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Che – Chase the Day

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Ché are a female fronted band doing something just a bit different from the norm. Their aim is to show that gimmick free female fronted rock music is not an alien concept. Front woman, Lydia is the tender age of 16, and I feel that she has a lot left to learn before she fully reaches her potential, however she seems to have one foot in the door and with a bit more experience she would ripen in to a fine young vocalist. It definitely sounds like she has what it takes and there is more to come from her so I’ll just have to keep my eye on this band as I am sure that this will not be the last we hear of them.

As a band, Ché are musically tight – with rocking guitar riffs, demon drumming, and powerful bass lines. They just don’t seem to step a foot wrong and on all three of these tracks the musical ability is just subliminal. There is just so much power to the music, and I don’t think that Lydia has quite found that power that is needed to drive this band yet. She is definitely getting there, and on second and third tracks where the male backing vocals come in to play more, the sound is a lot more powerful and really suits the music better. I love the collaboration of male and female vocals on track 2, ‘Awaiting Your Orders,’ it really seems to work and has been pulled off well by the band here. Track 2 is probably my favourite track, and purely because of the way the male and female vocals seem to work together making truly exciting music. The contrast is truly amazing and is pulled off with perfection.

I can definitely see this band going a long way as there are definitely hints of genius in the music, its just that I don’t think that Lydia has quite reached her full potential. The instrumental background is perfect – I can’t find a single point on this single where it is at all at fault, so once the vocals are at their best then I really think that the band will be one of the most exciting bands in the UK. There is definitely a lot of energy in the music of Ché and the talent is quite clearly there. The best is definitely yet to come with this band, and I can’t wait to see them gradually develop and mature overtime and make a name for themselves.

Rating:
Review StarReview StarReview Star

Vero – How Does It Feel

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‘How Does It Feel’ is Vero’s debut recorded effort and it comes in the form of a single which will be featured on their forthcoming album ‘Inborn.’ Vero are an exciting young rock band taking influences from the American music scene with such bands as Deftones and Foo Fighters. These two are very apparent in the formula of their music and the fact that they have such a familiar sound could help them in winning over the masses in the UK with video playlisting on both Kerrang and Scuzz TV.

Vero are a very exciting band who have been hanging around the scene for a good while now but have never given anyone the pleasure of a recorded effort. This single is breaking the cycle and what an effort it is to break the cycle too. They have a hell of a lot of angst in the music with melody laced verses and anthemic choruses which are sure to impress even the most hardened of Rock fans. There are only three members in Vero but it sounds like there are a hell lot more, as the sound that this band creates is absolutely immense. This band are hard rocking, raw mentalists that will get inside your head with their music and mess around with it as much as they can.

‘How Does It Feel’ is a totally amazing single track – there is no denying that, but the B-side ‘Stay Alive’ is also a powering little number that could quite easily be released as one itself. It definitely has the power to be one – the raw aggression is certainly there with the grinding guitars, super bass lines and frantic drumming, coupled with the absolutely blinding vocal skills of lead man Marc here. It is great to read that not only is Marc the vocalist but he is also the guitarist because both of these are done extremely well, and sometimes when a vocalist also plays an instrument – one of the two can be a bit lacking.

Vero are sure to gain some degree of success in this fine year of Rock because they definitely have a fine talent with superb skill being shown all round. Vero have the ability to go far in this business and I see no reason why before long the band shouldn’t be gracing the covers of such magazines as Kerrang. If they can manage to conquer the television world with the amazing video for this track then there will be no stopping them from going on to covermount success.

Rating:
Five Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star Review

Zero Cipher – Demo

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This is a 3 track demo from the amazing UK band that is Zero Cipher. What I love about this band is that they never seem to tire of being heavy – in fact every time I have heard them lately they seem to have got heavier, yet at the same time become more refined and increasingly talented and interesting to listen to. I have reviewed two of the bands releases before now and had been incredibly impressed with what I had heard – this demo here is no exception. I love every minute of this demo with its heavy edge, and the Zero Cipher special ingredients that make them who they are – I can never quite put my finger on it, but there is definitely something about this band that I love and admire.

All 3 of these tracks are extremely good to listen to – I love heavy music and Zero Cipher do indeed fit the bill of being a heavy band. They have some awesome shouty vocals, fast drum beats, grimey guitar riffs, and pulsing bass lines that are sure to put a smile on your little face. This band are so talented it is unbelievable – I don’t know how they do it, seriously but they really are an immensely talented band and I appreciate them for this. They are all tremendous musicians that know what sound they want to be creating with their instruments so hop straight to it. What you have to love the most about this band are the guitar riffs as they are just so heavy and anger filled – you have to hear them to believe them to be honest but when you listen to these guitar riffs every inch of your body is filled with hate because of the pure passion which is being released through the guitar. Somehow the band manage to convey emotion through their instruments – which really is the sign of a good musician! Not only do the vocals have deep meaning but the instruments as well as they each seem to have there own hidden message and agenda. I feel that opening track ‘The Hijack’ has been chosen extremely carefully on this demo to kick it off as it is an extremely catchy little number and just like the other two holds a ton of aggression. I feel that this is the best track of the three so that is why I think that the band have thought long and hard about it as people often go on first impressions – so placing the best track at the start means that people are more likely to listen on and see what the band is about.

This is an incredible CD and I will definitely be listening to it again in the future. It really is a good sign to see the band producing such a stunner in a demo as if they can do this in a demo recording then who knows what is to expected from them when their next full length emerges. My guess is it’ll be absolute carnage and as a result will be an ultimate success in the Metal scene.

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Rock Against Bush – Volume 1

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On this CD, 26 bands have come together in order to try and raise political awareness, and serve justice by getting that dangerous, irresponsible, idiot son of an asshole out of power. We have known that NoFx feel strongly about George Bush for some time now and they have now released this CD – so hopefully some good will come out of it and we will see some change in the Whitehouse – preferably in the form of a brand new president.

There are some very big names that have come together for this CD – as you look down the track listing you notice such bands on the bill as NoFx, Descendents, Pennywise, Ministry, The Offspring, The Ataris, Less Than Jake, and even Sum41. In the past, Sum41 have had a lot of stick because of their success – but new song ‘Moron’ shows that the band can rock out with the best of them as it is a really strong track and should soon shut people up who have labelled them as ‘corporate sellouts.’ There are some extremely strong tunes here and from a variety of different genres – proving that it is not just the Punk Rock scene that cares about the current political state of affairs. Anti-Flag make a superb contribution to this CD with track ‘The School Of Assasins,’ which has some serious bite and will really get your Punk Rock juices flowing. Anti-Flag are a super band and this track is further proof that they are one of the best Punk bands around at the moment. Ministry also stake their claim in the CD with their fantastic effort. This one really goes down a treat as it is always good to hear the heavy vibes of Ministry and they sure are sounding heavy on this one. RX Bandits make their contribution to the CD with ‘Overcome (The Recapitulation.)’ This is a nice, catchy little reggae number that shows off the band at their best. I am not always a fan of the band but this really is a storming contribution and really works well on the CD – giving a nice mellowed out feel mid way through the listing.

Some bands on the CD however really fail to impress or capture your attention whatsoever. The Ataris for example, sound like they have recorded ‘Heaven Is Falling’ in the bathroom. They may be quite famous but that doesn’t mean that they can produce crap and people will lap it up – they don’t seem to grasp the fact that in order to keep peoples respect you have to work for it. Another one, which disappoints is Offspring track ‘Baghdad’ as it is just a bit of a shoddy re-recording of one of their old tracks. I think that they probably could have done a lot better on this one and was quite disappointed with what I heard from them as I was looking forward to listening to what they had to offer but it just didn’t work for me. Less Than Jake are given the honour of leading the CD to a climax so the opportunity is there for the taking for them but they just seem to mess it up. It is a good track, but they have re-recorded it with the guest vocals of Billy Bragg – his voice really doesn’t work well with the Less Than Jake vocals so you get a bit of a cringeworthy effort in this one as what should be a good track has been spoilt by incompatibility.

So, for the most part this is a pretty amazing CD with a huge array of bands coming together for a good cause! Don’t be put off by the bad tracks as there are really plenty of other tracks to float your boat and in buying this CD you will hopefully be doing the economy a bit of good. So, lets put up a united front against George W Bush – please join me in being the proud owner of the ‘Rock Against Bush – Volume 1’ compilation CD and make sure you play it loud and proud.

Rating:
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The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Mister Mental

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The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster are very different in sound to any other band around – it is this fact that makes them very special indeed. The vocals of the band are always unmistakably theirs as they really are a unique experience and far, far from anything that anyone else in the UK scene has to offer. The band have been around for many years now and have never really managed to hit the big time despite their original sound and clear talent. I think that this is down to the fact that the band are maybe a bit too unique – I like what they do but feel that it probably wont have a mass appeal. They are so far from anyone else that it is difficult to point out a specific audience that would be interested in this band and I feel that their appeal would be across a whole range of genres but only to a selected few. I personally think that they are spot on because I am always hungry for something that is just that bit different and that is what The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster are and they have an obvious lot of talent.

There are two tracks on this single – obviously ‘Mister Mental’ and then there is the B-Side ‘Flag Party.’ Mister Mental adopts the bands usual style of being something a bit different with its far out vocals, slick drumming, and beastly guitars and really does go down a treat. I really do love every single bit of this track just as I have loved the majority of their previous material. The B-Side ‘Flag Party’ however shows off a whole new side to the band with that hardcore sound really pummelling through and coming on strong throughout the duration of the track. It is a straight up hardcore approach as opposed to the usual hardcore with a twist that we have come to associate with the band. I think that they do the straight up hardcore thing extremely well because when listening to this track I thought I was listening to a whole new band and it was like listening to a compilation CD as opposed to a single. I think that the B-Side would have more of a mass appeal as it is the sort of thing that people go for – that slick, sensual production feel. This leads me to believe that the band really don’t want to have a huge degree of fame and are quite happy with their current standing of being famous enough to have a bit of cash floating about, but without the hassle of being bothered wherever they go and not even being able to carry out normal every day activities. It definitely shows that they could have it all if they wanted it but placing it as a B-Side that only fans of the band are ever likely to hear shows that the band are focussing on pleasing the fans they already have obtained rather than trying to get a load of new ones.

I really do respect this band for what they do and think that they always pull it off perfectly – there is never ever a dull moment with this band and I am completely 100% proud to call myself a fan of the band and I will continue to show my support by listening to all the bands material in the future. I am sure that they will be sticking to their guns and continuing to make music that they enjoy, irrespective of what other people may think of it.

Rating:
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Faithless – Mass Destruction

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Ok, I’m sure that you are all familiar with this tune by now as it has had a fair bit of airplay on Radio1 etc and is just generally one of the best songs ever – so if you haven’t heard it yet then you are really quite deprived! There are five tracks on the single – the normal, radio version of Mass Destruction and then there are four remixes of the track.

This song has been stuck in my head for quite a while now so I felt obliged to write a review of it as not to have done having loved it so much would have been criminal. This single is not of their usual style – where they usually take on a very trancey house stance, this track takes on a more contemporary approach and is one of the catchiest records ever released. If you are expecting something similar to ‘We Come One’ then you will probably be quite disappointed as they are both completely different styles, yet in their own rights and ways are equally as amazing. The lyrics to this track have a lot of depth to them and you can tell that Faithless feel extremely deeply about the current political situation in the world. You need look no further than the line ‘inaction is a weapon of mass destruction’ to see the idea of the song and the stance which it takes throughout.

Faithless are of course an extremely talented band – you can tell this as every song that they have ever recorded has always been a stunner and they have never failed to impress me and put a nice big smile on my face. I really appreciate the change in sound because this is probably my favourite Faithless song so the change, to me at least really suits them and I am sure that many others would also agree that this track stands out a mile. This has been taken from the bands new album ‘No Roots’ – and if this single is anything to go by then the album is well worth buying and will probably be on constant rotation for at least a year! Check this band out if you are interested in dance music as they are one of my favourite dance outfits around with the immense Sister Bliss never disappointing, always shining through with her super talent and ear for a good dance track.

Rating:
Five Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star Review

No Comply – With Windmills Turning Wrong Directions

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This is the first album from the Plymouth based band and is their first release since the debut EP on Deck Cheese Records ‘Your Life Is Your Direction.’ This album has again been released on Deck Cheese however is very different to the EP in sound. The vocals are still distinctly Kelly but she seems to have improved an awful lot since the EP with her lyrics being spat out with a whole new level of confidence. She is obviously now a lot more experienced in what she is doing and as a result she has put in the performance of a lifetime.

There are twelve tracks on this album and right from the drum roll off set you know that you are in for something truly special. The sound has definitely evolved and long gone are the days of the Skacore image – the horns are still there, but instead of putting in catchy little solos, they flow with the rest of the instruments and fit in to the line up perfectly. The guitars have a cutting metallic edge to them that really suit the newly found sound of the band – this can especially be heard on track 5, ‘Close to hell and burning,’ in which Jon puts in some amazing little solos. The backing vocals of Jon are also sounding amazing – they really work well alongside Kelly’s strong lead vocals and the contrast in sound is absolutely killer. The Ska style riffing of old was good but it would definitely not fit in these days with the ever evolving No Comply. There are some absolutely cracking bass lines on this CD – Nick has really put his all in to this one and come out trumps. Stunning drumbeats are also on display as Si crashes his way through the album. The drumming has always been of a pretty high standard from No Comply – but this time they’ve surpassed themselves in their slick portrayal of them.

I had never heard a single one of these tracks before I put the CD into the player but I took an instant liking to them and found the change to be an extremely refreshing one. One of my favourite tracks on this CD has to be ‘Lifetime of destruction’ – this one really does have it all. The metallic guitar playing can be heard extremely clearly, the drumming is spot on, the bass lines are nearing on perfect, the horns are cracking, and Kelly’s vocals are as amazing as ever. The quality seems to extend on to track 8, ‘A bloody welcome,’ which is another of my favourites. It has so much bite to it as a track and could quite easily be taken out of the context of the album and placed as a single. I think that this one would have an amazing reception as a single as the bite is there, there is definitely a large degree of catchiness to it, it flows perfectly, and is just generally one of the stand out tracks of the album.

Finale track ‘A waking dream’ however surpasses all of the others – it is a lengthy little number, but you cant help but love it – no matter how much you play it, it fails to tire and the brilliance of it just seems to live on and become greater and greater. There is extremely effective use of fills on this one with a blinding guitar one, a super joint bass and drum one, chilled out horn ones, and plenty more to keep you entertained, and more importantly keep that smile on your face. Near the end it all winds down nicely with a mellow instrumental carrying on – and you can just tell that at any point you’re about to be hit with one last blast of power – and of course this does indeed come to finish off the album. It rounds the album off perfectly and leaves you completely satisfied with what you have just encountered – that being a top quality No Comply debut album.

This Plymouth sextet really does conquer all with this storming album effort of greatness. No Comply are definitely a band set to make it huge before long – they have already had a video gracing the screens of Scuzz TV with a track from the EP. So with the highly improved sound of the album there is no reason to me why they should not conquer all before too long.

Rating:
Five Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star Review

Pink Grease – Fever

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Pink Grease are an exciting new Rock band that appear to have appeared to try and inject a bit of fun back in to the scene. This track is an exciting little track of rock – clocking in at 4’03 and sounding absolutely immense. I have been told about this band by various people before who have been singing their praises telling me to check them out – but I never really took any notice because I didn’t really think it would be my sort of thing. How wrong could I be?!

This track is absolute genius – it is funky, fun infested music which you can happily sing and dance along to. If I saw this band on Top Of The Pops it would really put a smile on my face as they sure as hell deserve to be on that programme a hell lot more than people like Natasha Beddingfield or Britney Spears who are accepted purely because of the way they look rather than the way that they sound. It is the sound of Pink Grease which is the exciting thing – they have a sound which is totally unique, and incredibly exciting. It sounds like they are borrowing the fun of 70s rock bands and then injecting their own tasty flavour in to the mix afterwards. This track is not at all boring – in fact it is the complete opposite of boring, you really cant get bored when you are listening to this track as there is just so much to get from it and take in that your brain will constantly be at work and before you know it the track will be over and you will be left hankering for some more. There is never a dull moment with Pink Grease and their main aim seems to be to put a smile on your face and get you dancing – this has indeed been done.

Make sure you check out this band if you are a sucker for Rock music because this band are amazingly talented and superb at what they do! I feel that there are many amazing UK bands doing the rounds at the moment and all of them have a very different sound and approach. This just goes to show what a thriving scene we have in the country at the moment and its people like you that can keep the scene alive!

Support the scene – buy this CD.

Rating:
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Chikini – Like It Or Leave It

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This one has been sitting around on my desk for a while now and I have never really given it the proper time it requires – its had the odd spin around when I’ve been preoccupied doing something else but never have I actually just sat down and listened to it straight up. When I finally did sit down to it – I was really surprised with what I heard from the singles A-side ‘Like It Or Leave It.’ It is like a crazy mix of Drum&Bass and Rock music – two genres which I happen to be particularly fond of.

This is a fast paced thriller of a track with heavy bass, some seriously rocking vocals and some amazing drumming. The first thing that hits you about this track is that it is like nothing you have ever heard before! Generally when you listen to a band you can pigeonhole them to a certain extent but with Chikini it just becomes a bit confused because underneath they are a dance band but over the top are these super vocal stylings and some seriously mellow, chilled out vibes. I love this track – its one of those ones that gets in to your head and once its in there you just cant shake it off. Like Mass Destruction, the new song from Faithless – it is in a good way that it gets in your head because it is one of those tracks that you cant help but love. I adore what this band are doing – mixing Rock with Dance is an ingenious idea, and although it has been done before with The Prodigy, Chikini have an extremely different feel to them and have definitely got their own thing going on.

Check this band out if you like something that is just that little bit different to the norm. This band are as extravagant as you are likely to find in the Rock scene and the way that they combine the essence of dance with the essence of Rock is cracking. If more bands catch on to this technique then maybe we will have a scene which is more united with dance and rock standing proud, side by side instead of on different sides of the spectrum.

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Five Knuckle – Balance

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At last, the time has finally come for Five Knuckle to release their second album. This is their first album for 2 years so of course the band have improved a lot in this time period through constant gigging and hard work. ‘Lost For Words, Far From Speechless’ was a good album but it did of course have its errors – this however does not! Five Knuckle have always been one of my favourite bands with their tremendous hardcore. There aren’t enough bands making hardcore in the UK but Five Knuckle make up for this fact by being extra specially talented.

This album has all you could possibly ask for – heavy riffage, strong bass lines, pummelling drum beats, and some seriously unstoppable, raw as hell vocals that make Five Knuckle who they are. Without these defining vocals the band may not stand out as much as they do as vocalist Dan is an extremely talented man with a fine eye for amazing lyrics, and vocals that although sounding raw – always seem to have their own hidden melody and flow so well. One of my favourite tracks on this CD has to be ‘Lost In Thought.’ This track is immensely powerful and I feel is one of the best tracks that the band has ever written. The guitars and bass are spot on – Shaun is drumming like a mad man, and the vocals have a distinctly hardcore sound that will really get your juices flowing. The band really do the whole hardcore thing at the highest possible standard – they have been at this game for a good while now so they are really at a very high level and can push out track after track of pure genius. This is the reason that they are one of my favourite bands – they never seem to make a bad tune and I’m sure that if they ever did it would quickly be scrapped. The band are persistently terrific and never fail to impress with their cracking hardcore stance – the way their tunes seem to pump out of the speaker never fails to impress me and puts a smile on my face every single time. Every single one of the twelve tracks on this CD is everything you ever expected from the band and more as they evolve from the debut album, and put in an album with a much harder edge.

No matter how much you love this band – I don’t reckon that anyone ever expected the album to be this much better than the first one. When it first came out two years ago I felt that there were next to no flaws at all and that they would never find a way to improve on it, but now I can understand that the band were nowhere near their peak at the time and still had a lot more left to come. You have to love this album – it is absolute hardcore gold and to not like it would have to be a criminal offence. I reckon that even the most un-hardcore of people could possibly be converted by the strength of this album as it is really that good – this one will be remembered for years to come. I won’t be forgetting this album in a hurry, or indeed taking it out of my CD changer for a good while yet.

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