Issue 14 // JULY 2017
PLAY THE ACE
+ SEPTEMBER MOURNING + EL WEST + NO NO YEAH OKAY + MORE!
White Noise (noun) - A steady, unobtrusive sound, as an electronically produced drone or the sound of rain, used to mask or obliterate unwanted sounds.
S TA F F / / JULY Co-Founder - Art Director Crisanne Glasser Co-Founder - Features Editor Danielle Gittleman
Hello everyone! Issue number 14 is in the bag! Thank you so much for sticking with us for the past 14 issues.
Contributing Writers Casey Wolfe, Gianluca D’Elia, Danielle Gittleman, Emily Klingman, Rebecca Panico, Nicole Cortese
This issue, we have some great content. We had the chance to chat with Soldiers Of A Wrong War, El West, No No Yeah Okay, Play The Ace, September Mourning and Army Of The Universe!
Contributing Photographers Sheri Berman, Alyssa Kromelis, Crisanne Glasser, Sam Polonsky, Dani Sacco, Ryan Pugh
We also heard some amazing music this issue, and you absolutely have to check out the new records from Hollow, The Nightmare Police, Light Warriors, and Vault 51! Enjoy the start of summer and we’ll see you in August!
CONTENTS Soldiers of A Wrong War
4
September Mourning
6
Play the Ace
8
No No Yeah Okay
10
Army of the Universe
12
El West
16
Album Reviews
20
BACK TO THE BASICS
Soldiers of a Wrong War have been flying low the last few years and are back and are ready to show off their new recipe for destriction. Words by Rebecca Panico // Photo Courtesy of Soldiers of A Wrong War
It’s
been about six years since Soldiers Of A Wrong War released a full-length album, and the long interval has resulted in what the Italian rock band called a “more mature” sound. “Growing up, you start to approach to music in a different way,” said bassist Adin Sulic. “Sometimes you’re able to find inspiration from things you never even considered before, and you also start to appreciate more a lot of artists/ songs that in the past you would just skip because you were too busy to find the next heaviest breakdown.” The newest 10-song release, Countdowns, is the second LP from the four-piece band. It’s a more robustsounding creation than the band’s first full-length 2011 release, Lights & Karma. Although both records had an arena-rock sound, Countdowns is the more powerful of the two. Luca ‘Difio’ Del Fiore’s vocals are guttural and rough on this album, a departure from the higher-pitch on the last album. “...[I] think that the sound we developed with this album
is a natural evolution of what we released back in 2011,” said Sulic. “Countdowns is definitely more mature, we had the chance to grow, to experience some changes in our lives, and we started to listen to many different types of music, having the chance to absorb something from every new artist we fell in love with.” The song “Clocks,” the only acoustic ballad on this newest album, juxtaposes with “Stories and Tales,” the only the acoustic song on the band’s 2011 LP. The later is more of a pop ballad, while “Clocks” develops into a dramatic rock anthem, showing the maturity of the band’s songwriting. A music video for the song “Yeah!” was released in April as a single ahead of “Countdowns” and is a more upbeat, energetic song off this album. The band’s attention to detail may have attributed to the six-year span in between albums too. Vocalist Del Fiore usually writes a first instrumental draft of a song, demo it and then they’ll listen to it hundreds of time before settling on a final version.
“As soon as we’re satisfied with how the song sounds, we track down a demo of it, so we can listen to it something like six hundred times more or less, to understand what arrangements would work well on that track,” said Sulic. “Then we go to the studio, we record, mix, master everything and that’s how you get the Soldiers Of A Wrong War recipe for destruction!” Soldiers Of A Wrong War have an eclectic taste in music and list their influences as Linkin Park, Metallica, Foo Fighters and The Cure. “You can always find something that will remind you of those artists in our music, simply because they were the first bands that we really fell in love with,” said Sulic. “...[I]t is thanks to them that the idea of starting a band and trying to create our own music became something we really needed to do in our lives.” The band is slated to play several more shows throughout Italy until the end of July. To learn more about Soldiers Of A Wrong War or to listen to their music, visit www. youtube.com/soawwchannel.
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September Mourning
Interview by Casey Wolfe // Photo Courtesy of September Mourning
WNZ: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR NEW ALBUM? HOW HAS THE RECEPTION BEEN SINCE ITS RELEASE? Our latest and first album was released last year. Called Volume II , it is an audio journey through the first and second issues of the comic book. It encompasses the story. WNZ: WHEN YOU WERE COMING UP WITH THE CONCEPT, WHAT CAME FIRST? THE ALBUM OR THE COMIC BOOK? WHY DID YOU DECIDED TO MAKE THE TWO GO HAND IN HAND? The project was created as a transmedia project. Everything centers around the characters and storyline it was always like that. WNZ: WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR THE STORY COME FROM? WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE TO GO DOWN THE COMIC BOOK ROUTE? I’ve always been obsessed with death and the afterlife so this story became my way of explaining the unexplainable and creating that world. Comics, with their visual aspect, were always the chosen medium. WNZ: HOW HAS YOUR TOUR BEEN SO FAR? HOW HAVE THE CROWDS BEEN? We love meeting new fans and it’s been awesome to do that. WNZ: ARE THERE ANY LOCATIONS YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN PARTICULAR? ARE THERE ANY PLACES THAT YOU WANT TO PLAY THAT YOU HAVEN’T GOT TO YET? We would love to go back over to Europe. We haven’t been in 2 years and the fans there are
incredible. WNZ: WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES, IF ANY? DO YOU FEEL LIKE THESE INFLUENCES TRANSLATE INTO YOUR OWN WORK? I’m influenced not only by musicians but also by visual artists so there’s quite a list. I think our project is rather unique because of the way it’s presented ... I can’t think of anyone who does it quite like we do. WNZ: WHAT DO YOU WANT FANS TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR MUSIC? Hope, strength, power, joy... I want them to feel... and not be afraid of that intensity WNZ: MUCH OF THE CONCEPT FOR THE COMIC/ALBUM APPEARS TO BE FICTIONAL. ARE THERE ANY ELEMENTS THAT CAME FROM REAL EXPERIENCES? All fiction stems from a bit of truth. Maybe not verbatim but a lot of the concepts and storylines are influenced by my life. WNZ: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? DO YOU PLAN ON RELEASING ANY MORE COMIC BOOKS? This is a transmedia project that’s the only way it will continue... with more of the story coming out. WNZ: IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY TO YOUR FANS? Thank you to each and everyone of them for being a part of this journey. We could not do this without you all.
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GIRL POWER
PLAY THE ACE HAVE BEEN GIVING THE BOYS A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY IN THE POP PUNK SCENE AND HAVE NO PLANS OF STOPPING ANY TIME SOON. Words by Emily Klingman // Photo Courtesy of Play the Ace
For
these three Although the band had she said. “Otherwise, we’d just teenage formed, they didn’t immediately be another Neck Deep wannabe pop punk rockers, making music take themselves too seriously. band.” and getting noticed in the age At least, not until people started The band’s dedication of social media has not been a to pay attention. “We just posted to finding and creating their problem. a few covers here and there,” own musical voice recently led Texan all-female pop said Chang. “As these covers to releasing their first EP, All punk band Play The Ace, who began to get more popular My Friends Are Ghosts, and a recently released their first EP and started gaining people’s positive reaction from their fan All My Friends are Ghosts, has attention, we realized we could base — though it wasn’t the first been slowly building a following really go somewhere with it, they recorded. “We tried making through posting covers of their so we started taking it more an EP about a year ago on our favorite bands, like Waterparks, seriously until it all became what own, but a bunch of confused twenty-one pilots and My it is today.” teens plus less-than-adequate Chemical Romance. So while Chang said the recording equipment usually “We grew up in the age band has been taking things doesn’t work out too well,” said of social media, so it was kind seriously, ultimately she said, Chang. “This time around, of natural for us to take on “we’re just here to have a good the experience was so much social media as a way to get time, and try not to accidentally different. We got to work with out there,” said vocalist and kill each other in the process.” professional equipment and we guitarist Iris Chang. “But we’re When Play The Ace does had someone helping us out so unorganized, so there’s get down to business, they look who actually knew what he was not really an exact process to to bands like State Champs, doing. Shout-out to Michael choosing songs. It’s usually just Neck Deep and Brand New as Briggs at Civil Audio, thanks for someone texts, ‘Hey this song influence on their sound. “I feel dealing with our mess.” would be fun.’” that you can hear what band we When it comes to In the month-long were currently listening to while inspiration for the lyrics, Chang process of learning and writing the song,” said Asaad. said the band tends to take practicing the songs they cover, Although they look up to ideas from experiences in their the three began to realize the big names in pop punk to everyday lives as teenagers. how much they liked playing hone their main sound, Chang Their instrumentals tend to together. And thus, Play The added the band does add come from more of a free Ace was born. their own elements to make a flowing kind of place. “I feel like “We all really enjoy music something unique to Play The most of our songs have very and started to jam out together,” Ace. universal themes that everyone said bassist Dena Asaad. “We try to incorporate can relate to, but at the same “As we were doing this, it just aspects of the bands we like, time, each song also has a hit us that we could actually but also add something new story that’s very personal and do something with it, so we and refreshing to it, so it has a unique to us,” she said. “As decided to form a legit band.” distinct Play The Ace sound,” for instrumentals, if I’m being 8 http://whitenoisezine.com
completely honest, we kind of just wing it.” And yet despite all their hard work and dedication to the band, one of the challenges they’ve had to face is getting taken seriously as a band because of their age and gender. “I think with our age and gender, we don’t get taken very seriously by other people in the music industry sometimes,” said Chang. “The rock industry is so male-dominated, and on top of that, we’re really young, so a lot of people just automatically assume we don’t really know what we’re doing.” Though she admits they don’t know what they’re doing at times, it doesn’t warrant being treated “like five-year olds.” “It gets really frustrating especially in instances when we’re 100% clear on what we’re doing,” she said. “But, we just take it as an opportunity to show people that we’re serious
about this and that we’re just as capable as everyone else.” Goals for the future of Play The Ace include some small tours around Texas. They would also love to go to other parts of the U.S. as well, like the big cities on the East Coast. “We would love to go on tour sometime soon, but as a bunch of broke teenagers, tour plans are kind of difficult,” said Chang. “It seems like it would be easier since all the cities are only a few hours away. Here in Texas, you can drive ten hours and somehow you’re still in Texas and all you see is cows.” This summer, the band plans on focusing on getting both themselves and their music our more in the world. Now that their first EP is out, it signifies a new phase in Play The Ace history. “We’ve never really
had our own studio recordings to show for our skills, so this is definitely a new chapter in the band and we really want to make sure we’re able to show it to the world,” Chang said. “In the fall we have some plans to bring back some more shows, and showcase songs that we’ve never been able to play live before.” To their fans, Play The Ace ultimately wants to thank them for everything — and remind everyone to listen to their EP. “Thank you all from the bottom of our heart for supporting us,” said Assad. “We can’t put in words how much it means to us. Please don’t forget to check out our EP, All My Friends Are Ghosts.”
MAKING WAVES No NO Yeah Okay have invaded milwaukee’s soundwaves and are running along the edm oregon trail. Words by Gianluca D’Elia // Photo Courtesy of No No Yeah Okay
With
an authentic sound that combines this ‘big little city’ thing happening. Overall, I feel elements of hip-hop, electronic Milwaukee music is honestly at one of the highest and punk, No No Yeah Okay (NNYO) are making levels of quality and consistency that it’s possibly waves and reaching listeners far beyond their ever been. We are stoked to be a part of it.” hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Last year, NNYO landed a spot in the Each member brings a different musical Emerging Artist Series at Milwaukee’s annual background to NNYO. The band is a combination Summerfest and performed a halftime show for of lead vocalist Colin Plant’s soulful, R&B-like the Bucks. vocals; the electronic production of Mark Gage, “Growing up in Milwaukee, getting the and the punk styles of guitarist Christopher call from Summerfest is always a very validating Quasius and bassist Joshua Paynter. moment,” Plant said. “But having the chance to The band’s upcoming EP Cabal, the play the Bucks halftime show in front of a sold follow-up to their 2015 debut EP Dual, promises out arena of 19,000 people was also pretty damn to reflect the band’s growth and evolution as cool.” musicians over the past two years. Plant said NNYO’s music has continued to NNYO released the debut single, an evolve in little ways since the band’s first release, upbeat electro-pop track titled “What Can I Say,” and has now reached a place where “there are in early May. Along with it, a music video for the noticeable differences in song structure and song came out in early June, telling the story of a instrumentation that we kind of feel invigorated young badass couple who invade the hotel room by.” of two newlyweds and steal their clothes and The band’s Twitter page once described white convertible — which, of course, is complete them as “Electro Soul pioneers.” Plant joked that with a “just married” sign and rattling cans tied he planned to remove that title from their bio. to the bumper. The song and visuals represent a The description fit a couple of years ago, he said, band that is mature, and whose clean, polished when NNYO were still discovering their identity sound has matured along with its members. and figuring out how to combine their diverse “I wrote [What Can I Say] on the tail end backgrounds and influences. of an extended stay in Southern California where “I think in the very beginning we were at I remember Just being in a really fresh state of a complete loss for how to label ourselves. Still mind,” said Plant, describing his inspiration for are actually. At first we felt Electro Soul really writing “What Can I Say.” captured the sound in description and while Plant said he had moments where he extremely lofty, ‘pioneers’ felt appropriate, as our would have given anything to have Zack Morris’ sound was and still is unique to our local scene. “time out” power from “Saved By The Bell,” so I guess in a way, it’s like we are on the ‘EDM he could “just stop and soak it up as much as Oregon Trail’ and we are all just trying to keep possible.” our cattle alive while making dope music and “I also remember thinking life wasn’t fair,” trying to avoid Cholera.” he recalled. “As I wasn’t given that power and While the “Electro Soul pioneer” these moments would just be gone before I knew description no longer fits NNYO’s, the concept it. That is kind of it in a nutshell.” of mistaken identity is a central theme in Cabal, Plant said the band plans to keep Plant said. releasing singles after the EP comes out. During In this new collection of relatable songs the summer, NNYO is performing shows along with a hypnotic, innovative sound, Plant hopes the East Coast. listeners will find moments where they “get lost” Plant said the band’s growth can be in the music. partially attributed to their start in Milwaukee’s “We hope that there is a melody, a music scene. drum pattern, or a baseline that someone — or “There is a ton of talent here and a few hopefully, many someones — can obsess over really great resources for local music to be and want to repeat over and over again.” heard and showcased,” Plant said. “We have http://whitenoisezine.com 11
ARMY OF THE UNIVERSE
Interview by Danielle Gittleman // Photo Courtesy of Army of the Universe
WNZ: YOU GUYS RELEASED YOUR ALBUM, 1999 & THE AFTERSHOW A FEW MONTHS AGO. HOW HAS THE RECEPTION BEEN SINCE ITS RELEASE? Pretty strong we must say.. Probably our biggest album so far. The single 1999 got over 100K views on Youtube and we are selling tons of CDs at every show. Being on tour certainly helps sales picking up again after the original release back in 2016. WNZ: WHAT IS YOUR WRITING AND RECORDING PROCESS LIKE? CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH IT? Experimentation first of all. The music we make is such a clash of electronica, industrial and Rockfish elements that requires a big creative process. in order to get blend properly. Lyrics are normally written by Lord K and Trebla, either together, four hands wring, either individually. The music itself can actually come from Trebla’s beats and bass lines or sometimes we start with a concept and write the whole song around it. WNZ: YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO BE RELEASING A VINYL OF REMIXES OF “1999.” CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT IT? WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO DO A VINYL OF REMIXES? Yes, the vinyl was just released on June 9th and it includes big remixes by Alec Empire (Atari Teenage Riot) and SBCR (The Bloody Beetroots), both very creative and strong producers. We also included Trebla’s techno rework called Ninety Ninety Noise which is an awesome underground rave kind of tune. A vinyl release is always good when it comes to remixes and you want to have a super sweet collectible piece for your fans. WNZ: YOU GUYS ARE CURRENTLY ON TOUR WITH THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE. HOW HAS THE TOUR BEEN SO FAR? FAVORITE MOMENTS? ANYTHING YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO? Great tour, amazing guys, perfect match. We get along so well. Musically we are different but not too far, that makes us a very strong combination and the public is loving it. We had so many
favorite moments, funny ones too… It’s always nice when Chibi dedicates a song to us during their set. WNZ: DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY OTHER PLANS TO TOUR? WHERE CAN FANS EXPECT YOU? Not till 2017. We just toured Europe with Aesthetic Perfection and William Control, now North America…Maybe there will be an open window for some shows in Asia and Australia, let’s see. WNZ: WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING A BAND FROM ITALY? HOW DOES THE MUSIC SCENE DIFFER FROM IN THE US? We don’t know really and we do not care much. We never play in our own country, our music is a little detached from the local trends. WNZ: WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES? DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE TRANSLATE TO YOUR OWN MUSIC? We go from Denzig to The Prodigy, from NIN to Depeche Mode, from Katatonia to 80’s and 90’s industrial music. Yes we are very eclectic so we probably impersonate our music a lot. WNZ: WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU GUYS? WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT? We are working on a restyling of our very first EP, Lovedead, which was released back in 2011. WNZ: DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY GOALS AS A BAND? WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU’D LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH? A nice goal would be to deliver a strong song for a good movie soundtrack. We believe that factor could finally give us the final exposure we need to make the bigger step. WNZ: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO TELL YOUR FANS? Come to the shows guys, it’s fun and we love to hang out with you.
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HERE TO STAY
el west are getting ready to send their new ep into the world and are about to become the mainst ay of your summer release arsenal. Words by Emily Klingman // Photo Courtesy of El West
With
a new song out along with musically it sounds more cohesive, and everyone their new EP, The Mainstay, really had a chance to add their own style. Writing El West is gearing up for an exciting summer — this record was a different experience than the and they’re ready to share it with their fans. last (with adding Ricky to bass), and when you Vocalist and guitarist Bryant Powell said add a new element, it’s a new opportunity for the new song, “Rose Letter A,” is one that means collaboration and growth.” a lot to the band, and it’s been connecting with Of course, the process of getting The fans as well. “We are so glad it’s striking a chord Mainstay written and recorded wasn’t always with people,” he said. “We’ve received some smooth. Bryant explained that as with doing great reviews of the song and it has already anything, “some things work and some things gotten radio play in our home town, Phoenix, AZ.” don’t.” Bassist Ricky Powell and Bryant explained “You just have to look at it as a learning the song was actually written as a gift to a good experience and move on,” he said.“Songwriting friend of theirs who lives in Spain. “We miss her comes really easily because we don’t really deal dearly,” said Bryant. “It was written as a letter to with competing personalities. It’s all about coming her from back home, here in the States.” up with ideas and that’s typically how we start the Since the making of their eponymous EP, process. Sometimes it’s a vocal line or guitar lead El West, drummer Marty Welker said he feels that generates an idea, and sometimes it’s a bass they all have grown a bit more, bringing a little line or drum beat. That’s the beauty of how well bit more mature perspective to their old sound. we write together. Thomas and I meet frequently “With this lineup, we’re still a young band and it throughout the week, outside of practice, to write was interesting hearing the different ideas and and generate ideas as well. Then we’ll take those structures we came up with,” he said. “It definitely ideas to practice and see if something comes of feels a little more mellow but I don’t think that’s them.” a bad thing. We pretty much tried to exaggerate In addition to the new song and EP, El every level of the band.” West has another new project coming out: they Ricky added that his was the first time created their very own beer. In collaboration with all four of them were able to write and create Hello Basin Brewing Company, the band made a together, so they “really tried to push themselves beer in celebration of The Mainstay’s release. musically.” “Dustin from Helio Basin is an awesome Lead guitarist Thomas Brenneman echoed dude and makes fantastic beer, so we were Ricky, saying they “really wanted to expand upon stoked to be able to collaborate with him,” said [their] sound.” He admits there are similarities on Welker. “He mainly did all the work, though we The Mainstay and El West, like Bryant’s “operatic were happy to help with the small stuff.” vocals” and his “obsessive use of reverbs and The band’s beer, a Session IPA, was delays,” but they wanted to use things like that on tap at the brewery during their EP listening to show how much they’ve grown as musicians party on June 8. It was also on tap during their since then. EP release show at Valley Bar, plus a few other “I think we really focused on creating Phoenix restaurants. They’ve also documented different textures in the sound and letting the the entire process in a vlog, which can be found vocals shine with this record,” said Brenneman. on the El West YouTube channel, ElWestMusic. “It was more collaborative than the last, so “It’s going to be fantastic,” Welker http://whitenoisezine.com 17
said. “We just enjoy working with great local businesses and there’s a few beer dorks in the band too. We’re honored that he let us do this, and we can’t wait to enjoy the beer while celebrating this release.” “We’re VERY excited to release the EP and share our labor of love with the world,” Ricky said. “It’s been about seven months in the making. And to top it off, we get to party with everyone and drink our own beer along with it! How can it get any better?” While the band has themselves booked in Phoenix all summer, unfortunately for some of their online fans, El West isn’t planning on taking their beer and EP on the road for a proper tour soon. Brenneman did say, however, the band has started to expand its presences outside of Phoenix. The four of them are heading to Los Angeles and Pasadena in a few weeks, where they’ll be playing at the Viper Room and at Old Towne respectively. Brenneman was also happy to announce El West has gotten some national radio play recently, telling fans to “keep your ears open.” Looking to tour more in the future,
Brenneman said he has a few fantasy tours he’d love to do. And for the moment, his favorite places to play are right in Phoenix. “I think the dream tour would be Europe, but to be more realistic, right now we would love to get to Portland, Seattle, and Denver because the music scene in those cities is just phenomenal,” he said. “Our favorite venues in Phoenix are The Rebel Lounge and Valley Bar. They are sister venues here in town, but the staff are the nicest people and so willing to support the local music scene. When they are not working your shows, they are coming to see you play. The sound crew at both venues really care about making you sound your best as well.” As a last message to fans, Bryant wanted to reassure them that after The Mainstay is released, there will be a lot more writing and creating going on. “We have awesome things in the works so you’ll have to stay tuned,” he said. “In the meantime, check out ELWESTMUSIC on all social media platforms to see what’s in store for us next. And thank you so much for the amazing support.”
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VAULT 51
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Kid
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Alternative rock band Vault 51 is set to release their debut EP, Kid, in mid-July. This EP is the result of overcoming many challenges after years of “developing their unique sound.” The band opens the EP with “Thirty Six,” an edgy track with a flair for the dramatic. Sometimes life doesn’t feel normal unless things are spiraling out of control, which is essentially the message in this song. It transitions pretty easily into their next track, “We Don’t Care,” with an intro equally as intense as the end of the previous track. The song maintains the band’s pent up emotion while the lyrics are more passive. The chorus literally states, “We don’t care anymore.” “Magnolias” keeps up the band’s dark façade while incorporating a slightly lighter sound. Lyrics like, “Show me what you want but I’m not gonna listen/learn to see yourself in your own reflection/magnolias begin growing from empty hands,” combine a heavy gloom with just enough lightness to find a way out of whatever fog may surround listeners. Much like magnolias, people grow. However, the EP quickly turns around with the next track, “Wildfire.” Putting a spiteful spin on the EP, it includes lyrics such as, “I’m gonna hate you like I always do / I’m gonna break you down / I’m gonna break you until you’re wondering / when will my nightmare end?” “Mourning View” begins slower and softer than the other tracks with a haunting quality. “I think I miss you, I do / Mourning view, will I be seeing you soon,” make this track possibly the most resonating lyrically. Finishing off the EP is “Sincerely Me.” It picks up the pace once again to finish with a vengeance. It has a more prominent beat than other tracks and subtly used electronics which, along with a strong melody and lyrics that listeners can relate to their own personal lives, make this track one of their best on the EP. Overall, Vault 51 have managed to set their particular sound apart from other bands in the genre while delivering music and lyrics that fans will love, all in six tracks. While the EP is a great addition to listeners’ discographies, fans will be anxious for a full-length album from Vault 51 after this taste of what the band can do.
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LIGHT WARRIORS
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Raise the Frequency
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Raise The Frequency is the feel-good, reggae-rock pick-me-up we needed in 2017. In many ways, the New York City-based Light Warriors live up to their name, as they seek to spread good vibes and provide a feeling of peace to listeners — this is achieved through a unique blend of influences, ranging from rock to reggae to smooth jazz. The first two tracks, “No More Distortion” and “Third Eye Sees,” are a perfect introduction for those who are just getting acquainted with Light Warriors. Both tracks set the tone for the rest of the album with a warm, friendly vibe, and lyrics about unity and unconditional love. In the light jazzy tracks that follow, it’s easy to get lost in a trance, but then “Rise Above” swoops in as a standout track, with a positive message of finding the strength to overcome pain. One of the best parts of “Rise Above” is the addition of some new voices. That last minute of riffs and runs from the gospel choir singers is one of the album’s most empowering moments. Following “Rise Above,” the soft guitar instrumental of “Raise The Frequency” brings us back down to earth for a moment, and then picks up the reggae groove again. Lyrics about PTSD and destruction of the natural order almost slip by in the smooth vibe of the song, proving that one of the unique qualities about Light Warriors is their ability to deal with difficult topics in song. Though “Industry Soul Killer” takes listeners on a brief diversion from the “good vibes” theme the album maintains, it’s also necessary and important, as it shows listeners a moodier side that’s been waiting to come out. The album concludes with the transcendent instrumentals of the final track “Sounding of the Trumpets,” until the last chorus leaves us with some final messages, including to “break free from the trends” — something Light Warriors does very well, as they find a balance between rock and jazz, and share impactful messages on politics and power without letting them overpower the peaceful, easygoing vibe the album strives for.
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THE NIGHTMARE POLICE
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Losing the Light
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In Losing The Light, the new EP from The Nightmare Police, the band comes a place of darkness to bring listeners five tracks full of pain and ultimately emotional release. Starting off the EP is the track “Taking Hold,” which ultimately sets the tone for the rest of the tracks. It’s full of inner emotional drama, especially with the lyrics “I’ve lost all feeling, ‘cause I’m not healing.” It opens with a quiet instrumental intro, then everything comes together by letting it all out. The vocals are cathartic, with big yells that get paired quieter, more melodic moments in the track. The track “Transitions” has an interesting and attention grabbing intro, though it ironically tells a simpler kind of story. Its ideas focus around the lyrics “I never knew you were dangerous, so I gave you my love and my soul.” There’s a universal naivety to it, which leads to it being one of the more ear catching songs on the EP. The final track on the EP, and probably the most mainstream pop punk sounding of all the tracks, is “Where Were You?” While the instrumentals may sound familiar, the lyrics make it distinct and stand out from what listeners may have heard before. They’re specific, and the details like “I’m tired, it’s late / I hold the bottle close / lost, again” paint a kind of self-portrait for anyone who’s been in this kind of emotional dark place The Nightmare Police is writing from. Continuing with the cathartic emotional release in the chorus, the final moments of the track are filled with yelling vocals repeating “Where were you?” Overall, I really enjoyed this EP. I think while at points it may sound like a mixture of the big names in pop punk, The Nightmare Police put their own distinct mark on the sound. Listeners will definitely find themselves with moments of wistfulness and reminiscence, but in the end the band will them through it and help find freeness in it.
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HOLLOW
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Home Is Not Where the Heart Is
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Words by Danielle Gittleman
R
Metalcore rockers, Hollow, have recently released their debut album, Home Is Not Where The Heart Is. The album has 11 powerful tracks that any metalcore fan will absolutely love. The album kicks off with “Coward King.” This track really sets the tone for the album — it’s full of energy and it goes so hard, to put it simply. It has a mix of clean and unclean vocals, and I thought that they mixed really well together. “The American Dream” follows “Coward King” and this song is really charged politically. The song discusses the problems with America, and how the “American Dream” isn’t really the “American Dream.” With lyrics such as “We’re going broke for a system that has failed us. How can we fix this? With empty promises?” this song truly has a powerful message. “Dis/connect” has to be one of my favorite songs on the album. I love the introduction on the song — it’s super dramatic and really fits the song. I absolutely loved the bass drop; I could easily picture hearing it live, and seeing the crowd completely lose their minds. This song just one of those songs that is so good, you can’t help but love everything about it. Following “Dis/connect” is “Anomaly,” another one of my favorite tracks on the album. The previous songs were primarily all unclean vocals while “Anomaly” is a mix of unclean and clean — which I found to be really refreshing. Taking things down a notch is “Too Far Gone,” a more mellow track off of the album. The songs still has those hardcore vocals, but they’re complimented by the clean vocals, giving it that slower vibe. I feel like this song has a lot of emotion in it, with beautiful lyrics such as, “We tried to pull ourselves together ‘cause we’re tearing at the seams. As the Earth turns beneath us, we struggle just to breathe. Find the hope that we let die, and the things we set aside. We’re too far gone to turn back now, follow the morning light.” “The Wicked” and “Alpha/Omega” are two tracks that definitely bring the heavy. To simply put it, they make you absolutely want to rock out and I would love to hear the band play them live. Bringing the album to a close is “(Null).” I thought this song was a good one to end on. It still has that same energy that has been shown throughout the album, not to mention a really awesome breakdown. I really like the message that this song sends — let your voice be heard. It’s a great way to end the album. Overall, I really enjoyed Home Is Not Where The Heart Is. I’m not really a huge fan of the metalcore genre, but this album changed that for me. There wasn’t one track that I didn’t like, and it really made me appreciate metalcore a hell of a lot more. For a debut, I thought this was amazing, and I’m really excited to see what’s next for Hollow. http://whitenoisezine.com 23
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