Black Peaks – ‘Saviour’ [Review]

Black Peaks - Statues

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My God.

If you’re looking for the cream of the math-rock crop, you’ve found it. Black Peaks have always been fueled by ferocity, laying waste to ears and venues and festivals in the process of carving out a niche of their own. But now, they’ve hit a new…well…peak.

Saviour – the lead single from Black Peaks’ upcoming debut album Statues – sees Black Peaks employ a Read more…

Posted on 17 November 2015

VASA [Interview]

VASA Colours Banner

If super-intense instrumental math rock is your thing, you’ve either heard of VASA and love them, or have just heard of VASA and will love them in the near future.

In this interview, TMMP talks to VASA bassist John Niblock about VASA’s new album Colours and the band’s past, present, and future…

Your debut album Colours is out now. How does it feel to finally have it out there?

It’s a mix of relief and pride, I’d say. We’ve spent the last 10 months working on it and building up to it, so it was great to finally let people hear the album that we spent so much of our time on. We’re very proud of the end product and couldn’t be happier with the response it’s gotten.

What’s VASA’s origin story?

I met Blaine (Thompson, guitar) during my second year of university. We started writing together, and shortly after he brought in Scott (Coupar, guitar), who he had been friends with from their high school years. We recruited Niall (Morison MacRae, drums) last June after replacing our old drummer.

When it came to writing the tracks on Colours, what was your creative process like?

Quite a few of the tracks had been started just before Niall joined, so for most of them it was Read more…

Posted on 27 October 2015

Black Peaks [Underground Greats]

Black Peaks

Since 2013, Black Peaks have wasted little time in establishing themselves as math-rock stars in the making. TMMP has championed them for some time, and for many a good reason. Here are five of them:

1) Their tracks are fully immersive.

Some bands soundtrack your life in a nostalgic sense, pushing and pulling you into the past, running over pains, worries, and victories alike. The music’s there, right in your ears – but so are some things you might rather forget.

Black Peaks’ tracks take a different tack. Songs like Glass Built Castles and Saviour will use up all your mental bandwidth, pushing the world away and allowing real relief from everyday stresses and strains. These guys will bend your brain into a mind-pretzel, twisting time in ways that would leave Stephen Hawking Read more…

Posted on 30 July 2015

Cleft [Interview]

Cleft

Cleft are fucking nuts. Some bands just grab your attention through sheer force of intent – and this instrumental turbo-prog duo is definitely one of them. TMMP got talking to guitarist Dan about their upcoming set at 2000 Trees – and this is what came out…

You’re due to hit 2000 Trees 2015. How’re you feeling?

We’ve had a hectic and challenging few months due to illness so it feels like it’s come out of the blue to me actually. We’ve been burrowed away writing loads of new material for our next album, so we’ve not had much time to think about gigs and festivals. It’s only now that it’s so close that I’m realising we’re actually doing this festival, playing with so many amazing bands. It’s going to be an excellent weekend!

Musically, you’re pretty out there. If an inebriated stranger were to ask what you sound like, what would you say in response?

I’d describe ourselves (to an enormously drunk and unmusical stranger) like a cross between Yes, Slayer, and Mr Blobby. But to a normal human person, we’ve been categorising ourselves as “turbo-prog,” which seems to have stuck now.

We play riff-based progressive music that we’ve condensed down to the length of an average to short pop tune due to our very short attention spans. We’re exactly the same as the Beatles – if the Beatles were an instrumental, gear-obsessed drum/guitar duo with a penchant for filthy riffs and odd groovy rhythms…

What made you decide to stick with the guitar-drums duo format? Would you consider expanding the lineup?

I think we just both thrive on the challenge of Read more…

Posted on 02 July 2015

Mutiny On The Bounty – ‘Digital Tropics’ [Review]

Mutiny On The Bounty

Before we get started, you need to watch this video:

If you loved that, this album is guaranteed to make you uncomfortably tumescent within about 0.73 seconds. Digital Tropics is crammed with no fewer than Read more…

Posted on 12 June 2015

Slam Dunk Festival 2015 [Festival Review]

Slam Dunk

From the outside, alternative music festivals can seem intimidating. Certain corners of the media choose to portray alternative music fans as universally antisocial and self destructive. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

Festivals are full of people out for nothing more than a good time. Great bands, passionate fans, and meticulous organisation are all essential pieces of the puzzle – and Slam Dunk’s organisers provided the former and latter. In Wolverhampton, everybody won.

Behind black t-shirts and often morbid iconography, the themes of the day were love, respect, and gratitude. Second stage openers Shvpes set the tone with a rapturously received hometown set packed full of Read more…

Posted on 29 May 2015

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