Guards of May are an earth-moving, heart-wrenching, no-holds-barred rock band from Brisbane. Their songs are earnest, their shows electric and their dedication to delivering the best and only the best - second to none. They are a five-strong force of sound and though they are relative newcomers to the Australian rock scene, they are carving their name gradually and perfectly into the landscape. In just over 2 years, Guards of May have completed numerous East Coast tours and have shared the stage with some of the cream of Australian rock; Grinspoon, Spiderbait, Dead Letter Circus, Sydonia, Helm and more. Their mix of heavy progressive rock and melodic, dynamically interesting songs sees them turning heads and winning hearts at all turns. They have seen success in other areas too - the film clip for their debut single "Control" was nominated for the 2012 Australian Film Editor's Guild Autodesk Award, along with the likes of Angus and Julia Stone, Guy Sebastian and Ball Park Music. Their brand new single, Arcadia, surpassed all expectations. The release saw them making their way down the East Coast of Australia and the track seeing solid play and accolades on triple j's The Racket and Home and Hosed, as well as Triple M's Distortion show, AndrewHaugRadio's Heavy at Home and The Aussie Alternative, just to name a few. Arcadia also featured on US radio shows Rock Radio, Neueregelradio and radiohhh.com. Overwhelmingly positive reviews flowed in, with Heavy and Weird Blog stating "[Arcadia]...excites me because it previews a band who may just be working on a new modern Australian prog rock/metal masterpiece." Guards of May have been steadily building their team - their tight sound is a result of working with Matt Bartlem and Zach Hylton at Loose Stones Records and signing to Tim Price's Underscore Agency in 2014 has meant that touring has become a bigger priority and focus. With a full-length album due in early 2015, Guards of May will release one final single in October 2014 and tour before taking the head-long leap into releasing their debut opus.
Proudly, today we get to announce that we are joining the entire national tour run with Dead Letter Circus and 10 Years! This is our biggest tour to date and we will finally get to WA, SA and TAS! This is a massive honour and a privilege! See a lot of you in October all across the country!
I sincerely hope that at least some of you will check this incredible 5-piece out, and if you do, I honestly envy you something that I will never have again. You see, I have heard these guys, so I will never again feel that heady rush of promise, the instant surety that what I am hearing is going to be loved by thousands, maybe even more, that you get when hearing something truly special for the first time. I envy you, dear reader, so do not let me down. You owe it to yourself.
It's not often that you get such high praise for your music
It's even less often that you get it from a site that you've enjoyed reading for a while.
I find "I Probably Hate Your Band" hilarious, and it's mostly because the writers are unashamedly brutal in their critiques. And let's be honest, there isn't a musician out there who isn't just a tiny little bit masochistic when it comes to feedback.
You can imagine how much I was floored, then, at the kind words from Chris Giacca about "Future Eyes". I can't really recall ever seeing a 10/10 given, let alone straight 10's across the board for all criteria. Hell, I still would have posted this review even if it had been 1/10 across the board, just to laugh at the brutal punishment meted out on virtual paper (I challenge you to write that "slamming review", Chris).
Anyway - just wanted to thank you personally, and share with the rest of you.
The record drops next Friday and you can pre-order it at iTunes and JB Hi-Fi now.
Judging by the sounds heard here, Guards of May clearly intend to play with the big boys in the Australian prog scene, and this record (Future Eyes) will give a solid first impression to those whom it matters the most. 75/100.
For those of you looking to grab a physical copy of Future Eyes and want to pre-order it - look no further than JB Hi-Fi - it will also be in stores from August 14 :)
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