Oceans Ate Alaska have found a solid solution to Second Album Syndrome. Too many bands fall at that fateful hurdle and sink swiftly into creative oblivion. Oceans Ate Alaska, on the other hand, have pulled off what can only be described as a win.
These guys have already made themselves synonymous with stuttering tech-riffage Read more…
As Animals As Leaders’ only UK show of 2017, this gig was literally one of a kind. As is becoming my custom at Koko, I set up camp near the ceiling and prepared for a bird’s eye view of a very special show.
Nick Johnston (95%) was the only act on this bill I hadn’t seen live before, although having reviewed his previous two albums Remarkably Human and Atomic Mind and chatted to him at length about the former for this interview, I knew to expect great things Read more…
When Next To None unleashed their debut album A Light In The Dark a couple of years ago, it was immediately obvious that they were a special band with a shit-ton of potential. Unfortunately, if anyone does anything that makes them stand out from the crowd, you can guarantee that they will attract plenty of envy and hate. People who aren’t satisfied with where they’re at have two options: Work on themselves and build themselves up, or tear others down by any means necessary Read more…
Since Maxi Curnow dropped the original version of STEM back in 2014, he’s been one of my all-time favourite progressive musicians.
STEM – a through-composed, twenty-five-minute behemoth of a song structured in five movements and home to some of the most original musicianship I’ve ever experienced – was, in a word, immense. In two words: Read more…
With summer finally upon us, people across the world are flocking to gyms and aiming to achieve the ultimate beach body. The big problem with gyms is the music; calling it crap would be an understatement. You can always listen to your own music on portable players and phones – but after a few workouts have gone by, even our favourite playlists and albums tend to sound stale as they soundtrack yet another hour spent pounding a treadmill into submission Read more…
As the world struggles with an onslaught of serious issues, it’s nice to be able to take a break every now and again and just have some fun. CHON provide an ideal soundtrack for said festivities; their back catalogue is crammed with cutesy cleans, playful and mostly instrumental math-based tunes, and good vibes aplenty. Up to this point, these guys have emphasised the clean side of instrumental guitar – but on Homey, their focus has firmly shifted Read more…
Listening to The Contortionist is like watching a ball of rubber bands explode in slow motion – and watching them fill the O2 Forum in London with progressive soundwaves was an incredible experience. Before the show – which took place a few days prior to the tragic Manchester Arena bombing, and is reviewed in full here – I got chatting to The Contortionist’s keyboardist, Eric Guenther, about life on the road and his band’s upcoming album and live plans… Read more…
The first time I saw Periphery play live, they were headlining the Face Bar in Reading as part of the League Of Extraordinary Djentlemen tour way back in 2011. The capacity of the room also graced that evening by fellow prog-metal heavyweights TesseracT and Monuments?
300.
Fast-forward just over half a decade, teleport to the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, and you have a prime example of just what can be accomplished if you stick to your guns and keep on innovating. This was not just a show – it was a victory party, with some 2,300 fans in attendance Read more…
Given Andy James’ status as a prolific and renowned guitar teacher, it should come as no surprise that this all-instrumental LP represents a balls-to-the-wall metal masterclass.
Exodus is precision-targeted at the Internet’s shredheads. We’re talking ten tracks that span an impressive range of 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…