much less potent on this track and the vocals take front stage which is very interesting to hear, others may say that it is a dull number which does not fit on the album but I believe that is encouraging to hear a band experimenting so much on their first full length album. ‘In On It’ was the first song released prior to the album and again in my opinion resembles grunge legends Nirvana. This track is the catchiest on the album and is one of my personal favourites. I have no doubt this track generated great anticipation for the whole album. ‘Around The Railing’ repeats the same nature of the songs towards the start of the album. The vocals are dominant throughout this number until the last couple of minutes which is full on guitar riffs until the end of the track, and the end of an excellent debut album. It was my most anticipated album of 2013 and it hasn’t disappointed a refreshing combination of a range of different sounds rolled into one album, it will be probably end up as being my favourite album of the year. JP Press To Meco - Affinity Press To Meco are a trio based in London, they blend djent-esque riffs, hard rock, soaring melodies and kneeweakening vocal harmonies, to create a sound that’s calculated, fresh and extremely mature, despite the band’s, and band members, time in existence. This is their second EP, the first having been released only ten months ago, and it’s plain to hear the astonishing progression these young men have made in such a short period of time. Take nothing away from their brilliant first release but this band are now operating on a higher level.Kicking-off with the awesome title track, Affinity, the djent influence comes to the fore, a huge angular riff makes way for the fabulous clean vocal and strong lyrical content, which deserves a mention for its maturity across all five tracks. Press To Meco’s other strength is their ear for a vocal harmony. All three members posses strong melodic voices that when used together are truly emotive and occasionally choir-esque, Tired Bones is a great example of this. This is an extremely strong set of songs that leaves you crying out for a full-length album. So hurry up lads, we want more. GM
The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation The Wonder Years are back with their eagerly awaited fourth album. The Greatest Generation follows on from the band's most successful album ‘Suburbia: I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing’ The album starts with the impressive ‘There, There’ - a soft opening develops into a mild introduction of the instruments. The mid to the end of the song produces a mix of passionate vocals from Dan Campbell and hard drum beats. The second track ‘Passing Through A Screen Door’ was the first single released from the album and is typical Wonder Years style, fast instrumentation and raw strong vocals from Dan Campbell. At the end of the track Soupy talks about how different the lives are of the people he graduated with. ‘We Could Die Like This’ is another fast one, very similar in nature to songs on the previous two albums released by The Wonder Years. Again the drum and guitar combination is impressive and blends well with the vocals, which makes this track especially catchy particularly in the chorus. The hook ‘I wanna die in the suburbs’ adds to the contagious nature of this song. ‘Dismantling Summer’ has been described by others as the best The Wonder Years song ever written; well it’s certainly one of the best. Again, superb chemistry between the instrumentation and the vocals creates another infectious number; this track reminds me a lot of the previous album which had a number of similarly catchy tracks. I would go as far as saying the chorus is possibly the best The Wonder Years chorus I have heard in their discography. ‘The Bastards, The Vultures, The Wolves’ again is a fast number, again a great combination of raw and softer vocals throughout. Again the riff is very potent, there is also a religious element in this song with the lyric ‘I’m waking up to gospel radio’ this follows on the number of religious elements that appeared in some songs in the ‘Suburbia’ album. ‘The Devil in My Bloodstream’ is something completely new from The Wonder Years, the song has a piano introduction and a combination of Soupy and Laura Stevenson, the song has an unexpected explosion midway through with a sudden vocal burst from Soupy and the introduction of the guitars and drums, this continues throughout to the end of the song, a hugely impressive track. ‘Teenage Parents’ is a much faster track, it is one of my favourite tracks on the album as it reminds me of the first few releases of The Wonder Years because of its style, I also enjoy the drum patterns used in this track. ‘Chaser’ is one of the less frantic numbers on the album; it is much more straightforward and contains a number of hooks which maintains the catchy nature of the album. ‘An American Religion (FSF) begins with an interesting riff, fast drum beats and flowing vocals. It is another catchy track with the frequent hook ‘Does that make you happy’ it is also nice to hear Josh Martin’s vocals being incorporated into the album. ‘A Raindance in Traffic’ again is a fast number, this track features a number of ‘woah oh’s’ combined with Soupy’s ever aggressive vocals and potent drum beats. ‘Madelyn’ is the only acoustic track on the album, and brings an interesting change to the album. The vocals sound distant in this track which adds something new, this track will undoubtedly draw comparisons to ‘Hey Thanks’ but the maturity and development in Soupy’s vocals can be heard in comparison to the naive vocals in ‘Hey Thanks’. ‘Cul-de-sac’ returns the fast nature of this album; the drum patterns and almost high vocals are impressive in this song. Soupy’s vocals are superbly consistent throughout the album and even with the high notes in this song, he excels. ‘I Just Want to Sell Out My Funeral’ is the concluding track on the album and the longest track on the album. The lyrics are sung very strongly in this track; the addition of other vocals is also a pleasant one and keeps adding new things to the album, as the track progresses Soupy’s vocals get even stronger. The ending of the song features lyrics taken from a number of songs on the album combined into a sort of medley to finish the album, very appropriate seeing as they used four of the best songs on the album to create the medley. Another impressive and brilliantly consistent album from this band, another reason why they are considered to one of or the best pop punk bands in the world in recent times. JP
Transit - Young New England American pop punk five-piece have burst back on to the scene with their fourth full length release, Young New England. For the fans of Taking Back Sunday and Man Overboard, prepare for an ultimate Summer 2013 soundtrack. The opening number ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ captures exactly what this album about. To a passive listener this could be seen as your everyday pop punk album filled to the brim with clichés, but listen a little deeper for a chance to reminisce a little about what it was like to be young and care-free. This record is one for those Friday afternoons when your commitments cease for the weekend and the sun is shining, with the title track acting as one of those numbers which will be blasting through your car speakers as you wail along to Joe Boynton’s vocals. This is a common theme throughout Young New England, the folk influence combined with pop punk break downs and catchy layered vocals. ‘Hang it Up’ slows the tempo slightly, but refuses to dampen the mood of this upbeat record when it leads straight into the upbeat love song ‘Don’t Go, Don’t Stay’. The album continues this combination of mixed tempos, coming to a fitting end with ‘Lake Q’ which is all about finding direction. There is a poignant message within in this album and that is there is no need to grow up too fast and abandon your past. These five guys from Boston have kept it simple with Young New England which is not to be seen as a bad thing. Having signed to Rise Records three years ago, the band have gone from strength to strength and are sure to be making some serious waves with this latest release. AG
Sharks - Selfhood It’s hard to slot this album into one particular category. Sharks’ second studio album is eleven tracks of subtle punk which will fly through your ears at a rate of knots before you have a chance to absorb what you have listened to. ‘ Selfhood’, the title track, sets the tone for the next ten songs, based around rather sombre yet soothing vocals. The theme of the album seems to vary but what is clear is that the lyrics have been created from a personal perspective, voicing frustrations and experiences of every band member. Vocalist James Mattock lyrics are sung with conviction and at time resemble the likes of Morrissey of The Smiths and also Damon Albarn of Blur, which is most apparent in ‘I Won’t Taint’. Mattock has mentioned in previous interviews that the track is based around the misinterpreting of the band’s music with lyrics such as 'You think we know what we are doing here? You think you know what we are all about’ ‘The More You Ask Me, The Less I’m Sure’ acts as a fitting follow up with the use of synths and also a crafty little fade out which some of us may have forgotten continues to exist. Despite Mattock’s vocals coming across as moody at times, this record is pleasing to the ear and has proved to those who place Sharks into the genre of punk. This band deserve a genre of their own and this is exemplified through the slow paced love song ‘My Wild One’ which concludes the album in such a beautiful way and will catch the listener by surprise. AG
Man Overboard - Heart Attack Look no further for the finest pop punk album of this year so far. Heart Attack is Man Overboard’s third full length and the band have opted for a bit more of a pop-rock approach this time around, and by God has it worked! The album kicks off with ‘Secret Pain’ which acts as the base for an album which has been hugely influenced by the bands big brothers in Blink 182. If the opening drum roll isn’t enough to get you pumped up for this record then there is no helping you! ‘Boy with Batteries’ is definitely one which we can all relate to. Friends who have always remained in the friend-zone despite your hardest efforts. Oh, the teenage angst. This track is probably the strongest on the whole record, the chorus is bouncy and it’s so easy to imagine leaping around to this like a moron when it’s played in a live environment. ‘White Lies’ is a real change in direction in comparison to the rest of the album with some heavier drum beats and guitar riffs. It stands out for sure and demonstrates the band’s ability to mix it up from time to time and show they are not just your bog standard pop punk band. ‘Hoodie Song’ is like a combination of the early work of Sum 41 and The Used. It’s a track which belongs in an old school Tony Hawk’s pro skater game. This New Jersey lot have produced an album which proves that there is still genuine pop-punk out there, and for that we are more than grateful. Wrap your ears around this one, it will become a favourite instantly. AG
Trigger Effect - What’s left to Eliminate? Canada’s Trigger Effect aren’t ones to give you much breathing space, on this, their third full-length, the sense of claustrophobia is ever present as one punk fuelled, hardcore sludge barrage storms into the next without letting up. But what’s admirable and impressive about this band though, is that these short, sharp bursts of noise are true songs, that are both catchy and aggressive, oh, and another thing, they’re downright awesome. Think Baroness having a street fight with Wade MacNeil’s Gallows. As we are all fans of labelling these days, sludge punk has got to be close to the noise that these bruisers make. With eleven tracks, clocking in at under twentyfive minutes, this feels like a hit and run attack on your ears, but in the best possible way. Every track boasts killer riffs, hooky but aggressive vocals and a bombarding rhythm section, that creates a sound so uncompromising it’s hard to believe how easily these songs get stuck in your head.
This band are already notorious for their killer live shows and have a true road-dog reputation. With this release they have another set of tracks to throw in your face and beat you into submission. Let’s hope we see them on UK stages ASAP. GM
We start the day by watching The Front Bottoms at the Thekla, and yes, the Thekla is indeed a venue on a boat, which instantly makes a gig that little bit much cooler! Now, the first remark that most people will say about this band is that the lead singer sounds a lot like Tom Delonge but this doesn't stop the band from having their own unique sound, as you will notice that the set-up involves an acoustic guitar/keyboards and even a trumpet to really give us something that we have never seen before. Even though these guys were the first band we saw at Hit The Deck Festival they certainly aren't a band that we will be forgetting about any time soon, as we found ourselves simply mesmerized by every track from the start to finish, and with their new album 'Talon of the Hawk' now released then you should expect to see big things from these guys as 2013 continues. We stroll across town and head to Bristol Academy next to check out the mighty Mallory Knox, and now if you are even just slightly involved in the alternative music scene then you will know that these guys are ones to watch out for, and even with their early slot at HTD they proved this point with ease, as the turnout for their slot was huge, and they had the crowd bouncing from the first track. Their newest album 'Signals' has really helped them elevate to this new status as a band as anthems like 'Wake Up' and 'Lighthouse' had everyone singing along, brilliant! We find ourselves running upstairs next to try and get into the already packed out Academy 2 as another band with a huge buzz about them are about to hit the stage, yes that's right, we are talking about Gnarwolves! This band have such a raw and punky sound that instantly captivates the listener, and sure they only have an EP under their belt at the moment and a lot of their tracks are shorter than what music audiences are used to these days, but these pointers only make the band standout even more. The band treated us to tunes like 'History is bunk' which instantly had everyone in the room singing at the top of their voices, so basically these guys are indeed another band to watch out for this year.
Sonic Boom Six take to the Bristol academy main stage next, and one of the great facts about a sonic boom six set now is that they have so many back tracks to chose from so that you can always expect an exciting and dynamic set, so from the newer songs like 'Virus' to the skanktastic old school anthem 'Piggy In The Middle' it was clear to see that these guys now know exactly how to put together a set list that will keep the audience on their feet but will also win them over a stack of new fans at the same time. Decade blast on to the Academy 2 stage next and give us a set list that really is in your face! The guitar riffs are constant/epic and catchy all at the same time, and then if you combine that with the unstoppable and pretty much note perfect vocals of Alex Sears then the result is of course a brilliant band who after their set left us wanting more! The future is looking awesome for these guys. It's been a while now since Dan Brown left We Are The Ocean, so for us, watching them at this point in their career instantly showed that this band are now more than comfortable in their new line-up. New songs like 'The Road' & 'Bleed' now fit in really well with the older WATO tracks like 'The Waiting Room' and at this point they have an extremely strong set list which is full of crowd singalongs, mosh pit anthems as well as songs that will make you want to come and see the band live once more!
We head back to the Thekla (remember, the venue on a boat!) to catch Army Of Freshmen who easily come across as a band who are extremely content and happy with where they are right now as a band, and for us this is always exciting to see. Throughout the set they do not stop moving as they keep the energy within the band at a maximum level, and their lead singer Chris Jay also makes an epic effort to keep communicating with the crowd for the whole set. What was their music like we hear you say? Well, we can tell you that songs like 'Juliet' & 'Any Other Way' really did pack a punch, and to describe the bands sound we would say that they are a mix between New Found Glory & Motion City Soundtrack, and well, you can't really go wrong there!
Vinnie Caruana is here to share with us tracks from his brilliant new EP 'City By The Sea' as well as mixing in classic The Movielife & I Am The Avalanche songs. The mix of songs that Vinnie performs tonight is simply awesome as the set shows us his progression as a musician over time. With the addition of tracks from his new EP the set also tells us that this guy is now ready to become the solo artist that he wants to be, as he is now not just playing back catalogue songs, he is actually playing his own solo material which simply intrigues us to see what he will get up to next as a solo musician!
Canterbury are such an awesome live band, and although we thought they would of fit better on the Academy 1 main stage it ended up being a rather crazy gig because the Thekla was simply packed out as soon as the band hit the stage. Tracks like 'Saviour' and 'Peace and Quiet' get the crowd jumping straight away, and then to slow things down a bit the band of course hit us with 'Gloria' which gives the crowd a bit of time to regain their energy before the band kick back into their energetic set. Canterbury do an amazing job at writing songs that can translate well in any type of venue, and if they keep on playing gigs as insane as this, then hopefully one day these songs will take them to that stadium status, because from tonight's set we simply believe once more that these guys more than deserve it!
“Even before the band has hit the stage there are people standing on chairs to make room for the biggest audience possible.� At this point in the evening we find ourselves sprinting across town to make sure that we get a good spot for Title Fight which we just about achieve. As expected the venue is packed out, and even before the band has hit the stage there are people standing on chairs to make room for the biggest audience possible. As soon as the band strum that first note we witness the audience going absolutely frantic as they try to get as close as possible to the band to sing every single lyric as loud as possible, awesome. Even with the crowd surfing band that the Bristol Academy enforces there was still incredible atmosphere within the crowd as the band dived through all of their hits. Songs from their latest album 'Floral Green' like 'Leaf' & 'Like a Ritual' are just really, really cool to watch live, and show with ease how well the band have developed since their formation. As the set continues the band only really slow down for 'Head in the Ceiling Fan' to give the performance a nice balance before they come to an outstanding end with 'Shed' & '27'! Headlining Hit The Deck Festival this evening is the mighty Don Broco who just last year were supporting Billy Talent in the same venue, so before they even hit the stage tonight we are sure that they are aware of just how far they have come in their career! Kicking straight in with one of their biggest singles today 'Priorities' they instantly have everyone jumping or at least singing along from the front to the back! As the performance continues we are treated to more tracks of their killer album 'Priorities' like 'Whole Truth' 'Yeah Man' 'You Got It Girl' which again all have the crowd going absolutely crazy. At one point in the show Rob Damiani even tries to get the crowd to make a human pyramid whilst also doing press ups, which simply adds another element of fun to watching Don Broco live as you will notice that they always do their best to communicate as much as possible with their audience! For the older DB fans in the crowd they were also spoilt to songs like 'Beautiful Morning' 'Thug Workout' & 'Dreamboy' which as well as just sounding awesome live, also fit in really well with the newer songs from Priorities! Coming back to an encore the group finish with 'Yeah Man' 'Hold On' & 'Fancy Dress' which all go down extremely well with the crowd! So, to sum up, they played a mixture of newer and older songs, they kept crowd communication to a high, and they also showed that they are capable of playing stages that are at least this big for as long as they want, as in our eyes, they have earned it. AD
TAKEDOWN FESTIVAL Takedown feels like a condensed version of Slam Dunk, the capacity is similar but the layout of the rooms is far better meaning much more free access to each of the stages (Big Deal Clothing, Rocksound, Southampton Music, Monster Energy and Small Town Records) and the furthest walk from one to another is about 5 minutes. Slick. The first band of the day A Tale of Two Cities hit the stage with their brand of emo rock and over abuse of sub drops suffer a pretty stale reaction but being the first band on is always tough especially at 2pm, Our Hollow, Our Home fared much better, these metalcore locals featuring an ex-member of Bury Tomorrow had circle pits and the crowd singing along from the get-go. We Are Fiction, who share the melody infused hardcore sound of Hildamay start to bring life to the party, their singer jumping off of the stage to get involved. After getting warmed up with Tale Of Two Cities, Our Hollow, Our Home and We Are Fiction, it was time to head over to the Rocksound Main Stage. Max Raptor, who I saw at last year's 2000 Trees Festival are first up, they as always perform a slick set who's sound can be likened to Scholars or a simplified Billy Talent but in comparison to past performance they seem to be lacking a certain something. As Max Raptor leave the stage a new crowd starts to emerge, there is definitely a lot of hype around Marmozets, rightly so, their set proved they are a forced to be reckoned with. "Born Young and Free" Marmozets' latest single had only been released the day before but was both superbly executed but also had a good proportion of the crowd singing along, these guys are stronger than their years and Becca dominates the stage like never before.
Hildamay are one of the hardest working bands in the UK and their relentless touring schedule seems to paid off as they pull one of the biggest crowds of the day the Small Town Records stage, things really kick off when they smash through "Changing the Key" their biggest and catchiest tune. The already horrible scheduling clash of Arcane Roots, The JCQ and Palm Reader is worsened when sloppy hardcore cockneys TRC's set drastically overruns. The JCQ suffer from this situation the worst with both Arcane Roots and Palm Reader releasing debut full length albums around the date of Takedown, still they give it their all but you can tell they were disheartened with a smaller than expected audience.
Closure In Moscow, now these guys are interesting, their singer (who is a man) wore a shiny pink dress and had dyed turquoise hair whilst his band mates were all dressed in eccentric suits… as much as a distraction as this could have been it did not draw away from their technically insane music and super slick performance with surprisingly funky beats, to not bob your head would be unacceptable.
"This is the eulogy of Burn The Fleet" and damn did they go out with a bang, for a fairly undiscovered band they had one of the most enthusiastic audiences of the whole day, their lead vocalist even stepped away from the mic for the majority of their last ever song and not a word was missed as the crowd filled in the blanks. Anyone remember Not Advised? Natives are more or less the exact same band maybe one or two new members and this is no bad thing, they've grown up a little bit but it's still almost 100% hooks and good times. Now for the main event, these guys have been ruling over the UK live scene for the last 18 months and rightly so… know who they are yet? Of course it's Don Broco, their music and style my divide opinion but to say they're no good live would just be plain lying. To say they're the best live band in the UK right now is becoming somewhat a cliché but it's also true, it's rare that I've had more fun at a gig than at a Don Broco show. JC
Slam Dunk 2013 is go, and we are here at the Wolverhampton side of the event, to catch as many bands as possible in one day, because in our eyes, this is one of the strongest festival line-ups of the year! Although the weather is not the best today, this simply just added a more awesome atmosphere to the event overall, as people were more than determind to make sure that they caught the band that they wanted to see.
The American Scene are the first band that we witness live today, and after being on tour with The Story So Far & Gnarwolves just recently it looks like the band have already built up a small and dedicated army of fans, because although they were the first band on, we still managed to see a really strong turnout for these guys. The group treated us to tracks from their latest album 'Safe For Now' such as 'Blood Orange' which were really awesome to listen to live, and for those that are into Brand New, you will certainly find something that hits home with TAS. Transit take to the stage next to share with us tracks from their brilliant new album 'Young New England' including 'Nothing Lasts Forever' & 'Weathered Souls', these new tunes also worked really well alongside the fan favorites from earlier albums such as 'Long Lost Friends' 'Skipping Stone' 'All Your Heart'. The band received an electric response from the crowd and as their performance came to an end we witnessed their lead singer Joe crowd surfing which is a sign to us that their band is more than enjoying their time on stage, so all in all, a great performance from Transit. If you are even slightly involved with the alternative music scene at the moment then you will know The Story So Far have built themselves a huge fan base over the last couple of years, and evidence of this could be proved with ease as the band had one of the biggest audience turn outs of the day. They give us a really nice mix between their two albums 'Under Soil And Dirt' and their newest album 'What You Don't See' and there basically isn't a song that the crowd don't know as all throughout the set we could just about hear the vocals above the crowd, which is only a good sign. They do an amazing job at getting everyone jumping from the front to the back, and as well as this they also have a handful of circle pits on the go, topped with an endless flow of crowd surfers. Standout tracks from the set for us would be 'Quicksand' 'Empty Space' 'Roam', as they are tracks that prove that this band will and can stay relevant for a long, long time.
Man Overboard have literally released their new album on the day they play in Wolverhampton, so that instantly made their set more exciting as they were visually stoked to be at this point in their career. As well as hitting us with a handful of new songs at the same time. Now, these guys didn't manage to have a turnout as big as TSSF, but this is easily the biggest gig that we've seen these guys play, and at the same time it shows that these guys are gradually building up a dedicated army of UK fans. It was great to hear some of their new songs live such as 'White Lies' & 'Where I Left You' because as well as being just awesome songs, they also had a really solid response from the audience (especially Where I Left You). To add to this the band also hit us with tracks from their first two albums to make sure that we had a satisfying dose of pop-punk goodness....which we did! With their tour friends Four Year Strong watching from the side of the stage, then it was safe to say that there were a lot of people here excited to see Fireworks perform live, and especially for us UK folks, as it's been rather a long time since they have toured these shores. There wasn't the biggest turn out for these guys, but again, the dedicated Fireworks fans were there in full force to show their support by singing along to every track. To me this band have such a unique sound that is really rewarding to watch live, and sure by a lot of people they have been slotted into the pop-punk scene, but the truth is that they are far from this sound. As promised in the last Stencil Mag interview the band treated us to a stack of songs from their latest album Gospel such as 'Arrows' 'Teeth' 'The Wild Bunch' which were all brilliant to watch live. To top this the group also added in songs from their first record 'All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion' and then to end the gig right they hit us with Detroit which had every fan in the room singing along, ace!
Next we head outside to check out Man Vs Hero on the Vans Off The Wall Stage. Now, we know these guys have been working really hard a new album so straight away we were excited to hear the band maybe perform a new track live, and guess what, they did, and yes, it did get a brilliant response, and I guess with a band as determined and hard working as Man Vs Hero, then you couldn't expect anything less. The group also mix in a stack of older tracks to make sure that the crowd kept moving throughout their set, and as they ended on 'Can You Count, Suckers?' it was clear to see that sure this pop punk band have been around a while, but after their performance today, it actually looks like they are only just getting started! After this we decide to part ways with the Vans Off The Wall Stage and see what Kids In Glass Houses have to offer on the main stage. The first factor to point out is that the band didn't showcase anything from their last album 'In Gold Blood' which leaves us wondering straight away what this album now means to the band...anyway, the band still put on an amazing show as always by showcasing anthems from both 'Smart Casual' and 'Dirt' as well as adding in a new track called 'Drive' which also gets a brilliant response. In short, it's been five years since 'Smart Casual' was released, and live the songs off that album are just going down better, and better every time we see the group perform live. So if the band continue to achieve shows like this, then we can't wait to see what this next album does for their career. After announcing that they would be cutting down on their touring schedule, Streetlight Manifesto instantly become a must for us. So we head to the Vans Off The Wall stage to check out what they have to offer! After listening to their brilliant new album 'The Hands That Thieve' , we simply knew straight away that these guys were going to go down a treat, and we were not wrong. With a perfect combination of brass and woodwind instruments on stage with guitars bass and drums and vocals to add the icing to the cake, then there really is no way that you could not just stand still to this band when you watch them live. 'The Three of Us' is one of the newer tracks, but for us it was a standout point in their set, as it was cool to see the band so happy when playing this song. They had such an epic response from the crowd at the same time. To keep everyone moving throughout their set we get treated to skanktastic tunes such as 'We Will Fall Together' and 'Somewhere in the Between' which both get an ecstatic response from the already manic audience, perfect.
As the evening progresses we head back inside to witness The Early November on the Macbeth stage. Now it's been six years since these guys last performed in the UK so we were eager straight away to see what kind of set list they would perform. The group play through a perfectly balanced set which included songs from all three of their albums, and at one point they even asked the crowd to see what songs they wanted to hear. Their lead singer Ace Enders has such an incredible voice live as you could see him putting put as much effort as possible into every track which made the set that little bit more awesome, and this combined with the outstanding effort from the rest of the band made tracks like 'Decoration' 'Tell Me Why' and 'Ever So Sweet' really fun to watch live. Sadly the band didn't have the biggest turnout with their performance, and we think this may just be because it has been so long since they last toured here, however, once again the dedicated fans were there to show how much they still loved this band, and hopefully if TEN decide to tour here a couple more times by performing the way they did tonight, then their UK fan base will explode once more.
Andrew McMahon was on the front cover of the last issue of Stencil Mag, so this why we found it rather fitting to end the night by watching his set over on the 'Keep A Breast Stage'. The last time we saw Andrew McMahon live was with his band Jack's Mannequin at a crowded tent in reading a couple of years ago, so for us, it was awesome to just see him perform through his extensive back catologue of songs in an intimate venue with his accompanist being his piano. Jack Mannequin songs like 'Mixtape' and 'Holiday For Real' had everyone in the room singing a long as loudly as possible, and as well as this Andrew obviously mixed in tracks from his Something Corporate days including 'I Woke Up In A Car' and 'Straw Dog' which reminded everyone in the audience as to why Andrew McMahon was here headlining this stage tonight, because for over a decade now he has proved himself with ease to be one of the most important songwriters in the pop rock scene. So for us, this was a chilled and perfect way to end an absolutely fantastic day, Slam Dunk Festival has done it again. AD
“Taking place on the same weekend as Brighton’s now huge Great Escape, and but a desultory drive down the M4 from Cardiff’s hugely successful Swn festival, it could seem to the casual observer that Gwyl Pili Pala, Swansea’s own city-wide festival would be an obvious success in its inaugural year. But such remiss observation would miss the point that they managed to pull off quite a trick in making it all seem so natural.”
Wandering from the ethereal scuzz of Fist of the First Man on Friday evening (in the less rarefied scuzz of Sin City), to the Uplands where the 5 other venues are located, one is instantly slotted into purposeful-meandering festival mode, thanks to the easy mix and match personality of so many of the venues and artists. At the Chattery, a cheese course is served between the direct and beautifully adorned orchestration and harmonies of Winter Villains and Great Isaac’s plaintively captivating acoustic melodies. Meanwhile, a hop, skip and cue jump through the nearby Garage’s doors throws out Fjords’ densely layered indie. Soaring choruses demand attention with something of The Killers electro-pop swagger, yet it’s underwritten by finely chiselled, aggressive guitars from their Dead Diamonds EP. Such high quality output in their first year, mixed with an insistence on musical, literary and venue variety, means that Pili Pala seemed as if it had the requisite confidence needed to successfully stage new festivals – not least in Swansea, where such events are an almost alien concept. As such, on a warm and sunny second and final day, the Saturday crowds feel all the more eased into some of the literary events – many of which touched upon issues such as drug and alcohol addiction, introducing people through the author’s experiences and writings to something close to the festival’s heart, being as it is, run by South Wales addiction charity and service provider, WGCADA. Watching Rachel Trezise and Rebbecca Ray read chapters from their respective books in ‘Bad Girls Grown Up’ in the Garage is an early evening pleasure, with the former reading from Dial M for Merthyr with typical Welsh humour, displaying an unaffected directness when voicing locals views of bands – “sound like someone killing someone with a spoon”.
St James’ Church was a beautiful venue, visually and aurally to enjoy all day Saturday, with a steady stream of gig goers enjoying music inside and out – a stripped down set from Chris Stringer a particular highlight as the summer haze blinded and blissed in equal measure – complementing Stringer’s humour filled acoustic tales of love lost and dreams about sharks. Just across the road at Mozarts, a cosy members only club, adorned with rock memorabilia, Geraint Rhys showed an enthused crowd why earnest and acoustic aren’t always dirty words. Single Progression manages to put melancholic, intricate guitar work to fine use in expressing and questioning the sense of loss of community, and Ble Mae’r Haul (Where’s the Sun) is a beautiful and poignant Welsh language number. Usually, when artists say “this is what this song’s about”, I cringe inside, but when songs such as All That’s Left Is Us leave no musical element unembellished with meaning, the intros are mere gateways into exploring the songs themselves. In the final throes of Pili Pala’s first weekend, it was equally great to see bands ripping guitar riffs up like there’s no tomorrow – with closing act Threatmantics in particular walking a thrilling tightrope between exquisite violin ornamentation and all out metal, rock and pop, at all times lapping up the enraptured audience. Heavy Petting Zoo did a fine job at equally freaky rock earlier, with their dancer mirroring their creepy, visceral atmospherics, writhing as he did, in and between a bemused, yet intrigued, and finally, enthused audience. It’s testament to the local talent on show that the stylistic zig zags in artists and venues come across as part of a personable and eclectic festival, one sure to go down a blast in 2014. LG
The Story So Far - Cardiff - Clwb Ifor Bach - May 2nd This was The Story So Far’s third appearance in Cardiff, it is clear that they have made an impact on Wales as this Clwb Ifor Bach sold out prior to the event. In support were California’s indie rockers The American Scene and UK’s rising pop punkers Gnarwolves.
Gnarwolves kicked the night off around 8pm with their own aggressive take on the genre of pop punk. They played a varied set with songs from their EP’s Fun Club and CRU as well as including three new songs. They received a very positive response from the crowd throughout who sang along to their songs and took a shine to Gnarwolves unique sound. They provided a perfect opening to the gig and successfully warmed up the crowd for the other acts to follow. Unfortunately, The American Scene received a very different response from the crowd. The American Scene’s sound was refreshing but felt somewhat out of place between two bands with an aggressive and in your face sound. Their set consisted mostly of tracks from their Safe For Now LP. I personally enjoy their music on record, but live their songs lacked the energy that was needed for a pop punk show. The band were consistent throughout their performance, but I feel it wasn’t the right show for them to be performing at, they would be much better suited supporting acts such as Into It. Over It. or Hostage Calm.
The Story So Far have been complimented for their live performances, tonight is no different. Their setlist was a perfect mix of songs from both LP’s and with the addition of 680 South the crowd definitely had a night to remember. Every song sparked a frenzy in the crowd, constant crowd surfing and stage diving certainly made it a an active set for all fans, it may have gotten out of hand when a dude received an unfortunate injury while attempting to get on stage; this did give everyone time to get their breath back before the onslaught of crowd activity continued. The tracks from their recently released album ‘What You Don’t See’ went down very well and the crowd were very familiar with the new album, ‘Empty Space’ was a particular favourite of the night for my personally. The set concluded with ‘Quicksand’ which sent nearly every single person into delirium which it so often does in The Story So Far shows. It provided an excellent ending to a very fun show. JP And So I Watch You From Afar - Bristol - Thekla - April 17th Before you even enter the venue you know that seeing an instrumental band is going to be something refreshing and exciting for those that are addicted to attending gigs. Tonight we are in the Thekla in Bristol, and if you don't know, this is a venue on a boat, which straight away gives the gig extra cool points. The band are here to promote their latest release 'All Hail Bright Futures' which is an absolutely fantastic record, so obviously we were excited straight away as we enjoy all of the bands material. As well as their new album we go to hear songs from 'Gangs' plus their self titled record which really made up for an impressive set list. As the band were connecting to the crowd via their instrumental ways this really made the night that much more interesting as it was really something that you'd rarely see. As the set progressed the more crazier the mosh pits got, we saw people flying from one side to the other, but it was also clear to see that this kind of crowd would look out for each because if anyone fell down, then five people would be there to pick them up, brilliant! So just before the performance came to a close the two lead guitarists jumped into the crowd to really get an intimate and exciting experience on the go, and of course it worked as it basically sent everyone in the mosh pit going as frantic as they could as they knew that the band were also in there as well to simply show that they trusted and respected their support. To end this review we'd just like to say that if you are into your alternative rock music and want to see something different live, then ASIWYFA is a perfect place to start, and when the band perform you will not be let down at all!
Killswitch Engage - Cardiff Uni - May 6th Coming from California and the first band that we check out tonight is Heartist and well if you haven't heard of these guys before then you can basically expect a nice and balanced portion of rock & metal! The band gave a pretty impressive performance as they did not once miss a note, and their lead singer Bryce Beckley was pitch perfect throughout the set, and he also made a great effort to make sure that the crowd were getting ready for the rest of tonight's acts! They made us witness a couple of tracks from their new EP 'Nothing You Didn't Deserve' which were all great to hear and basically we were left with the feeling that that was an ideal opening performance for tonight's act that also gave you some material that you would really went to check out as soon as possible! After this Sylosis take to the stage to give the audience a blast of progressive metal which they achieve with ease, the get the crowd easily warmed up for Killswitch Engage's set, and they even show that they are more than comfortable to play venues of this size as a band, as they do an amazing job at getting everyone on their feet throughout their set. Tunes like 'Fear the World' Sands of Time' and 'Eclipsed' get a brilliant response and prove straight away that these guys are one of the best live progressive metal bands in the UK at the moment. To conclude their set they hit us with 'Empyreal, Part 1' which is a perfect song to end on as it really does leave you wanting to either check out the band again live, or check them out online straight away if you haven't already done so! At tonight's show Killswitch Engage are currently wrapping up a European tour, so basically, we instantly knew that this was going to be a crazy gig, and well we were not wrong, because the effort made by the band combined with the chaotic response from the crowd made this gig easily one of the most exciting gigs of 2013 for us so far! So their latest album 'Disarm The Descent' has been a huge success for the band, so it was of course awesome to see such a great response to the new material, as it clearly states the fans are more than excited with the new line-up as well as the fact that they now know that the future is clearly looking awesome for the band. As well as hitting us with a stack of new tunes like 'The Hell In Me' 'No End In Sight' 'In Due Time' the band also mixed in the classics like 'A Bid Farewell ' 'The Arms Of Sorrow' 'Rose Of Sharyn' to make sure that every fan old and new were completely satisfied with their set. If you haven't seen the new line-up just yet, then let us tell you straight away that Jesse does an absolutely amazing job on vocals, and then to add to this new performance you still have Adam going around the stage acting like it was his first gig with a real crowd, and well, that's how every band should act, at every gig! The band are all perfectly in sync, and for us, we couldn't find one problem or error with the performance that the band gave tonight.
As the set ends the band treat us to 'My Curse' and 'The End Of Heartache' and sure, these aren't 'Jesse vocal' songs, but he clearly has spent some time to interpret these songs in his own way, because they go down, really, really well with the audience, and we can't see one person at least not nodding their head in the audience which is only a good sign. The chants start as soon as the band leave the stage, so to make sure that everyone has had a full dose of Killswitch awesomeness they head back on stage to perform 'My Last Serenade' which instantly gets everyone moving. To add to the atmosphere, the band also bring on the support band to create their own drinking game! So to conclude we'd just like to hope that the only facts you take from this review is that Killswitch are awesome live, and that their new line-up is something that you need to see this year without a doubt!
Bring Me The Horizon - Manchester Academy 2 - April 29th Once the most hated band in the UK, Bring Me The Horizon have flipped the tables over the last couple of years to have become one of the countries most exciting live acts. With their most recent album 'Sempiternal' they've have had to get used to praise being thrown their way rather than bottles of piss and tonight theirs is the hottest ticket in town. With the queue snaking around the venue hours before doors open at tonight's intimate venue openers Empress take to the stage to a rapidly filling room. Their progressive metal sound does little to excite the crowd, technically the band sound brilliant but there's just something lacking and the applause feels more out of courtesy than anything. Fortunately it doesn't take long at all for Japanese metallers Crossfaith to start the party, the moment they smash out the first bar of 'Monolith' the venue becomes a sea of movement. Their genre bending sound that mashes together dance and metal has helped them build a reputation as a must see band and tonight they affirm this status. Tracks like 'Quasar' and their blinding cover of The Prodigy's 'Omen' explode from the speakers such is the energy that the band give off. Keyboardist Temano Terufumi spends more time on top of his instrument than actually playing it and frontman Koi Kenta throws himself into the crowd so often that surely he must give himself motion sickness. There's no bones about it, Crossfaith are a band that absolutely have to be seen to be believed.
With the bar set so high it's easy to imagine tonight's headliners disappointing but Bring Me The Horizon are not a band to be upstaged. They waste no time getting to business kicking things off with recent single 'Shadow Moses', this is the sound of a band at the top of their game and don't they know it, he might be a skinny guy but as Oli Sykes bounds across the stage he's no doubt a formidable frontman. To say that tonight's show is chaotic would be a massive understatement, Oli's constant requests for crowd surfers surely make him best friends with the security and when the band are forced to stop playing momentarily because of a fire alarm a riot doesn't seem off the cards. A glance at tonight's setlist shows that the band want to move on from their death-core sound of old, material from Suicide Season is as old as the crowd are getting tonight. This is clearly a decision that upsets a portion of the fans here but when you have 'The House of Wolves' and the absolutely huge 'Sleepwalking' it's impossible to complain. Finishing off their set with the venomous 'Antivist', Bring Me The Horizon prove just why they're one of the most important bands in the UK at the moment, you might not like them but they're certainly here to stay. MG
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Bioshock took the gaming world by storm back in 2007, then Bioshock 2 continued to develop the world of Rapture, taking it in a new but familiar direction. Now we return to the iconic lighthouse where it all began; will we go down? Not this time…this time it’s different – this time we’re coming up from the depths of the ocean, to a new world. In true Bioshock fashion we play a completely new character - Booker Dewitt, of which we know very little - all we know is he is on a boat rowing toward the iconic lighthouse and has been sent to find a girl named Elizabeth, he looks through a box with a picture of her and a weapon. As we approach the lighthouse a note on the door reads; ‘Dewitt – Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE’. Booker is clearly a character with a jaded past and the narrative goes about unlocking and shedding light on what turns out to be a very interesting back-story. Once we reach the lighthouse we follow a series of clues eventually leading us up to the top and to a sort of elevator that takes us up into the clouds, where we emerge at the awe inspiring floating city of Columbia. Columbia contrary to Rapture - is full of normal people! You overhear day to day conversations, go into bars and see people interacting ‘normally’ quite simply in the early stages of the game you’ll want to explore the city in its immaculate state, because let’s face it – deep down you know it’s not going to stay that way. The city itself feels alive, ever shifting due to its floating nature, awash with striking architecture and incredible attention to detail; fruits on the trees and tiny humming birds weaving through the luscious scenery. Despite Columbia being built with notions of ‘Exceptionalism’ it is not without its issues, for starters; It’s the 1900s so racism, slavery and oppression toward anyone not white is very apparent. However this is done in such away that it does not feel embellished or treated without due care. It is used effectively to give Columbia a political, ethical and industrial standpoint. Columbia is far from perfect but the surface is immaculate and it feels like what Rapture would be like before it’s fall. It is idealistic and veterans to the Bioshock franchise will note the visual architecture is similar to that of when you see the corridors of Rapture through the eyes of a Little Sister before it’s fall. I would be inclined to mention the link between heaven and hell, rapture being the latter. Which brings me neatly on to the inhabitants of Columbia. Naturally, no Bioshock game would be complete without a fanatical ‘bad guy’. This role is filled by one Father Comstock, who claims to be able to see the future and proclaims himself the prophet… needless to say he is a bit weird. As it transpires his relationship to Elizabeth is not one that benefits you in the slightest, and thus he will try to stop you.
As the game progresses, you of course find Elizabeth, who as it turns out - has the ability to tear holes between space and time… meaning the game takes a very big change in direction upon meeting her: no spoilers. It is an unrelenting narrative that never stops being exciting, engaging and altogether surprising and I defy anyone to guess its direction. Furthermore I defy anyone to be disappointed. Infinite takes a brave trajectory that is thrilling yet difficult to follow at times, fear not however as the game is wrapped up so well and so unpredictable in it’s content that you will be truly amazed. Bioshock fans will of course expect a twist, but this is a twist that will turn your brain inside out… The story is without doubt engaging enough to keep you playing, but the creative and highly varied gameplay will ensure you want to explore and relish every moment. Bioshock Infinite is not a cheap thrill, it is a fine wine that needs to be enjoyed unrushed and appreciated. Let’s start with combat; from the off it is clear that it is different to previous Bioshock games, this may bother some players but as I go through this review you’ll begin to understand change is not always a bad thing. The franchise always had an RPGish element of levelling yourself up but also brought in many elements of survival horror, conserving ammo, rifling through draws for an extra few bullets. I would have to say that Infinite is more Arcadey in it’s style, it is less about resource management and more about player skill. To start with, Ammo is not an issue and compared to previous Bioshock games, you will feel like a rich person, with money always available, but more on why later. The primary change is our protagonist - despite being human, Booker feels a lot more powerful than the previous characters, this is largely due to the addition of a rechargeable shield, which makes him very durable due to rate the thing recharges. Clearly for balance issues they have taken away the ability to store med packs, but this does little to stop the Master Chief style shoot, hide behind cover, recharge and never die. I would like to say this was the only ‘over powered’ feature, but with the addition of the new Gear options, in which Booker can equip up to 4 items in each slot, these are filled with a wide range of gear found throughout Columbia, certain pieces in true RPG fashion turn you into a killing machine. For example the gear combo I used meant I had 50% crit damage + a fully upgraded sniper rifle… meant I could one shot most things. There is also an item that increases your shield recharge rate by 50%... making the game a walk in the park. So what else does infinite have? Plasmids now known as Vigors are of course a staple part of Bioshock, and along with the familiar lightning, fire and hypnotising abilities, Infinite introduces a few new abilities, namely the Crows that peck people to death and the bucking bronco which sends your foes helpless into the air (see below). Adam and Eve also do not exist, instead we rely on Salt (not that kind of salt) to fuel our new found powers. In addition unlike the reasonably well explained Plasmids and their link to Adam, Vigors lack the backstory and Salt is completely unexplained. This bothered me slightly as they felt a bit like a bolt on. All of these new features would not have such a big aspect on combat if it weren’t for the ease of unlocking them, for example; gone are the ‘power to the people stations’, both weapon and Vigor upgrades are purchased through vending machines and like I said money is everywhere so I felt I earned very little. However I did search for gear, and rarely turned up to a fight unprepared. New features don’t stop there; the Sky Hook is the new melee weapon and is used in two great ways. Firstly to glide around the Skylines which are railways of the sky and are how many people get from one place to another and secondly to beat people to death with… if that wasn’t enough you can combine the two, ride a skyline then jump down and beat someone to death… So with all this ‘Over Powered’ spouting I have done, how does combat work? Well despite my feelings of steamrolling my way through the game, combat was always enjoyable, creative and never felt repetitive. There are plenty of choices of weapons to suit different styles, all feel unique, well animated and have a real weight to them; every shot feels like it’s doing damage and explosions have great impact. Enemies have health bars like previous Bioshock games, but that’s about where the similarities end. Most of your foes come under the generic enforcer type, shooting wildly and rather predictable in their movements. However dispatching of these foes is great fun and does add to the feeling of being a bad ass. The fun really starts when you begin to encounter the more elite enemies such as the; Handy Man – a man in a mech suit that – you guessed it – has massive hands, deals mass amounts of damage and can only be killed easily by shooting his weak spot.
You will also encounter enemies wielding vigors; both the Fire Men and the Crow Men are formidable foes that require quick change in tactics (I’ll let you work it out). Finally, the Centurions, which are big robots that take a beating and, like the Handy Man, they have a weak spot. I would have to say Infinite lacks the variety of enemy seen in previous games, they also lack the complex movements of the Splicers and the terror inducing Big Daddies.However despite this, combat really is fantastic. I just felt on normal mode it was a bit easy, not un-enjoyable, just easy. Elizabeth, not only plays a huge role in the story, she is a big part of the overall gameplay, supplying you with ammo, health and unlocking doors (the main way to find gear and upgrades). She is a huge part of what makes the game easier than previous Bioshocks. Not only is she useful, she does it with style! She leans against walls as you explore, and occasionally you will see her hunting for gear. She hides behind walls during combat and for the most part reacts appropriately during combat i.e. not standing in front of enemies. Presentation is incredible, however you can see the age of the consoles starting to show as textures don’t seem as crisp as they should (this is not an issue on the PC version). Sound is flawless with every draw opening, person screaming, gun firing… perfect and adds to the immersiveness of Columbia. If that wasn’t enough Bioshock Infinite has one of the most well thought out soundtracks, with current tunes played in a 1900’s style! Simply amazing. So, important to note there is no multiplayer! But with such a substantial single player experience 15+ hours it really does not matter. In fact, I am incredibly happy to see that Irrational Games have not felt pressured to include one. There are a wealth of Collectables to further develop the story and some great achievements unlocked through using different weapons and taking different combat approaches in each play though.
Sum-up Puritans to the franchise may not be happy with some of the changes, but if you ignore the nostalgic feeling for Rapture you’ll find Columbia to be a place with a lot of character. Feeling overpowered was fixed by playing the unlockable 1999 mode (named because of all the hard games made in that year). In this mode you will have to seek out the best gear because without it you will die – a lot of which brought back that amazing survival element to the game.
It feels like a lifetime since Quentin Tarantino’s take on the western genre departed from our cinema screens and left us twiddling our thumbs with the knowledge that for months we would be awaiting the DVD release, but finally, the time has come! For those who were hibernating during the cinema release, Django Unchained tells the tale of a freed slave played by no other than Jamie Foxx who teams up with a German bounty hunter played by Christopher Waltz. The pair embark on a mission to rescue the free man’s wife from the plantations by a vicious and brutal Leonardo Di Caprio. Despite many kinds of offers, the plantation owner refuses to release the former slave’s wife meaning that the pair have to take matters into their own hands. As has become to be expected from Tarantino movies, Django Unchained is not shy of some rather graphic violence and those who proclaim to be faint hearted may be left scarred after particular scenes. This film has won received many awards and nominations, but with these have come the critics. For those who are yet to watch Tarantino’s latest piece of cinema, view it with an open mind and dismiss any other opinions which have been voiced. You will either thoroughly enjoy this movie or wish you had never watched it.
We know, another one. Fast and Furious has seen its sixth episode accelerate on to our screens slightly quicker than some may have liked and much like its predecessors you can expect cars, Vin Diesel, and a large amount of ridiculous manoeuvres. Let it known that this is not a movie exclusive to those who have kept their loyalty throughout the Fast and Furious franchise. It doesn’t take much to catch up in regards to the plot of the latest edition. Dominic Toretto (Diesel) remain fugitives following the Rio heist in Fast Five, but Secret Service agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) vows to clear the gangs name if they aide him in eliminating a mercenary organisation whose second in command is Toretto’s presumed dead girlfriend. In the build up to a rather epic finale there are of course explosions, street races, and the Rock flexing his ridiculous biceps. These films have been getting a bit repetitive for quite some time now, but Fast and Furious 6 has made an attempt to try and distance themselves from the car-obsessed, street racing, tyre burning films which they have become known as. Whether you like these movies or not, they do a good job of keeping you on the edge of your seat, and it also doesn’t take a genius to understand the plot, so they can act as a passive watch if necessary. However, I advise you wait until you find this film in the DVD bargain bin in your local convenience store in months to come as it really isn’t worth rushing to the pictures to see.