Post War Glamour Girls - Feeling Strange (Parts 1 & 2)

The UK's Most Unique Rockers Return

As far as underrated bands go it's safe to say Post War Glamour Girls stand out among the crowd, they released their debut album 'Pink Fur' back in 2013, this record introduced PWGG to be a very bass driven, slow-yet intense art/experimental post-punk band, with vocals furiously delivered by vocalist Ben Clyde whilst female vocalist, Alice Smith gave a more mellow and soft side to Post War's storytelling sound. Even though 'Pink Fur' brought this heavy yet juxtapositiong soft sound, it all seemed very linear, and even thought every song offered some level of building intensity, it never really went anywhere. The record ended very much how it started, and left me feeling like i was missing something.

Post War Glamour Girl's new album 'Feeling Strange' shows off many new sides we haven't seen before, whilst definitely staying unique and firm in their art rock style. Opening track 'Felonious Punk' doesn't just show a more harshly , guitar-driven, almost Avant-Garde style but also shows Ben Clyde at his current best, he stays as aggressive as ever, but also introduces these disgusting, high unclean vocals that blew me away. The opener on this album, left me breathless. The Leeds-based group still show off their more familiar slow sound in tracks like 'Gentle Is Her Touch', which is also a great example of Clyde and Smith's contrasting voices joining together in a smoothly executed chorus. Lead single 'Southpaw Stance' has a very UK Indie style riff to it that loops throughout this track, Clyde leads the vocals in this track like the leader of the edgiest marching band out there ,and the synth-coated verses and chorus is the icing on the cake of this track.

'Cannonball Villages' is the Glamour Girls' attempted masterpiece on this record, clocking in at over 8 minutes you would expect it to pack some sort of punch, or offer enough to keep you glued to the track. But in reality it never really leads to anything more than underwhelming and scratchy instrumentals, just like most of this album, the lack of Alice Smith (who was more prominent in 'Pink Fur') has caused this track to suffer.

Post War Glamour Girls still stand in my opinion as one of the UK's best underground rock acts, and I have no doubt they'll continue to keep up their unique, innovative ways until they find the sound that's perfect for them.

6/10

ART-ROCK / EXPERIMENTAL ROCK / POST-PUNK

FAV TRACKS: Felonious Punk - Gentle Is Her Touch
LEAST FAV TRACKS: Cannonball Villages

All At Sea - Divided [EP]

Northern Youngsters Release A Fresh, Groove Filled, Debut

All At Sea are just one of many hardcore based bands, emerging from the UK and Europe, making a lot of noise in the underground scene. Whilst a lot of these young bands offer a similar amount of aggression, noise and energy, most sound very much alike and, in some cases, very one dimensional. All At Sea definitely tick those three boxes, if not raising the bar whilst doing so. 

The Newcastle based quintet deliver this heavy, ruthless hardcore with serious groove metal influences.This EP never gives up or goes easy, opening track 'From The Ground' instantly shows off everything All At Sea are about, the guitars constantly driving out dirty, groovy ass riffs that never stop throughout this EP, and like every track on this album, All At Sea deploy these unique yet monstrous breakdowns that are smoothly executed. These instrumentals are supported amazingly by the vocals of Jack Tyreman who, if I had to draw any comparisons, sounds like an awesome blend of Paul Williams [Desolated] and Randy Blythe [Lamb of God].

I finished this 5-track EP desperately wanting more. You really have to check out this band to hear the potential they have, could easily see these guys rising out of the underground scene very quickly.

8/10

HARDCORE / GROOVE METAL

FAV TRACKS: - From The Ground -
LEAST FAV TRACKS:

Parkway Drive - Ire

Aussie Rockers Aim High But Fall Short

Since their formation in 2003, Byron Bay's Parkway Drive have proved themselves to be absolute behemoths in the metalcore genre. Breaking into the Australian mainstream with their second record, 2007's 'Horizons' and their 2010 full-length 'Deep Blue' saw them chart in the USA, UK and many European countries. Parkway's music has always been easily identified for it's breakdown heavy songs and usually aggressive and conceptual lyrics.

With 'Ire' Parkway Drive have attempted to expand on and even move away from their metalcore style, opting for a more heavy metal influenced sound. This was immediately established back in August when they released lead single 'Vice Grip' a track which is very groove-heavy and features instrumentals and backing vocals that sound like they were picked straight out of the 80's, unfortunately the track just repeats itself over and over and when it sounds like the track is building up to something epic, it just falls horrifically flat. There is a theme on this album of tracks that have potential to hit harder than they really do, opening track 'Destroyer' particularly falls victim to this as it slowly builds from the start to a grand and heavy opening, but never fully takes off.

If there is one redeeming factor on this album, it is definitely Winston McCall's vocals. The lyrics are as sharp and aggressive as ever and the heavy poetry is delivered with such strength and sincerity by McCall, who sounds more inspired than ever, you need to hear 'Dying To Believe' to hear the sheer class of his voice right now.

'Ire' is an album that has been released with high expectations from both the band themselves as well as the fans and media. Long time fans may be disappointed by this shift of sound and weak delivery of new influences, if there is any homage to their old sound, it's 'Dedicated' which is without a doubt the heaviest track on this album. An album which overall is lyrically and vocally impressive, but is let down by boring song structure and a repetitive nature.

4/10

HEAVY METAL / METALCORE / MELODIC METALCORE

FAV TRACKS: Dying To Believe

LEAST FAV TRACKS: Vice Grip 

The Front Bottoms - Back On Top

New Jersey's Resident Indie Band Make Major Label Debut

To many fans, The Front Bottoms have always been a charming, simple and quirky indie/emo duo, a lot of their songs are praised for their repeatable lyrics and their ability to write such well-loved songs whilst sticking to a low-budget production and minimal musical quality. The Front Bottoms have always stuck to this which has left some fans happy that they've stayed true to their ways, but some fans wanting to hear more.

'Back On Top' sees The Front Bottoms major label debut, something that has got many fans worried, a lot of fans hoping that they wouldn't change from their depressing yet witty lyrics, simple yet effective instrumentals and simply produced music that's been the staple of their charming sound. Even though there are tracks on here that do seem to overproduced, 'HELP' shows a side of The Front Bottoms that a lot of fans, including me, don't want to hear again. Sella's voice sounds glitchy and the rather bland lyrics are repeated over and over for most of the track, making 'HELP' without a doubt the weakest track on the album. Sella does seem to fall flat on a few tracks on this album, whether it's production letting him down (HELP) or just generally boring, 'Laugh till I Cry' has a catchy enough chorus but is let down by the boring and forgettable verses.

Negatives aside, The Front Bottoms have managed to once again pull me in and engage me in such a charming and relate-able way. I'm totally stumped on which track is my favorite between 'Summer Shandy' a very weezer-like track with the fun, repeated lyrics and happy mid-tempo charm. Or 'West Virginia' a very melancholic and angsty track delivered in true front bottoms style with the simple yet effective guitars and sing-a-long friendly lyrics.

Even though this record does seem to fall short with the lame lyrics and slight over-production, The Front Bottoms still manage to connect with their audience in a way that very few bands in the genre seem to be able to do. And the duo still manage to come across as the small band that we fell in love with back in the day no matter what label they happen to be under.

6/10

INDIE ROCK / EMO / FOLK PUNK / POP PUNK

FAV TRACKS: West Virginia - Summer Shandy
LEAST FAV TRACKS: HELP
      

The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Harmlessness

Emo Revival Leaders Create A Life-Affirming Masterpiece Of A Record

The World Is a Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die are an emo revival band, who really gained commercial and critical success in the emo revival scene after their 2013 debut album 'Whenever, If Ever', after the overwhelming praise for this album, constant rotations in the line-up (Including the loss of lead vocalist Thomas Diaz) and a string of average at best EP's, there was a real worry that Twiabp wouldn't be able to live up to the high standards set by their stunning debut.

But the Connecticut nine-piece have totally smashed expectations and, with 'Harmlessness', have created an album that is engaging from start to finish, with every song bringing in something fresh and exciting to listen to and has surpassed previous record 'Whenever, If Ever' in every way possible. With original lead vocalist, Thomas Diaz gone, David Bello has stepped forward to take the reigns, which is something I'm very happy about, as much as I enjoyed their previous album, I felt that sometimes the overuse of Diaz's emo whines made the album drag on towards the end and became rather dull. Hearing Bello's much stronger voice was always a breath of fresh air to me, and continues to be in this record. But Bello is not alone on the vocal front, he is accompanied by keyboardist/vocalist, Kate Shanholtzer-Dvorak, who also has a much bigger role on this album.

Bello and Shanholtzer work together perfectly on this album and create an amazing balance in their vocal sound and the emotions they deliver. The track that they really shine in is lead single 'January 10th 2014' a track which is beautifully introduced to us by interlude, 'blank #11'. 'January 4th 2014' presents the story of Diana, the Hunter Of Bus Drivers, the lyrics in this song are controversial yet delivered so stunningly and engaging. The instrumental support on this track is also immense, all four guitarists playing their own part to the stories yet working together so elegantly whilst Steve Butterey controls the tempo changes to pinpoint perfection on the drums. My words simply can't do this masterpiece of a track justice, you have to listen to this song to truly believe it's beauty.

The instrumentals are a key part throughout all of this album, showing off a very strong post-rock style, and by mixing this with their usual formula of massive emotional instrumentals building to a huge climax they've managed to completely raise the bar in the emo revival genre and surpass the heights of their previous effort. The World Is' musicians have worked wonders on this record, making what could just be a generic indie-pop song, 'The Word Lisa', and playing around with it instrumentally to create that unique, dreamy sound that you'd expect from classic Twiabp. Another instrumental success in this track, has to be the low-fi opener, 'You Can't Live There Forever' which begins with a very mellow, teen suicide-like, opening. Although the general sound of the vocals and instrumentals sound very toned down in this opener, it still manages to build to a grand finish, beginning with the introduction of acoustic guitars and violins, before the drums become more prominent, with keyboardist/vocalist Kate Shanholtzer-Dvorak harmonizing alongside the instrumentals.

The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die have a record that is nothing short of a masterpiece, every track contributes amazingly to the record's epic climax. I was left speechless by the end of this work of art.

10/10 

EMO / POST-ROCK / MEME-ROCK

FAV TRACKS: You Can't Live There Forever - January 4th 2014 - The Word Lisa

LEAST FAV TRACKS: Shitty Greg

Bring Me The Horizon - That's The Spirit

Sheffield Rockers Take On A More Electronic-Lead Sound With An Alt Metal Edge

Over the past 10 years, Steel City based quintet, Bring Me The Horizon have transformed from angst filled teens making scrappy deathcore, to the more mature sounding metalcore on their last 2 records. But with their latest release, 'That's The Spirit', the Sheffield group has completely moved away from their old sounds, opting for a more electronic driven, stadium rock sound.

Whilst Bring Me's last two albums were full to the brim of sheer aggression and hard-hitting breakdowns, their new record demonstrates their flawless ability of making huge, stadium anthems, like opening track 'Doomed' which builds from a mellow, synth lead opening into an absolutely massive chorus, lead by Oli Sykes' harsh vocals. 'That's The Spirit' is packed with Linkin Park-Sized choruses that are driven by the fierce and unforgiving guitars, and the atmospheric edge provided by the synths, the only tracks that take a more mellow approach are the R&B sounding 'Follow You' and album closer 'Oh No', which bring some serious Panic! At The Disco vibes with it. 

Bring Me The Horizon still show that even though the metallic sound has been toned down, they still know how to make a brilliant heavy track or two. The verses in lead single 'Happy Song' strongly resemble early Deftones, before building up to a grungy chorus and an ending which features throat shredding vocals from Oli Sykes. 'Throne' shows how perfectly the guitars and synth can gel together, throughout the whole track they flawlessly work off each other, to create a heavy and contrasting sound.

Bring Me The Horizon have managed to once again managed to dilate their style, and with their latest album, have established themselves as a strong sounding anthem churning rock band. Although a lot of fans my miss the breakdown days of 'Suicide Season', the more open minded bunch can appreciate the talented men they've become today. Right now it seems Bring Me The Horizon might just be the biggest rock band in the world.

9/10

ALTERNATIVE ROCK / ELECTRONIC ROCK 

FAV TRACKS: Doomed - Happy Song - Throne - Avalanche
LEAST FAV TRACKS: Oh No

FIDLAR - Too

LA Punk's Show New Found Maturity Within Their Punk Rock Lifestyle

FIDLAR are definitely one of the more interesting bands in the modern punk genre, they've very much solidified themselves as a band who sing about drugs, drinking and fucking up life one step at a time. Their self-titled debut was jam-packed with great, all be it one-dimensional, skate and garage punk anthems, featuring songs with noisy guitars and loud angsty vocals like opener 'Cheap Beer' and main single 'Cocaine', to the more mellow tracks that still stay true to FIDLAR's mantra for example 'Paycheck' or the passive aggressive closing track 'Awkward'. FIDLAR's debut definitely gave the LA boys the attention they deserve, and after an incredible main stage slot at Reading and Leeds 2015 the band have a lot of new fans eager to listen to their latest record.

'Too' shows a very distinctive maturity in FIDLAR's sound, 'West Coast' is a song packing serious summer vibes and pop-punk style lyrics about wanting to leave the typical suburban hell and 'Why Generation' is very much about fitting in today's society, whilst ironically sounding like its been pulled out of 70's California. The band still have plenty of tracks that support their "Fuck it" lifestyle, 'Bad Habits' is one of those that was more of a disappointment, its a track where Zac Carper rants on about all his drug and alcohol problems and what it's doing to him, and for once it's a typical FIDLAR song that, sadly, is quite boring, and the attempt to be funny with the line "Oh My God I'm Becoming My Dad" doesn't redeem anything at all, even if it is the band implying that youth doesn't last forever.

'Sober' is a great example of  how FIDLAR can try out a new style whilst still keeping their personality intact, proving to everyone who knows them that they always succeed in staying original and true to themselves. My favorite track on this album is without a doubt 'Punks' I don't know if this is a homage to their oldest of fans or if they just re-recorded this track for the shits, but somehow they've managed to give this track even more energy, even more fury and even more of that "Fuck It Dog Life's A Risk" attitude than the original 2012 recording 'The Punks Are Finally Taking Acid'.

'Too' definitely shows a huge change from their 2013 debut, the group have matured a lot in that time, and while some of the more mature songs might have turned fans away, it's definitely impressed the vast majority. And while no one can truly say for certain what they'll do next, we all know FIDLAR will be very vocal on whatever it may be.

8/10

GARAGE PUNK / PUNK /POP-PUNK

FAV TRACKS: West Coast - Sober - Punks
LEAST FAV TRACKS: Bad Habits

The Fratellis - Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied

Scottish Trio Take A More Laid Back and Subtle Approach In New Record

Almost 10 years ago now Glaswegian rock band The Fratellis released their debut album 'Costello Music', a classic record full to the brim of indie and garage rock anthems with catchy hooks and instantly memorable lyrics. This was followed in 2008 by 'Here We Stand' a more toned down, yet very similar sounding LP which got the group their second Top 5 album, after a hiatus which saw all members do very different sounding musical projects, the boys returned in 2013 with the more blues influenced 'We Need Medicine', this saw The Fratellis ditch the rock and roll anthems for guitar driven tracks with storytelling lyrics, all while still staying naturally fun to listen to.

And now, two years after the release of 'We Need Medicine', the boys are back with 'Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied', an album which shows off The Fratellis attempt at more guitar driven rock and roll rather than the catchy indie/pop that made them big. The album is full of stomp and clap along tracks, examples include opener 'Me And The Devil', probably the strongest track on the record, it best sums up the new sound of The Fratellis whilst still demonstrating their ability to write catchy lyrics, the other stomp along track is the more forgettable 'Getting Surreal' which is simply 4 minutes of stuff we've heard a million times before.

It's clear the boys are going for a more bluesy, american rock and roll sound with this album. Jon Fratelli projects his voice with just as much twang from his guitar to give off real 50s/60s vibes in most tracks, and whilst it does sound impressive, most of the tracks themselves are rather forgettable, they all follow sound the same generic route. One track that does offer something different is 'Dogtown' a more bass driven track with a grand brass lead chorus, but unfortunately this track is as much of a let down as it is experimental, just like the album itself it builds towards something but always falls flat in the end.

'Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied' is a very laid back, instrumentally charming album which shows The Fratellis playing in their true comfort zone, but even though they might have found their new sound, there is still a way to go for the Scottish trio.

5/10  

BLUES ROCK / ALTERNATIVE ROCK

FAV TRACKS: - Me And The Devil -
LEAST FAV TRACKS: - Dogtown - Getting Surreal -

Don Broco - Automatic

Don Broco's Sophomore Effort May Be Catchy, It Lacks In Everything Else

Don Broco broke into the British mainstream back in 2012 with their début album 'Priorities', they were praised by critics and fans for their catchy, alt rock filled with heavy riffs and well polished instrumentals throughout. Although their début does deserve praise for those reasons, the album was just as generic as other bands in the genre (You Me At Six, Lower Than Atlantis) but also took a lot of influences from mainstream pop, with lyrics that lacked drive delivered soullessly by vocalist Rob Damiami. Negatives aside, this record has helped Don Broco gain a respectable fan base who are all casting an eye on them and their latest album 'Automatic'.

To sum 'Automatic' up simply, it's a horrific step back for a band who were never really going anywhere. Don Broco's latest album is flat, dull, uninspired and alienates a good portion of the bands initial following, almost completely ridding of their guitar driven alt rock, and trading it for synth beats, 80's funk vibes and even a few attempts at arena anthems, all of which fall heavily flat.

All songs feature infectiously catchy choruses, and even though this album is a pretty uninspiring attempt by Don Broco of moving away from their previous sound, the band show promise in their delivery in the more funk-orientated tracks on the album, especially the opening tracks 'Superlove' and 'Automatic' where Damiami's voice perfectly suits the style of music they deliver at the start of this album. What lets these tracks down, alongside all of this album, is the blatant commercialisation and radio-friendly precautions that the group have took, it makes the Bedford group look like they're trying way to hard to change, something many core fans of the group may not approve of.

I feel like the main redeeming factor about this album is Don Broco's determination to not stay as a run-of-the-mill alt rock group with a one dimensional sound. Even though their first attempt here with 'Automatic' is more of a step back than anything else, this can only be a sign of better things to come right?

3/10

/ POP ROCK / FUNK ROCK / R&B /

FAV TRACKS: - Automatic -

LEAST FAV TRACKS: - What You Do To Me - Nerve -  

  

Pissgrave - Suicide Euphoria

Pissgrave Take Death Metal Back To It's Roots With A Raw And Punishing Record

Up and coming death metal band, Pissgrave from Pennsylvania, have been causing a stir in the underground scene for the past year with a string of live shows and supporting slots which built up to the release of their first demo last year, the demo sold out instantly and has helped Pissgrave gain a large underground following, especially in the USA.

With their first full release, titled 'Suicide Euphoria', Pissgrave have created a death metal record that brings the genre back to it's roots, whilst still managing to show the versatility of modern and technical death metal. This album has the pacey, straight to the point personality of classic death metal, with monstrously raw and brutal vocals delivered straight from the gut with unbelievably disgusting vocal deliveries that savagely spew out of the vocalist's throat. The guitars are ruthless throughout and are accompanied by the unforgiving, merciless pounding of the drums, the kind that sounds like some psychopath just went batshit crazy when recording.

'Suicide Euphoria' may be a sick and violent record, but it's not just a one dimensional onslaught of  true brutal death metal. There are some tracks, like 'Impaled Vibration' and the title track 'Suicide Euphoria' that show hints of melodic and groove metal influences, with parts in the song that have some real moments for head banging and the odd two-step, some real mosh pit moments there.

Amongst the influences, there are still many tracks on this album for the elitist fan, tracks that are just pure 100% heavy, punishing and angsty death metal, especially 'Pain Enchantment' and 'Prevail In Hell' both tracks which are just noise topped on more noise.

The only track on this album that I wasn't all that keen on was 'The Second Sorrowful Mystery' which was very different from the over tracks with a more slam/deathcore feel to it, which don't get me wrong I love both of those genres, but it's not something you should expect on an album that aims to be as raw as it is, it just didn't fit in.

All in all Pissgrave have created a record that is creative and varied within the genre of death metal, while remaining to be all out gross, violent and morbid at the same time.

7/10

/BRUTAL DEATH METAL/DEATH METAL/DEATHGRIND/

FAV TRACKS: - Impaled Vision - Prevail In Hell - Pain Enchantment -

LEAST FAV TRACKS: - The Second Sorrowful Mystery - 

    

Counterparts - Tragedy Will Find Us

Counterparts Offer a Purging Journey Through Their Music

Ontario based melodic hardcore band, Counterparts, are back with 'Tragedy Will Find Us', the follow up to 2013's 'The Difference Between Hell and Home', an album which was heavily praised by critics and helped the group to garner a worldwide following and become one of the big names amongst the melodic hardcore community. Since then the group have undergone line-up changes and signed to Pure Noise Records, the label that Counterparts' latest record has been released under.

'Tragedy Will Find Us' is dark to say the least, this is made instantly clear by the raw, throat tearing vocals that accompany lyrics which explore themes of lead singer, Brendan Murphy's, self antagonism, all while continuing Counterparts' prime blend of heavy and soft, best demonstrated in 'Tragedy' and lead single 'Burn'. The album opener 'Stillborn' demonstrates the bands ability to create a track that can change tempo in the blink of an eye, and carry the hectic energy from start to finish. There are a lot of overwhelming moments on this album, the lyrical content and the amazing vocal delivery mixed with the stunning instrumentals, delivered with the same passion that we've come to expect and love from Counterparts. As well as all of this there are some tracks on this album that employ talking and muttering, that resembles Code Orange's 'I Am King', Counterparts pull it off perfectly, using it to create a great contrast between their speedy, high energy hardcore.

Counterparts have managed to once again improve on their last effort, which is a huge achievement for the group, considering the quality of their previous album. At the moment Counterparts are looking like a band who can do no wrong and if they continue to better themselves the way they are, then they'll quickly find themselves at the top of the hardcore genre.

(If you're interested in reading the story behind the lyrics by Brendan Murphy click here)

9/10

/MELODIC HARDCORE/

FAV TRACKS: - Tragedy - Burn - Stillborn - Solace - Choke -
LEAST FAV TRACKS: - Drown -
    

The Bunny The Bear - A Liar Wrote This

The Eccentric Post-Hardcore Duo Return With Matured Sound

The Bunny The Bear are arguably one of the most unique post-hardcore bands currently on the scene, blending synthpop, metalcore and experimental rock to create a sound that is as weird as it is identifiable. Essentially a one man project of Matthew Tybor as he writes all of the lyrics and music himself and performs mainly unclean vocals with the support from a constantly changing studio band and clean vocalist Chris Hukta, who has provided the clean vocals since the début album back in 2010. 

'A Liar Wrote This' is the first The Bunny The Bear album to not feature Chris Hukta's iconic voice that is rich in range and emotion. Hukta was replaced in 2014 by studio partner and friend of Tybor, Hayley Roback, after they released a bunch covers onto soundcloud and as Roback started to join The Bunny The Bear on tour, she was eventually announced as Hukta's official replacement.

It's pretty clear from the start of the album, the opening interlude 'Vows' and track 'Love, Trust and Compromise' that the band's sound has matured, with the synth as good as completely removed from the whole album. Tybor's lyrics get more stirring and emotive in every album and he has once again bettered himself in 'A Liar Wrote This'. Matt Tybor has also improved vocally too, this latest record features his finest sounding unclean vocals since 2011's 'If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say', in this album he also provides a lot of the clean vocals alongside Hayley 'Bear 4.0' Roback. Unfortunately this leads to one of my main issues with this record, I don't know if it's because I'm personally biased towards former singer Chris Hukta or if it's just that Roback isn't that good of a singer, but I find her clean vocals hard to bare throughout the album, Tybor and Roback do partner up together well, creating a smooth contrast between vocals, especially in 'Lover's Touch' and the revisit of 'It's Not Always Cold In Buffalo', but I feel like although she does shine in one or two tracks, Hayley's cleans really let the record down.

It's safe to say The Bunny The Bear are moving forward and 'A Lair Wrote This' is a stepping stone in the right direction definitely, the more anthemic songs on this album like 'Love, Trust And Compromise' 'It's Not Always Cold In Buffalo' and 'Sleep Sequence' had moments that gave me shivers or made my hair stand on edge because, negatives aside, it's great to see a band change their sound so much and still have beautiful moments of genius. Hopefully the next step for The Bunny The Bear is to really focus on a more complete version of this new sound and really get the best out of Hayley Roback.

6/10

/ POST-HARDCORE / EXPERIMENTAL ROCK /

FAV TRACKS - Love, Trust, Compromise - Lovers Touch - Sleep Sequence - Somewhat Standards -
LEAST FAV TRACKS - Curtain Call - Sick, Sad Eyes - Loose Lips -

INTERVIEW WITH MATT TYBOR

Matthew Tybor (The Bunny The Bear) Interview

With The Bunny The Bear's latest album 'A Liar Wrote This' due to come out on the 24th I managed to ask Matt Tybor a few questions regarding the project and what to expect in the future.

Q. How do you feel the project has changed since the arrival of Hayley Roback?

Matt. As far as change, I think the project and the sound has matured, I don't know if that means I've been "thinking out of the box" or what. I do think the more recent albums have been more consultant from track to track.

Q. Is this mature sound a sign of what to expect in the future or will you be more unpredictable when it comes to genre and sound?

Matt. When it comes to the future I have no idea what [The Bunny The Bear] will become, I suppose it depends on what I want it to be at that time and where I am mentally, emotionally and musically.

Q. Do you plan on revisiting anymore tracks like Its Not Always Cold In Buffalo?

Matt. I wouldn't be closed to the idea, so it will most likely happen.

Q. Finally do you see yourself working with Hayley in the future or would you like to experiment with different vocalists?

Matt. I'll definitely be keeping Hayley around. 

'A Liar Wrote This' By The Bunny The Bear is out 24th July 2015, with a review available from 25th July. 

Being As An Ocean - Being As An Ocean

BAAO Mix Previous Sounds and Find Perfect Medium

Being As An Ocean stormed into the melodic hardcore scene with their 2012 début album 'Dear G-d' which I still think to this day is the best album the genre has to offer, with a blend of spoken word and strong conceptual lyrics, emotional storytelling and breathtakingly beautiful instrumentals. 'Dear G-d' still stands out as vocalist Joel Quartuccio's finest album of BAAO's discography, his clean vocals are unbelievable and they flow so well with his uncleans which could give deathcore's finest a run for their money. Then in 2014 they returned with 'How We Both Wondrously Perish' a more diverse album which stayed firm to the melodic hardcore genre, the first notable difference being new guitarist and clean vocalist Michael McGough, the second was how the similarities in tracks made this album seem like a step back from 'Dear G-d'. 'How We Both Wonderously Perish' sounded great musically and had the emotion but lacked the depth and passion that made 'Dear G-d' so breathtaking.

With their latest effort, the self titled 'Being As An Ocean', the Alpine based group have once again not settled for a similar sound, this time mixing the immersive storytelling and the beautiful, hard hitting vocals of 'Dear G-d' with the strong musical structure and hardcore influences in 'How We Both Wonderously Perish'. 

Musically this is Being As An Ocean's strongest album, McGough's clean vocals are eerily beautiful from the opening line of first track 'Little Richie' right to the powerfully direct conclusion '...And Their Consequence', McGough employed a more limited range compared to 2014's 'How We Both Wondrously Perish', but this is definitely not a bad thing as the tone perfectly matches the extremely touching lyrics throughout this record. Joel Quartuciccio's vocals are intense and unrestrained all the way through this album, matching the raw anger of 'Dear G-d' but with added excitement brought on by Joel's more diverse vocal range.

Being As An Ocean have been more experimental with their sound, blending a number of genres to their core sound and, on occasions, even drifting away from their core genre of melodic hardocre and almost completely removing breakdowns and guttural vocals to give the record a more post-hardcore sound to it. The opening tracks 'Little Richie' and 'Ain't Nobody Perfect' perfectly capture the albums concept instantly through the atmospheric guitars and no holds barred alternative rock style. The best example of BAAO still being able to pull off their classic blends of melodic hardcore and spoken word are 'The Zealot's Blindfold' which shows off vocalists Joel and Michael's ability to create the perfect contrast between the clean and unclean vocals without the transitions sounding forced, which is a common occurrence in modern hardcore sub-genres. 'The World As A Stage' shows off Being As An Ocean's core melodic hardcore skills, with an intro that resembles that of fellow bands Hundredth or Counterparts, with a fast tempo start which slows into a mellow more clean vocal lead middle which fades out beautifully.

Though there are many great examples of spoken word in this album, there are a few tracks that do fall flat, in particular 'St. Peter', which sees the lyrics completely eclipsed by the instrumentals, this also stands out as one of the few tracks where McGough really fails to shine. The other track on this album that falls short is 'Sleeping Iscarii' a song that plain and simply bored me, unlike every other song on this album there wasn't a stand out moment throughout the track for me, this is also the only track where the lyrics failed to grab my attention.

Very few negatives aside, 'Being As An Ocean' shows a more established sound which helps it shine just as bright as their début, and shows a definite improvement from their previous album. Being As An Ocean are once again just a few steps off pure musical nirvana.

8/10

/ MELODIC HARDCORE / SPOKEN WORD / POST-HARDCORE /

FAV TRACKS: - Little Richie - Ain't Nobody Perfect - The Zealot's Blindfold - The World As A Stage - ...And Their Consequence -
LEAST FAV TRACKS: - St. Peter - Sleeping Iscarii - 

Anti-Flag - American Spring

Anti-Flag Return With Their Most Inspired Sound In A Long Time.

Anti-Flag have been making noise in the punk scene for a good 20+ years now, shining a light on what they believe to be the corruption and ill doings around the World, and for over 25 years they've been using their fierce, anarchic punk . With 9 albums under their belt, the best including 2003's 'The Terror State' which featured a vast amount of catchy choruses, hefty guitars and mantra-like lyrics you'd expect to hear from Oi! band. 'The Terror State' has remained Anti-Flag's standard for their records ever since it's release. 2009's 'The People Or The Gun' was heavily praised for it's raw passion which was shown through what were described as their best lyrics since the 2003 release and hate for what was wrong with Washington and the American economy. Anti-Flag's 2012 effort 'The General Strike' saw the Pennsylvania based group drop the alternative rock influences from 2008's 'The Bright Lights Of America' and 'For Blood and Empire' and go back to their raw punk rock sound with their consistent influences coming from politics' wrongdoings, even though fans approved of this change, the album itself was panned as it lacked direction and offered nothing new to the punk rock scene that had grew in popularity since 1996.

Anti-Flag are back with 'American Spring' which sees the band embrace more pop and pop punk influences while sticking to their punk rock core. The album opens with 'Fabled World', a classic Anti-Flag song with nothing but high energy which runs onto track 2 'The Great Divide', 1:30 of the same speedy punk rock we've grown to expect. The energy is cranked up during the catchiest Anti-Flag song they've ever made 'Brandenburg Gate', this song perfectly showcases their ability to combine a catchy pop-like song with their politically fueled lyrics. 'Sky Is Falling' features the strongest vocals from Justin and Chris#2, they both work perfectly off the back of each other throughout the whole track, and the screamed line under that from Chris#2 sometimes accompanied by gang vocals too shows a total contrast to previous album 'The General Strike' which featured very dark vocals from both [Justin] Sane and Chris#2.

Sane's vocals are especially commanding in 'Walk Away' and the 48 second 'To Hell With Boredom' both of these songs, once again, are instantly catchy, with lyrics that you'll know all too well by the first listen, but this is what we expect from Anti-Flag now, they've got a loyal fan-base who like their sound how it is and wouldn't want it any other way, 'American Spring' isn't Anti-Flag's best album by a long shot, and there are forgettable moments on the album too 'Low Expectations' is probably the worst song on the album, it sounds more like a pop-punk song with the clichéd lyrics too. 'Set Yourself On Fire' sounds like a threatening enough song, but lost my interest only a minute in, a really repetitive track that builds towards nothing special.

Negatives aside, Anti-Flag still show no signs of slowing down, and with this latest album they've picked up on small influences to develop their sound how they want to, just what you'd expect from Anti-Flag.

6/10       

/ PUNK / POP-PUNK /

FAV TRACKS: - Fabled World - Brandenburg Gate - Sky Is Falling -

LEAST FAV TRACKS: - Low Expectations - Set Yourself On Fire -

Iwrestledabearonce - Hail Mary

Woman Fronted IWABO Release Their Fourth Earsore

Iwrestledabearonce are a Louisiana based experimental metalcore band who've been around since 2007, their early music under former vocalist Krysta Cameron was very diverse in genres, ranging from grindcore to jazz to synthpop, their songs could be simply identified by their constant, almost tedious changes of tempo, the boring and unvaried blast beats, and of course Cameron's uninspired, flat death growls. IWABO's songs almost always feature the more mellowed out, melodic interludes within their songs, often containing clean vocals. Iwresteledabearonce 2007-2011 was the same mindless one trick pony until the end which offered nothing but the same mediocre, almost laughable sound.

In 2012 Cameron was replaced by Courtney LaPlante, and by 2013 they had released their third album 'Late For Nothing'. This album showed off a more streamlined sound, the push and pull changes between heavy and melodic were less clunky, overall this record was actually pretty decent, it stuck to more core metal genres for inspiration such as heavy metal and hard rock, the rate of blast beats was toned down to the point where you weren't sick of listening after 2 tracks, and most importantly LaPlante's vocals were on another level compared to Cameron, her cleans especially were well polished and her gutturals were crushing.

So when they announced their fourth album 'Hail Mary' I was feeling optimistic, I thought that IWABO would carry on down the more melodic experimental path that 'Late For Nothing' offered and maybe the 2013 release may see the album keep the instrumental quality and not the wannabe brutal sound the early material was full of. I couldn't have been more wrong. 

The album opens up with 'Gift Of Death' and the first thing I was greeted with was everything that made me hate Iwresteledabearonce; predictable blast beats, horrific and forgettable lyrics and changes in tempo that made me feel uncomfortable from start to end. This album features guitar quality you'd expect from a band who record in their garage, the constant stock tones mixed with the unnecessary electronic noises that are as good as forcefully crammed into your ear right from the get go never leave, they're always around each track which makes the whole album so painful to listen to. The vocals are honestly laughable, there are some really horrific moments on this record, the very creatively titled 'Killed To Death' features lows that sound like the Cookie Monster might have made a cameo and 'Carbon Copy' sounds like they dragged a freaking dog into the studio and let it go ruddy mental, the song 'Doomed To Fail - pt2' sounds like it was taken straight out of an Evanescence B-side, it's awfully repetitive and soul-crushingly boring and Courtney totally fails to live up to the vocal heights she hit in 'Late For Nothing'. 

The whole album is nothing more than utterly forgettable, one minute they're trying too hard to be a breakdown heavy 'br00tal' almost deathcore-like band and the next their trying make hard hitting melodic metalcore. 'Hail Mary' is downright awful to put it simply.

1/10

/ EXPERIMENTAL METAL / MATHCORE / DEATHCORE /

FAV TRACKS: 

LEAST FAV TRACKS: Gift of Death - Killed To Death - Carbon Copy - 

Hundredth - Free

Hundredth's Third Album Is Their Most Direct, Hard Hitting Record To Date

South Carolina's Hundredth are back with their third album 'Free', this album follows 2011's amazing 'Let It Go' which features powerful tracks like 'Weathered Town' and 'Live Today', tracks like these really capture the core of Hundredth's heavy, melodic hardcore style whilst also using the lyrics to convey their morals of humanity and equality. In 2013 and 14 the band released the 'Resist' [2014] and 'Revolt' [2013] EP's, two very solid releases, 'Revolt' being the strongest of the releases with the sinister, shredding opener 'Ruin' and the more up-tempo, war cry like 'Free Mind / Open Spirit'. Both of these EP's saw Hundredth turn up the melodic elements and, 'Resist' especially, didn't hold back on the aggressive, protest like lyrics, especially on final track 'Wage'.

With 'Free', Hundredth have managed to blend the raw power from their first two albums and the increased focus on melodic influences from 2013 and 2014's EP's to create what is nothing less than a hard hitting masterpiece of a record. Right from the opening interlude '///' into lead single 'Unravel'. "Free" packs a punch straight off the bat, 'Unravel' immediately pulls you in with vocalist Chadwick Johnson's eerily compelling screamed and sung vocals in the chorus. Track 3 'Inside Out' is a classic Hundredth song with rapid, loud drums, guitars from Andrew Minervini and Blake Hardman which will no doubt cause many mosh pits throughout future gigs, and Johnson once again with the deeply immersive lyrics yelled with so much fury, proving one again that he is without a doubt one of current hardcore's best vocalists. 'Break Free' is also a very speedy, self hating track much like 'Inside Out', but doesn't offer anything more than the opening tracks do.

The next highlight on this album for me is 'Isolation' which is a prime example of Hundredth's blend of influences from their EP's and the raw power from the first two albums, there are some very impressive changes of tempo throughout the track, which also manages to present Hundredth's heavier, hardcore side. "Beggar" reminds me of very early Architects material, especially their 2007 album 'Ruin', Johnson's vocals are utterly throat ripping and so gripping, Hutchinson's drumming never fails to give throughout the whole record, in fact this album really brings out the bands pure raw skill and very clearly demonstrates how this already mature from the start band have managed to continue on this path to almost perfection. 'Burdens' is a perfect album closer, and this is definitely bassist John Paul Gressman's finest moment, his bass cuts through during this songs opening and just adds another layer to Hundredth's sound, Johnson opens this track with more lower, shouted vocals, over Hutchinson's almost tribal-like, hypnotic opening drumming, this builds into Hundredth's classic loud and fast mix of riffs and drums, and allows for plenty of breakdown friendly moments all until the inevitable climax of this epic album.

'Free' might just be one of the, if not the best hardcore album of this year, Hundredth constantly strive to improve and mature their sound, and this album is no short of a success.

9/10

/ MELODIC HARDCORE /

FAV TRACKS: Unravel - Isolation - Beggar - Reach - Burdens -

LEAST FAV TRACKS: - Delusion -  

The Vaccines - English Graffiti

The Vaccines Return With Impressive New Sound

English indie rockers, The Vaccines are back with their third full length album “English Graffiti”. This album follows 2012’s “Come Of Age” which really solidified The Vaccines’ loud, noise ridden, rock and roll sound. Songs like “Teenage Icon” and “Bad Mood” showed that the London based group had a real knack for writing a catchy chorus, and songs like “Weirdo” and “No Hope” proved that [Jason] Young had a real way with lyrics. In 2013 we were treat to the Melody Calling EP, which featured two singles which saw The Vaccines move away from their noisy rock sound and try out a more chilled out surf rock sound, a sound they most definitely pulled off, the lead single "Melody Calling" not only managed to establish The Vaccines as more than just a typical British indie band, but a band who seemed to be able to make an absolute tune no matter what the genre may be.

And once again The Vaccines have went and proved just that yet again, this new release features a lot of new styles by the boys, featuring more mellow, psychedelic influences like the single "Dream Lover", track 7 "Want You So Bad", and the very Strokes-esque "Minimal Affection", both of these songs once again show front-man Jason Young's genius lyrical skills. There are a lot of songs on this album that openly show influences from fellow indie artists, the track "20/20" sounds very Vampire Weekend inspired, and the mellow love song "Want You So Bad" almost resembles a Black Keys chart topper, showing The Vaccines' ability to give other artists' sound a shot, and pull it off better. Lead single "Handsome" almost seems like the band had a sudden realisation, after 2012's album of raw angst and self loathing with lyrics like "I'm no teenage icon" and the whole song "Bad Mood" in general, they are now back with lyrics like "Thank god I'm handsome", it seems like the four piece didn't want to wallow in self pity for all of their existence, and I respect that.

Overall I think this is The Vaccines' best release to date, it shows them to be more than people think they are, they unveil their true musical talents here, and I hope to hear more of this sound in the future. Well done boys.

7/10

/ INDIE ROCK / POST-PUNK / PSYCHEDELIC ROCK /

FAV TRACKS: - Handsome - Dream Lover - Minimal Affection, 20/20 - Want You So Bad

LEAST FAV: Ummm... - Give Me A Sign -

Slaves - Are You Satisfied?

Short Answer; Yes

So Slaves have finally released their début full length after what has been a very eventful 2014 and 15 for the Kent based duo. And bloody hell I've waited a long time for this.

Laurie and Issac released their first EP , the 8-track 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth' back in 2012, the EP showed off the core of what the punk duo was about. With Issac furiously beating the drums, shouting harsh lyrics at the top of his voice, with Laurie supporting it amazingly with his riffs and backing vocals to Issac. They are definitely something to see live, their shows are always full of energy and if anything made me more excited for this release.

This album shows more of the same from Slaves, but definitely not in a bad way. There's songs on this album that show off their infectious and catchy riffs like the opening track 'The Hunter' and lead single 'Hey' and there's also songs on this record that feature lines and choruses you just want to shout along to, especially on the tracks 'Cheer Up London' 'Feed The Mantaray' and 'Sockets'. Although a lot of the songs on this album are based around a very repetitive and catchy chorus, there are signs of more intelligent and complex songs you wouldn't expect from a DIY punk band like Slaves, tracks like 'Do Something' which has a real "Get off your ass and do something" message, and the final track 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth' which along with the 'Are You Satisfied?' has a much softer feel to it compared to the other tracks on this album.

Hopefully this is just another taster of what is to expect in the future. Although I do like most tracks on this album, I feel like the album is really held together by the 3 tracks that stray away from the fast, loud, repetitive punk sounds.

Overall I do enjoy this album, and can't wait to see these lads in November.

8/10

/ PUNK / GARAGE ROCK /

FAV TRACKS: - The Hunter - Cheer Up London - Sockets - Are You Satisfied? - Hey - Feed The Mantaray - Sugar Coated Bitter Truth -

LEAST FAV TRACKS: - Ninety Nine - 

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! - Get Lost Find Yourself

Chunk Once Again Return With Improved Sound

The French easycore crew dropped this album on the 18th, this is their first album without original drummer Jonathan Donnaes who left back in August last year. 

Chunk really impressed me with 2013's "Pardon My French", I was a big fan of the song's structure, how each song was clearly wrote around a catchy and appealing, almost Four Year Strong-like chorus. I was a fan of Bernard's clean and growled lyrics and how well they were varied throughout each song. Even though this album had it's positives, I did find it quite generic in it's pop punk ways, using recycled breakdowns and riffs we've all heard millions of times before.

Chunk have improved vastly on their new album. The album opens with lead single "Playing Dead" which includes Chunk's trademark catchy, pop punk-like choruses and speedy breakdowns. Bernard Poncet has once again improved vocally and sounds amazing throughout this record, even though there are less growls in this album , it gives Poncet's clean vocals more time in the spotlight and it's definitely made the most of it, his vocal highlights for me are without a doubt track 2 "City of Light" and 4 "Set It Straight" where you really hear another side of Bernard's cleans. Lyrically this album is their strongest and instrumentally too, the metalcore inspired "The Other Line" bring some amazing heavy guitar work of Eric Poncet and Paul Wilson.

Even though Chunk have took less leaves from the Pop-Punk book, their sound still shows shades of other genre powerhouses such as Neck Deep, The Story So Far and A Day To Remember, but the lack of creativity doesn't take away the sheer brilliance of this album.

6/10

/ EASYCORE / POP-PUNK / METALCORE /

FAV TRACKS: - Playing Dead - The Other Line - Set It Straight -

LEAST FAV: - Worst Case Scenario -