Starting off bright and early at around 11:30am (after a slight delay), Lowdrive took to the stage. Bringing what I felt like was a great stoner/doom vibe reminiscent of the likes of The Sword or Down, the band did a great job of blowing away the last of my grogginess and setting me up well for the rest of the day! I feel like everyone felt the same as the crowd responded better than they did to the first band the day before. They were still a tad quiet though, making me feel like if the band were put in front of a crowd that knew their stuff it’d really be something special!
The second stage was open today too and the festival did a great job of alternating between the two stages, ensuring no clashes and making sure there was always music on throughout the day.
The first band to grace this stage wereZero Point Zero, a metalcore band from our neck of the woods, Derby/Notts. The frontman had a fantastic scream, but unfortunately his cleans were a tiny bit weak – it may have just been nerves or time away from playing live or the questionably VERY loud mix. The rest of the band were good, playing a good mix of clean, slower stuff and great heavy riffs. The least polished band so far but that was expected, being on the second stage.
Next up on the mainstage was the all-female band Joanovarc. Considering it was their first time performing with their brand new singer, Hazel, I think they absolutely smashed it! Like, so much so that they were one of the highlights of the weekend! All four women were fantastic at their given job and all had a natural chemistry with each other on stage. These girls have a BIG future under this line-up and I cannot wait to see what they do next.
Back over to the second stage we head afterwards for a band called Firegarden. There was a major emphasis on the instrumentation, being a lot more of that than vocals. It was fine because all of them were fantastic at their given instrument. The crowd clearly loved it too as the tent was pretty packed out from start to finish.
Welsh hard-rock bandFlorence Black were up next! Given how they were building up to the release of their debut album this coming Friday, they did a fantastic job adding hype! The band get such an amazing, HUGE sound out of just the three of them, and they had the kind of style and stage-presence that a band ten years their senior may not even have. Another very polished band yet, just like City Kids, they have an edge of grit and improvisation to them – making it all the more enjoyable. And any band that covers Budgie is a win for me!
Unfortunately we missed the following second stage band as we had interviews, but managed to catch Empyre afterwards. They were good, if a little slow. I spent the entire set waiting for a big drop, for the band to get a little heavier or faster, but it didn’t come. There were a couple of parts that sounded a little like Tool, but it never quite hit the same heights. They were all still fantastic musicians, though, and the vocals were a particular highlight.
Shooting back across to the second stage we got to catch most of the awesome A Joker Among Thieves. They were another band that pulled and maintained a pretty decent crowd throughout their set, and for very good reason, they were great! They had a real great, genuine energy about them and seemed genuinely thankful to be there. Their slow song around the middle of the set was awesome too.
Hell’s Addiction were another fun, enjoyable and pretty tight band. They were on the same sort of level as City Kids in that they felt like the first band of the day people had gone there to see. Shoutout to the guitarist’s soloing.
Next up were a personal favourite band of mine, Bad Touch. I’ve known the guys for years and it’s so amazing to see them go from playing tiny pub venues in front of a limited audience to being a lot of people’s highlight of the weekend. It’s down to earth blues/country rock, no bells and whistles, just five guys giving it their all to play enjoyable songs and give the crowd the best time they can. Stevie is one of the most charismatic frontmen I’ve ever seen and he had the audience in the palm of his hand throughout. What other band could play a badass Alanis Moressette cover that weekend and get away with it? And not to mention 99% being a crowd favourite. A cracking set!
Gin Annie were another enjoyable band just like Hell’s Addiction that were all extremely talented and owned the stage with their polish and professionalism… but it did feel a little too much at times. There is a pretty fine line between being well put together and being TOO choreographed and rehearsed, and I felt like the band landed on the wrong side of that line from time to time. There is a grit and realism that I feel must exist in rock music, especially when it’s underground like this, and taking that away makes it feel much more corporate, something that no one wants from their rock music. Still, they were a good, enjoyable band none the less!
Finally, we reached the headliner of the evening, the almighty Doro. The former Warlock frontwoman blasted through a set full of classics and hits, both from her old band and her solo career, having the crowd in the palm of her hand the entire time. It was just an hour or so of classic metal goodness, even complete with a separate drum solo! All the band members were fantastic and she’s still such a charismatic frontwoman that it really helped carry the performance. A great way to close the night!
Sheffield’s premier underground rock festival, Rockin’ The Bowl, finally returned to Don Valley last weekend after a years absence due to the state of the world. With a stacked line-up that was mostly a carry over from 2020s event, with headliners of AOR legends Cats in Space, the metal queen herself Doro, and the almighty Massive Wagons, it was not one to be missed.
And miss it we did not! We managed to attend and experience the music and merriment, but just in case you couldn’t we thought we’d review it! Three days, two stages, 33 bands and one hell of a party, we managed to experience just about all of it!
The Lineup
Having arrived in barely enough time to set up my tent due to traffic, it wasn’t long before the gates opened and the host announced the first band… Bastette!
What a way to kick things off. Their awesome blend of pop-rock was the perfect way to start off an afternoon of great music. Caroline was all charisma and power, a fantastic frontwoman and really owning the big stage. The perfect combination of pop queen Lady GaGa and rock lioness Lzzy Hale. That isn’t to take away from the rest of the band though, who got plenty of chance to show off their awesome skill and musicianship. It took the crowd a little to warm up, not surprising given that it was probably the first gig back for some, but once they did they were joining in and enjoying it plenty!
Wasting little time, Daxx and Roxanne were on quickly afterwards. The Swiss born blues rock band blew the place away, owning every inch of the stage and having the crowd in the palm of their hand throughout! The whole band had an aura of polish and professionalism, something that made me quickly realise they are one of a few bands over the weekend that I can see playing massive stages at huge festivals around the world in just a few short years. Just good old fashioned blues rock, delivered awesomely!
Picture: Will Hutch
Unfortunately the following band, Liberty Lies, had to pull out last minute, but it meant that Sheffield locals Steal the City got promoted from the second stage to take their place. Unfortunately we couldn’t catch all of their set as it was when our interviews started, but we caught the back end and they seemed awesome! They really utilised their upgraded slot well, putting on one hell of a show and being the heaviest band on yet was a nice change of pace too! We will have to see them again I feel to fully appreciate them!
Up next were The City Kids, bringing an awesome punk edge to the proceedings. Another very polished band, but having enough swagger and attitude from their punk sound to still give it an edge. They were the first band that felt truly over with the crowd, that some of them had gone there specifically for them, which meant the crowd reactions and interactions were all the louder. One of the best modern punk bands I’ve heard, definitely for fans of the likes of Rancid and Bad Religion!
Up next, The Outlaw Orchestra chilled things out again with a more southern/blues sound. I love all things country so this was right up my street and I had a blast! I found they were at their best when they were a little slower, playing longer, more epic-feeling stuff. Their closing track was a definite highlight, but that isn’t to take away from the rest of the set. Even the covers they performed were top notch. Another top class band!
And within no time at all we reached the headliner of the first day of Rockin’ the Bowl, Cats In Space! What a way to close out a fantastic day too, with an equally fantastic set from a veteran rock band. They remind me a lot of Night Ranger or even Def Leppard, so ridiculously polished and well produced live that it could have just as easily been a recording of the tracks. Everything from their guitar tones to their harmonies to Damien’s incredible vocals sounded MASSIVE. I have to admit I was a little intoxicated by this point so my notes are messy and don’t make a lot of sense, but both ‘Mr Heartache’ and ‘Marionette’ were particular highlights. A fantastic way to close the night!
Parisian alt-rock band Halflives have been building up quite the momentum and steam in their short time active. Having released their debut album ‘Empty Rooms’ back in 2017, they have followed it up with a handful of singles and two EPs, ‘Resilience’ and ‘V’. It is this second EP, released earlier this year, that I’m checking out today. Having found them through a sponsored social media post and having only heard the one song, safe to say I’m pretty excited for this one!
Opener ‘Vibe’ fades in with a great guitar riff before Linda Battilani’s powerful vocals come in over the top with a catchy melody. It’s straight to the point and a great way to open an EP. It opens out into the whole band making the riff sound MASSIVE before dropping back out again quickly for the verse. The pre is another catchy vocal line that could be easily chanted back by a live crowd before the huge chorus comes back in to add to the hook. It’s pop-rock at its finest and although I for some reason expected it to be a tad heavier, I’m fully down with this. The chorus is so damn catchy it’s going to be stuck in my head for days. It’s short and sweet too, clocking in at under two and a half minutes and finishing not long after the second chorus. Awesome and easily playlisted!
‘Victim’ opens straight into another fantastic vocal line from Linda, this time backed by a simple piano note repeated before it heads into a more traditional pop-rock verse. Atmospheric sounds over the top of the simple drumbeat all perfectly back the vocals, building into another massive, awesome chorus. It’s fairly steady-paced, profanity led and the same vocal line that opened the song, but performed with the rest of the band filling out the sound makes it so much bigger and catchier. We get a stripped-back bridge part after the second chorus, it briefly building back up into a final chorus. I have to admit it did get a little repetitive towards the end, the chorus lines were repeated a hell of a lot throughout the fairly short song, but it’s definitely one way to write an earworm of a song. Another good track!
‘Valkyrie’ is another track similar to the previous that opens on Linda’s awesome vocals, and at least this time it isn’t the chorus opening things up! The song is more on the pop side of their work as opposed to the rock, as even the first chorus is relatively stripped back, featuring no hint of distorted guitars or heavy drums. We do get a fairly heavy riff coming out of it, some electronic sounds reminiscent of Linkin Park or Bring Me The Horizon sounding over the top. It, unfortunately, drops back down again for the second verse and chorus, but it is all still so damn catchy that it’s hard not to love it. The heavier instrumentation comes back in for longer after the second verse and the vocals come in over the top, sounding the best of the chorus lyrics so far, in my opinion. It then drops back down, building up through another quieter chorus into the heaviest part of the EP so far, a huge almost breakdown riff to quickly close out the track.
The song that I had heard previously as it is their biggest, ‘Villain’, is next. It opens on a fantastic riff, almost grungy in its attitude and grit. We get the vocal hook of the song at the end of it, transitioning perfectly into a simple, steady verse. It builds perfectly into a plodding, brooding, pretty heavy chorus. The instrumentation is simple behind the singular repeated line of vocals, but damn if the electronic sounds again add so much depth and energy to the track that it’s impossible to dislike. The way the guitars take on the vocal melody after the second chorus was awesome too, making it somehow even catchier. A fantastic bridge really shows off Linda’s range, her high vocals sounding just as good as her usual lower range. A final chorus finishes a fantastic song, and another that easily makes the playlist!
‘V (Psycho)’ opens the heaviest of the bunch, a great opening riff that unfortunately drops out a little too soon into an at this point predictable verse. Despite the opening riff, it is also possibly the lightest song on the EP, it not picking up the heaviness again until the final chorus, and even then it’s just adding distorted chords behind it. It was still a damn enjoyable song and one that I will probably find myself listening to again, I just feel like they never quite hit the epic highs they could have by going all out on one or two of the riffs.
Overall: This was an enjoyable EP! It was something different as outside of the likes of Dorothy I don’t listen to too much that is this poppy, but this was as good a stepping stone into the genre as it could get. I can’t wait to hear more from this band, and only hope that they build on their sound a little more with their next release, adding a little more intrigue to their music!
Iron Maiden. New Album. Enough said. Let’s get on with it.
IRON MAIDEN- 2021 Photo copyright by JOHN McMURTRIE
The album’s opener and title track gets into things a lot sooner than I expected it would. It still builds up nicely with a pretty great drumbeat and some awesome power chords leading to a fun guitar riff. However, Bruce’s vocals come in in under a minute, something I was not expecting given how long the intros were for their last few albums. As I said, it still builds the atmosphere well, and immediately sets the tone for something different from the band, something possibly needed after 17 albums. It’s a very Maiden-y verse, especially with the higher harmonies in the background. Bruce sounds as awesome as ever, a true testament to his skill after what he has been through over the last few years. It continues into a massive, open chorus, slowing things down and adding a signature air of epicness through the melody and accompanying lead guitar. It may not be one of Maiden’s strongest choruses and did come off as more of a pre to me at first, but there is no denying its catchiness. We get an odd structure after the second verse, adding a great duelling guitar solo for a good thirty seconds before the chorus comes back again. The bridge after said chorus was awesome, the riff over the top of Bruce’s higher vocals giving the three guitarists plenty of room to play with. We do, however, get a slightly too drawn-out slower part afterwards. It was fun and catchy but felt like it went on forever, especially when it is brought back again after another brief guitar solo. A final chorus and outro solo take us home. This was good and enjoyable, though it didn’t quite grip me as much as ‘If Eternity Should Fail’ from the start of the last album.
One of the two singles, ‘Stratego’, is up next. It bursts right in with a fantastic, VERY Maiden riff and drumbeat, sounding more like their more recent selves than the previous song. The verse keeps that same feel and energy, the low melody from Bruce getting harmonised perfectly by the higher guitar lead. The pre where Bruce goes higher to match said harmony was also perfectly done. It all builds perfectly to a massively catchy chorus, huge and open and again aided by the guitars harmonising with the vocals. This one follows the more traditional rock song structure, a great guitar solo following the second chorus, though they add a little variety with a fantastic bridge riff coming out of it before it leads to the final chorus. This was a lot more what I was expecting and hoping for and cannot get enough of it, even after I’d listened to it a few times in the last few weeks leading up to the album. I am such a huge fan of their style since Bruce has returned, with their last four albums being among my favourites, and I’m glad they are continuing it on in some respect. Playlisted!
The lead single from the album, ‘Writing on the Wall’ has already got a VERY brief review from us when we wrote an article on the album’s announcement, which you can read here. My thoughts on the song haven’t changed all too much, though it has definitely grown on me a lot more since that first listen. I love the inclusion of the acoustic guitar for the intro and the more bluesy lead riff is amazing. It somehow feels different while also having the same hallmarks of modern Maiden, something I think it does better than the opener. I also LOVE the chorus the more I listen to it, it’s ridiculously catchy. We get a couple of fantastic guitar solos after the second chorus, split up by another awesome harmonised guitar riff. Everyone on this album so far has been incredible, but it’s hard not to think Adrien, Janick, and Dave aren’t stealing the show. Another AWESOME track.
Time for a long one (and it’s not the only one by a long stretch) with ‘Lost in a Lost World’. The band again throws a curveball, opening on a simple, clean guitar chord progression with Bruce’s slightly effect-laden vocals coming in quiet and low over the top. It sounds awesome, though not very Maiden at all! Even the choir-like backing vocals were an awesome change of pace. It doesn’t even kick in for two minutes, but when it does it’s into a pretty awesome riff. The verse is pretty great, but it also takes another almost two minutes for it to change at all. The pre was awesome though, the lead guitar part again following Bruce’s vocals perfectly, giving off big ‘When the Wild Wind Blows’ vibes. At over four minutes the chorus finally hits, it not having as epic a feel as the past two but given that everything else about this song feels epic it’s fitting that the chorus is just a big hard rock riff with solid, catchy vocals over the top. Then, in typical Maiden fashion, we get a few minutes of them showing off that they are some of the best musicians in the world today. Duelling guitar solos, epic riffs, and Steve Harris holding down the fort with his trademark solid, interesting bass playing. We get a final chorus before it gets slowly stripped back into a quiet outro, led by the fantastic vocals, a high guitar harmony, and the awesome low bass. Another fantastic song, four for four so far!
The shortest song on the album, ‘Days of Future Past’, jumps straight into a mid-tempo distorted guitar riff and doesn’t let up once throughout its four minutes. The main riff afterwards is one of the best on the album, a good verse leading into a fantastic, catchy chorus. It reminds me a lot of ‘The Alchemist’, a short, to-the-point banger tucked in the middle of an otherwise epic-lengthed album. It may actually be my favourite chorus so far, it’s Maiden through and through and suits Bruce’s voice to a T. The solo was awesome as expected and there isn’t much more I can say about this track as it’s another that follows the traditional structure. All I can say is check it out!
‘The Time Machine’ is a slow-burn intro reminiscent of ‘The Clansman’ or ‘The Book of Souls’. Bruce’s vocals ring perfectly over the slow, beautiful clean guitar, adding an instant epic feel. The subtle strings in the back were a nice touch, too. It explodes into another awesome riff a minute into it, pretty uplifting vocals coming in over the top of it for the verse, which threw me off a tad. The chorus is another awesome one though, fitting the true Maiden style of writing perfectly. I cannot get over how light and almost U2-esque the verse melody is though, it’s certainly different for the band. The riff after the second chorus even sounds pretty similar to the one from ‘The Book of Souls’, making me pretty proud of myself for making the connection early on. The rest of the song is more standard Maiden, just like ‘Lost in a Lost World’; lots of awesome riffs and solos and catchy vocal lines tucked away in the middle. It’s another fantastic track to end disc one. Yep, you heard me right, it’s a double album, and we are officially halfway through. And they only get longer from here…
‘Darkest Hour’ starts with an AWESOME clean guitar riff coming out of some wave sounds, setting the tone and atmosphere perfectly. Bruce’s vocals come in over the top perfectly once again, he seems to be at his best these days adding his lower range over the top of the slower, more atmospheric parts of the songs, even if he can still belt it high with the best of them. The drums even come in over the top of the slower verse too, keeping the track lower for a lot longer than I was expecting. The distortion builds up into the chorus around two and a half minutes in, but the track still stays pretty steady. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was a very rare ballad from the band… The chorus is awesome, growing on me more and more with each listen, a real highlight of not just the track but of the whole album. The guitar solo is amazing, the slower tempo of the song giving them a chance to really add some emotion and feel to their playing, and they do so masterfully. Everything about this song was incredible, and I cannot get over the fact that it was a ballad. It’s maybe the easiest song to make the playlist ever, wow.
‘Death of the Celts’ gives off more ‘Clansman’ vibes (I mean of course it does, with a song title like that), a couple of slower, quiet acoustic riffs once again building atmosphere before Bruce comes in to add even more epicness to the proceedings. His vocals even fit a similar melody to Blaze Bailey’s in ‘Clansman’. I feel like after them playing it again live on the ‘Legacy of the Beast’ tour for the first time in a while they released how much of a banger it is and thought they’d write more like that again, and I for one am all for it! It again stays on the slower side when the distorted guitars and drums come in, making it somehow even more epic. The only point I can make, whether you are for or against it, is that the first chorus doesn’t come in until over three-and-a-half minutes in. I love it personally and think it adds to the feel of the song, but I can see why some wouldn’t be as fond. We get more Maiden-noodling for a few minutes, transitioning from awesome riff to awesome riff seamlessly, and throwing in a solo or two for good measure too. I feel redundant at this point for saying this was great.
The longest track on the album, ‘The Parchment’, is more of the same. So is the closing track, ‘Hell on Earth’. None of that is a bad thing. I feel like a hypocrite, given that just the other day I was reviewing Dead Romantic and said that the songs sound pretty similar and that they could do with changing it up, and yet here I am praising 24 minutes of Iron Maiden for sounding similar to the rest of the album. However, firstly, the band changes it up so much within each song that it gives plenty of variety in the album anyway. And secondly, screw you guys, I can say what I want. Are either my favourite tracks on the album? No. But both are still damn enjoyable, good songs, from a band that has no right to still be pumping out music of such high quality nearly half a century after forming.
Overall: This was fantastic. While their last album was a grower and I only truly started appreciating it after seeing some of the songs live, I instantly fell in love with a good few of these songs. I cannot wait to see some of these songs live and I honestly think it shall continue to grow on me over the coming weeks and months and may even become one of my favourite albums from the band. Check this out if you are at all into rock music!
The Score: 9/10
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UK-based metal band Dead Romantic dropped their debut album, ‘Voices’, today. We managed to get exclusive access to it a few days early to review it and I have to say I am very thankful; this album is pretty awesome. If you want a more in-depth review than that, by all means, keep reading!
‘My Parade (Fuck You)’ opens with a pretty heavy guitar riff and some awesome tech/electronic sounds behind it, giving off pretty major Bring me the Horizon or Linkin Park vibes. It drops back to just the electronics, drums, and the powerful vocals for the verse, adding some great dynamics as it slowly builds to a MASSIVE chorus. It’s catchy as anything and highlighted perfectly by the heavier instrumentation again. I have to admit the lyrics are a little more juvenile than what I prefer, but I understand the emotion behind the song and they definitely fit. The end of the second chorus heralds a great breakdown and a pretty impressive, technical guitar solo. Both could have gone on slightly longer I’d have said, but it’s a very small nit-pick really, that I want more of the quality song! A fantastic opener and introduction to the band for anyone unfamiliar!
One of the singles, ‘Kissed with a Lie’, is another that opens on a huge riff after a few seconds of atmospheric build, this time the vocals coming in right from the offset with what I imagine will be the chorus hook. It again drops down for a slower, quieter verse, almost giving me My Chemical Romance vibes for some reason! The chorus is again massive and even catchier than the previous songs, a clear indicator as to why this was a single. Another great little breakdown follows the second chorus, heavy but also radio-friendly at the same time. It again wasn’t quite as long as I feel it could have been before it drops down to another slower part, but I’m just becoming more and more a sucker for heavy music, it seems! We then have a final huge chorus to finish things off. This was awesome and easily makes the playlist.
This band is just full of heavy industrial metal-style riffs, as ‘Assassin’ proves with the third straight awesome opening riffs. However, almost thankfully actually, it stays pretty heavy through the verse with some awesome drum work. It still builds well into a slower, radio-baity chorus filled with huge guitar chords and soring, sing-alongable vocals. The guitar solo being over the slow part of the song this time was a nice touch, giving the notes a little more breathing room and added emotion as a result, making it my favourite solo on the album thus far. Again, the big final chorus takes us home and rounds out another great song.
Single ‘Yesterday’ is the slowest song on the album, the opening riff being VERY Linkin Park before it drops down like all the other songs. It also strangely builds up nicely through the verse before dropping all that momentum to go quiet for the pre again. The pre itself builds pretty well in its own right, but it wasn’t needed after the build in the verse. The song is generally slower than the previous ones, reminding me quite a bit of Bullet For My Valentine’s more recent slower songs. We get another slower guitar solo, good but a tad too short again, before the final chorus brings us home. This wasn’t a bad song by any stretch, but it felt a little bland to me, especially for a single.
I made a mistake with my last assessment, it turns out ‘Stay High’ is the slow ballad of the album, not the previous song. It opens on a pretty beautiful slow guitar riff, but the lyrics come in over the top and just remind me of Hollywood Undead, a band I am really not a fan of. I never really thought this sort of vocal style suited ballads, though I know how popular a lot of them are so I know I am in the minority. Still, when the distortion and heaviness comes in with the chorus it makes the song pretty enjoyable at least. I’m shocked a song like this wasn’t chosen as I single, I must admit, but then again at least ‘Yesterday’ was also a slower song. There isn’t much more I can say about this song, it’s a half-decent ballad from a pop-metal band, it’s enjoyable for what it is.
‘Cry For War’ picks up the pace again, but it is just more of the same; big opener, stripped back, slower verse, and a big, open and catchy chorus. There is very little to each song to differ from this aside from the odd short breakdown riff or guitar solo. It’s all pretty formulaic, and I hate to say a tad generic. I am definitely a fan of the style of music and would happily listen to the odd track of it if it came on on the radio or my playlist, but I’m struggling to listen to a full album of the same structure and feel and little variety. I do understand that it’s the band’s debut album though so I understand the need to establish their style and get the point across, it just got a little boring by this point.
I, unfortunately, have the same sort of analysis for the final single from the album ‘Fight Me’. However, I do have to say, it was a really, really good track. The chorus was on point, the breakdown riff was heavy and infectious and the instrumentation, in general, was fantastic. This is my favourite track on the album, despite what I have just said about the style in general. It easily makes the playlist!
Strangely, as if raising a middle finger to me, ‘Alibi’ comes along next and almost sounds like an indie-rock song. While I do take back some of what I said earlier on, the variety has come fairly late in the album, so maybe my issue is the front-loading nature of albums these days. After all, it’s rare that people listen to albums in full these days, so it makes a lot of sense. Dead Romantic, I’m sorry. That won’t happen often, I’d frame that and put it on the wall. I got massively off track here… I enjoyed the song! It was an interesting blend of styles and feels that I feel hasn’t been explored even nearly enough before now. It also had a pretty epic feel to it, compared to a few of the others, and the outro was pretty sick. It may even make the playlist, who knows… why don’t you go and check it out and see for yourself…?
The last three songs go back to the same formula as the first half of the album but at this point, I don’t mind it. All three were decent songs filled with catchy vocal hooks, fun grooves, and some awesome and heavy riffs. It’s still radio-friendly but again that isn’t a bad thing at all, I just wish the band had gone for it a bit more on one or two of the songs!
Overall: This was pretty damn good. As far as debut albums go this was better than most and the band definitely have one hell of a future ahead of them. There are a few INCREDIBLE tracks here that really stand out and I shall be listening to a lot over the coming months. I just hope they build on this sound going forward and (fingers crossed), add to the heaviness and riffs a little more. If some of the riffs had more time to breathe, this may have been up there with one of my favourite albums of the year. Even still, though, it is very damn good.
Score: 8/10
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Myles Kennedy feels like he has been one of the faces of rock music for the last decade or so now. Being the frontman of not one but two massive, arena-filling rock bands in Alter Bridge and Slash and the Conspirators, he has been involved in some of the best music of the millennium and is maybe the second most recognisable modern frontman alongside his other duel-banded friend, Corey Taylor. Much like Taylor too, Myles has branched out away from his bandmates of the last couple of years into solo work. However, unlike Corey’s bombastic and controversial release (including everything from rap to jazz metal), The Ides of March seems a lot more understated and closer to the sort of thing he has written in previous projects, from what I could tell from the single I heard. I’ve been a big fan of almost all of the man’s work for years now, but I wasn’t too into his acoustic solo album he put out not long back. However, I am still excited to hear this as there are few better rock guitarists around today. Let’s get into it!
‘Get Along’ opens on a pretty nice guitar riff, the repeating groans and breaths from Myles in the background being an odd but surprisingly fitting touch. It drops down into a more stripped-back verse, focusing on the vocals, drums, and a beautiful acoustic guitar. It builds slowly through a pretty catchy pre before the opening riff comes back to make up the chorus; one line being repeated over making for some catchy vocals, as do the little melodies between the lines. We get a short bridge that leads into a VERY bluesy guitar solo, and I am all for it. It was a little short but both technical and slower, making for a damn good solo. Coming out of the solo it drops down again into a stripped back pre, building up perfectly into a final chorus. It’s a double one, the second half having a lead guitar line that follows the vocal melody, adding some awesome depth to the track. I loved this. It was a fantastic, rocky yet radio-friendly way to open up the album, and it easily made the playlist!
‘A Thousand Words’starts off slower and more acoustic-y than the previous song, but it’s an awesome little chord progression. It stays fairly light through the light, but some awesome little lead guitar harmonies ring through beneath Myles’ impressive vocals. This even reminds me of one of the slower tracks from Corey’s solo album too, Black Eyes Blue. I think they just have a couple of similar chords hidden in there. Another catchy, great pre leads us to a surprisingly slower chorus. It’s still a great chorus, the lyrics catchy and the vocal melody even having hints of more recent Iron Maiden, but it always feels weird to me when a slow song goes from a faster verse into a slower, more stripped-back chorus. It always feels like it should be the other way around. The second chorus leads into a fantastic bridge, it if anything sounding bigger and catchier than the choruses. It then gives way to another fantastic guitar solo, Myles really getting to show off his impressive chops, something he doesn’t get to do a lot. A final chorus finishes things off. This was another great song, not quite as good as the previous one but still massively enjoyable.
The lead single, and the one I have heard previously, ’In Stride’, is up next. It opens pretty hard and an amazing slide guitar riff, my favourite thing on the album so far. The verse stays pretty quick and heavy; a chuggy rhythm guitar and some more occasional sliding behind the vocals. A lot of this album so far has reminded me of the Apocalyptic Love album he did with Slash, my favourite album by their duo, it has a lot of the same feel and vocals. It has the most rock-feeling chorus of the songs so far, the vocals soaring over the top of huge distorted guitar chords. It reminds me a little of an Inglorious song, actually, but one I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s catchy as hell, the best chorus so far. We get another bridge but surprisingly (disappointingly) no solo this time. However, the bridge has plenty of the slide guitar riff again and some great low vocals from Myles, something we don’t get nearly enough of these days. It briefly drops down for the start of the final chorus before quickly building back to a big, hard crescendo. I’ve loved this song since I first heard it a couple of weeks ago and have listened to it a lot, so it easily made the playlist!
The album’s title track is the longest song on the album by far, clocking in at over 7:30 minutes long, and the fact that it starts acoustic, slow and quiet, means we’re either in for some epicness or a boring nearly 10 minutes. The riff itself gives me pretty heavy Stairway vibes, but Myles’ lower vocals give off a much more atmospheric vibe than Robert Plant’s higher ones, in my opinion. It picks up around 45 seconds in, to my surprise, a great distorted guitar riff kicking in, accompanied by some great drum work. It somehow reminds me even more of Led Zep. Strangely, though, the song almost immediately drops back down into acoustic guitar for the verse, the only real difference being a simple, stripped-back drumbeat behind it. It sounds almost Italian to me, I don’t know why. The chorus stays a little lower but the riff does come back in at the end of it, only to end soon after for the next verse. The chorus itself is catchy vocally still, but it still feels odd, like the rest of the song. Every time it feels like we’re getting to the heavier epic part, it peters off pretty quickly into slower, quieter stuff. However, I do have to commend the solo, it fits the song perfectly and was AMAZING. Slow, full of emotion, and pretty long this time, this may be one of my favourite solos by him. He does so well when the music is stripped back and slower, just look at Blackbird. It isn’t quite as good as that one, but it’s up there. The song gets almost prog in the last couple of minutes, it going into a completely different part for another great part of vocals and another fantastic, faster guitar solo. This part is pretty good but then a quiet outro finishes it off. This was a bit of a bloated mess, in my opinion, and the worst song on the album so far. I see what they were trying to do and at times I enjoyed it, but it was too long and complicated.
‘Wake Me When it’s Over’ opens on a pretty interesting guitar riff, one that wouldn’t sound on a modern Foo Fighters album. It drops down a little for the verse but stays quick and fairly heavy. It builds into a huge chorus, catchy and backed by the great intro riff again. There isn’t too much I can find to say about this song, it’s just a good straight-up rock song. It reminds me a little of the Slash song Driving Rain, so if you liked that you’d probably like this too!
‘Love Rain Down’starts slow again, but a little more entertainingly than the title track, in my opinion. It stays slow throughout too, something I prefer to jumping about too much. The slide into the solo out of the first chorus was fantastic, and the lead work adds a lot of depth to an otherwise simpler song. Again, there isn’t much I can say about this one. The outro was interesting as it felt like it was about to build up and drop at any minute, but instead just kept going at the same steady pace before finishing. I preferred this to the previous song, it was pretty good!
Some more awesome slide guitar opens ’Tell it Like it is’. The riff seems familiar but I have no idea why. The clapping behind the intro vocals made them even more catchy, something I definitely want to hear live already. It stays stripped back and simple through the choruses, making it a little hard to tell which part is which, but it’s all hugely catchy and enjoyable. We get a surprisingly simple guitar solo after the second chorus, but it fits in with the straightforward, almost Status Quo-like style of the song. We get an awesome verse after the solo of just Myles’ vocals and some clapping, another reason why I want to see this live so bad, the crowd interaction for it would be great. The rest of the song is just as fantastic as the first half; it may even be my favourite song on the album, or at least up there behind Stride. Playlisted!
Both ’Moonshot’and ’Wanderlust Begins’are two more good songs, but also two slower ones. Those who have followed my reviews over the last year or so will know that I have absolutely nothing against slower songs, but when they comprise over half of the album, I find myself getting a little bored. Especially when there are better slower songs on the same album, such as Love Rain Down. It just feels like more of Year of the Tiger again, and that album bored me. The lyrics in both were pretty good, though. Also, the high vocal harmonies in the latter song are damn impressive, and I’m pretty sure they’re also done by Myles.
‘Sifting Through the Fire’ picks up the pace a little again, at least opening on electric guitar. It gets back to the acoustic sort of feel during the verses, but there is still some pace and bounce to it which I appreciate, it’s not ALL slow stuff. The chorus is pretty enjoyable, too. It’s not quite hard rock like I was hoping for from the intro, but it’s better than another moody song. The solo is pretty good, but way too short again. It’s another fantastic chorus, one of the best on the album. I also think it would make fantastic background music, as it is so relaxed for the most part; an album to throw on if you just want to relax and not concentrate too hard on what’s going on in it.
The final track on the album, ’Worried Mind’, is another track that suffers a little in my mind due to the slow start. However, the sliding guitars and overall bluesy feel to it was awesome. This one is VERY slow though, something I still don’t think is needed for a final song on an album. Myles’ vocals are beautiful over the top of the minimalistic instrumentation though, and I honestly think that if this was on a faster album overall, I’d have enjoyed it a whole lot more. The blues solo in the middle was also fantastic, the simplistic arrangement continuing throughout and giving it an ever so slight jazz feel to it too. The more this went on, the more I enjoyed it. It builds up more and more throughout, the final chorus being incredible and huge. Myles’ higher vocals accompanied by more drums and distorted guitars gave it a real epic feel to it, a fitting conclusion. It felt like I was down in New Orleans or something, and I loved it. I think it may even make the playlist!
Overall: This was a lot better than I anticipated, and a lot more like what I wanted Year of the Tiger to have been. It is, for the most part, completely different than everything else Myles usually works on, and I think that benefitted it a lot. I love Tremonti, but at times it does just feel like tracks that could have been on an Alter Bridge album. Meanwhile, Myles is out here going to his blues and acoustic roots, knocking it out of the park with a handful of fantastic songs that I’ll have stuck in my head for days to come. Don’t get me wrong, not all of it was incredible, there was definitely the classic mid-to-late-album lull, but overall, there was a lot more good than bad. This is an album I’ll definitely be revisiting regularly!
Score: 8/10
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Jinjer exploded into the more mainstream metal scene a couple of years ago now after a video of their studio session of the song ‘Pisces’ went viral as it showed off Tatiana’s incredible vocal range. They have toured the world since and released two subsequent albums, growing more and more seemingly by the day. I have to admit I have not checked out as much of the band as I probably should have, but I have enjoyed what I have heard enough to make me happy to listen to their new album, ‘Wallflowers’. Here is the review from that listen!
‘Call me a Symbol’ opens straight into a pretty decent modern metal riff, technical and weird. Tatiana’s harsh screams soon in over the top, adding to the heaviness. It does feel like a bit of an unorganised start but soon heads into a pretty great blast beat from the drums through the verse. I assumed the slightly more open part with the bends from the guitars was the chorus, the vocals being pretty quickly delivered still but were pretty catchy nonetheless. There was a great part just before the two-minute mark where Tatiana’s clean vocals come in behind the scream. It was only for a line, but it added so much to the track and made me like it a lot more. There’s some insane riffing after this part, the bass being the real highlight as it follows the guitar perfectly. The vocals clean up for a bridge, Tatiana’s voice sounding just as good, effortlessly switching between the two. We then get an awesome outro with both screaming and cleans to finish things off. While this felt a little disjointed at times and it was an odd way to open an album, this song really grew on me, and I was enjoying it by the end!
‘Colossus’ opens on an equally big, heavy riff to the previous song. It slows up a little in the verse, the vocals making it all sound almost evil, some definite black metal in here. It doesn’t take long to speed back up, making the track somehow even heavier. The chorus cleans up vocally, the transition being ridiculously good and clean. It’s pretty catchy too, even if it doesn’t last long before going into screaming again. The riff after the chorus was chuggy awesomeness, and it carries on through the verse too, so win-win. The bridge is nuts, and Tatiana’s scream somehow gets even heavier, low and harsh, even more impressive for a woman to pull off. We then get another final chorus and outro to finish. This was awesome, definitely one of the most enjoyable songs I’ve heard from the band. Playlisted!
The lead single from the album ‘Vortex’, is up next. It is clear they are building on the success of ‘Pisces’, it has a similar stripped back, clean guitar chord progression and snare-heavy drumbeat behind it. Heck, Tatiana even stays in a similar range, vocally. Interestingly though it builds to a clean-vocalled chorus, not a scream like ‘Pisces’. Honestly, I prefer it. As impressive and jarring as the scream was when everyone first saw/heard it, this is simply a better, catchier chorus. I find it hard to admit it isn’t down to the cleans, too. It does get heavy and growly for a pretty great breakdown in the middle, a couple of great riffs from the guitar and Tatiana’s vocals are again impressive through it. It just gets heavier and heavier by the end, and honestly, the structure of this song was all over the place, but then maybe that was the intention? Either way, another impressive song!
‘Disclosure!’ has a pretty entertaining opening, a good riff leading to some catchy vocals right from the offset, and for once the band actually sounds like they are having fun. Even the screamed, heavier second verse has a great aura of fun and enjoyment to it. It almost felt punkier than anything else, or at least a hardcore song. I loved it and it’s another one that makes the playlist!
By ‘Copycat’ I have to admit I was getting a little sick of being slapped in the face with a big, complicated riff straight out of the gate with nearly every song up until now. I don’t imagine it’s going to change either though, so I best learn to accept it! This was an okay song that reminded me a fair bit of the opener. It’s very Jinjer, pretty complex in both instrumentation and structure, crazy heavy in places but also lighter and catchier in others. It was a good showcase of everything they do all rolled into one four-and-a-half-minute track, which is in both parts awesome and odd.
The exact same could be said about the following songs, ‘Pearls and Swine’ and ‘Sleep with the Righteous’. Both were good, enjoyable songs (though a little too all over the place for me at times), but they both encapsulate everything the band does that perfectly that I struggle to talk about just one specific part. It’s all good but similar. As such, there isn’t much I can say that I haven’t already!
The album’s title track (nearly) and the latest single, ‘Wallflower’, opens on a slower, cleaner riff much as ‘Vortex’ did. This one however stays low and stripped back for over half of it though, the chorus even being pretty light even though the guitars have some distortion. We don’t get a scream until after 2:30 minutes, and even then it just adds to the epic feel around the clean vocals, as opposed to overpowering the track. It has more screams too, but they add a great heaviness to the outro. A good song, and one that makes the playlist!
‘Dead Hands…’ explodes into the track so immediately I had to check my Spotify hadn’t messed up. Outside of that unwanted madness, this is another total Jinjer song. I imagine if you like their heavier, proggier side then you’d love it, but for me, it just sounds like a mess of riffs and ideas pushed together into one song.
‘As I Boil Ice’ explodes into the track so immediately I had to check my Spotify hadn’t messed up. Outside of that unwanted madness, this is another total Jinjer song. I imagine if you like their heavier, proggier side then you’d love it, but for me, it just sounds like a mess of riffs and ideas pushed together into one song.
Woah, Deja Vue….
The final track on the album and another single, ‘Mediator’, is good, though surprisingly not memed near as much as I thought it would have been thanks to the ‘stop… go!’ part at the start. However, it is definitely less cringy without the video accompaniment, I have to say. Outside of the opening, it has some of the best riffs on the album, and the slower chorus vocals are catchy and fantastic and the back half of the track as it gets crazy heavy was awesome. A great way to end an album that was equal parts great and odd.
Overall: I enjoyed this about what I was expecting. I’m okay with admitting that I don’t get a lot of new metal, taking influence from prog but doing it to the extreme and making pointlessly complexly structured songs don’t sound good to me, just messy. However, there was still a lot that I liked about this album, even if it wasn’t all of one song or another. This band has a huge cult following and I can see why, they are all massively talented, but now that I have listened to a whole album I still don’t ‘get it’ for the most part.
Score: 7/10
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Urne is a band that has seemingly come from out of nowhere in the last couple of months or so. I heard of them after Matt Heafy from Trivium praised their debut album highly on his Facebook, and now I see them popping up all over the place, not least at Bloodstock a couple of weekends back. The band has a very promising future, and SERPENT & SPIRIT definitely sounds like it’s set them on the right track. So, with all of this hype and praise, I just HAD to review them, so here it is!
The album’s title track is up first, fading in with an almost Metallica ‘Blackened’ style guitar riff. The drums come in with some distortion too and it all builds pretty perfectly. The main, heavy riff doesn’t even come in until 1:40, but when it does it explodes in with a huge tripletted guitar riff and a massive scream from Joe. The hardcore vocals come in over the top, Joe’s scream being heavy and powerful, adding even more aggression to the sound. It slows up a little for the chorus, the vocals cleaning up into an almost Mastadon style over the top of some great guitar chord progressions. It’s not long before the Gojira sound returns with a vengeance, though! It gets stripped back after the second chorus, building back up slowly over the top of a fantastic, almost prog guitar riff. The clean(ish) vocals come back in over the top of it, only adding to the epic feel. The screams heading into the end part are fantastic too, so heavy and full of emotion. This was a fantastic way to open an album and even as someone who is usually on the fence with this kind of music, I loved it!
‘THE PALACE OF DEVILS & WOLVES’ starts with a lot more thrash a riff, eerily reminiscent of early Metallica (think ‘The Thing That Should Not Be’). Angus’ vocals are still massively heavy and harsh, but they add so much to the music that I don’t mind it at all. The chorus is pretty catchy, despite the heavy vocals, it being at a steady, deliberate pace. Also, the guitar riff behind them is fantastic, and I cannot get over the bend at the start of each line, it sounds fantastic. The riff out of the second chorus is awesome, another stripped-back-type one that reminds me a bit of ‘Seasons in the Abyss’. We even get a guitar solo over it, too! It fits over the top of the music and the mood perfectly, somehow showing off some great technical ability while not feeling like it was taken too far. The chorus riff is reprised but made heavier before the chuggy verse riff finishes us off. A fantastic song, and one that easily makes the playlist!
‘MEMORIAL’ opens on more huge, heavy guitar chords, building up perfectly with them and the drums into a fantastic, bouncy verse riff. It’s maybe my favourite riff on the album so far, so simple but so heavy and great-sounding. We get it slowing down a tad and some awesome basswork cuts through the noise, some interesting, fun runs. We then head into the fourth riff from this song and we’re only 1:20 in… I think it’s an instrumental. It’s another amazing riff though, again reminiscent of early ‘Tallica. In fact, the way the lead part comes in over the top of it reminds me so much of ‘Call of the Ktulu’ it’s nuts. It then drops out to some INSANELY low bass and drums, my god do they guys have their stuff tuned low. The guitars build back in over the top into a Trivium-esque riff, another awesome one. I could gush over the riffs all day long for this song, especially given the sheer volume of excellent ones, so I shall instead simply implore you to listen. Whether you are a musician or not, you can still appreciate just how damn talented the trio is. Especially to give us this for 8+ minutes. Oh, and the ‘Orion’ style slow-down-bass-led section around the five-minute is f’ing excellent. Damn, these guys are good!
‘MOON & SKY’ opens on a pretty interesting riff before Joe quickly screams it into heaviness. It stays pretty slow but the vocals keep it massively heavy, sounding pretty black metal overall. The chorus again lightens it up a little, the vocals cleaning up and giving off massive Mastadon vibes. I’m not usually that big of a Mastadon fan, but when that style is done sparingly like it is here it works a lot better. We get another fantastic guitar solo buried in here, it feeling pretty inspired by Kirk Hammett (minus the wah). The pace picks up around the midpoint of the song, heading into a metalcore riff with more clean vocals over the top, which also sounds awesome. It again speeds up even more and heavies up for the final part of another awesome song, and another that made the playlist!
‘DESOLATE HEART’ is an eight and a half minute, balls to the wall craziness of thrash and death and black metal. It doesn’t let up once, slapping the listener in the face from the first second until the last. It’s one that I could see having a CRAZY, very fun pit for live, and one that I would very like to be in someday. It’s an awesome song for anyone who likes it heavy, and I would very much recommend checking it out!
The same could be said for ‘ENVY THE DEAD’, but at only two and a half minutes it was always going to be nonstop heaviness. It just feels like a hardcore song that just so happens to also have a catchy, clean chorus, so win-win! It then almost poetically leads into the slow song of the album, ‘MEMORIAL: SING ME TO REST’. It is basic, just a clean, ominous repeating guitar riff with the occasional muttered low vocals over the top of it. We get some power chords and distortion, as well as some harsher vocals, towards the middle of the track, but it doesn’t change much outside of that. It was a nice pallet cleanser ahead of the final track.
Speaking of the last track, ‘A TOMB SO FRAIL’, although it starts off slow and quiet, it sure doesn’t stay that way. The acoustic riff around 1:15 is beautiful though, and wouldn’t at all sound out of place in a much lighter genre. It takes nearly three minutes before the heaviness kicks in, but when it does it gets HEAVY. A multitude of thrash riffs blasts through the second intro part and the verses, picking up the pace massively. We get some cleaner vocalled and slightly slower parts in the choruses, but generally, it is a very heavy track no matter the tempo or vocal style. The second verse may be the heaviest part of the whole album, there’s so much going on it’s like a wall of aggression. The rest of the song is just more riff after riff with some awesome lead guitar parts sprinkled in for good measure. It’s another long one, but it’s worth the listen if you’ve gotten this far. It does seem to end a little out of nowhere though, unfortunately, though that may have just been me.
Overall: While this is definitely on my heavier end of the spectrum, I loved this. The musicianship alone was phenomenal, but when adding in the catchiness of some of the choruses and some of the heaviest, interesting breakdowns I’ve heard this side of Gojira, I cannot help but put my complicated relationship with screaming aside and appreciate this. These guys already have the momentum, and if they keep it up they’re going to be huge.
Greta Van Fleet is a young classic rock band from Michigan. Formed as recently as 2012, the band burst into the mainstream scene a few years ago with their single Highway Tune; a song loved for its old-school rock feel and singer Josh Kiszka’s vocals sounding eerily similar to one Robert Plant’s. Since then, the band has released two albums (including this one) and an EP and has only grown more and more popular, being one of the leading bands of the new music scene. I have to say, while I am not the biggest fan of the band in the world, they are all top-notch musicians and have put out some fantastic songs over the last four years or so. So, I shall remain as impartial as I can, as I really do like a hell of a lot of classic rock music so for all intents and purposes I should like this too, and also promise to mention Led Zeppelin as little as possible, due to the band not liking the comparison. Join me in checking it out!
One of the four singles, ‘Head Above’, starts things off. It opens on 40 odd seconds of synth as a drum roll builds up louder and louder. It then explodes out into a huge, slow, 70s rock-sounding riff. It’s surprisingly uplifting for a rock song, something that you don’t hear very often anymore. The acoustic coming in for the verse sounded nice too. Instead of Plant, Josh channels his inner Geddy Lee for his vocals, them soaring high and grating on me just a tad. This may be a long review. And I’m a big fan of Rush too, but I listen to them because the instrumentation is the main focus, not the incredibly high vocals. There are also times where he almost yodels, and while he can pull it off it was making me laugh just a little bit. This, if anything, gave me more Grateful Dead vibes than anything else, it’s all very upbeat and slow and light, nowhere near as heavy as I was expecting given the songs I am a fan of by them. It’s also a very strange choice for an album opener, unless (hopefully not) the whole album is this sort of style. It’s not particularly a bad song, it would make good, chilled-out background music, just like Grateful Dead. However, it isn’t exactly something I would choose to listen to, and if this is the future of rock then count me out.
Next up is the album’s lead single and the only one I have heard before this review, ‘My Way, Soon’. It opens better than the other, with a great classic rock guitar riff. However, the drums behind it are pretty slow and light, and that carries on through the verse. It again has massive Rush vibes to it thanks to Josh’s vocals and the fact that the song focuses a little more on some of the awesome riffs in it. The vocals themselves are catchier in this one than in the last too, both in the verse and chorus. In fact, the chorus on its own is fantastic, and one of the best they have written, in my opinion. We also get a great guitar solo from Jake Kiszka; pretty simple at times but channelling lots of swagger and emotion. This was good and made the playlist, but I’m already worried it will be my favourite on the album.
Their most recent single, ‘Broken Bells’, is up next. It starts with a slow, almost Dire Straits-esque guitar riff (nearly said it but found another band instead, clever I am!). Josh’s voice comes in over the top and ruins it just a tad for me, but it’s still tolerable. However, I have to say it: I’m sorry guys but this sounds A LOT like Stairway at times. It sounds good, don’t get me wrong, and suitably epic, but it’s so hard not to make that comparison sometimes with these guys. Maybe the internet has just ruined this band for me? I would probably be able to get into this song after a few more listens, but on this first one it didn’t do a whole lot for me. It’s so far all a little slower and lighter than I remember them being. I know that they aren’t always fast-paced hard rock, but so far we haven’t heard any of that and we’re 15 MINUTES into the album. The highlight of this song by far is another fantastic solo from Jake. The effect he’s using is a little like Kirk Hammett’s and I love it. A good song, but damn did it plod along for too long at six minutes.
Time for the first non-single, ‘Built By Nations’. It opens on an awesome blues riff, slow but sleazy. It’s actually my favourite riff by quite a way on this album so far. Said riff continues through the verse, with Josh reigning in his voice a little which was nice, saving his high screeching for the choruses instead where it makes more sense. There isn’t a great deal to the song, but it’s a little rockier than the rest so far and the added focus on the guitar has helped it out a lot in my eyes. The backing vocals accenting parts of the chorus were also great, adding a nice extra layer to the song.
‘Age of Machine’ immediately sounds like something from ‘2112’ when it opens, the clean guitar tones building up slowly more and more. It takes until a minute into the track before anything changes, and even then it’s just a case of Josh singing over the top. It stays pretty slow throughout again, though in my opinion isn’t as good as Broken Bells. Again, it’s not a bad song, but having already had a plodding song on the album and we’re not even halfway through… it isn’t doing much to hold my attention. The song is nearly seven minutes long and there isn’t much more I can say about it, honestly. It’s slow, steady, and probably every 70s rock and psychedelic fan’s dream song. However, as someone who is not too into Pink Floyd or the longer, drawn-out Led Zep (sorry) stuff, it just gets boring. At least Jake’s solo is awesome again, right?
The shortest song on the album, clocking in at just under four minutes (right?) is up next: ‘Tears of Rain’. It opens on a pretty slow but beautiful guitar chord progression. Josh’s vocals come in over the top and actually fit quite nicely over the top for a change. Maybe they’re finally growing on me? That or I’m getting Stockholm Syndrome. This is slow still but pretty beautiful in its basicness, mainly comprising of the vocals with either some slow guitars or piano behind it. The very small amount of drums in the first half was also a nice touch, so much so that when they came in it added even more awesomeness and great layers. However, that high note from Josh REALLY grated on me, over and over again. Still, I preferred this to the last song, and it was almost enough to make it onto the playlist. Almost.
‘Age of Machine’ seemed to have started something as it takes nearly a minute before anything happens at the start of ‘Stardust Chords’, too. However, the guitar riff is awesome when it finally kicks in, almost reminding me of an old-school Iggy and the Stooges riff. The whole song is built around this riff, even during the chorus we just get a variant of it. Makes sense with the song title, I guess! Again, I feel like Josh’s vocals fit in over the top of it all, for the most part. It isn’t the kind of vocals I’d have personally wanted over the top of this, he really has leaned fully into the Geddy Lee style of screeching, but it’s at least tolerable and a little more reserved for the most part on this track. It feels almost redundant at this point to say that the guitar solo is the highlight of the song, but if I’m honest Jake’s playing has been the main highlight of the album so far. Another good song, but it probably won’t be one that I go back and listen to very often.
‘Light My Love’ opens on some beautiful piano… which is almost immediately overshadowed by a mass of distorted guitar and big drum sounds. It drops back down again for the verse, sounding pretty nice and steady, but the piano is completely lost in the mix. I’d have preferred it being more of a piano and vocal-based verse, but either way, it is still beautiful. Again, though, that high notes he hits EVERY LINE OF THE CHORUS is killing me; it’s honestly giving me a headache. Who told Josh that was a good idea to do over and over again? I can’t imagine there are too many people out there that want to be wailed at on that regular a basis, right? Like, until their ears are nearly bleeding. Plus, were GVF always this slow…?
‘Caravel’ at least opens on a couple of pretty cool guitar riffs, but again outside of that, there isn’t too much I can say about the song. I’m sick of Josh’s stupidly high vocals and his yodelling. I’m sick of all the songs being plodding, similarly paced slow, Led Zep-esque ballads. I’m sick of the bass and drums being given very little to do except for hold a basic beat or follow the guitar line. I want something DIFFERENT. Something INTERESTING. Please, Greta. You’re supposed to be the future of rock music, y’all are like my age for god sake, but they’re writing like a 70+-year-old Robert Plant does now, slow and emotionless. Where’s the attitude and fire? Where’s the FUN? At least the likes of Wolfmother and Kingdom Come imitated the faster, more energetic side of Led Zeppelin, it wasn’t all just the first half of ‘Dazed and Confused’. Rant over. Moving on.
I’m running out of energy with this album so for the final three songs (still a further 18 minutes of the album!) I’ll try and summarise what I like and dislike and my thoughts more succinctly. The wah-filled guitar solo at the start of ‘Barbarians’ was nice. The ending solo for ‘The Weight Of Dreams’ was also awesome, though FAR too drawn out. It’s not like I was listening to ‘Free bird’ or anything. I listened to the whole of ‘Trip The Light Fantastic’ while having a conversation with my partner and I don’t feel like I missed a single thing while I was only half paying attention. And hell no, I am not going back and listening to it again. I didn’t like the sheer length of the final song, it didn’t need to be nine minutes long when it was essentially just THE SAME SONG AGAIN. I didn’t like that all three felt like they were around the same tempo and feel and drawn-out boring dullness. Damn, for a band that wrote ‘Highway Tune’, this album was the hardest slog I have ever had to listen to review.
Overall: Damn, that was a hard listen. If you are a fan of Pink Floyd or Rush’s extensive slower back catalogue, you will most likely love this. However, if not, if you are like me and prefer something a little more upbeat or concise, this probably isn’t the album for you. The musicianship was there, they are all clearly talented young guys, but the over-indulgence and constant slow pace was their downfall for me.
Overall: 3.5/10
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‘Infinite Granite’ is the latest studio album released by the American metal band Deafheaven.
With only one pre-released single from the album, ‘In Blur’, we didn’t know what to expect.
It’s nothing like their older albums, especially 2018’s ‘Ordinary Corrupt Human Love’ for example with George Clarke’s screaming vocals – I thought I was listening to the wrong band at first.
Something that stands out on ‘Infinite Granite’ is Deafheaven’s sound – it almost feels like an ASMR video at times with the unique synths, layered dynamics and use of sound effects (hearing a sound other than a standard instrument) like in ‘Mombasa.’
For this reason, there isn’t a track that stands out to me on this album except maybe ‘The Gnashing’ as it’s a little more upbeat. The album is simple easy listening and whilst it’s interesting to hear the different textures and use of sound, it didn’t strike me as some of Deafheaven’s best work.
This album isn’t something I would necessarily listen to again, but it was nice to hear a band experimenting beyond their typical sound.
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