ACODA / Wicked Snakes / CITIES [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 2/6/14]
When two of the bands on a three-band bill spell their names in full caps, you know – or, at least, hope – that it’s going to be a) LOUD, and b) EPIC.
Last night was both loud and epic. I’ve seen some great bands over the last few nights, but this show topped the lot. A range of rock styles were unleashed, and between-set conversations were had about honey badgers, Morgan Freeman on helium, housemates sharing their homemade porn (this was a conversation topic, not something that happened at the show), and a band that don’t exist called Sex Rambo. At the end of this review, I’ll try to sum up how epic this all was in mere words. But for now… Read more…
The Cottonettes
Prepare to have your brain broken.
The secret to effective writing is to omit unnecessary words. So the words that follow are the only ones you need to read.
First things first. Beneath Dead Waves are a great band. They clearly know their shit; their instrumental technique is borderline flawless; and any self-respecting metalhead will find something to love on Inertia. Personally, I felt as if this album had been written just for me, clearly influenced as it is by many of the bands that defined me as a metal fan. There’re moments that bring to mind Dream Theater, Tool, Mudvayne, SikTh, Slipknot, and Meshuggah – and it’s clear that Beneath Dead Waves love those bands as much as I do (if not more). For that reason, Inertia has earned a special place in my heart. 
No, Dillinger, it isn’t. Sorry.
This is an instrumental math/noise EP, and the collective name under which its creators work references anime (either 
Finally, on their third album, Animals As Leaders have sold out. Gone are their trademark twisting riffs and über-dense polyrhythms – all of their previous idiosyncrasies have been ironed out, replaced with a light and airy, easily digestible, radio-friendly approach sure to see them bothering the pop charts. In fact, Miley Cyrus made headlines just hours ago when she tweeted “OMG cant get enuf of da noo AAL record! Mega luv #nextalbumtobeallgent”. Time to jump ship, I’m sure you’ll agree.