What’s the difference between growing up and getting old? Well, one usually means development, maturity, confidence and clarity. And the other means teeth falling out and eyes glazing over. Perhaps, if you’re lucky, the latter comes with a little grumpy belligerence but most of the time it means going soft, going off the boil, and fading away. Just ask Skunk […]
Read more‘Beacons’, the second full-length from Cloudkicker, is a whirlwind of progressive, instrumental rock, dense post-hardcore, and complex metal. It sometimes sounds like two bands playing at once. Impressive then, that it is all the work of just one man. This hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere, Ohio native Ben Sharp has been kicking out solid solo jams for a few […]
Read moreFrom a distance this looked amazing. A night of bands the calibre of which Reading is usually lucky to see in a whole year outside of a festival field. Up close and as it happens though, inside the cold black box of the still new Sub89, it’s somehow less exciting. It doesn’t help that confusion over entry age has left […]
Read moreHuzzah! Deftones are coming back to the UK. And for a proper tour this time. The shows, with Coheed and Cambria in tow, look a little something like this: 12.11.10 Glasgow, Academy 13.11.10 Leeds, Academy 14.11.10 Manchester, Apollo 15.11.10 Southampton, Guildhall 17.11.10 London, Brixton Academy 19.11.10 Nottingham, Rock City 20.11.10 Birmingham, Academy Read our review of the band’s latest effort here.
Read moreNorma Jean are always at their best unleashing impulsive primal screams, not concept-heavy brain-busting bluster. That doesn’t have to mean relentless rabid dog rage (although there is some of that here), just that the band’s noisy metal really works when you can feel them thinking on their feet, not thinking every riff or lyric to death. ‘Meridionial’, despite the title […]
Read moreLet’s start at the end tonight. For perhaps the first time in a decade of London gigs, Thrice don’t end their set with ‘Deadbolt’. Sure, it’s a song they’ve been trying to cut loose for ages but tonight they manage it for the first time. And for perhaps the first time there are more people here happy not to hear […]
Read moreThe Ascent of Everest are doing it wrong. Not with the music they make- ‘From This Vantage’ sounds smarter and more confident than any sophomore effort should- but in the way they sell it. From that band name to talk of mountainous music and walls of noise see, the Nashville outfit are lying to us. Instead of booming riffs here, […]
Read moreGerman post-metallers The Ocean will join the Dillinger Escape Plan on their UK tour. The Ocean guitarist Robin Staps comments, “We are very excited about this tour and honoured to support one of the most exciting and daring bands in heavy music”. The trek, already featuring Rolo Tomassi, looks like this: 27.10.10 University Garden Court, SOUTHAMPTON 28.10.10 O2 Academy 2, […]
Read moreBring Me The Horizon’s third album proper will be titled ‘There Is A Hell, I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret’ and see the light of day on the 4th of October. Tentative song titles include ‘If You’re One of Them’ and ‘Crucify Me’ but what’s for sure is guest spots from YouMeAtSix frontman Josh […]
Read moreIf it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. These are words The Acacia Strain live by. Sure, they might have improved their chops, paid for better production, and somehow got more pissed off over the years but this is essentially the same black-hearted, bloody-knuckled misanthropic metalcore the Massachusetts mob were writing a decade ago. That’s not a slight though. Where most […]
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