Although London can provide any experience you could possibly imagine, sometimes you just want to walk into a packed music venue and get pummelled by heavy songs for a few hours. The next time that urge consumes you, book a ticket for the nearest Svalbard (8/10) show and get involved. With two shows remaining on their tour with Comeback Kid, and even more Read more…
Although attractiveness is subjective, ArcTanGent happens to be situated in an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – and if you visit it and look around, you’d probably agree with the government’s judgment for once. As for the music you can expect to experience at the UK’s most respected prog, math, and post-everything festival, it may serve a very specific niche, but the fans who love the styles in question tend to Read more…
In the world of underground music, popular opinion doesn’t count for much – but when everyone in the underground agrees on something unanimously, it’s worth sitting up and paying attention. This isn’t a world where spray-tanned mannequins rush to shill for whichever corporations are Read more…
A good gig should be a break from reality. The world beyond the walls of the music venue in question should temporarily cease to exist. You should be made to forget any problem that’s rumbling away outside of those walls, without even realising that said forgetting has happened Read more…
Devil Sold His Soul have long been once of the most exciting metalcore-based bands in the UK. I got chatting to DSHS guitarist Rick Chapple about his band’s latest plans…
You’re three dates into a four-date UK tour. Can you tell us what it’s all about?
We’re celebrating the tenth anniversary of our first full-length album, A Fragile Hope.
The initial idea was to re-release it on vinyl, which the guys over at Basick [Records] were really happy to do. From that, the next logical step was to Read more…
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As the music industry slows down, its alternative end hibernating while the pop-enamoured mainstream hungrily ogles Christmas shoppers, the time has come to look back on a seriously strong year for organised soundwaves. For me, it’s been heavy, intense, and a hell of a lot of fun thanks to the releases listed below.
With so many exceptional contenders in the running for the top spot, the thought of ranking them in order of quality is plainly ridiculous. So instead, I’ve picked out three releases that had memorable impacts on me when I first heard them, and assembled the others in alphabetical order.
The Pretty Reckless’s Who You Selling For – along with previous effort Going To Hell – is conclusive proof (if it were honestly needed in 2016) that women belong in rock music, and are fully capable of kicking ass. The sexists of the music world are like Wile E. Coyote; they’ve run off the edge of the cliff, nothing surrounds them but empty air, they’ve looked down, and they’re panicking. Sonic Boom Six’s The F-Bomb picks up where that image leaves off – it’s cheeky, chirpy, happy and hard-hitting (sometimes simultaneously), addressing a wealth of gender-related issues and providing a great ska-fuelled party soundtrack as only Sonic Boom Six can.
Musically, Dissociation is The F-Bomb’s polar opposite. The Dillinger Escape Plan’s swan song is crammed with brutal and ultra-experimental mathcore – but it’s also Dillinger’s most delicate and diverse album. The Dillinger Escape Plan are living proof that you can achieve great things without compromise, by sticking to your guns and just going for it.
Beyond that point, you’re free to dive into an epic range of albums including solidly grooving rock sets, monolithic slabs of military-grade metal, and progressive masterpieces. Since I’ve not reviewed many EPs this year, I’ve also included a pair of extended-playing mind-blowers in the form of Dorje’s Centred And One and Toska’s Ode To The Author. Dorje specialise in utterly idiosyncratic rock tunes with added progressive spice, while to me, Toska (made up of Dorje’s backline, namely guitarist Rabea Massaad, drummer Ben Minal, and bassist Dave Hollingworth) represent the future of instrumental metal.
Both Dorje and Toska are bands on the rise – and they fully deserve to hit the same peaks enjoyed by the biggest names on this list.
There’s little more to say; for me, this list represents the top albums of 2016. Enjoy the full reviews linked below, follow TMMP on Twitter, subscribe to my brand new YouTube channel, and stay tuned for more world-class music next year!
1) The Pretty Reckless – Who You Selling For
1) Sonic Boom Six – The F-Bomb
1) The Dillinger Escape Plan – Dissociation
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Sometimes words get in the way when you’re trying to say something. Emotion is preverbal, whether we’re dealing with joy, anger, grief, bliss, or depression. We feel something – then we express it somehow.
Russian Circles’ back catalogue is perfect proof of the fact that you don’t need to be lyrically verbose in order to make a statement or pose a question. These guys are masters of moving listeners without actually telling them to move. Listening to Guidance, it’s hard not to be struck by the fact that music alone can speak volumes Read more…
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Metal bands tend to get a bad rap in more mainstream circles. However, beyond the negative stereotypes lie a group of people who, like everyone else, want to be heard and understood, and would prefer it if we could allow each other a basic level of respect.
With Cult Of Luna’s brand new album Mariner dropping on April 8, I talked to guitarist / vocalist Johannes Persson about the story behind the music, space, religion, and the easy way to respect performers at gigs…
Your new album Mariner is coming out this Friday. How’re you feeling right now?
I remember the period between delivering the master and the release used to be Read more…
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For close to two decades, Cult Of Luna have laid claim to the throne of the post-metal kingdom, and few have disputed their right to the top spot. Whether carefully crafting five studio albums over the course of ten years, taking an extended creative break, or returning to the fray with 2013’s Vertikal and Vertikal II, Cult Of Luna have proven their worth over and over again.
For the past several years, Cult Of Luna albums have been thin on the ground. Begrudging Read more…
Shortly before they stepped onstage to close off the launch party for their new album Nova, Eschar guitarist Sam Beattie and drummer Rory Gilhespy sat down with TMMP in a kitchen crammed with gear to discuss disintegrating drum kits, pressure, and their first appearance at ArcTanGent… Read more…