The Aimless Arrow Reviews

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nngnn - Death By The Venomhammer

Upon its release, the Scottish trio's EP Death by the Venomhammer immediately felt like a classic. The tracks on this EP contain a throat-slitting combination of black metal and thrash metal, but these guys are just way more than those two labels; they have a lot of eccentric traits. The Scottish band has an energy that isn't too unlike that of the last Nocturnal album. Actually, I'd say they take it to a higher level of extremity, they have focused their energies into creating something that is, simply better. The quality of songwriting found on this EP stands a considerable height above every other extreme metal albums released this year. Of all the current metal band clamouring for recognition, Nolti Nan Gana Nan Nolta certainly deserve a deeper look. There is more to them than what they may initially seem.  Death by the Venomhammer is a triumph of black-thrash. For such an inherently simple style- thrash metal meets black metal- there are an infinite number of ways to do it wrong: too forced, too wimpy, too bad. Luckily, we have bands like Nolti Nan Gana Nan Nolta to carry the torch sparked by the likes of Aura Noir and Destroyer 666 and fan the flames with their own take on the sound.  "Flagellate the Heretic" proves that intros are for wimps, slamming straight into a groovy black-thrash jam punctuated by a perfectly spewed "UGH" it creeps and vamps through frenzy riffs , swaddled in a thick, satisfying guitar tone with just enough spit shine to make sure every instrument bleeds through. "Black Thrash Mascarre" continues the sonic assault before the title track takes things into even greater dimensions with some downright evil riffs, jittery drumming and ferocious vocals. This brilliant synthesis between striking riffs, eerie melodies and well-planned bursts of aggression continues unabated in closing track "Black Realm of Terror".

Surprisingly, the extremely intense layers of distorted guitars, raw drums, and gruesome vocals on this EP of their, Death by The Venomhammer, are created by just three people. Atmosphere is everything, and Death by the Venomhammer is coated in layers of bone meal. You can see them sweat, watch them bleed. This EP will draw you in entirely, drag you down into the yawning abyss, and make you wonder why anyone would ever want to listen to anything else.

 Death by the Venomhammer is fast, intense and incredibly infectious. For fans of: Running Wild, Destroyer 666, Bathory and Aura Noir 9/10

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Being As An Ocean-London Underworld-19/9/13

If there was ever a show to be sponsored by Hype Clothing, Rebel 8 and Tumblr, it would almost certainly be a Being As An Ocean show. A few hundred excited hardcore kids and their girlfriends rush in and fill the tiny venue space up to watch Capsize (3/5) who although have a lot of energy and plenty of music from their back catalogue for newcomers to sink their teeth into, were met with little enthusiasm albeit a few kids in Desolated hoodies stage diving for the sake of it. Songs like “Fade To Grey” and “Unwanted” sound fantastic, and had they done a headline show at a smaller venue, maybe they would get the crowd response they truly deserve. Still though, their brief set is met with much applause and vague “woo's” at the end, while everyone else goes out for their hourly nicotine intake.

While they may have incredibly nice merchandise, (The majority of which is sure to go onto Ebay in the next few months and be sold at ludicrous prices) The Elijah (5/5) are also mindbogglingly tight live. Strobe effects and slow melancholy guitar strums echo throughout their set, every melodic vocal and every harsh vocal is screamed back in angst, joy, and celebration, to ensure that the Shropshire quintet are given the best home country send off that they could have wished for. “I Destroyed” and “I Hated” give off so many emotions, it almost makes you want to weep in euphoric joy, and personally makes me wish I had seen these guys when they were still regularly touring. By the end of the set, amplifiers are on the floor, mic stands have hit people in the face, and everyone is in the middle gang chanting in perfect unison.

Despite the room not being nearly as packed as it was for The Elijah, Being As An Ocean (4/5) open with “Nothing, Save The Power They're Given” with vocalist Joel Quartuccio in the crowd for the majority of the song, almost being overwhelmed by the emotive crowd response within the first 30 seconds or so. Crowd members join him on stage for “The Hardest Part”, and after the microphone has finally been turned up, an audience member takes one of the microphones on stand and joins Joel for “Dear G-D” knowing every word perfectly amongst the sweat, chaos and tears. Atmospheric guitar interludes break up the songs but maybe waver for a bit too long, which for me somewhat killed the energy, and with only a 7 song setlist the night ends fairly prematurely. However with a band like Being As An Ocean, the energy is very well conserved, and maybe a short setlist is needed to appreciate that. These guys are only going to get bigger, and The Underworld was a perfect venue to start their road to success in the UK.

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Born Of Osiris- Tomorrow We Die Alive

These guys just fucking love triangles, don’t they?

Born Of Osiris’ latest offering, the highly anticipated “Tomorrow We Die Alive” , shows the band endorsing the idea of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Having said that, the band have branched out and tried new ideas, without straying from their formula of relentless guitars, atmospheric electronics, and intertwining vocals.

Opening song “Machine” does exactly what it says on the tin. The song is deliberately precise, repetitive, and masterfully executed (like a well oiled machine). Whilst the departure of lead guitarist Jason Richardson left us wondering whether their sweeping leads would be a feature of their newest material, our fears are crushed soon on, when we are introduced to equally sweeping lead lines over those machine gun guitars.

That isn’t to say that this song is representative of the whole album. That’d be like putting Emma Stone in a room with equally attractive females, and then saying they all look exactly like her (I can dream). Every song on this album is an attractive preposition to previous fans and newbies alike. Songs such as “Exhilerate” and “The Origin” feature electronics that are reminiscent of electronic artists such as Madeon, whilst songs like “Illusionist” and “Imaginary Condition” bring those technically sprinkled, rib cage rattling riffs BOO are known well for.

Personally, I find the production a step up from previous release “The Discovery”. The low end of the guitars is a little more defined, and every instrument sits happily together in the mix, without one dominating the others (I even think I heard a bass at one point. Bass? I know! I was surprised too!) The electronics also sound much more modern and a little less 80s synth-pop. The electronics do also have an Eastern twinge to them, which really makes everything a little more interesting and original.

However, for all the originality the synths and leads bring, I can’t help feeling like I’ve heard a lot of those riffs before (I think I heard the riff to “Machine” from a dot-matrix printer once). And despite the fact having two vocalists makes the vocals a little less monotone, they are rather monotone themselves when it comes to screaming. I’d like to see a little more of a range from both when it comes to harsh vocals.

Overall, this is a bit more of the same, and whilst that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I don’t think BOO could retain their sound for their next effort. Whilst there is progression here, it is still very much grounded in their previous sound. Except with more triangles in every song name.

7/10

For fans of: After The Burial, The HAARP Machine, very low tunings

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Review- letlive.- The Blackest Beautiful

A true masterpiece in a time that knows no shortage of masterpieces

letlive. really have a reputation to live up to. Having delivered an album which has been heralded by some as one of the best albums of recent years (I am one of those people), they’ve also gained a reputation for being one of the best live bands going. This is without even mentioning their eccentric but compassionate frontman Jason Aalon Butler, who has gained a reputation himself for being one of the greatest rock stars in the world right now. They really have a task in writing this new album.

From the second, the ferocious opening, “Banshee (Ghost Fame)” hits, you get an idea of what you’re in for; another “Fake History”- another game changer. Jason’s vocals are on point as ever, the chorus will get stuck in your head for days, and the Rage Against The Machine-esque bounce is about as infectious as a cold on public transport.

But no, this album is a little different. I have to admit, upon first listen, this album really washed over me. It wasn’t until the 2nd or 3rd listen I realised; this album demands your full attention in order for you to really appreciate the hooks here. It’s not as instant as “Fake History”, even if songs such as “Empty Elvis” and album closer “27 Club” are still filled with the same level of aggression. Songs such as “White America’s Beautiful Black Market” tone down the pain filled yells and screaming guitars for a hip-hop style bounce, and allow Jason to flow a little more over the track whilst showing off his more than impressive pipes. In fact, the rap influence on this album dominates, and whilst a lot of bands have recently tried their hand at it, it really works for letlive. That isn’t to say that Jason and co. have ditched the emotion filled blend of harrowing vocals and thought out riffs they perfected on their previous release. Songs such as “Dreamer’s Disease” and “Virgin Dirt” still retain those predominantly more than the other songs on the album.

Overall, this album is really something. From the bouncing grooves of the aptly titled “The Dope Beat”, to the Foo Fighters-esque stomp of “Pheremone Cvlt”, we can really see a change and a maturity in this band. Their sound has always been diverse, taking influence from all over, but this is an expansion of that; this is a band that don’t want to become stale any time soon. Whilst this isn’t as instant as “Fake History”, it’s still an outstanding offering. I couldn’t recommend this album enough. Alright, you might not be blown away at first, but just persevere. Stop what you’re doing, sit down, and just ingest it. Get a feel for all the little touches and intricacies this album has, let the hooks drill themselves into your head, and fully enjoy one of the best albums this year.

10/10

For fans of: Glassjaw, Rage Against The Machine, Refused

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Misery Signals- Absent Light

A glow of originality in a stale scene, Misery Signals are back.

After a 5 year silent gap, Misery Signals are back with their latest offering, Absent Light. Being a band who have never rested on their creative laurels, do they keep the level of progressive, thought out, and intricate song writing to par?

Yes, yes, and more yes. The emotional, grandiose intro of A Glimmer Of Hope lets us know where we stand, as frontman Karl Schubach begins by declaring “I’m not ready to say goodbye”. And this album is anything but a farewell. In fact, it could be the best offering of the band’s career. Second track “Luminary” delivers Misery Signals’ perfectly balanced blend of intricate heavy riffs with soaring and interesting melodies a la Mogwai. The production that allows every instrument to shine, and allows melodies to cut through the mix without being buried in distortion; a feat which many bands of this genre seem incapable of doing. They are also capable of writing catchy hooks, which is evident on tracks such as “Reborn (An Execution)”, which shows off the beautiful string sections this album has, and “Carrier”, a song which features light leads but also Opeth-esque, dark riffing.

Misery Signals are also able to bring the punk pace to this album (“Lost Relics”) alongside a more plodding, brutal rhythm (“Ursa Minor”). Each song, however, is as unpredictable and interesting as the last. “The Shallows” simultaneously displays melodies that would not be out of place on an Iron Maiden album, grooves reminiscent of Dream Theater and bands of that ilk, but also chaotic loud guitars that could happily sit on a Converge album.

The highlight of the album, however, would the climax of the album, “Everything Will Rust”, which displays crisp, clean guitars, and gives Schubach a chance to show off his soulful, unique clean vocals. This then goes straight into a large, heavy soundscape that Misery Signals do so well, which incorporates the string section once more, before fading out on clean guitars, allowing the album to come to a triumphant close.

Overall, this really is a work of art; masterful musicians and songwriters who have perfected their art returning to show the younger bands how it is done. This album is nothing less than a welcome return, and hopefully Misery Signals will continue to deliver in the future.

9.5/10

For fans of: Touché Amoré, Converge

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Ashwin Bhandari interviewed Horse The Band at their London Borderline show in August 2013

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Counterparts - The Difference Between Hell and Home

Regrets. Fear. Self Hatred. Misery. Learning to Settle For Less. These are the prevalent themes that melodic hardcore bands choose to scream about. And hey, if Trent Reznor can pull it off, then why not try and create a whole genre around such nihilistic themes with the modern twist of drop c tuning and crushing harsh vocals? Well, that's exactly what the Canadian kids in Counterparts have gone for. Sure maybe it's not so gloomy and fatalistic as their previous album The Current Will Carry Us, with far more upbeat guitar melodies and cleaner, less gravely vocals. Lyrically, the opener Lost isn't quite as openly accepting of defeat as The Disconnect was, but it still gives the impression of a continued desperate struggle to be happy in life. Brendan Murphy’s confessional lyrics such as “Show me hatred, it's my second nature, part of my isolation” on Outlier are pessimistic, but in contrast to this, there's some incredibly uplifting and cathartic clean vocals at the end of this song which I can only imagine would sound just as incredible live as it does on the album recording.

Decay demonstrates the band’s willingness to adapt and try new styles of song-writing , as the melodic guitars and spoken-word vocal section bring together a tight sense of ambience and unity in terms of Brendan gradually screaming about overcoming fears and taking control of one's life.

I also feel that this album has undergone a better mixing process than their previous album, with every guitar note being blasted out in clarity, the cymbals, snare drum and kick drum sections standing out but not being overdone, and of course, the vocals are louder, more passionate, and it seems as if there's a better sense of identity with this album in order for Counterparts to differentiate themselves from other hardcore bands.

However, that’s not to say that all of the songs are immediate classics. I found that the songs Compass and Wither dragged on a bit too long, and were somewhat repetitive. That aside though, if you want a song that isn't just another combination of screams juxtaposed with melodic guitar riffs, then look no further than “Slave”, which sounds like something created by a band in the UK hardcore

scene, such as the late Dead Swans. Its short, but feels like a giant kick in the teeth, and even has a metalcore inspired beat-down section for people to truly lose their shit to.

Admittedly, it took me longer to appreciate this album compared to The Current Will Carry Us, mostly because during the first few listens, there was nothing that immediately grabbed my attention. Overall, I'd say that this album has grown on me, and while at times it does comes across as “melodic hardcore by the numbers, and its far from being a “loved” album, it's enjoyable, cathartic and very well produced.

8/10

For Fans Of

Hundredth, The Ghost Inside, Being As An Ocean, August Burns Red

Ashwin Bhandari

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Amon Amarth - Deceiver Of The Gods

Note: this album is best listened to with an axe clasped in one hand and a drinking horn/head of a vanquished foe lifted in the other.

HAIL! For the kings of Norse metal Amon Amarth return from their quest into the deepest darkest depths of the studio and they bear a new album: Deceiver of the Gods. For the hordes of Amon Amarth fans this album shall cause many a mighty drinking horn to be raised high in the air for Amon Amarth have once again forged a mighty beast of cast iron riffs, stabbing leads and rousing choruses. Battle hymn ‘As Loke Falls’ will cause many a church to be pillaged whilst title track ‘Deceiver of the Gods’ has riffs so meaty you would probably skewer them and call them a spit roast (not that kind of spit roast you dirty bastard.)

There’s not really much about Deceiver of the Gods you can say that can’t be surmised from listening to anything off the last few albums – Deceiver is just as consistent as Amon Amarth have been for the past few albums and if you’re a fan you’ll love it, if you’re not a fan of Norse themed melodic death metal then you’re probably best staying away from it. I could go on and on about my favourite riffs or solo’s on the album and that the fellow from Candlemass guests on ‘Hel’ but really it’s not worth anyone’s time; at the end of the day Deceiver of the Gods is a damn fine metal record– it’s not going to be “the biggest record of the decade” or whatever hyperbole people are throwing around these day. It’s Amon Amarth continuing to be excellent at writing hook laden melodic death metal so lets leave it at that.

For Fans Of: Vikings, Mead, Consistency

8/10

James Halstead

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Pity Sex – Feast Of Love

You could argue that Shoegaze hasn’t really been the same since the mid 90's when Slowdive, Ride, My Bloody Valentine and other bands of that era brought out their classic albums. There has been flourishes with other good bands since then, like M83 and Deerhunter, but they never quite managed to bring back the glory of the golden age of Shoegaze.

While I don't think that Pity Sex have managed this, I think they've given in a bloody good go and come as close as a band is going to get this year.

Pity Sex are a band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2011 with 2 previous EP's. Feast of Love is their debut album for Run For Cover records, and with elements of Lo-fi, Post Punk and Emo as well as their shoegaze sound, it makes for a compelling listen that’s short enough so that you don't get bored, but long enough that it doesn't feel like it ends too quickly.

Like all good shoegaze bands, they have a male and female singer, and it works really well, the faster songs on the album are mostly dominated by male vocals and the slower songs by female vocals although this isn’t always the case, it does gets switched up from time to time, keeping it interesting. Lyrics about love, heartbreak and similar themes are used across this album, this is not uncommon for songs like these, they work well, but the vocals are placed fairly low in the overall mix so they aren’t that noticeable anyway.

The music itself is diverse enough to appeal to people who like emo, punk, indie and just alternative music in general. With big fuzzy guitars, thin quiet drums and long atmospheric passages it makes for a highly satisfying and relaxing listen that works in pretty much any mood, although it sounds a lot better at night.

Pity Sex could well become more successful if they keep up the touring schedule and more albums as great as this one, I dont think that radio play is out of their reach either.

For Fans Of: My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die.

8/10

Tom Reed

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Vainstream Festival Review

Having a festival in the down town area of a small town might be a fairly normal concept for most day festivals such as Warped Tour and Soundwave, but for someone like me who's never experienced an outdoor rock festival outside of England, it seemed like a fairly peculiar concept. And of course, with a line up full of bands creating colossal mosh pits and walls of death, falling onto hot concrete might be a little less appealing than the mud filled quagmires that I’m used to trudging through with £10 Wellies in the pouring rain.

I arrived early at 10am for Scottish deathcore warblers Bleed From Within (7). Already a giant mass of two steppers and crowd-surfers have graced the terrain where Slayer played this time last year. Frontman Scott Kennedy refuses to stay still apart from the brief introduction speech to a crowd who are largely unaware of the deathcore group in their country. Meanwhile, the rest of the band members deliver crushingly loud guitar sections with melodic solos to break up the enigmatic and diverse screams brought across at such an early hour in the day. Scotland's answer to Lamb Of God? You bet your sweet arse they are.

Moving a mere 20 metres towards the parallel main stage, The Devil Wears Prada (7) have a few issues regarding sound mixes, mainly due to the lead guitar sections being drowned out and made quieter by the withered PA system. However, they are still as hard hitting as ever, with a nice range of anthems from their various albums and EP's, such as “Assistant To The Regional Manager” (to which an audience in a wheelchair proceeds to punch people in the testicles, mostly due to the fact that you can only two step in a certain way when in that position) “Outnumbered”, but the main focus is on the new material being released later this year.

Red Fang (5) deliver their trademark of sludge metal to open up the Converse stage, possibly one of the only music stages in the world to have a skate ramp directly attached to it's main section. This is to allow professional skateboarders go about their merry way while bands proceed to tear Vainstream a new one. While their songs are certainly atmospheric, eventually the crowd tire of their anthems near the end of their brief set, which is a shame really.

Fighting through a crowd of sweaty German dudes who are mostly heavily pierced/tattooed, The Ghost Inside (9) sore violently through their 25 minute set, with guest vocals from Your Demise's own Ed McRae, and joyous sing alongs to tunes such as “Between The Lines” and “Engine 45”, with people from the other side waiting for Anti-Flag singing along. The whole experience is beautiful, despite the sun beating down on us all and a couple of broken noses in the pits. The clean vocals,which are usually distorted from previous times I’ve seen them live, sound crisp and well balanced this time, which definitely shows that TGI have stepped up their live game.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, Asking Alexandria (4/10) seem incredibly exhausted, and as does Danny Worsnip's husky and utterly battered voice, which makes his screams (when he can actually muster out a scream) sound incredibly guttural, but his clean singing is very hit and miss, resulting in half assed attempts to play songs that they're clearly bored of delivering in a very predictable manner, over and over again. Having already seen them twice this year on their January tour in England, it's a shame that their last festival performance of this year so far had to end in such a limp fashion.

Veering back towards the Converse stage once again, Punk Rock veterans H2O (7/10) deliver a set of songs mostly from their 2008 comeback album “What Happened”, but still provide enough on-stage banter and excitement to appeal to old school fans as well. Security guards at the front have to deal with an overexcited fan during the title track by dragging him out of the festival grounds, and the skateboarders are still more of a distraction than an addition to the atmosphere, but before you know it, the set is over, and everyone is left hungry for more.

When it comes to bands who sound better live than they do on their recordings, A Day To Remember (10/10) are a great example of this. Opening with two of their most vicious and heavy tracks that they've ever made, “Violence” and “2nd Sucks”, there's barely any leg room, but at this point, there is little point in caring, because Jeremy Mckinnon delivers every song with almost note perfect showmanship, and even Neil Westfall's backing vocals soar through the crowd and add to the many breakdowns thought their set. It’s not all bloody knuckles and broken teeth though, as couples swoon over “Have Faith In Me” and fan-girls at the front fight over the t shirt's fired out during “Better Off This Way”, which breaks up the set nicely, but overall leaves everyone smiling, yet utterly battered and bruised in the middle.

And finally, as the sun sets, Parkway Drive (9/10) emerge with “Old Ghosts/New Regrets” , with the largest groups of crowd-surfers and body boards I have ever witnessed. Suddenly the mood has become far more visceral and electric, with massive pistons shooting confetti and ominous blue lights shining over the stage, as the metal-core group do what they love best, and decimate everything around them. Winston drops to the floor during the slow build up of “Deliver Me”, and is visibly satisfied during “Home Is For The Heartless” with the harmonies of “WOAHH WOAHH” from the audience below. Essentially, this is metal-core at its peak, happiest and in turn unbelievably punishing, contrasting with the pessimistic themes and concepts for which fans are so used to. And yet a band who has travelled halfway around the world to finish in a country who loves them as much as their home-town acts has more than accomplished what they set out to do back in 2002, “to make music people could smash themselves into”. They've become so much more, and their proves that they're not planning to leave or change for anyone, any-time soon.

Ashwin Bhandari

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Defeater – Letters Home

One of the most hotly anticipated hardcore releases of the year is finally here. After the strength of 2011's Empty Days and Sleepless Nights, the Boston band always had a lot to live up to, and they've managed to put out something that I think is their best release to date.

Weirdly a band that are mostly known for their 4 acoustic tracks, but they have so much more to give than that, this is a concept album of crushing melodic hardcore, both musically and emotionally. Each album has had similar concepts, based around different family members in a family in World War 2 and how the war has affected them. Letters Home follows the story of the father, based around hopelessness, desperation, anger and violence. The lyrics are what you've come to expect from Defeater, brilliance from start to finish, a story which actually sucks you in, which is rare in modern hardcore. Defeater are a breath of fresh air in a scene that can feel stale at times, there's no image, no posing and matching outfits, just music written from the heart and delivered with everything they can possibly give.

Musically this is fast, heavy, melodic hardcore. Its not something completely new, they aren’t trying to create a whole new genre, but they're just taking something already existed and doing it better than anyone else in hardcore at the moment.

Expect this to appear high up in a lot of people's end of year lists, Defeater are at the top of their game, expect to see big things coming from this band

For Fans Of: La Dispute, Have Heart, Touche Amore

9/10

Tom Reed

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City and Colour - The Hurry and The Harm

Now that the reunion shows for Alexisonfire have finally been done and dusted, Dallas Green has reverted back to what he arguably does best, writing slow melancholic songs about life struggles, joys, travelling, and past regrets.

Dallas Green's fourth studio effort is now driven by a more stylistic change into alternative pop rock, which is evident in the more rhythm guitar based songs throughout, and the title track is a clear indication of this. And with a more alternative rock sound, you can't help being reminded of his contemporary influences, such as Counting Crows for the song “Of Space and Time”, and the similarities to folk heroes such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young on “The Lonely Life”, in terms of strumming patterns and themes regarding the fight between despair and survival. And of course, while this is what Dallas Green does best, at times it seems as if the themes of the hardships of distance are hard to relate to because they're used all too often.

The song “Thirst” with hard hitting drum beats and distorted guitar sections even has hints of Alexis, and is about a woman who has become scorned from society. The gentle string plucking in Two Coins is reminiscent of Dallas's early folk based roots from his 2005 album Sometimes, and his typical tongue in cheek manner, asks the listener; “why is everyone still singing about California?”, when obviously, what else could the song possibly be about?

Of course, no City and Colour album is complete without a tearjerker, and “Take Care” delivers on that front. The string quartet accompanying Dallas's haunting, reverbed vocals adds a nice touch to the message of hope thought this song, with uplifting metaphors such as “And so sudden the winds change, and so sudden you lose your faith, I will provide you with a reason to believe”.

Admittedly, by Ladies and Gentlemen's “oooohs” and low end guitar undertones, the final two songs seem to drag on a bit, and Dallas Green’s trademark of acoustic ballads backed with charming, yet predictable melodies, leaves room for missed potential. Those unfamiliar to his impressive falsetto vocals and synoptic backing band will no doubt be impressed by this album, and the DIY stripped down feel of the later tracks on this album in comparison to 2011 more indie rock based album Little Hell. However, what made Little Hell so great, was the almost theatrical crescendos in songs like Weightless and Sorrowing Man, which provided listeners with a City and Colour that provided bite, along with heavy, catchy guitar solos. The Hurry and The Harm however does none of this, and thus, the album suffers from musical and stylistic repetition in places. The line “I'm not trying to be revolutionary” in the song Commentators sums up the album quite nicely, because while there's nothing on this album that will alter the course of alternative rock on here, it's chilled, cool, calm and still has enough memorable songs to warrant listening to.

For Fans Of: Alexisonfire, Into It Over It, Brand New

7/10

Ashwin Bhandari 

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Falling In Reverse- Fashionably Late

With bass drops and references to old memes, are Falling In Reverse fashionably late to the party?

Ronnie Radke really hasn't made it easy to enjoy this band over the past year. Assaulting fans, kicking bands off tour, and just generally being a wally has really tarnished the reputation of this metalcore quintet. With their sophmore release, they have a lot to prove. But do they live up to the challenge?

The album starts off with "Champion", which follows the formula of growled verses and sugary sweet choruses. But then something odd happens. The music stops, and Radke starts rapping. And um....he's kind of good. I'm sure you all heard the first single from the album, the critically panned "Alone", which featured Radke's self-glorifying lyrics and a rather poor flow. However, this is no indication as to how good he actually is (see "Self Destruct Personality", which features some Atiila style speedy screams). Once he finishes up his rap, the band seamlessly go straight into a beatdown. It's at this point the album completely goes crazy.

The blend of genres on this album is simply crazy. From the Boys Like Girls esque pop rock of "Bad Girls Club" to the shredding on "Born To Lead", which is reminiscent of Dragonforce, to the 8-bit poppiness of "Game Over" and the hair metal vocals of "Fashionably Late", this album is just odd. We also have songs like "Rolling Stone", which feature beatdowns, dubstep drops, electronics, and a huge key change. The album also takes a complete u-turn in terms of genres with the final song "Drifter", which is a bizarrely out of place country song. This constant change of genres makes the album genuinely unpredictable, however it could be percieved as simply annoying.

This album is essentially the brain child of Ronnie Radke. From the appauling lyrics ("Ready to cut you up and gut you like a fucking avocado") to the references to Charlie Sheen and old memes, it's not pretty at times. However, he is a fairly talented vocalist. Whilst I'm not a huge fan of his screams, he has pushed himself in terms of singing, and he has come into his own as a rapper (although he needs to work on those screams).

But let's talk about the actual band. Once you get past Radke's massive ego (and trust me, that takes some doing. It's like trying to walk around Dino Cazares), you have this band of extremely versatile, talented musicians. Hell, there's a bass solo on "Born To Lead"!. They really prove their diversity of musicians by keeping up with Radke's eccentric blend of well...everything. As far as their performance goes, it can't be faulted, because every instrument is tight and precise (I imagine they'd probably had days in the practice room whilst Radke did his vocal takes, because there's no way you could Ronnie Radke, his ego, and a band all in one studio.)

Overall, this album is the strangest thing I've heard for a long time. I honestly can't decide whether it's a stroke of absolute genius, or one of the worst albums I have ever heard. Alright, we do have to get past Ronnie's ego. And his domestic violence charges. And the fact he was involved in a murder. And his substance abuse. But one thing's for sure though; Falling In Reverse have really tried a new thing (or fifteen.)

5/10 (I cannot decide between a 10 or a 1)

For fans of: Motionless In White,  Attila, Boys Like Girls, Owl City, Eminem, Dragonforce, Elton John, Four Year Strong, Skrillex, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Beatles, 8-bit soundtracks, punching your girlfriend.

Joe Parsons

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Attila- About That Life

Atlanta bruisers back with another helping of boneheaded party tunes

In the past few years, Attila have established themselves as "that party band with the guy that screams hella fast". But with their 5th release, About That Life, do they expand and progress?

Well, yes and no. Vocalist Chris "Fronz" Fronzack is still happy delivering frankly moronic lines about partying and "not giving a fuck" (I imagine that poetic lines such as "Fuck that shit, punch that bitch" and "You're just another fucking bitch that I want to punch in the face" will be looked back in years to come as pieces of lyrical mastery), with his signature speedy screams littered all over every song.  The songs still feature southern-spiced guitar lines in between catchy beatdowns and the occasional speedy solo. In fact, the guitars really do set this band apart from their peers, such as Emmure and Dr Acula. They're able to pull out some technical, unconvential riffs (see songs such as "Rageaholics"), and the machine gun accuracy of the beatdowns is almost as tight as Meshuggah ("Shots For The Boys"). Both the drums and bass are also standout factors, with the bass dominating songs such as "About That Life", and the drums are as tight as ever. The rhythm section really offer an A-grade plateau for Fronz to drop some mindless and somewhat hilarious lyrics.

In the past, the band have epitomised deathcore, taking equal influence from double bass-driven death metal acts and open string hardcore bands. However, this album does feature a larger hip-hop influence than their previous releases. They really bring this forward in songs such as "Middle Fingers Up" and "Callout" (a song which features fuck yous to Ronnie Radke, Christopher Drew, and the Westboro Baptist Church). To put it briefly, they offer more than a simple blend of 'chugga chugga' beatdowns and death metal riffs. 

Overall, it would be easy to slate this album off as a stupid, boneheaded barrage of beatdowns. And really, Fronz's idiotic lyrics don't make it any more difficult. But Attila have never set out to be a genre changing, forward thinking band a la Periphery. Is there room for improvement? Yeah, the album does drag on a bit towards the end. But at the heart of it all, Attila are a band revolving around partying and having fun, and this offering has not looked to change that at all.  Attila are a bit like a porn star- they're great at what they do, but they wouldn't be very good at playing prog-metal.

8/10

For fans of: Emmure, Dr Acula, punching bitches

Joe Parsons.

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The Front Bottoms – Talon of the Hawk

Acoustic punk songs that you just won’t be able to stop listening to: That’s probably the best way to describe The Front Bottoms, a band from New Jersey formed in 2006 that over the last couple of years have slowly but steadily been building up a cult following, and well deserved it is too, very few bands of late write songs this recognisable, catchy and just downright honest.

Honesty is a theme that runs throughout this album, songs written from the heart about life and love all with very tongue in cheek feel to it. He has a method of writing lyrics that really reminds me of Mewithoutyou, very descriptive and uses lots of words you wouldn’t normally hear in songs.

Instrumentally it’s more adventurous than their last album (Self Titled), which was mostly just a backbone of his voice, an acoustic guitar and the drum kit. This album has that as well, but features a lot more electric guitar, bass guitar and various keyboards and brass instruments, this was something that could have gone horribly wrong and ended up as a mess, but it works surprisingly well and really adds to the songs and doesn’t just sound thrown in for the sake of it.

Whenever people ask me what they sound like I always find that such a hard question to answer, because they don’t really sound like anyone else, they have completely their own sound, and that’s such a rare thing to find in modern music. Lots of tags get thrown around for the Front Bottoms, Punk, Emo, Acoustic, all I know is that they’re a band with so much potential and they really have something for everything. Perfect music for a summer day or any day really.

If you do nothing else with your day, check out this band, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

9/10

For Fans Of: Mewithoutyou, The Menzingers, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die.

Tom Reed

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SLAM DUNK REVIEW 2013 BARNEY HALL – SLAM DUNK SOUTH (HATFIELD) ASHWIN BHANDARI – SLAM DUNK MIDLANDS (WOLVERHAMPTON) What started off as a series of club nights at The Cockpit venue in Leeds back in 2001, has now expanded into a touring Festival across the UK. And with the further addition of a Midlands concert in Wolverhampton, I can safely say that Slam Dunk will be around for years to come. For the Wolverhampton date, the Vans and Monsters stages were outdoors, while the main headline acts and other support bands played the prestigious Wolverhampton Civic Hall, with further stages in other rooms. Naturally, with a set up like this, you'd expect a lot of running around trying to find your favourite bands, however unlike Warped Tour UK, there were little problems with venue capacity, and surprisingly very little sound problems either! (AB) The American Scene (5) after a month of touring with two of the most hyped bands on this years Slam Dunk bill – Gnarwolves and The Story So Far, The American Scene had a lot to live up to in order for them to compare with their live companions.  Despite having decent enough songs from their 2012 album ‘Safe For Now’, The American Scene lack any sort of energy and merely look like they don’t want to be there. (BH) Gnarwolves (9) Quite the contrast to The American Scene, a packed out Vans stage sees Gnarwolves opening up to the iconic drums and guitar riff of Slayer’s reigning blood before diving into opening staple song, ‘History Is Bunk’.  Gnarwolves blister through an immense 11 songs including a passionate cover of Green Day’s classic ‘Basket Case’.  The whole room doesn’t stop moving throughout the entire set, with a huge pit and the whole room screaming every lyric back at the triumphant three-piece. (BH) Gnarwolves (9) opened up the Vans Stage with a showcase of the majority of their back catalogue, however it never seems to get old with dedicated fans, and certainly those who came down just to check them out at 2:30PM were just as enthusiastic. They showcased a few new songs from their upcoming Funemployed EP, such as Tounge Surfer, and the Title Fight esque Limerence, and ended with the classic “Coffee”, a perfect set to accompany the rest of the day. (AB) After hastily moving from the other side of the Festival grounds to the Wulfrun Hall, Transit (7) deliver to the audience a very chilled and tentative set of songs in comparison. Rather than letting endless crowd-surfing or copious attempts to open up pits at will, the audience are more graceful, and admirable towards the musicianship on display here. From the opening of Long Lost Friends, to the ending of Skipping Stone, Transit show how to pull off tentative and mellow songs, while keeping everyone there just as captivated as when they played Slam Dunk last year. (AB)

  The Story So Far (8) Opening with a raucous ‘Roam’, the highly energetic stomping pop punk of California’s newest princes of the genre, The Story So Far, take to the stage.  What next unfolds is unadulterated chaos.  During songs from 2011’s ‘Under Soil & Dirt’, the day’s biggest mosh pits are opened up, even with a wall of death at one point and during  ‘High Regard’ there are people jumping from the balconies at the side of the stages.  Although there is a slight energy dip for songs off the recent ‘What You Don’t See’ such as ‘Stifled’ and ‘Things I Can’t Change’, but the energy is full restored for closing hit single ‘Quicksand’. (BH) The Story So Far (8) open with Roam, and the entire venue suddenly erupts into a balanced mixture of barrier hogging finger pointers, hardcore dancers, and wave after wave of enthusiastic crowd surfers.  Their forte may be songs about ex girlfriends and experiences shared with close personal friends, however these attitudes and concepts are undoubtedly universal, and this is clearly the case here.  The new material from their newest album What You Don't See  arguably may not be as popular as Under Soil and Dirt ,however, again, this makes no difference here at all, with the closing of Quicksand, and Charlie from Gnarwolves joining in for the last verse. (AB)

Man Overboard (8) Despite the crowd drastically thinning in the aftermath of the bedlam that descended over the Macbeth stage during The Story So Far, Man Overboard don’t hesitate in sparking energy and sing-alongs with opener ‘Dead Ends Dreams’.  Playing a range of material spanning their 3 album career, including tracks from new album ‘Heart Attack’ due to be released in the very near future, Man Overboard manage to light up the smiles of the crowd and warm their hearts with a collection of sing-along pop-punk gems, closing with the euphoric double hit of ‘Love Your Friends Die Laughing’ and ‘Montrose’. (BH) Man Overboard (6) are perhaps not as energetic as other pop punk bands with whom they're sharing the Macbeth stage with, but nonetheless show off their ever so catchy pop punk anthems about rejection, the friend-zone and longing to be with the girls they never had a chance with in their youths. Nik and Zack add their trademark harmonies and screeching pleas of “lets fucking go” into the mix to keep the crowd bouncing throught.  Samey, but still fun regardless. (AB)

Sleeping With Sirens (7) On the tail end of their debut UK headline tour and after an announcement that at the end of the year they will be headlining London’s prestigious Brixton Academy, a lot of expectation was placed upon Sleeping With Sirens to live up to the hype. With songs such as ‘Do It Now, Remember Later’, ‘If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn’ and ‘If You Can’t Hang’, Sleeping With Sirens show that with a greater greatest hits collection hopefully provided by new album, ‘Feel’, Sleeping With Sirens show they have the substance to live up to the hype, despite some technical difficulties. (BH) Outside onto North Street, is the Monster Energy stage, a small performance area with great potential for heavier bands to drop crushing breakdowns and for the crowds to get ignorant.  Experimental metalcore outfit The Word Alive (7)  sound almost identical to their recordings live wise; no attempts from Telle are made to stop screaming due to lack of breath, no imbalance of sound mixes instrumentally speaking, and most importantly, there doesn’t seem to be anybody who isn't having a good time watching these guys.  TWA have definitely stepped up their live performance game in greater comparison to their tour with Parkway Drive in November, which I previously found to be somewhat mediocre and uninspired. (AB) Southampton metalcore giants Bury Tomorrow (9) however, play an entirely different ballgame altogether. From the impressive beer catch from lead vocalist Daniel Winter-Bates at the beginning of the set, to the crowd mimicking the lead guitar sections of Royal Blood near the very end, it's a wonder why they aren't headlining any of the stages tonight.  Even bassist Davyd Winter-Bates's borderline intimidating but passionate facial expressions at crowd members add a sense of sheer blissfulness of performing to so many fans from Wolverhampton, even referring to the Midlands as a “second home”. Suffice to say, even those who criticized their newest album “Union of Crowns” of being too samey, would find it hard to argue about how fantastic they are live wise. (AB)

The Wonder Years (9) In pop punk you don’t quite get much more respected bands than the mighty The Wonder Years, these Slam Dunk shows follow the release of their new acclaimed masterpiece ‘The Greatest Generation’ and opening with ‘Passing Through A Screen Door’ from said release causes their cult fanbase to go insane.  Playing old song from ‘The Upsides’, ‘Washington Square Park’ to honour their increase in size since last playing in 2010 and the dedication of the fanbase and songs such as ‘Came Out Swinging’ and new song ‘Dismantling Summer’ create hysteria and then closing with fan favourite ‘All My Friends In Bar Bands’ with members of A Loss For Words, Fireworks and Handguns is a euphoric moment. (BH) Hastily running back to the Macbeth stage again, The Wonder Years (10) are one of the many DIY pop punk revival bands, who have gained a lot of publicity in the UK thanks to various tours supporting the likes of Yellowcard, and the Kerrang Relentless Tour in 2011, as well as of course, exposure on Tumblr. In this case however, they deserve all the hype they can get, with Dan 'Soupy' Campbell belting out with full haste a mixture of new songs from The Greatest Generation and classics like Washington Square Park and Don't Let Me Cave In. There's nothing quite spectacular than males in their mid 20's scream inspiring lyrics literately at each other's faces, and somehow an audience member bypasses security and gets on stage to sing the last verse of All My Friends Are In Bar Bands.  A formidable display of showmanship and camaraderie if there ever was an example to show.  (AB)

Deaf Havana (8) Bursting onto stage to the sound of a cover of Robbie Williams’ ‘Let Me Entertain You’, Deaf Havana have clearly aimed to do this tonight, and entertain us they shall.  Despite frontman James Veck-Gilodi’s unfortunate lost voice, Deaf Havana tumble through hit singles from 2011’s ‘Fools And Worthless Liars’ which are all met with a raucous response. This band have shown how far they have improved and how much of a force they are just not in the UK rock scene, but as a worldwide force closing with hit song ‘Hunstanton Pier’. Despite a short set due to James’ voice,  this is a crowning moment. (BH) Nipping over to the Main-Stage in the Civic Hall, Deaf Havana (8) suffer from a vocalist who's voice has noticeably deteriorated on the last main Slam Dunk tour date. However, back up vocals provided by James's brother and audience participation helps ease the awkward squeaks and cracks coming from the lead singer's vocals. Since the release of Fools and Worthless Liars in early 2012, their live sound has matured massively since their early days as a five piece. Gone are the post-hardcore screams and overly energetic pop punk songs from 2009's Meet Me Halfway At Least, and instead are replaced with a seven piece outfit with a more alternative rock sound, almost reminiscent of how bands like Brand New have changed over time. Regardless, they try their hardest to make due with what they have, and still leave the crowd wanting more. (AB)

Cancer Bats – Everyone knows Cancer Bats slay live, it’s a pure fact that this band can convert almost any crowd and if there were any onlookers tonight not a part of the Cancer Bats family then they now are.  Opening with the monsterous ‘Sorceress’, Cancer Bats blister through a mammoth setlist representative of their near flawless back catalogue, even taking a song from their debut EP, ‘Shillelagh’.  Facing a tough clash with the mighty Your Demise, Four Year Strong and All Time Low,  Cancer Bats fill up this tiny room and provoke insanity , with frontman Liam Cormier spending the majority of the set in the crowd. (9/10) Finally, I make my way back to the Macbeth stage to watch pop punkers Four Year Strong (7) who seem to have enough songs to pull off a great performance, however, awkward silences fill the room in-between songs, and their stage presence seems dull in comparison to The Wonder Years. Sure, there's a few jokes in between (Alan Day's shirt apparently being something that wouldn't be out of place in Ace Ventura) and the old material is just as satisfying as ever, but the fact that the room wasn't even at full capacity by the time they had arrived shows that maybe not that many people were too bothered about them. A shame, considering how great some of the sing alongs for Wasting Time were, and the giant circle pit during Manic. (AB) Overall, Slam Dunk Festival was a fantastic experience, and while I didn't get to see Cancer Bats or Heights like I wanted to, the entire day way incredibly satisfying, and I hope to see it continue at the same place, and the same time next year. (AB)

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The National - Trouble Will Find Me

Its an exciting prospect that a band can still create music of an unbelievable quality with a few albums already behind them, instead of firing on all cylinders with a debut then spending ten years trying to catch up. Ohio's The National have only gotten better with time it seems, with the release of their sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me. The band have matured and refined everything about their sound since their first album, The National, came out in 2001. five albums, twelve years, and two Obama campaigns later and here we are, a band completely in their stride. A hard band to describe, but can be easily summed up with one word: melancholy. Matt Berninger's baritone droll is not for everyone, but The National are a band of subtleties. Nothing about this band is intended to be showy. Its not something you just 'get' on first listen.

All these things considered, this is a tough album to go into, let alone review. The National are one of my all time favourite bands, so naturally my Berninger-friendly ears are able to soak in every drop. Musically wise, it isn't a grand departure from previous efforts, ever present drums are guided along by intimate guitar lines, steady bass, piano chords, swirling synths and orchestral elements. Its a lot to take in, especially under Berningers vocals. With so much happening and so many instruments its surprising how coherent and as I said before, subtle, the songs are. Take Fireproof for example, guitar lines, strings and pianos all ping around the ears, occasionally giving way to a beautifully warm burst of synthesiser. Not usually purveyors of the instrument, the warm swells do wonders.

In the build up to the release, I noticed the album described as "13 songs of Sorrow (High Violet)". This is pretty accurate, The National have hardly ever been a cheerful band, but my word do they do miserable better than anyone else. This Is The Last Time and I Need My Girl are the soundtrack to self pity, all minor keys and mournful vocals and lyrics. Its a beautiful album to listen to, even if it is a bit depressing. But then again, isn't all the best music? And of course the glue to all this brilliance is the vocals. The usual dry wit and sense of humour underpin a lot of Berningers performance, his lyrics often dealing with relationships. Heartbreak and anguish can be heard in every line, in every hook. He has grown tremendously along with the rest of the band and its hard to imagine them possibly getting better, but Im sure they will. This is The National's best album, so far, and the best album of the year.

10/10

For fans of: Joy Division, Bon Iver, The Antlers

Sam Abbott