Using hardcore as a springboard for other genres, the Albany/LA based five-piece have created an effective and masterful blend of jangly upbeat but noisy guitars, melodic licks and driving rhythm sections which cross into other genres and borrow from multiple influences with professional ease. Whether it’s post-punk, post-hardcore, or just post-Cheer, the album represents a step up from their 2018 offering with the band feeling more settled and comfortable in their sound.
Vocalist Patrick Kindlon’s ad hoc method of writing lyrics “to order” in the studio after all the instrumental parts have already been honed to perfection and tracked may be unusual but seems to draw out the best in him – it’s pure in the moment inspiration, it’s real. And it works for them. The lyrical content of ‘Hygiene’ is poetic in its honesty, reflective and at times funny and sardonic, covering a wide range of topics from art to family but with its feet firmly planted in the every day. At times, the mix barely brings Kindlon’s vocals to the surface, the listener straining to catch the odd lyric here and there but the solid instrumentation and melody carries it, providing a backbone for their forays into different styles.
‘Hygiene’ feels like it’s been a long time coming, with the first singles dropped in November of 2021. It’s also been over three years since their last full length (‘Cheer’) which makes these ten tracks and 27 minutes both frustrating and exciting, and incredibly moreish. Drug Church are a drug in themselves. There’s something so satisfying about the riffs on ‘Plucked’ with their classic post-punk vibe, the odd minor note thrown in and the soft echo on Kindlon’s impassioned vocal delivery. Then there’s the Milk Teeth-esque sound of ‘Super Saturated’ and ‘Million Miles Of Fun’: high-quality upbeat melodic punk.
In the last decade or so math rock globally has gone from strength to strength and the rise of various instrumental bands has been a large part of that. Collaborations have been a key element to many a band’s journey to expand their sound into new territories and explore lyrical themes. A-Tota-So have gone full in with their new record to bring in some of the most exciting talent around the underground scene.
However, before we start to feel all fuzzy about bringing chums along on this ride this is a record that puts a looking glass over the darker shadows in life. Opener ‘Choke’ feat. Jake O’Driscoll (God Alone) looks at the feeling of a tightened chest and anxiety. A punchy rhythm belts out as the core trio of Marty, Jamie and Chris are playing a heavier card sonically. Their intertwining rhythms, splicing between distorted punk and twingly guitar lines underpin the grizzled roar of Jake. Reminiscent of early Pulled Apart By Horses.
Cast your minds back if you dare to 2020, the year we thought it would be impossible to top in terms of just how jaw-droppingly outrageous were the events unfolding worldwide. As winter rolled round with many people feeling isolated or separated from the lives they knew, Japanese post-rockers MONO felt compelled to make a gift for the holiday season with a simple accompanying message, “Wishing everyone good health, happiness, and good cheer in the new year. These songs were written with the idea of new hope for the new year since 2020 has become unforeseeably dark for many in the world.”
The gift in question was the first incarnation of Scarlet Holiday, a two track EP that offered a moment of peace amongst the chaos. Fast forward to a year later and the events of 2021 were still proving to be just as bleak, so once again MONO decided to re-work the previous holiday offering and expand it with the inclusion of a brand new song ‘Epilogue’. Finally, this year see’s the originally digital-only release make its way onto vinyl with helping hands from longtime collaborator Steve Albini (Big Black, Shellac) as well as being newly mixed and mastered by John McEntire and Bob Weston.
i saw hell when i was with you is the surprisingly well-developed debut from downcast; Bristol’s latest alternative export. Despite the cartoonish album cover resembling 80s horror artwork and therefore hinting at stronger metal influences, fans of any lighter subgenres will find something to clutch their pearls at within this versatile record.
Opening with ‘Britannia Mills’, downcast immediately introduce new listeners to their brooding sound, fuelled with emotion. From the first play, one can already imagine the vice grip this will have over their fans when performed live. The gargantuan chorus hits incredibly strongly when the poignant lyrics are paired with drummer Jamie Hill’s subtle off-the-beat fills and harsh double kicks. His skill and the more intricate techniques he uses throughout the album shouldn’t go unnoticed as they add variation and powerful enhancements exactly when needed.
This is a stark contrast to the guitar, as Ben Lucas is sometimes lost in the noise and tracks without glaring instrumentation sections leaves him buried underneath. ‘Sylvan View’ is a classic exception as Knuckle Puck-like riffs give an extra emotive touch and increase the sorrowful demeanour. The lyrics of this track are particularly personal, giving no context. Feeling like a fly on the wall during a turbulent tragedy, one almost wishes they knew the whole story but are also glad they don’t. Similar can be said for third track ‘Catharsis’, where its all in the name. Fuelled by big hooks, fast rhythms and Liam Edwards’ gruff vocals, one can feel the relief channelled into every member’s performance.
The Swedish tank loving squadron in Sabaton have once again deployed their forces on the Western Front, bringing us more stories of atrocities and miracles from the frontlines of a century defining war. Opening the album with the event that started it all in Sarajevo, Serbia and closing in Versailles, France, where an infamous treaty would lead us into a second World War. The War To End All Wars is the second Sabaton album to focus solely on one conflict and follows up 2019’s epic The Great War. The signature high-intensity Sabaton brand of heavy metal is juxtaposed once again with narratives of harrowing yet epic tales of real-life military battles and the brave men and women who lived them. The Swedish storytellers have an innate ability to capture these events with pounding drums and moving, triumphant melodies that will have you fist pumping like Joakim Brodén at Wacken Open Air.
This is the band’s second visit to WWI as they believed that there were many stories left untold on The Great War. With that in mind, The War To End All Wars simultaneously feels like a sequel and prequel to The Great War, as it explores the war’s origin and conclusion with everything in-between in an explosive and powerful manner. One thing is for certain though, is that Sabaton deliver intense riffs, pounding artillery style drums, virtuosic solos and catchy melodies that snipe their way into your brain from the barrel of Francis Pegahmagabow’s (see ‘Ghost In The Trenches’) rifle, destined to be lodged there forever. Yet, there is an added element of darkness with this album, as the eternal question of “Can a war really end all wars?” is echoed continuously in the album’s closing track ‘Versailles’. With mighty, mounting synths and powerful choirs, you can feel the thunder of war encompassing you. Even though conceptually it covers serious subjects, there is a great deal of fun to be had with this album. Sabaton have always been a band to enjoy what they do, and go wholeheartedly into it, even though in some areas it fees like cheesy power metal, you can’t help but get wrapped up in the band’s rousing choruses and triumphant riffs.
After the well received success of their debut LP I back in 2017, Beachheads have spent the past 5 years setting their sights on a progressive journey with their much beloved sound, via stripping back their classic Rock N Roll vibes and injecting the writing process with a slew of post-punk sensibilities while firmly holding tight to residual Power Pop energy, in hopes of sustaining their catchy resilience.
Although described as a punk infused Britpop fantasy blending the lines between “innocence and romance” as well as inhabiting a healthy dose of “social realism and dystopia”; we’re unfortunately pretty hard pressed to identify such intriguing essences amongst its playtime. Plagued by monotony and surface level lyrical expeditions, that frankly leave us somewhere in the realms of scratching our heads in complete bemusement and a frustration induced urge to rip out our hair due to the extent of its wasted potential; II effortlessly breaks the number one rule of the entertainment industry, which is to never be aggressively boring.
Starting off the album’s exploration, ‘Break It Off’ stood as a non-offensive track that we feel would fit perfectly in an open road montage for a B-movie soundtrack, however it also stood as an exemplary track for what to expect of the rest of this rather reductive experience.
