Crom Dubh- “Sedition”

Taken from their new album ‘Heimweh’, “Sedition”, the love child of Biffy Clyro and Rammstein. With distorted beats and gruff vocals this London spawned  band have blown the roof with this song. Combining melodic guitar riffs and repetitive drums. The fitting name of Crom Dubh is coincidently translated to “King Idol of Ireland”, knowing this you cant tell they have that Kingly confidence this song and the album for that matter. ‘Heimweh’ is the bands first full length album but they've apparently existed since 2003. That said Crom Dubh definitely seem ready to throw more albums our way. They have that melodic metal sound and hit it right on the arse. As well as the progressive metal guitars the backing music has some traditional Scottish bag pipes. Crom Dubh, despite coming from London, have a Gaelic/Irish root sound. We can undoubtedly expect more fervent music from this London lot.

Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes- “Blossom”

Gruff. Brash. Heavy. Three words to describe the new band of ex-Gallows lead singer. Frank Carter the former Gallows frontman has finally resurrected his music career and shat out ‘Blossom’. Yeah thats right, shat out ‘Blossom’ like a tattooed metal unicorn. The Rattlesnakes are a venomous bunch of musicians themselves. Made up of ex-Heights guitarist, Dean Richardson, and former Pure Lovers Tom Mitchbber & Memby Jago. The album itself is typical Frank Carter, with him spitting lyrics like “You’re a useless fucking cunt, you are nothing to me”. It weeps authenticity. These lot aren't trying to be edgy. They're not trying to sell records. They are simply just being Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. The albums power song ‘Juggernaut’ consists of screeching “Even on my own you cant stop me”, herculean drums and those Gallows-esque guitars. The more philosophical, ’Rotten Blossom’, questioning immortality, the afterlife and death, showing Carter’s true musical talent. Overall the album is lyrically genius, musically superlative and we hope to hear more monstrous tracks from the band. 

Trivium- “Until The World Goes Cold”

Florida bred band Trivium, release their sixth studio album since being signed in 2004. Post 2006’s The Crusade’ the quartet have mixed up their sound and become a mature metal band, finally getting that progressive twinge they've always wanted. Following in the footsteps of  thrash kings, Slayer, Trivium have that Slayer modus operandi with the drum patterns. As well as gaining and losing band members over the years Trivium have changed that ordinary thrash metal into melodic thrash metal. ‘Silence In The Snow’ kicks off with the progressive metal sound of “Snøwfall”. The band have kept those dulcet ‘Volbeat’ style vocals but contrasted them with their signature thunderous drum beats and spidery guitars. One of the more heavier tracks on the album, ‘Dead and Gone’ is drowned in sickening guitar riffs, blending that 21st century metal oomph with the anthemic drive of Iron Maiden. Bellowing lyrics “Will you keep fighting when I'm dead and gone”, the song shows the more hardcore side of the band. ‘Silence In The Snow’ is definitely their strongest material to date. Keeping this melodic thrash metal sound will definitely keep the quartet on the right road to even more success in the black metal world. 

Fresh Meat: Luke Woods.

“I’m Going To Get Myself To The Big Cities”

Being a rookie musician is always a hard book to read and for Blackpool folk singer-songwriter, Luke Woods, a mere pipedream is becoming a reality in the name of Bandini. 

“I've been sitting on a lot of these songs for a long time and it’s about time I released something. Having had and played these songs for a while on my own, it was real breath of fresh air to get a band backing them” 

Luke’s current music style has been built on a backwards travel through time. “I’ve gone through so many changes in genres. When I first really started listening to music for myself it was down to my best friends brother in primary school. He was a mosher and into Nu-Metal. About 2002 and I started to get into it too. Although my favorite had to be Linkin Park. From there I got into a lot of pop-punk, then onto indie stuff and post punk bands like Joy Division. That’s when I started looking further and further back. Looking at the musicians and bands that came before, grunge bands Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins, punk like the Ramones/Stooges. Going back further to The Velvet Underground and other acts of the 60s and the folk music of Greenwich Village in New York really stood out to me, just striped back, relaxed, really made you listen to what they were saying. Had a lot of heart. Then looking even further back I started listening to a lot of American roots folk, artists like Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly and blues artists like Robert Johnson.” 

When talking about musical and lyrical influences they go down a more poetry and literature path “authors like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and especially Charles Bukowski and John Fante. The same goes for Lou Reed, a lot of what he wrote can be interpreted as poetry” it’s a clearly-documented love for folk and 1960’s culture that gives him his musical spark. 

For Luke his local area isn’t exactly teeming with fellow folk singers, “I come across a lot of acoustic acts but nothing I would consider folk, most musicians from Blackpool are brit-pop, indie and a lot of heavy metal”. As far as opportunities go for folk singers in the area there is very few places that accept the calming genre “When I first started playing around Blackpool there wasn’t much platform for new original bands to showcase their stuff, a lot of venues only really welcomed cover bands” he says “Now with the recent opening of The Blue Room and Underbar there’s hope for the future.”

There’s always something nice about quirky venues that support a range of artists, but then there’s playing in a church! “It was in Lytham, the stage was set up on the alter and the audience sat in the pews. The lights were dim; mainly candle lit and the audience was very quiet and respectful. They really listened to every act, the atmosphere was calmed and it sounded great in there too!”

So with the experience of playing in some gritty bars and a church added to the list, there must be a list of gigs Luke aspires to play “I like the idea of playing in an opera house, the audience all around and there’s not much going on, on stage to distract your attention away. Just a spot light. As far as festivals go I’d love to play Newport Festival in the US, but I would happily play any festival”.

Festival season comes pretty much straight after the release of Bandini, surely this is going to create a big stepping stone in the career of this singer-songwriter “I hope it will open more doors for me. Playing bigger venues up and down the country. It’ll also be good to have something to give to people saying, “hey this is what I can bring to you” rather than having to rely on word of mouth alone”. This will be the first full release from Luke’s solo career and for any musician the whole process of creating, recording and producing an album takes a lot effort. Especially with it being DIY. “It makes it much more intimate and personal I much prefer the idea of recording at home, you’ve got everything you need there. Although sometimes you're not as focused on the task at hand ,there’s a lot of distractions around but it’s also good because you not always constrained by time, so you can redo a lot of things if it’s not quite right and you don't have to worry about how much studio time you've got left.” Being time conscious must be a trait a musician needs when forming an album “We recorded the album over four days in December. The time leading up to that consisted of getting all of the parts down just right but it can be hard sometimes. When you think you’ve got something that sounds great then it comes to recording it and then using it in context with the rest of the song it might just not sound right, so a lot of time is used up just making it all fit together nicely. Then there’s the editing and the mixing that can be time consuming deciding on the best takes to use on the final product, luckily I've got friends who know how to do that well”. How did the “behind the scenes team” come to being a collective to help with the album? “I met Rob, who produced/mixed the album, at work, I already sort of knew him though my friends at college. I go to him to help me decide what my strongest songs are and how I could improve them. Jake I met through Rob; they have been friends for a long time. He also produced, engineered and played the drums on the album. He’s also helping me a lot in the other side of things such as promoting. Lloyd who also engineered the album again I met through Rob. Al who played electric guitar and bass on the album I only just met, he’s a great guitarist and I'm really happy with what he brought to the album. I can't thank them enough for the help they’ve given to me and this album.”

The post-album plans are already set in stone and Luke is keen to branch out more “As soon as its released the breaks will be off, I'll be gigging everywhere I can to promote it. I'm also always writing new stuff so who knows how soon it will be till I get another one out” he continues “So far a lot of the places I play have been in the northwest of the country. I'm going to get myself to the big cities and play a lot of the festivals in the summer. I'd also like to get myself into Europe.”

And finally, as far as future plans go, the image of continuing to play music and enjoy life in approximately 5 years’ time is something that appeals to Luke Woods “I just want to carry on with what I'm doing because it makes me happy.  It would be nice to be successful and touring and get the opportunity to release more material.  I'm really more focused on the present at the moment though the future will come regardless.”

Fresh Meat: Your Last Day

Exeter's “Bearded-cat-botherers”, Your Last Day, shed light on the subject of being a DIY band and exciting new releases. 

Devon quintet, made up of Ryan, Chris, Matt, Kevin and Neil, have been hitting stages and releasing EPs since 2012. Now gaining a sustainable amount of momentum, I managed to get an interview with talented drummer, Kevin Marshall.

 Devon doesn't exactly scream out the words pop-punk, but you'd be surprised at the amount of  heavier influenced bands that hide in the nooks of Devon’s countryside. “Its quite sparse, you don’t come across many other pop-punk bands, however there are heavier bands to come out of the area. I Divide, Idiom and The Computers are the main ones. Also Black Foxxes, another band from Exeter who are pretty much in the same position as us”. 

Speaking of being in a certain position, it must be tough for a new band to gain a solid platform to start on. “Of course its tough, it can take its toll emotionally and physically. You really have to put in money and effort and it becomes a brutal struggle unless you really make it in the industry.” For a lot of bands making it in the industry is a mere pipe-dream, however for Your Last Day the effort is starting to pay off. 

“It was always a happy-go-lucky kind of thing, we had to play some really shit gigs and do a lot of self promotion on social media before we got anywhere. You go through shit before it gets better”.

After all the self promotion, gigging and releasing free EPs this must have brought a significant amount of attention to Your Last Day. “Yeah, we bagged ourselves some recording time with Todd Campbell in Wales, where we recorded the single ‘Ship Wreck’. Its a big stepping stone going from DIY recordings to doing it in a real studio”. Does this mean we get to see some new material coming from You Last Day soon, “We’ve got a lot of exciting stuff happening in 2015, the release of ‘Ship Wreck’ on January the 16th and a live lounge-like session with BBC Devon on valentines day, sickeningly cute right?” Looks as if 2015 has got some big things lined up for this Devon five some, maybe a UK tour to treat us lovesick pop punkers.

“We have a few more stepping stones to cross before we can make a tour happen, maybe by the end of 2015/beginning of 2016 we’ll have a solid platform to do it, but for now we’re living in the moment and enjoying it” I know this is way past “the moment” but where would you like to see YLD in 5 years time “In 5 years time we want to be in a position where we’re trading shows around the world with some of our favourite artists, also to be in 2nd, 3rd album territory and still creating, having fun and being super best friends!”

Moose Blood: I’ll Keep You In Mind, From time To Time. Album Review.

For this Canterbury four piece, it’s been two years of creating singles, EP’s and collaborating on split 12” but now they’ve finally released a full length album. Moose Blood have always had that emo-rock sound and with their new album they’ve perfected it, producing a new generation of British punk.

‘I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time’ is a heartfelt, emotional album full of lyrics about love, life and loss. Going hand in hand with these covert and melancholy lyrics are the warm and solace sounds of, lead singer, Eddy Brewerton’s voice.

The album kicks off with the poignant ballad “Cherry” which interlaces dreamy vocals with melodic riffs. The juxtaposed combination gives the song a certain idiosyncratic personality that gives off a sorrowful and charming aura.

The album them moves to “Anyway”, one of the more upbeat singles on the new release, still including those hazy vocals but over heavier riffs and bass drums. “Anyway” displays Moose Blood’s heavier punk influences such as Brand New and Balance & Composure.

The bands popular song “Bukowski” makes a pleasant appearance on the album, you can tell this is some of their older original music. It’s much more upbeat and contended. The twinkly guitars and simple drum beats lend a more pop-punk vibe.

Even with older and new work on the album, Moose Blood have successfully shown fans their punk influences and added their own unique twist on them. ‘I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time’ has been sculpted into a pure work of art. It’s truly beautiful.

Review: Howler @ The Cluny, Newcastle.

Howler have a lot resting on their shoulders, not only because of the success of debut album Give Up America, but also for being NME’s third best band in 2011. This Minneapolis four-piece may have roots in Minnesota, but their music sounds like part of the East Coast punk rock scene; along with bands like The Strokes, it’s their guitar riffs that give the band a beachy, sunny California vibe.Give Up America, and their latest album, World Of Joy, both show the band’s love for 1960s garage rock. However, both albums have their own sound, in different ways.

The four-piece take their places on a bohemian-style rug covering a cramped Cluny stage. Front man Jordan Gatesmith takes a spot right of the stage with his black, glossy guitar wrapped round him. He has an aura of confidence surrounding him, as does the rest of the band. Despite the venue’s small size, Howler still show the same energy as if they were playing an arena. Opening the gig with ‘In The Red’ from their latest album, Jordan and Ian request the audience to “get your d***s out”. Thankfully no one responded to this odd wish. They then move on to playing some of their other fast paced guitar and screeching-vocal songs from World Of Joy. ‘Beach Sluts’ and ‘Back Of Your Neck’ make an unsurprising appearance during the gig, and you can tell these are the songs Jordan enjoyed playing most, asking the light technician to give them a “sick lighting mood”.

This was the second time I’ve seen the Minnesota beach band at The Cluny, and they do not disappoint. Last time they were a five-piece, and then, there were four. Jordan, Ian, Rory and Max are bundles of human-shaped musical energy on stage, lit up with gloomy red and blue lights.

They are genuinely great to watch, with ace stage presence and humorous personalities. The gig as a whole was 10/10; they’ve grown a lot since 2011. Not to mention their great choice in support acts! Broken Hands, a grungy rock band from Cambridge, and a local alternative band called TUSK opened the set and got the crowd in the mood.