LAST DAY IN MAY | TESSERACT | MY LEGACY | BASTERMANN
WE CHAT TO
INTRODUCING | INTERVIEWS | ALT BEAUTIES | REVIEWS & MORE!
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Editor Zoe Blush Designers Zoe Blush Vicky Webb Writers Chaz Barnes Jake Owens Chris Chandler Zoe Blush Martin Davis Haili Hughs Connor Bryan Katie Tarrent Imagery Jake Owens Martin Hobby Carl Battams Jordan Kerr-Gray Fermion Photogtaphy Pauly Fistfight SinSin Photography Want to advertise in WASTED? Want us to feature your band? Are you an aspiring Alt model?
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CONTENTS 05: INTRODUCING
07: ALT BEAUTY: CHERRY PI 12: INTERVIEW: PERIPHERY
15: ALT BEAUTY: SAMMI BLISS 22: INTERVIEW: MY LEGACY 25: INTERVIEW: TESSERACT 27: LIVE REVIEW: TESSERACT 29: LIVE REVIEW: SENSES FAIL 31: LIVE REVIEW: BRING ME THE HORIZON 33: LIVE REVIEW: MESHUGGAH 34: REVIEWS
INTRODUCING!
“WE PLAYED A GIG IN SOMEONE’S ND BACKYARD A MANAGED TO GET INTO A SCUFFLE.”
LAST DAY OF MAY We at Wasted! went to shoot the lads from Last Day Of May and managed to grab them for a few minutes to talk about them and their future.
WHO ARE YOU GUYS AND WHEN DID YOU GUYS GET TOGETHER? We’re Last Day of May, Tyler - Vocals / Tom – Bass (plays it hard ……. Apparently) / Andy – Drums / Matt – Guitar / James – Lead Guitar We got together in March 2012, we were thinking of getting a band together for a year or so we were talking and talking and then we got the right group of people.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME “LAST DAY OF MAY”? We needed a name for the rehearsal studio so we just came up with Last Day of May and it kind of suck. FAVOURITE GIG SO FAR, WHERE WAS IT AND WHO WITH? Our first gig with Oceans Ate Alaska @ Creepfest/Oct 2012 in Derby also in March 2013 we played with heart in hand. We have played all over the midlands really – Derby / Leicester /
Sheffield / Mansfield / Ripley. We played a gig in someone’s backyard and managed to get into a scuffle. Someone loved our music so much they decided to throw apples at us so I got up from behind the drum kit, found a massive log I threw it at this guy he in turn threw it back , then one
& CHECK THESE OUT!
BAND NAME: Mask of Judas HOME TOWN: Chichester FOR FANS OF: The Agonist, Necrophagist, Michael Jackson
BAND NAME: Mordecai HOME TOWN: Croydon dhdbf FOR FANS OF: Alterbridge, Shinedown, Seether
of us got bit in the arm. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS GOING FORWARD? We are going to finish recording the EP “Good things come to those who wait” it’s looking like about 5 – 6 tracks with an intro. We have already released one of our songs with a lyric video so we will finish writing the other songs and putting the finishing touches to the EP and recording it around autumn. HOW AND WHERE CAN PEOPLE GET
ACCESS TO YOUR MUSIC? Currently we have a 3 track EP for download; you can listen to it on Youtube. Listen and download it from Soundcloud + Bandcamp. You can also listen to it on our bandpage on Facebook. HAVE YOU GOT ANYTHING TO SAY TO THE WASTED READERS? Check us out, give us a look on Facebook, give us a like and come along to a gig.
Band name: Brutai Home town: London For fans of: Killswitch Engage, Gojira, Sybreed
TELL US THE WEIRDEST FACT ABOUT YOURSELF? “I have a screw in each ankle, ewwww!!” WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO GET INTO ALTERNATIVE MODELLING & HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT IT? “I’ve always been interested in photography and alt lifestyle but modelling came about by accident if I’m honest. I have a disability which effects my legs and means I need to use a wheelchair. This was one of the main reason I wanted to model. I wanted to show that a disability doesn’t have to be visible in a photograph or in fact even visible at all - that ‘different’ can be a very good thing :) I also hoped that by modelling in this way it would help change people’s views of disability and help other people in a similar situation to mine feel more confident and able to achieve whatever they want.”
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? “I work in a gym on reception.” I love music and anything guitar related, this keeps me sane. Then the usual seeing friends/family, cinema, exercise. Nothing I can really excite you with here - sorry! :) I can hear you all saying, ‘Boooorrrringggg!!!’ WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE BAND/STYLE OF MUSIC? I can’t really pick one band/singer/style Like I said music keeps me sane. My iPod has the biggest mix of music you’ll probably ever see but that’s because I’m a massive lyrics girl. I absolutely love meanings in certain songs and there’s always a song for every mood. TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR INK? Okay, I have a heart on my finger - I actually just drew it on with a pen, decided it looked cute so got someone to tattoo it.
I have ‘Believe’ on my wrist in memory of my old sports coach who passed away. He always told me to believe so the day after he passed I got it tattooed.I have stars tattooed all the way around my other wrist but they are in the process of being lasered (Ouchy!) and making way for a mermaid or something nautical. On my ribs I have a swallow with a trail and holding a heart - this holds a big story of a certain part of my life as swallows represent life, the heart is everyone I love who helped me and the trail is leaving that life and making my new path :) And I have a key with the words ‘one life one chance’ on the top of my foot - speaks for itself.
CELEB CRUSH/HOTTEST MAN/ WOMAN IN MUSIC? “Ha! You’re all probably going to laugh at me when I say this but I.don’t.care!!!! :) I have a MASSIVE obsession with Jessie J! <3” WHAT IS YOUR CLAIM TO FAME? “Ooh Ermm - for 10 years I played table tennis for Great Britain, I competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India and I carried the Olympic torch.” GIVE US YOUR BEST CHAT UP LINE? “Do people still use them? Is that were I’m going wrong?” IF YOU WERE A FLAVOUR OF ICE CREAM, WHAT WOULD YOU BE & WHY? “Cherry - We need to make one, because then I can have my own ice cream, Yay!” WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS TIME? “Ooh in 5 years time it will be 2018 and I will be 29 - Where will I be? I’d like to think I’d have my own house and starting to be settled with all that family jazz :) But, In terms of modelling I just want to carry on for as long as I can and hopefully change people’s views on disability and have people feel more confident in themselves. I’d LOVE there to be more models with a disability and In 5 years I would have loved to have had someone support me enough to allow me on the front cover of a magazine! :)”
Being one of the biggest names in the progressive metal/djent world, Periphery have evolved exponentially since the inception of Bulb by guitarist Misha Mansoor. Through a multitude of line-up changes of the past few years, bringing in long time friend and colleague, Nolly Getgood from Red Seas Fire and Mark Holcomb from Misha/Mark project Haunted Shores, the lads from Washington are looking stronger than ever, I caught up with them before their show at Brixton with Devin and Meshuggah to discuss Periphery II, the line up, the videos and their invasion of Europe. HOW MUCH DID YOU GUYS CHANGE THE WAY YOU WROTE COMING INTO PERIPHERY II? Misha: “It sorta just naturally happened, I
wouldn’t really consider it a change its just where we are right now and its the same approach, just do whatever you want and write the best songs.” Jake: “We’ve all actually written stuff on our own, it’s just that this album was the right time for us to come together, so we’ve all had stuff that we’ve been working on outside of that so, yeah.” SO WITH THE MULTITUDE OF LINE UP CHANGES THAT CAME UP TO THIS CURRENT ONE ARE YOU GUYS FEELING COMFORTABLE? Misha: “Well, yeah, I mean thats literally all you can ever say, unless we’re literally just about to kick someone out right now, that’s all you can ever say because otherwise you wouldn’t have this line up, right?”
Jake: “They’re always trying to get rid of me though, I don’t know what their problem is...” Misha: “Yeah, we’ll sort that out some day, but I’m quitting first.” WHAT’S GOING TO BE COMING FROM JUGGERNAUT THAT WE’VE NEVER SEEN FROM PERIPHERY BEFORE? Misha: “Well, we don’t even know because we haven’t really written it yet...we’re still writing for the writing and we don’t really have enough best songs yet so we’re just going to keep going until we have enough. Besides I think people forget that out album only came out last July so we’re still right in the middle of promoting it, I mean most bands wouldn’t even be thinking about a new album.”
Jake: “We’ve just happened to announce something that we’ve been working on for longer than the first album and people just expected a new album to come out right away.” Misha: “I mean, we’re always writing and always updating that but just because we’re writing doesn’t mean somethings going to be coming out soon-soon but it’s just gonna be when its good, you know?” WITH THE VIDEOS OF “SCARLET” AND “MAKE TOTAL DESTROY” BEING PRETTY CRAZY, WHAT WAS THE PROCESS BEHIND DIRECTING THEM? Misha: “I mean, it was Wes Richardson’s idea for both of them, I mean we enjoyed working with him so much on the first one, we just had to do our next video with him and after doing that we like working with him even more, so I mean he’s always had the concept and he knows we want something a little bit different and we’re very proud of them, I mean I’m so stoked about how Scarlet came out.” Jake: “Well, when me and Misha we’re in the call with Wes for sorting out the video, he had this really serious spaced out idea, and then
he proposed the first idea but then he said he had this other idea and he wasn’t sure if we would like it and we we’re like “Nah, just tell us!” and it was the whole concept of ketchup vs mustard.
reason that I wanted to do that was for me. I wanted to see whether I could really do it and was capable of doing it and found out that I was, and thats what I’m going to do from here on out.
Misha: Yeah, thats all him I’d love to take credit for it, but that was entirely his.”
Misha: Sometimes you just set challenges for yourself, it’s fun! It’s like achievements on xbox, or steam! That’s relatable, right?
BEFORE GETTING HERE, YOU GUYS WERE IN EUROPE, HOW DID THAT GO? Misha: “We’re getting there....I gotta be honest we’re getting there!” Jake: “Seriously though, we’re growing in Europe, and that’s why we keep coming back here, we did festivals last year we did a tour with Between the Buried and Me and Dream Theatre last year, as well. We’re starting to build our fanbase here, touring with really well respected acts, trying to build our presence here.” SPENCER, YOU SAID THAT YOU WANTED NO VOCAL CORRECTION WHATSOEVER ON THE NEW ALBUM, WAS THAT A WAY OF ANSWERING YOUR CRITICS? Spencer: Not really, well...kinda but the main
SO, NOLLY WITH YOUR WORK IN RED SEAS FIRE, AND THEN JOINING PERIPHERY FULL TIME, WHAT WAS THE DYNAMIC CHANGE THERE? Nolly: “Well, of course it was stepping up to an international touring back which was a pretty huge step up. It was pretty cool that I had been involved with Periphery for a while beforehand, doing their first major tour back in 2009 and I got incrementally more important towards them here and there, so it wasn’t going straight from nothing to everything.” Misha: “I like the tour where you started out as a driver and them became a guitarist.” Nolly: “Ahh, yeah...that definitely happened. But yeah, I definitely had a preview, so it wasn’t
too much of a switch up, but its really inspiring to be able to take to the stage with these guys!” Jake: “Nolly’s always been involved with the band one way or another and always been like an honorary member and now he’s full time, so it was just natural that would happen.” WAS IT THE SAME SORT OF THING WITH MARK WORKING WITH HAUNTED SHORES WITH MISHA, WAS IT SIMILARLY NATURAL? Mark: “Yeah, but I never actually worked with the band before 2011, whereas with Nolly it was gradual working with the band for years before joining.” Misha: “He had literally the worst first gig ever.” Mark: “Well, I had been working with a solely studio project with Misha, to performing live with the band in Australia for my first show, which was pretty nerve-wreaking, I mean it was surreal and amazing but yeah.” Misha: “He had to run before he could walk with us, you know? I did not envy your position.”
Jake: “Well, he didn’t have to endure the years of rejection and crappy gigs...” Misha: “Yeah! Actually, I take that back! He’s only had the spoiled tours, you don’t know what van touring is like!” SPEAKING OF AMAZING TOURS, HOW HYPED ARE YOU GUYS TO BE SUPPORTING MESHUGGAH AND DEVIN THIS EVENING? Mark: “I’m kinda disappointed if I’m honest Spencer: Yeah, I don’t know why they’re not supporting us here.” Jake: “Seriously though, when you think about it and think about Periphery’s sound there aren’t really a lot of bands that all of us can agree on as being an influence, but Devin and Meshuggah both have such a bearing as musicians and recordings, they’re probably the two bands that every metal band bites off of, whether they’re thinking about it or not. So to be like playing a show, to be considered as a band that could actually support them, they’re just the biggest, heaviest bands ever.” Misha: “All of our fans know that we would not sound the way we do if it weren’t for the two bands playing after us tonight, I don’t
know how to put that in words otherwise, its kinda too much to process. It’ll happen and I’ll appreciate it two weeks after.” IF IT WAS MONEY NO OBJECT, AND YOU HAD COMPLETE CONTROL, WHO WOULD YOU HAVE COME ON TOUR WITH YOU? Misha: “...Bugatti Veyron? I already know your [Jake] answer, Pantera!” Jake: “Yeah, but the supernatural would have to be an object to get Dimebag back.” Mark: “You’d have to cast a raise death spell.” Misha: “I’d argue though, that if you had infinite money, you’d eventually figure it out! I dunno, Devin Townsend and Meshuggah, make it into a tour! Whatever was I was doing, where ever it was, I would drop it and do this tour. I could be on vacation with my girlfriend and I’d drop it and do this tour, she’d be mad but she’d understand.” Thanks for chatting to us guys! We wish you all the best.
SO, WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO GET INTO ALTERNATIVE MODELLING & HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT IT? “I’d never thought about it until a friend asked me to do a test shoot for his new clothing line. It went well but didn’t really spark an interest. As I got older I started to find my own way looks wise, with tattoos, fashion, hair colour etc and I started to see more and more beyond stunning alternative girls. So I applied for a competition for a calendar and won it! It was that shoot with an MUA and photographer with his own studio that sparked a passion in me I didn’t know I had. I wanted to make something of myself and be remembered – so I threw myself into it, signing up to modelmayhem, purplerport etc and I started to get a following. Its still a bit of a whirlwind at the moment but I’m trying to stay focused and push myself even more – and now I’m in
Wasted Magazine! How much better can it get!” WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? “I play my xbox, specifically Gears of War, Halo and anything anime. I am huge fan of Asian World Cinema as well as JRPGS. I also rescue, nurse to health and rehome kittens and cats.” WHAT WAS THE BEST LIVE SHOW YOU’VE BEEN TO & WHY? “Foxy Shazam supporting the Darkness in Manchester, amazing stage presence and music, the singer was standing on his head and the keyboardist thrashing it out with his feet! I had never heard of them before seeing them but they blew my little mind!”
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR INK? “My first was a treble clef on my back, which was done by my best friend who wanted to become a tattoo artist. It turned out as bad as it sounds! My favourite is my tribal wolf on my thigh, it is for a wolf I adopted called Madadh at Wolf Watch UK in Shropshire. My latest is my full sleeve on my right arm, it has Young Gun written across a guitar and pistol – it is for my love of Bon Jovi and the guitar will be coloured to match Richie Sambora’s, the sleeve is full of flowers, stars and lightning bolts for an 80s theme.” WE FIND YOU PASSED OUT IN YOUR TOWN CENTRE, DRUNK OUT OF YOUR TROLLEY ON A SATURDAY NIGHT. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN & WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING? “The parties always happen at my house, sometimes they progress to Dagobar, a new rock club in Crewe but the tipple of choice is Vodka, I pride myself that I’ve never fallen over drunk yet so if I’m face down in the floor its thanks to one or two too many Jaegermeisters!” DO YOU HAVE ANY UNUSUAL HABITS OR HOBBIES? “I build Halo figures and collect game memorabilia, I am also a qualified hairdresser so im always giving myself and friends crazy hair dos.” CELEB CRUSH/HOTTEST MAN/WOMAN IN MUSIC? “Jon BonJovi – he was born to be my baby, he just doesn’t know it yet!” WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FUNNIEST/ MOST EMBARRASSING SEXUAL/ ROMANTIC EXPERIENCE? “Meeting my boyfriend by far – I saw his pictures on facebook and instantly fell in love! A week later he was in the rock club I was a promo dancer for at the time so in my drunken mess I ran up and threw my arms around him saying ‘Oh my God, your real!!’ – must have worked as were still together two years later but I have no idea how!” IF YOU WERE A FLAVOUR OF ICE CREAM, WHAT WOULD YOU BE & WHY? “Raspberry Ripple as it makes the best smoothies and I am smoooottthhh.” WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS TIME? “Travelling the world being awesome, I would like to be an established full time alternative model – maybe also a little acting or voicing characters in Japanese animations.”
“
A NICE MIX OF CATCHY RIFFS, GROOVE
S & SOME BRUTAL
”
“ IT'S NICE THAT OUR MUSIC CAN BE BENEFICIAL TOWARDS SOMETHING ” POSITIVE.
So we managed to bump into this 5-piece from leicester & thought we’d have a chat to find out what’s going on in the world of my legacy! FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW, WHO ARE YOU? “My Legacy is the name! We are Leicester based although a couple of us travel from outside the city.” DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND TO A FIRST TIME LISTENER? “I would say that we are a mix between Lamb of God and Unearth mixed with newer metalcore bands such as Bury Tomorrow and Rise to Remain. It’s
a nice mix of catchy riffs, grooves and some brutal breakdowns.” HAVE YOU GOT ANY NEW MATERIAL COMING SOON? “We certainly do! During the summer we are recording an album. We are also doing a music video too; this guy is good, really good and it’s a privilege to be working with him!” YOU’RE RUNNING A HUGE SUMMER FESTIVAL OF YOUR OWN, WHO WOULD BE PLAYING & WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED? “Well lets keep it metal! Lamb of God, Unearth , Chimaira, Bleeding Through, Bury Tomorrow, Parkway
Drive, Bleed From Within, While She Sleeps, As Blood Runs Black, Job for a Cowboy – That would be a pretty sweet fest! I think an apt name would be There Will Be Blood!” TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST EVER GIG? “My Legacy’s first gig was with our good friends Untermensch at The Shed, Leicester. It was great fun because we were playing with bands we knew and to a good crowd too! It was great fun. Since everyone was in bands previously there were no real nerves as such. We got a great response and it made us want to gig again and again.”
HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY HORRIFICALLY EMBARRASSING MOMENTS ON STAGE? “Not really! We’ve never really had any bad gigs performance wise. The worse that has happened is that my microphone broke… in the end.” WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT AS A BAND TO DATE? “Probably supporting Evile at an all-day metal fest. It was for the Amnesty charity too, and there was such a good atmosphere. It’s nice that our music can be beneficial towards something positive.”
YOU’VE OBVIOUSLY SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER, HAVE THERE EVER BEEN ANY SCRAPS BETWEEN BAND MEMBERS? “We have had a fair few over the time we’ve been together, but you’re going to get that in any situation when there are strong conflicting opinions. It does make us stronger as a band and we do work really well together, especially on stage!” THEY SAY YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY. TELL US YOUR FAVOURITE, MOST USELESS FACT? “A polar bear’s fur is actually transparent.”
WE’RE NOT GRACED WITH MANY OF THEM, BUT WHICH LADY IN MUSIC ARE YOU CRUSHING ON? Sam (drummer) “As the only female in the band answering this… I’ve always had a girl crush on Avril Lavigne! She was my role model growing up.” Adam (Vocalist) “Personally I’d say Marta from Bleeding Through….hands down!” WHAT IS THE MOST LISTENED TO TRACKS ON YOUR IPOD’S AT THE MOMENT? “A right old odd mix… anything from The Smiths, Audioslave, Morrissey to Whitechapel, Bury
Tomorrow and Parkway Drive.” IF YOU COULD BE ANY OTHER (LOCAL) BAND FOR THE DAY, WHO WOULD YOU BE & WHY? “I’d say Surrender the coast because I love their music and they have some massive things coming up. Although we do have high prospects ourselves and will put in the time and passion to make them happen!” WHO HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE BAND TO PLAY WITH SO FAR? “We think our good friends Internal Conflict. We fit together so well musically and have always had a great gig!”
WHAT’S NEXT ON THE AGENDA? “We played a massive metal gig in Leicester supporting Sworn Amongst and playing with some bands that are great friends of ours on June 2nd. We’re so excited! Plus it’s a bargain at only £4. We all can’t wait to get into the studio with some new material during the summer!” Well thank you very much guys, we wish you all the best! Everyone head over to their Facebook & give these guys a listen, it’s linked above, go! NOW!
With TesseracT billing themselves as one of the biggest names in modern progressive metal with their new album “Altered State” it will be interesting to see their process behind the magic. I managed to catch up with guitarist and resident giant, James Monteith before their show in Brixton to discuss the new kid on the block Ashe O’Hara, Altered State and the general day to day musings of TesseracT.
WHAT WAS THE PROCESS OF BRINGING ASHE INTO THE BAND?
Well, the last time we tried to get a lead singer, we sort of just picked a guy and ran with it. That unfortunately didn’t work out too well so we were much more meticulous with out audition process this time around. Ashe sent in a really good audition of one of our tracks and we then sent him a fresh piece of music and in that he essentially wrote our song, Nocturne.
WHAT DYNAMIC DOES ASHE BRING TO TESSERACT?
He’s a fun, chilled out guy! Good sense of humour and he fits right in with us. He hadn’t played that many live shows so it took him a while to build up the confidence, but on this tour he’s come a long leaps and bounds and learnt how to control a crowd, with a much more chilled out presence than our other vocalists and that works well for us because we’re not really a leaping all over the place band.
HOW DID YOU GUYS CHANGE THE WAY YOU WROTE COMING INTO ALTERED STATE?
Well, because it was our second album we were potentially up against second album syndrome, time was against us and we had to do it as quick as possible. We didn’t actually go to a recording studio, to like track anything, it was all built on computers at Acle’s house and the demos essentially evolved into the actual album itself. It wasn’t the conventional way of recording a rock album, it was more like building an electronica album, because it was the quickest and most cost effective way to do it.
WITH A COMPLETE REMOVAL OF HARSH VOCALS ON ALTERED STATE, WAS THAT JUST A WRITING CHANGE OR WAS IT BECAUSE OF ASHE’S VOCAL STYLE?
A bit of both, in general we were pretty tired of aggressive vocals, and any time we did try them they sounded quite samey and we wanted to sound like something else, and something exciting. Ashe’s strength is definitely in the melodic, what he wrote that was melodic worked and we just went with the flow. We didn’t consciously go “Right, there’s going to be no screaming”, but what when we tried it, it just didn’t work.
OF COURSE YOU USED THE SAXOPHONE ON THE NEW ALBUM, WHAT WAS THE THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THAT?
Well, we’ve always been toying with the idea of sax, ever since was a demo with one on it back in 2004 or 2005 which was just called “Sax Track” floating around the internet and ever since then we’ve wanted to use it properly and wanted to find the right track. The piece of music just needed something to add to it and we thought, lets just go for sax track and contacted a bunch of saxophone players and in the end we got Chris Baretto and the end results pretty cool, I think! Its something a little bit different, a little bit fun and I think one thing we do try and do as a band is do something a little bit different so as not to be compared to other things and there’s not much metal with Sax, and because the musics quite dynamic and groovy, the sax compliments it, I think. It’s a little bit marmite, some people are going to be like “Eugh, Sax!” but its quite exciting to have it on there.
HOW HAS THE RECEPTION BEEN FOR THE ALBUM SO FAR?
Overall, its been great! We’ve been very flattered by the response in reviews and online and the ones that we’ve had back have been very positive. I think we were really nervous again, because the style had changed and the overall songwriting had evolved and luckily people did like it.
MONEY NO OBJECT, HAVING COMPLETE CONTROL, WHO WOULD YOU HAVE TO COME ON TOUR WITH YOU?
Well, I’d have to say Tool, that would really be the dream there, Mastodon or Deftones or if we would take a band with us, like the Algorithm and people like Chimp Spanner and possibly Led Zepplin. Thanks for your time guys, we wish you all the best! If you’re oblivious enough never to have checked these guys out before, head over to their Facebook page right this second!
TesseracT O2 Academy Islington It’s been a big past year for TesseracT, struggling in their attempts to fill the Dan shaped hole that was left in their line up. With failed attempts to bring in Elliot Coleman of Sky Eats Airplane with his involvement proving difficult for a multitude of reasons, the Milton Keynes lads undertook a long winded search, not wanting to dive in head first into the unknown. The rigorous audition process yielded relatively unknown chap, Ashe O’Hara, who is now joining them on their headline UK tour to promote their new release – Altered State. With support from Enochian Theory and prog-metal/drum-and-bass hybrid The Algorithm it was shaping up to be an interesting show, with plenty of groove, on a rainy and dismal Islington night. Enochian Theory: It was a very awkward fumbley way that Portsmouth based Prog rock act Enochian Theory took to the stage, the kindly face of lead vocalist and guitarist Scott Ware displaying a mixture of overwhelming joy and crippling nervousness. Kicking off with a rising ambient backing track tripping into a disarmingly epic opening, boasting orchestral keys and ethereal guitar work with the thunderous, poly rhythmic basslines cutting through the mix sharply. ET managed to provide a strangely huge sound coming from a three piece and a minor backing track with a strong drumming backline setting the pace for their set. Overall the music fidelity, although undoubtedly enjoyable, was nothing to write home about and in some places felt a little stilted but still had plenty of groove, which in this particular line up is essential. What really stole the show, however was the vocals. There was definitely a touch of the Devin’s about Mr. Ware, with soaring highs and one hell of a scream on him he had that strange manner about him that manages to encapsulate a crowd. All in all, a surprisingly fantastic opener, but a set that I feel could have benefited from more subtle changes in dynamics. (7/10) The Algorithm: It was certainly going to be interesting to see how The Algorithm were going to transfer to a live setting, playing what was essentially a Dj set to a bunch of progressive metal fans was going to be a tough act to pull off. Now, what Remi tends to do when producing music for The Algorithm, or playing live for that matter, is to sample and modulate guitar tracks and to have a live drummer with them to give that real sense of electronica-infused djent. But tonight we were treated to having a live guitarist, that Remi modulated and manipulated in his mixing pad – pretty goddamn awesome it has to be said. To a fairly packed crowd the second three piece of the night went to work, with Remi at the helm going to work on his mix pad with surgical timing - phasing and modulating the string work and dropping in some extra bass for good measure. All of this formulated into an eclectic mish-mash of drum-and-bass influenced beats and drum patterns with djenty chugs filling the spaces in between, building up to a wide range of groove orientated drops, causing the signature head bob we’ve all come to love to erupt throughout the crowd. This is, however, where this act falls down live; It’s all very, very samey throughout. It was all incredibly interesting and granted a lot of sections had me bobbing along like nobodies business, but Dj acts are very hard to pull off live, not for the lack of stage presence but all of the songs managing to meld into one, with little memorable parts of the show regardless of the intriguing performances by all members. The highlight however, was the efforts given by Mike Malyan, the live drummer. To keep up with the sampled drum tracks and almost emulate them perfectly takes an extraordinary amount of technical skill, and the dude looked like he was having the time of his life, wild drum faces and all! Oh, and the part where they suddenly dropped into La Cucuracha, sombreros and all, after a huge build up was unexpectedly hilarious – the teases! (6.5/10)
TesseracT: Now, it was the time that the entire crowd has been waiting for, the big kahuna burgers of modern progressive metal were about to take to the stage, the onlookers eager to see how new vocalist Ashe O’Hara will hold up live. With Altered State’s release still fresh in our minds the potential was all there for Ashe to please, and oh my sweet lord did he. Kicking off with the three opening tracks from Altered State TesseracT came out fighting, with bassist Amos Williams leaning into the crowd showing them how to groove out proper, ripping out crisp bassline after crisp bassline. Ashe’s soprano voice shone through the dirty grooves and Jay’s destructive backline, thundering out immense drum patterns, provided the foundation that this house of riff could be built upon. Not only was Ashe impressive with his performance on his own tracks, the new lad managed to rip the classic tunes a fairly convincing new one, and although not able to capture the full magic of Deception or April fully, á la
Mr Tompkins, Ashe managed to bring his own brand into the mix even exclaiming in regards to Deception that he wished he had written it himself. With Ashe not being the most adept harsh vocalist, with them being completely cut out of the new release, Mos had to step in to assist in that regard. But not without Mr O’Hara busting out a few hearty growls of his own and although they seemed strangled and forced in places, his clean performance was undoubtedly impeccable. The dual strings-men have no right to be left unmentioned. The dynamic duo of Acle and James pulled of one of the tightest guitar performances in recent memory, purring out riff after poly-rhythmic riff without visibly breaking a sweat as the Axe-Fx tone tore through the mix with dirty chugs and clean, crisp leads a-plenty transforming the crowd into an entranced entity bopping and weaving to the horrendous amounts of groove. TesseracT were truly a sight to behold. (9/10)
Senses Fail The Peel, Kingston This is honestly one of the smallest venues that host this sort of band in London, an it’s fantastic. Pulling up to the venue, the Peel is in the strange divide between council estates and suburbia, and that is where one of the forerunners of post-hardcore would be playing tonight. Off the back of their most recent release Renacer, boasting a more mature, heavier sound, Senses Fail embarked on their tour finding themselves in Kingston to kick off the UK leg. With support from pop-punk five-piece Handguns and iwrestledabearonce’s British mini-me, Marmozets – it was certainly going to be an interesting gig to say the least. With no barriers, and old-fashioned PA systems, this was more ghetto gig for the groups that were going to be playing the Underworld only two weeks later, but I can wager this was much more fun. Handguns: The Peel had a whole lot of charm, the main thing that contributed to this was the fact that there was no substantial backstage, so bands had to walk through the crowd to get to the stage. Handguns waded their way through the surprisingly packed crowd to the tiny stage, barely managing to fit the whole band as they launched into their set of nostalgia fueled, angst ridden pop-punk. Full of up-beat tempos, gang vocals and power chord infused riffs causing more hardcore starjumps than was first thought necessary. Despite the lack of Handguns fans there that evening, the ones there made the most of it. Getting involved with the vaguely relateable lyrics and chanting them back to the singer in true pop-punk fashion and even a little bit of two stepping broke out here and there. Musically, it was poppunk and nothing more, certainly nothing to get excited about and a little bit generic – but they were tight, highenergy and most definitely a whole lot of fun, a perfect set up to the show making a good first impression on their first time in good ol’ Blighty. (6.5/10) Marmozets: There was a definite buzz about Marmozets that evening at The Peel. Looking like they were going to give us something a little heavier to chew on after the pop-punk lads made us feel all fuzzy and warm inside, it was certainly looking that way by the design of their merch, anyway. Packing out and clearing a space in the floor, I managed to sneak a peek of the setlist, checking any decent instructions and after that I was intrigued. With a female vocalist, it was going to be all eyes on her to see what she could deliver, and everyone was suitably impressed with accent filled soprano cleans and one frankly evil scream on her, perfectly complimenting the intelligent aggression of the music, like a lion wearing a top-hat and a monocle. Bringing a eclectic crock-pot of mathy-technical guitar work, chock full of sweep runs, tapping licks and post-hardcore style choruses, making for one of the most exciting live experiences of recent memory. As much as commenting on the stage presence of the band would have been appropriate for their style of music, it seems redundant once you realise that they were hardly ever on the stage. The guitarists regularly making their way into the crowd to writhe on the floor during a perfectly executed solo or simply have more room to throw themselves around. Now, when you get a guitarist or a vocalist come into the crowd, its exciting; but what about when you get the drum-kit and the full band in there? Utter madness. Playing most of their last song, Vexed, in the crowd certainly made a huge impression on the crowd. With one smooth transition, unmicing and moving every individual piece, off of the stage mid song, leaving the bassist and vocalist on stage was at the very least impressive and managing to kill the set when they dropped back in, pure showmanship. (7.5/10) Senses Fail: The crowd had had a fantastic build up and now they were ready for the main event. With a mix
of nostalgic twenty-somethings and angsty teens filling the room, the stage was set for Senses Fail to come and remind us how shitty we thought out lives were when we were 14. Buddy and the gang took to the stage and started us off with some new tracks from Renacer to set the pace, and as the set progressed, the old classics started to seep through causing the crowd to erupt into the choruses of Buried a Lie and Bite to Break skin, showing us that the emo-kid inside all of us dies very hard. The set-list as a whole was a Senses Fail fan’s dream, the memorable up-tempo riffs transferred so well to the tiny room in Kingston sending the entire floor into reems of pits and slam-dancers, with some great solos thrown in there to boot. Tracks from Renacer created as much of a buzz as the old favourites; bass driven, Deftones-esque
“The Path” had such a huge sound in the low ceiling of the Peel, with Buddy’s vocals being stronger than they ever have before, even managing to bust out some entirely clean songs which he was never previously able to do. This set encapsulated the musical progression that Senses Fail have gone through, over their 10 years creating music. The line-up changes formulating a tight-knit unit of musicians with passion and technical ability, showing why they are still at the fore-front of modern post-hardcore, never once satisfied with being typical or generic, their live show is indicative of that. I think everyone at the Peel that night in Kingston were glad that they came to this show rather than the Underworld, the level of intimacy with a band of this level of energy is an unforgettable experience, and Senses definitely delivered. (8.5/10)
Bring Me The Horizon Koko Ah yes, the band so many of you all love to hate, despite the fact that they’ve just released one of the best albums in bloody ages. This is their first UK tour on the new record; Sempiternal, and all the dates are sold out way in advance, causing there to be a huge buzz in the Koko tonight. Opening tonight’s show are Empress, who have a strange proggy, doomy vibe, tinged with some faster hardcore inspired sections to keep the pace up. They’re fairly entertaining, if a tad static, but the actual sound is good, sounding very well rehearsed and tight. Sadly they seem a bit lost on the young crowd here tonight, but they seem poised to go far! (7) Crossfaith are crap live. Hang on. No. No they aren’t. They’re actually one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen tonight, sounding super heavy and never ever standing still for even a second. The tracks from Zion sound massive, and that Omen cover is something to behold, causing the capacity crowd to lose their minds on all of the Koko’s many levels. They’re going to be huge guys, go see them for gods sake! (9) Finally it’s time for Bring Me The Horizon, who’s return to these shores seems long overdue. Opening with Shadow Moses, and then going straight into Chelsea Smile and then Alligator Blood, it’s clear to see that Sheffield’s finest are out to provide us with a ferocious live show. They surge through a tonne of their best songs, and close with a triumphant Sleepwalking, which gets one of the loudest sing-alongs in a long ol’ while. Expect them to be headlining Brixton again, or even bigger, whether you “HATE THEM!!!” or
Devin Townsend Vs Meshuggah O2 Academy Brixton This honestly was shaping up to be one of the shows of the year so far at one of London’s best venues. The stellar line up featured two giants of the modern progressive metal world, with both Devin and the ‘Shuggah influencing countless amounts of bands in the past 5 years including djent poster-boys, Periphery who we’re going to be joining them at this show. With a boxing-prizefight dual headline of this calibre, anything could honestly happen and they’re certainly weren’t going to pull any punches. But we knew one thing for absolute certain; Devin Vs Meshuggah – Whoever wins, we groove. Periphery slotted very nicely into the support role for this line up, being heavily influenced by both the headliners, it was going to be a dream come true for them. Taking to the stage with Axe-Fx fuelled riffs with the classic crunchy tone that we’ve all come to expect from the Maryland chaps, as they pounded out the pure chug-fest that is Ragnarok. The 6-piece started out incredibly strong, with the formidable guitar trio of Halcomb, Mansoor and Bowen being tight as ever, as the multi-layered intricacies of the string-work exploded forth, backed by the thunderous backline of Matt Halpern’s staggering drum work and the deep rumbles of Mr Getgood. The vocals, for the most part, remained very stable with moments of brilliance shining through, as expected from Spencer; but as the set continued notes began to fall flat, screams began to waver or fall to screeches and as tight and impressive as the rest of the band were, in some places some songs felt stilted to a sub-par vocal performance. All of this aside, the main thing that let the Periphery boys down was the mix: the drums were embarrassingly loud, almost drowning out the guitars in places the bass had almost no tone to it, with most of the low end being lost in the drums and the vocals were far too quiet. Not to say that this was a bad set in any way shape or form, they played a good mixture of old classics and new favourites and they were all as tight as expected, but the nuances were just incredibly disappointing for an avid Periphery fan. (5.5/10) Meshuggah: This is where shit really got serious; possibly one of the heaviest bands that have ever lived were up next and the crowd was rowdy with anticipation. The Swedish purveyors of frankly disgustingly groovy metal were on top form this fateful night in Brixton - with their fiendishly imposing stage presences and backdrops to rival the 7 circles of hell. Be-bearded, long haired and donning the Jen’s face the ‘shuggah took to the stage to raucous applause and started the dirty, dirty groove fest that was going to be the next hour and a half. Bringing us a well varied, favourite packed set, consisting of such face-contorters as Bleed, Demiurge and I Am Colossus with a stroke of genius ending of the two parts of In Death to make sure everyone continued the night with near-broken necks. I will always maintain, if you want to see the tightest set you will ever come across, go and see Meshuggah, no questions. It’s pretty mesmerising watching chugging polyrhythms be slaughtered systematically by burly Swedish men, you fear for the structural integrity of their wrists and ankles, especially during Bleed, Odin knows how they manage to keep that riff going for more than a minute without their carpal tunnels bursting. The class, technical ability and showmanship of Meshuggah is what separates a good heavy band from a great heavy band their subtle intricacies and nuances go far beyond the skin deep chugging that most bands employ, and it carries expertly live. (9/10) Devin Townsend Project: The 30 minute hilarious
slideshow that they put on before Devin’s set could not prepare us for the awesomeness that was about to occur. Pock marked with various legendary YouTube videos, Ziltoid rants and the trippiest shit imaginable it was time for the shiney-headed legend to take the stage, backed by an Angelic chorus and one of the most mind-blowing light shows ever invisaged. It has to be said that Devin is probably the epitome of metal showmanship, his live performance is like no other seen on this earth for now; One of the cleanest vocalists I have ever heard, whether it is in his melodic or harsh voice, tightest guitarists and has one of the strangest abilities to encapsulate a crowd in recent memory – I suppose thats the power that you obtain when you ascend to the status of rock god. The sound produced by the group was insane. The backing choir provided another layer of epicosity to
the already ridiculous guitar tones and drum power, this was no better shown than in his opening song, Angel. When this song hit, I’m pretty sure 99% of the crowd transcended to another astral plane of existence as the headbanging and singing began. Devin’s voice cut through the mix like a samurai through a tissue, filling the room with aural Devin-ey goodness accompanied by Anneke Van Giersbergen, who’s soft angelic voice being the perfect antithesis to Devin’s baritone. Not being hugely clued in on Devin myself, It has to be said that this was probably one of the single best shows I have ever seen. The musical fidelity, the epicness of the sound, the mix, the technical ability of all musicians, the showmanship – Oh my lord the showmanship! If you ever get the chance to see Devin, take it no question. The master, the jack of all trades,
REVIEWS! struggling to stay above the constant stream of psychedelic synths and operatic vocals.
TESSERACT: ALTERED STATE
Considered to be one of the few pioneers of the widely acclaimed djent movement, British five-piece TesseracT have returned to exert more influence over this relatively unexplored genre. ‘Altered State’ will be the second studio album from these prog metallers and proudly exhibits that signature TesseracT sound merely seconds in to opener ‘Proxy’. With only one album in their back catalog, there is little history to compare with, but it is clear to see that the band are already exploring new paths. Structurally, ‘Altered State’ is less satisfying than its predecessor ‘One’. The band are inevitably veering towards the prog metal approach with ten tracks divided up in to four epic sections of no less than nine minutes each. The album is commendable for how effortlessly it flows as a result, but after first section ‘Of Matter’, I feel like I am
However, the album is superfluous in all degrees of musicality and the band are unquestionably one of phenomenal talent. When analysing the success of their debut studio album, any alteration of TesseracT’s initial sound is bound to spark debate and ‘Altered State’ has definitely done so. In comparison to previous tunes, such as ‘Lament’ and ‘Eden’, with their thick-cut guitar and groove that make everything from bone to flesh tingle, the new album has taken a more melodic approach. Admittedly, it compliments the band well but definitely does not do them viable justice. After exposure to the full 50 minutes, 55 seconds of auditory seduction, it is safe to say I feel as though I have experienced an illustrious jam session as opposed to an official studio album. Highlights such as ‘Nocturne’ and ‘Exiled’ give native TesseracT fans a taste of some much needed brutality but the constant presence of the eerie and subdued vocals keeps matters at a frustratingly delicate level. Conclusively, TesseracT have promulgated fantastic musicianship but seem to have held back on the true potential this album could have held. Experimentation is an honourable feature for any band to possess, but only if it is done well and it seems that, this time, TesseracT have ever so slightly missed the mark. Writer: Katie Tarrant
BLASTERMANN: RAP METAL’S BASTARD CHILDREN
The beginning of 2009 saw Manchester give birth to rapmetal quartet Blastermann. Since then, they have produced their debut EP ‘Rap Metal’s Bastard Children’, signed to Copro records and have been initiating consistent carnage upon local soil. Now, amidst the chaos, they are crawling out of the shadows with their self-titled debut album in hand. From the start, Blastermann’s defining characteristic has been the genre that they confine to: rap-metal. Its territory has had few pioneers; Limp Bizkit, Korn and Celldweller to name but a few, and Blastermann have filled that hole in the music industry with a full-length album that oozes originality. The album, produced by Nick Hemingway, features 9 fulllength tracks and 6 ‘skits’ and the diversity between each is impeccable. Musically, the delicacies this four-piece have to offer reek of what could be as opposed to what is, but the small skits and comedic references
that are elegantly distributed between tracks redeem the album by giving it such a loveable and listenable heart. Highlights such as ‘SuperStar’ and ‘Gears’ serve the album with a tasty platter of skull-grinding guitar riffs and punk-attitude vocals, however, it seems that, musically, the rest of the band fail to make their presence known in the mix. The sense of unity is quiet amidst this quartet and it inevitably impacts the vibes the debut album incites. Nevertheless, despite the short supply of influences their chosen genre has, Blastermann have still succeeded in creating a product that does not confine to its predecessors. In doing so, it seems the band have taken possession of a promising niche in the market, although at times are walking in circles inside of it, rather than harvesting it for what it could truly be worth. In short, Blastermann prove to be a promising collective with a plethora of ideas but are inevitably restricted by their current inability to fulfil them. Nevertheless, they come across as having an omnipresent aptitude to grow and develop and, as a result, are most definitely a group to look out for in the future.