Rich

New Found Glory/International Superheroes of Hardcore – Tip of the Iceberg/Takin’ It Ova

April 18, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

New Found Glory has long been one of my favourite pop punk bands. The band actually formed back in 1997 and never once to date has the music disappointed me in the slightest. Fresh off the back of the recently released ‘Greatest Hits’ album, New Found Glory has here recorded an exquisitely fine EP in the form of ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ which features three new tracks as well as three covers. This is actually a double disc release and the second disc here is an International Superheroes of Hardcore (ISHC) album under the name of ‘Takin’ It Ova’. The band ISHC actually comprises of all five members of New Found Glory, you wouldn’t know it however as the sound that is here created is that of hardcore and is a far cry from the New Found Glory sound we’ve all come to know and love over the years. The ‘Greatest Hits’ album was the last in New Found Glory’s contract with Geffen Records, the band is therefore free now to record as they wish and this double-disc feature is the resultant factor of the bands newly found freedom.

The New Found Glory EP actually opens with title track ‘Tip of the Iceberg’, a fine way to start this release and one that really sets the mood nicely. New Found Glory has always been a pop punk band made up of hardcore fans, and the bands hardcore influence definitely shines through strongly on the six tracks of this EP. The vocals are the standard energetic New Found Glory affair of upbeat excellence, the musical backing however is certainly a lot more hard edged than usual. With every New Found Glory release I feel that the vocals of Jordan Pundik just get better and better, and this is most certainly a trend that has been continued here. Throughout all of the new tracks ‘Tip of the Iceberg’, ‘Dig My Own Grave’, and ‘If You Don’t Love Me’ always the vocals are greatly impressive. ‘Dig My Own Grave’ actually hints at what’s to come with the ISHC album, towards the end of the track there is a dual vocal attack of Jordan Pundik and Chad Gilbert also, Jordan offering the enthusiastic pop punk vocal tones of old and Chad contrasting this with a hard hitting hardcore shout of a vocal reply.

‘If You Don’t Love Me’ brings an end to the new material here and is perhaps my favourite of all the new tracks that are included here on this EP. It;s very different to the standard New Found Glory track and the vocals of Jordan Pundik do in fact sound better than ever here. The track comes complete with some interesting tempo changes and never does the music here disappoint. It’s a well put together track, probably one of the best songs that New Found Glory has ever put together as a band in fact. It clocks in at just under two minutes and is an exceptionally fine display of music from the band for sure; that’s another thing about the new tracks from this EP, two of them are less than two minutes in length and the other clocks in at just over the two minute mark. The band has here favoured short recordings rather than dragging the songs out and this I feel has worked out incredibly well for New Found Glory on this release.

After beginning with three totally brand new tracks for the first half of this release, the second half of this EP shows a display of the bands influences and here there are three covers; of Gorilla Biscuits, Shelter, and Lifetime respectively. With all three of these covers the band sticks very much to the original formula of the original tracks, at the same time however a definite New Found Glory feel and sheen is here on display. The band make the music their own in a way that does not detract from the quality of the original recordings, the members of New Found Glory here pay their respects to the scene that they came from and have a strong love for. The music is exciting and the cover tracks are executed excellently on three separate occasions here to absolute perfection. The bands cover of Lifetime’s ‘Cut The Tension’ has to be my favourite from this EP I feel, such energy is on display here and this is perhaps one of the finest New Found Glory tracks ever to have been recorded. It’s certainly up there amongst my favourites, as is ‘If You Don’t Love Me’ in fact; always the music on display with this EP is impressive and six tracks of absolute musical brilliance have been recorded by the band here.

As the second disc begins with the ‘ISHC Theme Song’, straight away the music of the International Superheroes of Hardcore makes an instant impression. The music is fast, Chad Gilbert and Jordan Pundik alternate their vocal and guitar duties, and always the sound created here is highly impressive. With this album the band puts across its views about certain music genres of today, and also the lyrics discuss such subjects as the importance of wearing seatbelts, and the bands appreciation for the hardcore band Madball. The tracks are kept short (most come in at around the one minute mark) and ‘Takin’ It Ova’ is a greatly impressive display of hardcore music which displays mightily the bands terrific sense of humour.

If you’re aware of the Agnostic Front track ‘Gotta Go’ then the introduction to the ISHC song ‘Screamo Gotta Go’ will be one that you shall recognise. The band bellows out the vocal of ‘From the East Coast to the West Coast; Screamo, Screamo Gotta Go’ before jumping into a full on 56 second attack at the genre of screamo and the ridiculous fashion sense of those that listen to this genre of music. It’s an amusing track and in the middle contains the token melodic moment in which the band states ‘This is the part where you want the girls to think you’re cute’, it ridicules the screamo genre and I for one absolutely love it. The music on display here is fun and always listening to this ‘Takin’ It Ova’ album provides for a greatly enjoyable experience. Jordan Pundik and Chad Gilbert shout and scream their way through this album, always the music entertains and never is there a dull moment here.

The album reaches its end with a track titled ‘Ebay Revenge’, an amusing little number which talks of the time wasters of the internet auction website that commit to a buy and then never pay up. It’s a decent way to end the album, a one minute track which caps off nicely what is an incredibly well put together album. ‘Takin’ It Ova’ is not the finest display of hardcore you will ever hear, what it is however is a greatly amusing and aurally entertaining album which comprises of twelve tracks and a grand total of fifteen minutes of music. Together this musical double bill of New Found Glory EP and ISHC album therefore adds up to a grand total of 27 minutes, it’s not a massive amount of music really but it’s certainly an entertaining mix.

This ‘Tip of the Iceberg/Takin’ It Ova’ release is most definitely one that I would recommend listening to. For those that have always found the music of New Found Glory to be a bit too pop heavy then this release should come as a pleasant surprise, and for fellow fans of the band this double disc release should provide for a great half an hour of utmost enjoyment. In 2004 New Found Glory showcased a harder edge to the music with the ‘Intro’ track that opened the ‘Catalyst’ album. What I would say about the three new tracks that are displayed on the ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ EP is that here you can here expect more to be shown of this harder hitting side of the band. The music is edgier, the guitars are more powerful, and with the latter three tracks of the EP the band showcases its musical influences with three fine hardcore covers. It’s an absolutely brilliant EP from New Found Glory, and the second disc of the ISHC album that follows is just as excellent.

To further emphasise what I said before; if you were not aware that the music of ISHC was created by the five members of New Found Glory then never would you know it. To listen to the ISHC album is nothing like listening to a New Found Glory release, the vocals don’t possess any striking similarity and it’s basically just an energetic offering of hardcore punk with a high level of humour here included. New Found Glory and ISHC are effectively the same band, it certainly doesn’t sound that way however and yet ‘both’ bands are excellent. The music of ISHC has just as much to offer as that of New Found Glory, the ideas are just presented here in different ways. Listening to this double-disc album is absolutely excellent; I have nothing but love for this release and would therefore wholly recommend giving ‘Tip of the Iceberg/Takin’ It Ova’ a listen. Regardless of whether or not you’ve ever been a fan of New Found Glory in the past I feel that there is plenty to take from this release and always the band has much to offer with the music. Ownership of this release is absolutely essential I feel, the sound created is really well put across by the five members of New Found Glory and never is there a dull moment in the 27 minutes of music that this double disc has to offer.

Label: Bridge Nine Records
Release Date: 28th April 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

The Business – Mean Girl

April 17, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Mean Girl’ is an interesting new release of music from the hit 80’s Oi band that is The Business. This is a strange one in that three of the tracks included here are new, whilst the remaining five are live tracks that were actually recorded at The Marquee back in 1982. Although a bizarre mix of old and new, ‘Mean Girl’ works incredibly well as an eight track recording of Oi punk excellence. The EP has been released through Bad Dog Records and I personally find this to be a greatly enjoyable offering of music; the EP has its flaws but still ‘Mean Girl’ should provide for a greatly enjoyable listening experience for all those that hear it.

‘Mean Girl’ is fittingly the track that begins this release, one of the new songs and a fine display of punk rock it is from the band too. The vocals are excellent, musically this band is as hard hitting as ever, and all in all this is an absolutely fantastic way to begin this release. ‘Mean Girl’ really sets the mood well for the rest of this release and the music of The Business certainly does not here disappoint. ‘Till The End’ continues the trend of new music from this release and is a second stunning track. It’s a powerful track and once more the fine sound of the band is put across incredibly well. It’s not the strongest track you’ll ever hear but a fine offering of music from The Business nonetheless and one that I personally am quite fond of. The lyrics are powerful but musically the track is not so great, it’s not a bad track from The Business but certainly not one of the bands best.

‘1-2-3’ is the final track of new music from this release and is I feel the best of the three that are on display here. The music is energetic and lively, the vocals are put across incredibly well and there’s an extremely high level of energy running through the track. From start to finish this track is jam packed full of excitement, an excellent slice of Oi and an impressive way to cap off the new music of this release. This track I would say is up there alongside the best tracks that this band has ever recorded, it truly is that excellent and long time fans of The Business will surely not be disappointed with what they hear here.

All five of the live tracks here are well put across by the band and as ever the sound produced by the band here is absolutely electric. Included here are live recordings of ‘Loud Proud ‘n Punk’, ‘Blind Justice’, ‘Suburban Rebels’, ‘Harry May’, and ‘Smash The Discos’ also. Although the sound quality for these live tracks isn’t great, their inclusion on this release is absolutely brilliant I feel. Although it’s odd that this release should comprise of three new recordings and five live tracks, the fact is that a recorded bootleg was recently unearthed of the gig at The Marquee and it’s therefore entirely understandable that the band wished to put the music out there for all fans to hear. These five tracks portray the live sound of this band more than twenty five years ago and the music here certainly does not disappoint. The live music contains all the energy and vigour that you would expect of this band and more, the live recordings certainly do not disappoint and as the release reaches its end with ‘Smash The Discos’ always this EP has been highly impressive.

The Business is an excellent Oi band, and with this ‘Mean Girl’ release the band showcases a fine melodic sound of new as well as a supreme spattering of live recordings of old. For fans of The Business I would suggest that ‘Mean Girl’ is an EP that you must seek to get hold of’; the music will surely not disappoint as always this release is full of energy and not for a moment does this fine band disappoint here. ‘Mean Girl’ contains exciting music from start to finish, eight tracks are included here and I personally believe that this EP is one that is well worth investing in. If you are, or in fact ever were a fan of the Oi punk genre then I would thoroughly suggest giving this a listen; the new music is an interesting display of where The Business is at now as a band, whilst the live recordings from 1982 showcase sublimely just where this band was 25 years ago. Add this to your collection, relax, and let the fine Oi punk music of The Business enter you aurally; you’ll surely not be disappointed with what you find here.

Label: Bad Dog Records
Release Date: 21st April 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

The Sorrow – Blessing From a Blackened Sky

April 17, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

The Sorrow is a fairly average metalcore band from Austria. ‘Blessing From a Blackened Sky’ is the bands début album and to be quite honest there’s not much of interest on display here whatsoever. The sound is pulled off fairly competently, there’s just no life in it all. The Sorrow jumps here from track to track without ever showing any signs of enthusiasm, there is no passion in the music and it’s therefore an extremely uninspiring album of metalcore mediocrity.

There is no denying that the members of The Sorrow are fairly talented musicians, there is a decent amount of musical ability on display here but the music just contains no personality. The Sorrow fail to make the music their own, there’s just no way whatsoever of telling The Sorrow apart from any other metalcore band; individuality is lacking in the music and this album is therefore not very exciting at all to listen to.

The band here progresses on this ‘Blessing From a Blackened Sky’ album through some interesting chord changes, a decent vocal display, and some finely executed drum beats. The problem is not in the music itself but in the way that it all comes across. Although the music is good, still you do not feel compelled to listen; the severe lack of individuality and personality in the music means that the music comes across as half hearted and no matter how good this album may be musically, the passion is always sadly lacking.

The vocals are often here shouted, there is the odd melodic moment however and ultimately the music just comes across as all too predictable. The music lacks imagination and listening to this album can therefore at times be difficult. ‘Blessing From a Blackened Sky’ is not a bad album in terms of musical ability here shown, it is however a bad album in the way of energy, enthusiasm, and ultimately excitement. Metalcore pulled off well can sound excellent, a sublime mix of metal and hardcore; this is not however what this is, this début album from The Sorrow is an unexciting affair of predictable and uninspired mildly entertaining noise. The music lacks substance but it’s not done badly, it’s not done particularly well either but still I would not label this a bad album.

Track titles such as ‘The Dagger Thrust’, ‘Darkest Red’, and ‘Death From a Lovers Hand’ suggest of the predictability of this band, it’s all a tad too generic and contrived. It’s as though the band has read some sort of ‘Metalcore Handbook’ and thrust as many clichés into the music as possible with the view that the more the music contains, the better. On this ‘Blessing From a Blackened Sky’ album The Sorrow sounds like a band trying desperately to replicate the sound of others rather than focussing on creating an original sound of the bands own. The sound produced here soon becomes tired, far before the twelve tracks of this album are over then any interest will be long since lost.

Were The Sorrow to inject a bit of passion into the sound then there is no doubt in my mind that this would be a decent album. The music is predictable but the member of The Sorrow definitely possess great talent. The band members here do not make the best use of their talent and from the enthusiasm displayed here are not particularly enjoying the music that they are producing; The Sorrow is not a bad band however and ‘Blessing From a Blackened Sky’ is not an entirely terrible début album. Huge improvements need to be made to the sound, with a few tweaks and changes however I can seriously see The Sorrow becoming an excellent band. The talent is there, all that’s needed now is passion and The Sorrow will be the finished article. Perhaps a change of vocalist is in order for this band, that could well be the detrimental factor behind the current shortcomings of The Sorrow. I’ll be interested to see what this band has to offer in the future, my opinion is that things can only get better.

Label: Drakkar Records
Release Date: 6th August 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Elliot Minor – Elliot Minor

April 14, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Elliot Minor’ is the début album from the band of the same name. There are eleven tracks on display here and it must be said that this is an exquisitely fine display of music from the York based quintet that is Elliot Minor. The music contains a great beauteous quality throughout the entirety of this album and never does the slick musical skill of the five members of Elliot Minor here disappoint.

The album gets going with ‘Time After Time’, a fine track to begin this release with and one that sets the mood nicely. It’s by no means the best track from this album, it is however a fine way to start and right from the offset here the music of Elliot Minor grabs you and gains your full undivided attention. The album has plenty to offer and listening to ‘Elliot Minor’ is therefore an exciting and greatly entertaining experience.

The bands commercial successes can all be found on this album; ‘Parallel Worlds’, ‘The White One Is Evil’, ‘Still Figuring Out’, and ‘Jessica’ also are present here for your listening pleasure. If you’ve been following the continued success of this band then you’ll no doubt know all the words to this lot, and even if not then I’m sure that you’ll know some of these songs by ear even if not by name. ‘Parallel Worlds’ and ‘The White One Is Evil’ are particular favourites of mine from this pack. Such energy and enthusiasm is contained within these tracks, the music is brilliant and never will the band disappoint with such fine displays of music as this. ‘Still Figuring Out’ was the first track that ever caught my attention from Elliot Minor, I had not previously seen the appeal of the bands music but this is a track that I most definitely absolutely love. It’s just so catchy, the chorus is brilliant and the melody absolutely fantastic. It’s a fine display of pop punk, one of the finest songs in the genre I have ever heard in fact.

The music on this album is not all as fast and frantic as is displayed with the bands single releases, there are plenty of slower paced tracks here and these also will no doubt impress you hugely. With tracks such as ‘Liar Is You’, ‘The Broken Minor’, and closing track ‘Last Call to New York City’ the music is awash with beautiful orchestral elements and the vocals are laced stunningly atop of the music. It’s a far cry from the bouncy pop of the bands singles, it is however terrific music which displays perfectly the fine nature and supreme talent of Elliot Minor as a band. The contrast in sound between the pop punk dynamics and orchestral urges of this band truly is sensational, it’s a beautiful mix of music executed excellently by Elliot Minor and pulled off to absolute perfection.

Such a vast array of musical expertise is here showcased by Elliot Minor, with every track the band has something different to offer on this début album and always the music is hugely impressive. From first track ‘Time After Time’ right through to the closer of ‘Last Call to New York City’ the music always has plenty to offer and there is plenty to take from this listening to this ‘Elliot Minor’ album. The vocals are exquisite, the instrumental element is hugely impressive, and every element of the music just seems to come together to perfection. ‘Elliot Minor’ is a fine album which melds meticulously the genres of pop punk, rock, and classical also. The members of this band come from ‘parallel worlds’ so to speak, each band members musical background is implemented into the sound of Elliot Minor supremely in order to produce the fine display of music that is this ‘Elliot Minor’ album.

A début album of utmost excellence has here been created by the fine rock band that is Elliot Minor. All five members of this band are classically trained and this therefore allows for Elliot Minor to blend beautifully the genres of classical and rock to great effect. This is an incredibly strong album from the band, one that contains eleven tracks of absolute excellence and never does the music disappoint in the slightest. ‘Elliot Minor’ is without doubt an album that I would thoroughly recommend to all; the pop sensibilities of this release are exquisite and always the vocals harmonies are beautiful. Many of the tracks contain massively catchy choruses and always the music of Elliot Minor is greatly impressive. Instrumentally Elliot Minor is a hugely talented band and vocally the music also has plenty to offer. For all fans of finely put together pop music I most certainly recommend investing in this ‘Elliot Minor’ album; you’ll surely not be at all disappointed with what you hear from Elliot Minor on this release.

Label: Warner
Release Date: 14th April 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

The Fall The Rise – Interlopers

April 13, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

The Fall The Rise is a Birmingham based four-piece band. After the dissolution of the bands that the four members had previously been in, they all decided that they still wanted to produce music that they loved and so The Fall The Rise was formed. In this ‘Interlopers’ album the band deals with issues such as love, sorrow, and despair. There is a great focus on ultimate redemption here though, the four young members of this band are clearly passionate about the music that they are creating and seemingly have a genuine love for the sound that they are producing.

The album title is an interesting one here I feel, apparently it stems from the feeling of the band within the Birmingham music scene. In this album The Fall The Rise jump between screams and soaring melodies, the music is quite formulaic and to be quite honest for the most part is not carried off too well at all. Whilst the sound that this band is producing is at times an interesting one, it’s all a little messily carried out and listening to ‘Interlopers’ therefore isn’t a particularly satisfying experience. Whilst the band are clearly passionate about the music they are making, their vocalist doesn’t have a particularly good voice and in fact struggles to hit a lot of the notes here. Front man Martin possesses quite a droning tone, little life is ever injected into the proceedings vocally and musically the band isn’t too excellent either. The drum beats sound quite out of time, the guitar riffs are often extremely simplistic, and when The Fall The Rise attempt to pull off a scream quite frankly it is often quite amusing.

The Fall The Rise sound like that local band that everyone goes to see but no one really likes. They’re friendly enough but the music just isn’t very good. I’d imagine that to see this band live in an intimate setting would be bearable, but to listen to a whole album of their music just isn’t my idea of fun. It’s hard to tell where one track finishes and the next begins, there’s a definite lack of creativity on display here and almost every track sounds entirely identical. A look down the track listing after listening and you’re not quite sure what the difference was between ‘Sleeping With Both Eyes Open’ and ‘By The Skin Of Our Teeth’ for example. The screams are in different places, but the music is still predictable and really rather tiresome.

My advice is that The Fall The Rise return to their Birmingham base and think long and hard about what they’ve done. ‘Interlopers’ is not a very good album at all, it’s extremely generic with a distinct lack of originality and variation shown here. If the bands members truly love the music they are producing as much as they claim to, then why were they not able to produce something a little more impressive than this? I’ve heard far worse I must admit, but The Fall The Rise to me just sound like an uninspired local band with a devoted following of few. Revolver Music is best known for signing The Stone Roses back in 1987 through their Black Records label, why then they’d want to sign a band as unexciting and clearly destined for nothing as The Rise The Fall I genuinely have no idea. More unimpressive albums I have heard than this, I still wouldn’t want to listen to ‘Interlopers’ too many times though; it’s just too lacklustre an offering to really impress on any level whatsoever.

The Rise The Fall have been together for years now but to listen to their music you really wouldn’t know it. The bands members really don’t gel well together, the music is more often than not messy and I feel that aside from the vocals it is the drumming of band member Steven that lets this band down most. The drum beats are terrible and if you can’t get a decent back beat going then all else will ultimately fail. Never does the band rise, but definitely they fall; ‘Interlopers’ is an incredibly poor album from this Birmingham band and if this is all they can come up with after four years together then I feel that there is little hope for the future of the band. This début album was four years in the making, perhaps The Rise The Fall should spend a further four years learning their instruments properly and a few singing lessons wouldn’t go amiss either.

Label: Black Records
Release Date: 14th January 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Death Before Dishonor – Count Me In

April 11, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Death Before Dishonor is a five-piece hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. ‘Count Me In’ is the bands third studio album to date and was released through Bridge Nine Records, the label that the band has been signed to since 2004. In my opinion this is by far the best album that the band has ever written and most certainly comprises of some of the bands finest material to date. ‘Friends, Family, Forever’ preceded this album in 2005, ‘Count Me In’ is by far the better album however; a huge improvement from Death Before Dishonor and an album that has made me think a lot more of the band.

In the past I have never particularly appreciated the music of Death Before Dishonor. On previous releases the album tracks have all sounded the same to me, this is certainly not the case here however. With ‘Count Me In’ Death Before Dishonor prove to be an excellent hardcore band with this brutal attack of music. The album here has plenty to offer, the vocals are angry, aggressive and it’s all genuinely believable. You really feel like the music means something to this band when listening, it’s by no means perfect but is most certainly an excellent album. The guitars possess great energy, the vocal display is excellent, and the drumbeats come attacking through impressively.

Thirteen tracks complete this album; an intro, eleven standard tracks and one ‘hidden’ inclusion. The music here is all incredibly high quality, none of the tracks disappoint and always there is a terrific energy running through the heart of it all. Death Before Dishonor fire through all of these tracks with great vigour, not once does this band show any signs of slowing down and always the music comes hurtling at you full throttle. The sound is well put together, all elements of the music seem to be well thought out on each and every track and this album is therefore greatly enjoyable to listen to. One of the main reasons I had not been too impressed with previous albums from this band was that it all seemed a little too hurriedly put together and there was no real talent on display, no care seemed to have been taken in the construction of the songs but that has all changed here. The sound is well worked and at every moment on this album the band has plenty to offer.

Tracks such as ‘Take Me Away’, ‘Behind Your Eyes’, and title track ‘Count Me In’ stand out strongly here. Always the music is brutal, the sound produced by Death Before Dishonor on this album is extremely intense and the music is at all points greatly impressive. The hidden track provides quite a change in direction, mainly because it is in fact a cover of the classic Cock Sparrer track ‘England Belongs To Me’. It’s nowhere near as impressive as the original, it’s still quite an interesting track however and the decision here to rename it ‘Boston Belongs To Me’ is vaguely amusing. Cock Sparrer purists may not appreciate the track too much, I however see its inclusion as quite an excellent way to end this ‘Count Me In’ album. Death Before Dishonor growl through this cover, it’s a lot lighter than the rest of the album however and I feel that this track winds the album down nicely.

Death Before Dishonor is an excellent hardcore band, with this album the band has really impressed me and entirely changed my opinion of the music. What I once perceived to be a generic and creatively lacking band has here shown drastic signs of improvement and released an album that is packed full of excitement and truly fantastic musicianship. With the bands previous two albums never had I found the music particularly interesting at all, ‘Count Me In’ however is a hugely appealing album of hardcore brilliance. The album clocks in at just under half an hour in length, the tracks are short and always the music is packed full of a high level of excitement. Too many horribly creatively lacking bands are present in the hardcore scene of today, Death Before Dishonor is no longer one of them however and I personally would definitely recommend giving this ‘Count Me In’ album a listen if you happen to be a fan of the genre.

Label: Bridge Nine Records
Release Date: 22nd May 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Wednesday 13 – Skeletons

April 11, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Skeletons’ is the third full length studio album from Wednesday 13 as an independent recording artist, a man best known for his vocal contribution in the music of Murderdolls. This album is a lot more personal than the first two Wednesday 13 albums ever were, the lyrics delve into the subject of his almost life ending depression and the music is all here greatly effective. The vocals are fiercely sung, the guitars come across strongly, and the drums provide the perfect back beat here. The music is well put across and always the horror punk sound of Wednesday 13 comes through fantastically well.

Whilst ‘Skeletons’ is most definitely a more personal album than the first two, not all of the tracks present here deal with the personal life of Wednesday 13 and in most cases the standard lyrical subjects are here covered that we have come to expect. The lyrics are sometimes dark, but often this is just a fun horror punk album from Wednesday 13; a greatly energetic display of aural excellence. Horror runs through the very heart of this album, always the music is massively exciting and not once does the sound of Wednesday 13 disappoint. It’s personal in part and it is this about the ‘Skeletons’ album that makes it so strong to listen to, the lyrics are poignant and the way they are sung by Wednesday 13 is highly passionate. As you listen to this album there will be times when you feel that you enter deep into the troubled mind of Wednesday 13, the lyrics are so strong and always they are impressively well written.

Tracks such as ‘All American Massacre’, ‘Not Another Teenage Anthem’, and ‘Put Your Death Mask On’ from this album all impress hugely. The music is just so powerful, the guitar riffs are huge and the vocals truly are exceptional. Wednesday 13 is a highly talented vocalist I feel, always on this album the music impresses massively and not once does the voice of this man disappoint in the slightest. Such passion is contained within this vocal display, never does the energy here diminish and always in fact the vocal performance borders upon perfection. The way the chorus rings through on ‘All American Massacre’ is supremely striking, the vocals are extremely hard hitting and when listening to this track I personally feel a stunning sensation of utmost enjoyment. All the way through this album in fact I enjoy the music greatly and not once does the sound of Wednesday 13 fail to impress me. From start to finish this ‘Skeletons’ album is an admirable effort from Wednesday 13; the lyrics are hugely effective and musically it is excellent also.

Instrumentally I feel that there is a lot to take from this album, particularly from the guitar work that is shown here. Always the guitar riffs soar and conquer, on title track ‘Skeletons’ in particular the guitar work is here truly exquisite. Everything about this one is excellent in fact, all elements of the music are spot on and lyrically this track has plenty to offer. I feel that with this album Wednesday 13 has really recorded his best work to date, the personal experiences that are written into the lyrics really make this ‘Skeletons’ album stand out as sensational. A lot has happened in the life of Wednesday 13, he uses it all to his advantage here however in order to produce the album of a lifetime; an extremely personal and highly interesting display of horror punk supremacy.

Horror punk does not always work, the genre was defined by the magnificent band The Misfits but often when bands try this sound it just isn’t pulled off quite right. With ‘Skeletons’ I feel that Wednesday 13 does the genre proud and has here produced a truly brilliant album. Eleven tracks are featured here and from start to finish the album is absolutely flawless. I love each and every one of these tracks, the lyrics really mean something and to listen to this album you can really tell that Wednesday 13 has put his whole heart into this release. The music alone is enough to make this album stand out strikingly, the lyrics add such heightened depth however and help hugely in the process of making this ‘Skeletons’ album the phenomenal display of horror punk that it is.

Label: Demolition Records
Release Date: 12th May 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Too Pure To Die – Confidence and Consequence

April 11, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Too Pure To Die is a hardcore band from the American state of Iowa. ‘Confidence and Consequence’ is the bands début album which originally surfaced in late 2006. Since then the band has changed its singer however and when Trustkill Records got hold of the album it was their opinion that the album just had to be re-released complete with new singer Paul on vocal duties. So ‘Confidence and Consequence’ is back complete with a new mix, new mastering, and a brand new bonus track also in the form of ‘What’s Left’. It was an excellent decision to re-release this album I feel and in doing so more people will surely hear this exceptional début album that is ‘Confidence and Consequence’.

Title track ‘Confidence and Consequence’ kicks it all off and none of the tracks on display here are in the slightest bit disappointing. The music is highly energetic, the vocals are brutally shouted, and the guitar riffs boom through with great vigour. Throughout the ten tracks of this album not once does this band disappoint and always in fact the music is absolutely excellent. The guitars possess such great power, the vocals are spot on, and every element of the music just seems to come together perfectly here. Hardcore bands often fall into the trap of sounding all too generic, this is certainly not the case with Too Pure To Die however and always on this album there is a great energy running through it all, a fantastic passion shown on behalf of the band which provides for an excellent listening experience.

All of the tracks on this album sit comfortably around the three minute mark, the vocals always come bellowing powerfully through and always it is the guitars that make the music so brilliant. Two guitarists are present in this band, each of them excellent and always contributing magnificently to the brilliance of Too Pure To Die. The guitars and vocals are always at the forefront of the bands sound, the drums take a bit of a back seat and are nowhere near as important in creating the epic sound of this band. Occasionally the drum beats can be heard protruding through and when they do the sound that can be heard it brilliant, there can be no denying the excellence of this bands drummer but in truth it is most certainly the vocals and guitars that are here most stunning.

The album clocks in at a grand total of half an hour in length, brand new bonus song ‘What’s Left’ is the track that is given the honour of bringing the album to its close. The sound that is here created is actually quite different to that of the rest of the album, there’s a change in vocal approach here and the vocals become much more of a growl. Throughout this album the music is extremely heavy but here the band takes the brutality up a notch and the intensity of it all becomes even greater. Cymbals are integrated into the sound more freely here and the drums therefore become more noticeable and vital to the music. It comes as quite a shock to the system this one, for all of the album we have been used to hearing a similar sound and here this all changes for one final moment of extreme aggression. It works well I feel and signifies supremely the intended future direction of this band now that a new vocalist has been integrated into the line-up. There is no doubt in my mind that with all further albums from Too Pure To Die, the vocals will possess much more of a growl about them.

‘Confidence and Consequence’ is an excellent album from Too Pure To Die, a brilliant début offering which has here been supremely remastered. For all fans of hardcore and metal I’d definitely recommend the music of Too Pure To Die, there’s a great energy about the music and something about the sound that this band produces which makes it all excellent to hear. Not one of these ten tracks disappoints, the final track on the album provides an interesting change and always the music enthrals. This album is a big and bold offering of hardcore, the guitar riffs provide a menacing metal presence and never does this band show and signs of slowing down throughout the albums half hour duration. The music is fast and fun, it will not appeal to all but it will certainly appeal to many; it’s heavy enough to please hardened fans of the genre, but also approachable enough to appeal to casual listeners of hardcore and metal alike.

Label: Trustkill Records
Release Date: 28th January 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

American Pie Presents Beta House (2007) Review

April 9, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Having been a huge fan of the first three American Pie films in the series I thought I’d give ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ a try when I noticed it available for rental. I was put off the series by the fairly awful direct-to-DVD ‘American Pie Presents: Band Camp’ film and decided I’d probably not watch any further films in the series. For some reason I decided to change my mind when it came to the latest slice of the pie, I tried to forget about how disappointed I had been with ‘Band Camp’ and rented this with renewed optimism for the series.

When ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ began I thought to myself I’d probably done good in avoiding the series for three years. This film appeared to be a gratuitous display of the naked female form and the humour seemed completely out of kilter with what I had seen and loved in the past from the ‘American Pie’ films. I was all but ready to turn it off and send the disc straight back, things then started looking up however and ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ began to amuse and impress me. It wasn’t vintage American Pie I thought to myself, but it was definitely worth watching and I therefore decided to stick with it. I’m so glad that I did as this is genuinely a pretty good film, it’s not greatly intelligent but then again that was never the appeal of the ‘American Pie’ films to begin with.

Erik Stifler is off to college with his good friend Cooze, it is here that he is brought into the Beta fraternity by his cousin Dwight. Both Erik and Cooze are single, Erik’s girlfriend has recently left him and both of them are therefore looking to take full advantage of college life. The Beta Delta Xi Fraternity have a strong rival in the form of the Epsilon Sigma Kappa (GEEK’s), the two rival fraternities are always looking to get one over on the other. The Beta fraternity is all about partying hard, whilst the the focus of the newly formed Epsilon Sigma Kappa fraternity is purely academic. The two rival fraternities seek to settle their differences by pitting their skills against one another in the battle of the Greek Games, an event that was long ago banned by the college and last won by the Beta Delta fraternity. It’s the first Greek Games for forty years and the stakes are high, there is everything to play for as these two bitter rivals battle it out in their quest to emerge victorious.

There are plenty of laughs here and as the film progresses you come to realise that this film takes the series back to its roots. Before ‘Band Camp’ the American Pie films were in my opinion always excellent. Director Andrew Waller here captures the full glory of the early films and once more brings life to a series that ‘Band Camp’ very nearly killed off. ‘American Pie Presents: Band Camp’ was directed by Steve Rash, a man who has since directed the third and fourth ‘Bring It On’ films. It would seem that this man takes on already established film series in a quest to end them, his talent as a director is minimal and he is in fact fairly awful. Andrew Waller was new to the directorial world when this ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ film was released and his enthusiasm and intention to succeed as a director really shines through. Andrew Waller gives life to this film which makes for an extremely enjoyable viewing experience.

The performances here are not exactly of an Oscar award winning standard, nonetheless though all involved in this film impress in their parts and no one lets the side down. Steve Talley as Dwight Stifler has a great comic presence, for me he is the most amusing man here and provides for much of the films laughs. John White as Erik Stifler is also pretty impressive, not as much so as his on-screen cousin but definitely still worth mentioning here. It takes a certain type of person to perform in a silly fun film of this sort, and those chosen were picked well here. Credit must go to Joe Nussbaum as it was he who brought these characters to life as director with the fifth film in the series ‘American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile’. The fifth film is not one that I have seen, but having been so impressed with this sixth incarnation of the American Pie series I’ll definitely be giving it a go now.

‘American Pie: The Wedding’ (also known under the name of ‘American Wedding’) was officially the last film in the American Pie series. It was the third and final true American Pie film, but three additional ‘American Pie Presents’ spin-off films have since been released. ‘Band Camp’ was the first, ‘The Naked Mile’ the second, and ‘Beta House’ is the third to have been released. I can’t count for the quality of ‘The Naked Mile’, but given that it uses the same characters as this ‘Beta House’ film, what I will say is that the cast for the last two films in the series have been extremely well chosen. ‘Band Camp’ was an absolute disaster in my opinion, had it been given a theatrical release then it would have been laughed off the screens, not because audiences would have found it so funny but because it was simply terrible. ‘Band Camp’ was not very funny at all, there were a few laughs but much of the time it was all a little bland; ‘Beta House’ is no such bore and is in fact an excellent film. I’d recommend the first three ‘American Pie’ films first and foremost, but what I will say is that ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ provides for excellent additional viewing. It’s far from perfect but it does provide a fair few laughs and is therefore a greatly enjoyable and extremely effective comedy film.

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

The Thin Men – EP

April 9, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

The Thin Men is a London based band fronted by a man named Blair Jollands. Having grown up in New Zealand, Jollands left to busk around the USA where he ended up performing at CBGBs in New York. He later relocated to London and this is where he currently resides with his band The Thin Men. The Thin Men, a four piece band release their music through Blair Jollands own personal record label Glow B Recordings.

For those that like artists such as David Bowie and Rufus Wainright, the music of the band The Thin Men should definitely appeal. The music is a surreal display of rock music, it’s hard to describe but what I can say is that the voice of Blair Jollands is absolutely fantastic. His vocal tone comes across perfectly throughout this release, the man’s voice possesses such elegance and eloquence. The vocals float through the music and come across brilliantly over a beautiful backdrop of fine instrumental sound. It is without doubt the vocals that make this music so special and throughout the five tracks of this EP always they come across perfectly.

There’s a definite David Bowie air about the music, often in fact the sound comes across entirely like Bowie and vocally Jollands is at times extremely similar. There is some fine guitar work present on this release, the drum beats are impressive, and a keyboard is utilised to terrific effect throughout the five tracks of this EP. Blair Jollands does not here restrict himself purely to vocal duties, he proves himself to be multi talented as he smashes his way through some succulent guitar licks, fine piano playing and some superb harmonica work also. Jollands is very much at the forefront of this bands sound, the brains behind it all and a fine talent he is too.

The EP begins with ‘Nowhere’, progresses with ‘Dream of You’ and not once on this release does the music ever disappoint. The EP reaches a climax with the terrific track ‘Walkin’ Blues’ and it must be said that this is the perfect closing track. The music possesses a great beauteous quality and all four of this bands members impress massively here. On all five of these tracks the bands members prove themselves to be exceptional in fact and not once does the talent of The Thin Men fail to shine though.

I’d definitely recommend giving this EP a listen, Blair Jollands contribution is magnificent and never does the man disappoint. It is no wonder that a track of the bands was once chosen as song of the week by the late, great John Peel. The Thin Men is a highly talented band, the music is brilliant and all elements come together perfectly here in order to provide for an exquisite display of aural excellence. The music contains a great beauteous quality, the talent of Blair Jollands always shines through strongly and at every moment of this EPs progression all of the bands members prove themselves to be sensational. Four members contribute to the sound of The Thin Men, all of whom are greatly essential to the mix in providing for a highly entertaining musical creation.

Release Date: 28th April 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.