After last year’s triumphant and sad return for the final lap with Porcupine Tree, Prog music’s King, Steve Wilson was already planning his new solo album. After releasing an astounding album and a brief world tour to say goodbye, he is back to assert his dominance as a solo artist. While his signature sound is all over The Harmony Codex (Virgin Music Group), he has enlisted a bevy of conspirators to create his next epic musical adventure.
Festival season in Athens, Greece has begun with Nightwish and In Flames debuting at Release Athens Festival on June 7th, in Water Square. The headcount featured over 12,000 fans singing along and crowd-surfing throughout the night.
Well, I had a completely different set of expectations heading into Loathe‘s I Let It in and It Took Everything (SharpTone Records). See, one of my co-DJs on my radio show Stress Factor (cheap plug) had played ‘Gored’ and ‘Broken Vision Rhythm’ a few weeks back so I thought I was headed face-first into a sea of gnarly down-tuned Hardcore riffs with some Industrial elements tossed in for good measure. Not quite. Continue reading
The Voodoo Music + Arts Experience 2019 has booked Guns N’ Roses, Post Malone and Beck to headline the 21st edition of the fest, taking place October 25-27, 2019 at City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. The incredible lineup also features Bassnectar, Brandi Carlile, The National, Rezz, Zhu, Young The Giant, Interpol, Sheck Wes, Bring Me The Horizon, Big Gigantic, Clairo, Glitch Mob and more. Over 65 bands will perform across four stages, bringing fans an unforgettable Halloween weekend in New Orleans.Continue reading
Riot Fest 2018 approaches next weekend and the bill looks stacked! The lineup features Weezer, Blink-182, Beck, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Run The Jewels, Incubus, Young The Giant, Interpol, Blondie, Alkaline Trio, Father John Misty, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Tickets are on sale now at the link below. Now. Riot Fest takes place September 14th-16th at Douglas Park in Chicago, IL.Continue reading
Formed 2010 in Reykjavik, Kontinuum set out to release hypnotic and spiritual musical noise, and over the course of the last two albums, they’ve largely succeeded. However with third album No Need to Reason (Season of Mist) they’ve set out to tone down the noise part and have come back with a much more refined sound. From the first album Earth Blood Magic (Candlelight) and an upbeat and eclectic mix of post-rock and dreamwave influences to the more epic sounding, Sólstafir worship of Kyrr (Candlelight) they’ve clearly been a band not afraid to experiment with their sound.Continue reading
Riot Fest had their big reveal last night, announcing the first and main wave of bands for this coming September in Chicago. Held September 14th-16th at Douglas Park in Chicago, IL the headliners include Blink-182, Beck, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Incubus, Young The Giant, Interpol, Blondie, Alkaline Trio, Father John Misty, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Tickets are on sale now at the link below. Continue reading
Back in 2015, Hey Colossus blessed their willing congregation with a double album release, In Black & Gold and Radio Static High which still remain critically acclaimed to this day with their heavy Desert Rock and bluesy influences painted throughout each composition. With Hey Colossus’ dedicated fanbase showing immense satisfaction from the aforementioned, one has to question whether or not the band can live up to the high bar they set at their previous go-round.Continue reading
Since forming in 2012, Sacramento’s NMBRSTTN have been fomenting their post-hardcore smorgsabord into something truly interesting and compelling. Building on their well-received debut record of a couple of years back, and with a couple of new line-up changes under their belt, their latest EP Energy and Entropy (Flossless Audio) suggests a more synth heavy and goth influence to the band’s artistic vision. They’ve added to their spark and arsenal and the result is very positive indeed.
Opening track ‘Folden Unicorn’ follows that well-worn path of quiet-loud-quiet so beloved of the post-hardcore scene. There’s lots of new wave energy running through the song. A big sonic landscape underscored by dramatic lyrical content that is equally political and personal, centred around the themes of change and transformation proves a riveting and invigorating start.
‘Diamond Heart’ suggests the band have been dipping into their goth record collection; at times it sounds like an outtake from the Cure’s 1989 masterpiece Disintegration (Fiction). It’s majestic in its sense of the forlorn and whilst the subject matter is presumably all about heartbreak, the music makes the pain deeply pleasurable.
There’s a post punk and dark rock mood pervading ‘Terror Row’; at any moment you get the idea that Joy Division’s Ian Curtis is going to make some ghostly appearance from the grave. Imagine Interpol getting absurdly angry and you’ll be part of the way there in understanding what the band are getting at.
EP closer ‘Heliotherm’, then, comes as a bit of an aural shock. It couldn’t be more different in tone to the bleak and harrowing sensibility of ‘Diamond Heart’ and ‘Terror Row’. There is a greater sense of optimism allied to the driven rock based, synthy soundtrack. I kept coming back in my mind to early 90s goth meisters Curve with their love of electronica, dark mood punctuated by a coda that simply screamed Cult of Luna. All of these are very good things as I’m sure you’ve already twigged.
As an appetizer for a second album, Energy and Entropy works superbly. If you haven’t discovered this band then this is a perfect hopping on point; it’s rich, layered and richly creative. NMBRSTTN might be magpie like in their approach but as any good chef knows, it’s what you do with the ingredients that really matters and on this evidence, I’ll be ordering a second helping. Darkly delicious.
8.0/10
MAT DAVIES
