Reviews

New Found Glory – All Downhill From Here

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

To be honest, I have never really been a big fan of New Found Glory because I have always found them a bit too cheesy for my liking. This track however has changed my view of the band – this single proves that the band have matured a lot since their last album ‘Sticks and stones’ and have developed into a fine young band. This track is certainly a lot heavier than their older stuff and it is good to see that not all bands are now treading down the path to Emosville. New Found Glory have always been a pop punk band, but they have now stepped the pace up, turned the gear up a notch or two and become a much harder edged and better for it pop punk band. The song here is much more mature than previous material and shows that the band are no longer the young, dumb punks that they once were.

This track has some absolutely blinding bass lines – they really do champion above previous efforts and the drumming goes right through your body and the sound which is coming out of the drum kit is absolutely immense. The guitar playing is also amazing and in places gets very heavy and dark. This is New Found Glory like you have never seen them before – with vocals that range from highly melodic to verging on hardcore. They are still keeping with the old pop-punk recipe they always have done but there is definitely a harder edge to their music and in my humble opinion this can never be a bad thing! If you were a fan of the band before then chances are that you will absolutely adore their new material as by the sounds of things – music at camp New Found Glory is definitely on the up and hopefully they will be releasing many more albums with this new outlook which they seem to have acquired.

When this band first appeared on the scene I just passed them off as being another flash in the pan pop punk band but they have since proven that they have staying power and you truly can’t knock them for that. They have not changed the formula of their music – they have merely developed it and improved on a performance which I felt was extremely predictable and at times very lacking. Once you start listening to this track however – it is really hard to stop and you just want to keep listening to the track over and over again. New Found Glory are now hitting all the right notes and as well as impressing their old fans, I am sure that they will now be gaining many more thanks to this fantastic improvement.

Rating:

Rich

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

Six Foot Nothing – Six Sides To Every Story

June 6, 2004 by Rich 2 Comments

Six Foot Nothing are a four piece Pop Rock band from somewhere between Sheffield and Chesterfield. This four track CD, ‘Six Sides To Every Story’ shows off their music extremely well and shows off the great flavour that the band has and their great ability to write music.

Although the ability here is of a good standard, the quality of the sound recording is extremely poor with the drumming really failing due to the sound quality. However, I tried to overlook the sound quality as it is really not the bands fault that the drumming has not come out at all well and after you do this you start to appreciate the fact that this band have strong vocals, powering bass lines, and immense speed in the guitar riffs that make their music sound super sweet. For the most part these tunes are done really well but on the second track, ‘First One To Lose Wins’ – the vocalist has a tendency to go out of tune but he always seems to manage to pull it all back together, getting his vocals back on track and in to tune. So, although he should not really be going out of tune in the first place, the way he manages to correct himself is really good and shows great ability on his behalf.

My favourite track on the CD has to be track 3, ‘Everyone Needs Someone To Blame And I Blame You’ as this is a really cool track with great fire power, and absolutely amazing melody. If you are a fan of Pop Rock then you are likely to enjoy this track as Pop Rock is what it is, and Pop Rock is what they do well! There are some strong vocals and absolutely amazing guitar solos that are sure to make some of you cream your pants!

So, on this CD there are a few let downs such as poor sound quality and out of tune vocals on ‘First One To Lose Wins’ but these minor flaws do not manage to spot it and there is still some shining talent coming through on this CD. I am looking forward to this bands next attempt as I am sure that they will learn from their mistakes and produce a flawless CD of master quality.

Rating:

Rich

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

Seven Times Nothing – Demo

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

This is a Demo CD from the band, containing 3 tracks that will be released as part of the mini album that they will be releasing about spring time via Ravensbourne Records. The band are an extremely original band and that makes a change as there are so meant copy cat bands around out there but this band are trying out something completely unique and as a result have an extremely distinct sound. They play intelligent music that has way too many sounds hidden away in it for them to be pigeonholed in to one genre or another so I wont even begin to try. They have a reputation as an excellent live act and no doubt in the Spring they will also acquire a reputation for a band with an intelligently written, high quality CD and hopefully will sell tons of copies as judging by these three tracks it is sure to be excellent.

There are three tracks on display here – ‘Buried and Forgotten,’ ‘Anathema,’ and ‘Strychnine.’ Although the name of the first track is ‘Buried and Forgotten’ they are a band that are never likely to be buried and certainly wont be forgotten by any means! This is probably my favourite track on the CD as it has pounding drum beats, intelligent, emotive vocals, strong bass lines, and superb guitar riffs that are bound to put a smile on your face with their sheer brilliance. It is a great way to kick this little Demo CD off as it really gets you in the mood for hearing more and grabs your attention right from the offset. If you are a fan of intelligent Rock music then you will definitely love this one as it is magnificently done with some strong riffs coming through – it is played to perfection and is a pleasure to the ears. I had never heard of this band before I listened to these three tracks but now that I have heard these I will certainly be sticking to them like glue and making sure I get all of their latest releases as I feel that these guys are absolutely amazing musicians with a fine art for writing good songs of intelligence and integrity. If I didn’t know better I would have said that this was a professional recording on a major label but of course I do know better and it isn’t – good work guys and congratulations on producing such a gem of a CD!

This is only three tracks of a mini album that the band will be releasing in spring and considering the quality of these few tracks I cant wait to see what the whole thing is going to be like! It is sure to be a blinder and will almost certainly earn the band a much larger fan base. I was extremely impressed with this little effort and am sure that the rest of the songs that they will include on the mini album will be just as good if not better than these three little beauties.

Rating:

Rich

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

Schoolboy Error – Yachting Mishaps (some funny, some tragic)

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

Schoolboy Error are a young Ska Punk band from the UK who are all under the age of 18. They play energetic Ska music which I can imagine many skanking along to at their gigs. Ska has been a long time coming for the site but now that it has finally come again I have not been disappointed – and hopefully the trend will continue when the new Sonic Boom Six CD is received.

There are 6 tracks song on this CD, showing the band off to be a fine young energetic skanksome 7 piece who can easily put a smile on your face with their crazy beats. There is never a dull moment on this six track CD and it really reminded me why I got into this genre of music – it is funky, fresh, and full to the brim with excitement. You can tell that this band are having fun making the music that they do and at the end of the day that’s what it is all about because if you’re not having fun playing the music then how can you expect others to have fun when listening to it. The band have a great horn section, which is always a good starting point when you form a Ska band – the horn section put out some great music and gives the music that Less Than Jake pre Borders and Boundaries essence which always goes down a treat. There are also some amazing bass lines in the music that will go straight inside your body and fill it with funky freshness. The guitar riffs are really spot on – the guitarist for this band has obviously spent a long time perfecting his Ska playing as it really goes with the Ska feel of the music and works amazingly well, the same goes for the drumming – with the drummer offering up some great drum beats which always match the tempo of the music. As for the vocals, they are absolutely cracking and work really well for that fun factor Ska Punk tone.

Although all of these tracks are amazingly good, there were a few that really stood out for me. Track 4, ‘Together someday’ really reminded me of early Solabeat Alliance (Spankboy then.) It is not only the horn section that sounded so similar but it is also the vocals and we all know that since then the band have gone on to greater things so who knows what is in store for this band – if they carry on treading this path then there is no reason why they shouldn’t end up with something really special as a finishing result. The other track which stood out for me was of course opening track ‘Embarrassing Situations.’ This song has a really Summery Less Than Jake style feel to it and sounds awesome for it – combining heavy riffage with cool horns, and Ska to the max vocals. This is a humorous track and works well as an opener to the CD as it shows that the band are not taking themselves too seriously and have a nice jokey side to their nature.

If you are a fan of such bands as Solabeat Alliance, Less Than Jake, or even Howards Alias then the chances are that you will enjoy what this band do as it is a combination of the lot and of course they have their added flavour that makes them who they are – Schoolboy Error, and by the sounds of things damn proud of it.

Rating:

Rich

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

Zero Point Six Demo

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

With this demo, the Midlands based Zero Point Six have produced three fine songs of Punk Rock tomfoolery and of course they have amusing lyrics, catchy little numbers, and some awesome guitar playing. Even though the band formed way back in ’99 they are still but a young band and have already formed their own style with distinctly British vocals that make you realise that this is not just another pathetic little New Found Glory wannabe pop-punk band – Zero Point Six are the real deal.

The three tracks on display here are ‘Sweet Sixteen,’ ‘Heartache Schmartache,’ and ‘5th Time Round.’ My favourite of the three is of course the frankly amazing ‘Sweet Sixteen’ as it is has great lyrics, an amazing beat, and is twice as catchy as the flu! The vocals in this tune are spot on, there are some amazing drum beats, the guitar playing is verging on perfect and as for the bass lines – well, they are absolutely sublime. This band have some amazing talent and this has obviously come through much practice as a couple of years ago when I first heard this band they weren’t really sounding too pretty – in fact they were awful but they have now matured as musicians and are sounding super slick with some fine, fine tunes of high ability to write songs and also play their instruments. You have got to love ‘Sweet Sixteen’ as it is just one of those catchy numbers where the lyrics will stay in your head for months and it will always get you up and dancing. It has pop sensibilities yet also has those punk as ***** guitar riffs that will give you that all important feeling of a band that can rock out with the best of them.#

If you give this band the time of day then you will realise what makes them so special – it is the fact that they are keeping their British accents yet are creating ‘pop-punk’ if you like with just as much passion if not more than their American counterparts earning millions of dollars. This band has a great talent for what they do as they are absolutely phenomenal writers of music and amazing performers of it also. They never seem to put a note wrong on this Demo and as a result have produced pretty much a masterpiece of a CD! If you are into Punk Rock with a poppy edge to it then give Zero Point Six a try as they do this well and are also not ashamed of being British.

Rating:

Rich

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

Route215 – Steal Your Soul With Rock ‘n Roll

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

You have no idea how long I have been waiting to receive this little baby – seriously! It has most certainly been months coming, maybe even longer than a year but trust me – this wait was worth it. These 13 tracks to not fail to please with the great Punk Rock ‘n Roll stylings of the band – I have often seen the band described as being Pop Punk which I guess could be considered true but it really does not do the bands sound any justice. When people see the words ‘Pop Punk’ the general reaction is an ‘Oh no’ but when you see the words Route215 on paper you’re more likely to be thinking ‘F**king yes!!’ so that is the general difference. This album sold 20 000 copies in a mere 3 months over in Japan and this goes to show the potential of this band. Still not released in the UK yet (but set for release on Allstar Recordings) it is sure to be a smash hit, shifting a shed load of copies no doubt as they have already managed to get rid of a few thousand of these bad boys at gigs alone.

As I have already said, this album is a hefty 13 tracks long and goes down a treat with its catchy beats, and hammering bass lines. A track to be noted from this album has got to be ‘Steal Your Soul’ as this track is heavier than an entire class at Weightwachers and is just the beast of catchinesss. It is layered with fiery guitars, brilliant bass lines, devilish drum beats, and vocals that’ll give you a severe punch in the face. There is no way that you will not like this track or indeed any of the tracks on this album as they are all just so good and this is exactly the sort of quality that I was expecting after the amazing ‘Make the love connection’ split CD with Captain Everything (another band that as it happens have come on strong and are now sounding as brilliant as ever.)

‘Ghost Rock’ is a track that sticks in your mind after listening to this CD a fair few times – an awesome duet with Kelly of No Comply fame. Generally duets can be a bit well, crap to put it bluntly but this track is far from being that and will almost certainly put a smile on your face with its catchy as ever beat. I don’t really know how the band manage to do it – but they are catchy in every step that they take on this CD and by the end of listening to this CD a couple of times you will be humming the tracks as you walk down the road and singing the songs at the top of your voice at the most inappropriate moments.

Route215’s music is absolutely amazing and I really don’t know how they have made such a crazily catchy album, but granted they have probably have made the catchiest record ever and I salute them for it. Punk Rock n’ Roll has never sounded this damn fine before but then again it is obvious from the offset that Route215 are no ordinary rock band. They stand high above the crowd with their awesome blend of music and it is sure to get your pulses racing to some sort of degree. Even if you are not usually a fan of Punk, chances are that you will find something in this record that will float your boat and put a humungous great big smile on your face. I’m a sucker for catchy records and Route215 pushed all the right buttons as far as I’m concerned – impressive stuff from the band I must say. Not many UK Punk bands have albums that are quality throughout and can stand the test of time – Route215 however do. I absolutely love this band and see no reason why they should not go on to greater things as they certainly deserve it – their music is amazing, its as catchy as the flu, and they’re also really cool people. What more could you possibly ask for?!

Rating:

Rich

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

Right Turn Clyde – Drinking About You

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

This is a 3 track CD single from Deck Cheese favourites Right Turn Clyde. This band gained the Kerrang ‘Single Of The Week’ with their 5K rated effort – and this is no surprise really as the band definitely have something special going on with their Punk Rock anthems. Right Turn Clyde will instantly win you over with their upbeat, amazingly catchy music which is bound to put a big, fat smile on your face. To be honest, I had never taken the time to listen to this band before receiving this CD, but I am glad that I have heard them now because this band are absolutely amazing and have something truly special going on. Right Turn Clyde are almost certainly one of the best bands in the scene at the moment with their amazingly well written, powerful songs.

There are 3 tracks here – showing what is to be expected in their album which is to be released sometime later this year. All three of these tracks are extremely well written, with all four of the musicians in the band proving to be tremendously talented at what they do. The music is extremely guitar heavy with some awesome riffs being kicked out by the guitarist here and some incredible guitar fills are used throughout these three tracks showing just how fine a band Right Turn Clyde really are. The drum beats on these three tracks are phenomenal, with a great beat being smashed out of them at all times – the drummer here is obviously extremely experienced and I suspect that he has spent many a year perfecting his talent. There are also some crazily good bass lines – I’m not really sure how they made them this good, but somehow they have and I am glad that they have such a good bassist as it really rounds the instrumental side of things off perfectly. I shall finish with the vocalist – his efforts on this CD are absolutely blinding, his vocals fit the record with such immaculate style, and again I am left wondering how the band got them to be this good – I think it could be a thing I like to call talent. So there you have it – Right Turn Clyde have four absolutely amazing individuals in their band, resulting in an end product of absolute bliss.

My favourite track of the lot has to be final track, ‘Is This Closure?’ This track is absolutely perfect with all members of the band showing off their amazing talent with no lack of style whatsoever. The vocals are what do it for me on this one – they are just so perfect with the track, fitting it in every way possible – I don’t see how anyone in their right mind could possibly dislike this track! For me, it rounded off the CD perfectly – ending in a band, the same way they kicked the CD off. If I ran the world then it would be compulsory for everyone in the world to have a copy of this single, even if it was just for this track alone because it is one of the greatest songs which I have ever heard and really has impressed me. If I could pen tracks like this one then I’m sure I would be a millionaire – and I don’t see any reason why these guys cant be in a few years time if they carry on like this!

The CD is an absolute cracker and won’t be leaving my CD changer for months – you can count on that. I reckon that you should all keep your eyes peeled for when this band releases the album because its going to be one hell of an album with some fine tracks guaranteed. I cant think of any bands to compare Right Turn Clyde to, but if I could then you can bet your ass that the bands I could compare them to wouldn’t be as good as they are! This CD is brilliant – truly inspirational stuff from these Deck Cheese prodigies.

Rating:

Rich

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

Love Ends Disaster – Volume II

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

I don’t really know a lot about this band, but to be honest it doesn’t really matter because you only have to listen to their music for a few seconds to realise that they rock. How can I possibly start to describe this band – let me see : bloody amazing?! That probably doesn’t do them any justice really so just promise me one thing – make sure you listen to this band for yourselves and then you can come up with your own conclusion.

There are three tracks on this CD and it is not until you have listened to all 3 of these that you realise actually how good this band are. All three of these tracks are extremely different and in their own ways are all complete masterpieces. The first track, ‘John Major’s MegaDrive’ is probably my favourite track of the three as I feel that this is the track which caries the most energy and pizzazz. This track has energy galore all the way through and is just one of those tracks that will stick in your head for years to come – it is sure to stand the test of time. Its defining feature is definitely the vocals – they are just so damn good on this track and give it such a great flavour. They are definitely something special and I swear that this vocalist will inspire a lot of people to make music as I certainly found this man inspiring and if this band were to be heard on a mass scale then they would definitely be seen as one of the greatest bands ever to have walked this earth. The band have ecstatic bass lines which will grab you by the toe, pick you up and toss you around with what seems like ease on the bands behalf. They also have some cracking drum beats and guitar riffs which really complete the bands immense sound and are what make a great band an inspirational band. It is impossible not to rock out while you are listening to this band as they are just so damn good and will have you at the edge of your seat at every opportunity with their damn fine music.

Check out this band if you have any taste in rock music whatsoever – seriously, this band is one of the greatest rock bands that I have ever heard in my life and I am sure that they already have a thriving fan base, and by the sounds of things before long they will be huge and they truly deserve it. They deserve it way more than any of the latest flash in the pan Emo bands at the moment – this band have personality and a lot of the bands at the moment are really lacking in this as they just all the same and are copying one another. Loves Ends Disaster’s sound is certainly unique and is just one of those sounds that is impossible to dislike, or indeed not love.

Rating:

Rich

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

Losing Sun – Inertia

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

Losing Sun are an unsigned, hard working Welsh Metal band who draw influences from many different bands and artists – ranging from Willie Nelson right through to Slayer. They create dark music, with an underlying flow of passion – this has become quickly recognised as their sound as it as an extremely distinct and unique sound which they produce and shows that they are not just another two a penny copy cat Metal band.

Their music just seems to work – it flows like a river and at the same time shocks you like an earthquake – fascinating stuff! Here are three fine tracks of flowing Metal anthems with a great emotional edge to them that is sure to please. From their music you can tell that they do not wish to be pigeonholed as there are so many different sounds to take in from their music and to pigeonhole them into one mere genre just would not do them justice. They inter splice genres and do it with tremendous style and produce tunes of a great standard that are sure to go down well with any kind of music fan. They have some storming bass lines, fiery guitar riffs, strong, fast paced drumming, and vocals that will really get your heart beating with their sheer style, emotion, and pure genius! This band have a real chemistry going in their music with their fine ability to play their instruments, amazing song writing talent, and intelligent, insightful lyrics which really get you thinking. This band really have their heads screwed on tight and know exactly what they are aiming for with their music. The tunes are slick and sexy and really convey a great power which will make you drool. The ability shown in their instrument playing is absolutely phenomenal as they have really mastered them well and the vocalist here is inch perfect in his timing, pace, and talent. You couldn’t ask for better musicians, you really couldn’t as these lads really are at the top of their game and I will be amazed if they improve on what they have here for the next CD as to me it is already sounding perfect!

This band are absolutely amazing – I haven’t put this CD down since I started listening to this CD and it still hasn’t left my CD changer once! For some reason I had an inkling that this band would be good and they were much more than that – they were sublime. Make sure you buy this CD whatever genre you are into as it is a fine, fine CD with much talent on display. Fine musicians making sweet, sweet songs!

Rating:

Rich

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

Lewinski – Like You Dont Know

June 6, 2004 by Rich Leave a Comment

That’s right everyone – Lewinski have come crawling back to Alt-UK.com for another review – and I’m bloody glad that they did because this 5 track EP is brilliant! After a falling out with the label, Lewinski are once again an unsigned outfit. With the songs that they recorded for the label they have been able to produce a brand new EP which is a DIY affair of Pop Punk genius that will leave you feeling glad to be alive and kicking.

The CD kicks off with the amazing ‘Most Regrets’ – thundering through it in true Lewinski style and then coming to the even greater ‘Waiting For Days’ afterwards. This song has everything you could possibly wish for – fast guitar lines, grueling bass lines, crazy drum beats, and some immense Punkin’ vocals that are sure to put a smile on your face. This tune really does it for me as it has moments of great melody and has those slurring Punk vocals that you come to associate with Lewinski having heard some of their other material. If you have ever been a fan of Lewinski then you will definitely enjoy this one as it is possibly one of the best songs that the band have ever created featuring some token shouts as well.

The standard of this CD is extremely high and as the CD progresses the band continue to impress with other tracks ‘Take Me Home,’ ‘Thousand Pieces,’ and ‘World Wont Listen,’ all really impressing me and showing just how far this band has come musically. They are definitely a lot better musically than they were on ‘Only When I’m Punk’ with 5 songs showing off their great talents of Pop Punk genius. Of course they had to finish the CD with a bang and I think that ‘World Wont Listen’ does this perfectly as although vocally it is not a very upbeat song, musically it is very upbeat with added horn licks that give it that happy feeling. This contrast between the lyrics and the sound of the song really works well for me as I truly enjoyed the song and have already listened to it many a time – it becomes greater with every listen.

So, here is another great EP from the fabulous Punk band Lewinski showing that they are fabulous musicians and songwriters that couldn’t pen a bad tune if they tried! This is truly inspirational stuff and I am sure that if this band keep at it they will be big one day as the music is just so much fun showing great musicianship and fine ability to pen a tune.

Rating:

Rich

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