Bands capable of speaking out intelligently about political issues are few and far between these days. Most seem set on insisting that it’s all about the music and having a good time, rather than encouraging their audiences to educate themselves and act on issues that mean so much to so many, but are often ignored in the age of cheap flatscreens and Xbox Live.
TMMP’s ultimate highlight Read more…
Sharp, snappy, and serious, Cheltenham-based post-hardcore up-and-comers I, The Lion really nail things down on Run. Fat riffs, some cheeky Whammy pedal squeals, gritty guitar tones, gut-busting drums, wicked tapping sections – all of the above and more can be found just in first track Hold Strong! Fans of Biffy Clyro, Reuben, Arcane Roots and Read more…
This song brought a Halloween-pumpkin grin to my face before the first bar was even through. As a long-time Project RnL supporter, I have to say that Read more…
Given that Marco Minnemann’s EEPS was TMMP’s #2 album of 2014, the fact that I love Culture Clash Live! to pieces is probably not that much of a surprise.
For the uninitiated, the Aristocrats are one of the fusion community’s hottest tickets right now. A power trio comprising lead drummist Minnemann, lead bassist Bryan Beller, and axe-wielding maniac Guthrie Govan, the Aristocrats’ collective moniker is synonymous with Read more…
Back in the glory days of alt-metal, Marilyn Manson was a massive deal. Nobody else has managed to combine over-the-top religious-Right-baiting showmanship with fierce intelligence and raging, in-your-face rock in the same manner Manson did around the turn of the millennium. But after 2003’s The Golden Age Of Grotesque, things took an awkward turn with a series of albums that Read more…
I have no excuse for missing most of Gold Phoenix’s intense garage-rocking set. I’m just a bad person.
The Greasy Slicks, on the other hand, are good. As a matter of fact, they’re more than just good – they’re fucking immense. Flat-out fucked drums, flamethrower guitars, and Read more…
Hitting the eardrums like a boxer’s glove-free knuckles, Idle Hands pulls no punches. All biting cynicism and Read more…
One of my favourite things about the Boileroom is the sheer diversity of musical styles that are welcomed within its walls. For this year’s DengFest, Selectric set up an appropriate air of unpredictability via Read more…
Howls occupy the straight-ahead, no-nonsense end of the post-hardcore spectrum – and it won’t be long until they’ve carved out their own niche down there. Listening to No Living feels like riding an ancient rusty rollercoaster on the edge of falling apart; sophisticated, smooth, and genteel this is absolutely not. Read more…
Acoda have spent the last few years forging a real reputation for pushing themselves right to the edge of their abilities – and Truth Seeker sees that edge extended even further than before. Injecting a post-hardcore core with guttural guitar tones, syncopation aplenty, wickedly snaky grooves, and extra-strong songwriting chops, Acoda are going to make a serious mark on the rock world’s 2015 with this album. Read more…