Puppy have had a very busy couple of years seemingly touring non-stop, whether it’s their own various tours, supporting big-hitters like CKY, Creeper, and Conan, and playing numerous festivals such as Download and Slam Dunk, the trio have kept themselves very occupied. The main question on everyone’s lips, however, was when are they going release a full album and will The Goat (Spinefarm) live up to the expectations set by their prior two EPs and live show?Continue reading
Instrumental metal quite often gets the wrong rap for being a bit tedious and pretentious, seemingly a genre that is more about a band trying to show off how well they can play their instruments rather than create an atmosphere and a unique sound and hook. Brand new four-piece outfit, Crevassian set out to create a cathartic blend of atmosphere and groove with their debut, self-released, self-titled EP.Continue reading
Currents burst onto the progressive side of the Metalcore scene with their debut album back in 2017, displaying an array of influences including Architects and Northlane. Just over a year later, and the band is back with their third EP.
Continuing on the same path they have previously laid out, Currents display some great Mathcore guitar feats focusing on twangy, winding guitar tones similar to the likes of Periphery or Veil of Maya, showing those bands influences very clearly on their sleeves, though the combination of their influences in one complete sound gives Currents their own unique sound.
Similar to The Place I Feel Safest, I Let The Devil In (Sharptone) features dark, introspective lyrics. The opening track, ‘Into Despair’ exhibits this perfectly as vocalist Brian Wille’s tortured screams cry out “I never said I could make you better, What did you expect from me?!” It’s clear this isn’t just a set of generic lyrics, but something that as cheesy as it sounds comes straight from the heart. Wille’s performance from start to end shows the passion and authenticity of the emotions from the lyrics.
While the overall sound of Currents could be grouped alongside a growing number of Tech Metalcore bands, the vocals and emotional content fits far more alongside bands like Casey. If Currents keep up the development of their music, they could be one of Metalcore’s new trendsetters.
8 / 10
CHARLIE HILL
Holy Roar Records has been on a roll over the past couple of years, with releases this year alone from Rolo Tomassi and Conjurer, amongst others, of the highest order. The indie record label has truly made a name for themselves for pushing brilliant bands forward who will be here to stay. portrayal of guilt are the latest band to release their debut album on the label (which is available via Gilead Media in Northern America) but will it live up to the high standards set by their peers?Continue reading
Not even a whole year after the release of their debut self-titled album, the extreme metal mob, Bitch Hawk are back at it again with their latest full release Joy (Adrian Recordings). The short time span has no effect on the quality of the music whatsoever. With a diverse range of musical backgrounds in the band, from Ska bands to writing for Charli XCX, this mixed bag of influences and sounds come together to create this unforgettable album.Continue reading
“There was so much more we wanted to accomplish as a band” said Living With Lions’ lead vocalist Chase Brenneman after previous singer Stu Ross left in 2012. With such a bold statement, it is a clear indication that Island (No Sleep/Redfield), their first full-length album featuring former guitarist Brenneman on vocals, was meant to be ground-breaking.Continue reading
While the first album (Bless The Earth With Fire) by the sludgy metal quintet Allfather aggressively raged against the injustices in the world, their second album, And All Will Be Desolation (Rotting Throne) shows a different take on the political landscape that is not often present in music: whereas most political music will call for, and show the fight against the power in a positive light – rise up and not think about the negatives of the movement – And All Will Be Desolation reflects on the sombre side of fighting against injustices across the globe.Continue reading
Earlier this year, UK-based band, Conjurer released their debut album, displaying a staggering amount of different influences mixed together to create something amazing and new. Germany based, two-piece band Mantar have done just that as well with their sophomore release, The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze (Nuclear Blast).
However, unlike the influence from more prog metal bands like Mastodon and Opeth in Mire (Holy Roar), Mantar have brought together a variety of different worlds that can be shown throughout the album with elements of Metallica, Motörhead and Machine Head combined with animalistic vocals that sound like they belong in a black metal band. The overall effect of this creates a raw, vicious sound; even though there are only 2 members of the band, the sound that they’ve produced is larger than some fully manned bands.Continue reading
Over their past couple of albums, the pop-punk quintet, Trophy Eyes has been quite easy to group in with a smaller section of emo/pop-punk acts like Basement, Trash Boat, and Boston Manor. With the latest album in their discography, The American Dream (Hopeless Records), however, the band move on with some new influences and a new-found maturity in their lyrics. Whilst pop-punk as a genre on whole has been mostly known for the use of angsty/teen themes in their material, Trophy Eyes has moved onto a more mature way of writing about mental health, band life, etc. The most notable change in the act’s third album is the definite improvement in singer, John Floreani who adopts a more of a baritone sound to his voice during the majority of the main verses, contrasting fantastically against his more well-known tone in choruses, it feels like Floreani takes influences from earlier big alternative rock bands like U2 to show off more range and flow in his material.Continue reading