Pulo Revé – ‘É’ [Review]

To spot a great band in the darkest depths of the underground, start by asking yourself the following questions:

1) Are they recycling the same old tired clichés?

2) Can you hear their influences?

2a) If so, do those influences flow into each other and blend well?

3) Do they sound like they mean it?

4) Does the production job do the music justice?

The answers you’re looking for are:

1) No;

2) I don’t care, because this is badass!;

2a) Yes;

3) Yes;

4) Hell yes.

É‘s Introductory Blues passes this test effortlessly. Acoustic guitar fiddliness in the vein of Candyrat Records gives way to Enter Shikari-style vocalisations, a buildup into Read more…

Posted on 12 September 2015

Five Finger Death Punch – ‘Got Your Six’ [Review]

This album feels like a black eye. A broken nose. Fractured ribs. And a punctured lung.

It’s big, it’s ear-bruising, and it. Is. Badass.

LV / LA-based metal heavyweights Five Finger Death Punch are synonymous with a direct, no-nonsense approach to heavy metal. There’s a definite emphasis on the heavy here, but Got Your Six is far from impenetrable. Great songcraft drives these guys as much as great riffs and irresistible grooves.

These facts are immediately obvious from Read more…

Posted on 08 September 2015

Iron Maiden – ‘The Book Of Souls’ [Review]

Some bands have done it all. Not Iron Maiden. These guys have done everything at least three times, forging a multiple-decade career while running rampant around the world, influencing bands as diverse as Metallica and Dream Theater, and precisely honing one of the most instantly identifiable sounds in metal.

If you’ve ever heard an Iron Maiden song before, you’ll know what to expect here: galloping rhythms, duelling guitars, frenzied solos, siege-engine energy, and Bruce Dickinson’s legendary vocals soaring over it all. Maiden’s style has always been their calling card, and their albums are like theme parks, inspired by mythological lore and notable moments from history. The Book Of Souls takes in everything from Read more…

Posted on 06 September 2015

Disturbed – ‘Immortalized’ [Review]

Disturbed are kings of no-holds-barred catharsis. Since stepping into the metal world’s spotlight with 2000’s The Sickness, their name has become synonymous with brutal riffage and off-kilter rhythms, topped off by frontman David Draiman’s unmistakable vocals. Following a slew of harsh and uncompromising albums, Disturbed have spent the last few years on hiatus – and spent the past year and a half working on Immortalized in total secrecy.

The first thing to point out about Immortalized is that it does showcase Disturbed at their best, and even contains some experimental moments that come across as both effective and congruent. When listening to ninth track Save Our Last Goodbye – a tribute to a fallen friend – you can easily imagine the band heading determinedly into the studio, minds set on doing justice to painful facts and memories. The intro is nothing short of apocalyptic, the lyrics gut-wrenchingly cathartic, the chorus Read more…

Posted on 25 August 2015

Black Futures – ‘Love’ [Review]

If you’re a fan of flat-out-fucked electronica à la the Prodigy, you’ve either heard of Black Futures already (and love them), or you’ve never given them a listen and must do so immediately.

Love‘s video carries a warning (“FLASHING IMAGES – MAY CAUSE FEELINGS OF ELATION AND ECTASY”) for good reason, while the track itself features a Read more…

Posted on 20 August 2015

Agent Fresco – ‘Destrier’ [Review]

There’s more to pain than just pain itself. Extended periods of serious suffering are not always stable and uniform; the experience can contain many subtle emotional shades. There may be periods of calm, relief, joy, and hope mixed in amongst the darkest of dark moments – and Destrier demonstrates this fact in musical form.

Fuelled by the brutal beating of vocalist Arnór Dan Arnarson at the hands of two strangers, and sharing its name with Read more…

Posted on 17 August 2015

Godsticks – ‘Emergence’ [Review]

Godsticks are fast becoming A Name in the prog world, and rightly so. Previous efforts Spiral Vendetta and The Envisage Conundrum have led the three-piece into the world of stages shared with the Aristocrats and the Mike Keneally Band, thanks to a double whammy of pristine musicianship and engaging compositional skill. Over time, Godsticks have edged closer and closer to the guitar-driven world of Fucking Badass Rock & Metal – and on Emergence, they’ve finally and firmly planted their flag left of that territory’s centre.

Emergence has a restless quality to it that reflects its creators’ recent evolution. Stylistically it feels uncertain, as if it’s not quite sure what it’s supposed to be – but at the same time, the musicianship on display is confident and self-assertive. Taken together, these aspects lend a nervous anxiety to Emergence‘s track listing – and if that was the point, then it’s fucking genius.

Below The Belt sets out Godsticks’ stall, with long and winding lyrical roads passing through Read more…

Posted on 14 August 2015

Dorje – ‘White Dove’ [Review]

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A common complaint amongst music fans is that new music sucks, because it all sounds the same as/lacks the passion and energy of music from decades past. The funny thing is, that kind of golden-age thinking is not new in itself. People thought the same way ten years ago, twenty years ago, even a century ago. Golden-age thinking just isn’t valid.

Technically, Dorje aren’t a “new” band. They’ve been around for a good few years, racking up hundreds of thousands of YouTube views for a single video (Aeromancy), and launching one of Indiegogo’s most successful crowdfunding campaigns back in 2012. But, they’re still new enough (and unfamiliar enough to those who only visit YouTube for cat videos) to fall under the banner of “new bands who suck because they’re new”.

Do Dorje suck because they’re new? No. The only downside to mention is Read more…

Posted on 11 August 2015

TesseracT – ‘Polaris’ [Review]

Since 2003, TesseracT have been busy building a monolithic name for themselves in the progressive metal world. Ranked alongside the likes of Periphery and Karnivool and hailed as djent pioneers, it’s safe to say that each and every move they make is made under the joint pressures of sky-high expectations and feverish global-scale anticipation.

The burning question, then, is simple: Is Polaris any good, or have the legends lost their touch?

The short answers are:

A) Yes, of course it fucking is; and

B) No, don’t be ridiculous.

If you’re a TesseracT hater looking for mean words, you’ve Read more…

Posted on 10 August 2015