Photo credit: Alex Morgan
Vancouver technical death metal titans Archspire hit the road on The Long Roads Big Loads Tour in support of their fifth studio album, Too Fast to Die, joined by Crown Magnetar, Undeath, and Mutilation Barbecue. Several dates are already low on tickets. Grab yours now. Continue reading
Needs are a Punk five piece hailing from Vancouver in Canada, and whilst their homeland may well garner a reputation of kindness and chilled out vibes, somebody better tell these guys that! Their erratic delivery of punk on this self-titled release (File Under Music) feels almost neurotic and overall makes for a very strong release. Don’t think anyone is doubting the Canadian level of humour which is on display here in abundance, either as some of the track titles alone should pick up some kind of reward – ‘Clowns To The Left Of Me, Dzhokhars to the Right’ and ‘We Don’t Know Why We Are Protesting is Why We Are Protesting’ are two particular gems in that respect.
A key aspect to this record being altogether very impressive is the fact that whilst aggressive sounding, they’ve injected their music with a whole load of fun as well. You can already envisage people bouncing around at live shows singing along to some of the lyrics. A good example of this is with the track ‘We Forgot the Records to Our Record Release Show’ which displays a high tempo punk sound underneath some genuinely entertaining lyrics, “What am I doing? No seriously, what am I doing. I’m 36 Years Old, 37 in a couple of months” – a sentiment which no doubt a hell of a lot of bands will be able to identify and relate with.
Overall then, this album is indeed a strong dose of Punk which will hopefully not go completely under the radar. Needs are evidence of the fact that if you search hard enough amongst the million bands out there at the moment, you will find a gem, and an entertaining one at that – this is definitely worth checking out.
7.0/10
TOM DONNO
Canadian thrashers Golers are back with their fourth album, In ’n’ Outlaws (Independent/self-released). The Vancouver- based quartet – made up of Walter Mason on vocals and Guitar, Derek Rockall on guitar, Stuart Carruthers on bass and drummer Jason Mosdell – have delivered 14 tracks of quality hardcore-infused thrash with hints of southern sludge.
The opening title tracks is fast as it is brutal; two and half minutes of raw speed and aggression. The rasping screams, pummelling drums, lightning riffs, Golers only play music that’s high octane, heavy, relentless, volatile – imagine Iron Reagan fronted by Phil Anselmo, then make it heavier.
Very few songs longer than two minutes – but that brevity means none of the tracks outstay their welcome. It’s hard to pick out individual songs for special mention. Every track is, however, littered with quality solos; ‘Paradise Entrails,’ ‘Scratch’ and ‘Riff Cult – Relations’ are blessed with some excellent guitar work, and offer a brief reprieve from an otherwise uninterrupted aural attack.
Despite all sounding pretty similar, they’re also very good and there’s very little in the way of filler. But with all 14 tracks following a very similar blueprint it does get a bit fatiguing along the way. However it’s a small grip with an otherwise quality release.
From start to finish, In’n’Outlaws is an unadulterated assault on the senses. It’s a consistently nasty album from a band who know how to shred and thrash. One for people who miss extreme metal and punk from the 80s.
7.5/10
DAN SWINHOE