The early 2000s were a hotbed of creativity for metalcore, with now-classic acts like Poison The Well making their mark on the world. That style has seen something of a revival recently, and Delaware’s Foreign Hands are in the vanguard of it. Their latest EP Bleed The Dream makes that clear from artwork alone, but it’s also a cavalcade of razor-sharp riffing, frenetic drumming and vocals switching between acerbic barks and soaring melodic choruses. We’ve heard similar throwback records from the likes of Dying Wish and Wristmeetrazor in the last 12 months alone, but Foreign Hands still put their own jagged spin on it.
Barely fifteen minutes long, Bleed The Dream is five tracks stripped bare of any filler, instead going straight for the pummeling. Opener ‘Anemoia’ begins with what sounds almost like an old telephone before discordant guitars wrap their barbed riffs around the throat and vocalist Tyler Norris commands with a savage, rasping fury. There’s a distinct modern hardcore edge to their sound, too, like on second track ‘Separation Souvenir in its chugging guitars and pit-ready attitude. The spoken word breaks are dated, but here they’re spot on and they don’t feel gimmicky or overused, even amongst the twisted screams of “cross my heart and hope to die” that are ripped right out of that MySpace metalcore era.
The band consists of Tim Singer on vocals (Deadguy, Kiss It Goodbye, No Escape), Matt Ryan (Calvary) and Kevin Sommerville (Lighten Up!) on guitar duties. Dan Yemin’s on bass (Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black) and Jeff Tirabassi (ex. Walleye) is hitting the skins. Between them all then, they have a wealth of experience and years of gigging and writing under their belts, and it shows. The record is slick, tight, hits hard, and does exactly what you’d expect from a hardcore album and then some.
Thematically, the album covers all the usual hardcore topics. There’s buckets of angst and anger towards the establishment, to corporations, to bosses, to inequality and to humanity and the way people treat each other. There’s bitterness (well, it’s in the name), there’s frustration, and there’s hope.
It’s classic punk and full of arm in the air rallying calls right from the outset of opener ‘Along Came A Bastard’. An explosive beginning, it starts with thundering drums like a racing heartbeat, pounding out a rhythm to carry the tense guitars and Singer’s often vitriolic vocal delivery. Peppered with a sarcastic sneer, it’s his casual spoken style that stands out consistently throughout the record.
The collective have come a long way since, releasing two full length albums and going on a massive tour with Chevelle, Bush and Highly Suspect among others. Rooted in post-hardcore and prog rock Black Map have continued to evolve their sound from record to record, and Melodoria is no exception. The latest release is a definitive level up from the previous work – it showcases the signature melodic heaviness but also taps into this epic anthemic soundscape that is both nostalgic and fresh.
The album kicks off with energetic and powerful ‘Chasms’, and a blazing guitar riff sets the mood for the record. This opening track channels the spirit of 00s’ anthemic rock and as the album goes on this feeling only gets stronger. The first half of the record showcases this new larger-than-life sound Black Map have crafted. Done wisely, it creates proper space for the tracks to breathe and deliver epicness in full measure. ‘Capture the Flag’ adds a whole lot of groove and distortion to the mix, with pinched guitars that almost sound like keyboards. The following ‘Madness’ is the culmination of the first half, it sounds like it came off a blockbuster movie soundtrack of the mid-noughties – think Nickelback’s ‘Hero’ and Spiderman. The first song written for the album, this track would have been top of the charts if released a decade ago. The highlight of the album and a real trip down the memory lane.
For 16 years now, And So I Watch You From Afar have defied the conventions of their genre, something quite remarkable given how the genre of post-rock has always been a medium for nonconformity and experimentalism in the first place. As any fan of the band will tell you with breathless enthusiasm, every record within the band’s discography is completely unique despite their overarching theme of euphoric positivity. Their self-titled debut and consequent Gangs is almost revolutionary in mood, All Hail Bright Futures and Heirs carries a sense of giddy adolescent eclecticism and 2017’s The Endless Shimmering feels sleek and grandiose. Yet despite all of this, the progression of the band’s sound throughout these records has felt natural and something akin to an evolutionary process. Jettison, the band’s latest offering, is however none of that.
Originally envisioned by guitarist Rory Friers in 2018, the project is a collaborative piece from the band, the Belfast Arco String Quartet and visual artist Sam Wiehl. Instead of being the next organic step, Jettison is a clear and sudden departure from their normal approach – something that’s at first alarming, but yet simultaneously exciting and daringly ambitious. Even to call it a standard album feels far too restrictive, especially when considering it was designed to be a multimedia experience performed live alongside a short film of Wiehl’s design. But even as a record Jettison is still a phenomenal exploration of the human condition, one that still enjoy’s And So I Watch You From Afar’s underlying themes of positivity and joy, albeit in a more nuanced way.
Despite being divided in nine tracks, Jettison is intended to be experienced as a single continuously flowing piece, one best enjoyed without distraction or hinderance. ‘Dive’ slowly yet assuringly leads you into this collaborative piece of work. The spoken word courtesy of Emma Ruth Rundle guides your hand alongside twinkling guitars and tentative stings that unfurl like a slow unfolding of wings as the track enters it’s second movement. With keys, stings and further orchestral textures intertwining in harmony, it does initially feel like the work of the string quartet is the one leading the record here, but as the record progresses, the work of the band creep into play. ‘Lung’ enjoys motifs reminiscent of Heirs and the related Successors EP in a way that’s not withheld but far from bashful. In fact, whilst the notion of upwards of ten musicians featuring simultaneously could have led to this being a disorganised and overwhelmingly disjointed affair, it’s anything but. Each element and texture of this record intertwines with elegant harmony, allowing the intricacies present to shine.
Meaning ‘protector’ or ‘guardian’ in their native Hindi, Rakshak gives us ten tracks intended to empower the downtrodden. Bloodywood want to give us the tools to protect our own inner peace while taking up the mantle for those who feel unable to. Combining the calmness instilled within traditional Indian music with crushing metal riffs, Bloodywood seek to reignite the rap metal movement the likes of Rage Against The Machine shouldered before them.
Right off the bat, ‘Gaddaar’ treats us to a new breed of boast rap. Raoul Kerr’s barks of “we’re the antidote” swoop through the midsection of Karan Katiyar’s industrial beats and chunky metal riffs. Before we could get swept up in comparisons with Limp Bizkit or Nine Inch Nails, billows of traditional Indian music prick our ears. While some of the lyrics have a whiff of cheese, “We keep it real like the UFC” for example, there’s no denying this three-piece believe every word they deliver.
Gregor Barnett, guitarist and co vocalist of punk-n-roll godfathers The Menzingers is set to release his debut full length record this coming Friday, and if you’ve been following the bands career over the years – then we’re sure you’ll agree it’s been a long time coming. Since the project’s inception in 2006, The Menzingers have gained a cult-like global following in all corners of the world, with seven full length studio albums and enough critical acclaim in the bag to fill some of the most prestigious venues in the US, Canada & mainland Europe combined. They’re a band who have yet to release a less than satisfactory piece of material and if the opening tracks of Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave are anything to go by, then Barnett is aiming equally as high with his solo venture. Performed in a similar style to the 2020 rewrite From Exile (an acoustic themed delivery of the bands 2019 hit Hello Exile) each track on the debut is raw, emotive & poignant. It’s new and exciting, yet brings a warm connection to the youthful doubt that fills your teenage years.
‘Oh Lord, What Do You Know?’ sets the tone early on, however its track two ‘Driving Through The Night’ where this record really comes into its own with that distinct vocal flavour. It’s a track that has it all: nostalgic lyrics, melancholy undertones but still a brilliant feel good factor and gentle guitar licks that warm you up from the inside out. Followed immediately by the aptly named ‘The First Dead Body I Ever Saw’ the album takes a swift dive into a blues tainted funeral march. There’s a distinct morbid theme amongst the titling throughout, as tracks like ‘Talking To Your Tomb Stone’, ‘Hurry Me Down To Hades’ and of course the record’s title track all successfully balance sorrowful vocals with their own uplifting elements thrown in.
