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young guns sleeping with sirens
Iron Maiden will bring their ‘The Book Of Souls’ World tour to the UK and Ireland in May 2017. Support comes from Shinedown. May 04 Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham 06 3arena, Dublin 08 Arena, Manchester 10 Arena, Sheffield 11 First Direct Arena, Leeds 14 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle 16 SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow 17 AECC GE Oil & Gas Arena, Aberdeen 20 Echo Arena, Liverpool 21 Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham 24 Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff 27 O2 Arena, London
Green Day will return to the UK in February 2017. Support comes from The Interrupters. February 5th First Direct Arena, Leeds 6th Arena, Manchester 8th The O2, London
Jimmy Eat World will follow up their recent London shows with a run of UK and Irish shows in November. November 04 Guildhall, Southampton 05 Troxy, London 07 Olympia Theatre, Dublin 08 Limelight, Belfast 09 Barrowland, Glasgow 10 Academy, Manchester 19 O2 Academy, Bristol 20 O2 Academy, Birmingham
Paint It Black will make their first UK appearance since 2009 when they headline the Manchester Punk Festival. The festival takes place at various venues; Gorilla, Sound Control, Zombie Shack, Underdog, Zoo, and Retro Bar, on April 20th to 22nd. Other bands announced so far are The Toasters, Mighty Midgets, Larrakia, Edward in Venice, Sweet Empire, The Living Daylights, and Pizza Tramp.
KoRn and Limp Bizkit will be taking over UK arenas this December. December Mon 12th Arena, Manchester Wed 14th Sse Hydro Arena, Glasgow Thu 15th Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham Fri 16th The Sse Arena, Wembley, London Sun 18th Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff Mon 19th Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Taking Back Sunday will tour the UK and Ireland in February. Support comes from Frank Iero And The Patience. February 11 Limelight, Belfast 12 Vicar Street, Dublin 14 O2 Abc, Glasgow 15 O2 Ritz, Manchester 16 O2 Forum Kentish Town, London 17 Rock City, Nottingham 18 Uea, Norwich
WSTR have announced a headline tour with support from Milestones. October 24 Buskers, Dundee 25 Opium, Edinburgh 26 Fibbers, York 27 O2 Academy 2, Sheffield 29 Underground, Stoke 31 O2 Academy 2, Liverpool November 01 Scholar, Leicester 02 The Assembly, London 03 Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff 04 Underground, Plymouth 05 Anvil, Bournemouth
Alcopop Records will celebrate their 10th birthday with ‘Alcopopacruiser’, a party on a boat cruising down the Thames on Sunday 9th October. The line-up consists of Tellison, Encyclopedia, Happy Accidents and Warren Mallia of The Attika State. Bristol’s Area 11 will head out on tour again this December. December 9th Patterns, Brighton 10th Joiners, Southampton 12th Sound Control, Manchester 13th King Tuts, Glasgow 14th Asylum 2, Birmingham 15th O2 Academy Islington, London
Deaf Havana will follow the release of ‘All These Countless Nights’ on Janaury 27th with a February UK tour. February 17 02 Ritz, Manchester 18 02 ABC, Glasgow 20 02 Academy, Bristol 21 02 Academy, Birmingham 23 UEA, Norwich 24 02 Forum Kentish Town, London
The Pretty Reckless will play a one-off intimate show in London on October 10th. Their new album, ‘Who You Selling For’ is set for release on October 21st via Virgin EMI. After teasing fans online for the past few weeks, As It Is have revealed details of their new album. 'Okay’ will be released through Fearless Records on January 22nd.
Fall Out Boy will release a new live tour DVD, 'The Boys Of Zummer Tour: Live In Chicago’, on October 21st.
Frank Iero and the Patience will release their second album 'Parachutes’ on 28th October via Hassle Records.
Skindred have confirmed The King Blues and Raging Speedhorn will join them on their forthcoming UK tour. October 31st Chinnery’s, Southend November 1st Warehouse 23, Wakefield 3rd Empire, Middlesbrough 4th Foundry/Corporation, Sheffield 5th Neon, Newport 7th Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton 8th Komedia, Bath 9th Lemon Grove, Exeter 10th Roadmenders, Northampton 11th Junction, Cambridge 12th Academy, Oxford (10pm curfew)
Kevin Devine will return to the UK in early 2017 for a UK Tour. January 29 Thekla, Bristol 30 Bodega, Nottingham 31 Deaf Institute, Manchester February 01 Stereo, Glasgow 02 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 03 The Dome, London
Press to MECO have revealed they are currently in Austin, Texas working on their new album with producer Machine (Clutch, Miss May I, Lamb of God, Protest The Hero).
While She Sleeps has launched a Pledge Music campaign to independently support their third album. The UK release of Balance and Composure’s new album, 'Light We Made’, will take place on November 4th via Big Scary Monsters. US deathcore band Within The Ruins has announced a run of UK shows alongside Fit For An Autopsy, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life and Phinehas. November 28 The Hub, Plymouth 29 Boston Music Room, London 30 Mama Roux, Birmingham December 01 G2, Glasgow 02 Corporation, Sheffield Orlando, Florida’s You Blew It’s new album, 'Abendrot’ will be released on Big Scary Monsters/Triple Crown on November 11th.
Will Varley will release a new album, 'Kingsdown Sundown’ on November 4th on Xtra Mile Recordings.
Interview with Sam
Could you tell us how DEAD! originally formed? We were all kind of floating around doing our own things on the Isle of Wight, way down the south of England. It had a cool music scene but it was dying out, so a bunch of us bailed to go to Southampton University. The city had a brilliant music scene; I think Chappell [bass] and I saw something stupid like 36 bands in a week while everyone else was at Freshers. I guess that’s where we became mates. Then I dropped out of university to focus on this and here we are.
Touring wise, could you recap what have you been up to this year, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road? We just came off tour with SWMRS, that was fun. They're a great new band to watch. It's kind of a transitional year for us making the jump from small DIY band to a legit national touring band so it's all been a highlight. Getting flown out to play a set at midnight in the Czech Republic to 800 people @ Rock for People was insane; the huge turn out we had at Reading Festival and seeing all that touring work come together in one place was amazing; and our last sold out DRF London show with about 140 people crammed in a studio's live room was off the wall.
How did you choose the band name DEAD! and what does it mean to you? That’s actually to do with Chappell [Bass]; his sister works and studies loads of stuff about mortality and death and all that. I guess when you've been around such a morbid word for so long it loses its surface meaning and takes on a new one – one with a very carp diem kind of vibe. He brought it to us and it stuck.
For an unfamiliar reader, how would you describe your sound? If you like rock music and aren't looking for some blinding new sound, just some solid song writing and raw emotion, I would say have a look, see if you like it.
What bands have really influenced you since you started out as DEAD! and why? We all grew up listening to a bunch of rocky ‘Kerrang’ bands; it’s just the scene we were in. But when Dead! started our horizons got a little broader. I don't think Alex or myself ever listen to a band and go “LET’S WRITE SOMETHING LIKE THAT”, its more about movies, vibes, moments. Stories that have inspired us.
How did you originally sign to Infectious Music, and what have they been like to work with so far? With a cheap biro followed by a great Chinese meal and too much tequila. It's been difficult for us to relinquish control over some areas, just because we got quite far on our own, but we're lucky to have a really cool team who are enabling us instead of pushing us around. Not all bands are that lucky, so take your time when the labels come knocking, really think about what you want from a record deal.
What can you tell us about the meaning behind your recent single ‘You’re So Cheap’? It's all about social anxieties and discomfort in social situations. It was actually us trying to write a feel good summer song and that came out instead. Maybe that says a lot about us as people?
Also, how did the music video for You’re So Cheap’ come together? And what did you want it to mean to the viewer? This band has grown up really slowly. I wish we'd spent more time on branding and what we wanted things to look like and feel like when we first started out. ‘You're So Cheap’ was kind of a chance to start again with a sound that really is US. We wanted the video to basically be a mood board so people could see what our vibe is really like. The video was shot by our German redhead friend around Soho; some stuff from our phones; some cool artsy flowery footage; and then just put together by us.
Can you tell us what it's like to be an upcoming band in London? Expensive. Ha. Three of us live in one room to make it work financially. But, me personally? I wouldn't trade this city for the world or anything in it.
Following on from the new single, ‘Something More Original’, are you guys working on any new material at the moment? If so, what do you think we can expect from it? We actually just finished some new demoing yesterday. It's kind of 90s, smarter, maybe a little slower but way more intense, definitely more mature. We're always writing – it's why we're in a band.
Looking back on ‘Tu Me Manques’, how happy are you with this release still, and what do you think it's done for the representation of DEAD!? It was written by younger guys that were worried and excited by different things to the people we are now. A couple of tracks still have a fond place in my heart but it got us where we needed to be and it’s now time to let go of that and move forward.
What else can we expect to see from DEAD! in 2016 and beyond? We're waiting on the green light to announce a tour that we're pretty excited for. It's a bit punkier than what we're used to, so it’s going to be fun. Also cooler. Keep your eyes peeled for our debut album, which will be released in 2017!
So how did the idea for FARRO originally come about? After leaving Paramore, I didn't think I'd want to be in a band again. I'm not entirely sure what exactly I wanted to do other than just take a break from it all. In what seemed like a very short time after my departure, I found myself getting the itch to write and perform again. I tried starting a few projects with friends around town, but none of them seemed to pan out. So I decided to go it alone. Hence the birth of FARRO.
What was it like to sing live as FARRO for the first time? Honestly, one of the greatest feelings ever. It felt surprisingly natural.
Can you tell us about some of the bands that have really influenced you over the last couple of years, and maybe why that is? Coldplay is always my first response to a question regarding my influences. I love what they do and have a high respect for them. I also love The National. They've been a huge influence on me over the last seven years. Their sense for melody and lyrics is so unique, and in my mind, unlike any other artist I've heard. Some more influences are Elvis, The Eagles, Radiohead, Sigur Ros and Fleet Foxes. Those are just a few that come to mind at the moment.
You're known for your awesome songwriting, and musicianship. So for you, how would you say you've grown/progressed as an overall musician in the last couple of years? Music is just like any other craft. The more time you spend doing it the better you get. I've been stretched especially in the area of writing lyrics and melody now being the lead singer. It's been a challenge in a lot of ways, but I thrive on that.
Lyric wise, how does a song normally come together for you? I usually let the music set the mood and tell me lyrically what the song needs to be written about. Occasionally, I have my mind set on a certain subject, but for the most part it is musically inspired.
As you've become so well known, then has it had any impact on the way you write lyrics? Knowing that so many people will now hear your personal subjects? Not really. I'm a very open and honest person regardless of my level of notoriety. At the end of the day, I feel everyone wants something relatable, and the best way to convey that is to write from a vulnerable place.
How has creating music as a solo artist, compared to anything you've done before? Creating music as a solo artist in a lot of ways has much more freedom than collaborating with a band. Everything rests on your shoulders. At the same time, there's a lot more responsibility required from you. I will say there are times I miss having band members to bounce ideas off of. Both being a solo artist and in a band have their pros and cons. I definitely don't prefer one or the other.
So, how did you get to the album title 'Walkways', and what does it mean to you? ‘Walkways’ is the title to one of the songs on the album, and besides just liking the sound of the word, I felt it represented the last ten years of my life. I have experienced many different walkways across the world, and it's been quite an adventure.
Can you elaborate on some of the other main themes and influences that run throughout 'Walkways'? The album is basically a snapshot in time of what was currently happening or had happened in my life. There are songs about love, heartbreak, turmoil and even new beginnings. I feel there is a song for just about every mood.
What was the hardest part about putting 'Walkways' together for you, and why? I'd say it was challenging becoming comfortable singing in the studio. I really never sang much at all until a couple of years ago. It was like learning an instrument for the first time. Although in the end, it was extremely rewarding.
Can you tell us a bit about the meaning behind the track 'On a Wire'? ‘On A Wire’ is based off a scenario of a relationship where both people are lying awake in bed and refusing to face a current issue. The chorus explains that one of them realizes they have the other walking on eggshells so to speak. He or she finds that that they are the cause of the issue. Overall, the theme is apologetic in a round about way.
Also, what would you say is the most challenging part about being a solo artist? I would say having to handle everything on your own. There's no other band member to help carry the load that comes with the territory of being an artist.
Can you tell us a bit about how the full band came together for the FARRO project? My band is basically just my close friends. Some I knew prior to the band, others by recommendation through more close friends.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? I don't think I can express in words my excitement for the upcoming UK tour. I've been dreaming of playing in front of the UK crowds for a long time now. It's cool to see it coming into fruition. I would say fans can expect a high energy, fun and emotional show from us. We try to make sure it’s an experience rather than a listening party. So fans need to be prepared to be taken to another level!
What else can we expect to see from FARRO in 2016? I'll be releasing a music video for ‘Walkways’ that I'm super stoked about. Also, I am currently writing new music that I feel is really fresh. Cannot wait to share it with the fans!
Interview with Oli
How did RavenEye originally form? It formed after I recorded the EP ‘Breaking Out’. The record ended up being way heavier than expected. I realised that this record wouldn’t have been right to release under my own name as it’s not what people would have expected, so that’s when I thought about putting a band together. It’s something I’ve wanted for a while and now I finally had the knowledge and the record on how to start it. So it’s all down to the record pushing out the new sound and direction.
How did you get to the band name RavenEye, and what does it mean to you? I was a massive ornithologist as a kid and grew up obsessed with birds. Ravens became a bit of a fascination of mine because of their nature being so unique, it came from that. I wanted something short and not too descriptive, ‘RavenEye’ could sonically be anything from heavy metal to electronic, folk, pop. I really wanted a neutral name that also plays a big relevance to my life, which Ravens are.
What bands have really influenced you since you started out as RavenEye, and why? Audioslave started off my obsession with rock bands, then I found out about Soundgarden! ‘Superunknown’ still to this day blows my mind, everything from the songs, the performance, the time signatures, the messages, it’s my number one record of all time. Other bands I really got into were Rage Against The Machine, and I’m hugely into Queens of the Stone Age. I know it’s not a band but Jeff Buckley took rock to a different level too. I love bands that have a completely unique identity, they don’t sound like anyone else and you know exactly when it’s their music. There’s a lot of bands that do that for me that I could go on about. Deftones, Band Of Skulls, Rival Sons, and loads of others.
You had already released four solo albums before RavenEye was created. So can you tell us a bit about those, and how you think you've grown as a musician since you first started putting out music? They’re all blues records, so don’t listen to them expecting to hear some solo rock melodies! Ha. But I grew up on blues as well as rock, and I had great opportunities in the blues scene to really pursue that passion. With the support of a great team it took me all over the world and I had such a good time with it, but eventually I started to feel like I was burning out as a writer. When I started out, I hated singing, I never wanted to be a singer but did it out of necessity and wanted it to be all about guitar, now I’ve completely flip turned and really want it to be mostly about the vocals and the melodies. With RavenEye, we started as just the three of us, no help from anyone, so many emails, phone calls ignored and completely disregarded by some people I’ve previously worked with, but we all believed in it. I’d never have been capable to help take the band to where it is now if it wasn’t for the knowledge I gained from previously being a solo artist.
How does working with a band compare overall to what you'd do as a solo musician? Do you maybe have less control now, in an exciting way? It’s incredible, you can share the work flow for one! Haha. We all have a pretty clear vision on what we feel for the sound of the band, so all the decisions flow pretty evenly making discussions pretty easy thankfully. We don’t butt heads with each other and compromise for the greater good, definitely less control but you’ve nailed it in describing it as a positive thing. Most the times, the best perspective is that of others, it works even better when they’re driving the force of the band too. We work together in songwriting and Aaron and I can get pretty cutting with each other when it comes to the lyrics, but we’re not precious, we just want the right message. Lyrics are an important part of this band too.
Can you elaborate on some of the main themes that run throughout 'NOVA’? It goes between love, hate, self doubt, and other peoples doubt; as a really brief description! ‘Inside’ for example is about that inside voice that can encompass your being negatively, constantly bringing you down and having to deal with it. we all go through bad points where we become our own worst enemy, no one can talk you out of it and you have to drag yourself through shit to get through it. But then there are songs that are all about the intensity and the passion of sex, like in ‘Wanna Feel You’, that “in the moment” feeling of euphoria that you have between you and another person.
As this is your debut album, then what targets/goals did you have in mind when you went into the studio to put 'NOVA' together? The idea of the album was to put out a record that truly defines what we are as a band sonically (live is a whole different field). When we came to the studio we had a good 25 songs fully written and ready to put down and picked the most edge of your seat tunes to just set a high energy standard for the first record. There are some songs that we love that we didn’t put down as it didn’t feel right for a first album. We wanted this record to be out of control and intense throughout rather than controlled. We can save some of that for the next record.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? Yeah I’m stoked for it! We finally get to perform a full show with songs that people will know! We’ve toured our own headline shows and played so many different tunes that no one is familiar with (apart from the EP), so it’s exciting to be actually going out on a full set with songs that you can hear already off the album. We’ve been working on moments that are for the live show too and putting it together. Our new drummer Adam Breeze is an absolute monster too so it’s going to be intense, it’s taking a lot of rehearsals to get this show to the standard we want it at and we’re so ready for it now.
You've toured with Slash, The Darkness, and many more, so can you elaborate on some of your favorite memories from the road, as well as what you've learnt from being on the road with bands that big? Some of the drives we’ve done have been pretty incredible, driving through the rockies in Canada, driving up a mountain in the middle of Romania with no fuel and no petrol station in sight (not fun at the time, but we made it), driving TO Romania when the exhaust fell off and we had to tie it together with twine (which worked), then pulling up to the hotel to find they didn’t take cards and the lamps blew out in the van, so we had to drive with the headlights on through the city to find a cash point. There’s been some incredible shows too! We’ve had a fantastic time touring with those guys all over! Both were so kind to us on the road, you know; you hear all these horror stories about how support bands get screwed around and have a hard time, but we’ve been so lucky as they’ve always made time for us and helped out when needed too. We supported Halestorm recently and a gear rental company completely ripped us off essentially costing more than we got paid, and the guys stepped in and let us use their gear instead. So incredible. One lesson we learned was from Myles Kennedy, we were talking to him about the drives and he said to write a diary about it all, to never forget it, as it’s these moments that make you, not the moments when you’re on a bus going hotel to hotel and venue to venue, it’s when you’re slumming it on the road and just getting by however you can. That message really stuck with us.
What else can we expect to see from RavenEye in 2016? A whole lot of everything, we’re all over our socials all the time and talking with people. We’ve started live streaming on Facebook as well, some live shows, but some just hangs at our place too. We’re going to be doing a lot more of them, discussions and lessons we’ve learned, sharing our road knowledge to other people too. But we will be touring the UK this October, November, and plugging the album hard. It has been an incredible year so far and we don’t intend to stop there.
Interview with Ash
What made you want to release 'Laika' first from your upcoming debut album 'Be Nothing.', and can you tell us about the narrative that runs through the track? We felt like this track was a sure thing as the first single. It encompasses every part of this band and it really drives home the direction we're heading in. We want our listeners to connect with ‘Laika’ in their own way, instead of telling them what it's about.
Also, how did the music video idea for 'Laika' come together? It was a really last minute rush for us. We had a week to sort out actors, locations and everything else. I'm surprised we managed to pull it all together. The videographer Lewis Cater & his assistant Nick wanted to nail this americana style cinematography, and the only place we could find for this was a place called Jaywick. It has an interesting vibe & I'm pretty sure Ross Kemp did a documentary about it. We did all of the performance shots in some great working men's club in Colchester. Everything ran super smoothly overall and it was a lot of fun to do.
So, how did you get to the album title 'Be Nothing.', and what does it mean to you? We spent a lot of time pondering over album titles. We feel like it's pretty important and wanted to make sure we got it right. 'Be Nothing.', true it sounds pretty nihilistic, but I feel like to me it envisages this huge sense of space.
What was the hardest part about putting 'Be Nothing.' together for you, and why? A lot of writing 'Be Nothing' was spent composing full songs, dismantling them entirely then reworking them until we were all super happy with them. We're all perfectionists at heart, and wanted to make sure we nailed the vibe we were going for.
As this was your debut album, then what targets/goals did you have in mind when you went into the studio to put 'Be Nothing.' together? We wanted to make this record sound as massive, anthemic and like Boston Manor as we could. We wanted to be sure we'd done everything we could to make the record as good as it can be. We just wanted to feel proud of the work we've put in, and I think that's all that matters.
How did the album artwork for 'Be Nothing.' come together, and what does it mean to you? We feel like records these days don't often link artwork to the songs, and a lot of the time they're just two separate entities. The artwork is quite empty, with just one, bold image in the centre. It really encompasses the feelings of the record.
How did you end up working with Neil Kennedy & Kyle Black, and how would you say they helped shape the record? Neil Kennedy down at the ranch is an incredible producer. We worked with him on ‘Saudade’ so he knew where we wanted to go with ‘Be Nothing’. He helped us with knowing when we need to push certain sections and pull back on others. He’s also great at harmonies and we can't thank him enough for the help on this record. We love Kyle's work on all the records he's done. He’s worked with people from State Champs to Paramore. I just think he really knows how to make a record sound huge but still keeps a live sort of feel in there. An all round good dude.
How would you say the sound of Boston Manor has grown/progressed since the release of 'Saudade'? I feel like the sound has definitely matured from ‘Saudade’. I think ‘Saudade’ is a great EP, but with a full length we've been able to really show people what we're capable of. We hope people feel the same way about it.
Touring wise, can you give us a couple of personal highlights since starting out, as well as maybe why those shows mean so much to you? The Moose Blood tour early last year was a lot of fun. We made a bunch of mates, and got to hang out with some cool bands, Moose Blood and Choir Vandals, who're now both really good friends of ours. The same with the As It Is & This Wild Life tour with Seaway. We got to play Slam Dunk this year, a festival we've been going to for years. It was really humbling to see so many kids turn up to watch us and scream the words back. It's been a lot of fun so far.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK headline tour, and what can attending fans expect? Really excited. We're planning some big things for the tour, so it's definitely not something you should miss out on. Also really excited for our US friends in Can't Swim to come over for the first time and play some shows, as well as our UK mates in Wallflower. They're both amazing bands, and deserve way more hype.
What else can we expect to see from Boston Manor in 2016? We can't really say anything at the moment, but we've got a lot of big plans. You'll hopefully be seeing a lot more of us this year.
Interview with David
What was it like to tour with Slipknot & Korn on the album cycle for 'Memoirs Of A Murderer', and can you tell us about what you learnt the most from being on the road with those guys? Those guys are pros. They've been doing this since I was a kid. I don't necessarily think we deserved to be there. It's hard to explain the things I learned from them and from watching them. They all taught me things, whether they knew it or not, but a lot would either be considered minutiae or lessons I kept for myself that I personally don't want to share.
Can you tell us a bit about the meaning behind the track you just released 'I Ain’t Goin Back Again'? There is, as with everything we do, a handful of meanings. The song is about the state of mind we as a group shared when we were much younger and much more ignorant. This deals with beliefs about life, about people, about music and the music industry. This outlook was a naive one. We knew nothing about the industry and we believed it was a way out, like a “grass is greener” kind of thing. We would come to learn it was just more bullshit and junk.
How did the video idea for 'I Ain't Goin Back Again' come together, and what was it like to direct it yourself? The song to me is about a time and a place. There was no brainstorm on the idea for the video, only the obvious goal to make the video resemble that time and place in the closest way that we could. As far as directing the video goes, it was a must. The songs are strict depictions of our lives. I don't need a director to collaborate with me about my life. No one can tell the story better.
So how did you get to the album title 'La Petite Mort Or A Conversation With God', and what does it mean to you? The title means a lot of things. It can be taken as the French phrase, "the little deaths" meaning a state of weakened or lost consciousness. It could be a figurative little death as referring to a physical death, perhaps a murder, perhaps it means "the little deaths" as in the ever-growing statistical rate of homicides, etc. ‘A Conversation With God’ is the second piece which puts it into a different perspective. It still entertains the sexual communion side being a conversation with God, but also has a running narrative throughout the disc that could be likened to a prayer thus, ‘A Conversation With God’ which turns out to be one's self.
We've read that 'La Petite Mort' delivers the grim reality of Flint, MI. So can you tell us about what Flint is like right now, as well as maybe how it's changed over the last couple of years? Watch CNN. It hasn't changed for us. But that story doesn't fit into some cool movie script story mould that everyone can be entertained by, so it doesn't translate. Anyway, even if it did it would be chalked up to some handful of depressing photos on Instagram that everyone loves because they never have to live it and they can watch it from afar for entertainment.
What was it like to work with Josh Schroeder & Justyn Pilbrow, and how would you say they helped shape the record? It wasn't much like work at all. We didn't search for the engineer with the "hot" "modern" sound we hoped would rub off on us. They're my friends, they're who we make records with, so making the record with them was just like making the record with the other guys in the band.
You also produced as well, right? So can you tell us a bit about what you like the most about having that kind of creative control with your music? This is similar to the directing video question and it applies to anything we do. We "produce" everything because we have to, because it's our real lives. That's why it sounds, looks and feels like nothing else. I don't even ponder what I like most about having creative control with my own music. I couldn't imagine being in a group where the group is not in control of every facet of creation they are putting out into the world. If we don't control every creative output, it doesn't exist. It's sad that this question can even be asked these days. I beg the groups who don't control their own material to please silently bow out. Just give up and leave the rest of us alone. You're robbing the people.
Musically, how would you say this album compares to what you did on 'Memoirs of A Murderer'? Musically, I don't make comparisons, but you could make the observation that it's a more cohesive piece as a whole, that it's less fragmented.
You guys support the charity, The Community Foundation of Greater Flint’s ‘Flint Child Health & Development Fund.’ So can you tell us a bit about that, as well as what it is like to have your music help contribute towards it? Over the years I've supported several charities consistently. It isn't a publicity stunt, so no I don't wish to talk about the specific charity work we do. That's kinda sleazy. Really I think it's bullshit that music has to help contribute towards any charity. It's bullshit that a charity has to exist, period, especially in the self proclaimed "greatest country in the world." A charity to help children develop properly, because they have a poisonous water source...?!
Interview with William Touring wise, what have you been up to this year, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road? We haven't done much touring this year as we were hard at work on ‘Sin Will Find You’. We did a run at the start of the year with Short Stack which was awesome! It's always cool to play to a new crowd that haven't really heard of us before as it gives us the opportunity to meet new people and share our music with them! We're currently two shows into the Pierce The Veil tour with Silverstein, Beartooth. It's been amazing so far and I have to say the highlight for me was the crowd in Sydney last night, the amount of people singing a lot to songs that have only been out for a little while was just beautiful to see!
So, how did you get to the album title 'Sin Will Find You', and what does it mean to you? ‘Sin Will Find You’ is about re-evaluating the moral paradigms in which we view the world through our own collective experience. Essentially a new take on what society views as a “sinful lifestyle” even though the youth of our generation and the majority of generations before dating back to the 60s had exactly the same experiences. Today recreational drug-use and mental health issues are slowly becoming understood. The normality of both is slowly spreading and I wanted to put my own experience of them into a record... Almost like a musical journal entry. We all feel pain and we all seek comfort in some way, be it in a friend, in a song, a substance or the arms of another. The record is a musical reflection of my life and mind over the past two years in its most brutally honest form. The listener will hear things about me that I've never told anyone and that's extremely scary for me but necessary for me to move on emotionally.
You guys have said that you wanted to write 'the most open record you could', so can you elaborate on some of the other main themes and influences that run throughout 'Sin Will Find You'? The record is literally a big confessional/journal entry directly from myself. There's things on this record that people can listen to that I hadn't even told anyone about before. There's voice recordings and recreations of actual conversations I had with people in my life. So the main themes and influences are basically just whatever was around me as a kid in his early twenties growing up in Melbourne. That can involve anything from the insane drug culture that thrives in the nightlife of our city, the fact that monogamy is almost a joke in most relationships even though they hold this pure facade over their partner and their own friends or the beauty of a city that is accepting of every colour, creed, sexuality and belief.
How did the blue front cover idea come together for 'Sin Will Find You'? Blue is a colour of calm but has been linked with feelings of melancholy. That fits perfectly with the overarching message of the record. That being that we all take part in what a large proportion of society and older generations would view as, “sinful” (Even though most of them all acted in the exact same vain when they were our age). So the aim for pointing out every time and situation I have hurt someone or partaken in experiences that are frowned upon is to show the listener that they're not alone in sin, to help them find comfort and calm within our musical reminder that we're all insane and we all make mistakes. That makes us human. That's what the square boarder represents, it's the constant loop that everyone encounters while growing up from making a mistake, learning from it until the next mistake.
How did the video idea for 'Lilac' come together, and can you tell us about what you want it to mean to the listener? ‘Lilac’ is part two of a three part mini-short film that I had been working on around the time of writing the record. At first it was just a tool to help me write the record by basically writing a story from another persons perspective of what it's like to grow up in Melbourne and struggles that I might not have to face, (such as LGBT relationships, race issues etc). It turned out to just work so well with the songs that I decided to make them into music videos and I'm stoked with how it turned out as I think the messages within the story are really important in today's society... Putting those themes into the ‘Lilac’ clip really wasn't to spark controversy and I honestly didn't think that it would create as much as it did. It was just another reflection of what it's like in Melbourne. It's completely accepted in my city for two boys to be together like that. The only time someone will have a problem is because they're usually from the country districts and aren't used to it but they're a MAJOR minority and will be quickly set straight. So it wasn't weird for me to make the main character gay as it shouldn't be... Love is love. Having said that I know that's not the way a lot of other cities and countries think so I did think it was important for people to see it as it is which is normal. No different to a girl and a boy or any other relationship.
How did you end up working with Samuel K, and how would you say he helped shape the record? I think we originally got hooked on Sam K's work when we heard the new Getaway Plan record he produced, 'Dark Horses'. Our whole band have been big fans of The Getaway Plan since we were teenagers and to hear a band that we loved sound even better and in a fresh way was awesome. So we met him and we instantly knew he was the right man for this huge task we were facing to write a record without an instrument that was integral to our previous releases. I think the biggest thing Sam did, (outside of his incredible ability to turn a small idea into something amazing), was to sit us down in a circle half way through writing the record and get us to tell each other absolutely everything about ourselves. Every secret, every dark experience and fear that we had to the point where we had basically ripped our hearts out of our own chests verbally and just put them in the middle of the circle for everyone to see. That experience is solely responsible for how open and raw we were able to be vocally, lyrically and most importantly musically on ‘Sin Will Find You’. We have Sam K to thank for that!
What was the hardest song to put together on 'Sin Will Find You', and why? I think I'd have to say ‘Wake Up Sleeping’. It was vocally one of the first songs I'd almost completely finished but we just couldn't seem to find where it needed to go musically. We pretty much wrote three different songs with the same vocals until Sam and I got in a big trip-hop mood one day in the studio and we came up with that beat that runs through the majority of the song and it just all fell into place from there. It's one of my favourite songs on the record now!
What do you want 'Sin Will Find You' to do for the representation of Storm The Sky? I want it to define us. I truly feel this is the first release that we were able to express ourselves without thinking about how it was going to be received or what people wanted to hear. We really just put it all on the line and I'm so happy with how it turned out. I really think we've found “our sound” and we have all really come into our own with our instruments over the past year in a way that we were never able to before.
How would you say the sound of Storm The Sky has grown/progressed since 'Permanence'? I think it's just become more complete in a way. As I said before, prior to ‘Sin Will Find You’ we still had worried about what fans wanted to hear and what would fit best in the current sound of the scene which didn't allow us to really be ourselves 100%. So I think we only really dabbled in the what we wanted to do musically since the ‘Vigilance’ EP because we didn't know if it would work and we were a bit afraid I think. No one wants to take a risk and have it fail y'know? But that's the only way to be the band that you're meant to be. You have to be willing to fail for what you want to do.
Also, looking back on 'Permanence', how happy are you with this record still, and what do you think it has done for Storm The Sky? I still hold ‘Permanence’ close to my heart. It was the first album I really took the reins on writing and I ended up writing most of the record apart from a song and a half vocally and helped with some instrumentation as well, jumping on the guitar a few times etc. So it was a bit of a learning curve for me and so if ‘Sin Will Find You’ is my baby, ‘Permanence’ is like the puppy I bought to dip my feet in responsibility haha. ‘Permanence’ did some really amazing things for us and we definitely would not have been able to be anywhere near where we are today without it.
What else can we expect to see from Storm The Sky in 2016? We have some plans in the works for Australia and then we are looking to branch out a bit more next year so if you're in Australia and you haven't been able to make it to the Pierce the Veil tour, I'm sure we'll catch you before the year ends! As well as some interesting things we've been working on slowly rolling out that I can't say too much on, but it's definitely going to be a busy rest of the year for us!
Interview with Matt
Can you tell us a bit about how your current set up/rig came together? As far as my personal guitar rig setup, right now I play a Fender Jaguar and a Fender Jazzmaster out of an old Fender Twin Reverb from the 70s. I've always loved the twin reverb because of how loud it can get without breaking up. The tone is really bright and clear. As far as pedals go, I start my chain with a Korg pitch black tuner followed by a clean boost made by Chuck Pedals, then I use an overdrive pedal, lately I've been switching my overdrive pedal every tour just experimenting with different pedals trying to figure out which is my favorite. I've used the box of rock, a ts9, a fulltone mosfet overdrive, as well as a a voyager made by Walrus Audio. After my overdrive I use a DD7 delay followed by a mini grail reverb and then the last thing I have in chain is a freeze pedal I use in various parts of our live show.
Touring wise, what have you been up to this year, and what's it been like to perform some of the new songs live? This year was rather slow for us. Because we just wrote and recorded a record we took a few months off to spend time at home to prepare for the record release and upcoming tours. In June we toured the west coast with Hail The Sun followed by a full US tour with Sianvar that we're currently on. We have a tour we're about to announce that will be happening in November but for now I can't really mention any details. Playing the new songs live has been so much fun, I feel that it's going over pretty well. We're all really happy with how the record turned out and how the songs transfer over live. Having more and more songs to choose from makes writing a set a bit more difficult but it's nice having options.
So, how did you get to the album title 'Learn To Leave', and what does it mean to you? ‘Learn To Leave’ was originally just a song title. The album name came near the end of the recording process. We felt that it fit the vibe of the record and we all thought it would be cool to have a title track which is something we've never done before.
‘Learn To Leave’ is a broad statement but an important one. It's a quote I've held near to me for a very long time. The idea behind the title is that if you're in a situation in life that you no longer want to be in, you are free ‘to leave for the sake of your own happiness. I think a lot of people avoid major changes in their lives but sometimes the only thing needed to enhance the quality of your own life is to leave the negative situations you're in.
Can you elaborate on some of the other main themes and influences that run throughout 'Learn To Leave'? The record is about leaving behind anything that has had a negative effect on your personal life. It's about making progress, moving forward, taking responsibility and growing stronger as an individual. I remember hearing a Touche Amore lyric, "it's hard to write content" which really hit home. I think most writers can relate to that line. Hearing that made me focus on more positive and progressive lyrical content. It's something I hadn't thought too much about in the past.
You've said that 'Learn To Leave was a record that was approached, written and recorded differently to any other release we have done'. So can you elaborate on that, as well as how you personally think it compares to the rest of your material to date? Yeah absolutely, first of all we all spent equal amounts of time writing together perfecting the songs. It was a complete group effort. The songs structures were written over the first couple of months of working on the record. Then as most bands do we started to deconstruct our songs to reform them into better songs. I think all of us kind of knit picking parts really made the album great. Having Matt McClellan as our engineer at Glow In The Dark Studios was also a huge factor. He had ideas for all kinds of parts and it really pushed us to be creative in the studio. As far as the comparison between our previous records and this one, I would say that ‘Learn To Leave’ is a bit more produced and polished sounding than previous records but the songs are still raw. Quite a few of these songs were written and just fell into place. It felt good to just play as a band in a room and have things just work the first time around. We didn't try to force any type of sound, we just let things naturally happen. These songs are definitely our favorite to play now.
How did the front cover for 'Learn To Leave' come together, and what does it mean to you? The cover was designed by our friend Hal Hales who does spoken word in a project called nowHere along with our guitarist Anays. He has been designing our merchandise for the past two years now and we really wanted to give him the opportunity to be apart of our record. Hal came up with a few different ideas for the record and the one we used just seemed to fit the overall theme really well. He had sent us photos, different color options, different layouts and several fonts. He really dived into this project and made us feel really confident with how the artwork would turn out. It was cool to have his girlfriend on the cover of our record since all of us have been friends for many years. We always try to incorporate our close friends into the creative process. It's nice to work with someone you're close and comfortable with. I love what Hal did and I think all of us are really happy with how the LP looks.
How does a song normally come together for My Iron Lung? We seem to have found that writing riffs and sending them to each other works best. It gives our drummer Danny the opportunity to feel out the guitar parts before we get together and actually play any music together. It's nice to be able to sit alone and write parts of songs and know that when we all get together that songs will get worked out and we'll usually use almost all of the original ideas we come up with even if they turn out to be slightly different than what we intended. I think our band really vibes well together, we all have common ideas on what things should sound like. The writing process has never been too stressful, if anything it's just been overwhelming trying to decide when to start cutting things or shortening/extending parts of songs.
How did the music video idea for 'Damage' come together, and can you tell us a bit about the meaning behind the track? We gave Hal complete creative control over our music video. We just told him to get a little weird. We loved what he did and I feel like it fits the song well. The meaning or message of the video is definitely up to the viewer to decide. The lyric and video match up near the end of the song when the lyrics "I'll burn the pages when I am done" are being yelled. I feel that it's important to take responsibility as an individual for mistakes you make, it can be a really frustrating thing to admit or deal with but I feel like it's a healthy thing to do. This was kind of me writing about taking responsibility with the mistakes I've made and I feel like the video loosely reflects that.
What was the hardest song to put together on 'Learn To Leave', and why? I think ‘When Tragedy Strikes’ and ‘Certainty’ took the longest as far as writing and finishing. I don't necessarily think they were the hardest to put together, just the most time consuming. I couldn't really tell you why, I think sometimes certain songs just fall into place and others just take more time to grow.
How would you say the sound of My Iron Lung has grown/progressed since 'Relief'? I think our sound has remained similar but a little more laid back. Vocally, I feel that playing so many shows and touring as much as we have between records has made me more confident and precise. All of us had been playing a lot of music before we had even began writing so I think that definitely helped. The songs were planned out a bit more and I think all of us have started to listen to music as well so that definitely had an influence on how the recorded ended up sounding. I think the main thing that everyone notices is that our guitarist Anays has started doing vocals on some of the songs, which personally are my favorite parts of the record.
Also, what songs are you still really enjoying performing live from 'Relief' and why? We still really love to play ‘Daydream’, ‘Conflict of Interest’, and ‘Commonwealth’ off of ‘Relief’. We've been trying to incorporate songs off of every record so sometimes we only play two or three songs off of ‘Relief’.
What bands have really influenced you since you started out, and why? I can't speak for everyone but personally I've been really into the new Nothing record. I've always loved bands that use a multitude of effects. I've been listening to bands like Interpol, Title Fight, mewithoutYou, La Dispute, The National, Death Cab for Cutie, Tame Impala, Portugal The Man, ect since we've started but have definitely moved into other genres and music scenes. I think we all appreciate good metal, hardcore, punk, rap, hip hop, math rock, post rock, ect.
What else can we expect to see from My Iron Lung in 2016? As mentioned above we're currently on tour all summer. We plan on spending some time on the road again at the end of the year. As far as next year we should be doing quite a few tours both in and outside of the US.
Interview with Hannes
How did your recent performance go at Download Festival, and what did you enjoy the most about being a part of such an iconic event? Download Festival was without a doubt one of the highlights this summer and you don’t take playing these festivals lightly. If you’re fortunate enough to play the main-stage at Download, You better bring your A-game. And we did. We had an awesome time both on and off stage. When you tour as much as we do you meet a lot of people and make quite a few friends and there’s always a lot of hugging out and ”how’ve you been’s” going on at festivals of this size. Long story short; Download Festival 2016 was an absolute killer!
Touring wise, what else have you been up to this year, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road? Times have been, and still are, very busy. Which is obviously a good thing. If you’re not overwhelmed with work and stuff to take time off around the time of an album release you need to be worried and ask yourself what the hell went wrong and/or who’s not doing their job… The highlight this year has been the overwhelming response we got for ‘Weekend-Man’. Us, the critics and most importantly the fans seem to agree that this turned out to be one solid piece of work. This album was extremely exhausting to write, but once written, we felt super comfortable recording these songs, and once again trusting your instincts turned out to be the way to go.
So let's talk about your most recent album ‘Weekend Man’, how did you get to the album title, and what does it mean to you? The first thing you do when looking for an album title is go through the songs to see if there’s a tittle that ties everything together, sounds cool and gives the listener a general idea of what the album is about. ‘Weekend-Man’ did all this and goes very well with the crazy mustasch-dude screaming on the cover. The Weekend-Man himself is a mythical creature that lives inside all of us. He is kept in some sort of a mental restraining jacket during the week but breaks loose during the weekend…
Can you elaborate on some of the other main themes and influences that run throughout ‘Weekend Man’? All in all it’s a party album. There are a lot of songs on there with the sole purpose of getting you in the mood for whatever it is you want to get in the mood for. But there are also a few songs to keep you company on the morning after, when the next weekend seems too near and too far away at the same time…
How would you say the album compares overall to anything else Royal Republic have done so far? On ‘Weekend-Man’ we basically took the best of our previous two albums and turned it into what we consider the best Royal Republic album to date. Every band claims that their latest album is the best they ever put out, but with this one it’s actually true. It’s more solid, yet diverse, without ever straying from the path of fun, danceable rock n’ roll. It’s like Royal Republic with a twist of lemon!
How did the music video idea come together for 'Any Given Sunday', and what was it like to work with Gunnar Mosen? All props for this master-piece of a video goes to our good friend and director Leo Åkesson! We first worked with Leo on the video for ‘When I see You Dance With Another’. After having blown us away with this one we moved onto making ‘Baby’ and ‘Uh-huh’ together. When the time came for ‘Any Given Sunday’, Leo was once again the obvious choice for us, although with this one, we, the band, had no idea as to where to take it. The song is so different to what we’d done up to that point and we wanted the video to differ from previous stuff as well. By this time there was complete trust between the four of us and Leo and we basically asked him to try and come up with something. Something different… And he did. We’re really proud of this epic little tale of death, alcohol and motorcycles. It’s more of a short movie than it is a music video. We were actually on tour when Leo shot the scenes with Gunnar, so we weren’t on the actual set, but we met him quite a few times since and he’s just the most passionate dude ever! Such a sweet guy!
What songs are you really enjoying performing live from 'Weekend Man' at the moment, and why? Every night is different but the songs off of the latest album are always the most fun. When you first start out playing new songs live, there’s a lot of fiddling around and trying out different ways of doing it. It’s almost like some songs aren’t really finished until you’ve played them live for a couple of years. I really like that feeling of on-going creativity. ‘Kung Fu Lovin’’ is a good example of that and is probably why I enjoy playing it so much.
What was it like to work with Christian Neander & Michael Tibes, and how would you say they helped shape 'Weekend Man'? What helped us the most was knowing that they understood what we were trying to do. They pushed us relentlessly until we ended up where we wanted to be and there was no second guessing whatsoever. Royal Republic consists of four very creative people and it’s pretty easy to get stuck on the small things if there’s no one there to tell you when to move on. We went into the studio with more than 70 demos and after having spent 18 months writing these songs you kind of need someone to hold your hand when deciding on 13 tracks to make up an album.
What bands have really influenced you over the last couple of years, and why? What inspired us for the past couple of years are the same things that inspired us since forever. The really good stuff never gets old. I try really hard not to get too stuck though and I’m a big fan of the ”related artists” function in Spotify. It’s a pretty random type of listening but awesome for inspirational reasons. The 2013 Arctic Monkeys album ‘AM’ made a big impression on me, both musically and lyrically.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? The level of excitement is out of this world! For real! Europe is a big place and we haven’t had the time to go to the UK as much as we would have liked to. I guess people know what to expect from a Royal Republic show. The rest is pretty much up to the people that attend the show. When everybody, on and off stage, is equally involved; magic happens.
What else can we expect to see from Royal Republic in 2016? Well, we’re just wrapping up a long and amazing festival season. We’ll have a few weeks rest and then we head on out on a headline tour across Europe. We will also try and get back into songwriting mode and make sure people won’t have to wait as long for the next album. Don’t quote me on that…
Interview with Ryan
'Breakin' Outta Hell' was recorded in analogue, so in this digital age, is it difficult to continue recording the “old way”? Well that’s what Bob Marlette and Mike Fraser did. Mike Fraser has been a world renowned engineer for years and has done it for so long so we were really happy that he was a part of the programme. He knew exactly how to run the machine. He basically said, “it’s my job to hit the breaks, you guys don’t even need to know about it.” We’ve always used analogue, as far as digital goes, it sounds thinner, not as warm, you don’t get the kind of, I don’t know, it doesn’t sound sort of edgy and jagged. Not as good to listen to anyway.
This is the bands fourth album, has the experience of making albums now changed how you approach making them now? Every album has got a different kind of process but it’s all along the same kind of lines, just get the job done the best we can. Joel and I will work on a bunch of ideas and then get music and lyrics on our phones, get it to the other guys and try to make something of it. We’re always getting ideas and we’re already putting ideas down for the fifth one now. At the end of the day this is our career so it is important to not stop working. ·
The title track has been out for fans to hear, you’ve mentioned industry reaction, how has the audience reaction been? They love it, the song itself is a quintessential Airbourne track, it has everything the band is about. It’s the perfect kind of marketing track for what the band is, it’s one of those songs that if I was asked by someone, “give me one song that’s a good description of your band”, it’s probably that one because it’s heavy, it’s fast, the lyric content is bang on with what the band is about. Getting loose, breaking out. As a first track to kick off this record, it is the perfect choice.
Absolutely, has it been getting an airing live on the tour? Yes, it’s been in the set, the crowd are loving it. They’re all singing along so they got it on its own which is great. I can’t wait to get the other ones in.
Which of those other new ones are you particularly excited about getting out there? I like all of them, it’s going to be hard to choose for the tour because the record was done in a way that every song had to earn its place on the record. The problem is now, choosing what to play. It’s going to be a difficult decision. It’s a good problem to have, you don’t want to let your fans down and it’s one of those things where they have a record and you play five tracks but it’s not their favourite five, you want to try and please everyone.
Fourth album, you have much more to choose from, how hard is it to balance the set with older stuff and the new stuff you’re going to want to play? When I saw Maiden, they didn’t play a lot of the old classics, they played ‘Running Free’ and a few others but they played a lot of the new album because Maiden are still a current band and they wanted to make a point of it, which is fair enough. They’re not going to go out and play all the old stuff because they’re not planning on retiring any time soon, so it’s one of those things that when you’re a band and you’re on the road, you have to sacrifice some of the old ones to get the new ones in. If you don’t give those new ones a chance, then they won’t become classics like the old ones. I know for instance, ‘Chewing the Fat’ off ‘No Guts, No Glory’, probably the lowest of all our records, that song wasn’t even a single but it goes down amazing live because it had the chance to shine. Back then we only had two albums to pick from so you’ve got to give the songs their chance to shine, some songs you would have never thought would go down so well.
You’ve been out touring this Summer, any particular highlights? Well Rambling Man has become one of my favourite festivals already, especially for one that is so young. It was just a humble festival, it wasn’t overly packed, heaps of stages going, it was a good little festival. I guess just being out here on the road, drinking beers with the boys doing what we love doing again is really great. ·
It doesn’t feel it but I noticed it is nearly ten years since ‘Runnin’ Wild’, how would you describe the time since then? It’s gone quick! It’s a bit of a shock, I’m 30 and it’s like all of a sudden we’re getting on. It’s good to see the band has stayed, we haven’t just been a flash in the pan, popped up and disappeared. The organic growth of the band is one of the things we pride ourselves on, there’s no cutting corners, no trickery, it is a proper organic growth, like a war of attrition.
The band has always seemed to have an old school attitude that existed before the internet started doing a lot of a bands work? Well we didn’t start before the internet, I think MySpace was about, when we were recording the album YouTube wasn’t even that big at the time and you do find a lot of bands using it. I mean the internet’s great because a lot of people found out about the band before we’d even hit their soil but a lot of people put too much importance on the likes of Facebook whereas you’ve still got to do it the old way. You still have to put people in a room and give them an amazing show and let them talk to their friends and that is the organic growth. ·
The album is on the way, UK tour in November, what is the Airbourne plan heading into 2017? We’re basically looking at this tour as the warm up tour, then we’ll be on the road most of next year as well. We intend to tour this record for at least a year/year and a half, I think January we’ll be in Australia but other than that we’ll be spending a lot of time over here and in the States, hopefully Japan, South America and maybe even Asia. There’s an Asian market so the idea is to keep on the road, keep touring and if that’s the case, we’ll be very happy!
Interview with Ben
Touring wise, what have you been up to so far this year, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road? We started touring early this year with the Carnival of Madness tour in the UK, then we headed to mainland Europe for another three weeks after that. Then we headed home and toured the West Coast in the spring, Midwest in the summer, then went to Australia for the first time and now we are finishing up on the US Carnival of Madness. So it's been pretty busy so far! A highlight was headlining Ramblin Man Fair over there in the UK. That was incredible!
Can you tell us a bit about your current set up as a musician? I'm using Peavey 6505 amps, which I love and have used since the early days. Currently in the vault are both Gibson and PRS guitars.
How long does it take to find that perfect set up, or is it just a constant work in progress? I think you always work and strive for great sounds, but I have been pretty consistent with my rig. It's pretty simple, which is what I prefer. If I find a good sound, I'll stick with it.
Let's take it back a bit here. When did you first get into playing music, and who were your musical influences at the time? My biggest influence is Elvis Presley. He made me want to be a musician and an entertainer for sure. I started out playing at a young age, even doing Elvis impersonations!
Also, when did you first realize that Black Stone Cherry was going to be a career lasting band? That's real hard to say. I think we always strive for greatness and to improve and continue to do so. We never settle for anything and always want to play to new people and go to new places. I think over time, we have just gotten used to this being our career. As long as we have fun and can pay the bills, we're all good!
As your new album is called 'Kentucky', then can you tell us a bit about what it was like to grow up there, as well as being an upcoming hard rock band at the same time? We all still live in Kentucky and we love it! I absolutely adore small town America and love where I live. It's simple, easy, slow of pace. Our area has always been supportive of us, so it feels good every time we come home and to hear people tell us they're proud of us. It makes us appreciate where we come from even more.
So, looking back on the release of 'Kentucky', how happy have you been with the feedback to it so far, and what do you think it has done for the representation of Black Stone Cherry? I'm very happy with the album and all of our fans seem to be as well. They love the energy and rawness, plus the fact that we did it ourselves on our terms. I think this record has set a new bar for us and that's exciting!
What songs are you really enjoying playing live from 'Kentucky' at the moment, and why? We just added 'Cheaper To Drink Alone' into the set and that's fun to play! The crowd loves it and 'Soul Machine', so it's always fun to get their reaction when we play 'em! Plus, they're fresh songs to us!
Can it ever be a scary/daunting experience, playing a new song live for the first time, to an arena full of fans? Absolutely! We debuted 'Cheaper To Drink Alone' in front of almost 12,000 people at Ramblin' Man Fair...we'd never played it live until that night! But I think that nervousness adds something to the energy of the performance. People appreciate getting that type of first hand experience.
What made you guys want to cover 'War', and can you tell us a bit about what it was like to put together with a Black Stone Cherry approach? We were searching for songs to cover and 'War' came up on Chris's phone when searching. We all immediately jumped on it and had it recorded in maybe two hours tops! We didn't change it much, because the original is a classic. We just played it with our edge, basically, and it came out great, I think!
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? Very excited! We haven't been able to do a tour like the one coming up before, so it's going to be an incredible experience! We have some surprises in store.
How did your last UK tour go with Shinedown/Halestorm, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from that run? It was great! The shows were great and all of us bands have known each other for years, so it's like a travelling rock n' roll family! We really enjoyed headlining that tour across the UK.
What else can we expect to see from Black Stone Cherry in 2016? More touring! Haha. See you in November/December! We can't wait.
Interview with Erik
How did your UK tour go in February, and what was it like to be back over here after your last tour a couple of years back? Man, it was absolutely fantastic. We weren’t exactly sure what the response was going to be after a very large misunderstanding from a lot of people, thinking that we were claiming that the farewell tour was our last tour ever. Even in a couple of reviews from my solo album that came out in the last couple of weeks, the reviewers were like “that was a bad marketing move to say it was their last tour ever and then to come back, simply as a money-making thing.” It wasn’t anything like that at all, it was simply that we didn’t know what things were going to be like and it was us saying “hey, we’re not going to be in the country multiple times a year for 26 days in a row. We’ll come back, but you might just get a week and a half or two weeks.” We weren’t exactly certain how the response was going to be, but it was our biggest and best tour yet as far as I’m concerned. It was absolutely amazing.
Even those that had realised that the “farewell tour” wasn’t your retirement perhaps didn’t expect you back so soon. What did bring you back that quickly? It was time. We got our heads wrapped around the way that things were going to be for the band. It comes to a point where people are getting married, having kids, families and home lives. Jared and I have other projects going on, things happening outside the band, so it was like “let’s sit down, re-evaluate and make sure that the time we spent doing BFS is quality time, and not just a half-arsed representation of something that used to be.” When you’ve got five balls in the air, you have to figure out how you can catch them all at the same time. We got that figured out fairly quickly, so, after two years, it was like “hey, it’s time to go back and do this again.” Now, we’ve got a tentative plan to maybe not come back every year, but every couple of years. We’ve got at least the next three and a half years mapped out on the calendar. We have tentative time frames for everything.
Your last album was three years back, and ‘Drunk Dynasty’ appears to be of a similar theme, with the name, at least. Can we expect much of the same? On the last couple of albums, we’ve taken a slight step back in the studio from getting too terribly involved in the studio process. We tried to take things back to an older BFS sound, where it’s just guitars, drums and bass. We’ve just been concentrating on making the music bed sound good and getting lots of vocals in and making those great as well. I will say it’s more of the same in the idea of us trying to scale back the studio process a little bit, to where it feels more like our roots and where we came from.
Thematically, how is the new album? What are its key lyrical influences? There’s some angry themes on this album. In the past, there is some angry stuff that feels very light-hearted until you dig into the lyrics, and realise exactly what it’s talking about. But, this time, the angry stuff sounds angry from the get go. Not that we’re making a stylistic change at all, but, there are a few moments where the emotions are definitely on the sleeve, and you get it right out of the box.
This project smashed its Pledge Music target in 9 days. How do you feel about that? This has happened a few times. Every time we feel like it may be time to start slowing down and fading away gracefully, rather than making a mockery of things that used to be, it seems like another little thing happens, and we just kind of ride on that same plateau that we reached several years ago. It’s like “OH! People aren’t done with us,” so, we’re not done with us. We’ve always said we’re going to do this for as long as people are interested. We are still having fun and evidently people still seem to be interested, so we’re going to continue as long as we can and as long as it makes sense.
What were your favourite parts of the Pledge campaign and the rewards fans could get? My favourite part is the updates from the studio. They’re able to see what we’re doing from day-to-day, even if it’s just a 30-second clip from somebody’s phone, walking around the studio showing them what’s what. That’s the kind of stuff that I would wait months for as a teenager. Waiting on a music magazine to publish something on your new band, where you’d see a teeny tiny blurb about someone being back in the studio recording a new album. You’re like “oh my god! They’re in the studio doing an album. This is fantastic. We can expect a new album from The Replacements in about 16 months. OH! IT’S ONLY 16 MONTHS AWAY! Let’s sit here and wait with bated breath to hear the next bit of information about this stuff.” Now, via Pledgemusic, people can get constant updates to see how the album is doing, and back in that day, maybe every once in a while somebody would send a journalist into the studio whilst they were making the album but that was rare. Those articles didn’t even come out until the album was released. It’s cool to give people a little bit of insight into our world as it’s happening.
About Pledge, then - over the past five years, there have been more and more bands releasing albums on the basis that fans will ‘pledge’ money prior to their recording in order to ensure their production. Bowling For Soup isn’t new to it, and it is a necessary move for most, but how sustainable do you think it is? Crowdsourcing albums really started to pick up around seven years ago or so, and when I first heard about it, I thought it was a little ridiculous, to be honest. These people are asking people to pay for a product when they have no idea what it is or what it’s about. Jaret Reddick was like “hey dude, I actually think that’s where this is going. This is new and fresh, but that’s where the industry is going to be headed.” I was like “yeah, whatever.” Now, seven years later, we’re right in the midst of all that and it’s so, so cool that people are able to break away from the years old industry standard and be able to deliver music directly to the fans. You don’t need a record label. After having spent a solid decade caught up in the major label machine, I totally agree with it and understand and absolutely support it. You totally cut out the middleman and get rid of the people that are telling you that you have to do things in a certain way, which was always a problem with our record label and us. They tell you to do it one way and we were always like “cool yeah, we’ll do it that way” and then go off and do it our own way, which always caused a little rift between the powers that be and us.
There would always be certain key figures that were there on our side, but when it got to the higher-ups, they were like “why aren’t these boys doing what we told them to”, then three months later they’d come back to us with the same idea we’d already chosen independently. With any kind of corporate entity now, people that are involved have to show their work and worth, and be able to say “that was my idea, I was involved in that”, to prove to the company that they’re a valuable person. The music industry used to be a bunch of music fans putting out albums, and yes there were people there to make a lot of money, but at the beginning, it was more like “let’s make a lot of money, but let’s have some fun whilst doing it”, rather than treating it simply as a product and commodity that is bought, sold and traded. It’s kind of like the American banking system collapse a few years ago – the music industry is of the same mind-set that they’re too big to fail. They want to keep doing things the same forever, no matter what. The world outside of their big buildings is changing all around them, but it seems like so many of them have such blinders on to control radio play and what the masses are playing and that’s why independent labels have become much more successful, alongside crowdsourcing, because it’s been a “sticking it to the man” sort of thing. It’s saying “we don’t need your grandiose ideas, we’re going back to grass roots and doing this all on our own, the way we’ve been doing things forever.” I’m super happy doing it that way, getting it straight to the people that want the music and in touring, you’re putting it in front of people that have maybe never seen it before. Over the past few years, Bowling For Soup ask at almost every single show “who’s seen us before, and who’s seeing us for the first time?” At almost every show, a good 45-50% of the crowd is saying that they’re seeing us for the first time. How is that happening, still?! We’re 22 years in and new people are coming to the shows, which is amazing and fantastic for us, we really enjoy that. We appreciate it, we’re not exactly sure where it’s coming from, but it’s amazing that people are getting to see us for the first time and we’re creating new fans, still. It’s not just a limited group of people that are continuing to come back over and over again, it’s still renewing from the bottom. We’re really lucky to do what we do, in the capacity that we do it this far into the game.
Can you tell us about the charity Hunter’s Hope linked to your Pledge campaign? It’s a wide-based charity that deals with cancers and bone diseases, but isn’t necessarily limited to one condition. The website’s bio says “Hunter's Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to giving hope through education and awareness, research, and family care for Krabbe, Leukodystrophies, and Newborn Screening.” (More information on the charity is available at www.huntershope.org)
How did ‘Drunk Dynasty’ move from being an EP, to a full-length album? It was kind of an accident. We were going to do a long EP with eight songs, just short of an album. Then, all of a sudden, we’re in the studio and we’ve got all these songs, so we thought “let’s just make an album now.” We’ve got to quit calling it an EP – it wasn’t intentional, it just happened that way. We’ve become really proficient working in the studio, so that afforded us the time to do more that wasn’t initially intended. It got down to the last couple of days and we just wrote a couple more songs to give us something to do, so it ended up being a good-sized, full-length album.
Moving away from Bowling For Soup a little, you’ve very recently put out your debut solo album. What can you tell us about ‘The Truth’? It simply is just “the truth”. Inside the sleeve, I wrote a little piece about every story being something that happened, whether it was to me or written from the other person’s standpoint. Every bit of that is about my life at certain points, and it’s all from different times, not all about one person and one certain situation. I’ve got songs that I wrote about being 16-years-old in high school, and others that I wrote about being 35years-old touring the world and being lonely. Everything written was something that actually happened. The names were changed to protect the innocent for the most part, but it is all something that went down.
Do you approach songwriting any differently than with Bowling For Soup when it comes to your solo material? For me, I set aside a specific time to actually write that I call “office hours”. It involves sitting down with a coffee and a cigarette, pacing back and forth and singing to myself. I don’t want to sound too existential and I always thought this was a little bit lame, but Jimmy Hendrix and Carlos Santana have always been quoted saying “you know, man, there’s this great radio station out there in the ether and you just have to tune in and listen, bla bla bla.” I always thought that was so lame, then in the last couple of years, I realised they were just trying to glamorise exactly what I do. Taking a little stroll, emptying your mind and humming along, then realising “that’s a cool melody, do I have any words?” and all of a sudden I’m six blocks away from the house walking the dog and I’ve written a verse that I’m singing over and over again, while dragging the dog back into the house so I can get it written down before I lose it. It’s like “sorry you didn’t get to poop right now, but Daddy needs to go write down these six lines.” Without the grandiose, drug-filled nomenclature, that’s the way that it is. I’ve got melodies inside me that happen all the time, it just depends on when you choose to pay attention to them and make a note of it. I write constantly, I just don’t always write it down constantly. The great thing about new technology and the computers we have in our pocket is that when you’re in an airport, you can just step into a corner and sing something real quick into the phone and decipher what it was that I was trying to get across two weeks later.
So, your arena tour with Steel Panther and Buckcherry at the end of the year. That’s going to be ridiculous to say the least. How excited are you for it, and what can attending fans expect? We’re really looking forward to that, but we’re still working out what you can expect from us on stage, because this will be only the second time that we toured in the UK as a support band. The first was years ago with [spunge], so we’re just getting all the logistics worked out as to what exactly you can do as a support band. There are levels of things that an opener can do, then the middle slot and the headliner. As a direct support band, you can’t bring out all the bells and whistles, as you can’t show up the headline band - not that we’d be able to do that with Steel Panther. It’s a common courtesy kind of thing. It’s the same as you can’t step in and sell your t-shirt for £5, when the headline band is selling theirs for £20. We’re figuring out with Steel Panther right now what we can actually do. There will be some good stage stuff going on, and you’re going to get a great rock show, but we’re trying to work out some production, too. With it being in arenas, there shouldn’t be any limitations.
What else can we expect to see from Bowling for Soup and your solo material in 2016? Aside from everything else, we’re back in October just after the album, then we’ll be touring the states in 2017 and then you can look for us in the next year or so back in the UK.
Interview with Kevin
So, how did you get to the album title 'Low Tides', and what does it mean to you? ‘Low Tides’ is a representation of constant cycles that I seem to push and pull myself through with people in my life. As some of my own unhealthy tendencies come and go, they almost feel as if I don't have any control over them at all. The gravity of the moon mixed with the washing of the shoreline felt familiar as a concept and a feeling.
Can you elaborate on some of the other main themes and influences that run throughout 'Low Tides'? Typically the lyrics I write are very introspective and retrospective. Time allows me to understand how people and situations have affected the person I am today, and writing songs allows me to assign meaning to them.
What was the hardest part about putting 'Low Tides' together for you, and why? We went through a longer preproduction process on this record, writing more songs and exploring far more sonic palettes. When we wrote ‘Clouded’, it all came out really quickly and effortlessly. All ten songs we wrote for the record ended up released, whereas with ‘Low Tides’ we wrote about 20 songs and narrowed it to our favorite ten.
So how did you end up working with Aaron Marsh & Jason Suwito, and what were they like to work with? As a huge Copeland fan, we reached out to Aaron on Twitter several years ago prior to ‘Clouded’ and he enjoyed our tunes. We decided to make ‘Clouded’ together and after such a great experience the first time around, we felt confident going back to him for LP2. Jason Suwito has mixed everything This Wild Life has ever released along with producing our earlier recordings and videos. He's been an integral part of our band since its infancy and we knew working with him on ‘Low Tides’ on the production side would be invaluable.
How does a song normally come together for This Wild Life? Typically it starts with some kind of guitar riff. Anthony is a very prolific writer on the guitar, whereas I find a difficult time finding a jumping off point to write a song. We tend to write separately from one another, and a lot of songs end up sprouting from an instrumental idea that Anthony came up with. If something stands out to me, I typically hear a melody and sometimes even lyrics right away. Once we reach that point in the crafting of the song, I can usually run with the structure and chord changes to complete the idea before adding all the "ear candy" and layers of guitars, synths, and vocal harmonies.
How did the album artwork for 'Low Tides' come together, and what does it mean to you? It was important for us this time around to have a really minimal and clear image for what we thought the record represented. We wanted a mellow blue/grey tone to work through this entire record cycle. Our art director at the label introduced us to a German artist named Simon Marchner who had been doing some incredible design work for bands like Caspian and Nada Surf and it really felt in line with the vision we had for this cover.
How would you say the sound of This Wild Life has grown/progressed since the release of 'Clouded'? ‘Clouded’ was challenging because we had three different visions for the sound and arrangement of the record. Anthony wanted mainly two acoustic guitars and vocals with minimal accompaniment, Aaron wanted lush and dense arrangements with a wide variety of instrumentation, and I fell somewhere in-between. I think ultimately with all the pushing and pulling, it ended somewhere in-between and we were all really happy with it. This time around, Anthony and I have been inspired by so many new artists and records that we had a common vision for the sound and direction of the new record. We used to be cautious to not arrange too much that we couldn't perform it live, but Aaron said, "It's my job to make your record sound incredible, it's YOUR job to figure out how to play it".
Also, looking back on 'Clouded', how happy are you with this album still, and what do you think it has done for This Wild Life? 'Clouded' was a self funded record made by two drummers writing their first full length album while we were still working full time at Guitar Center. It would be an understatement to say that it has exceeded our wildest dreams and expectations. That record allowed us to sign to my dream label Epitaph Records (I'm a SoCal kid who grew up listening to punk bands), to play two consecutive summers on the Vans Warped Tour, and to literally travel all over the world to places we never thought we'd step foot. We are incredibly proud of the work we did, and that pride is what drove us to make a better record this time around.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? This will be our fourth time coming back to the UK (three times headlining), but we truly feel this is going to be our real introduction as the band we've wanted to be since inception. We've spent more time and effort on creating a special performance and really capturing the spirit of the songs on all our records. It will be our first tour with our good friend (and old bassist) joining us to play percussion, keys, bass, guitar, you name it, in order to really recreate the songs on the record to the best of our ability. Long sets in intimate venues, there's nothing we love more.
What memories do you have from performing in the UK before? I think the one that resonates with us both most is our first ever sold out show at the Barfly in Camden. We had only released an EP at this point and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into touring internationally. We only had a six song set prepared and literally showed up to the show with no idea how many tickets had been sold. That was a really special moment for us.
Also, touring wise, can you give us a couple of personal highlights since you started out, as well as maybe why those particular shows mean so much to you? Besides the Barfly show, the Montreal date of our first Vans Warped Tour is probably one of my favorite shows we've ever played. Til' this day that's the only time we've played that city and somehow we had this gigantic energized audience that knew every word to an album we had JUST been released weeks before. It was just entirely unexpected, I kept smiling and looking over at Anthony in disbelief of what was happening.
For an acoustic duo, what is it like when you have to perform alongside heavier bands? I mean, does performing with those kind of bands have an impact on your setlist, or do you just go for a similar approach every time? Obviously our live sound lacks the upper end of dynamics that heavier bands are able to achieve, and that energy that hardcore and punk bands can convey just isn't possible with our songs. We've decided since day one that if we're going to be a sore thumb, let's be just that. We have uptempo tracks that could pull us a little closer to what some of the punk bands we tour with sound like, but instead we choose to play our slower softer material and appeal more to passion than to energy. It's been our motto that “it's better to stand out than to fall in line�, we're sticking to it.
What else can we expect to see from This Wild Life in 2016? This year will be our first time headlining the United States surprisingly, and will also mark our first time touring in many countries in Europe. We'll be out for about three months and get home just in time for the Holidays to spend with family. Couldn't ask for anything more than that, hope to catch you at a show.
Interview with Chris
Can you tell us a bit about your current set up/rig as a musician? G&L ASAT classic guitars run through a Kemper profiler. I use a few different profile sounds and a foot pedal direct from the Kemper to switch between them. No onstage cabinets as I’m running direct from the Kemper to the P.A., Line 6 wirless keeps each guitar “plugged in”.
What does it take to find that perfect set up, or is it always just a work in progress? For me it was always kind of a work in progress over the years. I’m loving my current set up though. Less Than Jake are always flying out to perform in different countries and random festivals. It is great to be able to fly with my Kemper. You open it up on the other side of the world and all your sounds are right there. It’s awesome.
Touring wise, what have you been up to this year, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road? We have been touring steadily since February of this year. We just finished two months on the Vans Warped Tour here in the States. After our UK and Europe tour in October, we come back to the States and tour until the end of November. My personal highlight was coming home in one piece! Onto the next tour!
You guys have performed at Warped Tour a lot over the years. So can you give us a couple of performances from that event that have really stood out, and maybe tell us here in the UK what that festival is actually like to be a part of? We recently played our 413th Warped Tour show. We have been doing Warped Tour since 1997. There is not a band that is anywhere near that many Warped shows. The tour is like a small, traveling city. 1200 people, tons of transport trucks and nightliner coaches drive overnight to the next city, set up and do it all over again. There is no other tour in the world quite like it.
So, looking back on 'See the Light', how happy are you guys with this album still, and what do you think it has done for the representation of Less Than Jake? We are very happy with it. If you are a fan of the band, it is a record you will like. Give it a listen!
Also, what songs are you guys really enjoying performing live from 'See the Light'? The ones that people don’t head for the toilets when we start playing them.
We've read that you guys are working on new material for 2017, so is there anything you can tell us about that just yet, or is it still early days? We are currently recording a new EP and it sould be out early 2017!
Between the band, there are a lot of side projects on the go. So if possible, could you update us on what's going on with those at the moment? I’m a real estate agent in Southwest Florida when I’m not on the road with the band. I’d love to sell your grandparents a holiday home!
You're about to perform 'Losing Streak' & 'Hello Rockview' in full, so can you tell us a bit about what it's like to play an album straight through live, as well as maybe rehearsing some of the tracks that you don't really get a chance to play as much? We have played all the songs from those records so many times, it’s not much of a challenge anymore. The records are great because they are fan favorites. People lose their minds when we play those songs.
Also, it's been just over ten years since 'In with the Out Crowd' was released, so can you tell us about what you remember from putting this album together, as well as how you think it compares to anything else Less Than Jake have done? One of my favorite records of ours. A lot of great songs on that one. I remember our bass player screaming at our producer a lot during the sessions. Good times.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? Beyond excited. Playing shows with The Skints is always a great time. Fans can expect one of the most fun shows ever for ten pounds!
Also, can you give us a couple of stand out moments from performing in the UK? Playing the mainstage at Reading Festival 2002, 2003 and 2006. Huge, receptive and fun crowds.
Interview with Fredrik Touring wise, what have you been up to this year, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road? We’ve pretty much been touring since November last year. So far in 2016, we have just played seven festivals. The first was opening for Iron Maiden in Gothenburg, which was a great honour. Similarly, opening for Black Sabbath at Monsters of Rock in Helsinki was an honour and of course, very exciting. There have been many highlights over the years, playing the Royal Albert Hall was certainly one of them! More recently, we played in Iceland and that was a really great crowd.
How did you end up signing to Nuclear Blast, and what have they been like to work with so far? Mikael and our manager, Andy went to lots of different meetings with different labels and there were a number of really good offers. Nuclear Blast just felt right as a gut feeling, plus there are many people we have worked with before over the years now working at Nuclear Blast. So far it's been really great!
Can you elaborate on some of the main themes and influences that run throughout 'Sorceress'? ‘Nepenthe’ is about the goddess that was forced to live with Hades in the death realm for three months of the year. Mikael wrote all the lyrics. Some are personal and some are a bit misanthropic, apart from the last track of the album, ‘Era’ which is slightly hopeful. We listen to all kinds of music from metal to folk, etc. Before writing we decided we wanted to make a heavier album this time and be more direct, even though it has some really intricate parts.
What was the hardest part about putting 'Sorceress' together for you, and why? It was a really smooth recording. We did it in just 10 days at Rockfield Studios in Wales. The hardest part was the mix. Everybody had different opinions, but we came out with a really great result in the end.
You've said that this record is “extremely diverse” so can you elaborate on that, as well as how it compares musically to any other Opeth album? Every song is quite different from the next, but I think they still feel connected in the sequence of the album. It has some really strong melodies and some areas we haven't touched on before, like the bluesy parts, like in ‘Strange Brew’ or the down-tuned, heavier “muscle rock” in the title track, ‘Sorceress’.
You returned to Rockfield Studios for the recording process. So can you tell us what you like so much about working there? Rockfield has a really great and relaxed atmosphere and legacy. Kingsley Ward and his lovely family who run it make you feel really welcome. You also get the most out of the day, since with it being residential, you live and eat there, so we can work for as many as 14 hours a day. No distractions, just full focus and after a day's work it's nice to have a beer or four on the patio overlooking the hills.
Also, can you tell us a bit about who produced the record, as well as how you'd say they helped shape it? Recording with Tom (Dalgety) again was great, he knows the room and works fast. In a way I think we all produced the actual recording. Everyone listens to the sound and various takes and has their say, but Mikael is the main producer.
How did the album artwork for 'Sorceress' come together, and what does it mean to you? The idea with the peacock was brought up fairly early. Mike and Travis Smith bounced ideas around and Travis nailed it really quickly. The bird is Opeth enjoying a nice meal! Hehe!
How excited are you for your upcoming UK headline show at Wembley Arena, and what can attending fans expect? For us as a band, it's a big thing! Our manager Andy told us four years ago that "in four years, I'll have you playing at Wembley". We said "Yeah, right!" But now it's happening. We are planning an extra long, extra special show with a main set focussed on the new album ‘Sorceress’ and a mix of older songs. Then an extra set combining a mix of two of our older albums, ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Damnation’. Also we are putting some extra effort into the production for this tour, so it’ll be really exciting.
Can you give us a couple of personal highlights from performing in the UK over the years? Playing the Royal Albert Hall was both magical and surreal. I loved playing Brixton Academy on the ‘Heritage’ tour and there are so many more. We are very thankful for all the support we have got from the UK crowds over the years.
You guys have made your own ale, 'Communion Pale Ale'! So how did this idea come about, and what was it like to create your own beer? It was our manager Andy’s idea. The management office is not far from the Northern Monk Brewery. Axe (our drummer) and I went up there and tried lots of different brews and finally when we settled on the idea of the ale, we got to blend in the hops into the first batch. It was both indulgent and a lot of fun and we are really happy with the result.
Interview with Keith
How is the Warped Tour going so far, and for us in the UK, can you tell us about what this tour is like to be a part of? We're in the homestretch now, just three shows left before making our trek back across the country to home. It flew by this year which is surprising because I decided to do this run sober and I fully expected it to drag like hell. It hasn't. Warped Tour is what you make it but you have to understand going into it that it's an anomaly. It puts together all the most popular bands you've probably never heard of. You could walk around cursing the state of music like I used to or accept that it changes from moment to moment and ride the wave while you can. Surf’s up.
Also, what has it been like to perform some of the new songs live, like 'Glitches' & 'The Coin Has A Say'? I mean, can it sometimes be a scary/daunting experience to just kick in with a new track? Yeah we know that playing a new song isn't necessarily going to whip the crowd into a frenzy but it’s important for us to do it because we don’t have new material for them to take home yet. When you play a new song you have a lot of people listening earnestly and that means a lot to us because so few people LISTEN to music anymore. I'm glad ETID has the type of crowd that - when not moshing - are paying close attention. They seem to like it.
So, how did you get to the album title 'Low Teens', and what does it mean to you? It was a reference to the temperature while writing and recording. We were in Buffalo for the entire process which was new for us and being in Buffalo in January/February/March, you're obviously going to get some snow. the temperature was typically in the "Low Teens". That’s where it came from. what it means to people will start taking shape once the record is out. It'll take on a life of its own and the fun of releasing new music is watching how meaning blossoms.
We've read that a life threatening pregnancy complication for your wife ended up shaping some of the lyrical scope on 'Low Teens'. So if you can, can you elaborate on this harsh time, as well as how you think it has become a part of the album? It was a very transformative time. I walked through a darkness I thought impossible and in it, saw more than I ever have. When love pulled us through it, the other side was in a new universe. One full of possibilities. the lyrics were written during that whole process. It is a real time account of that "journey". not weeks or months afterwards.
What was the hardest part about putting 'Low Teens' together for you, and why? Knowing that these songs would bring me back to that horrible time, particularly if things turned out any other way than the way they did. when the record came out, would they be lyrics about ghosts?
So how did you end up working with Will Putney, and how would you say he helped shape the record? He came to us with a knowledge of ETID that we on the inside don't have. He was a fan of our band but knew - as a producer - what we could do to still push the envelope. He was brutally honest with us and had ideas that only someone from the outside could bring.
How did Tim Singer & Brendan Urie become guest vocalists on 'Low Teens', and what do you think they brought to the tracks that they worked on? Tim had always been one of my favorite vocalists growing up so that was a bucket list decision but when I sent him the lyrics and meaning to ‘Fear and Trembling’ it turned out he had exactly the same experience. It was serendipitous. He knew how to channel the doubt and anger I needed in that song. Brendan is a friend of ours and oddly, a true fan of ETID. When ‘It Remembers’ was coming together we knew it had a vibe to it that he could match perfectly. It feels out of time, like it takes place on a different planet. It seemed only fitting we would get an otherworldly talent on it. He is a genius and it was a great opportunity to prove that these drastically different genres of music could still play together.
How did the album artwork for 'Low Teens' come together, and what does it mean to you? Joby Ford wanted it to be the boldest, most simple ETID album cover there had ever been. He painted it one afternoon and we knew immediately it was perfect. It is a nice juxtaposition to how colorful the rest of the album is.
Also, looking back on 'From Parts Unknown', how happy are you with this album still, and what do you think it has done for the representation of Every Time I Die? I still like parts of the album, but I hear some things I would have done differently knowing what I know now. that’s usually always the case though and it keeps you growing.
So, how did your time on Warped Tour go? I've got enough stories to fill a book but I'll just start with the time we threw a party for our albums release and went through around 30 gallons of booze. Our signature drink "Crown the Ginpire" was a hit.
What's it been like to perform some of the new songs live, and can it ever be a nerveracking experience, performing new music live for the first time? Playing new songs is always a little jarring. We rehearse a ton but nothing can prepare you for playing it in front of a new crowd. Feeling out the energy and vibe is just as important as being tight on stage.
How did you get to the album title 'Retrograde', and what does it mean to you? We tossed around a few different titles, but we felt ‘Retrograde’ was a good embodiment of what our album is all about. For me, it's moving forward while learning from the past.
Can you elaborate on some of the other main themes that run through 'Retrograde'? We've always had cinematic elements in our songs, but we've gotten a lot better at really making it cohesive throughout. There's also a psychedelic element that came from the introspective part of the whole process.
What can you tell us about the recording process for 'Retrograde'? We recorded the album in Los Angeles with Drew Fulk and Josh Strock (collectively WZRD BLD) at a studio house for about nine months.
What song means the most to you from 'Retrograde' at the moment, and why? I'd have to say ‘Kaleidoscope’ is my favorite right now. The song's about the headspace we were at while recording the album and it still applies now. Now that the album's out we have very little time off this year, so making the most out of it and a fresh perspective goes a long way.
How did the music video for 'Hologram' come together, and can you tell us a bit about the meaning behind the track? Coincidentally, it was our cheapest video but it quickly became our most popular video. It was a collaborative effort between Sam Shapiro and Brendan Barone who had heard the whole album and fused a few themes together in a really cool Sci-Fi way.
We've read that you guys reinvented yourselves on this record, so can you elaborate on that, as well as how you think you've progressed as a band since the release of 'The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways'? I wouldn't necessarily say we completely reinvented ourselves, we couldn't just abandon everything we'd built with ‘The Resistance’, but I'll say our progression as a band and as individuals is so great that we're almost unrecognizable to us.
Also, looking back on 'The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways', how happy are you with this record still, and what do you think it's done for Crown The Empire? I look back at that album fondly. Although all the songs are very different and we never quite established an identity, it was fun to create. It also brought out the die hard fans of ours who created their own art within our world and I'll never forget it.
Interview with Andy
Interview with Anthony
Touring wise, what have you been up to this year, and can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road? We spent most of the year making the new record. We were writing through the winter and recording in the Spring. We're about halfway through the album release tour in the US now, which has been great. We're going to do an Australian headline tour in November and then some special holiday shows at the end of the year.
So, how did you get to the album title 'Vacancy', and what does it mean to you? I was going through a divorce while I was writing the record and living in a small apartment trying to sort myself out. The apartment was kind of a stop over so I never unpacked or decorated. It felt like a hotel that I was crashing in so that's where the title for the record and the hotel on the cover came from.
When it comes to the lyrical content on 'Vacancy' you've said that it “felt as if everything was uncertain�, so can you elaborate on that, as well as some of the other main themes and influences that run throughout the album? I was living in a new state alone when I was writing the record. I was trying to make it feel like home and I just couldn't. I felt very isolated for the first time in my life. The record is really about my isolation and trying to figure my future out when I thought I had it figured out
For the first time in the band’s sixteen-year history, you worked on music remotely, trading demos via email, so what was that like for you guys to work that way, and also live so faraway from each other? There was a big learning curve for us but we knew that for the future of the band, this will be the norm so we were trying to figure out what that looks like. We all just worked on our individual parts at home and got together a couple of times to put them all together. I think it was good because we had more alone time to focus on what we were going to do individually but it did make the recording process a little more stressful because the songs were less sussed out than we were used to.
You then had a five-week Nashville recording session, so what was that like, to finally get together properly and start putting 'Vacancy' together? It was more stressful than we are used to our recording sessions being. We recorded ‘Cult’ in 13 days because we had hammered out the songs so much in advance that by the time we got into the studio, we knew exactly what to do. So much of the 5 weeks in the studio were spent just working out songs.
How did you end up working with Tim O’Heir, and what was he like to work with? We liked Tim because he has a body of work that's as eclectic as our tastes. He really gets all the punk rock and pop that we're into but also from his time working on Hedwig, he gets the real dramatic show tune-esque aspect of Bayside. He pushed us harder than any other producer has which led to a lot of fights but we needed it.
How would you say the sound of Bayside compares on 'Vacancy' to anything you've done before? We never try to completely reinvent the wheel with our sound. We think that we've figured out what Bayside is supposed to sound like. We just try to get better at it with each record. Every record has some experimentation on it and if it works, it becomes a part of the sound moving forward. ‘Vacancy’ has the most experimentation on it I think. We also took a lot of the show tune style stuff that was implied in our past records and really put it on display more with this record.
Can you give us one or two other music videos that you've just really enjoyed working on over the years, and maybe what you enjoyed the most about working on them? I loved working on the ‘Carry On’ video. I thought those directors did a great job and it was a lot of fun. I remember hearing the concept of the video with the tiny city and we would be giants and thinking it was cool but when I walked in and saw the set, I was blown away. It actually felt terrible to smash it. We shot a video once for ‘Sick Sick Sick’ that no one ever saw. For some reason the label didn't like it and we shot a different one that wound up being the one that got used. The original video was a school play with a bunch of cool props and sets. There were a lot of great child actors in it too. I hope that can come out one day.
Looking back on 'Cult', how happy are you with this record still, and what do you think it has done for the representation of Bayside? At this stage in our career, we just hope that each record is another cool addition to the catalogue. We look at the records as a collection that we keep adding to. I think ‘Cult’ is a great addition.
Can you give us a couple of personal highlights from performing in the UK over the years? We've been lucky to be on some great tours in the UK. Playing Alexandra Palace with The Gaslight Anthem was really special. The Alkaline Trio tour we did there was probably my favorite we'd done. It felt like we had really found an audience there on that tour
Interview with Mike
Let’s start off with a little bit of background to The Devil Wears Prada. When did you first get into singing and who were your main influences at the time? Prada was really my first band and we started in 2005. Learning to scream and what not, I was really into a band called Bled as well as a band called Beloved from North Carolina.
When did you realise that TDWP was going to be a career? Was that always the plan? No, not at all. I went to a lot of local shows when I was a kid and all I really wanted to do was play the shows that all of the other local bands were doing, so I had no understanding of how it worked to be a full time touring band or any of the professional and business attributes that go into being a band and I never had those ambitions. I just wanted to play, and then once I graduated from high school, the band started touring full time.
What made you want to re-sign with Rise Records? We signed with Rise in late 2005, or early 2006 and did our first two records with them and they’ve really just exploded since then. I think the big appeal to working with Rise again was that we knew Shaun and Craig from the label and we know how their operation functions. That kind of comfort and stability is really appealing for us after we got thrown around underneath the Warner Brothers umbrella. So, a smaller operation and something familiar was really attractive to us.
‘Daughter’ is the the first time you’ve really introduced literature into your writing? I always read bits of literature when I was really young and was into Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe. I’ve always spent a lot of time reading and it’s always been more of an influence to write than to actually play music, for me. We did the ‘Space’ EP and I told a lot of people that I liked writing things more fictional and things that weren’t so close to me, in order to be able to dramatize things further and more specifically. I’m not extremely knowledgeable in either zombie or space concepts, so I’m able to create a lot from the ground up. But, being more familiar with literature, I thought I would be able to do that, too and it just felt really natural as we were preparing and writing these songs to have some of those themes.
How do you feel about putting out your 6th full length record, do you have any nerves? I’m not so much nervous anymore, being that this is our 6th full-length album, alongside the two EPs we’ve done. The feeling is pretty familiar at this point and I’m confident that this is better material than we have released before and with that, there’s not much need to be nervous. We’re just getting a little restless at this point, waiting and waiting for the release, after we started writing this record over a year ago.
Do you feel that writing a song about the aforementioned fictional topics allow you to keep yourself closed and guarded, hiding personal matters? I wouldn’t consider it so much guarding myself, because, really, still writing, even on fictional terms is highly cathartic for me. Honestly, it feels a little more truthful to write about someone else’s dramatic circumstances rather than my own. Dramatizing and exaggerating my own life feels dishonest at this point and I feel like it’s become totally overwrought and terribly cliché for the metal market to still be writing about the same things. It’s always this constant personal war/battle and it just seems highly exaggerated compared to the pretty ordinary life that I live. To me, it feels honest and original to go about writing things that are close to me and immediate. That’s what makes the record and that’s what creates ‘Transit Blues’.
Your time spent recording and living together in the spring was the first time you’d really shared a space like that. How was that, and did it have an effect on the album? Yeah, it had a really profound effect and was so important. It just comes down to the issue we had before whereby we’d be in a city where some or none of us lived, staying at this house, before all going to a writing space or studio, and then all going back again. It really counteracted our creativity, so when we were able to be out in the middle of nowhere on a farm in Wisconsin or Michigan, whoever wants to write can go out and write whenever they want and it’s not so scheduled and routine. There’s no “okay, it’s time to eat, then we’ll head straight back to the practice space”. Everyone gets cranky and nobody is productive if we are sitting there just arguing with one another, so being able to work at any time of the night, morning or day was very encouraging and most fruitful for our writing.
Was it a no-brainer to work with Dan Corneff again after the ‘Space’ EP charted so well? It wasn’t even because of the success of the ‘Space’ EP, but really just because we work so well with Dan in general. He had mixed some work before we were actually in a studio with him for ‘Space’, and once we were in there we realised that we work very well in person. Not only do we have a lot of fun, but, his means of discipline and getting the best takes is also totally in sync with how we work. The process of starting, recording and finding a producer for ‘Transit Blues’ was completely automatic.
You mentioned Dan’s way of working, how would you say he shaped the release? I think that he fell totally in line with us in terms of trying to get these songs to have as much of an identity as possible. Looking back at ‘8:18’ and even ‘Dead Throne’, it feels like a lot of the material seems to blend together and certain songs totally lose their identity or get mixed in with other songs. The cool thing about when we did ‘Space’ is that each song is so highly conceptual that you can really design different elements and sounds that will only fit in each song individually. Basically, the idea is that we wanted exactly that with ‘Transit Blues’, even though it wasn’t quite as conceptual. I think that talking to Dan about creating and designing certain identities within each song was successful and it’s much to the credit of Dan’s producing and his incredible talent in mixing, as well.
So, how did the album artwork for ‘Transit Blues’ come together? It is obviously a reworking of the logo, but, does it have any particular sort of message? Not specifically. I do all of the creative direction and the artwork direction, but, Mike Cortada did this. He’s done the layout for a number of other things and he’s done our t-shirts, too. We used to live together and we ran a t-shirt company together. Mike is a very, very close friend of mine and we just go back and forth. I really imagined something geometric and I wanted something white and grey. I feel like when you look at the identity of our other albums, it’s always this moody, shadowy dark block and I wanted something that was more open and empty. The idea of ‘Transit Blues’ and the message that goes through many of the songs is a theme of emptiness and creating something geometric, contemporary and so white portrays that same theme.
Whilst sales and charting high aren’t the be all and end all of success, as you’ve mentioned briefly, what would you be happy with in terms of success for the new album? I find that measuring success can make you complacent and creating expectations too often or obliviously, I find to be counteractive. We make this music to satisfy ourselves, to create something we can stand behind and something we can confidently say is better. Playing in this band for 11 years and having a 6th album, like what we spoke about earlier regarding being nervous about the release, we put our heart and soul into the album. To try and map out or predict a reaction just seems wasteful. So far, the reaction has been really good and I’m looking forward to people hearing more of it. We’re working on a second music video right now that I think is going to totally trump anything we’ve done before, which I’m looking forward to a lot. Hopefully this is what people want to hear from TDWP, and hopefully this is something to enjoy and relate to.
Heading back to the music video for ‘Daughter’, how did the ideas for its content come about? Casey Pierce directed a couple of videos for an artist called Tores, and I’m a big fan of them. When I saw those videos I was just blown away and I told our manager to find Casey and we figured we could get something going. We worked with Case before on two music videos for ‘Space’ - ‘Planet A’ and ‘Alien’. They worked out so well that we wanted to go back to him and work with him further. A lot of the themes of ‘Daughter’ are the kind of separation and emptiness I mentioned earlier, so we wanted them to be pulling apart and to create that emptiness, as well as being something visually stunning. The credit is all Casey’s, as far as the makeup, the costumes and his team goes. That was just my hive of ideas I threw at him, and ‘Daughter’ is what we have.
After the departure of Daniel Williams, you began to work with Giuseppe Capolupo. What role did he play on the new album and how far might he go with the band? I don’t think it’s reckless to say that he’ll be with us for a while. He just got married, so he’s got a lot on his plate as far as being a responsible husband and being what he needs to be for his wife goes. He has to sign off and do the tour coming up in North America and overseas for the UK and Europe. As far as his role on the album goes, all of our demos were quite tedious and we’re quite punctual about having finished them going into the recording process. It’s much easier to work with a producer – rather than standing there playing a song, you can just cut and edit a project file. We had a lot of demos with just boring, plain drums that our keyboard player John programmed. We sent those over to Giuseppe and three days later, he came in and rewrote everything, and spiced it up a lot. I think very, very highly of him. I’ve known him since he played in Once Nothing (Pittsburgh Metalcore band) and we played some of our first proper shows with those guys. Being that I was born in Pittsburgh and I still love it, I’ve kept in touch with him ever since. When Daniel departed, it was pretty automatic to get Giuseppe in there and to finally get to work with him again was a real pleasure.
As for Kyle, it’s your second release with him, but only your first full-length album. How has your relationship with him grown since the EP, and what has he brought to the process in putting the whole album together? Kyle’s great. When he and I met, you could just instantly tell that we’d be really close friends and that’s how it’s been. We play in a second band together now that we’re actually practicing for and playing shows over the next couple of weeks. I spend a lot of time with Kyle and we matched so well when he was a guitar tech for Prada, and when Chris decided to leave, it was just super easy to bring Kyle in to work with. It’s really encouraging and fun for me that he has much more of the same interests as me, compared to Chris. That’s not to speak poorly of Chris, but Kyle is a total gearhead, as I tend to be. We listen to music very much in parallel, I think. That sort of correspondence and that relationship is a solid component, a positive component to writing music. In ‘Space’ and ‘Transit Blues’, there weren’t any barriers or hiccups besides the usual, even working with a new guitar player.
How would you say that the Metalcore scene has grown or progressed? As a whole, I think it’s majorly digressed. While it’s become much more popular and much more of a household genre, or subgenre if you will, I feel like a lot of present Metalcore is really just boy bands. It feels much more of an “image” thing, rather than a “writing heavy music” thing. I feel that for the most part, outside of the popular Metalcore genre, the raw stuff is more authentic to the early ambitions of heavy and aggressive music and Hardcore/Punk/Metal. A lot of the young Metalcore bands are far too trendy for me to appreciate, and I don’t mean to totally shit all over the scene that Prada is most often placed within, but I will speak candidly, you can count on me to do that.
You’ve just hit some small shows and festivals in the US ahead of a full winter of touring. How were they? Did you treat them as a warm up or something completely independent? I would definitely consider them as something completely independent. It was a lot of small rooms, so it felt so authentic to where we came from. We did a “back to the roots tour” in the summer of 2010 where we spent about eight or nine weeks playing the tiniest clubs in each city a few nights in a row. A lot of it felt like it was back to that. There is no faking it when you’re at that level on a tiny stage with a tiny sound system. There’s no bullshit. I really, really appreciate that, but I love playing bigger shows, too. It’s easier on my body, physically, but I wouldn’t belittle the shows to say that they were just a warm up or anything. I guess it was a little bit in the sense that Giuseppe was learning our set and playing live songs with us, but, I can say that all of our heart was in those shows and unless the crowd is really terrible, it is in every show.
How excited are you for the upcoming European tour? I’m really excited. I was actually very annoyed that we weren’t overseas at all last year visiting you folks. I love London and I believe we’ll be back in Amsterdam and Paris, which I’m really looking forward to. Actually, one of the songs on the new album is a little bit about missing overseas and missing getting out of the country and out of my home, because I was getting a little restless being home as much as we were the last year or so. I’m very excited to be back over there and being with our buddies in Silverstein because we’ve known them for coming up on ten years, and they’re still some of the best dudes. I’m genuinely very much looking forward to being back overseas.
What do you remember from performing in the UK for the very first time? It was this tiny venue in London. It was us, A Day To Remember and a band called Alesana. The club was also about a hundred-and-fifty cap, which is funny to think about ADTR playing now. I just remember being over the moon, and we had just done our first Australian run and flew straight into London, which was our first UK gig. Ever since then, I remember our first time playing with Enter Shikari, then our first time playing mainland Europe with Your Demise. I still hit up and talk to Stu from time to time, and I still hope to see Ed, Jimmy and all those guys from the band, hopefully when we’re back over there. Your Demise are some of our best friends, and were immediately when we toured with them. I quickly think of them when I think of playing in the UK scene, as it was early on. When Bring Me The Horizon brought us out, we played a lot of huge shows. It’s really all fond memories. I enjoy the UK and being able to tour over there. I like cold, rainy weather, so it’s made for me.
Interview with Grant
So when did you first get into playing guitar as well as singing? Probably from about the age of ten years old. I started playing, sort of teaching myself how to play the guitar. There were a couple of older school bands that I used to go and watch, and there was one guy in one of the bands who sort of helped me as well, and I just kind of got hooked from then on really. I was completely self taught, and I didn't have any guitar lessons. I just used to play along to Black Sabbath & Sex Pistols albums, and just figure out how to play it. Singing was kind of an accident, I used to do backing vocals in a band when I was a little bit older. The singer kept losing his voice, so I used to sort of fill in, and then everyone else in the band said "you should carry on singing, because you sound better than him!." Originally, I just wanted to play guitar, and in my full band at the time I mainly did that. I did a few vocals here and there, but it was never something I planned on doing full time. I always wanted to be just the guitar player. I think it partly came through in my songwriting as well. When I write songs I sit down, sing melodies, and I think I sort of found my voice through there. I found it really useful that I could sing a bit and actually play, which was just a good thing to have as a songwriter.
When did you first realize that feeder was going to be a career lasting band? It was a weird time in the UK, there was a big Brit pop invasion and we were a lot heavier than a lot of those bands. Even though we ended up sharing the bill with a lot of Brit pop bands, which kind of worked, we were just a very different band to that. We always believed in what we were doing, and our sound was influenced by what we were into growing up. We all had similar tastes, and we were all similar ages in the band. Even Taka, he was from Japan, and we still listened to a lot of the same music growing up. So it was this combination of rock music, and some pop music which went into the Feeder sound, and into my songwriting.
It was when we started playing live, we had something that was a bit different, and also it was really the strength of the songs. We were always known for being a good live band, so I think it just went from there. We started to notice that more and more people were coming to the shows each time. It just grew from only having twenty five people at a gig. We were slightly out of place, because we were a little bit newer to what was happening in America at the time, with this sort of grunge thing, and we actually got more labelled into that really. Even though we were based in the UK.
Okay, so let's fast forward to 2011, why did Feeder decide to announce a hiatus, and what did you all get up to in that time? We did a tour for 'Generation Freakshow' and I just felt like we needed to take some time out, and just break the cycle of "album tour, album tour etc." We've always been around. It wasn't like we had got stale as a band, but we had got to the point where we just needed to take a little bit of a time out. We were doing well then as well, our last show was even at the Brixton Academy. It wasn't like things had gone horribly wrongs, it just felt like a really good time to do some other projects. I had no plans on doing a solo record at that point, at all. I started writing because my publishers wanted me to maybe do some writing for some other artists, or even some co-writing. So I started to write some songs, most of them were more acoustic based, and I just had this real attachment to them, so it turned into a solo record. The break was really good for my headspace, so just to come back after it and feel really fresh, is great, especially as we've been doing this for over twenty years.
What would you say was the most rewarding part about promoting your solo material over the last couple of years? Well, it showed a different side. Obviously Feeder has those very mellow songs, and I've written loads of very acoustic songs in Feeder as well. If you listen to a lot of the B-sides they're quite experimental. For me, it was just the challenge of writing on acoustic guitar without having that Feeder formula in my head, and just creating music with a really blank canvas I suppose. It was nice to go back to the basics. I do write most of our material on acoustic anyway, but I always had that more electric thing in my mind, like when I'm writing for Feeder. So it was just a completely different headspace. I felt very differently writing the solo material, than I did the previous Feeder material. There was no pressure, rules, it was just seeing what would happen. I think sometimes you make the best records when there is no pressure. It was a really fun project, and I wanted to touch on the more acoustic sounds, and stuff that I also love. Whether it be Nick Drake, or Johnny Cash, bands that have just influenced me all the way to now, I haven't really done that before. Guitar playing wise, it's just a very different style for me, lots of finger picking, which is something that I haven't really done much with Feeder before. I kind of imagined that I was back in the 70s in a weird way, and approached it in a very simple way. I really enjoyed it. I ended up doing quite a lot of tracks in the end, and I even did a mini-album called 'Black Clouds'. It was a really fun project, and it actually did pretty well. It was a worthwhile project, and it makes me approach things a little bit differently now. With the new Feeder album I pretty much (almost) went straight into it from doing the solo material. So that's brought a slightly different flavor to it all.
So, when did you decide that it was time to come back in full force as Feeder, and what has that experience been like for you guys so far? There was no real plan, it was just the fact that I had just finished doing the 'Black Clouds' tour, which was the last bunch of dates I did for the solo project. I was just thinking, “this is really starting to go well, shall I carry on doing this? Maybe do another record?�. Then I thought actually I wouldn't mind doing some Feeder material at one point. People were asking me when I was going to do more Feeder music. It just felt like a good time to see if I had new ideas, so I just literally started writing straight away, I was at home, in my little studio, just seeing what came about, going back to the more electric sound. Trying to bring what I felt like I had learnt from my solo project into it in some way. Just the way I approached some of the sounds, and the production. It just went from there, I had two or three really good songs, and it just grew. I kept writing, and recording, had a little break, came back to it. Then before I knew it I sort of had an albums worth of material, I had finished. There was no real definite plan, it wasn't like we went for a big meeting, sat down and said "let's do Feeder again", it just happened in a natural way, and I think that's why it feels right. We weren't offered loads of money to come back and do gigs, anything like that. I mean we had been offered a lot of shows, even when we had the break, some were really good gigs, and really well paid. We didn't want to come back and just rely on past hits, we wanted to come back with some new material. So it was really important for Feeder and for me as a writer, to just be doing new things all of the time. I wanted to return with a really strong record, and I think we've achieved that. I'm really happy with the record, so we'll have to see what people think of it now!
What made you want to release 'Universe of Life' first from your upcoming album 'All Bright Electric', and can you tell us a bit about the meaning behind the track? I had already done a fair few songs, and I came up with a couple more to just balance the album out a little bit more, and get a couple of more rock songs on there. I had this riff, and I also just really liked the chorus for 'Universe of Life'. I wanted it to be quite a statement, sort of heavy, but it touched on a more 70s thing, which I had in my head again, with the harmonies, and the chorus. I was just trying to do something that was a bit different, but still had that classic Feeder guitar sound. I don't write many songs like that, I'm more of a classic songwriter type. But I do, occasionally come up with a good old riff, and that was one of them. It's about the energy, and the excitement, and it's one of my favourite tracks on the album.
How did you get to the album title 'All Bright Electric', and what does it mean to you? Well, when I was finishing my solo record, which I did at my friends studio about an hours north of Manhattan, it's called Yorktown Heights, which is where the album title came from. When I went there, we were doing another track or something, he was giving me a lift on the freeway down from Yorktown Heights to New Jersey, as I was flying from the Airport. We were just in the car chatting, and I looked up on the right handside out of the car, and there was this big square kind of building, and it just said "All Bright Electric", with big lights on the side, and I just thought "that's a really good name for an album, or a band, song." So I just put it in my phone, and remembered it. When I was thinking about the album title, I sort of just said that that was my first choice. I went through different ones afterwards, but I just came back to that one. It felt like the perfect title. Coming back to the sort of electric sound of Feeder from the acoustic project I was doing at the time. It felt like a really suitable title. I think when you name an album, a certain name just feels comfortable with the music that you were creating at the time. We had the title probably a year or so ago, so it wasn't like a last minute thing, it was something I was keeping to use at some point.
You've said that the recording sessions have been as exciting as making your first album 'Polythene', so can you elaborate on this? It just felt really fresh. I'm not saying that the other albums have been a battle or not enjoyable to make. The whole recording process is always something that I really enjoy. I love being in the studio, that whole magic of being there, probably as much or if not more sometimes as the live aspect of being in a band. I just love that headspace, and being creative. What I meant by that was, there was no real pressure, labels, anything again. It just felt very free and exciting, and I felt very focused on how I wanted the record to sound, as you never quite know until you get in there and do it. When we were making the first record, it was a very fresh and exciting time. I got a similar buzz from making this record. Even though we're sort of 20 years later down the line... 20 years next year for 'Polythene'. It just felt like I had something to say, and I really enjoyed it. I remember the first album being like that, it was also a very creative time for us. This album definitely felt like that.
You guys have produced in someway on every record you've put out, so what do you enjoy the most about having this kind of creative control over your music? Well, we have worked with other producers before. When you work with three chords, it's about the overall sound you have for it in your head. Sometimes that vision comes through and it's easy to achieve, and sometimes it changes and doesn't quite work out in a way you think it should. We worked with Chris Sheldon who actually mixed this album. I've co-produced with Gil Norton, he did a lot of the first releases. So we have worked with some producers over the years, it hasn't just been us. I think I've learnt so much from working with those people. People like Gil Norton, he was doing things that I didn't think were important when it came to making records, but he is a real tough cookie in the studio, and he really does work you very hard. He is very particular about things. Sometimes, I'm not into the process of things being overly thought about, as it might lose a bit of the magic, but I think when you get the balance right with someone like Gil, you get some great results. I do feel as though, after making three records with him, and co-producing a bit with him as well, you just learn so much. I think I'm lucky, because I had worked in recording studios when I was younger so I just picked things up along the way. It is a team effort making a record, but that production side, and what you can achieve, making sure you've got the basic foundations right, is something that you just get better at. Some people get worse at it maybe! But that just comes from experience. I do honestly believe that, it takes time. You just pick up tips along the way.
Lyric wise, how does a Feeder song normally come together for you? My content could be anything, it could be something that has happened in the newspaper that day, or on the news that day. There are songs about life, there are songs about people I know. I sort of feed of things like that. It might be one little headline in a newspaper that gives me an idea. 'Hundred Liars' from the new album, is slightly political, as there's a lot going on in this crazy world that we live in at the moment. I had this Western soundtrack in my head when I wrote that song. The heroes are the ones who want change in the world, almost like the Magnificent Seven if you want to call them that. It's to do with lies, people making the wrong choices, and just people doing bad things. It was touching on quite a lot of issues there, but I don't want to make it too obvious. The songs touch on all sorts of themes, I mean, people say to me that it sounds like I'm getting quite religious with my writing, but I wouldn't say I am. I've always been interested in what people's interpretation of what faith is, and I find it quite interesting to write about. I'm not a born again Christian or anything like that, I just like to write about all sorts of things. For me, that's just part of life. It was actually really enjoyable writing a lot of the lyrics on this record, and hopefully a lot of people will connect with them in some way. I really wanted to make sure that I got the vocals on these tracks as soon as I could, because as soon as you get a vocal on a song, it doesn't matter how heavy, or whatever it is, you do realize that you don't actually need a lot of these other layers sometimes. That's always a mistake, when you leave the lyrics to the end. You might put a million guitar dubs over it, but by the time you put the vocals on, you aren't going to be able to hear half of those overdubs anyway, you'll be listening to the vocal, and sometimes it can be distracting. If you can get the vocals done, and work around it that way, it can work quite well. You just have to be quite disciplined and make sure you've got the vocals and lyrics ready. Otherwise, you can't work that way. In some way, going back to the 'Polythene' question, like then I did have loads of material written up front, so that did help.
But you still need to leave it open for interpretation? Yeah, I don't feel like I need to go too far into stuff. I want people to hear the songs and get what they want from it. You know, when I listened to The Beatles records when I was growing up, I didn't have a song by song guide from Lennon and McCartney. What I thought the songs were about, were probably completely different to what they wrote them about. But, isn't that what's great about it? If you read a book, everyone is going to have different imagery in their heads of what that story should look like. That's how I want people to hear the music. It's not just about the lyrics, it's about where the melody takes those lyrics. You can have a really sad song, but you can have a really nice melody. It does make you feel like "wo, this is depressing." I do write some dark songs, but they're not supposed to be miserable. Music can be very therapeutic. I still love listening to music, and it can put your head in a different space. If you're going through something, or anything in your life, it can be quite a nice thing sometimes. So hopefully people have got something from our music over the years, and they'll get even more on this new record.
‘Pushing the Senses’ turned ten years old last year, so can you tell us a bit about what you remember from putting that album together, as well as how you think it compares to the rest of the Feeder albums? Yeah, we started it at a studio in North London called The Crypt, where we have done quite a lot of Feeder music now. We went to RAK studios, a famous studio from the 70s where a lot of bands used to record, it was really lovely. We worked with Gil again on that. All I remember at the time, was that people thought it wasn't heavy enough or that it was maybe a slightly more commercial sound for us in some ways. I don't think it really was, we just kind of decided. I remember when we recorded it, and we were sequencing it. We could of made it more rocky, but we weren't trying to do that with that record. It was more about the melodies with the songs, and showing a different side to what we could do, me as a writer, and just the overall chemistry of Feeder. It wasn't like we hadn't done those kind of songs before, it was just that maybe people were expecting a few more heavier songs on there. However, it was really successful, it sold a lot, and there's a few songs on that record that are the most popular in the Feeder set. 'Feeling a Moment' & 'Pushing the Senses' which was on a really big advert on TV. I like that album, and I think it's a good record for what it is. We do have some rock moments on there, like 'Pilgrim Soul', so it's not full of ballads, but it probably has a bit more of that side to it, than maybe some people were expecting. 'Comfort in Sound' was a really successful album, which we weren't expecting after losing Jon, and we were just wondering what would happen. I don't really remember making that record, I spent a lot of time in the demo studio, and it ended up being one of our biggest records. But because we had success with that on songs like 'Just The Way I'm Feeling' then it felt natural to maybe carry on a bit with that sort of sound, which is obviously why 'Feeling a Moment' came, as well as other tracks like that.
It's also been twenty years since the release of 'Swim', so do you think you guys will do anything to celebrate the release of that? 'Swim' and 'Polythene' were kind of recorded at the same time, and it was really just to test the water. We were a new band, and we didn't know whether the rock press would like us. Maybe we were more suited to the NME etc. But, all of the rock press really embraced us. It got great reviews. By that point, our fan base was growing really well, so when 'Polythene' came out, it actually did really well. We had 'High' towards the end of the album, which ended up being a really successful song in America as well. 'Swim' is sort of the "holy grail" to Feeder fans, as it was kind of the first body of work on one record. It was a very important record for us, but I would say that 'Swim' and 'Polythene' actually feel sort of connected, they feel like the same. It was all pretty much done at the same time, except for 'High' which was done a little bit later, and then added. We were thinking of doing something, but we thought maybe we'd wait until it's been twenty years of 'Polythene' next year. So we might combine the two, go out and maybe do two nights at Brixton Academy as well as some other dates! Do the whole album, and a few old school Feeder songs, it would be nice. I know a lot of people have done it, like the Manic Street Preachers, and Muse, so many bands, but it is very successful. If you're a fan of a band that you grew up with, it's quite nice to hear those songs again. I don't think we've ever played the whole of 'Polythene' live, even back in the day. So, it will probably be the first time some of the songs have actually been played live anyway! There's no definite plan on that, but there's definitely talk of doing something. We might do a re-release, but I don't want to re-record it, that would be wrong. I know some people do that, and even though you can probably make it sound great, I just don't know. I wouldn't mind re-mixing it, remastering it, maybe doing an alternative version of one of the songs, and maybe take that to the radio. Just so that there's something different there, for the people that bought it the first time. If we do it, I want to do it properly. I want to make a little celebration out of it. It's not easy to be in this industry for over 20 years, and still be doing it. So yeah, we've got a few ideas!
Maybe a vinyl release? There was some talk about doing a vinyl. It's really popular now. We are doing the new album on cassette as well! That's the kind of band we are, we are very old school when it comes to making records. I spend hours doing sequencing, as it's just such an important part for me. I know some people don't care about that anymore, but I'm always going to be that way, because that's what I love about records. The artwork, reading what's inside. It's all part of the journey. It's what I love about doing what I do. That will never go away for me. Maybe it's gone away out there, in the mainstream world. But I know there's a lot of fans out there who appreciate that. So yeah, maybe a vinyl release, or a limited CD and vinyl. We've got a quite a few people asking for 'Polythene' on vinyl, as I don't think we actually made that many of them.
Also, this is a hard one, but can you give us a couple of other festival performances that have really stood out to you over the years, and why? The first time we did the main stage at Reading, around the 'Polythene' era. Just all those songs like 'Descend' & 'High'. It was a turning point for us. I really felt like we had made it to a really good level. It was 1997 and I was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt, it was a really good audience. We were on quite early in the day, and we had this really big crowd. It just felt really good. A lot of press people were just like "wo, who is that band?" as we came and just did this really blinding show. It was our first time on a really big festival stage. The main stage at Reading was just a dream for us at the time. Every time we do Fuji rock festival in Japan, that's probably my favorite festival in the world, I love playing there. it has such a great atmosphere, a beautiful festival, and we just have really great fans there as well, of all ages. The only other one that I remember being a really good show for us was when we were headlining the second stage at V Festival. It was a really good line-up, I think it was like The Dandy Warhols and Turin Breaks on before us, and Coldplay were on the main stage. We were just thinking "oh god, everyone is going to watch Coldplay!", because they were just getting massive at that stage. We basically started playing, and it was a big turnout. Coldplay's set finished, and we were only about three or four songs into our set, so everyone who was watching Coldplay came over. We had this massive audience. It was just one of those gigs where everything went right. We had a couple of big songs under our belt at that stage. So yeah, those are some standout Feeder live shows!
You headlined Download Festival back in 2005, so how was that, and what do you remember the most from that performance? Yeah! That was a tough gig. I remember we were like "Download, are we going to be heavy enough?". It was really heavy at that point, but I think that the promoter was trying to make Download a little bit more of a crossover rock festival, and not just a metal festival. He was trying to get a little bit more indie bands on the bill as well. So we were the first year where they tried that, and I remember that there were some bands that you might not associate with Download. The first half of the set was really tough, just getting a great reaction. We had a good audience, it was just kind of, really hard. I thought we played well, and we had a good attitude. I do remember getting quite frustrated, as I smashed a £2,500 Fender Jazz Master on stage, which is the first time, and only time I'll ever do that. It's a beautiful guitar as well. I don't know what happened, something just kind of snapped. I think it was the frustration of working so hard to win over the crowd. We did a really heavy set. We thought it would be a really rock audience, so we kept it really heavy, proper old school heavy. So we were doing like 'Descend' and just the big heavy songs. Then we had a lot of the more kind of commercial stuff like 'Just A Day', thinking "oh god" that's not going to work, but it went off! It was mad! It just shows, that you can't just guess what a festival crowd is going to like. It's always a safe bet to say, whether they like the band or not, if you play a familiar song that’s been a hit, then they are going to get into it, and that's kind of what happened. It was a really great gig, but it did take a good twenty minutes, half an hour before I felt like we were really connecting. I'm proud to say that we've done it, but it was a tough show. I think we'd do better now, as we've got a lot more respect from the rock world.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? I'm really excited. and I'm anxious about getting out there. We are trying out some now people, and we'll have a slightly different line-up. We are probably going to go back to two guitars (rhythm/lead). I know we are known as a three piece, but I just want to make sure that we can do these songs live, so having another guitar player, and some keyboards, it means we can pull off the songs from a lot of the records. I'm not used to using a backing track and stuff, as I prefer to keep it as live as possible. I’m just really looking forward to it. Obviously we'll be playing some older stuff as well, as the album has only just come out. Next year, we'll do another half to it, this is only the first sort of leg to it, and obviously we'll do some festivals next year as well. People would of lived with the album for a while by then, so we can probably introduce more new stuff to the set. We can't do too many on the first time round, so I don't know how many songs we'll play from the new album just yet on this tour. We are definitely going to get half a dozen ready, and we'll see how it goes. It will be great to get out there again. It feels good. I just want to get out there and have fun now. So far, the record seems to be selling really well, which is encouraging as we've been away for so long.
Interview with Aaron
How is your current tour going with Slipknot and Marilyn Manson, and what do you think you guys have learnt the most from being on the road with these bands? The tour is amazing. These are two titans of heavy music that have consistently worked to push the boundaries of their art. If anything, we've learned that passion is the key to longevity.
What's it been like to perform your new song 'Pain' live, and can it ever be a scary/daunting experience to just kick in with a new track to an arena full of people? It's been great. The reception has been exactly what we hoped when we decided to release and then play ‘Pain’ live on this tour.
So, how did you get to the album title 'Cold World', and what does it mean to you? The title comes from the first two words that the listener will hear on the album. The title is defined in different ways depending on the song. What ‘Cold World’ means in ‘The Lie’ is different than what it means in, say, ‘Away’.
Can you elaborate on some of the other main themes and influences that run throughout 'Cold World'? While we do discuss our views on global happenings, etc. in a few of the songs, a lot of the record is very introspective. While we live in what some say is a Cold World, we can often experience a Cold World within ourselves.
How did the front cover for 'Cold World' come together, and what does it mean to you? The album art is an image by renowned Italian photographer Roberto Kusterle. Valentino had discovered the image, and we all fell in love with it, because we felt like it captures the theme of the album perfectly — it being that we can all find warmth when we choose to give it.
How did you end up working with David Bendeth again, and how would you say he helped shape the record? We worked with David on the past two album releases, ‘Restoring Force’ and ‘Restoring Force: Full Circle’. He always helps us find the best within ourselves.
What was the hardest song to put together on 'Cold World', and why? They were all challenging in their unique ways. ‘Like a Ghost’ was complex because of the time signature of 5/4 and it had a lot of moving parts. Hard question!
How did the video idea for 'Pain' come together, and can you tell us a bit about the meaning behind the track? I thought of the idea of a contortionist after browsing through Google images of pain. Something about the way they can manipulate their bodies, in what would be painful ways to the average people, seemed to jive perfectly with the uncomfortableness of the song.
How would you say the sound of Of Mice & Men has grown/progressed since 'Restoring Force'? We really spent a lot of time jamming together. We really learned about each other's first instincts. By that, I mean where each of us will go musically while building a song together. It was fun to play with that.
Also, looking back on 'Restoring Force', how happy are you with this record still, and what do you think it has done for Of Mice & Men? I'm incredibly happy. We set out to do something different, and hugely risky, and the house of cards didn't crumble! We've seen a lot of success and expansion in the last few years.
Can you tell us a bit about the Live At Brixton release that came out? What was it like to put together, and was it nerve-wracking playing live for this release when you knew it was going to be recorded? It wasn't nerve-wracking because we didn't ever plan on releasing it as its own thing. We'd shot it multicam, and recorded the audio in multitrack for ‘The Full Circle Story’, which is a documentary we made for our website fan community called The Ampersand. I did the audio mixing and mastering in our studio in Anaheim, and Jon Stone did all of the video editing. When we approached Rise, they insisted we release it, as they felt so strongly about our performance.
How excited are you for your upcoming UK tour, and what can attending fans expect? We're so unbelievably excited. Expect much of the same, but also, don’t set expectations too high. If we notice, we'll go out of our way to defy them!
Can you give us a couple of personal highlights from touring the UK in the past? Brixton O2 Academy was amazing! There are so many memories for us in the UK, that nailing down one or two might be a bit hard.
Interview with Brian
What’s life like in the Alter Bridge camp at the moment? It’s going very good right now. We’re preparing for the album release which we’re very excited about and we just got done with about a seven week run where we opened up for Disturbed and Breaking Benjamin who were co-headlining. It had been at least eighteen months since we had toured together so it was nice to get back out with the guys and knock the cobwebs off and play for a pretty good sized audience every night. It’s a pretty exciting time, lots of stuff is happening for us. We’re looking forward to the next year of getting out there and exploring new territories, possibly on this album cycle. Getting to the UK of course, they’ll be our biggest shows yet over there so we’re super excited about that. There’s a ton going on with us.
It’s a big time for you guys, especially doing an arena tour over here, that’s huge. Is it something you ever thought would be possible? Well, we’ve certainly worked our butts off over there, we’ve been touring Alter Bridge over in the UK for a long time. From 2003 we’ve been working overseas quite a bit so it’s always been an ambition and a goal to play arenas over there and to sell them out, and reach a large audience. As ambitious as it is, it’s a dream and a goal that we set for ourselves a long time ago, so we’re really excited about that and we are looking forward to it.
You’ve also got Volbeat and Gojira coming along to support you guys? Yes we’re big fans of both bands, my wife especially, she loves Volbeat! She actually turned me onto them not too long ago, so when I get into the gym that’s something that I listen to quite regularly. I think the whole package kind of deal is something that really seems to excite the fans. When you can get other bands on board that the fans are really excited about, it helps. We wanted something that was kind of a little different than Alter Bridge but still would be something that our fans would like to see, and Gojira albeit they may be a bit heavier than us, I think they are one band that, actually both bands, but Gojira in particular, they’re going to push us to do better on stage. What I’m saying is that we’ll have our work cut out for us, but that’s a challenge that we’re willing to endure.
Wow that’s awesome to hear. You guys actually stopped touring throughout 2015, so can you tell us a bit about what happened there? The reason that we took it off was because Miles did a record with Slash and that kind of cut our cycle short with ‘Fortress’. At that point Slash’s management had booked some shows. We just hung up the cleats, so to speak, for a little while and let Myles and Slash do their thing and at that time Mark rekindled with Eric Freeman and Garret Whitlock and they went on to do a double album which was the Tremonti record. I just came back home and spent a lot of time with my family. I have a three and a half year old son so I was able to spend his second year and most of his third year there being Daddy so, I’ll be honest with you, it really worked out for me to be a part of his development years.That’s been great for me personally and especially for him. I also got a real estate licence and started to work as a realter over in Florida. I was just waiting for the phone to ring and get back at it, meanwhile I was doing networking as a realter and being a father. It all worked out for me in the end. I’d much rather be playing music but travelling is hard. It’s hard to be away from your family, having a son and a wife. When you’re away after a certain amount of days you’re like, “damn I really miss ya’ll.” It’s not easy.
Especially when you’re going all over the world, from now until pretty much next year you’re touring aren’t you? So that’s gonna be, not to be a downer, but difficult? Yeah we have a six week run right after Halloween. Then we pick up again, we’re doing Shiprocked down here, we set sail from Florida. Then right after that we’re doing another domestic run of the United States - a headline tour.
‘The Last Hero’, how would you say it’s different from your previous albums? The process is certainly a little different than what we’re used to. It went a little bit differently because, I mean it’s always kind of stemmed from Mark and Myles, those two put in a certain amount of ideas this time around but it seemed like it was more of a kind of in the moment approach, rather than ideas logged over the last year or two on the computer. There was some of that, but yeah it was more kind of an in the moment thing where Myles would stay over at Mark’s house during the pre-production phase and they would get together and write from nine till two in the morning. Then they would get together the next day from around one and work until about five or six that night and go through any of the ideas that they came up with the night before. Musically to me it’s a collection or a snapshot of a few of our albums combined, from ‘Blackbird’ and I hear some from ‘AB3’ in there, and there’s also some of our first album in there. Some of the songs were a lot more challenging, one in particular was ‘Island of Fools’ - it’s still challenging for me today and I’m going to have to start rehearsing it soon if I’m going to start playing it live! Overall, it’s not a whole lot different, but maybe a little bit different!
The video for ‘Show Me a Leader’, it was quite bizarre, was there any inspiration behind it or was it just like, “we wanna do this cartoony thing”. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s quite odd! It is a little odd, it is a little cartoony and I’ll tell you what my son loves it because it’s cartoony! When Mark does his solo, my son Cooper, he lights up because he likes that Mark’s arms light up red and that really stands out to my son as being super cool. When we were discussing the video, we wanted to stay in the propaganda theme of the album artwork and we started really just going through different directors that we felt would fit the mould. Zev Deans, came up as a director of one of our favourite bands Ghost, he did two videos for them. Once we saw what his direction was we just reached out to him and sent him a song, he was actually the only director that we contacted. He got attached to the song, and you could just tell that this was something he was really excited about doing. He had some great ideas about the propaganda and at the time I think there was a demographic national convention, and there was protesting, that sort of thing. We wanted to go in and get some footage of that. I don’t think he ever got around to doing that, but the ideas were there. We just gave him a little bit of direction, along with the album artwork and he really took it and ran with it from there.
Some people have placed you as a political band, how do you guys feel about that? Well, I would disagree, I don’t think that we’re really a political band at all, we’re typically really kind of shying away from anything political or politically charged. I think that Myles is really the lyricist behind it, he has some personal opinions and what not. I think collectively we can all agree that we’re concerned about the world and the election process and exactly whom the two people on the ballot are. There’s concern. Overall, we may be speaking about what’s on every person in the worlds mind. It’s probably what everybody’s thinking. It’s very concerning and we’re just trying to throw it out there. As far as being political, typically in our past we try to keep any kind of political subjects away from our music.
On this album you went back to Michael Baskette to produce it, and he’s produced all of your albums. What makes him so perfect to work with? First and foremost he’s very easy to work with, we’re all friends so there’s a certain level of transparancy and honesty with him and most importantly he is a huge fan of the band and has been of Myles before he was with us. He has also been a fan of Creed before he was with Alter Bridge and before we even met him! Myles did a record with him with The Mayfield Four and when we were going into ‘Blackbird’ which is our second album he’s the one who steered us towards him, and that was a great experience and a great record. He did a great job on it. We just kept the relationship over the years after that and ultimately he’s just been a great help and always challenges the band. He gets a great feel for tone and what we’re looking for and what we want to have recorded. He knows what we want to ultimately have it sound like in the end. All around he’s been a benefactor for Alter Bridge, quite like the fifth member of the band in my opinion!
So it’s almost like having one personal fan at your side saying, “it would be really cool if you did this!”. That must be helpful? Absolutely. The recording process always goes so smooth and he brings things out of me, I’ll take the music away at the pre-production phase and I’ll go, bass line - done. I’ll record it, and then I’ll bring it in. It might be too much, I might be trying to over play a little bit, there might be a note that slightly doesn’t sound right or rubs with a vocals part or something. He’s got a really good ear for things like that. He can help steer me in the direction it needs to be. When we’re listening to the mixes you can still go back, you know you need fresh ears on a song, that’s when you can really make adjustments. I put it away maybe for a while then we’ll start listening once he gets to the mixing phase. He can really dial it back, or dial it up and put a sound effect on it, or make it really clean and make it talk to you. There’s just a great love and transparency and comfort that we get from Elvis, he’s a great person to have in the mix.
Sounds brilliant. You guys have been going for such a long time, what would your advice be for any upcoming musicians who want to be in your position? Practise every day and find people that share that passion with you. Most importantly, ones you feel that you can get along with on a daily basis and that you can have a relationship with over an extended period of time, because everybody can get sick of people or rub people the wrong way, or say things that you might not agree with and I think that building a personal relationship with people that are on the same page as you and that have the same work ethic as you is probably the most important. As well as having the same drive and goals. Back in the day with Creed we all had the same drive and the same goals and we set goals for each other as a band and we wouldn’t stop until we reached those goals. That’s kind of been a continuous effort until today. Relationships are the most important thing.
It clearly works because it’s quite rare to find a band these days who still have the same members from when it first started. Especially for you guys to have been going for so long as well. It has been a long time, before things such as iTunes and Spotify were around. With the introduction of streaming services, do you think it has affected bands like yourselves or do you think you’ve brushed over that? You just have to accept it. It is what it is. It’s a hard pill to swallow as you don’t see record sales anymore and if you do you’re Adele or you’re Justin Bieber or Katy Perry, you know those huge, huge pop acts. That’s hard to measure up to and you have to in this day and age kind of rely on your live performance, and that’s how we’re able to sustain a living today, by touring and being out there and exploring new territories and new areas. Meeting other bands. Honestly since day one the driving force behind us has been performing live. That’s always the fun part. The album sales is kind of like the icing on the cake [selling records, that’s not fun?] the actual being on stage and performing, that’s where the rubber meets the road. To be able to record is one thing but to be able to pull it off live and to do it without backing tracks or anything like that, to stand on the stage as four guys and create music and to have it sound exactly like we wanted it to on the record, that’s where we really get a lot of personal satisfaction. I’ll be honest with you, I have Spotify and I love it.
It is convenient isn’t it? I’m not complaining! It is convenient. I wish that Spotify would pay a higher loyalty wage for their streaming, but I’m just a guy, I’m just me, just a bass player.
So, as well as the UK tour are there any UK festivals that you’re coming back for next year, or is that still in the pipelines? We’re definitely talking with several promoters over there about Download and Reading/Leeds Festival. It’s all talking right now but we’re definitely going to be back there over the Summer next year, Yes!
WHEN I GET HOME
You used to be a rock guitarist, so can you tell us a bit about that, as well as some of the bands that you were involved with? I think everyone who’s been in a band pretty much knows this story. Pubs, clubs, then towards the end some university gigs. As a much older bloke now, I understand what I was doing wrong. The songs I was writing, and the sound I was going for in the studio was indie/commercial. I was aiming for what was doing well which during my time was Oasis, Stone Roses, WonderStuff, Cure. And the truth is, you only START to have a chance of making it when you sound like no one else.
You went on to work as a lead games designer, so what was that like, and can you tell us about some of the games you worked on? When I hit 27-28, I realised the whole music thing wasn’t going to happen, so I looked around for a job. It just so happened that the PC games industry had just started expanding rapidly (circa 1994). So they were literally hiring any idiot. Hence, I got a job. I started out as a bitmap artist, but obviously managed to impress my bosses enough to be promoted through the ranks to being a lead designer. It was fun. Bloody good fun. At first. In the early days (I’m talking the BullFrog/Command and Conquer era), games were really innovative and I had a great time submitting all sorts of whacky designs. But…towards the end of my time, (Call of Duty 3 or thereabouts) the industry was getting sequel obsessed and nothing original was getting through. I found it incredibly frustrating, and it was round about then I started writing.
What was it like to be put your first novel together A Thousand Suns, and can you tell us about its narrative? I was writing A Thousand Suns not long after my employer (Computer Artworks) opened a studio in Brighton. They were looking for a team member to move down and I volunteered. So I suddenly found myself with a lot of train-time to use up. After getting bored with gazing out of the window I finally started trying my hand at writing a novel. It was a real blast to write, and it was kind of a homage to THE EAGLE HAS LANDED. I was incredibly lucky. That novel got picked up straight away and bingo…published author…and….my opportunity to let rip on my bosses and hand my notice in. Great day, that.
When did the idea for TimeRiders come about, and what do you remember the most from putting the first book together? I always wanted to do a time travel series, simply because it gives so much to play around with. Originally I was going to do it as an adult series, but, that would have meant it being marketed as SciFi/Fantasy, which at that time was one shelf hidden away right at the back of book shops! So making it YA (Young Adult) suddenly made it mainstream. (Yeah I know…go figure). I think we have JK ROWLING to thank for getting fantasy, and by association, Sci-Fi, off the back shelf and centre of store. Nowawdays, it’s great to see that Sci-Fi is being seen as mainstream, and also often seen as “smart” fiction.
Time travel is such an interesting subject, and it can get instantly confusing within minutes. So as a writer, what was the hardest part about working with this subject? Two top tips for writers who want to do a time travel story. Tip One: figure out a way to get around the “grandfather paradox”. (You know…A guy goes back in time and kills his grandfather. So how come he exists!?). Tip Two: Know how the bloody thing ends before you start writing!! Seriously….I took 18 months out to plan the 9 book series.
You've said that TimeRiders is for the most reluctant-reader, so can you tell us about what made you want to write the series that way? At the time, my son was 11, and playing wa-y-y-y too much xBox. So, I wanted to write something that would be so addictive to him that he’d put down the controller and pick up reading. I basically employed some game design ethos and deployed it in novel form. Simple things like, short bitesize chapters (at first), cliffhanger endings (at first), plenty of action (at first)….then having sucked him in, developed the world and characters and plot. Not rocket science really. It’s about getting someone to commit to your fiction, then once you’ve got them, you can start challenging them.
We must ask, what's your favourite time travel film & book of all time? Oooh…hard one. I think it’s got to be a toss up between the first two Terminator movies and the first two Back To The Future movies. I really enjoyed Stephen Kings 11.22.63!
The characters went to all different times, however is there an age that you might of missed, that you really wanted them to visit? There’s always somewhere else you wished you’d shoe-horned in. I was toying around with Ancient Greece and the battle of Thermopylae (300!) but then the Percy Jackson series was still big back then and I kind of figured it was too close. Although…sheesh, writing that battle with Bob (TimeRiders fans know who I’m talking about!) filling in for Leonidas would have been awesome.
What was the most rewarding moment to put together in the TimeRiders series, and why? Seeing the first one out there on the shelves I’d say. The series has done incredibly well….everywhere except, oddly, in the US, where it’s done nothing at all. I’m hoping at some point my American cousins will wake up and spot the series, but, well….we’ll see.
What can you tell us about the story for Ellie Quin, and what have you enjoyed the most about putting those books together? Ellie Quin has been a pet project. My TimeRiders publisher just didn’t want to go for it, and no others did either and the reason given was pretty much “girls don’t do Sci-Fi”. So, I decided to experiment with publishing it myself. It’s doing pretty well at the moment. The reviews are really encouraging and I suspect it’s fair to say actually, “girls DO do Sci-Fi”!
Can you tell us a bit about the story in your last thriller The Candle Man, as well as what you like the most about putting thrillers together? Another piece of history I’ve always found fascinating was the Jack The Ripper story. So….I did wonder, as a thought experiment, whether one could write a novel from the killer’s point of view. At the time of writing it, I was really getting into Dexter! Candle Man is nothing like that…but….the series did prove to me that people could get behind a serial killer as a protagonist!
What else can we expect to see from Alex Scarrow in 2016? Recently I’ve been spending my spare time working on brushing up my coding skills. To that end I’ve actually produced three games, which, if you’re interested…are sitting around on the app store right now. The first one is called Zombie Last Stands. The idea behind that was to re-visit famous last stands from history….you know, The Alamo, Rorkes Drift, Thermopylae etc….but then replace the historical “bad guys” with hordes of zombies. So that’s what you get! You’re the commander of a small company of men, the first scenario is Rorkes Drift (made popular by that classic Michael Caine movie Zulu) The other two games are called Squishball:Chocholate Wars…and Colours Inc. They’re both a lot of fun…and are based on ideas I pitched to my bosses way back in the 90s. As for books, well, you may be aware of Remade which came out this summer. It’s about a virus that liquifies all it touches…turns everyone into goo. And then, from that biomass can produce any creature it has acquired gene data from. Yes….I was, and still am, a big fan of John Carpenter’s The Thing! I’m currently working on the second and third books in the Remade trilogy, which will be coming out July 2017, July 2018. It’s pretty grisly stuff. Not for the squeamish. http://www.alexscarrow.com/zombielaststands or search ‘Zombie Last Stands’ ‘Squishball’ ‘Colour Inc’ on appStore
When did you first get into acting? At school, I had a wonderful teacher called Miss Smith who put me in all the school plays as the lead (not a brag, more that no one else was that interested I think!) I loved it and was very lucky to have her encouraging me, we would stay late after school and rehearse, happy days!
What was your first major job role as an actress, and what was that like for you at the time? My first major (I say major in the sense that it was a very minor role but a major turning point in my career) role was a tiny little part in The Wolfman. I went up for a supporting artist role but the audition was an improv about Hamlet, which I know very well, so I was very relaxed and it went well. Two weeks later I got a call saying they really liked what I did and I had been given a little speaking role as Emily Blunt's maid and I was THRILLED! Next thing I knew I was in a beautiful hotel, dining with Benicio Del Toro, Hugo Weaving, Emily Blunt and Art Malik... I will never forget it, I had smoked salmon but didn't eat it because I was so awestruck by the situation...!
You also worked on Dragon Age: Inquisition, so what was that like, and apart from being done without a set, how does it compare overall to working on TV/film? It's always fun to do voiceover work and play different characters, the nice difference is you can go in looking like a bag lady and no one cares, they only want you for your voice!
More recently you were Igeyorhm in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, so what was that like, and what did you enjoy the most about being a part of the iconic Final Fantasy world? I didn't even know I was in Final Fantasy XIV until after the job was done as it was code named the whole time..! It was lots of fun, I love being in the voice booth, it's such a quiet, intimate space and there's such license to experiment with the voice until everyone is happy.
So, when did you first know that you were going to be a part of Game of Thrones? I went to the first audition, then I had a recall with the HBO people, and then there was an agonising wait where I knew I was very close to being offered it but it had to go through lots of other people and get signed off and approved and I think it was a good month before it was all confirmed. Agonising, but so worth the wait, I was and continue to be so delighted that I get to play Yara Greyjoy.
What attracted you to the part of Yara Greyjoy? Did you know much about the books or even Asha Greyjoy before you knew you were going to be on the show? I didn't know anything about the show before I got my audition date. So I watched season one, thinking i'd just watch one episode to get the idea, and I watched the whole season back to back, then I got nervous because I wanted it so much! When I got my audition scenes through, I was so thrilled with the character, I felt very much like I knew who Yara was.
Your character has been there for a lot of the show. So for you, was there a particular moment when you realized that Game of Thrones was becoming a world-wide success? I think I recognised quite early on what a hugely powerful and successful show it was and might become, I am so lucky to be part of the fantastic GoT family.
Can you tell us a bit about what it has been like to work on such epic set pieces? I am always astounded at the magnificent sets and the incredible attention to detail. So many people work so hard on creating the worlds perfectly, and I am always in awe of how hard they work and what they come up with. The best and most efficient team I have ever worked with, that's not to say other things I work on are inferior, it's just that when there is the budget for the best of the best and for the huge numbers of crew, the end result will inevitably be extraordinary.
What's been the hardest scene to do on Game on Thrones, and why? The ones in the water. I loved it but I was so cold!!!!
What was it like to have Yaras moment with the Mother of Dragons recently, and what do you remember the most from when you filmed this important scene? Oh my goodness I loved that day so much. Who knew we'd have so much chemistry...!? I just remember it being another brilliant day on a fantastic job with incredible actors.
With everything Theon Greyjoy has been through, what's it been like to act alongside Alfie in Game of Thrones, seeing his story progress at the same time as yours? Alfie is one of my favourite people in the world. I love working with him, he is so so talented and humble and hard working. He puts so much thought into everything he does, he's inspiring and I love him to bits.
Also, you weren't in season 5, so what do you think that has added to the relationship between Yara & Theon? I guess an absence like that, under the circumstances of their last parting, it took a while for her to trust him...but they got there...
What would you like the future to hold for Yara Greyjoy? Queen of the Iron Islands (Theon can be her Hand!).
What else can we expect to see from Gemma Whelan in 2016? I have been quite busy, but most of it will be out next year... This year there's The Moorside Project, which will be out late autumn I think. Then we are doing another series of Upstart Crow and I have just been working on Decline and Fall wth David Suchet and Jack Whitehall, I just wrapped on Uncle series 3, then I now go on to do Horrible Histories, Hetty Feather, and hopefully we haven't heard the last from Yara Greyjoy too...
When did you first get into acting? I got into acting after I was injured playing baseball and knew that my career was over. As a kid I visited sets because my mom was an agent and I think I always knew I wanted to act or work creatively on some level. It intrigued me and innately I believe my calling is to entertain.
What was your first major acting project, and what was that whole experience like for you at the time? Buffy was the first major experience. I had done some smaller parts and such but Buffy took it entirely to the next level in terms of acting and overall impact. That experience truly changed my life. I remember being so in awe of being on set and having a trailer. I was enamored by the fact my life was changing somewhat overnight.
When did you get the call to be on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and what was that moment like for you as an actor? It was surreal and very much in that magical way that you can't articulate the emotion in words properly. I had finished all of the auditions and I was driving to Santa Monica to meet some friends. My agent sent me a 911 page so of course I located a pay phone to call her. I may have just dated myself a bit!. She told me I got the part of Xander. I didn't even realize at the moment the long term impact on my life. I was pretty much stoked that I was going to be able to pay the bills.
When did you first realize that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was becoming a worldwide success? Probably in the year 2000. I was chased by a large swarm of French girls in Nice. They were screaming "Alex, Alex!" . There was no recognition that the characters name was Xander, but I was fine with that.
What was the most rewarding/memorable scene to work on in the show, and why? Probably playing Renfield in Buffy vs. Dracula. It was a completely different character from Xander.
What was it like to work with Joss Whedon, and as an actor, what did you learn the most from him? Joss is quite simply a creative genius. I learned how to be a perfectionist at my craft for better or for worse.
At one point you actually quit acting, so how did this decision come about, and what was that whole experience like for you? Emotionally I needed a break. It was a time in my life where I really needed to find myself again. You wake up one day and aren't sure who you are, so you make a change.
You then went on to work on Kitchen Confidential alongside Bradley Cooper, so what was that like, and what attracted you the most to playing the part of Seth Richman? Coop is wonderful. It was a great show with a power cast. It was cast well and I was drawn to doing something entirely different. I was very disappointed some stuff behind the scenes prevented the success that show should have had potential to achieve.
We've read that you really enjoyed working on this show, so if somehow, a company like Netflix could bring this show back, then where would you want the story to go? That's a tough one! Not sure to be honest. More Seth of course!
What did you enjoy the most about working on Coherence, and what do you remember the most about putting this film together? It was unique and challenging to do a movie without a script. Improv is not as easy as many believe. I had some fun with this one and it was rewarding.
Can you tell us about what James Ward Byrkit was like to work with on Coherence? He was great. Creatively he is one of a kind. All actors strive to work with that.
What was it like to play Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds, and what did you enjoy the most about working in a crime/drama world? Kevin is Xander 2.0! It was fun to play a somewhat older version of Xander on a different set with new & very talented actors. I also love crime shows.
How excited are you for your upcoming appearance at Wales Comic Con, and what can attending fans expect? I am stoked. I truly love Wales and I've always had an enjoyable time there. It's beautiful! The people are lovey and I really adore the creator of Wales Comic Con Jamie Milner. Wonderful guy.
What else can we expect to see from Nicholas Brendon in 2016? I am currently focusing myself on rebuilding and finding creative Nicky again. I have been getting back out there and embracing love from my fans while I continue the fight with depression. I have been working on a web series called Dark/web and recently returned from Poland where I played a small part in a brilliant Tom Paton film called Redwood. I am also working on promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention because clearly I have been impacted by both in life. And that's ok because I am here today to help others who have similar struggles. If I can use my life to help others, The reward beats the risk.
Interview with Paul Crabb
How did you guys get to the name Esper, and what does it mean to you? It was probably one of the first things we came up with if I recall correctly. We needed to call the project something while we worked on it. We wanted a name that described the player’s role in the game but also sounded cool. By the time we were far enough into the project to seriously consider what to call it, the name had already stuck and we saw no reason to change it.
What made you want to set Esper in 1975, and can you tell us a bit about the plot that runs throughout it? We knew the game would be compared very directly to Portal, so one of the first decisions we made was to avoid the “science lab”- like setting, or anything too futuristic or clean. To avoid motion sickness, we decided to keep the player in one room for the whole game; instead, the room would shift and change around the player. When coming up with the story, we decided the organisation that was running the tests was just some random toy company that had been re-appropriated by the government, and had been given a near-unlimited budget, but zero time, in order to handle a sudden outbreak of random citizens inexplicably attaining telekinetic abilities – something we all can relate to. With that, we decided it’d be funny to stick the player in just some guy’s office, and all of the puzzles are cobbled together with parts of the office, and various office paraphernalia, such as binders, paperweights and toys from the company’s product line. As for the time period specifically? I think perhaps we’d just been watching too much Mad Men at the time. I think it worked well though.
As a game, how would you say Esper 2 compares to Esper? Esper 2 is a much bigger game than Esper 1. We had a lot more time, budget and people than the first game so we wanted to do a whole bunch of things we couldn’t in the first game, such as going to different places, exploring the origins of the telekinetic outbreak, expanding on the game’s puzzle mechanics, and introducing other characters to the story.
What was the hardest part about putting The Esper Collection together for you guys, and why? The biggest haul was updating Esper 1 with everything that had changed by the time we made Esper 2. Esper 1 was originally made in Unity 4, while Esper 2 was made in Unity 5. The two versions have completely different physics and lighting systems. We also used Playmaker for Esper 1’s logic base and scene management, while in Esper 2 we wrote our own. We also had written our own light baking and asset batching systems that had to be integrated back into Esper 1. Sorry for the tech speak, I just want to emphasize it was a lot of work ok?!
Alternatively, what was the most rewarding part about putting The Esper Collection together for you guys, and why? Knowing that everyone gets to play Esper 1 now! Esper 2 had a much wider release than the first game since it was a launch game for both GearVR and Rift, while Esper 1 came out on the GearVR while it was still in the Innovator Edition phase. So not a lot of people really had the chance to play Esper 1. Now there’s no excuse.
What does a current day at work involve for you as a part of Coatsink Software? Drinking lots of coffee, negotiating for time with project managers, pleading for new features from programmers, and working with other designers to see just how far we can push existing features enough to make the programmers scream.
What has it been like to work with Samsung Gear VR, and how does it compare to anything you've done before? It’s an interesting, almost paradoxical challenge. On the one hand, as a VR developer, it’s our goal to make a game that’s full of high fidelity visuals and polish, in order to really show what users can expect from VR and get them really excited. At the same time, we’re still making a phone game with limited memory, processing power, gpu and battery life. What’s more, we have to render the game twice, one for each eye. On top of THAT, unless we want to make our users sick, we have to render the game at a consistently high frame rate throughout the game. Keeping a balance between these has been tough, but really fun. It has certainly pushed us all to be better developers.
How did you end up working with Nick Frost, Lara Pulver, Sean Pertwee, and how would you say their voices helped shape the game? For Esper 2 we wanted to double down on the voice acting. It was a huge part of what made Esper 1 so good. With the help of OMUK, a recording studio that we worked with on the first game, we found a surprising number of talented actors were excited to work with us! We had some ideas as to the personality of the new characters we wanted to add to Esper 2, but Lara, Sean and Nick did an excellent job to add their own take on the characters and really bring them to life.
Also, how did you originally end up working with Eric Meyers, and what was he like to work with? Early in Esper’s development, we sent OMUK a draft of the script and they sent us back various samples. We liked Eric’s range the best, and since then it’s been amazing to work with him. Eric is incredibly talented and is full of enthusiasm in the recording studio, always willing to try different variations on lines. I look forward to working with him again.
What games have really influenced you in recent years, and why? Portal would be the clear influence for Esper of course, no point pretending otherwise. We also took inspiration from similar experiences like The Stanley Parable and Q.U.B.E. For our upcoming game Shu, the biggest inspirations were Rayman, Donkey Kong and Klonoa.
What else can we expect to see from Coatsink Software in 2016? Our new game Shu will be released very soon; 4th of October in fact, for PS4 and Steam, then Vita shortly after. You play the titular Shu, a cute bird-like character who has to outrun the end of the world, rescuing friends along the way who each give Shu a unique ability while they’re around. We’re also continually working with Boneloaf on Gang Beasts, adding multiplayer and VR support and optimising for PS4. The Oculus version of Gang Beasts was released in Early Access on the 22nd of September.
RavenEye - NOVA Led by award winning Oli Brown, RavenEye have quickly built a reputation as one of the most exciting bands to emerge in the last few years. Their rise has seen support spots for Slash, The Darkness and Deep Purple and following on from their EP last year they now unleash a storming record that combines catchy riffs and melodies in impressive quantities. On the opening track ‘Wanna Feel You’ they break out the full works, melody, groove and a sludgy undertone that pushes them across the various genres and spans the decades with a timeless arena rock sound. After the multi layers of the opener, it then borders on the punk side with ‘Come with Me’, this is a fast and furious one that powers its way through palmed gallops, whilst showing great dynamics as it tears through the heart of the song. As a debut album this is one of the most accomplished and polished you’ll hear this year, some debuts often have the feel of being a debut, it might be impressive but you may feel it isn’t quite the finished article as a band yet. There is no such feeling for RavenEye, this is an album that is hard to believe is actually a debut, this could have been a band hitting their peak with the third or fourth album. Brown’s voice is full of confidence and character and guides these songs with a swagger, but the voice is only part of it as the album bashes and grinds to its end. It begs the question, “if this is the first album, then what do these guys have to come in the future”? A debut of this quality of course brings its own pressures with having to follow it in a couple of years, but I have no doubt this is just the start, there should be some big things ahead for RavenEye. AN
Welcome Back Delta - Sucker It hasn’t been a bad 2016 for Welcome Back Delta, they’ve been on the bill with Clutch for their UK tour, played Hard Rock Hell and had various other milestones. Now they’ve just put out a very enjoyable second album which will do plenty to make 2016 an even better year for the band. An album that is rammed with massive, raw riffs and firey vocals that bellow out among the chaos being smashed out. The opener is a perfect one, titled ‘Beast Mode’ it is also well named as it gives exactly the right blend of what they have to offer. It’s fast and furious, making it instantly memorable before ‘Snake in the Grass’ takes it over and adds a bit more of a blues element, that is groovy and a real foot tapper. ‘Arms Dealer’ continues in that vein and expands on it, showing Joe Kelly’s quality as a vocalist, he wouldn’t be out of place in the off the beaten track sort of venues. The sort where there is throat tearing sipping whiskey and the end of the night is signalled by a pool que wrapped off someones napper. It isn’t what you would expect from the first couple of tracks and they really push their genre and make themselves far from the by the numbers sort of band. It’s a top record that finds me hoping they’ll be around my neck of the woods at some point, because if these songs translate live in the way I expect they do, it’ll be a sight to behold. AN
Airbourne - Breakin' Outta Hell You know what? You get some bands that you will always get an idea of what the next album will be like, the formula doesn’t change a great deal because when it is done well, it doesn’t have to. Airbourne are one such band and while the style might be generally the same as their previous efforts, the substance has grown ten fold with this record. The hellraising Aussies have an album which out does everything they have done before, balls to the wall rock n roll, no frills and no messing about. With the title track, they have a bonafide anthem, this is a song that you are going to find on soundtracks, TV shows (Jeremy Clarkson and his pals could find good use for it). It’s a song that epitomises rock n roll and will stomp a hole in a wall. With a start like that it could be hard to follow up but with ‘Rivalry’ they drop the pace right down and allow a bit of breathing space with its gradual build, but it’s soon back to normal and they are throwing down. The second potential anthem comes in the form of ‘It’s Never Too Loud For Me’, this is one of those rock n roll songs that will find the words screamed back at the stage with furious vigour. The same goes for ‘When I drink I go Crazy’. In fact, this is an album that is full of potential anthems, the older rockers are going to love this record. Airbourne have smashed it with this album, in a year that has seen a sublime number of great albums, they may at this point be my pick at the end of the year. For the quality of songs, musicianship and the fact that it is just a really great album! AN
The Devil Wears Prada - Transit Blues For a band that was only formed 11 years ago, The Devil Wears Prada have been about as prolific in releasing new albums as any band could possibly be today. ‘Transit Blues’ will be the bands sixth album and along with the EPs also released, they have managed to keep up a consistently high standard in their output. That has been continued on ‘Transit Blues’ as they cement themselves at the top of the metalcore pile. Opener ‘Praise Poison’ is an interesting song and serves the purpose of an opener extremely well. A slow growing percussive intro soon leads into an interesting section that you probably call staccato but it delves deeper than that and makes for an interesting sound. It is an unnatural sound but it works very well to prick the ears up and grab the attention. The fact they are able to keep the songs interesting makes all the difference, lacing elements of other metal styles including, surprisingly, moments that hark back to the haunting sounds of some of the Norwegian Black Metal bands of the 90s, they make this an album filled with things to hook you in to see where it will go next. The songs are kept reasonably short and it creates maximum impact, where some will drag a song out and pack them full of different sections and time signatures, The Devil Wears Prada keep things fairly simple in comparison and that makes for some massive moments. The dynamics are subtle but make for some huge moments. At just over five minutes, ‘To the Key of Evergreen’ is also possibly the most epic on show where melody intercuts with aggression, despair, passion and even tenderness, it also shows the ability this band have to craft fine songs full of atmosphere but keeping the hard hitting style we’ve grown accustomed. The Devil Wears Prada have made an album very worthy of inclusion in the soon to be incoming end of year album lists, a fine effort and one that sees them step up once again. AN
A Day To Remember - Bad Vibrations After the success of A Day to Remember’s previous album ‘Common Courtesy’ I was very excited to see what the Ocala boys had for us next. Unfortunately I think this is a case of a band that doesn’t quite know how to move on and update their sound as they grow. Of course the appeal of ADTR are the fact that they cross pop punk harmonic melodies and big metal breakdowns, and this album is full of them but it all feels a little old hat. The singles ‘Paranoia’ and ‘Bad Vibrations’ seemed to give us a quick insight into what we could expect from this dominant train but alas it falls short. The final part of ‘Exposed’ screams ‘No war, no peace’ in Jeremy’s familiar intense vocals but it just seems to familiar to the ending of ‘Mr Highway’s Thinking About The End’. That’s not to say it’s not an incredible performance, just that it feels like it’s been done before. What I like about this album is it seems to be an album for the older generation of ADTR fans, it’s an album of loss, of moving on with life and accidentally leaving people behind. “I see you now and then, but mostly we pretend we’re more strangers than we’re friends” are the lyrics for ‘Bullfight’. I can assume plenty of people around my age have had that awkward moment where they’ve bumped into someone they used to know in a supermarket and have made the small talk that makes you want to die. That for me is what the takeaway of this song is. Similarly with ‘Naivety’, is about how you’re not the person you used to be but people just have to accept that, I like the album in this respect, it is very well written for a select target audience. I’m really saddened that I am disappointed by this latest effort from the Florida five some, and it’s not that I don’t enjoy it, it’s just that I was expecting more. ‘We Got This’ has got the catchy hook but it feels like it’s an anthem that’s trying to be forced and doesn’t really stick with me. The final song ‘In Florida’ is a five minute boring session with “in florida” thrown in for good measure every 30 seconds, it feels very toned down and odd for an end of the album song. A Day to Remember went away from the public eye for a long time and sat and thoroughly thought about this album and put time into it in a secluded place. ‘Common Courtesy’ was written on the road as they were touring. I think next time they should consider changing their approach to album writing. RO
Prognosis - Drones (Single) These Manchunian progressive metallers return with their lead new single ‘Drones’. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from a band which sites influences from Meshuggah to Muse. Initially a little jarring and predictable, but the track begins to open up towards the second half, and closes with some fantastic fret work and actual singing. The lyrics aren’t really important and certainly won’t be buzzing around your head, but the musicianship is solid and steadfast. If you can look past mediocre ‘deathcore’ vocals, when Prognosis end up in a decent chorus, they can hit the sweet spot. PD
Boston Manor - Be Nothing It’s easy to imagine Blackpool’s own Boston Manor getting set for world domination. For a band that have only been going for three years to have a dedicated fan base, a headline UK tour on the way and a debut album is an incredible feat. As soon as ‘Burn You Up’ started I was instantly reminded of a young You Me At Six, only these guys fuse some screaming moments into their awesome and catchy songs. The album promptly carries on and delivers hit after hit. ‘Lead Feet’ has a fantastic instrumental moment at the end and finishes the song on an amazing high. The lead single ‘Laika’ although sounds like a very dark and brooding opening kicks into a fun filled rock song, the awesome vocals from the lead singer give that perfect mix of British rock combined with some of the old school emo that the industry is begging to be given again. Boston Manor are slowly making their mark on the world, they’ve supported the very successful Moose Blood on a UK tour and have played at festivals such as Slam Dunk and 2000 Trees. Just from the sound of how intricate this album is it’s clear to see how hard these guys have worked. It’s refreshing to find a band that can manipulate themselves and extend across a large spectrum of music. ‘Kill Your Conscience’ begins as an extremely fast paced track but almost brings itself completely down into indie rock territory before being thrown back into a boundary that can only be described as semi metal. ‘This Song is Dedicated to Nobody’ is the angsty track that this generation will go nuts for, clearly about someone who’s done wrong to the writer but clearly it’s about no one. It’s a rollercoaster of speedy guitar riffs and emotional vocals. Boston Manor have crossed the boundary between emo and rock and created another incredible act to come straight out of England. Following in the steps of acts such as You Me At Six and Mallory Knox I can only imagine this debut album will be their chance to propel themselves further into the alternative rock world in the UK and overseas. RO
Dance Gavin Dance - Mothership Dance, Gavin Dance have always been one of those bands that I’ve passed over and not really given any time to, not out of any bias or dislike just because I’ve never thought to listen to them. I was wrong to do this. These guys have the perfect combination of singing and screaming that seems to dominate the alternative music scene. The opening track ‘Chucky vs. The Giant Tortoise’ is just a complete ear worm that will leave you singing along for the rest of time. ‘Flossie Dickey Bounce’ is a ridiculously dancy and fun track that begins with incredible screams of “cocaine” and “Christmas”. The rhythm behind it also has a jazzy disco theme that wouldn’t be totally out of place on Beverly Hills Cop. Dance Gavin Dance seem to be able to fuse any genre together and make it work. ‘Inspire the Liars’ seem to blend the angsty tension of old Taking Back Sunday with the funky jazz beats of Don Broco, if there is one song needed to understand the brilliance of this album, then it would definitely be this one. The vocals offered by both Tilian Pearson and Jon Mess work perfectly together and seem to combine effortlessly with the array of instruments on offer to create this incredible sound. It’s noticeable how well this combination works on ‘Here Comes The Winner’, without the screaming elements this would probably be one to dominate the radio waves, but somehow I just don’t think that’s what these guys are about. From the very moment the single ‘Chucky vs. The Giant Tortoise’ starts this album is just a mixture of all different genres perfectly crafted to create an unforgettable listening experience. It’s certainly made me want to go back and explore these guys from their roots. RO
Of Mice & Men - Cold World In a mere six years Of Mice and Men have gone from a band living in Attack! Attack!’s shadow to one that has truly cemented itself as one to watch in this golden generation of metalcore acts. The raw vocals from Austin Carlisle are second to none and the breakdowns are intense. A very emotional beginning for ‘Cold War’ features Carlisle singing along harmoniously with an over bearing, looming and almost haunting bass guitar. This works quite well, seeing as he’s singing about how awful the ‘Cold World’ is. It’s really on ‘The Lie’ when we begin to see the more familiar side of Of Mice and Men. The brilliant guitar techniques and amazing screaming choruses are to be admired, however the ending feels lazy with the chant “why do some have it all and others they have none?”. It feels like a mantra that’s been thought up in a matter of seconds and is designed to be insightful and thought provoking but really it just seems strange. The pure and raucous vocals from Carlisle are something to be admired and crossed with the incredible instrument work create some amazing tracks such as; ‘Real’, ‘The Hunger’ and of course the rip roaring single ‘Pain’, not to mention the awesome intro of - leading up to it. ‘Like a Ghost’ is almost a homage to Korn, the way it slowly builds with soft vocals growing into an eventual all out rock rampage. Even the guitars accompanied in the chorus seem to resonate with Jonathan Davies and his band of men but that only adds to this track’s awesomeness. A wonderful orchestral minute is shown just before the end of this album with the incredible ‘+’. Though only just over 70 seconds long it’s a magnificent piece of music that speaks on so many levels. Of Mice and Men have certainly paid their dues up until now, they’ve been on the slow rise in the rock and alternative world and only now are people starting to pay them any attention in the mainstream. This album could be the step to take them higher. RO
Feeder - All Bright Electric If anyone ever says “I don’t like Feeder” then they are just a damn liar. That’s just a fact. Their breakthrough into the alternative rock scene back in the day was something to behold and with the classic tracks such as ‘Just a Day’ and ‘Buck Rogers’ still creating waves wherever they go this is just a band who have always had what it takes. There are still the elements of the classic Feeder in this album, especially on tracks such as ‘Paperweight’, ‘Divide the Minority’ and ‘Universe of Life’. The incredible electric guitar rhythms provided are amazing and truly give an isight into this bands classic sound. That being said it is evident that these are not the same two guys who humbly came from Wales to deliver their brand of rock and roll. This is an album created by people who have matured as the music industry has moved around them. However it’s nice to see a band that can change and adapt and not just live in the past of its glory days. The single ‘Eskimo’ is a far cry from their usual singles released and it’s clear they’re reaching for a very different audience that they used to. There’s a similar impression on ‘Infrared-Ultraviolet’. The harmonic keyboard playing truly displays how toned down this band have become. Though Feeder aren’t the same rock band that changed a scene forever with their incredible tracks they still have what it takes to be relevant in this modern, ever changing music scene. RO
Scribble Victory - Expectations Acoustic-pop duo Scribble Victory brainchild of Jamie Thompson (acoustic guitar and vocals) and also featuring Tomas Ward (drums and vocals) hailing from Derby, have already accumulated a fair amount of attention following their two EPs prior to this one. The thing about this Scribble Victory album is, it’s almost too “nice”. It is by far one of the most morosely nice albums we have heard since the last Adele album. If you enjoy nice, quiet, peaceful music that passes in through one ear and out the other without leaving so much as a memorable lyric or noticeable emotional connection you will probably love this album. For those of us that need something a bit more tangible or engaging in our music this kind of album is one that shall forever be the kind of stuff we only listen to when it’s put on in the background of quite posh pubs. AL
Sharkteeth Grinder - Volume 1 Sharkteeth Grinder, as well as having one of the coolest names we have heard in a long time and a Bandcamp page so bright we had to lie in a dark room for a few hours after visiting it, also now have an EP to their name. You would be mistaken at first for thinking that this EP is simply a hardcore EP. Yes, at times that is exactly what it is. No-nonsense, punch-someone-in-thehead-and-neck-a-can-of-Red-Stripe hardcore. But if you listen to this after being told that there is some nu-metal bounce in the riffing, ‘Volume 1’ becomes a bit more than just a hardcore EP. Imagine Stray From The Path meets Celldweller and you start to get to how some of this sounds. These guys have a long way to go before they make any kind of impact on the music scene. But we think if they stick at it and expand their ideas a bit more, they might be good enough to drop some jaws with a full-length album. AL
Alter Bridge - The Last Hero After three years, Alter Bridge are back with the follow up to ‘Fortress’. After a few years away doing other projects, it is back to the day job with an album that is eagerly awaited following the quality of the output from the two main men. With ‘Show Me A Leader’ they have the perfect opening track, with a high octane, powerful crusher as he pleads for a leader “so hope never dies”. It could easily be the backing track to this years American presidential elections which finds two pretty shocking candidates…..The album, as the title suggests is an album that seeks out heroes for the modern day, but what even are heroes these days? It used to be black and white, in the way of Hulk Hogan for example, seeing as the bands sound has been used by WWE among other sporting institutions. These days it tends to be shades of grey and they certainly play on it by engaging the ugly world of politics with a song like ‘Crows on A Wire’ but then with a song that pays tribute to Kennedy’s parents in ‘My Champion’. In among the big riffs and stadium worthy choruses come the tender and with a song like ‘You Will Be Remembered’ they bring to the fore the memory of those who laid down their lives for their country. It is a subject a lot of bands don’t tackle and it is to Alter Bridges credit that they do. The title track closes the album and it is an epic closer, Kennedy’s voice piercing some massive high notes, Tremonti crashing out melodic and catchy riffs and the band just tear it up. Could this be Alter Bridge’s best album so far? Possibly, that is for the fans to debate and decide but it is without doubt right up there and the strength of these songs makes an already unmissable UK arena tour even more of a hot ticket. AN
Erik Chandler Band - The Truth When you’ve been in the same day job for over half of your life, making a change isn’t particularly unexpected or difficult to justify. When that day job also happens to be a Pop-Punk band that have made a release for what’s equivalent to nearly every other year of your life, taking the plunge into the world of side-projects also seems like a pretty fair decision. Six years ago, Bowling For Soup’s bassist-cumcomic Erik Chandler began his journey into that side project, culminating in ‘The Truth’, the Erik Chandler Band’s debut album. It stems from his 2012 EP ‘Writing The Wrongs’, which was released solely under his name and featured four songs that have all received a solid revamp for the new album. Musicians pursuing side projects can also often fall into the trap of making music that just sounds like a tribute to their mainstay, but fortunately Chandler is in no danger of doing so. The absolute closest he comes is during opener ‘After12’, a bouncy, jaunty Punk-Rock sing-along. Setting the tone for the majority of the album, its upbeat and feel-good in its general sound, but certainly not in its lyrical content and themes. That in itself is a beautiful feat that isn’t always executed very well when attempted, but it certainly is here. Listen without paying close attention and you’ll find a smile growing across your face. Concentrate and study the lyrics and you’ll find the opposite starts to happen. In this relatively new project, Chandler has swapped four strings for six and entered the limelight as the band’s frontman, accompanied by Doug McGrath on the bass and Duncan Black bashing the skins at the back. Listening through the next few tracks of the album makes it quickly evident that Chandler’s duties as a backing vocalist in BFS were under-appreciated. Whilst Jaret Reddick is responsible for their signature vocals and sound (which are brilliant), Chandler’s hoarse and softly sung vocals are an absolute talent. ‘The Truth’ has a prominent theme of self-depreciation, heartbreak and generally anything melancholy. That’s highlighted even further in the slower acoustic tracks, with lines like “it may be hard to believe all the things that they say about me, I'm just a wreck with a tattered heart sewn on his sleeve” on ‘Tonight’s The Night’.
‘Malibu Classic’ makes a return to the tempo of track one and is certainly welcome in doing so, as that remains for most of the album. It feels much more light-hearted and is generally more poppy, with a string of woahs addressing the chorus and a melody as catchy as hell. The band’s debut record is self-proclaimed ‘Rocket Pop’ and aside from a type of ice lolly, I’m a little unsure of what that describes. What it is, however, is folk-tinged straight-up rock music, with country inspired lyrics and summery undertones. ‘Push The Pedal’ really does have a folk feel to it and ‘It Ain’t Right’ is soft and chirpy – potentially one of the justifications for the “pop” side of the record. Chandler certainly wasn’t a happy bunny in the times he refers to during each song, but that’s no more evident than in ‘This Time’ which does allow a lot of anger to seep through amongst the sadness. The whole experience is obviously very cathartic, or at least therapeutic, which is exactly what songwriting should be. Erik Chandler has done a grand job of laying all his cards down in the form of a rock record and rightly so, in a different direction to his mainstay. Leaving the cheese and corny lines aside (which definitely aren’t overwhelming, but do feature in tracks like ‘You Were Gone’ during the opening lines), ‘The Truth’ is a solid debut album and a great, honest display of something different that the BFS bassist has to offer. ND
Taking Back Sunday - Tidal Wave Making their rise to fame amidst the ascent of “emo” in the early to mid 2000s, Taking Back Sunday are one of the lucky ones. They’re lucky, because aside from Fall Out Boy and Brand N- they who must not be named, there are few of the genre’s heavyweights still around. 17 years and a Platinum selling record later, they’re still relevant, having just released not only their seventh record, but also one of their best. ‘Tidal Wave’ is their third release in as many years (if deluxe albums can be counted) and there’s not a sign of creative exhaustion or fatigue on it – it’s quite the opposite, actually. Opener ‘Death Wolf’ roars the album into life, and maybe lulls the seasoned TBS listener into a false sense of security. After an ambient minute-long intro, Adam Lazarra inhales, pulling us in close, before plunging into the opening lines of the album’s most driving, pulsating track, and potentially one of the best the band have written to date. It takes the familiarity of early TBS angst and transforms it into real, grown-up anger and pent up frustrations, which bleed through clear as day. It stands as an album highlight alongside the follow up selftitled track, ‘Call Come Running’, ;Fences’ and ‘Holy Water’. That self-titled track is really the one that effectively sets the record’s tone and introduces us to a sound very new for TBS. Like all bands, particularly those that thrived in an era of music that effectively (and unfortunately) had a sell-by-date, development and maturation are something of a necessity. The direction that the band takes is always an interesting one, even more so when an emo band delves into Americana. ‘Holy Water’ is akin to the sonic pregnancy of The Gaslight Anthem and old school 1970s punk, something like The Ramones. It’s bouncy and refreshing: an authentic sounding re-styling of eras of the past. ‘Fences’ is heart-felt and beautiful. It’s light in sound, but thematically heavy and resonates deep with the listener. It features a signature tempo shift towards the end, too, and features some of the album’s finest lyrics “Is there always enough strength for the next step, is there always a way back from your regrets? I want to hear you say it’ll be okay. I want to hear you say it’s not too late”. ‘Holy Water’ is the track I feel really lets Lazarra flexes his vocal chords. His trademark sound sprawls all over in various directions, pitch and sound and it’s fuelled by raw emotion and passion. It’s ballad-like, as is the closing track ‘I’ll Find A Way To Make It What You Want’ – although, I feel that they may have worked slightly better reversed in the track listing. ‘Holy Water’ just has a more grandiose sort of sound, and may have brought a more effective crescendo.
‘Homecoming’ is another track that leans towards the peaceful and soft sort of sound and does so extremely well, but the rippling guitar line that opens ‘Call Come Running’ (quite reminiscent of FOB’s Thnks Fr The Mmrs, in fact,) the huge chorus and the shredding, winding mini-solos make it one of the albums only bangers. That blend of low-tempo and the odd higher-octane track make ‘Tidal Wave’ dynamic and exciting to listen to – if the change in the band’s general musical style wasn’t enough, that in itself will keep you guessing. Despite their shift in genre and general maturation, it’s still recognisably Taking Back Sunday. Lazarra’s vocals may have a huge variation, but they’re still always distinctly him. From somebody that’s never been a huge Taking Back Sunday fan, but from somebody that has never disliked them or underappreciated them either, this record is huge. It’s a massive step in a different direction – something that can go very much one of two ways – but fortunately, it’s lead right towards the favourable one. There isn’t a song that’s overtly weak by any stretch. There are songs that have weak parts – ‘I Felt It Too’ sounds tired and worn out, but then again, that’s what the track details anyway, and ‘In The Middle of It All’ has some questionable use of autotune that really seems to have no purpose. TBS have never been perfect, though, and that’s what makes them what and who they are, giving them a quality that few bands manage to attain. ND
Loose Joints - A Bitter Satisfaction Essex four-piece Loose Joints have released their third EP ‘A Bitter Satisfaction’ which showcases the bands most decadent work to date. A bluesy psychedelic mix-up strives throughout as the perfect blend of rock blues and easy drifting psychedelia achieves a blissfully breezy EP. Opener ‘Chain Smoker’ begins with a whimsical riff as Joe Kean’s vocals range from clear and well-spoken to slurred and sticky as the track transcends into a mist of musical smoke. The vocals constantly flutter between Falsetto choruses and heavy blues riffs before fully consuming themselves in all out rebellion as the lyrics “there’s no smoking, but fuck it, have a cigarette” rings out. Following the sexualised sludge that is ‘Chain Smoker’, track two, ‘Demolition Artist’ slows things down, showing a more structured and poised side to the band. The slurred vocals are again at the forefront with the heavy blues riff identifying Loose Joints as a rebellious musical badass following nothing but their own sense of direction. The end of ‘Demolition Artist’ blends unnoticeably into the ‘Interlude’ which acts as a fitting transition to closing track ‘Focus’. A slowed down and sombre track compared to the other two but still maintains the essence that the band hold. The four tracks featured on the EP each bring a talent of the bands to light. Kean’s vocals show that by simply changing the length they can instantly morph the entire atmosphere of a track whereas the rest of the band take it in turns to become the forefront of a track before fading to the back, whilst still maintaining presence. ‘Chain Smoker’ is a sassy sludge fest teasing the rebellious attitude the Essex lads have whereas ‘Focus’ demonstrates the chromatic and psychedelic power they hold. Throughout ‘A Bitter Satisfaction’ it is clear Loose Joints know exactly what their sound is. It’s a floaty psychedelic heavy blues mash up that effortlessly drifts through whatever sound they naturally arrive at with a rebellious “fuck it” approach. NS
Safire - Under My Skin Despite being relatively fresh to the music scene it appears that Safire are pretty clear of exactly who and what they are. According to their Facebook page, they are influenced by 80s classic rock. An influence which bleeds throughout the three-track ‘Under My Skin’ EP through enticing guitar solos mixed with lead female vocalist Saffron Gormon’s powerful delivery. The EP begins with title track ‘Under My Skin’, which teases unfamiliar audiences with a translucent psychedelic floating notion as Gormon’s vocals echo as though floating above the air, before plummeting back down to earth via lead guitarist Tim Torren’s heavy rock riff disturbing the peace and turning things more sinister. Hitting the ground with an immemnse thud, it then seems a little disappointing that once a mosh pit inducing riff kicks in with the impact Safire master, the rest of the track fails to continue the momentum. There are moments where an opportunity for an awe-inspiring solo to blast the listener to the next oblivion is there for the taking, but instead the gradually dull riff drags ‘Under My Skin’ far below its potential. Luckily for Safire, this is not a continuous trend amongst there EP as ‘Fallen Angel’ and ‘Sunshine’ pick up the slack. With Torren’s full range of guitar skills fully on show as he effortlessly glides through his enticing solo. With Cozy McAuly on drums and Dean Kane on bass carrying the structure of the band as Gormon and Torren lead the way, Safire truly find their sound at the back end of the EP. Closing track ‘Sunshine’ is easily the most definitive track however, with each of the creases seen throughout the first half being ironed out as the no nonsense, no hostages taken rawness defines Safire entirely. With the full range of each of the bands talents culminating together to form a track that truly packs the punch. The lyrics are written and delivered in a more sincere tone which seems to come off better for the front women. The raunchy guitars are diverse and carry the track through twists and turns of hard-hitting rock, countered by the emotive vocals, creating the best track from the Northern Irish four-piece yet. Overall, ‘Under My Skin’ is a tale of a band still finding their feet but eventually finding themselves with an impressive and definitive sound. They are heavy, dirty and brilliantly unique, and definitely one to look out for.
NS
Nucleust - Resistivity Following the success of 2014’s EP ‘Fractured Equilibrium’, Australian four piece Nucleust have been making quite a name for themselves. With the release of their latest EP ‘Resistivity’ hitting the shelves and proving to be a solid addition to an impressive repertoire, it’s surely a matter of time before a full long play is on the horizon. Kicking off the four track EP is ‘Fear the Fearless’. A track which explores the emotions of a troubled soul, struggling to come to terms with an ever changing world. Delivered through aggressive screams but conveying a strong sense of emotion. The sharp and assertive guitars add depth to vocalist Shannon Marston’s lyrics in order to deliver a strong start to the return of Nucleust. Following the gut wrenching whirl of the first track comes the binary opposite in the form of ‘Tanbur’. A 39 second piece which is basically a long winded intro for the third track ‘Of King and Tree’. Whereas ‘Fear the Fearless’ can be somewhat linked to a distant lovechild of The Beatles ‘Helter Skelter’, Tanbur could easily be slotted into a back end of a psychedelic Beatles album. Soothing to the ears as the short interval of ‘Tanbur’ is, it only adds to the build of the heavily stricken guitars as ‘King of a Tree’ begins. Adding to the stacks of talent this band have already shown to possess, the full range of Marston’s vocals are out on show as he proves he can do far more than just the aggressive screams. The beginning of the third track offers a lighter tone, almost as if to signify a shift of mentality has breezed across the band. Somewhere around the two and half minute mark however the imminent arrival of the signature snarls and screams kick back into action as the most explosive track of the piece picks up the pace. Bringing ‘Resistivity’ to an end is the re-mastered ‘Faith by the Sword’ which fans may recognise as it was released as a single a little over a year ago. Continuing with the chugging guitar riffs, wide range of harmonious and yet volatile screams whilst conveying strong emotive messages, bringing the EP to a perfect end. ‘Resistivity’ is a compelling and harsh EP that only showcases the immense talent this Australian four-piece have. They’re abrasive yet emotional, they shake the heart and the body inducing a raw sense of emotion leaving you breathless confused and impressed by the time the final chord is struck. NS
Big Machine - Bigger Machine After releasing one track a day to their Bandcamp page, Manchester post-metal hardcore duo Big Machine now have their latest EP ‘Bigger Machine’ available online. ‘Bigger Machine’ features seven tracks, each distancing itself from its predecessor as the Manchester duo showcase their full range of what each bring to the table. ‘Fangdy’ is a 47 second intro track which begins with what sounds like a washing machine, a somewhat ironic sound for a band named Big Machine to start with. Around the 20 second mark, an exciting and upbeat guitar riff featuring happy licks kicks in. Within a blink of an eye, ‘Fangdy’ morphs into a heavy monster. The very purpose of ‘Fangdy’ is to act as an intro to ‘Love Will Find a Way’ as it wastes no time in aggressive screams, countered by the fact the underlying message is a positive one encouraging a troubling love story. The choppy guitar riffs refuse to continue the same pattern remaining the track fresh and exciting, constantly drifting between heavy mosh-pit inducing blasts and light staccato break-downs. The refusal to remain to one sound is a theme continued throughout ‘Bigger Machine’ as vocalist Sacha Zucconi demonstrates his intense ability to scream aggressive motivational messages and the ability to actually hold a note demonstrated in ‘Mutual’ as drummer Nick Colman is structured, he’s precise, and he even offers vocals, further demonstrating the immense talent of the pair. As tracks ‘Introwidows’ and ‘Steve Brooks’ bring the EP to an end, the band take a more halted approach and become slower, vocals float delicately as the more emotive side of the pair is brought to the forefront. Before fans think the duo have turned on themselves completely, the inappropriately named ‘Quiet!’ shoves the metalcore back in your face as the band explode into an intense showcase of pure metal. The track demonstrates all of bands talents scattered throughout previous tracks as the guitars remain anxious to play among the emotive spectrum. As quickly as the Big Machine have arrived, messed up your mind, ruined your ear drums and blasted the very flesh from your skin, they fade away into the ambience sound of a bustling street. NS
A Blue Flame - The Girl Inside of You ‘The Girl Inside of You’ is a flame that sadly does not burn too brightly. There is a cheery element to the lyrical themes referencing that child inside of everyone that most people still believe to be inside of them. With these lyrics layered on top of a major chord sequence and joyful melody there is something to like about it. But the vocals are a bit flat and this takes away from the energy and promise shown. As it is such a prominent part of the track it is hard to overlook the uplifting effect the music has. The singing drains it a little and that is a shame.
EJ Klyver - The Island There is something about this band that I think everyone can like as this album is an expansive sound with many caveats. Originating from Newcastle here on the UK you would not be the only person to think that from the band’s name and sound that they helm from one of the Scandinavian countries. That is a compliment as the region is known for creating a lot of very good music in a variety of different genres (ABBA, First Aid Kit, Katatonia and Ghost Brigade). First off as I opened up the link to listen to the album, the cover was the first thing that took my eye after the interesting name, that image of a number of large slanted buildings and the coastline in the forefront of the image. It was a good first impression, but would it hold up? The introductory song is a lengthy 13:41 with a song of this length there are a number of worries that come along with it. Can the band keep it interesting? How will they fill the space? Will they try too many different things that will not work together? Fortunately this group are talented enough to make the track gripping for the full length of it. Drifting from harder rock tones to a more spacey middle with epic guitar solos and crashing symbols. The worry of them trying too much is not a factor as they have constructed a sound and stick by it to great effect. ‘Monolith’ is a more melodic, slower paced number to begin with and it fits in perfectly. Showing again that the band is very, very good at what they do. The main guitar line is clean and captivates you with its movements, when the guitars go from that cleanness to heavy gain to add a momentous shift in sound giving this song an extra dynamic. ‘The Island’ is a pleasure to listen to with the monstrous riffs, quiet moments and throwback keyboard/organs that make up a complete album. An island that everyone should visit. EJ
Atonismen - Almagest The word epic does not cover the two track from this Russian outfit. The first of the seven minute plus songs ‘Almagest’ has almost everything you can think of when it comes to humongous vast metal, with the insanely frantic guitar riffs that match the extremely harsh vocals. The vocals are interesting because they are not the stereotypical low register growls but opting instead for a more mid-ranged to high pitched screeching much like Danny Filth of the famed Cradle of Filth. Though not to everyone’s taste, it is still impressive to be able to use your vocal chords in such a way. ‘Sorry’ again starts in a similar fashion to the track before it with a low build up then the controlled chaos is added to the mix. There is something to be said about the complex and intricate nature of both the pieces on this fourteen minute plus EP. They are huge tectonic shifts that last for a while; ‘Almagest’ and ‘Sorry’ have many sonic aspects for listeners to pick up on each listen. Bringing something new to multiple listens is always something to get excited about for music fans, and this EP does this and it must be appreciated by all who hear it. EJ
Heaven’s Guardian- Signs With a name like Heaven’s Guardian it would be expected for there to be a touch of the dramatic on the record. Straight from the get go there is just that, a swirling and epic orchestral introduction ending with a narrative from the Viking era. This seven piece Brazilian group then lay on the power metal and rock out with the quick and powerful ‘Time’. There are many things to like about it, the heart pounding bass, drum combo to the expertly played guitars. The singing from Flavio Mendez and Olivia Bayer contrast each other in the most positive of ways. With Mendez’s gruff style being the darker side of the musical genre and Bayer bringing a nice touch of light with her smooth but still powerful delivery. ‘Journey’ is a metal song smashed together with a classic eight bit video game soundtrack from the 1980’s. But as the song goes on the vocals of Mendez really do not hold up as he seems to be straining and it makes his parts uncomfortable to listen to. This happens on a few occasions, fortunately for our ears and where it does the rest of the bands impressiveness acts as a buffer. It is completely taken out of the picture on ‘Time’ as Bayor is the only one to have tracked vocals so for those who may not like the rougher style have something from this album to enjoy. Heaven’s Guardian are at their best when all the musicians are in sync and the mix of a more traditional singing with the metal elements that the extremely technically gifted band mates unleash is a great and dynamic listen. EJ
The Amorettes - White Hot Heat Coming hot on the heels of the 2015 release ‘Game On’ the Scottish trio release a no nonsense LP that harps back to the greats of Jan Jett and the Black Hearts and The Distillers with ‘White Hot Heat’ mixing punk, hard rock and a bit of metal. It keeps the album from being too monotonous but the fast paced 10 tracks fly by and before you know it’s over. Off to a rocketing start Gill Montgomery (vocals, guitar), Heather McKay (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Hannah McKay (drums, backing vocals) really lay it on in the first song ‘Batter Up’. This is important as first songs set up what is to come. The chunky guitars bite through with the attitude filled vocals and a hooky chorus, there is a lot for listeners to like about ‘Batter Up’. The album though does stick to this formula with many of the other nine songs following suit. It makes the album consistent but it does limit it at the same time. This does not take away from the enjoyment of the up-tempo rock but the album is not helped by the lyrics, highlighted in a couple of songs ‘Man Meat’ and ‘Pervert Alert’. They are too generic and at moments cringe worthy. This is a knock on the trio as for the most part they are playing great, with riffs laden through the record but it is sad because these songs take away from the very good musicianship that is on show. They may not be the most memorable of tracks and have some faults lyrically but the nice solos do show technical ability and it is easy to listen to. That is what this style of music is all about, it is not supposed to be epic and self indulgent, just three musicians rocking out, and they hit that nail on the head. EJ
The Sad Song Co.- Legacy of Love Coming from Nigel Powell the drummer of Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls and Jason Moulster is a soft and breezy folk single. Taking the forefront is the tender vibrations of the vocal chords against the plucked guitar. A fitting hit for the summer time (maybe for next summer though) making it a new camp fire companion for those who like to pick up an acoustic guitar and serenade those they are there with. Is it completely different from all the other folk songs out there? No. But it is still a very pleasant listen and a well crafted song none the less. EJ
Russian Circles - Guidance Hailing from Chicago Russian Circles takes the listener into a cold, harsh Illinois winter but you are overlooking the most serene and calm Crab Orchard Lake. That is where this record transported me, a pitch black night in the middle of a winter but it retains the beauty that comes along in the season of dreaded cold. All seven songs are four minutes or longer with the majority being around the six and a half minute mark. Average music listeners may be put off by the length of the tracks. However they should not be as they are so sonically interesting that they do not drag or get boring. This is not an easy thing to avoid with some instrumental groups who can’t help but get into that “zone” where they must play for ten minutes plus and end up isolating the people who are listening, which can be off putting. Off putting is a term that does not apply to these three men as the ambient, black metal guitar, deep bass and cymbal crashes hook up in ‘Vorel’ transition into the far brighter ‘Mota’ there is something to appreciate for all. That is what really stands out, the effortlessness of how the album goes from dim to bright with such ease. Ebbing and flowing through multiple areas of the vast music landscapes in a way that provides a memorable adventure. That path is only partially laid by Russian Circles and the listener fills in the missing pieces in whatever way the music takes them. ‘Overboard’ was the song where this rings truest as it is the most ambient of the seven pieces with a real sense of freedom. It is the calm of winter; everything is still, a blanket of snow covers everything and it is just peaceful, ‘Overboard’ is exactly that. The mix of the dark songs (Vorel, Calla) with the lighter instalments (Overboard, Asa) ‘Guidance’ is a sonic journey that shows both great playing but also restraint when called for. Highlighting Russian Circles ability as players who paint images with the music they make. As the saying goes, “a picture says a thousand words”, but there is only one that ‘Guidance’ says and that is outstanding. EJ
Wake The Dead - Under The Mask As part of the ever growing French hardcore/heavy music scene the hardcore five piece: Cesar (vocals), Gui & Nico (guitars), Yvan (bass), Kevin (drums) show why the scene is becoming more and more relevant with the second album. A clean bass tone introduces the track ‘Black Cat’ which quickly disappears with the rest of the band exploding with fierce strikes of the guitar and harsh vocals. But the promise of a more melodic track is not lost as the lead guitar is a classic rock tone, ‘Black Cat’ shows that the band do not just stick to their hardcore foundations and for that the albums quality is raised. At the ending a piano leads it out that is just as impactful but even though it is not traditionally linked to the genre, but added here. ‘Loyal Angels’ is constructed in a different way than the rest of the album. It shows that there is another element to their sound other than the distorted aggressive model that is on show for the majority of ‘Under the Mask’. With Cesar changing up his vocal style to clean, he speaks for the first half of the song with the slower guitar building until the 1:23 mark where the distortion pedal is stomped, the drums are hit harder and the pace is picked up to get back into the now familiar sound. Ending in the same way it began the tenth song breaks up the intensity for a few minutes. What is under Wake the Dead’s mask is a furious mix of hardcore songs that pull no punches whilst delivering moments of melody. By exploring techniques outside of the hardcore genre ‘Under the Mask’ widens the audience that could enjoy it. For that the band has delivered this strong record which promises bright future releases from Wake the Dead. EJ
Glue Ear - False Intetnions A classic fuzz and palm muted old school punk hit. With a sense of “not giving one” Glue Ear really do take you back to the early punk. Maybe even the truest form of punk that doesn’t sound crisp and clear but muddy and full of deep bass. A lack of production in this case is a good thing, as it just would not have the same impact if it was more polished. The only thing that does go against the all out punk is the length coming at just over four minutes. That in punk terms is equivalent to a ten minute epic. EJ
Fear Theories - The Predator Fear Theories bring a bit of an older styled metal music into their release, ‘The Predator’. This is their first full-length release and it has potential, but there are just parts to it that seem to miss any mark of what could be. Combining a bit of power melody metal and elements of thrash, showcasing a knack for great riffs but they lack any real punch. There’s rarely a moment across the record that has a build into something explosive, or anything that gives any edge. Does that mean the release is necessarily bad? Well, no. It’s a classic styled formula that is easy to digest, but has others to live up to before becoming a noticeable power in the metal community. The vocals never really have any powerful moments, kind of dulling the pretty catchy refrains. It’s monotonous and crunchy, fitting a bit too well with the sound of the guitars. The drums seem to be holding back, just providing a beat without diving into complex patterns to add any atypical syncopation. Sure there is a fill or two or three that blend well into the music, but it’s a bit robotic, except for the guitars that venture off into pleasurable solos in standard verse/chorus/vers/chorus/bridge/solo/verse/chorus — or something to that effect. As Fear Theories progress I can only hear them gaining more of a prowess in dynamic songwriting, finding new ways to bring metal back to this vintage style with fuel fire bangers. SG
Bobgoblin - Love Lost For Blood Lust An upbeat, cheery version of punk that cuts right to the point with highly contagious hooks. Remember Motion City Soundtrack, the band that just called it quits? Well this is a slightly less prominent band with many of the same qualities and characteristics that bleed on ‘Love Lost For Blood Lust’. Synth leads that make the progression a bit more eccentric, not overly complex parts that just brighten the ash of the world a bit. It’s that slight bit that makes it a perfect listen for a plethora of situations. Need some music to drive to? Try ‘Fighting Machines’, it’s a bit like a happy go lucky garage band with enough energy to be slamming your open palm against the steering wheel. ‘Feel No Pain’ can be played at any social gathering with a playlist focused on easy going music that does not want to put anyone to sleep. The numerous melodies backing the main progressions enhance the depth of the song to a point where a smile might escape on your face. ‘Eternal Snow’ is the punk ballad taking a simple metaphor and making the song pop and glisten against the imagery of a season not enjoyed by many. This is all sung against an orchestra of delicate guitar licks. For a simple release, this is one that stands out as something admirable because it knows its strengths and charges head first, but not really that aggressively. SG
Hummer - Work.Home.Bed From the title of this release I could almost understand the presence that would be emanating from the music. Monotony within one’s life can be such a displeasure, it causes a slight angst that seems to overwhelm the body with panic because we always want for more. The stagnancy is anything but apparent in Work.Home.Bed. by Hummer. It’s not that this group are saying anything brand new, rather that the way they bring forth their message is another reason the punk spirit continues to breathe with vigor in this day and age. The spirit has always been about the breaking of the natural pattern the world wants. Really richened in the lyrics of ‘What Do We Know’, Hummer want to stop having the world knock us down, trying to stop our advances before we find out who we are.
Chord progressions are the driving force of Work.Home.Bed but the vocals are outlined with a rough edge to them, making the subject content make sense when one realizes that this is what punk music should sound like. It’s raw, invigorating and inspired, even when daydreaming in a track like ‘Older and Wiser’. Punk makes us grow to be this, I’m sure of it and so is Hummer. SG
Of Kings and Captains - Give ‘Em Hell Son This EP by Of Kings and Captains is the early 2000s pop-punk/emo that many of us twenty somethings grew up with, except modernized. In the first track off of ‘Give ‘Em Hell Son’ entitled ‘Ain’t Got The Heart’, the band name drops Pinterest and Twitter, citing daily trivialities in regards to try get out of a sticky situation. It’s like the youth of Fall Out Boy but envisioned in this new world lens. It’s slightly addicting for how much of a biting similarity it is to these earlier works. ‘Hold On’ is a touching ballad lined with piercing guitar melodies and that whined out voice people fell in love with so long ago, why not start again? SG
Bad Moon Born - Chemical Lullabies ‘Chemical Lullabies’ is the debut EP from the Sydney hard rockers. It’s an EP which doesn’t disappoint. Opener ‘Promised Land’ is packed full of swagger and riffs with a huge foot stomping chorus. Second track ‘Chemical Lullabies’ makes things a little sweeter, with that a naughty twisting riff meandering through before another belting chorus. The ballad sits nicely during the third track, albeit a little flat. But Bad Moon Born really know how to bring things to a close during the final track ‘Beauty & Fury’. A flurry of anthemic, stadium filling rock and roll which just sounds huge. A brilliant little EP for any fans of the classic rock genre. PD
Opeth - Sorceress Progressive metal masters Opeth are back with their twelfth album and follow up to 2014s ‘Pale Communion’ with, ‘Sorceress’, which is their first offering through Nuclear Blast and the bands own imprint Moderbolaget Records. Opeth are highly revered for their signature layered sounds, and this album is no exception. Opening song, ‘Persephone’ named after the Greek Goddess and queen of the underworld, is calming and melodic, with joyful acoustic guitar, that holds an air of sorrow and despair, this is simply beautiful and captivates the essence of Greek tragedy wonderfully. Title track, ‘Sorceress’ possesses interesting bouncy dark rhythms and Akerfeldt’s signature flawless vocals surge, and paired with the instrumental style, it holds an old school metal sound. This embodies the album perfectly. Latest offering, “The Wilde Flowers” is actually a very apt description for the song and the band’s sound throughout, as it is unusual and yet beautifully captivating – this has the makings of a fan favourite and all time classic Opeth song. ‘Will O The Wisp’ flows wonderfully on, with sweet guitar melodies and stunning clean vocals, it is extremely rich and depthful, making it a pleasure to listen to. They have a way of delving deep into your soul and leaving you almost enlightened with reflective thought provoking lyrics such as, “You know your soul is weighed on the silver scale of deceit and lies”.
‘Sorceress 2’ has a beautifully haunting sound, which exhibits a slight eerie untamed edge, flowing seamlessly on to ‘The Seventh Sojourn’, which is essentially a instrumental that has a very upbeat exotic adventurous and mesmerising sound, which gets more dramatic and atmospheric as it unfolds. It sounds like it could be the accompanying music whilst a dark spell is under way amongst a coven of witches. ‘Strange Brew’ is an extremely fitting title, as it takes an unexpected and strange turn in this heavy dark and manic offering. It features some of the best vocals so far and impressive guitars, which they demonstrate excellently throughout and make it fully immersive, hanging on to note. We end on ‘Era’ which has a massive and ambient sound, which is brilliantly pristine and masterful, before cleverly seeping into the closing outro which revisits the start of the song and the opener track in a delicate and hopeful fashion. Only Opeth could execute this with such grace and power whilst taking you on a musical rollercoaster that you would happily endure over and over again. This is a gloriously rich textured album, which is no surprise coming from Opeth who seem to have boundless creativity and superior craftsmanship. It is instantly captivating and holds a classic Opeth sound that is steeped in their dark roots, with bleak and intelligible lyrics adding a familiarity to their successful fan favourite, ‘Blackwater Park’ album, as well as having a fresh exciting and luscious sound. They certainly pay homage to their older sound, so ‘Sorceress’ acts as the perfect cacophony of sounds, creating the ultimate myriad and again adding yet another eye opening layer to their impressive repertoire. CL
Every Time I Die – Low Teens American Metalcore quintet from New York strike hard with diverse eighth album and show their softer more playful side and continue to change the stereotype of hardcore genres. Opener, ‘Fear and Trembling’ starts with an unnerving and evil dishevelled guitar intro, quickly backed up by fearsome drawn out screams from Keith Buckley, which perfectly embodies the context of the song title and sets the tone for the rest of the album wonderfully… ‘Glitches’ wastes no time as it furiously kicks off with a more upbeat crazed vibe, this is seriously catchy and rhythmic. Interestingly titled and latest song, ‘C++’ (Love Will Get You Killed) shakes things up a bit, and has a different sound. It’s very melodic and strangely soothing in the clean sections, but even the screamed vocals hold their definition, making this a top track. ‘Two Summers’ continues this change of direction, bringing groovy bluesy guitars and soulful southern fierce vocals. They up their efforts in what is possibly the most memorable song, presenting a dilemma with each song standing out for its individuality and craftsmanship. The raging super charged, ‘I Didn’t Want To Join Your Stupid Cult Anyway’ is damn catchy and well written and nasty as hell, in the greatest sense. Who wants to start an ETID cult then?!...Back to the gritty southern roots with ‘It Remembers’ with heavy down tuned swaying riffs, strong clean and dual vocals with swanky southern roots embedded – another must hear. This album feels like it has a spilt personality at times going from more chilled rock to full blown mental, evident in the likes of ‘Petal’ and ‘The Coin Has A Say’ and then a change in mood with, ‘Religion Of Speed’ with an eerie vibe with powerful vocal outbursts and chugging instruments, along with some of the most positive memorable moments thrown in for good measure. This isn’t conventional metalcore; they inject so much more with a plethora of diverse sounds and transitions to keep you on your toes, but each direction is sublimely executed and still remains cohesive, going back to their roots and coming full circle. There are no faults or low points to be seen here. CL
Storm The Sky - Sin Will Find You Post hardcore/metalcore quartet from Melbourne unleash their sophomore album, bringing with it a more brutal side that is cemented in honesty and sees them reflect on tough times and experiences… Opening song, ‘Second Best’ is ambient and hopeful but also holds a heavy heart. It’s extremely atmospheric, aided by female vocals and the emotive and distressing vocals from front-man, William Jarratt, making it an Intense gripping opener. To keep us hooked is the haunting single, ‘Jaded Ghost’ which picks up the pace and is very dynamic and jumps out at you in a mental rage, before doomy low tuned instruments entwined with backing vocals add to the depth. There is an air of restlessness and madness which ‘Medicine’ strongly highlights. The flawless vulnerable vocals make it easy to get engulfed and help you forget your pains and troubles just with a dose of ‘Medicine’ that you will keep going back for more of. Single, ‘Lilac’ takes you to a serene dream like vibe, whilst being delicate yet dramatic and tense, whereas closing song, ‘Burning’ is set to daze and confuse and sounds like it’s malfunctioned with unexpected brilliant results. It is unsettling in the greatest sense. They are set to stun with this inspired and creative atmospheric and emotional journey – it would be a sin to not give this a listen! CL
King 810 – Le Petite Mort or A Conversation With God This Michigan based metal act are back with their second release following their controversial debut LP ‘Memoirs Of A Murderer’. The anticipated album which name translates as “a conversation with God” certainly doesn’t hold back either. Be prepared to be taken to the darkest corners of the human mind in these thirteen tracks, which seems fitting to add to the fear and trepidation… To start things of we have the seriously unnerving scene setting ‘Heavy Lies The Crown’, which is belligerent with deliciously dark lines such as “the devil is in my bone marrow”. It has many tactics to produce a crazed sound, from raging unhuman sounds of pure rage aided by talking audio clips…shall we delve further into the abyss?!... Latest song, ‘Alpha & Omega’ highlights their tech metal/electronic influences further and contains a huge industrial sounding chorus, and again features brilliant grim lyrics, in keeping with the lyrical content of the opener. ‘Give Me My People Back’ is an unrelenting eerie plea helped by manic yet moving whispers, while ‘Vendettas’ takes the crazy up to a new level if possible, especially with use of sound clips and effects again. Things take a different diverse turn in form of stripped back yet tense, ‘Black Swan’ which is extremely sombre and sorrowful, portrayed well through an orchestra and string instruments giving it a tragic and dramatic feel. Title track, ‘Le Petite Mort’ is an extended riled up nasty offering, which is particularly uneasy with a chilling choking atmosphere and some of the most controversial uneasy lyrics so far. ‘War Time x Trick Trick’ ramps up the mentalness and also has a vulnerable creepy side with group choiresque vocals, as well as some heavy rapping with American rap artist, Trick Trick featuring, hence the name. ‘Life’s Not Enough’ and ‘War Time... .’ help add variety and break things up a bit, especially with the added surprise of a saxophone to add hopeful yet unsettling sounds amongst the pessimism. ‘Me and Maxine’ also comes as a surprise, and has an almost chilled back jazz club instrumental vibe, being sultry gritty with a soulful/bluesy sound, being an unconventional dirty love song. This album is very negative and will take you to a dark place, as well as some really scary and bizarre areas, helped by demonic industrial sounds which capture pure evil and acts as like a demented conversation with yourself or God. Due to the nature of bleakness at times it risks becoming repetitive and predictable, but luckily their dark demeanour is strangely enthralling, however it should come with a warning for the most dark and depressing thing you can listen to. CL
Bayside – Vacancy Bayside, hailing from New York in 2000 and now with seven albums to their name, are not a band whose career has hit the heady heights that they may perhaps have wished it to sixteen years ago. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that their music is bad, or that they are incapable of appealing to a wider audience. If that were true, their latest album ‘Vacancy’ wouldn’t be as good as it is. ‘Vacancy’ is an 11-track meeting of Weezer-esque vocal hooks (although unmistakably Anthony Raneri) and emo instrumentation, all brought together in a package that is easily accessable for both the alternative crowd, and those more inclined towards the pop scene. ‘Enemy Lines’, forgiving Raneri’s undeniable voice, could easily have been a missing track off of ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ whereas opening track ‘Two Letters’ is one to listen to if you enjoyed the Weezer album from earlier this year, and ‘Not Fair’ might as well be from an old-school Panic! At The Disco album. It is unfortunate that ‘Vacancy’ is unlikely to make Bayside a bigger band, considering how enjoyable it is, in the up-tempo emo kind of way that many of us have been missing for a long time. But if you like good, honest, fun pop-rock music with a bit of emo tendancies and some indie flair, then not listening to this album is a mistake you should correct as soon as you can. AL
Against Me! - Shape Shift With Me Four years after coming out as transgender and following on from the captivating, eye opening and emotional ‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues’ released in 2014, now with their new seventh album, ‘Shape Shift With Me’ Laura Jane Grace and co from Florida take on new territory in terms of vocal style, instrumentation and lyrical context, with the focus on love and sex in transgender relationships predominately and the growth of transformation from a more interactive person point of view… Opening song, ‘Provision L-3’ is about an airport scanner body which is more precise and discreet than other scanners which leads Laura Jane Grace to declare defiantly, “What can you see inside of me?” a sore point for trans gender people and cements a strong straight to the point start and context…But quickly things turn to relationships and love in “12:03”, which has a more upbeat sound and shift in vocal style, which “333” also demonstrates in an extremely catchy way. “Haunting, Haunted, Haunts” finds a happy medium between transitions, nodding at their earlier material. It has very strong rhythms, driving riffs and vocals. “Norse Truth” again is in keeping with the new vocal delivery and is also the brashest in your face track about a love affair that ends badly, with memorable cut loose lines, that you come to expect, delivered in an uncensored punk rock spirit and style, which works wonderfully throughout the album. To add another dimension and emotional depth, ‘Suicide Bomber’ sees a steer away from the norm. It was written following the Bataclan attack in Paris, so this song helps dive further into the mind of Laura Jane Grace and cover more heart wrenching topics. It seems fitting that ‘Shape Shift…’ sees a completely different side to Against Me! compared to previous releases, some similarities can be made, but this is Laura Jane Grace unchained and free to say what she wants and show how far she has come, and what better way than through a snarled and fun punk record. Lyrically this is a mixed bag, from honest and frank to delicate, but always from the heart. From the start to finish you are pulled in by their liberating punk tunes, no matter the subject or delivery, this is a must hear album from a bold and brave band that are changing as people and with the times and taking us along this fascinating and emotive journey. CL
Signals Midwest – At This Age Ohio’s Signals Midwest return with their third full length album which kicks off with the lively ‘You’re Gonna Be Golden’ which discusses the challenges of being successful in modern times, the production is excellent on this track and creates a nice catchy opening to the record. ‘Should Have Been a Painter’ opens with an enigmatic riff something you would hear on a Bouncing Souls album, the chorus is highly enjoyable with a clever play on words – “I should have been a painter, I should balance out the common & the colourful” ; again relating to the challenges of living a better life. ‘West Side Summer’ is an absolute classic with its soft relaxed style and The Promise Ring esque sound and short but sweet chorus; you can definitely hear the influence of producer Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It.), ‘At This Age’ continues the summery atmosphere with its elegant riff, the band appear to be reaching out to those struggling to find opportunity at a young age in the US. ‘Alchemy Hour’ is a very strong and well written song instrumentally, however the lyrics drag the song out and take out some of the enjoyment of the track. ‘We Drive Forever Like It's Nothing’ brings some much needed passion to the record, with a bit more effort in the vocal performance and a much more energetic instrumental, fans of The Menzingers will enjoy this song. ‘Autumn Breaks’ is another fun number with its easy tone and clear lyrics. There are occasions on this record where the long slow sentences create a little inconsistency on the album and this is unfortunately the case in ‘Spillover’. The penultimate track ‘Who I Was before I Met’ is basically a shorter version of ‘West Side Summer’. The album concludes with the emotional ‘Song for Ana’ which acts as a tribute to a person called Ana someone I assume who was very close to the band, the excellent arrangement in this track creates a very anthemic and bold ending to a good but not brilliant album. JP
Expire – With Regret Wisconsin’s Expire are back with their last release before their planned break up in Spring 2017, the band saw success with the fantastic ‘Pretty Low’ record in 2014 which made the Billboard top 200 albums in the US. Known for their incredibly fast style of hardcore punk; their new release ‘With Regret’ plays for just 22 minutes. The album opens with the heavy ‘Fighting the Slip’, the production doesn’t sound as tight as their previous works but the dark drum beats and hefty guitar riff make a solid start to the record, you can’t help but nod your head to ‘Divide and Conquer’ with its slick riff and wonderfully intense vocals from Josh Kelting, one of the more underrated vocalists in the US hardcore scene. ‘Hidden Love’ continues the rapid pace and is one of my favourites on this record, the industrial bass line, the addition of the guest vocalist is inspired in this track and the heavier tone of voice complements the instrumentation perfectly. ‘Regret’ slides in with a gorgeous bass line; however this track feels like something to just fill the track list. ‘Medicine’ is an explosive number with a ridiculously catchy chorus and is one of the best tracks on the record, ‘Vultures’ is vintage Expire with its superb instrumental backed up with ultra aggressive vocals. ‘Live or Die’ both musically and lyrically is a very angry track and the message in this song feels very personal. ‘Fair Weather Friend’ launches with a smooth riff and again seems to be a song of personal interest; however it lacks a bit of momentum. In contrast, ‘Turned to Death’ is much livelier with a vigorous opening verse; the singing of the hook “fight fire with fire” is particularly potent. ‘Ghost’ is a belter of a track with its deliberate changes of pace creating a frantic number; ‘The Harsh Truth’ is another smash mouth number with its impressive riff and a series of emotional statements from vocalist Josh Kelting. ‘Beyond My Reach’ is a dark number with a barrage of noise as the album shows no sign of slowing down despite reaching its conclusion. The album closes strongly with ‘Fear in Control’ a classic Expire song, fitting really as this is likely their last works as a band, it combines the elements which made their past releases so enjoyable, a huge chorus with violent instrumentation. JP
Skyline - Good Days A groovy rock ensemble creates an album that gets a slow headbang and your foot taping. This is a compliment as for many people who may not be the most animated this is a universal sign of approval. It takes the simple elements of classic rock (just in case you are unsure of what they are: loud guitar, solid drums and consistent bass and a great voice) with the electric blues genre in there as well. Applying them to great success to from the powerful voice of Pearl Tuner who’s voice (and rhythm guitar) roars and rings out over the rocking guitar (Nate West), fuzzy bass (Asher Evans) and drums (Max Mercer) through all ten numbers. As soon as I hit play the high energetic sound blasted out of the speakers and moved into my ears, a smile then was on my face and it took me over. I sat there a very happy human whilst Drag Down’s riff played backed by the deep, deep bass, smooth drums then the vocals come in and luckily it was on loud so I was hearing it crisply and at its best. From one song to the next the high standards did not drop even for a second, the chemistry between the members is electric. It comes across in songs such as ‘Stay On the Line’ a more bluesy track or ‘Good Days’ a rocker with moments of silkiness when the guitar quietens down and the bass walks on with Turner presenting her voice in a different manner for a few sections of the title track. The record ends in a jazz style way with it thanking all the people that helped them get the music out and for letting them be themselves. This album shows a very capable band that ignites the raw blues rocker in us all (though these musicians certainly do it better than the majority of us). “Good Days” are ahead after this very, very enjoyable listen. EJ
Touché Amoré – Stage Four Touché Amoré are back with their fourth full length album – ‘Stage Four’. The album is particularly personal to front man Jeremy Bolm as it relates to his mother’s death from stage four cancer at the age of 69. The album kicks off with a delicate riff before an outburst from front man Jeremy Bolm, this particular track discusses Jeremy’s difficult experience while his mother was ill “I didn't know just what to say, while watching you wither away” the instrumentation is clever, not overpowering the message Jeremy Bolm is trying to deliver, it’s a haunting but excellent start to the album. ‘New Halloween’ is a much faster summery number with its pleasant riff which plays an important part in making sure the listener enjoys the track while taking in the emotional narrative, Jeremy’s difficult experience is heightened by the lyric “I haven't found that courage to listen to your last message to me.” ‘Rapture’ is song of the year material, beginning with the superb riff which works so beautifully in sync with the lyrics, there is added desperation in Jeremy Bolm vocals which adds to the incredibly dramatic atmosphere of the track, the hook of “Something you love is gone, something you love is gone, Someone you love is gone, someone you love is gone” is particularly gripping. ‘Displacement’ is a shorter number and discusses Jeremy’s struggles with religious belief after his mother’s passing; again the instrumental is potent but well executed without overpowering the meaning of the lyrics. ‘Benediction’ opens up with Jeremy singing without the usual screaming, and I was pleasantly surprised how it sounded, the chorus is incredibly anthemic and enjoyable despite the subject.
‘Eight Seconds’ reminds me a lot of Touche’s ‘Parting the Sea between the Brightness and Me’ record, the shortest song on the album but with perhaps the most moving lyrics, it discusses how Jeremy ignored an important call from his mother before realising that she had died while he was performing on stage, another riveting track. ‘Palm Dreams’ reminds me of the sound on the previous album ‘Is Survived By’ with its beautiful riffs and stirring vocals, Jeremy has personally said in interviews that he wants the album to encourage people to ask their parents questions before it’s too late – the question in this track “What was it that brought you west?” sees front man Jeremy Bolm pondering his mother’s decision to move to California. ‘Softer Spoken’ begins with a ferocious instrumental in comparison to Jeremy’s vocals which sound a little flatter on this track, reflecting the desperate situation in the lyrics. The band continue to expand their sound with ‘Posing Holy’ which has several changes of pace, almost sounding like a mix of post-hardcore and pop punk at times, the vocals are much more spirited on this track and creates a much more interesting number. The penultimate track begins with an unusual experimental opening section instrumentally before exploding in a noisy frenzy in the second verse, the cries of “Came and gone away” and “But it's there to stay” give you goose bumps and make the listener almost share the pain that singer Jeremy Bolm went through. The album closes with ‘Skyscraper’ a ghostly number and one of the best songs on the album; it sees the band duet with Julien Baker, a very simple track with a haunting chorus and eventually outro, the track and album ends with his mother’s message which he referred to earlier in the album. The band has produced a stellar record, especially considering the highly personal narrative surrounding front man Jeremy Bolm. This album shows the special relationship between Jeremy and his fellow band members and shows how they were able to support him through a difficult time by ultimately producing a very thoughtprovoking album. JP
Under the Tongue - Potions Releasing the second album ‘Potions’ following the 2012 record Make A Wish the German based band bring a sonic experience that can only be credited to them. Track four ‘Procrastination’ really changes things up and it really shows what the Berlin band are all about. Taking the spooky style that they aim for both image wise and sonically and putting it across through this song. After researching the band and watching a couple of videos it stands out that they are aiming to be different with a very distinctive style in mind. They certainly put a hundred percent into accomplishing and ‘Procrastination’ is that image in sonic form. The laughing intro setting up the chorused guitar’s harmonics bleeding into Mark Eden’s affected singing. Giving the listener a vision of the uniqueness that is Under the Tongue, in the four minutes and three second song. Ending this story is ‘Jellyfish Walk’ a noisy escape to book end the instalment, it is as weird as you think.
‘Potions’ is a foray into an experimental world of dark fairytales and it offers some good songs as the two singers work well bouncing off one another. With the complimenting music being interesting enough to keep you following Under the Tongue through their gothic world. If the journey through the world that is ‘Potions’ does not do it for you then I would dare you to defy that Under the Tongue are not different or talented at what they do. EJ
Bullet For My Valentine - The Poison I remember watching live performances of songs off of ‘The Poison’ as if they were their own religion. Music at that time, especially for many in their teens, almost was its own religion. With Bullet For My Valentine, they streamlined demo music into a heavier substance, one that allowed for screaming or harsh vocals to be present in people’s lives who never cared for it. Their melancholic lyrics seemed to just feel amplified by their music. People could get behind songs simple to the core like ‘Tears Don’t Fall’ because the anthems were rally cries of a bunch of youth upset about their misinformed love lives. The riffs are still catchy as well, hell this release will always bring back the natural urge to hum, sing or scream along. The guitar work was interesting but not overly cliche, making use of dueling guitars with bouncing harmonies that slid in-between raging screams or beckoning clean vocals. Then there was the gloomy ending in ‘The End’. It’s still a song that showed the dynamic punch that Bullet For My Valentine polished within their first release, riding through emotional melodies while maintaining a way to detonate at just the perfect time.
Couple a song like this with the virulent ‘4 Words (To Choke Upon)’ or pop friendly ‘Suffocating Under Words Of Sorrow (What Can I Do)’ and it’s easy to see why this band captivated more than just the normal crowd for ‘The Poison’. The band made their way to the “in crowd” and I can stare at my friends who used to jam this record with me and just know we had something there, even if we have since moved on to different music stylings. ‘The Poison’ is one that doesn’t ever seem to let go, or maybe we just can’t let go of it. Sean
Gonzalez
Sum 41 - All Killer, No Filler I was a little lost when it came to music when I was younger. It was a mixture of Eminem’s ‘Marshall Mathers LP’, Craig David’s ‘Just Do It’ and Smurf Goes Pop (don’t act like you didn’t listen to the Smurfs). As I got older I branched out into a new wave of music that I considered to be pretty damn special. It started with ‘Hybrid Theory’ from Linkin Park but only got bigger when I heard an amazing track coming from my older brother’s room. It was ‘In Too Deep’ and I was hooked. I was promptly given the album (a time before burning/downloads) and night and day I would play it. I was a fan of Blink 182 but this was something different. Sum 41 had captured the pop punk essence that Mark, Tom and Travis had already begun to build and added the much needed agression to bring about a whole new genre. The combination of pop punk crossed with metal and infused with some light rap was exactly what the early 2000s seemed to be missing and was something I didn’t even know I needed in my life until I’d begun to listen to them. However for a lot of people I think Sum 41 stop with the singles such as ‘Fat Lip’, ‘In Too Deep’ and ‘Motivation’. I fell in love with them and the rest of the album, ‘Nothing On My Back’ is a catchy riff filled behemoth and is the first proper track on the album. The first “track” on the album was incredible, it was the first time I truly appreciated a great intro. I still remember exactly what the demonic voice says but all that needs to be said is “the dark armies then will come, when the Sum is 41”. I think the best thing about this album was seeing that the Canadian group weren’t a one trick pony and they could go soft and slow in some of their tracks. ‘Handle This’ managed to just completely change the whole pace of the album and bring it back to earth from the rollercoaster anthems like ‘Never Wake Up’ and ‘Rhythms’. It became more of an anthem for the pop punk generation, a little heavier than Green Day’s ‘Minority’ and yet just worked on its own individual merit. I actually went back and listened to this album a few weeks ago and found that it still stands up even though the scene has completely changed around it. The pop punk essence that oozed from it is still prominent and you can distinctly hear that it’s inspired a lot of other bands that followed after the Canadian pop punks. For me Sum 41’s ‘All Killer, No Filler’ was my introduction into this whole new world of aggressive pop punk, they weren’t talking about loving girls or how they were heartbroken. They were talking about messing stuff up and being proud of it. They were ready to embrace the rock n’ roll lifestyle that had been forgotten by so many and bring it back with a vengeance while screaming in your face “we are here and we’re not fucking conforming to your standards”. Richard Ounsworth
Good Charlotte - Self-titled For many of us, growing up was hard. However, we found solace as we transitioned from children to teenagers, in the golden age of pop-punk. Whilst many enjoyed Britney Spears and the like, we had Blink182, Green Day, Bowling for Soup and an entire playlist contributing to a soundtrack of our youths. One of the most influential artists of the pop-punk era comes in the form of Good Charlotte. A band’s whose presence on the music scene offered a new approach to the signature punk sound emanating from the likes of Bowling for Soup and Blink-182. With the band’s debut self-titled album topping the US Billboard charts, the rockers from Maryland instantly made their stamp on the scene. Landing amidst the plethora of punk acts at the time, Good Charlotte’s approach to teenage problems proved to be an instant hit. Despite the fact most acts of the time followed this trend, it’s the combined delivery of emotive lyrics, catchy choruses and Joel Madden’s unique vocals that the message of individual acceptance became the very essence of Good Charlotte. With the opening lines of the first track ‘Little Things’ declaring “This song is dedicated to anyone who ever got picked last for gym class, who never had a date to the school dance, who’s ever been called a freak. This is for you”. With this opening monologue being the first many fans listening to the debut-album hear, the declaration of exactly who these songs are for is established, instantaneously collecting fans around the world. It wasn’t just the musical presence Good Charlotte had that enticed people, their quirky appearance made quite a stamp on the fashion world too. With most punks at the time already possessing a skateboard, baggy cargo pants and nose piercings, the eccentric spikey, gelled and highlighted hairstyles saw teenagers around the world being sent to detention for “unacceptable” hairstyles. The success of the introduction to the five piece’s debut album is made all the more impressive considering only three tracks were released. With the aforementioned ‘Little Things’ being the first, ‘Motivation Proclamation’ and ‘Festival Song’ continue to imprint the mark the band were making. Arguably, the more noticeable tracks from Good Charlotte’s repertoire are taken from the band’s second album, ‘The Young and Hopeless’. Fans to this day inevitably find themselves head banging along to ‘Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous’ ‘The Anthem’ and ‘Girls & Boys’. However, without the shear impact and individuality from the debut album, none of this would’ve been possible. With the sixth album ‘Youth Authority’ released back in August, and news of a tour on the horizon, it might just be time to dig out the skateboard, converse, and the nose piercings, just one more time. Nathan Smith
Korn - Self titled American rock band Korn from Bakersfield, California formed in 1993 and released their defining debut album just a year later in 1994. The themes included taboos such as child abuse, drug abuse and bullying, topics usually to be avoided, making it bold, brave and disturbing especially at the time of release. The album impressively has now sold over 10 million copies, but more crucially than that it started a whole new genre of metal, called ‘nu metal’ and lead them to be the pioneers of this genre that they still are today. With such a distinctive sound like no other band before, aided by Jonathan Davis’s bizarre yet brilliant vocal capabilities and mannerisms, along with the actual instruments themselves, including the instantly recognisable bag pipes in the hit song, ‘Shoots and Ladders’ which is still my ultimate favourite Korn song. It also represents and embodies the album with its twisted truthful demeanour, uncovering the hidden messages in nursery rhymes. Of course when anyone thinks of Korn singles, ‘Blind’ and ‘Clown’ are at the forefront and have since become nu metal classics and quite rightly too.
The reason I liked it so much and that it’s so revered, is due to its unique sound and introduction of a new genre. The whole concept of Korn was different, from their sound to their style and delivery, as well as their brutal and fragile lyrical content, making them become my favourite band at the time that stood out due to adversity, which they captured at its very core. It has become such an iconic album and Jonathan Davis is still regarded as one of the best metal and greatly strange vocalists. Over time it still stands on its own, and can be listened to and enjoyed just as much as when it was first thrust into the world causing shock and awe. By injecting rage, torment, and hip hop/rap elements into their music, they went on to inspire today’s modern most successful heavy weights such as Slipknot, Machine Head, Coal Chamber and Limp Bizkit, but nothing can quite match up to Korn’s signature sound – in fact it is hard to find other such genre defining albums. Being so nostalgic and influential, becoming a fine example of the origins of nu-metal and now part of the musical history of the genre. There aren’t many metal bands that can hold that accolade. Carina Lawrence
Bring Me The Horizon - Count Your Blessings Bring Me The Horizon are now one of the most popular bands in the United Kingdom, their most recent album ‘That’s the Spirit’ reaching #2 on the UK albums chart. People may forget where it all began for BMTH, that’s where their debut album ‘Count Your Blessings’ comes in, the album now seems like a distant memory for current Bring Me The Horizon fans with the band now opting for a sound similar to that of Linkin Park in their prime, although there is a lot naivety in the ‘Count Your Blessings’ album, it was a revolutionary album for the development of deathcore and metalcore in the UK and I’m positive that it influenced a number of upcoming bands. Bring Me The Horizon are now renowned for their anthemic songs and playing in larger arenas, however in the ‘Count Your Blessings’ stage of their career it allowed them to gain a following by playing their frenetic music in small intimate music venues across the UK. The album itself is not short of anthems by any means, the band show their skills on a number of songs with ‘Pray for Plagues’ and ‘For Stevie Wonder’s Eyes Only (Braille)’ particularly enjoyable, the deathcore sound was not everyone’s cup of tea but it certainly introduced a new dimension to the rock music scene in the UK and the band enjoyed success after the album’s release. ‘A Lot like Vegas’ was a particular highlight on the album with its wonderfully skilful riffs combined with the deep dark screaming vocals from Oli Sykes. I remember watching the video for ‘Pray for Plagues’ not long after the album’s release and remembering how odd and creepy it was, but more importantly it was something different to anything that was currently on offer in the UK for metal/rock fans and I believe that’s what propelled them. ‘Count Your Blessings’ was a cleverly written record, it wasn’t a fast paced album which was over in 15 minutes and didn’t make any sense. Neither did it last over an hour to a point where you start to feel a little bored with their sound, the album combines both short and long songs into a 35 minute album which I believe was perfect for the band to showcase what they are. ‘(I Used to Make Out With) Medusa’ is a decent number on the album and it keeps you interested to hear the whole song despite being over five minutes long, the band cleverly used different changes of pace to deliver a versatile track, even if you hated the deathcore style vocals you had to appreciate the Avenged Sevenfold esque guitar work. This album will always be the catalyst for BMTH’s successful career because it gave them a fan base on a local level which has since progressed to millions of fans worldwide, the band were able to identify the flaws on this record and have since gone on to develop their sound to suit the commercial market but they should not forget the special connection this album gave them with fans across the UK in the early stages of their career. James Payne
I will get this out of the way before this review. If you’re wanting to see a whole film starring the Joker and Harley Quinn because you loved Batman: The Animated Series back in the day then you are going to be disappointed. The Clown Prince of crime sadly is downplayed in this anti-hero movie but the supporting cast alongside Harley and Deadshot are very likeable and more than anything they’re fun to watch. Obviously if you cast Will Smith in a film he’s going to be one of the main acts, we’re given a bigger glimpse at his backstory than anyone else’s. A little different from the comics, we’re shown he’s a very devoted father and only assassinates people to make money to look after her. After a confrontation with the Bat he gets sent to Blackwater and is recruited by Amanda Waller for the Suicide Squad (aptly named by Deadshot). After the catastrophic events of Batman vs. Superman Waller wants to assemble a team in case another Kryptonian goes rogue...because Batman isn’t good enough to stop them alone, not all Kryptonian’s mother’s are going to be called Martha, Amanda! but I digress. She first finds Enchantress, a witch who is possessing a young woman’s body. The witch escapes and plunges a whole city into lockdown and so Waller must assemble the rest of the squad. It’s a situation of its own making. Why not call Batman? said no one. In quick succession we’re introduced alongside Quinn and Deadshot, Killer Croc, Diablo, Captain Boomerang, Slipknot and Rick Flag to go in and recapture the city, however all does not go to plan.
As this storyline is unfolding we’re given a glimpse into the Joker’s plans to find and recover Harley as he had lost her when Batman took her to Blackgate. Leto’s performance as a young and psychotic Joker is well received and he really does go out of his way to demonstrate what a fantastic actor he is. Although a lot of his scenes were cut for the final production I imagine the DVD release will show some secret gem shots of his. Back to the story, soon it becomes clear that all is not as it seems and it’s not a simple “retrieve” mission. The squad are put face to face with faceless characters and they have to fight their way out by any means necessary. Baseball bat, gun, fire, drinking a beer. Any means necessary. The ending culminates with a showdown with Enchantress including a cheesy moment in which Harley refers to the Suicide Squad as her “friends”, very out of character for the clown princess but it seems to work. The gang are returned to the prison and lie in wait for their next task. Suicide Squad wasn’t the greatest film in the world by any stretch, it certainly won’t go down as a classic but adds to the roster of DCU films being thrown at us. The cameos from Batman and the Flash don’t seem as subtle as Marvel’s movies but it’s nice to see the universe going in a positive direction.