There isn’t another musician on Earth like Rémi Gallego. With The Algorithm’s new album (try saying that ten times really quickly) Brute Force dropping on April 1 after scoring 91% on TMMP here, and many ears awaiting its onslaught of labyrinthine synth lines and cortex-crunching grooves, TMMP caught up with Rémi Gallego via email to talk Brute Force, influences, creativity, and thoughtful neighbourly feedback…
Your new album Brute Force is out on April 1. How’re you feeling about it?
I can’t wait to finally unveil this album. It’s my proudest achievement so far and I’m excited that people can finally hear it!
When it comes to creating the heaviest electronica imaginable while maintaining that all-important accessibility, Rémi Gallego is the undisputed Read more…
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…
When you walk into a venue using The Algorithm’s OCTOPUS4 as a pre-show auditory appetizer, you know it’s going to be an intense night.
Nordic Giants (93%) became new TMMP favourites by the end of a stunningly (and literally) cinematic set. Watching a multi-tasking duo soundtrack a series of masterfully crafted videos in real time is not Read more…
From frantically churning riffage to throat-scarring screams and universe-pummelling beats, Textures’ Phenotype takes in everything you could ask for from a modern metal band, and spits it all out in a new, brutally mutated form.
Oceans Collide barely contains a borderline terrifying collection of monolithic grooves that Meshuggah themselves would pat themselves on the back for penning – and by Read more…
I’ve ranted and raved about these guys for years – and frankly, they fucking deserve it. Dorje are an industry unto themselves, topping album charts across the Internet with their latest Catalyst EP, racking up some 800,000 YouTube views for their signature song Aeromancy, and nailing one of Indiegogo’s top crowdfunding campaigns while handling everything in-house with zero label backing.
Respect is due here – and this year will see a second EP alongside much touring. By the time Dorje are done, their peers will be craning their necks to catch a glimpse of them.
If you just can’t cram enough mind-ruining math rock into your day, Black Peaks’ latest single Saviour is a must-listen. A massively improved version of an already epic track from early EP Closer To The Sun, and a mouth-watering taste of what to expect from Black Peaks’ upcoming album Statues, Saviour will blow you away. Play loud.
As with Dorje and Black Peaks, I’ve written many an evangelical word about Signals over the years. Breaking fresh ground with every note, this Southampton-based math-pop quartet are genuinely unique. Hard-earned technical skills, thoughtful musicianship, never-less-than-perfect production, and an instantly recognisable sound topped off with Ellie Price’s consistently passionate vocals all add up to an act capable of cutting the mustard like a legendary ninja.
When they’re not inducing jawbreaking gurns in Dorje, guitarist Rabea Massaad, drummer Ben Minal, and bassist Dave Hollingworth can be found frying facial features as Toska. Instrumental progressive metal is the name of the game here, departing from the standard Periphery-aping clone formula employed by many of their peers in favour of a genuinely new vibe. Toska’s debut EP Ode To The Author does contain hints of Karnivool, Porcupine Tree, Tesseract, and even Incubus – but more than that, it represents the birth of a meditatively immersive New Sound.
More to come on this one – but for now, just trust me. This will be frickin’ special.
Hatton Manor – aka Matt and Hannah – are in the earliest of early days right now. But they are still one of the most flat-out superior acoustic guitar-and-vocal duos I’ve ever heard. Dipping their toes into the live and festival circuits during 2015, as well as releasing their debut EP Eden, Hatton Manor are moving into a new phase full of experimentation. By turns graceful, gritty, joyful and dark, Hatton Manor know how to strap you into an emotional rollercoaster from note one. Awesome.
Thoughtful EDM might seem like an oxymoron – but Princess Slayer make it work through a creative approach that blends hedonistic playfulness with ruminative sincerity. Drummer and producer Vince Welch digs up gut-rumbling grooves, cute melodies, and carefully constructed sonic strata while vocalist Casey Lim thinks out loud through an intimate and vulnerable yet confident vocal. With many collaborations and their Living EP behind them, a Princess Slayer album is rumoured to be on the way. With any luck, 2016 will be the year it surfaces – and when it does, expect something exceptional and exceptionally cool.
Listening to Boundless, you’d never guess that Pomegranate Tiger is a one-man band. The fact that it is is fucking mind-blowing; Pomegranate Tiger head honcho Martin Andres not only wrote all the music you can hear via Bandcamp below, but also laid down all the drums, guitars, and piano you’ll hear down there as well. Respect is definitely due.
Above all else, Boundless is brutal. Technically, it’s bang on the money; Andres’s playing is super clean, super tight, and relentlessly intense. Album centrepiece Paper Hammers showcases Andres’s softer side, as Read more…
About a month ago, I watched as Derange tore London’s Boston Music Room a new one in the process of opening for underground heavyweights Dorje. To cut short a long story already told in this live review, it was immense. After that show, I had to hear more.
Fans of tech-metal stars Tesseract, Karnivool, and Periphery will feel immediately at home with The Awakening. That said, this is not just another djent-related release to toss on the “Heard It A Thousand Times Before” pile. Derange draw heavily from Read more…
Maxi Curnow makes music with a strong, no-punches-pulled message. Blending everything from poppy hooks to tech-metallic intensity on his new track If We Make It, and accompanying said song with a powerfully unsettling video (viewable below), he’s already making an impact.
TMMP caught up with Maxi Curnow to discuss the video for If We Make It, and got a glimpse into the reality of life spent saving lives and staying creative…
Your new video for If We Make It is one of the most gut-wrenching videos I’ve seen in a while. Can you explain the story and message behind it?
Well, while working on and off duty I’ve been to traumatic RTCs (Road Traffic Collisions), which have really hit home how vulnerable we are despite the safety features that most cars boast.
You are still responsible for a one-tonne missile, going at 70 miles an hour, which is made of metal. Our bodies can’t compete with that! So even if a seatbelt stops us, on impact our organs will keep on going.
If they rupture, you will start bleeding internally and that’s not a quick fix, all while on the surface you may not even have a scratch.
More importantly, it’s not just ourselves that we are responsible for when driving. What if Read more…
Although everyone has the right to express themselves however they like, the world needs more musicians willing to stand up for a positive cause and draw attention to serious issues. Maxi Curnow is one of those musicians.
The video below is fucking harsh. It’s not easy viewing, not by a long shot. But it also only hints at the brutal reality the assorted emergency services deal with every day.
Maxi Curnow isn’t just an insanely talented multi-instrumentalist with Read more…
