Some bands are born special. I first came across Black Peaks (then known collectively as Shrine) back in 2014, within a year or so of their initial formation, and it was obvious even then that these guys would go on to achieve big things. Fast-forward past their Closer To The Sun EP, 2016’s beautifully batshit debut album Statues, massive amounts of touring, and more than a few Read more…
Black Futures thrive on chaos and confusion – and appropriately enough, this interview is going to get a little bit bewildering. Since the enigmatic Space took exception to five questions in a row, I changed two of them retrospectively using the benefit of hindsight and Read more…
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Life as a music critic is nothing if not unpredictable. Day to day, the search begins anew, casting a metaphorical net over the actual Internet in the hope of discovering a genuinely unique artist. Some days, I collapse exhausted and forlorn before my laptop, my mind numbed by the knowledge that all my efforts have given me is RSI Read more…
UPDATE: TMMP has been reborn! This video has the full story:
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Anyone who’s ever played a video game will be familiar with the stresses and strains involved in beating the Boss Level. The anxious anticipation that greets the arrival of some hideous, monolithic fucker with fire breath and laser eyes, capable of annihilating you in an instant; the adrenaline surging around your body as you dodge and attack, seeking out a weak spot; the glorious feeling of relief and victory as it finally falls to the ground and you level up.
Toska’s EP launch, celebrating the maiden voyage of Ode To The Author, was their first serious Boss-Level show – and watching them win was Read more…
Progressive metal is often dismissed for being too something. Self-indulgent. Flat. Soulless. Etc.
Sometimes, the criticism is justified; at other times, it isn’t.
In Toska’s case, none of the above apply. This is progressive metal with heart, soul, and spirit – not to mention the kind of forward-thinking intelligence that defines the best the genre has to Read more…
Prepare to enter a world of post-rock-flavoured euphoria. A weird but rewarding world populated by countless notes, rhythms, riffs, and melodies. A place where Celtic melodies merge with modern metallic intensity, where listeners are free to dance, mosh, or crane their necks to squint at skyborne melodies so vibrant you can easily visualise them.
The word “moderation” doesn’t exist in VASA’s vocabulary. Colours sees Read more…
Remember science class? Man, it was boring. Stuck staring at a textbook or a blackboard while the world’s most monotonic teacher droned on and on about everything from leaves to light.
You were interested in light, at least. Sunlight. The light from the sun shining outside, while you were kept out of it.
But one day, you got to experience something even cooler than escaping. You gathered around the teacher’s table with your friends, to watch a series of substances with arcane names go up in flames. Blinding lights; miniature explosions; the world’s most compact firework display.
After all the sleepy gloom that came before it, that lesson was imprinted on your memory forever. Even when it was over, you were still buzzing. Excited.
The Battle Of Being is just like that lesson. Read more…
Progressive Promotions have great taste in bands. The lineup for this show was absolutely immense, kicking off with TMMP favourites Toska (92%). Regular readers will have already read many evangelical words about these guys – but they fucking deserve it. This time out, performance was prioritised over precision, resulting in one of the most intense, borderline apocalyptic Toska sets yet. A couple of mistakes were made, but who the fuck cares when the music is that epic?
Following Toska’s opening barrages has proven tough for some, but local legends No Consequence (88%) Read more…
Nine Inch Nails. Tesseract. You Me At Six. Strange stylistic bedfellows maybe, but Grumble Bee (aka ex-PaperPlane man Jack Bennett) has succeeded in welding them all together and creating something you absolutely have to hear immediately.
Two of my favourite TMMP genre categories are “Genre Terrorism” and “Complete Batshit Insanity” – and few acts fit those labels quite as snugly as Read more…