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Reviews

Seethe – A New Beginning

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Since I last heard Seethe, the band have acquired a new bassists and in doing so they have developed a more powerful and heavier element to their ever developing style of Heavy Metal. I have said it before and I will say it again – Seethe are most definitely a talented group of musicians and this release sees them grow and develop in leaps and bounds, producing a CD which far surpasses any expectations I had of it before I listened.

When I put this into the player it all started coming flooding back to me – the demon drum beats, awesome guitar solos, and superb vocals. Only this time, there was much more strength to the bass lines making way for a much more pleasurable listen. Although this band were never bad, it is surprising to see how much they have developed since the split CD with Cerberus and progressed as musicians. This time around the band have produced a much more intelligent, intellectually inspiring CD which has been cleverly written and put together with great care, with a consideration of how the tracks would flow on from one another and make a decent EP. Seethe’s brand of Heavy Metal is just so good – with the scene in the state that it is at the moment with so many pretenders, it is great to see bands still sticking to their guns and playing what they know and love which is true, unadulterated Heavy Metal.

This CD was recorded and produced by the legendary Iain Weatherall – this would explain the sheer quality of this EP in part, but the dominant factor in determining the excellence of this EP is clearly the sheer greatness of this band. Each and every musician in this band clearly knows their stuff and know their instruments well. There is not a single element of this band which is letting them down in any shape or form – they seem to have really got it sorted and as a result this is one of the best Heavy Metal CDs that I have heard for a long time. Hopefully there will be plenty more to come from this band in the future – if they stay together then there is definitely a bright future ahead of them.

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Kaiser Chiefs – Oh My God

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I believe the band released single last May through Drowned In Sound, but February 21st 2005 sees the band re-release this thunderous track through B-Unique. It’s impossible not to like this track – it’s just such an awesome single and will almost certainly give their fan base a huge boost. Kaiser Chiefs have always been a great band on the underground circuit and seem to be finally about to make their mark properly on the UK commercial music scene.

This track works really well, and is just one of those songs that even from the first time you hear it you consider it to be a classic. With its catchiness, fun beat, and awesome vocals this track is sure to have you hooked. I can see this song doing really well in the charts as it is one of those songs that you will be humming for the rest of the day after listening to it and everyone will ask what you’re singing. This track has excruciatingly good lyrics, and once you hear this track, never again will you forget the line ‘Oh my god I can’t believe it, I’ve never been this far away from home.’ This tune will have that line permanently drummed into your head and every time you think of it, it will bring a smile to your face.

There is inevitably going to be a Kaiser Chiefs movement this year where everyone will be claiming that they were into them before they got huge but it really doesn’t matter. The fact is, you will fall in love from the first moment you hear this band so whenever it was that you first heard them it doesn’t matter – everyone will have in common the love of Kaiser Chiefs from first listen. This track will almost certainly enter the top 10 when it is released next month and if it doesn’t then there is quite frankly no justice in the world when week after week acts such as McFly are getting in there.

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4ft Fingers – A Cause For Concern

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This is the bands third album, and sees the UK Skate Punk veterans stepping up their game once again. With every album this band just seems to get better and better and over the years have matured immensely as musicians. They have seemingly on this full length spent much more time on the lyrics than they have on previous efforts as they are much meaningful, and with the newly improved vocal style it just comes out great. The band have kept their fast, hard edged skate punk yet have improved their sound so much since their last offering. The guitars sound better than ever, the drumming is immense, the bass lines boom out of the speakers, and the vocalist really seems to have found his niche.

On this album are twelve songs showing off the bands fine talent better than ever before. In the last few years this band have improved loads – it was no surprise when Golf Records picked up these guys a few years ago as they were already great, but now the band really seem to be hitting whole new levels of excellence. There are some superb stand out tracks on this album such as the ever great ‘Forty Years of Misery,’ the epic tale of life on the road ‘A Life We Choose to Live,’ and stories of alcoholism in ‘Back on the Wagon…Again.’ This band still show no signs of slowing down and there are definitely no signs of the band stagnating. 4ft Fingers still know how to rock out with the best of them and as a result this album has come out smelling of roses. Every track on this album sees the band take on some hard rocking Skate Punk and if this is your kind of music then this is definitely a band that you want to be checking out. There are few bands that rival 4ft Fingers in the Skate Punk genre – in fact at this moment I can’t actually think of a single band that do it better than they do, they really are a credit to the UK scene.

I don’t think 4ft fingers will ever be a bad band – they just seem to keep going from strength to strength and show no signs of stopping improving. Every album sees the band take on a whole new level, with a new musical stance, and a brand new vocal approach to skate punk. The band finally seem to have found what they are best at and have ironed out the flaws of previous albums, producing at last an album of true excellence. I always knew the band had it in them to do it but they just never quite seemed to fulfil their potential – they have finally done it and the end result is a blinder.

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cryforsilence – The Longest Day EP

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I have been putting off listening to this CD for a while now because when I read their name I thought that they would just be another awful, sound alike Emo band. I decided finally that I would give this CD a chance and gave it a spin in my CD player – to my surprise what I heard on this CD didn’t make me want to Frisbee it out of the window. Quite the opposite in fact, I found that I really did quite enjoy this CD and listened to the CD in its entirety without once feeling the need to skip any tracks.

This is a really interesting EP from the quintet that formed in Summer 2000 and definitely shows signs of a wide range of influences. The band do touch on emotion and it is clearly present in their music, but it is the aggressive side of the band that really comes through in abundance and shows that they are a band that are well worth checking out. On display here are some fine guitar riffs, some awesome bass lines, booming drum beats, and fierce, thrilling vocals that at times will catch you emotionally and then at other stages you will feel like they are trying to rip your head right off. cryforsilence are clearly an amazingly talented band and on display here are five tunes that work extremely well together. I think you have to listen to this CD as a collection, if one song on its own is taken out and used as a single it just wouldn’t have the same impact. As a whole, this is an extremely powerful and emotionally fulfilling EP that will make you want to tell your friends, your family, and your pet goldfish just how good they are.

I can see cryforsilence being huge before long as they are an amazingly talented band and definitely have a lot of potential. It really shows that they have been together a long time and as a result they are making some fine music that people will still be listening to in years to come. I still think that the best is yet to come from this band, but already they are showing signs of great importance and meaning in a scene which is at the moment full of lifeless, whining twenty something’s feeling the need to tell everyone how much it hurts that they broke up with their last serious girlfriend. cryforsilence is a name that you will definitely be hearing a lot more of in the future.

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Voodoo Glow Skulls – Adiccion, Tradicion, Revolucion

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This is the latest offering from prestigious American Skacore legends Voodoo Glow Skulls. The band have been around for some time now, but on this new album they show no signs of slowing down and are still creating the amazing music they always were. There are 14 tracks on display here and none will disappoint. It may be argued by some that the band have produced greater albums in the past, but when you are a band with a string of amazing albums then it’s always going to be hard to live up to people’s expectations. Personally I think the band have done well here and come up with another fine album of Skacore greatness. I have always been a huge fan of the band and this album certainly doesn’t rock my faith in any way, shape, or form.

This is a truly amazing album and I actually can’t name a track on the CD that I don’t like. When I received the CD and read the press pack I was surprised to see that the band had chosen to do a cover of Guns ‘n’ Roses ‘Used to Love Her,’ however the band have pulled off this cover really well and made a fine tune. It really does sound good placed at the end of the album and rounds the CD off nicely. This turned out to be one of the surprise highlights of the album for me, with other stand out tracks for me being ‘DD Don’t Like Ska,’ ‘Cochino,’ ‘Ghettoblaster,’ and ‘Eville.’ That’s just picking songs at random really though because there’s nothing here that doesn’t appeal to me, and I think that the band have successfully produced another truly astonishing album of Skacore genius. The thing I love about the Voodoo Glow Skulls is their silky smooth horn section as it always sounds amazing – I find a lot of Skacore bands seem to fall short on their horn section skill but VGS horns always sound superb, slick, and sexy.

I strongly suggest that you invest in this album if you are a fan of Ska, Skacore, Hardcore, or Punk as there will definitely be some pleasing material on here for you that you will truly love. I really can’t praise this band enough – they are just one of the greatest Skacore bands ever and even after all this time are stilly churning out some quality albums.

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Sonic Boom Six – Sounds To Consume

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No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get into this CD properly. Sure, ‘Rape of Punk to Come’ is a good tune, and ‘Monkey See, Monkey Do’ is catchy, but technically is nothing special and lyrically awful. The other two new tracks on display here ‘Let the Children Play,’ and ‘Safe European Home’ just seem pretty average to me and really don’t tickle my taste buds. I love the first EP, so seeing the tracks from the first EP put on the end for those that don’t own the first CD was good but then again I do have the first CD so there’s nothing to be gained there for me.

When the bands first EP came out, they provided an innovative new take and on the done and dusted Ska Punk genre, and they came out trumps. This time around however, their Hip Hop tinged Reggae Punk Ska just doesn’t do it for me. It seems like they ran out of ideas on this CD and therefore what should be a rich feast of a CD is tasteless and unfulfilling. It is quite disappointing to listen to the new tunes as the talent is clearly there, but they just don’t use it at all on the four new songs here and as a result the new material just doesn’t sound very good. I still love the old tracks, and think that they are far better than the new ones – hopefully the next Sonic Boom Six CD will see a return to form.

As much as I’d love to sing this CDs praises I just cant because quite frankly there’s not a lot here to praise. I do really like CD opener ‘Rape of Punk to Come’ and when this track kicked off I thought that I was to be in for a treat but sadly this just wasn’t the case. I once had great respect for Sonic Boom Six and the way they were changing the face of the UK scene but I really think they have had their time now and its time for another band to take their place and fill their shoes. No band have really shaken the scene since Capdown with their ‘Civil Disobedients’ album, but I really did think that Sonic Boom Six would be the band to do it – maybe they still will be, just not with CDs like this. The potential is there for this band to do great things – for some reason however they just don’t produce the goods on the four new tracks on display here.

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Zerell – Lonely Street

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This is a 3 track CD from London band Zerell featuring the tracks ‘Lonely Street,’ ‘My blood is for real,’ and ‘Mexican airforce thumb.’ It’s certainly not a bad little CD and had I not seen them live a few months ago I’d probably appreciate it more. Live, they are one of the tightest bands I’ve ever seen – a really quality group of performers, but on this CD they just seem to be lacking something. The buzz that was there at the live show is missing meaning I just can’t get a lot out of this CD.

‘My blood is for real’ probably comes out the best on this CD and some of the live energy can be felt in the driving guitars, neat bass lines, and cool drum beats. This is a fine track with a fair bit of power, some cool lyrics in an awesome vocal style, and a good bit of the punch that was felt in the live performance.

I think what the problem here is that at the Maidstone Basement gig you could tell that the band were really enjoying themselves and putting there all into it but this just can’t be felt on this recorded effort. Although it’s not a bad CD, it’s just not as good as I was expecting following the success of the live gig. Be sure to check this band out some time as they really are a quality live band and have a lot to offer. I believe that at the moment the Antiproduct drummer is standing in for the band as the old drummer has now left for pastures new. Zerell will be playing a few gigs with them from the 20th to the 22nd of January so that should be pretty cool. If you can get along to any of the dates then make sure you do because I promise you, you will not be disappointed as both Zerell and Antiproduct are amazing bands.

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Tripdash – This Spells Disaster

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Tripdash are a fun, fast and friendly young band from Newcastle and despite their young age they are absolutely oozing with talent. Musically, Tripdash are really tight with some amazing drum beats, super guitar riffs, booming bass lines, and genius vocals. Lead vocalist Johnny has a really great and distinctive voice which will help Tripdash stand out from the crowd.

There are 5 tracks on display here showcasing Tripdash’s amazing and truly original sound. This is apparently only the bands second studio recording, and is their first under the moniker Tripdash so good on them I say because this EP really is quite extraordinary. Tripdash have catchy, somewhat addictive tunes which will have you singing along in no time. With great guitar hooks, and superb choruses the songs are sure to have you hooked. I absolutely love opening track ‘High Expectations,’ and can’t find fault in the incredible ‘Channel 5.’ Right from the start, ‘Channel 5’ never fails to impress with its amusing lyrics and fast, upbeat tempo. If P-Rock was still about then this tune would be Number 1 on their play list for months – it really is that good.

Not a single one of these tracks fails to impress me and I swear that before long this band will be huge. The talent is most certainly already there, as are the tunes so all the band need now is a bit of luck and for this CD to fall into the hands of the right person and they could be huge. ‘This Spells Disaster’ could spell success for Tripdash.

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THE*GA*GA*S – Sex

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THE*GA*GA*S are a lot better than what I was expecting them to be. When I received this CD my first thoughts were that THE*GA*GA*S would be another mediocre band of the ‘The’ band garage rock society. Luckily they are definitely not this and what they actually are is an exciting up and coming UK Rock band with a hell of a talent.

‘Sex’ is the first commercial single to be lifted from the bands album which will be released through Sanctuary Records on the 7th of February. It has fast, exciting guitars which drive the band with awesome bass lines, great drum beats and truly exquisite vocals. This single is a sure fire success and as far as commercial debut singles go it is absolutely perfect. With its ever catchy beat, and strong vocal firing of the word ‘Sex’ it is sure to stay fresh in everyone’s mind, never to be forgotten. With this single, not only do you get the cracking tune of ‘Sex’ but you also get the hammering ‘Exit Lights.’ This is another storming tune where the band again show their passion for the music which they create and offer up another electric, fast paced blinder of a track.

This band is amazingly talented, and with this crushing single they are sure to shoot to stardom. Many UK bands have broken through in 2004 so I am sure that THE*GA*GA*S will continue this trend into 2005 and be one of the success stories of the year. Sanctuary Records are set to unleash the beast on January 31st.

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Dude on a Mission – Moments Erased EP

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I need to be honest here, when I first heard some material from this band a while back they weren’t sounding too pretty. Since then the band seem to have found their niche as on this EP, DOAM come across as a fine band of quality musicians. Sure there are areas that the band can improve on, but then again no ones perfect! Having been together for around 3 years, DOAM seem to have acquired a unique and interesting sound and have an aura of intense enthusiasm and excitement about them.

With this EP the band supply 3 amazing tunes that will have you dancing away, singing along, and if you are a musician will leave you with the urge to replicate the sounds you are experiencing. The band describe themselves as a melodic rock band with a hint of punk and a hint of funk – and I guess this is a fair description really, but just saying that of them really doesn’t do them any justice at all as they are so original that from this description having not heard them you will inevitably get the wrong idea. All of these songs are awesome, but track 2, ‘Moments Erased’ particularly appealed to me with its strong vocal style, great bass lines, fine guitar riffs, and super drum beats. The backing vocals go really well with the lead vocals and make way for a truly amazing listening experience. The quality continues into final track ‘Bite The Bullet’ and the EP is rounded off nicely with a cool finisher which leaves you wanting to hear more.

This young band has a hell of a lot of talent and if they keep on improving at the rate they have been then before long they are going to be huge. They have certainly developed as a band, and these days far overcome the idea you get in your head of the band from their name. I can’t wait to hear the next CD from these guys because I’m sure that they’re going to further improve and produce a CD of even greater excellence. Dude on a Mission is most certainly a name you won’t be forgetting in a hurry.

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