Although it’s 2017, the question of whether or not women belong in rock and metal remains an emotional trigger point for many fans. Despite its status as an all-inclusive genre that provides shelter for those used to being excluded by others, heavy music still harbours a perhaps small but nonetheless extremely vocal element set on rabidly tearing down any musician in possession of big riffs, buckets of attitude, and non-phallic genitalia.
With She Rocks Vol. 1, Favored Nations – the record label run by world-renowned guitar wizard Steve Vai – has set out a resounding rebuke that should by rights silence sexists and provide more open minds with plenty of great music on which to feast. It’s pretty sad that this release will prove controversial in some quarters, but oh well. She Rocks isn’t the kind of album that’s going to meekly turn tail and flee, and we’re not about to turn back the clock and embrace the gender-related values of the 1950s again.
Pop-punk may be a massively oversaturated genre, but good music remains good music nonetheless. Who could ever get tired of infectious songs that mix darkness with upbeat energy? While there are plenty of bands who stick to a formula in order to sell, there will always be a place for those musicians who use a given genre template to express themselves with raw passion, sincerity, and good humour.
WSTR made a huge impact with their 2015 EP SKRWD, a set of six sick tracks that got them deservedly noticed by fans-in-waiting. Now comes crunch time: Album One, Red, Green Or Inbetween. Read more…
Progressive metal bands are frequently accused of being emotionally void, occupying a stone-faced genre rammed with mindlessly twiddling automatons.
Pain Of Salvation do not fit that stereotype.
In the six years since this set of Swedish legends last unleashed a proper studio album (in the form of 2011’s Road Salt Two), frontman Daniel Gildenlöw has overcome a close brush with death and emerged from a period of intense illness laser focused on Read more…
In music as in life, perseverance is half the battle. With several struggle-filled years behind them, Saviour are intimately aware of this fact – and as Let Me Leave shows, they’re more than prepared to put in the 110% required to fight, survive, and ultimately win in a harsh and unforgiving world.
Let Me Leave is, in essence, music as martial art. It’s a finely Read more…
During the first week of each new year, we all start as we mean to go on. We make our resolutions, and do our best to stick to them. With consistent commercial gains behind them and a brand new album poised to punch listeners in the eardrums, it’s clear that You Me At Six have resolved to keep doing what they do best.
Kick ass, take names, and rock the fuck out Read more…
Music is freedom. It has no limits bar the human imagination and a given musician’s physical ability – and over the course of history, many have challenged those limits to find still more territory to explore. If you’re looking for a contemporary example, look no further than Marco Minnemann.
True artists have their own voice, their own signature style. You can tell it’s them within a few bars at the most. In Marco Minnemann’s case, those bars are unlikely to fit some standardized 4/4 cookie cutter mould. Neither will his chords of choice be…shall we say…orthodox. The same, of course, goes for his melodies.
Schattenspiel – German for ‘shadow play’ – is an appropriately dark album that sees Read more…
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!
Tomoyasu Hotei is well on his way to becoming a household name across the world. He’s long been a superstar in his native Japan, and whether they realise it or not, Western music fans have already heard Hotei’s music – most notably the modern classic ‘Battle Without Honor Or Humanity’, which featured in the Tarantino double-bill Kill Bill. Slowly but surely, Hotei is gaining still more ground – and he deserves every inch of it.
With Hotei’s new single ‘Walking Through The Night’ making waves generated through his collaboration with Iggy Pop, we got talking about Hotei’s latest endeavours while touching on life advice, flying guitars, and David Bowie… Read more…
Playing the Borderline is a rite of passage for every musician who steps onto its legendary stage. Located moments away from Denmark Street, London’s own Tin Pan Alley, the Borderline is the perfect location for the world’s songwriters to showcase their latest efforts. Located below ground, it’s a place where songs can rise into the heavens, or sink without trace even deeper into the earth.
Hailing from Nashville, another of the world’s most important musical locations, Josh Farro naturally knows a thing or two about Read more…
Josh Farro knows there’s nothing like a fresh start.
From touring heavily from his mid-teens onward with Paramore to an acrimonious split, eventual civil resolution, and assorted post-Paramore projects all receding in his career’s rear-view mirror, Josh Farro has had a lot to move on from. Still, move on he has – and in the very near future, his next move is sure to have British fans hyped as Farro supports his debut solo album Walkways with a UK tour kicking off at The Waterfront Studio in Norwich and ending at legendary London venue The Borderline…
You’re due to tour the UK starting this Thursday (November 17) – aside from excitement, how’re you feeling right now?
I’m feeling quite a bit of stress. I forgot how much work it is to Read more…
