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Lady GaGa – Born This Way (Heavy Metal Version)

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Inspired presumably by the viral success of Wax Audio’s Lady Gaga vs Judas Priest mashup that hit the internet last month, Evile’s lead guitarist Ol Drake has decided to put together a heavy metal version of Lady GaGa’s ‘Born This Way‘, receiving over 50,000 views in the 2 weeks since he uploaded it to YouTube. Ol isn’t quite at the level of Wax Audio’s million plus views yet, hopefully he can hit the 100,000+ point before long however, and with online coverage from the likes of Blabbermouth, Bloody Disgusting, and Metal Hammer, as well as a mention in this week’s Kerrang! Magazine, the views are bound to keep coming in for Ol in the coming days and weeks.

Although featuring the vocals of the original Lady GaGa track, Ol Drake has decided to shake things up a bit here by providing his own alternative, heavy metal instrumental backing. I can’t say I’ve ever been the biggest Lady GaGa fan in the world, what Ol has done with the track is certainly impressive however, and there’s a great element of fun about the music. It’s not quite up there with ‘Chewbacca For Good‘, definitely still well worth a listen though, with Ol Drake once more

Ol Drake’s heavy metal version of ‘Born This Way‘ definitely won’t be for everyone, and I’m sure there are plenty of Evile fans out there that hate it; this isn’t an Evile track though, this is Ol Drake having a bit fun, and if you don’t like it then just don’t listen to it then. The guitar work is strong here, and Lady GaGa’s vocals actually sound pretty awesome with this sort of instrumental backing. Listen to the music of Evile and you’ll be able to hear for yourself that Ol Drake is an excellent guitarist, this is something that also shines through with this ‘Born This Way‘ cover, and Ol Drake has done an absolutely cracking job of putting this one together.

Evile’s third studio album ‘Five Serpent’s Teeth‘ is due for release in late September, and if the exposure gained from Ol’s heavy metal version of Lady GaGa’s ‘Born This Way‘ can help to bring in any extra fans for the band then this can only really be see as a good thing. Another potential plus point springing from Ol Drake’s cover and indeed Wax Audio’s mashup is that it may just lead Lady GaGa to the realisation that heavy metal is the way forward for her and that she’s been wasting her talents these past few years in producing pop music. Who knows what the future may well hold for Lady GaGa, but if you’d like to get an idea of what it might well sound like if Lady GaGa does ever decide to go metal then take a listen to the track below.

Linkin Park – Rolling In The Deep

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A cover of Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’ is something that I never would have expected from Californian rock band Linkin Park, cover it the band have though, and a damn fine job Chester Bennington has done of the vocals as well.

Having covered the track acoustically at the iTunes Festival, Linkin Park’s ‘Rolling In The Deep‘ cover was resultantly released as a  single via the iTunes store, hitting number 42 on the UK singles chart upon release. Given that this great cover debuted at number 42, I would most definitely expect the single to rise and rise in the coming weeks, and could most certainly see the band having a huge hit out of it.

Chester Bennington is an incredibly talented vocalist, and this is something that shines through strongly with this live cover. Bennington’s voice is incredibly well suited to the track, and due to the immense quality of this cover it’s hard to believe that it wasn’t actually written with Chester Bennington’s voice in mind.

When Linkin Park first released ‘Hybrid Theory‘ back in late 2000, little did I realise that the band would still be hanging around in the mainstream more than a decade on, Linkin Park is still a band that is going supremely strong though, and if you give this ‘Rolling In The Deep‘ cover a listen then you’ll be able to hear for yourself just how strong a voice Chester Bennington truly has. Linkin Park may have ridden in on the wave of nu-metal, the band has managed to remain at the top by consistently smashing out super strong singles though, and in ‘Rolling In The Deep‘ the band demonstrates that it’s also fully capable of powering out the hits of others.

Chester Bennington really does have a brilliant voice, but don’t just take my word for it, give Linkin Park’s ‘Rolling In The Deep‘ cover a listen and prepare to be impressed.

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Simple Plan – Jet Lag feat. Natasha Bedingfield

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Having been following Simple Plan since the band’s 2002 debut ‘No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls’, I was extremely impressed when I first heard the band’s ‘Jet Lag’ single which features guest vocals from Natasha Bedingfield. There’s a very big sound about this single, Natasha Bedingfield’s vocals sit well in the song, but for me it is Simple Plan’s own Pierre Bouvier that really steals the show here. Bouvier’s vocals really do pack a mighty punch with this single, and as has always been the case with the music of Simple Plan, it is he that makes ‘Jet Lag’ so special. Instrumentally the music most certainly has much to offer, vocally though the sound is absolutely sensational here.

‘Jet Lag’ comes complete with an incredibly punchy chorus that we’ve come to expect from Simple Plan over the years; after only a couple of listens you find yourself really singing along to the song, already knowing absolutely every word. Simple Plan’s ‘Jet Lag’ sounds like it was 100% made for the top 40, it sounds like a summer anthem, and it’s not at all surprising that the single has already enjoyed success in several countries around the world.

When the band released its self-titled album back in 2008 there were several tracks that I found myself unable to stop listening to, ‘Jet Lag’ has had the very same effect on me and is a track that I can see myself listening to heavily for many months to come.

As a big fan of pop punk I’ve always had quite a soft spot for Simple Plan, more often than not their singles really seem to hit the spot, and this is most certainly the case with ‘Jet Lag’. If you’re a fan of pop punk or have ever heard and liked a Simple Plan track in the past then I’d most definitely recommend listening to ‘Jet Lag’ as this is not a track that is likely to leave you disappointed.

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The Naked and Famous – Girls Like You

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‘Girls Like You’ is an interesting track that starts off slowly and builds brightly. There’s a real pumping Pulp feel about the music here as the track hits its stride; it’s a really impressive piece of music from the band featured in the BBC’s Sound of 2011.

There’s an MGMT meets alternative rock feel about the sound here, the band clearly has an electronic edge about it, but it’s also quite obvious that The Naked and Famous is approaching its music from more of a rock than electronic angle.

With its powerful chorus and extreme catchiness, ‘Girls Like You’ follows on well from ‘Young Blood’ and ‘Punching in a Dream’ and should see the band secure another successful single release.

It’s not hard to tell why the BBC has this band down as one of the most promising new artists of 2011, and if you’re a fan of indie/alternative rock music then The Naked and Famous’ ‘Girls Like You’ is most definitely a track that you should take the time to listen to.

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We Are The Ocean – Runaway

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Having been extremely impressed with We Are The Ocean’s ‘Cutting Our Teeth’ album last year, I have to say that I was quite surprised when I first heard the band’s ‘Runaway’ single. There’s not a screamed vocal in sight here, and what we have instead is a dual sung vocal approach from Dan Brown and Liam Cromby.

Whilst ‘Runaway’ is entirely different from what I was expecting, this certainly doesn’t mean that I’m disappointed with what the band has to offer here; ‘Runaway’ is an incredibly catchy track, and We Are The Ocean are as impressive as ever here. Just as with the screamed and softly sung out vocal contrast, Dan and Liam’s difference in vocals still works brilliantly here, with Dan’s more gravelly vocals combining superbly with Liam’s more sweet and smooth approach.

If you’re not a fan of screamed vocals and were put off We Are The Ocean in the past as a result of this, definitely give ‘Runaway’ a chance as you may just be impressed with what you here. By the same token, if you’re a fan of the band’s harder hitting vocal approach, don’t be put off by the band’s decision to slow things down a little here as ‘Runaway’ is a track that really does have a lot to offer.

Instrumentally as well as vocally ‘Runaway’ pushes all the right buttons in my opinion, providing for a sublimely satisfying overall listening experience.

Be sure to give We Are The Ocean’s ‘Runaway’ a listen and you may just find yourself reaching for the repeat button on more than one occasion.

Label: Hassle Records
Release Date: July 18th 2011

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All Time Low, Yellowcard, Young Guns @ Brixton Academy, Sunday 13th March 2011

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Dressed in a rabbit onesie accompanied by a tiger and a leopard huddled under thick duvet covers, fans have been queuing since early hours or the previous day. ALL TIME LOW has one of the biggest and dies hard fan bases to exist in the foundations of modern day pop-punk. So when the burley security guards open up ‘heaven’s doors’, the fans upon fans swarm in like a stampede of antelope, all wanting to grab a hold of that sacred barrier.

First up is the British High Wycombe collective, also referred to as the uprising and over achieving YOUNG GUNS. Hitting straight into “D.O.A” these boys try their very best to open up a pit, although the crowd is sadly made up of thirteen to sixteen year olds with the handful of watchful parents or those who chose to stay at the back and enjoy their view from the bar. How ever, despite this one flaw, it’s the only one noticeable in their set. Front man, Gustav Wood’s crowd control is unbelievable as he forces the audience to spring upwards, clap but most importantly chant back the lyrics. “Stitches”, the band’s most currently released single, changed the atmosphere into something entirely different. Yes, the four minute wonder still consists of jumping, but the spine chilling coos, deep base line entwined with beautiful guitar strums is something else. “Daughter of the Sea”, “Winter Kiss” and “Crystal Clear” brings a cry of lyrics summoned up by the audience joined by fists beating up into the air giving all three tracks an exceedingly powerful feel to them. Their performance tonight is definitely one of their crowning glory moments as they show such enthusiasm and passion in what they do, that it will be no time until they’re succeeding higher levels and opportunities for those on today’s British music scene.

It’s been some time since YELLOW CARD have been back in the UK, so it comes as no surprise when they bring their musical to life on Brixton’s stage for the second time that it has such an astonishing effect on the crowd. “Lights and Sounds” brings back a familiar and warm welcome as the clever use of instruments such as violins that stimulates the audience into one big cheer. Yellow Card may be stereotyped to be meeting the needs of the older ones gathered here tonight, but the catchy “Rough landing Holly”, “Five Becomes Four” and “Hang You Up” bring everyone up onto their feet with their arms flying in the air (despite most of them trying to imitate a Irish Jig). Infamous ballad, “Only One” makes everyone howl out the words “you are my only, my only one” like a dog kennels on a full moon, running smooth Goosebumps and raising every last hair on your entire body. Of course “Ocean Avenue” is pure amazement, as like a cherry and whipped cream, tops off such an astounding performance.

Opening with an anticipating intro before diving head first into “Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal”, pop punkers ALL TIME LOW take the stage like a wild whirlwind. With a deafening roar, captivating track “Dammed If I do ya, Dammed if I don’t” brings out the best in these Maryland Boys. It’s hard to believe that with such popularity that this band’s first ever single “Coffee shop soundtrack” only came out back in early 2007! All Time Low aspire to reach out to their oldest fans that have been there for them since the beginning, the selection of the classics “Jasey Rae”, “Poppin’ Champagne” and “Six Feet Under The Stars” are used to bring a pleasing grin to those from the very front to the back in both the standing arena and those sat (well now standing and dancing) on the balcony. Whilst “A Part Song” , “Lost in Stereo” and “Stella” un-veils your inner wild child with it’s bubbly choruses and upbeat backings, “Therapy”, “Remembering Sunday” and a solo cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” performed by front man Alex Gaskarth tweaking at his acoustic guitar, melts your heart and soul to the core. As curtain draws, the lights dim. Knowing that two obvious songs have not yet been broadcasted through the dome shaped building, the crowd beg for more. There’s silence for a moment but as soon as the dropping beats of “Weightless” begins insanity appears. Literally screaming back the words “I wanna feel weightless just because” makes you wonder how everyone has not yet lost their voice, although come Monday morning they might just find themselves having some difficulty with talking. Finishing on the infamous “Dear Maria Count Me In” has made an excellent choice of an encore. All Time Low tonight have most unquestionably put them on an all new high.

WORDS: EMILY RAWSON

Sonic Boom Six – New Style Rocka

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Having not released any new studio material for two years, Sonic Boom Six is back with a bang with the release of new single ‘New Style Rocka’. With the band always had a fine knack for mashing up different genres it’s therefore no surprise to find drum n bass MC Tonn Piper making an appearance here as Sonic Boom Six and Tonn Piper bounce off one another to provide for an extremely impressive audio offering.

Tonn Piper is an obviously very talented MC, Sonic Boom Six has always been an incredibly talented band, and Tonn Piper most certainly fits well with the Sonic Boom Six sound. Back in November I attended a Tek-One show at the Islington Academy at which Tonn Piper provided the vocal duties for both Daywalkers and Tek-One; when I heard Daywalkers I couldn’t do so without thinking of Sonic Boom Six, so for me it feels a very natural partnership for Tonn Piper to be teaming up with Sonic Boom Six for this track.

There’s a lot of bounce about ‘New Style Rocka‘, the band sounds like it’s having a lot of fun whilst performing the track on record and I can most certainly see this one going down well on the live circuit. It’s everything you could have possibly expected from a new Sonic Boom Six track and more; the band sounds as vibrant as ever and I for one absolutely love what the band has to offer here.

Not only is ‘New Style Rocka’ an incredibly strong track, but B-Side ‘What Doesn’t Kill You Make You Stronger’ is also an extremely fine offering from the band with a bit of a dubstep feel about it which again works well here. Sonic Boom Six is certainly not a band afraid to experiment with sound, and through willingness to experiment and delve into different genres here, two tracks have been put together for this single that really do work well and offer a lot.

A third and final track concludes this single, a DJ Frisk drum n bass remix of ‘New Style Rocka’. Whilst I prefer the standard version of ‘New Style Rocka’, it’s a nice touch to have this drum n bass remix included here, working well in bringing this single release to a close.

Having not released new studio material for several years, Sonic Boom Six certainly show here that they’re a band that very much still has it, and ‘New Style Rocka’ should well win them a whole host of new fans as well as impressing the old ones.

Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of Sonic Boom Six; during this time they’ve seen a lot of bands come and go, through keeping things fresh and always being open to trying different things out Sonic Boom Six is one band that has continued to remain relevant however, and this is hopefully a band that will be able to remain together for some time to come.

Label: Rebel Alliance Recordings
Release Date: March 28th 2011

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Attack! Attack! – Blood On My Hands

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‘Blood On My Hands‘ is the latest single from Welsh rock band Attack! Attack!; it’s an anthemic rock song, and you can most definitely imagine this track being played as the band packs out a sold out arena. Having only formed in 2006, the last five years have seen the band grow and expand greatly, and ‘Blood On My Hands‘ is a fine example of the strength that this band has now come to occupy.

‘Blood On My Hands‘ is most certainly a track that stood out to me massively when I first listened to the band’s ‘The Latest Fashion‘ album back in September; it’s one of the gentler numbers from the album, certainly one of the most memorable however, and when you listen to ‘The Latest Fashion‘ you can’t help but feel that this track stands out.

Extremely well structured, ‘Blood On My Hands‘ makes a massive impression right from the start, with the strong vocal style and quality guitar work here really making the track stand out. The drumming is also extremely powerful here, and as you listen to this track it is made extremely clear that Attack! Attack! is a band with a great amount of instrumental talent and flair.

Attack! Attack! is a band that can at times pack an extremely powerful punch, with ‘Blood On My Hands‘ they show off their lighter side though, showing themselves to be a band with a diverse range, capable of pulling off a variety of different styles and tempos.

Give ‘Blood On My Hands‘ a listen and you will hear a quality UK rock band with a great deal of confidence in its ability.

Label: Hassle Records
Release Date: March 7th 2011

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Cut Copy @ HMV Forum, Sunday 6th March 2011

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In an impressive set that consisted of twelve tracks, Cut Copy did a grand job of pleasing the London crowd, performing a variety of tracks from their three studio albums to date. Holy Ghost! were the sole support act of the night, it was clear that the mass majority were here to see Cut Copy however, and it wasn’t until the Australian synthpop band took to the stage that this gig really started to get serious.

Opening with ‘Nobody Lost, Nobody Found‘ from the ‘In Ghost Colours‘ album, Cut Copy were instantly able to get into their stride as they crunched through a number of classy numbers. Mainly the band alternated between material from ‘In Ghost Colours‘ and ‘Zonoscope‘, ‘Saturdays‘ from ‘Bright Like Neon Love‘ was also played however, showing that the band has not yet completely forgotten its debut.

It was the ‘In Ghost Colours‘ material that seemed to go down particularly well with the audience; the biggest excitement of the night came as the band launched into ‘Lights & Music‘, and ‘Hearts On Fire‘ was also greeted with great applause as the HMV Forum crowd showed its appreciation for the band’s superb second album.

Whilst the music itself was extremely impressive, the light show that went with it was perhaps a little over the top at times, and although the lights were at first pleasing on the eye, less perhaps would have been more here.

Cut Copy is most certainly a band that knows how to put on a quality live show, and if you ever get a chance to see this fine Australian band then I’d definitely recommend doing so. Not only were the downstairs standing crowd moved by the music, but the majority of those in the seated section of the balcony also chose to stand as Cut Copy got the crowd dancing and made sure that this was a night to be remembered for all those that attended.

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All Time Low – Time Bomb

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‘Time Bomb‘ is the latest track from All Time Low, hailing from the band’s yet to be released ‘Dirty Work‘ studio album. Although the first officially revealed track from the band’s fourth studio album, interestingly enough it will not be the first released single from the album and is merely serving the purpose of bridging the gap between ‘Nothing Personal‘ and ‘Dirty Work‘.

‘Time Bomb‘ is a fun pop song from All Time Low; perhaps not the best track the band has ever written, a solid effort nonetheless however, and one that has got me excited about hearing what more the band will have to offer with ‘Dirty Work‘ as the chances are that there will be a number of better tracks on the album than this one. The vocal work of Alex Gaskarth is as impressive as always here, and it’s this more than anything that has me wanting to hear more from the album. The instrumental work is simple yet effective here, overall however with this track you just get the impression that this is All Time Low not quite at full gear, with the best being saved for later.

The fact that ‘Time Bomb‘ is not being released as the first single suggests that the band themselves feel that other tracks from the album have more to offer than this one, so if you listen to this one and like it then the chances are that you’ll be even more impressed when you hear the album.

I’m probably at times here sounding more bleak about ‘Time Bomb‘ than I mean to; I’ve already listened to ‘Time Bomb‘ quite a number of times and do like what I hear, All Time Low is an extremely talented pop punk band however and I just can’t believe that this will be as good as it gets with ‘Dirty Work‘. It’s a testament of the band’s talent that I’m expecting more from the album; All Time Low is a band that has impressed me massively in the past, and I’ve no reason to believe that the same won’t be true again of ‘Dirty Work‘.

An official release date for ‘Dirty Work‘ is yet to be announced, take a trip to the All Time Low Facebook page however and you’ll be able to give ‘Time Bomb‘ a listen and see what you think of this latest work from Baltimore’s favourite pop punk band.

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