Scheduled for release on the 4th April is Rev78's eagerly anticipated forthcoming debut album "Boy in the Blitz". It comes as a giant leap for the band - an assured radio-friendly fare which instead of being forgettable, demands repeated listens. Masterly produced by "Junk Scientist" (AKA Russ Keffert) and mixed by scene luminary Catherine Marks - who’s recent portfolio includes the likes of Interpol, Foals, PJ Harvey and Placebo to name but a few - only adds further magic to the clamour of the quartet who will no doubt imminently be propelled into mainstream consciousness.
The album follows last year's release of the bands first single 'Killing Me' and B-side 'Lullaby', which boasts a colossal vocal performance from lead singer Teddy Quick. He instantly drew comparisons to various stellar rock stalwarts such as Morrissey, Ian Curtis and Matt Bellamy. Bassist James Laff, guitarist David Gritzman, Drummer Tom Hargreaves and Teddy Quick fuse modern indie with post punk assembling them somewhere between the Manic's, The Killers and Arcade Fire.
Rev78 have a massive, expansive and heartfelt sound which follows the tradition of Great British Rock music - but refreshingly interweaved with a dark-pop sensibility. As nephew to Mark Laff (Generation X, Subway Sect) bassist James Laff is aiming towards the path of British rock distinction. Certainly, Rev78 tick all the boxes to rise out of the Camden underworld and onto stadiums around the world.
Next single 'Every Bone' due for release on 28th February 2011 follows the resonating-meets-epic-ballad suit, with a gentle musicianship and Quick's soaring vocals leading listeners through a tunnel of melancholy, before reaching an affirming, "light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel" and emotively-crashing crescendo.
As 2011 has been dubbed the year guitar bands make their come back, 'Boy in the Blitz' has every chance of becoming a leading record of this year.
"I think it’s music made for arena’s."
Brent Hansen, former president of MTV
Monday, 24 January 2011
News - Rev78 debut album Boy in the Blitz strengthens the re-surge of the guitar band
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
News - Little Comets stream their debut album via Facebook
Little Comets today make their debut album ’In Search Of Elusive Little Comets’ available to stream via their Facebook profile www.facebook.com/littlecomets. Fans who ’Like’ the page get to stream the album a whole 2 weeks before its release!
The intriguingly titled 'in Search of elusive Little Comets' comes stockpiled with the authentic lovelorn paeans, awash with majestic pop hooks and the now familiar lyrical imagination from the brothers Cole.
Earlier singles , the understated cynical brilliance of 'Isles' , the oft-mentioned afrobeat tinged 'Adultery' or the plainly should have been a hit-ness of 'One Night In October' , all included here portray a band who are keen to consistently challenge both themselves and their listeners.
'in Search of elusive Little Comets' gives rise to the wonder of the band's musical artistry and whilst ebbing and flowing over the course of eleven tracks, the outcome is a complete album - one that flows from start to finish, rather than just a collection of tracks.
News - ABRAHAM - BEARDED BRUISERS SET LOOSE THUNDEROUS DEBUT RECORD!
Swiss noise chiefs release their furious debut album 'An Eye On The Universe' on 28th Feb 2011 through Pelagic Records / PHD (Home to The Ocean) and prepare for domination ..
Abraham create a barren aural landscape where grand rock-faces of guitars loom largely over brief moments of calm sublimity and haunting beauty. Ultimately though, abrasiveness is the word here: Abraham will wash over you like a sudden cloudburst in the desert, exposing you like jagged rock to all the elements. Whoever loves Cult of Luna's 'The Beyond' - Raise the torches, this is for you!
These bristly bruisers all grew up together; Mat (Guitar) and Val (Bass) are brothers, and Jacques (Guitar), Renzo (Voice box) and Dave (Drums) all previously played together in various bands since 1997. Originally hailing from Lausanne, Switzerland, Abraham were formed by Kruger guitarist Jacques Vierdaz in 2007 under the guise "Le Baron Vampire". The bearded crew later changed their name to the very apt "Abraham" and began to spread their assault throughout Switzerland and to parts of France and Germany, nailing down a cluster of devastating shows with the likes of Celane, Knue, Kruger, Mumakil and many others, along the way.
Drawing from a span of musical influences from old guard luminaries such as Neurosis and Breach, to modern classics as Cult of Luna and Poison the Well, right through to more leftfield artists such as Nick Cave, Xasthur, and even Mike Oldfield, the band have harnessed their influences, etching their own stamp, and have created a killer debut record in the shape of 'An Eye On The Universe', which is unleashed through Pelagic Records / PHD this Spring.
--ABRAHAM RELEASE 'AN EYE ON THE UNIVERSE' ON 28th FEBRUARY 2011 THROUGH ALL GOOD OUTLETS--
News - EARTHSHIP - COLOSSAL DEBUT ALBUM UNVEILED BY HIGHLY TOUTED RIFF MONSTERS!
Berlin bonecrushers 'Earthship' throw down their debut album 'Exit Eden', through Pelagic Records (home to The Ocean) / PHD on 28th February 2011.
Laden with mighty riffs, bags of groove, and loaded up on home-brewed whiskey, Earthship surge ahead like a nuclear-powered icebreaker through the Barents Sea.
Earthship were launched in the Spring of 2010 when former drummer of The Ocean Jan Oberg plotted a course with long-time friends Dennis Boettcher (Drums), Robin Staps (Guitar) and Bastian Gutschke (Bass) during a lengthy evening of visiting the shady bars of Berlin, absorbing copious amounts of cheap whiskey. Staps, who officially joined slightly later than the others, remarks: "I have not been involved in the songwriting at all. It is entirely Jan's creative work".
Although Earthship are a relatively newborn baby, the riff monsters have all known one another for some time. "Jan has been my neighbour for years here in Berlin; we've known each other for ages and had our first band together more than 12 years ago... we grew up going to shows and playing music together. Jan is a very skilled song-writer and I was always into his stuff, so when he asked me to join his band I agreed right away", comments Staps.
Earthship release their debut album "Exit Eden" which was recorded by Captain Oberg at his very own Hidden Planet Studios in Berlin. The record is a gut-punching musical stampede and serves as a grim, ugly soundtrack to a rough and dangerous passage through dark, icy waters. Board the Earthship for a ride throughout the vast Black Sea of doom, metal and prog n'roll.
--EARTHSHIP RELEASE ''EXIT EDEN' ON 28th FEBRUARY 2011 THROUGH ALL GOOD STORES--
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Review - Capsule Promotions - Supersonic 2010
View The Review
8 out of 10
Supersonic 2010
As a long time follower and customer of the myriad of music that Capsule (http://www.capsule.org.uk/supersonic) promote with Birmingham, I must admit this is the first time I’ve actually attended Supersonic. Now in it’s 8th year, the festival has grown again bringing us some particularly exciting bands this year. More of those in a few moments though.
I think it’s worth noting that this is one of the most friendly festivals I’ve ever been to. As an outsider, the mix of extreme music, beards and alcohol could paint a rather scary picture but I do honestly believe that on the whole this festival (although catering for the more ’alternative’ end of the musical spectrum) would have something for everyone amongst the approximately 40-50 bands playing over the 3 days.
Another noteworthy point is the location and layout of the festival. Held in Birmingham’s Custard Factory (http://www.custardfactory.co.uk/) you get the run of the whole place with venues including not only the warehouse down the road but an outside marquee, smaller indoor hall and a theatre for films, discussions and various other musical themed media. There is also 2 areas (maybe more?) selling merch from various local and national (Rough Trade) record shops, sweets, cupcakes and there was even a collectors card stall. I was quite a fan of the Cyndi Lauper cards complete with interestings facts such as: "Other kids used to throw stones at Cyndi as a child because she liked to look different".
The main reason we were all attending though was obviously the music. Napalm Death, Swans, Hallogallo and Melt Banana headlined along with the exciting news of the reformation of Birmingham’s own Godflesh as the final headliner. As a follower of newer band Jesu, I was quite interested to see Godflesh perform live on the 2nd night.
So, with the scene set and myself and a friend headed into the festival. The first band we saw were "Gum Takes Tooth" (http://www.myspace.com/gumtakestooth) mid-set as we walked into the outside marquee. The duo consist of a drummer and singer/electronics/keyboard player who are wired together via the various effects and drum kit. This results in a sound where every beat played on the kit can be manipulated into something else. Ingenious stuff. They blasted out noise one minute to absolutely blinding bass driven grooves and beats the next. Extremely catchy music and I was impressed enough to buy a CD straight away after. Following on from this was Birmingham grind metallers "Fukpig" (http://www.myspace.com/fukpig13). Playing a non-stop blast of crust/grind/punk in the late 80’s style, they feature members of the acclaimed Mistress and Anaal Nathrakh. A truly extreme slice of music which got the crowd riled up into a rather large group of happily grimacing faces nodding along in appreciative unison not to mention the obligatory "pit" breakout during several of their songs. After Fukpig, we popped over to "The Old Library" to catch "Demons" and were greeted with the Purity Ales bar allowing me to get a pint of "UBU" (http://www.puritybrewing.com). Things are going from good to better I think! Demons play a particularly dark brand of noise which I have to admit wasn’t for me. I finished my UBU and we wandered outside. It was at this point I realised the time and regrettably had to call it a night as my last bus home was due very soon. This of course meant I missed Napalm Death who I hear were very good.
Saturday’s line up brought a few more gems our way. The music was spread over a longer amount of time so we took a more leisurely approach to seeing bands. On the flip side, this unfortunately meant our intake of alcohol was far greater resulting in very hazy memories and illegible notes! First up for us were "Stinky Wizzleteat" (http://myspace.com/stinkywizzleteat), a local band I’d been lucky enough to see before opening up for Eyehategod. These guys were very good indeed and dished out some heavy, heavy riffs supported by a guttural vocal and some rather nice grooves. One of my bands of the weekend I think. Another gem of the weekend for me was "Tweak Bird" (http://www.myspace.com/tweakbird). These Illinois, USA based brothers play some amazingly catchy music using only a guitar and drums with the odd vocal melody thrown in for good measure along with a spot of saxophone here and there. A strange combination you might thinking but the result was one of the most fun and interesting things I saw all weekend. They were very ’stoner rock’ in places I thought and I liked them so much I bought their latest album!
Next up were "OvO" (http://www.myspace.com/ovobarlamuerte). This for me was one of the weirdest yet strangely drawing bands of the weekend. The Italian duo consist of a female guitarist/vocalist and percussionist. The music was....well...it’s hard to describe. In places the drumming felt like it was going to floor me (which is a good thing) and the heavy almost droning riffery accompanying it had my head nodding along. At the same time though, it was completley baffling in places....especially when singer Stefania Pedrett started playing her dreadlocks with a bow. On the whole I enjoyed what I saw (especially the drumming!) it but I came to the conclusion this was something I’d watch live but probably never ever listen to outside of that format.
On to headline band of the day "Godflesh" (http://www.myspace.com/godsflesh). The influence of this band spread far throughout the metal scene and this would be their first appearance on stage in over 10 years. As I stated above, I myself have seen mainman Justin Broadrick perform on a number of occasions in his later incarnation "Jesu" but this is my first encounter with Godflesh. Playing in the vast hanger space, this seemed to me to be the perfect setting for their industrial tinged metal. The stripped down riffs, played at a leisurley pace had me nodding along with a smile on my face. This is crushing music which was raising the bar when the likes of album "Streetcleaner" was released all those years ago. A real treat for fans old and new I think. With that it was time to run for the bus again.
My friend and I met up on Sunday mid-afternoon for the final instalment of the festival. It saw us return with a little less sleep and some mild hangovers but that wasn’t going to stop us grabbing one final slice of music. That said, we did seem to spend our time just wandering around without any real agenda on this day. My personal main aim was to see Swans play but on inspecting the timetable it wasn’t to be. My last bus was over an hour before they would even set foot on stage. This I think was my only ’gripe’ of the festival. If you are bound by work or public transport timetables, it makes it very difficult to see some of the headlining bands. A tad frustrating as Swans latest album is something I listen to regularly and tales of their crushingly loud live sound was something that I really wanted to experience. Reviews I have read do seem to indicate I missed out not seeing them. Oh well. With a dip into Mugstar’s (http://www.myspace.com/mugstar) great blend of building riff/electronic laden rock and Hallogallo 2010’s (http://www.michaelrother.de/en/) treat of the music of "Neu!" it was time to head home and gear up for another week at work. It all went so fast.
As a first time visit to Supersonic, this was for me one of the most varied and interesting festival experiences I’ve had outside of All Tomorrow’s Parties and all in my own home town as well. Definitely not for everyone’s tastes but then with so much music to choose from you’re bound to find something new you like. I’d recommend the festival to anyone wanting to broaden their horizons musically. Capsule have created and maintained something which brings together a number of music communities and fans alike all under ’one roof’. A one of a kind achievement.
Tracklist:
FRIDAY 22ND OCTOBER
NAPALM DEATH
DEAD FADER / DEMONS (W/SICK LLAMA) / DEVILMAN (W/DJ SCOTCH EGG) / DRUMCORPS / FUKPIG / GUM TAKES TOOTH / NECRO DEATHMORT / PCM
SATURDAY 23RD OCTOBER
GODFLESH + MELT BANANA
BLUE SABBATH BLACK FIJI / CAVE / CLOAKS (exclusive solo DJ set) / DOSH / EAGLE TWIN / GNAW / GNOD / KING MIDAS SOUND / LASH FRENZY vs KK NULL / LICHENS / OvO / PART WILD HORSES MANE ON BOTH SIDES / PEOPLE LIKE US / STEVE TROMAN & DAN NICHOLLS DUO / STINKY WIZZLETEAT / TWEAK BIRD
SUNDAY 24TH OCTOBER
SWANS + HALLOGALLO
BARN OWL / BLACK SUN DRUM CORPS / CHROME HOOF / DETHSCALATOR / BONG / FACTORY FLOOR / HEALTH & EFFICIENCY / JAILBREAK FEAT. CHRIS CORSANO + HEATHER LEIGH / JAMES BLACKSHAW / KHYAM ALLAMI AND MASTER MUSICIANS OF BUKKAKE / MOTH LITE / MUGSTAR / NISENNENMONDAI / PETER BRODERICK / PIERRE BASTIEN + MALE INSTRUMENTY / RUINS / VOICE OF THE SEVEN THUNDERS / ZENI GEVA
Thursday, 13 January 2011
News - AARON’S AGONY
Italian High-octane Rocksters drop their hugely impressive debut offering through Ant Street Records on 7th March 2011.
Hailing from Northern Italy, from the quaint seaside town of Savona, Italian riff merchants Aaron’s Agony were formed in 2008 after the demise of their previous band, The Choice. Members Gabry (drums), Max (guitar/backing vocals) and Zack(bass/lead vocals) joined forces with Eros Pedone, aka "Diè" (lead vocals) and Gionata Damele (guitar/lead vocals), to form Aaron's Agony. Tied by a long time friendship stretching back to school and in brothers Gabry and Max, by blood, the posse have grown up together sharing the highs and lows of life's challenges. Last year, the up-and-coming rock combo locked down management with established Italian management agency, Alkemist Fanatix Europe. After securing management, the vigorous five piece soon penned an album deal with German label Antstreet Records. Aided by a melting pot of influences ranging from the hardcore through to electronica, and from punk to metal, Aaron's Agony have sculptured a sound that is rammed with melody and riff stomping ingenuity.
Aaron's Agony are now all set to drop their eagerly awaited debut album entitled "Lost Inside Myself". Blasting from your speakers with soaring sing-a-long choruses and super-charged riffs, the record unleashes a hefty blow to the senses and promises to please, from the hugely infectious up-tempo rhythms and shout-out refine of 'We Are Back' through to the two-prong vocal attacks and beefy jack hammer guitar slams of 'It’s Manna From Heaven' (which features Parachutes' vocalist Stefan Kinn), the record is stuffed full of innovative hooks and driving beatdowns. There's no letting up as the album draws to a dramatic close with the brutally dynamic 'Voices From Inside Call For Valkyria' where voice-box Diè scrapes the bile from the guts of his soul with a hearty performance. Mastered in New York by Alan Douches (A Day to Remember, Atreyu), the record is all primed and ready for your consumption. Load up and soak it in!
News - KILL THE CAPTAIN - NORTHERN HARDCORE SCAMPS DROP ROUSING DEBUT ALBUM THIS SPRING!
Unstoppable Yorkshire quintet unleash self-titled debut ready for public consumption from 14th March 2011.
Sparking glowing comparisons to the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and The Devil Wears Prada, Kill The Captain spring from the traps with ferocious pace, bonecrushing riffs and earnest intent. KTC are rapidly picking up speed throughout the underground and are set to crank up velocity with their impressive self-titled debut mini-album, out this March.
Kill The Captain were initially conceived back in 2007, originally featuring vocalist Danny and bassist Sam from highly rated metalcore crew 'Asking Alexandria'. In 2008, both Danny and Sam left Kill The Captain to forge Asking Alexandria, and the remaining members Edd and Andy commenced with the dubious task of gathering new recruits to allow Kill The Captain to continue. After an eventful search, the dynamic duo enlisted Abram, Ryan and beatmaster Robbie to form a brand new line-up and chapter for KTC. After numerous rehearsals and a series of sweat-drenched shows in their hometown of York, the fiery five-piece pressed forward and began work on penning new tunes for their eagerly awaited debut record. During this time, the Yorkshire Terriers also extensively toured throughout England and Wales and racked up supports with Bury Tomorrow, Asking Alexandria, Postmortem Promises, Sylosis, Viatrophy, Exit Ten, The Casino Brawl, Fei Comodo, Trigger The Bloodshed, Empires Fade, and many more.
The band's self-titled debut features seven blistering beefy slabs of hardcore infused metal. Kill The Captain have broken down their influences and meshed together their own unique take on hardcore metal and in turn have produced a record that is genuinely compelling and sure to pull new fans from all quarters.
The metalcore crew are now all geared to nationally stamp their mark on proceedings with their debut mini-album and full blown touring onslaught set for the Spring of 2011. Hit up http://www.myspace.com/killthecaptainktc for tour updates.
---KILL THE CAPTAIN IS RELEASED THROUGH DIGITAL STORES ON 14th MARCH 2011---